December 4, 2007
Matt Peddycord

NWA World Championship Wrestling
January 28, 1989
Atlanta, GA
WTBS Studios

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone. This was actually Tony’s last televised NWA show, as he went to hang out in the WWF for the next year.

Interview with Ricky Steamboat. He initiates the “Family Dragon” shtick by bringing Bonnie and Little Ricky out. I think Steamboat was listening to too much Whitney Houston back then.

Michael PS Hayes & Junkyard Dog vs. Max McGiver & Bob Emery

Yes, it’s pronounced MacGyver. I’ll let you insert your own jokes there. Odd how a Confederate flag bearing Freebird would team up with a “hard-headed” black man. Of course by this point in his career and life, I’m sure JYD’s skin was pretty thick. Hayes uses the armbar while JYD uses his trusty head to do some damage. JYD hits the BIG THUMP on McGiver and then lets him up. The faces continue the beatdown until Hayes finally puts McGiver away with the DDT. (6:16) Felt like twenty minutes.

Interview with Butch Reed. It ain’t NOBODY’s business why he’s here! Evidently, JJ Dillon has hired Reed to be a bodyguard of sorts.

Hacksaw Butch Reed (w/JJ Dillon) vs. Alan Kinsey

This would be JJ Dillon’s last WCW on-screen appearance until his return in ’97, as he left for a creative job with the WWF. Reed beats the CRAP out of his guy and then pins him with a side headlock down on the mat! (1:07) Afterwards, Reed gives Kinsey a FLYING CLOTHESLINE while JJ counts a five-count. They’re so BAD!

Kendall Windham vs. George South

The squashes continue. Windham works on South’s arm for the whole match. Nothing really wrong with it wrestling-wise, just rather bland and boring. Barry comes down and joins JR and Tony for a while to put over his brother. BULLDOG connects, and Kendall is your winner. (7:40) How about that. Kendall’s winning matches now.

Eddie Gilbert vs. Agent Steel

Some girl in the studio gives Eddie a ‘Hot Stuff’ animal! Whatever that is. It’s all headlocks and armbars until Steel runs into the HOTSHOT. (3:20) Next.

“Dr. Death” Steve Williams & Mike Rotunda (w/Kevin Sullivan) vs. Mike Jackson & Trent Knight

Sullivan joins JR and Tony for commentary to hype the VC’s upcoming matches at the Clash and Chi-Town Rumble while Doc and Rotunda beat the heck out of Mike Jackson. Rotunda suckers Trent Knight into a amateur sitout. He does it for real the first time, but then stomps him hard the second time. Awesome. Doc press slams both jobbers and then puts Knight away with the OKLAHOMA STAMPEDE! (6:26) Another awesome example at just how great the Varsity Club really was.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Russian Assassin #2 (w/Paul Jones & Russian Assassin #1)

Schiavone recalls the Steamboat/Jones relationship from the late ‘70s to try and make this match a tad interesting. Steamboat chops and armdrags Assassin with no trouble at all. Flair comes out and walks over to Tony and JR to talk about the biggest fluke win in the history of wrestling that occurred last week. Assassin goes low and punches away. Slam gets two. He works an armbar while Flair berates the crowd for chanting “Let’s Go Steamboat!”. I love it! More Assassin punishment follows. Steamboat skins-the-cat to set up his comeback and finishes Assassin off with the FLYING BODYPRESS. (6:42) Assassin #1 and Jones attack afterwards unsuccessfully. Now that all of that is out of the way, Flair wants to go. All he does is talk, so Steamboat PLANCHAS out on top of Flair to shut him up and then beats the crap out of him! Barry Windham comes down for the save, which cues Eddie Gilbert to come save Steamboat. Gilbert winds up getting double-teamed and sent face-first into the ringpost, followed by a face down knee-drop from Flair on the concrete! Steamboat finally is able to fight them off, but the damage has been done. Awesome segment. *

Dick Murdoch vs. Mike Justice

Mostly looong chinlocks in this one. Tony & JR spend the whole time talking about the previous segment. Murdoch wins with a Dusty-like elbow drop. (5:12) Next, please.

Lex Luger vs. Jerry Price

Flexy Lexy works an armbar the whole match and then puts Price away with the TORTURE RACK. (4:37) There you go.

The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) vs. Rick Allen & Keith Steinborn

Cornette makes threats to Dangerously on Tony & JR’s mic while the Midnights deliver a leapfrog backbreaker combo to Steinborn. He announces their six-man tag match with the Original Midnights and Dangerously at Chi-Town Rumble has a special stipulation: whoever gets pinned must leave the NWA. Drop toe hold/elbow drop combo follows as well as the savate kick/bulldog combo. Paul E and the Originals come out from behind the curtain to play some MIND GAMES~! Bobby gets distracted and Allen takes control for a bit. That is until Steinborn tags back in and gets beat down and dumped out to the floor. The Midnights get into a standoff and when Steinborn tries something, he gets posted. Back in, Steinborn fires back on Eaton and tags Allen. He gets PWNT by a slingshot clothesline and then the VEG-O-MATIC for the 1-2-3! (6:41) Another good squash for the Eaton/Lane Midnights.

NWA World Television Champion Rick Steiner vs. Eddie Sweat

GONNA MAKE YOU SWEAT! Tony & JR keep talking about Steiner’s upcoming TV title defense at the Clash against Commando Ray (better known as the big guy Kareem Muhammad), which didn’t end up happening. Steiner uses power moves throughout and pulls Sweat up after two on more than one occasion. All because apparently Alex told him to. BELLY-TO-BELLY SUPLEX gets the 1-2-3. (3:43) In the post-match interview, Steiner has his dog with him. Oh man, he calls Rotunda ‘Mike Retardo’! He didn’t think that up though, Alex told him to say it. NO, HE REALLY DID!

NWA World Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) vs. Randy Hogan & Bill Holliday

The LOD are dominating as you would expect. Holliday is the only one to see action and gets put away pretty quickly with the DOOMSDAY DEVICE. (2:22) It’s a good thing Randymania didn’t have a chance to run wild on the Road Warriors. Afterwards, the Road Warriors send another message to the Varsity Club basically telling them that they don’t want none. I know it’s not proper English, but it sounds cool.

Ivan Koloff vs. Gene Miller

This is the best they could do for a closing match? A Sting squash perhaps? Ivan works the mid-section for a while. Miller gets in a little offense, but then runs into a boot in the corner. Ivan beats on Miller down on the floor and then makes it difficult for him to get back in the ring. Once he is back in, he hits a Bossman straddle. A standing SICKLE and a Boston Crab gets the submission win. (3:52) Ivan Koloff as a face is weird.

Before we go, Steamboat comes out and talks about the injustice that went down earlier and that he will get his darn revenge on Flair and Windham.

YOUTUBE IT: The coolest part of the show of course was the Steamboat/Flair confrontation.

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