RIC FLAIR (C) VS. TERRY FUNK

Back at Wrestlewar in May, Ric Flair beat Ricky Steamboat to finish off the trilogy of the century. Terry Funk was on commentary for that match and decided he wanted to challenge the new champion to a match. The match was laughed off by Flair, so Funk wrestled his way into the WCW Top 10 ranking for the championship. Added to a piledriver by Funk through a table and we get the best feud transition mixed with an under-rated double-turn. Gordon Solie is backstage with Ric Flair, asking why Flair is returning when one more injury to his neck could end his career. Flair says all he knows is wrestling and puts over Funk for taking it to him. He didn't want a warmup match before tonight and tonight he'll find out if he made the right choice or not. Jim Ross puts over the questions in what I think is a first before putting over Funk's piledriver. The Funker enters first with Gary Hart. The crowd wakes up as Ric Flair's music hits. He looks fired up as he gets into the ring,

Terry Funk darts out of the ring before Flair can take his jacket off but the champion gives chase. Flair hits rights and chops to Funk on the entranceway then chokes him on WCW's poor excuse for a barricade. Funk goes back to ringside, swinging at thin air, as Flair gets in the ring. Terry Funk takes his frustrations out on the barricade as Jim Ross mentions his college football career. Ric Flair wants some wrestling, coming off the apron with an ax handle to Funk. Terry Funk falls from the barricade onto the time keeper's table and Flair hammers away at him. Terry Funk escapes into the ring. I haven't heard the bell ring but Flair follows into the ring and it's good enough for me.

RIC FLAIR © VS. TERRY FUNK (NWA World Heavyweight Championship)

WCW Great American Bash 1989 (23^rd July 1989)

Funk escapes back to ringside and throws a chair into the ring. Ric picks up the chair and the commentators are talking like they can be disqualified so the match must have begun. The referee starts counting Funk out of the ring, so he gets back on the apron. Ric Flair keeps his distance, allowing Funk in the ring and they lock up. Terry Funk backs Flair into the ropes and chops away with knife-edge and overhand variations. Ric Flair gets a shot back, they didn't need to mic up the ring for that one. He hits Funk in the jaw, who spins but just looks pissed off. Another right hand backs Funk into the ropes, with a chop sending him over to the floor. Flair clubs Funk across the back, again attacking from the apron but a punch to the gut cuts him off. Terry Funk sends Flair into the ringpost. Jim Ross says we will see the match through to the finish, after Halloween Havoc 1998 that illusion was ruined.

Terry Funk is on the apron, kicking at Ric Flair, raking at Flair's face as he grabs an ankle. Terry Funk brings Flair up to the apron by his hair, slapping Flair around the face before bringing him in the ring with a suplex. Terry Funk covers, only getting a nearfall. Terry Funk attempts another suplex which Ross calls a piledriver, Funk keeps hold of the front facelock but Flair grabs the rope. Terry Funk lets go decking Flair, who rolls out to the floor. When Flair gets back on the apron, Terry Funk starts targetting the neck again with martial arts chops. Ric Flair cuts it off with a headbutt and tries to suplex Funk out to the floor, Funk blocks it and tries to land on the apron but they both fall to the floor. That looked rough. They get to their feet and exchange a series of chops. Ric Flair changes tactic to a right hand, so Funk rolls into the ring. Flair drags him back out, but at least he interrupted the count. A chop by Flair is answered by an overhand by Funk, Flair rakes the eye but Funk no-sells it. He pokes Flair in the eye and they take it back into the ring.

Terry Funk attempts a piledriver but Flair counters with a backdrop over the top rope to the floor. Ric Flair rolls out of the ring, snapmares Terry Funk on the mats and twists his neck. We see Gary Hart watching concerned as Funk slides back into the ring. Ric Flair twists Funk's neck again then targets it with a knee drop. Ric Flair drops the knee across Funk's neck the second time and Funk's selling is what I can only describe as dry-humping the mat. Flair covers and gets a nearfall. Ric Flair hits a pretty ugly looking piledriver, causing Funk to sell it in a weird way. Ric Flair's second piledriver isn't much better. It brings Funk back to his feet in a daze and he falls through the ropes to the floor. Terry Funk starts crawling up the entranceway but Flair is on his tail, cutting him off and twisting the neck again. He brings Funk back to the ring and slaps him as Funk is on his knees. Ric Flair punches and chops Funk, but Funk wakes up, jabbing Flair and backing him into the ropes. Ric Flair comes back with a running forearm and covers, but Funk kicks out at 2.

Ric Flair hits a back suplex and locks Funk in the Figure Four. Terry Funk's shoulders go down for 2, but Gary Hart gets on the apron, distracting the referee. Terry Funk hits Flair with a branding iron that Hart passed him before the distraction. We see that Flair's bleeding as he gets to his feet in the corner and Terry Funk targets the cut. Terry Funk hits a piledriver and covers, but Ric Flair gets his foot on the rope. Terry Funk chokes Flair with his knee and goes out of the ring, moving some of the protective padding. He drags Flair towards the ropes and chokes him with the tape from his wrist. Tommy Young, the referee tries to get Funk off of Flair by pulling his hair but is shoved away. Terry Funk drags Flair out to the floor and tries to piledrive him on the concrete. Ric Flair counters with a backdrop onto the double layer of mats, falling back onto them and showing their only danger is a trip hazard.

Ric Flair crawls away to get some space but Funk gets onto the apron. He crawls across it and falls, literally just falls, onto Ric Flair and clips his head, so Flair sells it like a bullet took his ear off. They get back into the ring and Terry Funk hits a pair of swinging neckbreakers and talks trash to Ric Flair. He wants Flair to forfeit the match. Terry Funk hits the third swinging neckbreaker as Gary Hart tells him to just win the match. After what felt like a good minute, Flair is on his feet in the corner. Funk hits him, targetting the cut and sends him into the top turnbuckle. Terry Funk grabs the branding iron, but a kick to the gut by Flair cuts him off before he can use it. Ric Flair hits Funk over the head with the branding iron, sending him out of the ring. The referee starts counting Funk out, but Flair goes out to the floor and sends him into the ring post. Terry Funk's busted open now, it looks like it was the branding iron that did it. Flair targets the cut with the mounted punches in the corner. Terry Funk stumbles out of the ring but falls back on his ass. Ric Flair gets in a load of rights, covering his knuckles with Funk's blood. Ric Flair looks for a running knee but it hits the turnbuckle. Terry Funk gets the spinning toehold, but Flair trips him before it does too much damage, a Figure Four attempt is countered into a small package, but Flair shifts the weight at 2, keeping Funk's shoulders down for 3.

WINNER: RIC FLAIR (STILL NWA WORLD CHAMPION)

The Great Muta runs down to the ring, spraying green mist in Ric Flair's eyes. He double-teams Flair with Funk and hits Flair with the World championship as Funk gets a chair from ringside. The fans chant for Sting as Muta holds Ric Flair in position for Funk to punch him. Doug Dillinger gets into the ring but is quickly disposed of. Sting finally hits the ring. Terry Funk gets out after one kick, leaving Muta to take a beating. He tries to hit Sting with the chair, so Sting and Funk slug it out. Great Muta tries to help but Ric Flair knocks him back with a high knee across the screen! They swap sparring partners again as Funk and Flair tumble out of the ring. Terry Funk is left draped across the barricade as Flair throws Muta through the ropes, standing tall with Sting. That should be the end of it, but Muta gets back in the ring and changes his mind after trying and failing to get the ring steps over the top rope. They brawl up the entranceway and through the crowd behind Ross and Caudle. Ric Flair attacks Great Muta with the branding iron and Jim Ross starts losing his voice. Ric Flair and Sting get a Road Warriors style interview, with Flair challenging Funk to another match and Sting throwing in a “Woo! Feels good!” at the end.

Using my sectioning, Funk tried to avoid Flair before the match, or wanted the jump and got frustrated when Flair worked him over the whole pre-match. Then when it became a match they showed they were fairly even with strikes and the fall from the apron after the messed up suplex looked like a rough fall but made it feel like more of a fight. Funk only really got the advantage on the outside, Flair was able to outwrestle him in the long run. As soon as Funk lifted the mat Bob Caudle mentions a piledriver on the concrete, completely ruining the suspense and making me thankful Flair countered it, but not in a good way. Terry Funk wanting Flair to quit moves the feud along nicely but it didn't directly lead to the finish which I liked. Also, Funk's selling of the neck is hilarious. The post-match also went on for too long for me, personally.– It's probably a *** match if you take the little things into account but I'd give the match 3.75/5.