by Mark Madden-- 4/11/1999

How did WCW President Ric Flair ever get into this? How did he ever put himself into a situation where he could conceivably lose the WCW world title without even submitting or being pinned? How did he allow himself to be put in a four-way match twice in one week? I've always said that Flair has many attributes. Dumb has never been one. Now, only Spring Stampede will tell if Flair is dumb. Or if he's crazy like a fox.

At Spring Stampede, President Flair puts the world title up for grabs against Sting, Diamond Dallas Page and Hollywood Hogan. Whoever can get a pin or force a submission in that match walks away with the 50 pounds of gold. Why Flair would do that, I don't know. Who will win, I dont know. But I can certainly handicap the participants.

STING

First off, what is Sting even doing in this match? Who did he bribe to get a world title shot in his first bout back in WCW after disappearing for months? Ordinarily, I'd say he bribed Flair, but that wouldn't make much sense in this case. OK, so Sting doesn't belong in a world title match right away. That doesn't mean he can't win. Sting clearly has the element of surprise going for him. We don't know if he can still wrestle, but assuming he can, we don't know how he'll wrestle. Will he use his bat? Drop from the ceiling? Use the scorpion deathlock? The scorpion death drop? Dance the tango? Will he be in the lobby of a Holiday Inn wearing a red carnation? Will he be in white, red or psychedelic makeup? Sting must face a lot of questions. The proper answers get him the world title. Again. That may not be a victory for Sting. He always seems to fade after winning the world championship.

DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE

DDP's finisher, the Diamond Cutter, is useless in a four-way unless he can put it on all three competitors before trying a cover. Pinning predicaments will be broken up by other competitors. Quick finishers -- i.e., a move that goes right into a pin like Goldberg's jackhammer -- win in a four-way. The Diamond Cutter is move, turn, pin. That's one pulse too long in a four-way. Four-ways have the competitive aspect of a singles match with some elements of a tag match, such as somebody making the save. DDP has one thing going for him, however. He should be the hungriest in this match. He's never held the world title. Never been seen at quite the same level as Sting, Hogan or Flair. This is his chance to climb the ladder, and earn a world champ's paycheck, too.

HOLLYWOOD HOGAN

Hogan may be the proverbial "good guy" once more, but that doesn't mean he won't do whatever it takes to reclaim the world title. Hogan has one thing going for him: He could forge an alliance with Flair to cop the belt. Hogan isn't that far removed from doing dirty deeds. Flair might help Hogan -- if Hogan promises to wind up in his corner after the match. Flair would go from world champ to being Don King, but Flair's already halfway to being Don King in his job as WCW President. As long as Flair controls the belt, he may not feel he has to have it. Sting wouldn't sell out to Flair. DDP wouldn't sell out to Flair. Hogan would. He's sold out before, right? But even if Hogan doesn't align with Flair, don't count him out. He almost always finds a way.

RIC FLAIR

Again, I simply can't believe Flair put himself in that rarest of matches, a bout where the world champion has no edge. But, come to think of it, I think Flair does have an advantage, although maybe some of you geniuses haven't figured it out yet. Did you hear the voice announcing that he would be the referee for the four-way? That distinctive timbre belonged to Macho Man Randy Savage. The last time we saw Savage, he interfered to help Flair beat Eric Bischoff and win the presidency of WCW. Savage was in Flair's corner then. If he's in Flair's corner at Spring Stampede, Flair could easily walk out of Tacoma, Wash., as the world champ. Also, I think Flair will be the smartest wrestler in the four-way. He may let the other three wear each other down, then shoot the cripple, i.e., take the pin over whichever opponent gets beat on most.

My prediction for the winner of the four-way: Flair, still world champ despite himself. And if you're wondering if Spring Stampede will prove who the best wrestler in WCW is, you're darn right it will. It'll be whoever wins Nash vs. Goldberg. At least Flair wasn't foolish enough to put himself in that one.

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