Floyd's Top 100 WCW Matches of All time!
NOTE: For this poll, only matches from November 2, 1988 to March 26, 2001 are eligible.
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#100. Diamond Dallas Page Vs. Randy Savage
Halloween Havoc (Las Vegas Death Match - 10/26/97)
And the DDP/Savage trilogy comes to it's conclusion. And much like in the original Star Wars trilogy, although the finale wasn't the best one, it had lots of plunder.
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#99. Jushin Liger & Brian Pillman Vs. Chris Benoit & Beef Wellington
Clash of the Champions XIX (6/16/92)
Bill Watts removal of the mats outside didn't deter these guys. Team Canada takes on the USA/Japan alliance in the WCW World tag tournament.
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#98. The Great Muta Vs. Arn Anderson
Power Hour (1/2/90)
Six month champ and practically undefeated Muta puts his T.V. title on the line against the returning Double A. He also has to contend with the evil Dragon Master and Buzz Sawyer.
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#97. Chris Benoit Vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Superbrawl VIII (2/22/98)
Chris Benoit defends his U.S. title against the overachiever DDP. Is DDP in Benoit's league? If DDP can pull off the victory it'll be time for a Self High Five!
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#96. Ric Flair Vs. Bret Hart
Souled Out (1/24/98)
Bret's first major opponent in WCW was his old nemesis Ric Flair. I think this is an underrated, but good, back and forth match. Sadly this would be the end of Bret's dream matches as he became just another guy in the N.W.O. regime.
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#95. Chris Benoit Vs. Eddy Guerrero
WCW Nitro (11/6/95)
These two have been having great matches on TV the past couple of weeks. On this Nitro the visiting Japanese team (Liger, Saito, Chono, etc..) are watching on. So they kick it up a notch even further, killing each other in a short but intense match.
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#94. Billy Kidman Vs. Rey Misterio Jr. Vs. Juventud Guerrera
Starrcade (12/27/98)
Great 3-way match for Billy Kidman's Cruserwieght title. Mysterio is Kidman's buddy, but is also on assignment to get the belt for the L.W.O. so I dunno what will happen.
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#93. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko Vs. Chris Jericho & Eddy Guerrero
Thunder (1/29/98)
Jericho and Guerrero were at their peak of heel-ishness here, it's sad their tag team wasn't continued. Great TV tag match from the Nitro 4.
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#92. The Midnight Express Vs. Tommy Rich & Ricky Morton
Halloween Havoc (10/27/90)
Robert Gibson's knee got jacked by the Freebirds, so Tommy Rich takes his place. The Express were always awesome but really stood out in 1990. This was The Midnight Express's swan song.
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#91. Billy Kidman Vs. Rey Misterio Jr. Vs. Juventud Guerrera Vs. Psicosis
Souled Out (1/17/99)
Think I may have had this too low. But my ballots already in! A great 4-way match for the Crusierweight title. The Latino World Order has three members in, will they work together to get Kidman's belt?
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#90. Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko Vs. Raven & Perry Saturn
Spring Stampede (4/11/99)
The Vanilla Midgits take on the Flock in a great tag team match. Benoit/Malenko brought Double A, The Flock brought a table.
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#89. Steve Williams & Terry Gordy Vs. Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes
Saturday Night (10/3/92)
Gordy & Williams defend the titles. Dustin & Windham are underdogs but might pull off an upset with Windham's experience and Dustin's enthusiasm. Great 30 min. match on a Saturday night!
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#88. Doom Vs. The Rock & Roll Express
Great American Bash (7/7/90)
One of my favorites as a kid, The Rock N Roll Express get one last run at the titles. But they're getting to old to rock and Doom has been unstoppable!
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#87. Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko Vs. Ricky Steamboat & Dustin Rhodes
Clash of the Champions XVII (11/19/91)
The beginning of the Dangerous Alliance. It was scheduled to be Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham going for the WCW tag titles, but a pre-match ambush and Windham got his hand crunched in a car door. Dustin found a suitable replacement in the returning Ricky Steamboat! The Enforcers are caught off guard but still are the dirtiest players in WCW. This match is beloved by alot of people and will do good in this poll, so despite my low placing I recommend it!
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#86. Kaz Hayashi & Jimmy Yang Vs. Jamie Knoble & Evan Karagias
Sin (1/14/01)
With WCW going down the tubes, some new talent got exposure. The remains of 3 count go after the Jung Dragons.
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#85. Steven Regal Vs. Fit Finlay
Uncensored (3/24/96)
Unorthodox and brutal! Irish Finlay is after that snob Brit Regal and beats the crap out of him. A stiff match with Regal using his scientific skills to avoid broken bones.
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#84. Juventud Guerrera Vs. Billy Kidman
World War III (11/22/98)
Juvy defends the WCW Crusierweight title, my favorite of their long term feud. Crazy spots as usual including both guys using the triple rings in unique situations.
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#83. Chris Benoit Vs. Jushin Liger
Starrcade (12/27/95)
A big disappointment to their New Japan fans but I thought it was a solid match, especially for WCW at the time. The New Japan Vs. WCW Starcade was great showcasing different styles and new talent to the Hogan-dominated WCW.
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#82. Big Van Vader Vs. Ron Simmons
Main Event (8/2/92)
After defeating Sting for the title, the behemoth Vader is unstoppable. Simmons is big but an underdog. At the end of the match the crowd is going insane.
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#81. Juventud Guerrera Vs. Rey Misterio Jr.
Thunder (1/15/98)
The L.W.O. is exploding from within! Juvy defends the Crusierweight title against Mysterio. See something good actually came out of Thunder.
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#80. Chris Benoit Vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
Superbrawl (2/21/93)
These new kids on the block wow the crowd with some of them high tech moves all the kids are talking about these days. Uh-oh the match is going to the 20 minute draw, will there be a winner?
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#79. Diamond Dallas Page Vs. Sting
Nitro (4/26/99)
DDP stunned the world but not only winning the WCW World title but turning into a douchebag. The day after his big win it's Sting who gets a title shot. Better than anyone expected and was a surprise match to open up Nitro.
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#78. Chris Jericho Vs. Raven
Halloween Havoc (10/25/98)
Raven gets an impromptu match against TV Champ Chris Jericho. He doesn't want to fight but would rather just sit in a corner sulking, so Jericho calls him out! Don't forget Raven always has his Flock around...
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#77. Barry Windham Vs. Steven Regal
Saturday Night (4/17/93)
NWA World champ Windham defends against Steven Regal. Regal is new to WCW but proves he's deserves the Championship match. 6 foot 6 Windham shows he can hang with Regal's scientific style.
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#76. Vader Vs. Sting
Starcade (12/28/92)
It's the King of Cable Finals! This is Stings chance for avenging his World title loss to Vader. Sting discovers he can't match power with the big guy so comes up with a new strategy. Probably have this too low but never got into it as their other matches. More Sting/Vader to come.
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#75. Dean Malenko Vs. Rey Misterio Jr.
Great American Bash (6/16/96)
This was Mysterio's debut. But that stupid Malenko ruins the party by completely grounding the luchadore! Still whenever Mysterio finds some daylight he shows the awesome aerial moves that'll soon make him a WCW superstah.
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#74. Sting Vs. Cactus Jack
Worldwide (Submit or Surrender Match - 11/9/91)
That Cactus Jack was one weird dude. Hired by Luger as a bounty hunter, he vows to get Sting out of WCW, even if it means destroying himself too. This is a no-DQ, anything goes match. Only way to win is to surrender. I like the future Beach Blast match alot more, but this was awesome too, especially for its time.
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#73. Randy Savage Vs. Diamond Dallas Page
The Great American Bash (Falls Count Anywhere - 6/15/97)
Hogan had the night off so these guys main-evented the Bash. This rematch was a Falls Count Anywhere affair and they brawled all over the arena. DDP had busted up ribs but wouldn't stay down.
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#72. Goldberg Vs. Sting
Nitro (9/14/98)
Hmmmmmmmm... To be honest I'm not sure why this match is here or so high. All well what's done is done! It was a good TV match to a super hot crowd with Golberg defending the WCW World title. His title reign was always in the shadow of the Hulkster but he managed to squeeze in some good defenses along the way.
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#71. Steven Regal Vs. Larry Zbyszko
Saturday Night (5/28/94)
Lord Regal was besmirched and embarrassed in his Slamboree legends match against Zbysko. So this is the return match, this time for Regal's TV title. For a couple of years Regal was WCW's MVP for TV matches. Here he tries to turn Zbysko into a pretzel.
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#70. Rey Misterio Jr. & Billy Kidman Vs. Kid Romeo & Elix Skipper
Greed (3/18/01)
"Greed" was the aptly named last PPV of the WCW era. It's sad cause some new talent was making some noise at the end such as AJ Styles, Christoper Daniels and Mike Modest. In the last hurray WCW also had a Crusierweight Tag Division and this was the finals to crown the first champs.
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#69. Vader Vs. Sting
Fall Brawl (9/18/94)
Their feud is two years past it's prime and it's Hogan and Flair battling at the top now. But it's still Vader Vs. Sting and they give it all in this encounter which goes 30 min. Vader has the size but is at a disadvantage having just wrestling the Big Bossman in a tough brawl. There's a long stretch where both guys are blown up and can't wrestle but the rest is gold, especially the ending which is mega exciting.
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#68. Rey Misterio Jr. Vs. Juventud Guerrera Vs. Psicosis Vs. Blitzkreig
Nitro (4/19/99)
Rey's defending the Crusier title but has to defeat 4 other guys to retain! All four of these guys have amazing moves and when you get them all in one ring you got a great match.
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#67. Vader & Steve Austin Vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson
Saturday Night (11/13/93)
This was supposed to be Flair & Sid Vicious but Sid got ambushed on the way to the ring. Double A took his place in this dream match that went 30 minutes. Seems Flair and Vader aren't done yet...
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#66. Chris Benoit Vs. Eddy Guerrero
Nitro (10/16/95)
Think this was their first TV match and took the crowd by storm. Even the announcer were caught off guard at the super stiff suplexes and flying moves.
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#65. Barry Windham vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
Clash of the Champions XXIII (6/16/93)
Windham's defending his NWA World title against new guy Scorpio. Seems Windham is having an easy match but 2 Cold just won't stay down. Could it be an upset? Time to start steppin'!
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#64. The 1989 Wargames
The Great American Bash (7/23/89)
It's The Road Warriors, Midnight Express and Dr Death Steve Williams Vs. The Freebirds and Samoan Swat Team. At the "Massacre in Marrietta" the Freebirds and SST locked the Road Warriors in the cage and destroyed Hawk while Animal was handcuffed and unable to help. And don't forget the Freebirds cost the Midnight Express the title by cheating. Now it's time for revenge! Double Cage where the match can't be stopped until the end. Fun stuff.
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#63. Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes Vs. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas
Clash of the Champions XXI (11/18/92)
Windham & Dustin are defending the tag titles. Dustin's good but he's too nice a wrestler so Windham's trying to teach him to play dirty.
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#62. Ric Flair vs. Sting
The Great American Bash (7/7/90)
Sting returns from a near career-ending knee injury to get his revenge against Flair and the Horsemen. Flair's defending the title and a bunch of fan favorites are surrounding the ring to prevent shenanigans. It's 1 on 1 for the World title, is Sting the man of the 90's or Flair?
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#61. Randy Savage Vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Spring Stampede (NO-DQ - 4/6/97)
DDP turned down the NWO so Randy Savage was sent as a hit man. He also mocked DDP's wife Kimberly for her pictures in Playboy intensifying the feud even further. Great match to their feud that went all over the place.
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#60. Rey Misterio Jr. & Juventud Guerrera Vs. Psicosis & La Parka
Nitro (12/15/97)
A through-away Nitro match but a really fun one. They try to cram in as many highspots as they can before it's commercial time or N.W.O. Vincent needs to have a 10 min. interview. La Parka IS the chairman of the board.
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#59. Paul Orndorff Vs. Cactus Jack
Superbrawl (Streetfight - 2/21/93)
Cactus Jack makes his return as a fan favorite and his first stop if beating the crap out of Paul Orndorff. It's an anything goes, Falls count anywhere match that goes all over the place.
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#58. Diamond Dallas Page Vs. Chris Benoit Vs. Raven
Uncensored (3/15/98)
DDP defends his U.S. title, but this time he has to defeat two tough opponents. And it's Raven rules! ECW! ECW! ECW!
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#57. Ric Flair & Barry Windham Vs. The Midnight Express
Clash of the Champions IV (12/7/88)
In a Dream match World champ Flair and U.S. champ Windham team up to take on the Midnight Express. And don't forget about Cornette and J.J. on the outside.
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#56. Ricky Steamboat Vs. Steve Austin
Bash at the Beach (7/17/94)
Austin defends the U.S. title against long time foe Steamboat. These two were hit and miss but this was a really great match. Austin was coming into his own right about this time.
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#55. Ric Flair Vs. Steven Regal
Marquis of Queensbury Cup Series (May 1 - 29th 1994)
This was a best of 5 round series. Each round is 5 minutes and like a serial novel, would take place once a week on TV. If a round goes to the time limit a panel of judges would decide the winner. Since this is under gentlemen rules no punching or biting or chairshots to the groin, just technical wrestling. Lord Steven Regal is a technical master and Sir William Dundee has him ready. But old man Flair keeps up with him and has some tricks up his sleeve. This one's for the Queen!
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#54. Ricky Steamboat & Sting Vs. Steve Austin & Rick Rude
Clash of the Champions XVIII (1/21/92)
More of a really fun than great match, it's the Dangerous Alliance taking on WCW's saviors. It's the big two singles wrestlers from each side in the main event. Sting & Steamboat show they can pull some sneaky tricks as much as Paul E. can.
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#53. Vader Vs. Dustin Rhodes
Clash of the Champions XXIX (11/16/94)
Dustin is no match for the destructive force known as Vader, but somehow he not only hangs with the big guy but may have a chance to win! The crowd is going ballistic hoping Goldust can pull off the victory.
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#52. Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes Vs. Steve Austin & Larry Zbyszko
Superbrawl (2/29/92)
Hmmmm. I should really have this alot higher. The Dangerous Alliance is consolidating it's power over WCW. Windham's looking for payback for his demolished hand and what starts as a regular tag becomes a heated brawl and a foreshadow for whats to come in 92.
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#51. Ricky Steamboat Vs. Steve Austin
Clash of the Champions XXVIII (8/28/94)
Another great match from these two, even better that the Bash. Austin's still got the U.S. title, mainly cause he keeps cheating to retain. But this time the rules are if Austin's DQ'ed, Steamboat get the belt! So this time it's one-on-one with no excuses.
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#50. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson Vs. Brian Pillman & Steve Austin
Clash of the Champions XXIII (2/3 Falls - 6/16/93)
The Hollywood Blondes have been talking shit about the has-been Horsemen. So much that Flair finally came out of retirement to show these young punks how it's done old school. The match was good not great. But the crowd heat was INSANE. Flair's back! Whooo!
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#49. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
Spring Stampede (4/17/94)
Five years after their tremendous trilogy, it's Steamboat and Flair for the World title. Maybe not as good as their past encounters but it still has a main event feel and both guys gave it all for 30 min.
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#48. Ric Flair Vs. Brian Pillman
Saturday Night (2/17/90)
This match came out of nowhere. I thought "Pillman was good, I guess" but nowhere in Flair league. Then suddenly Pillman's bouncing Flair around and is looking like he might take the title. Would HHH sell like this for Evan Bourne? Another super hot crowd hoping for the upset.
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#47. Tully Blanchard Vs. Terry Funk
Slamboree (5/22/94)
There's absolutely no reason this mid card match should be here, except it has two of my all time favorites brawling throughout the ECW crowd. This was a "Legends" match for Slamboree but this guys acted you like kids beating the crap out of each other with everything they could find in a short but memorable match.
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#46. Ricky Steamboat Vs. Lex Luger
Great American Bash (7/23/89)
After getting beat up by Terry Funk, Luger comes to rescue Steamboat. But instead wacks him with a chair and beats the crap out of him. Luger was jealous of Steamboat rise in the Top 10 and as the U.S. champ felt he should be #1. It's set to be a No-DQ match for the U.S. title but Luger is suddenly refusing to wrestle.... Luger best non-Flair match ever?
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#45. Eddy Guerrero Vs. Dean Malenko
Uncensored (3/16/97)
Eddy Guerrero defends the U.S. title against former foe Malenko. Eddy's a good guy but shows some hints at his future heel turn. It's Uncensored too so anything goes! Great match that was only messed-up by the 20 minutes of panning to the back showing Rick Steiner unconscious on the floor.
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#44. Ric Flair & Steve Austin Vs. Ricky Steamboat & Sting
Saturday Night (7/30/94)
Probably overrating this one but it was so much fun back then. The two top babyfaces meet the top heels on free TV. Match went nearly 30 minutes. Maybe the last great match before the Hogan regime took over and Stone Cold left.
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#43. Doom Vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham
Starrcade (Streetfight - 12/16/90)
Storyline started like an average day in the WWE lockerroom. If my memory is right the Horsemen dissed Doom and refused to share a lockerroom with them. Doom's still the champs here, but the title's not on the line, only respect! This started a big feud that culminated in this No-DQ anything goes Streetfight. This was supposed to have Ric Flair but he had other plans that night...
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#42. Ric Flair & Sting Vs. The Great Muta & Dick Slater
Clash of the Champions VIII (9/12/89)
This was to be the huge main event from the Bash fallout. It was scheduled to be Terry Funk but he suffered an arm injury and Dick Slater took his place. What was a huge disappointment turned into a great tag match with the newly arriving Slater doing his great Funk/Race bumping and Muta being his undefeated badass self. Plus the thought of Sting and Flair teaming had the crowd all hyped. The finish of this match was so shocking that they later had to publicly apologize on the air.
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#41. Goldberg Vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Halloween Havoc (10/25/98)
Goldberg reign didn't produce many great matches, especially since very few of them lasted over 5 minutes. This was the best though, a match well layed out and executed perfectly. Goldberg was defending the WCW World title against fellow good guy DDP. Even after the Warrior/Hogan II classic, the crowd heat was off the charts for this one and what followed was a short but great title defense. The undefeated Goldberg was still on fire, having a huge fan base and had months and months of future great matches ahead of him against the NWO, so of course he would lose the belt 2 months later to head booker Kevin Nash. I don't respect you booker man.
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#40. Chris Jericho Vs. Eddy Guerrero
Fall Brawl (9/14/97)
The Atatolla of Rock N' Rolla defends the Crusierweight title against Eddy Guerrero. Eddy's a heel now, will that give him an edge? Great match from great wrestlers.
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#39. Chris Jericho Vs. Ultimo Dragon
Bash at the Beach (7/13/97)
Chris Jericho defends the title against former champ Ultimo Dragon. These guy met in Japan so they know each other well. If Jericho's the real deal he need to get past Ultimo who had a great run as champ.
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#38. Dustin Rhodes Vs. Bunkhouse Buck
Spring Stampede (Bunkhouse Brawl - 4/17/94)
A crazy and bloody anything goes Streetfight. Incredibly this intense brawl was just the beginning of the feud. Watch out for the Colonel!
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#37. Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko Vs. Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes & Nikita Koloff
Saturday Night (2/3 Falls - 5/23/92)
A fallout tag match from the Wargames. WCW had tremendous TV in 1992 and this was my favorite match out of it. Zbyszko's trying to make amends for past mistakes. All 6 guys gets lots of time in a 25+ minutes match with lots of action.
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#36. Ric Flair Vs. Hulk Hogan
Bash at the Beach (7/17/94)
Flair defends the WCW World title against the invading Hulkster. This was the big PPV matchup that the WWF had promised but never delivered. Flair puts on a great performance as does Hogan to re-boot WCW into a new era.
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#35. Ultimo Dragon Vs. Dean Malenko
Starrcade (12/29/96)
A match will all the marbles on the line. Ultimo Dragon defends the J-Crown while Malenko defends the WCW Cruserweight title. So whoever wins has 9 Championship belts! Once again Malenko tries to ground Dragon but Ultimo knows his way around the mat as well as the air.
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#34. Sting Vs. Vader
Great American Bash (7/12/92)
Vader invades WCW and left a wake of bodies in his path. Sting defends the WCW World title against the juggernaut at the 92 Bash. Vader may seem unstoppable but this is motherfuckin' Sting were talking about! Should be a good match..
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#33. Chris Benoit Vs. Chris Jericho
Fall Brawl (9/15/96)
Think this was Jericho's debut and they certainly delivered having a really great match that I think has been underrated. Both guys knew each other from Japan and went all out for this one.
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#32. Chris Benoit Vs. Raven
Souled Out (1/24/98)
A throwaway match put together at the last moment turned into a great one. Benoit takes on the diabolical and ever moody Raven. The Flock is at ringside watching on like New Japan trainees. Don't forget since this is "Raven Rules" it's a No-Dq match.
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#31. Vader Vs. Ric Flair
Starrcade (12/27/93)
The biggest show of the year was scheduled to be Sid Vicious Vs. Vader but things happened... So in a surprise the Nature Boy gets a chance to regain the WCW World title once again! Can he climb Space Mountain? Or is he too old? Was held in Flair's turf Charlotte to a red-hot rabid crowd.
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#30.5. Bret Hart Vs. Chris Benoit
Nitro (10/4/99)
Well it was bound to happen . Somehow I left this match off my ballot! This looks about the right place I would've put this match. This was the Owen Hart tribute match broadcast on Monday Night Nitro. A scientific exhibition much like Bret and Owen's famous matches. Benoit was a close friend of Owen as well as being Stampede taught, making him the perfect opponent. This no nonsense match was in stark contrast to most of Nitro's typical TV matches in 1999.
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#30. Brian Pillman Vs. Johnny B. Badd
Fall Brawl (9/17/95)
The winner of this match will get a shot at Sting's U.S. title. Both are fan favorites but Pillman's turning a bit to the darkside to get that title shot. A hard fought back and forth match. I always thought Badd was underrated and better than most remember him, but it's definitely the Pillman's show here, who puits on an outstanding performance.
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#29. Eddy Guerrero Vs. Shinjiro Otani
Starrcade (12/27/95)
Great match in the Best of 7 New Japan Vs. WCW contest at Starcade 95. Guerrero's trying hard to get a win for WCW. A fantastic match on it's own, what really makes this match special is Otani's performance acting like a heel and the American fans easily picking it up.
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#28. Chris Benoit Vs. Kevin Sullivan
Great American Bash (Falls Count Anywhere - 6/16/96)
Crazy brawl that went everywhere. Both guys weren't even looking to win just beat the crap out of each other. Dusty Rhodes commentary is awesome. What's even crazier is it's possible that Benoit and Sullivan's wife were having their real life love affair (paralleling the storyline) at this time.
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#27. Sting & Lex Luger Vs. The Steiners
Superbrawl (5/19/91)
The Four biggest fan favorites go head to head in a fan's dream match. The best way to think about this is like an arcade game with god mode on. Every maneuver seemed like a finishing move and they were throwing bombs at each other. Plus the Steiners got to reveal alot of new moves to the fans.
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#26. Vader Vs. Cactus Jack
Halloween Havoc (Texas Deathmatch - 10/24/93)
After nearly paralyzing and ending Cactus Jack's career, he makes a big comeback and gets his chance for revenge here at Halloween Havoc. This is a Texas Deathmatch which means after your pinned, you have a 10 count to get back onto your feet or your lose. Cactus couldn't get up after Vader powerbombed him 7 months ago, can he get up this time? I bet I'm the highest vote for this one.
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#25. The 1991 Wargames
Wrestlewar (2/24/91)
The teams are.......
WARGAMES ROLLCALL!:
The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Sid Vicious & Larry Zbyszko)
Vs.
Stings Squadron (Sting, Brian Pillman and The Steiner Brothers)
The Wargames was brought back in 1991 as an excuse for the Four Horsemen to get their ass's kicked. Zbysko's taking injured Arn Anderson's place here. Pillman's looking for revenge for a busted up shoulder, he'll have more injuries before the nights through.
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#24. Ricky Steamboat Vs. Rick Rude
Beach Blast (Iron Man match - 6/20/92)
The rules are whoever has the most number of falls in 30 minutes wins the match. A strategic match. Don't forget Steamboat still owes Rude a receipt for the broken nose. May not have aged well to newer eyes but at the time the concept was awesome.
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#23. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
Saturday Night (5/15/94)
After the disputed Spring Stampede match, Steamboat gets another chance at the WCW World title. This time it's on Free TV in a match that goes almost the full last hour. Over the hill? Nope. These guys went ALL OUT for this one.
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#22. Ric Flair Vs. Terry Funk
Great American Bash (7/23/89)
After nearly finishing Flair's career with a piledriver through a table, Flair finally gets his revenge against Funk at the Bash. Can Flair's fragile Fine-China-like neck take it? This isn't the end but only the beginning with a big brawl at the end setting up months of storylines. Even civilian Doug Dillinger gets involved.
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#21. The Midnight Express Vs. The Rock & Roll Express
WrestleWar (2/25/90)
The last hurray for these teams in 1990, it's a clip show for the awesomeness of their feud. Lots of great wrestling, silly house-show stuff and Ricky Morton playing Ricky Morton. Watching this match again reminded how fun wrestling can be.
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TOP 20!!!!!!!
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#20. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas Vs. Barry Windham & Brian Pillman
Starrcade (12/28/92)
Windham split up with Goldust and got himself a new partner, former foe Brian Pillman. This is his chance to regain the tag belts he never should've lost. An awesome forgotten tag match at that years Starrcade. Windham & Pillman were an awesome team that sadly didn't last. And youngster Douglas plays Akiyama to Steamboat's Misawa.
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#19. Vader Vs. Sting
Superbrawl (Strap Match - 2/21/93)
A brutal anything goes strap match that only ends when you touch all 4 corners of the ring, dragging your unconscious opponent along with you. Sting's always the underdog in both size and power, but now he has to get as brutal as Vader can get. Awesome finish to their main PPV trilogy.
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#18. Ric Flair Vs. Lex Lugar
WrestleWar (2/25/90)
This was supposed to be Sting's title shot, but the dumbass went against the family so his fellow Horsemen turned him out and demolished his knee. So new #1 contender Lex Luger gets another shot. Can he finally win the big one?
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#17. The Nasty Boys Vs. Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne
Spring Stampede (4/17/94)
Insane No-DQ Streetfight that goes all over the place, not one second was in the ring. The announcers and cameramen are caught with their pants down at the unexpected craziness. The Nasty Boys were never known to pull back on a chairshot so stuff like actual pool sticks and tables were broken over Cactus's head. Never viewers may wonder what the big deal is, but for WCW this was awesome stuff in 94.
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#16. Juventud Guerrera Vs. Blitzkreig
Spring Stampede (4/11/99)
Blitzkrieg picked the right name cause he came out of nowhere with his lightning quick and devastating aerial moves. Here he takes on Juvy and they turn another ho-hum regular match into the sleeper hit of 99.
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#15. Juventud Guerrera, Hector Garza & Lizmark Jr. Vs. La Parka, Psicosis & Villano IV
Bash at the Beach (7/13/97)
I was always a fan of the lucha libre invasion in WCW and this was my favorite of them all. A non-stop crazy match, like a regular WCW lucha tag but on crack cocaine. Everything hit perfectly and the crowd really got into these WCW jabronis.
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#14. Chris Benoit Vs. Dean Malenko
Hog Wild (8/11/96)
The Four Horsemen explode! Probably have this too high but I always liked it. Both guys had a fantastic 30 minute back and forth match while drunk bikers who got in free watched on. As Dusty mentioned, watch about for those Devilish women on the outside.
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#13. The Midnight Express Vs. The Southern Boys
Great American Bash (7/7/90)
The Express defend the U.S. Tag title against the Wild Eyed Southern Boys. The Southern Boys were good but this is ALL the Midnight Express deciding to make them look like the greatest team in the promotion. Full of great action, great timing and memorable comedy spots. When they were in control could the Midnight Express not have a great match?
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#12. Jushin Liger Vs. Brian Pillman
Superbrawl (2/29/92)
Viewers who go out and see this right now for the first time will say "What's the big deal?" Yeah it hasn't aged well, and even New Japan fans at the time wondered what all the fuss was about, but this match was awesome for it's time and helped kickstart the Cruserweight division in the United States. International superstar Liger won the new Crusierweight belt and this is Pillman's last chance to regain it for WCW before Liger heads back to Japan. The announcers really put this one over making both guys look great, which is why WWE's removal of Jesse Ventura's commentary is a mockery of a travesty of a sham of two crimes.
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#11. Sting Vs. Cactus Jack
Beach Blast (Falls Count Anywhere - 6/20/92)
WCW's Cactus Jack is one of my favorites growing up and this was his best match. Sting's the World champ but the title's not on the line here. When they say no mats they meant NO MATS. Not even a sliver of padding is on the concrete and Cactus Jack spends the whole match doing stupid shit like sunset flips off the apron and backdrops on the ramp. Sting's game too taking and doing spots on the floor. I'm sure I'm the highest voter for this but I love this match.
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#10. Ultimo Dragon Vs. Rey Misterio Jr
World War III (11/24/96)
Ultimo Dragon's defending his 8 Championship J Crown against Mysterio. Mysterio hold a victory over Ultimo back at Hog Wild so he's done it once before. Both guys have taken WCW by storm with their unique moves and this was a great opener for the PPV. Japan Vs. Mexico, who's cuisine will reign supreme?
*************************************************************************#13. The Midnight Express Vs. The Southern Boys
Great American Bash (7/7/90)
The Express defend the U.S. Tag title against the Wild Eyed Southern Boys. The Southern Boys were good but this is ALL the Midnight Express deciding to make them look like the greatest team in the promotion. Full of great action, great timing and memorable comedy spots. When they were in control could the Midnight Express not have a great match?
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#12. Jushin Liger Vs. Brian Pillman
Superbrawl (2/29/92)
Viewers who go out and see this right now for the first time will say "What's the big deal?" Yeah it hasn't aged well, and even New Japan fans at the time wondered what all the fuss was about, but this match was awesome for it's time and helped kickstart the Cruserweight division in the United States. International superstar Liger won the new Crusierweight belt and this is Pillman's last chance to regain it for WCW before Liger heads back to Japan. The announcers really put this one over making both guys look great, which is why WWE's removal of Jesse Ventura's commentary is a mockery of a travesty of a sham of two crimes.
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#11. Sting Vs. Cactus Jack
Beach Blast (Falls Count Anywhere - 6/20/92)
WCW's Cactus Jack is one of my favorites growing up and this was his best match. Sting's the World champ but the title's not on the line here. When they say no mats they meant NO MATS. Not even a sliver of padding is on the concrete and Cactus Jack spends the whole match doing stupid shit like sunset flips off the apron and backdrops on the ramp. Sting's game too taking and doing spots on the floor. I'm sure I'm the highest voter for this but I love this match.
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#10. Ultimo Dragon Vs. Rey Misterio Jr
World War III (11/24/96)
Ultimo Dragon's defending his 8 Championship J Crown against Mysterio. Mysterio hold a victory over Ultimo back at Hog Wild so he's done it once before. Both guys have taken WCW by storm with their unique moves and this was a great opener for the PPV. Japan Vs. Mexico, who's cuisine will reign supreme?
#9. The Nasty Boys Vs. Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan
Slamboree (Streefight - 5/22/94)
Once again the Nasty Boy's defend their WCW World Tag title in a Falls Count Anywhere anything goes Streetfight. This was in Philly so they took it up a notch and the fans were going crazy throughout the entire match. Hockey star Dave Schultz was the special referee.
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#8. Ric Flair Vs. Lex Luger
Starrcade (12/26/88)
Ric Flair defends the World title against Luger. Luger got robbed at the Bash when a trickle of blood caused the State Commission to stop the match. Now he gets his second shot at Space Mountain in the biggest show of the year. Plus due to Flair & The Horsemen's interferences, if Flair is DQ'ed Lugar WINS the belt! So it's put-up or shut-up time.
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#7. Rey Misterio Jr. Vs. Psicosis
Bash at the Beach (7/7/96)
Psicosis and Mysterio take their traveling act to WCW. Awesome match with spots that are still jaw dropping today. WCW's Cruserweight division was really taking off and this match made new fans of these high flyers and the division. Best opening match ever?
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#6. The 1992 Wargames
WrestleWar (5/17/92)
WARGAMES ROLE-CALL!:
Sting, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat and Nikita Koloff
Vs.
The Dangerous Alliance (Steve Austin, Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbyszko)
Paul E. Dangerously and his Dangerous Alliance have been running over everyone in WCW. So a bunch of Alliance-haters formed a supergroup and challenged them to one of the most dangerous matches around: The Wargames. Two men enter, then a coin is flipped giving the winner an advantage. Every few minutes the teams take turns sending a fresh man into the cage. The catch is the match cannot end inside the two rings of cages, until all participants have entered the cage. So if you break a leg tough luck, your locked in there.
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#5. Ric Flair Vs. Terry Funk
Clash of the Champions IX (I-Quit match - 11/15/89)
Flair and Funk had been feuding for months. Funk not only nearly broke Flair’s neck and took him out of wrestling forever, but even put a plastic bag around his neck and tried to suffocate him!! So they’ve decided on a end-all to any feud, an I-Quit match! Both men have too much pride to concede that the other man is better. Also, right before the match both guys decided to quit the NWA if they lose! A crazy historical brawl on free TV.
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#4. Eddy Guerrero Vs. Rey Misterio Jr.
Halloween Havoc (Title Vs. Mask - 10/26/97)
Rey Mysterio finally gets his chance to win the WCW Crusierweight title, but he has to put his sacred mask on the line! Can Rey overcome the odds over Guerrero, who’s on an incredible hot streak? This is aerial moves galore. Guerrero just seems one step ahead at all times, but Rey refuses to surrender his mask!! He won’t stay down!! This is not only for himself, but for his family's wrestling legacy. Voted the #1 WCW match of the 90's by DVDVR.
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#3. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
WrestleWar (5/7/89)
Part 3 of their 1989 trilogy. Steamboat's still the NWA World champ. This is the rematch due to the controversy caused in their Clash of the Champions match. Is this Flair’s last chance to finally beat The Dragon? They build on some of the moves from their past matches much like the Dynamite Kid/Tiger mask series. Since the Clash match was so close and nearly went the distance, there’s a panel of judges outside to vote on the winner in case their’s a draw. This is a slower paced match of the trilogy likely because both guys know each other so well and don't want to make a mistake their opponent could capitalize on.
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#2. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
Chi-Town Rumble (2/20/89)
Ric Flair was on top of the world. Despite tough defenses against Sting and Lex Lugar, he had managed to keep his World title for over a year. But during a tag team match, a mystery opponent pinned him clean in the ring. Who was it? Ricky Steamboat! Flair's own nemesis is back and gunning for the title. This is the first match of their classic 1989 trilogy. This one is less a chessmatch like future matches but a faster paced match. Look for Dave Meltzer marking out in the front row.
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#1. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
Clash of the Champions VI (4/2/89)
Wrestling Observer's 1989 Match of the Year. Match #2 in the classic trilogy. This was shown free on TV head to head with Wrestlemania 5. That punk Steamboat got lucky but now Flair’s ready and hungry to regain the NWA World Championship, a belt he has basically owned for the last 8 years. Every fall tells a different story. Both guys are at their peak and may have been the two greatest wrestlers in the world at the time of this match. Both guys attitudes and lifestyles and complete opposites, but they're absolutely even in the ring. One mistake, that's all it'll take.
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#6. The 1992 Wargames
WrestleWar (5/17/92)
WARGAMES ROLE-CALL!:
Sting, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat and Nikita Koloff
Vs.
The Dangerous Alliance (Steve Austin, Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton and Larry Zbyszko)
Paul E. Dangerously and his Dangerous Alliance have been running over everyone in WCW. So a bunch of Alliance-haters formed a supergroup and challenged them to one of the most dangerous matches around: The Wargames. Two men enter, then a coin is flipped giving the winner an advantage. Every few minutes the teams take turns sending a fresh man into the cage. The catch is the match cannot end inside the two rings of cages, until all participants have entered the cage. So if you break a leg tough luck, your locked in there.
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#5. Ric Flair Vs. Terry Funk
Clash of the Champions IX (I-Quit match - 11/15/89)
Flair and Funk had been feuding for months. Funk not only nearly broke Flair’s neck and took him out of wrestling forever, but even put a plastic bag around his neck and tried to suffocate him!! So they’ve decided on a end-all to any feud, an I-Quit match! Both men have too much pride to concede that the other man is better. Also, right before the match both guys decided to quit the NWA if they lose! A crazy historical brawl on free TV.
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#4. Eddy Guerrero Vs. Rey Misterio Jr.
Halloween Havoc (Title Vs. Mask - 10/26/97)
Rey Mysterio finally gets his chance to win the WCW Crusierweight title, but he has to put his sacred mask on the line! Can Rey overcome the odds over Guerrero, who’s on an incredible hot streak? This is aerial moves galore. Guerrero just seems one step ahead at all times, but Rey refuses to surrender his mask!! He won’t stay down!! This is not only for himself, but for his family's wrestling legacy. Voted the #1 WCW match of the 90's by DVDVR.
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#3. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
WrestleWar (5/7/89)
Part 3 of their 1989 trilogy. Steamboat's still the NWA World champ. This is the rematch due to the controversy caused in their Clash of the Champions match. Is this Flair’s last chance to finally beat The Dragon? They build on some of the moves from their past matches much like the Dynamite Kid/Tiger mask series. Since the Clash match was so close and nearly went the distance, there’s a panel of judges outside to vote on the winner in case their’s a draw. This is a slower paced match of the trilogy likely because both guys know each other so well and don't want to make a mistake their opponent could capitalize on.
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#2. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
Chi-Town Rumble (2/20/89)
Ric Flair was on top of the world. Despite tough defenses against Sting and Lex Lugar, he had managed to keep his World title for over a year. But during a tag team match, a mystery opponent pinned him clean in the ring. Who was it? Ricky Steamboat! Flair's own nemesis is back and gunning for the title. This is the first match of their classic 1989 trilogy. This one is less a chessmatch like future matches but a faster paced match. Look for Dave Meltzer marking out in the front row.
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#1. Ric Flair Vs. Ricky Steamboat
Clash of the Champions VI (4/2/89)
Wrestling Observer's 1989 Match of the Year. Match #2 in the classic trilogy. This was shown free on TV head to head with Wrestlemania 5. That punk Steamboat got lucky but now Flair’s ready and hungry to regain the NWA World Championship, a belt he has basically owned for the last 8 years. Every fall tells a different story. Both guys are at their peak and may have been the two greatest wrestlers in the world at the time of this match. Both guys attitudes and lifestyles and complete opposites, but they're absolutely even in the ring. One mistake, that's all it'll take.
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