In 1988 the event scheduling war was heating up between now Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling and Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. McMahon had already run the first ever Survivor Series on Thanksgiving night in 1987 in direct opposition to Jim Crockett Jr.’s NWA card for World Championship Wrestling: Starrcade. Imagine two pay-per-view events on the same day! It was March 27, 1988, when the NWA was going to fire back. While McMahon was running Wrestlemania IV that day, he had previously put out edicts to the cable companies in an attempt to block out any competition from also running a pay-per-view. After McMahon’s WWF aired the first Royal Rumble for free on the USA Network the same night of NWA’s Bunkhouse Stampede, the cable companies realised he wasn’t really cooperating with them after they had warned him about not repeating his tactics from the year prior. Crockett, surely growing tired of McMahon’s strategy, decided to fire back. The result: The NWA Clash of the Champions.
This super card would run not on pay-per-view like the opposing Wrestlemania IV was, but rather on free television on TBS. So if you wanted wrestling but couldn’t afford the pay-per-view, you were going to be treated to this super card that was headlined by NWA world heavyweight champion Ric Flair defending his title against the hot new sensation in Sting.
The show opens with exciting graphics where it’s obvious Crockett wanted to put their best foot forward. Championship belts that are still remembered today with high regard are on display in the opening sequence, with lighting coursing over them signifying this event was truly going to be a Clash of the Champions.
We’re first greeted by announcers Tony Schiavone, and someone who is often overlooked in the history books given just how good he was, Bob Caudle. After their brief introduction, they send us down to ringside and Jim Ross. Jim Ross has a look of excitement as he stands in front of the animated crowd in Greensboro. The Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina was always a hot bed for NWA action and this night would be no different. “Without any further…” Ross turns it over to ring announcer Tom Miller.
Our first match is for the NWA Television Championship. Many things to note in our first match: current WWE Champion Bray Wyatt’s father is the TV Champion at the time; Mike Rotunda. He’s defending against challenger “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin whose valet is Precious. This is the early stages of Varsity Club leader; the evil Gamesmaster Kevin Sullivan’s, quest to take Precious as his own. In addition to the aforementioned, this title match is done in the round system. There will be three five-minute rounds and a count of one is all that the opponents’ shoulders need to be on the mat. Lastly, the referee assigned to the bout is none other than 2017 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Teddy Long. Watch the match to see what happens as things eventually break down.
After a commercial break, Bob Caudle has an interview with just returning from Japan; Dr Death Steve Williams as he gives his thoughts on the current landscape of the NWA.
Next up we get a close-up of Jim Cornette as he introduces his team of the United States tag team champions, Sweet Stan (Lane) and Beautiful Bobby (Eaton); the Midnight Express. They are defending against a team that had recently burst on the scene and had been having some barn buster matches with the express, Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers; the Fantastics. Some notes: Licensing rights has the WWE dubbing over a lot of the original music used for entrances on their archived footage and in the case of the Midnight Express; it can really take away from what had been one of the cooler entrances at that time. Dubbed over music aside, this match is really worth your time as it is just one example of how good tag team wrestling was during this time period, and especially how tremendous the team of the Midnight Express with Jim Cornette was.
Next up is an interview conducted by Leave it to Beaver star “Eddie Haskell” with Jim Cornette. This pre-recorded interview was NWA’s attempt to have their own stars involved in the show as more and more were showing up at the rival’s WWF major events.
From there we head to Caudle as he speaks with, a great mind in the business back then, Gary Hart with his charge of Al Perez. After Perez makes his intentions known, we’re sent to Frances Crockett with a Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup update.
Next is the very popular team of the Road Warriors and Dusty Rhodes taking on the Powers of Pain and the Russian Bear Ivan Koloff. Things of note: Road Warrior Animal is wearing a face mask due to his injuries previously caused by the Powers of Pain; and the world having recently been mourning the passing of the legendary Ivan Koloff in February of 2017, it was good to see him in action again. This is a barbed wired match and won’t take too much of your time to watch. It’s not much later when the Powers of Pain end up in the WWF.
Bob Caudle is back next with an interview with the Russian Nightmare Nikita Koloff who talks about the positive things he is doing for the public, as well as makes a few challenges to the evil doers in the NWA.
Back to the ring and the tag team champions, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard; the Horsemen with James J Dillon. They’re defending against the extremely popular duo of the Total Package Lex Luger and Barry Windham. Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone have an easy time being on top of their game as they commentate on now four legends of wrestling as they battle in front of a frenzied Greensboro crowd. If you need more reasons to watch this match beyond the names involved, you’re probably in the wrong spot on the WWE Network, but the main thing to note here is: the crowd is absolutely nuts throughout but nothing like they are at the finish of the match; and the events within add to the turn that will eventually happen involving these participants later on down the road.
Next up and last, but certainly not least, is the main event of the evening. Before the participants are introduced, those of note at ringside are, as they will serve as judges for the contest; should it be needed. One of which is someone who at the time we simply new as the big brother on the television show The Wonder Years; Jason Hervey. Hervey would end up having a lot of involvement in wrestling through his association with eventual business partner Eric Bischoff.
On with the real introductions as the guitar riffs of the Stinger’s entrance song blast through the coliseum. Thankfully the main event entrance music for either combatant isn’t dubbed over. The crowd is on their feet as the face painted favourite makes his way to the ring. A quickly toned down audience watches in awe as NWA world champion Nature Boy Ric Flair makes his way to the ring next “looking only as he can look”. Horsemen manager JJ Dillon will be suspended high above the ring during this championship contest.
“All the time for talking is over, the styling and profiling has ended”, proclaims Jim Ross as he will come to be known for always having a way of adding importance to the matches. The crowd is solidly behind the Sting as attempts to beat Ric Flair for the world title.
This match goes every minute of 45 minutes and is still referenced as a monumental event in the careers of both Flair and Sting. This match and event as a whole are still relevant today as is evident in its inclusion as WWE 2K17 downloadable content and Tony Schiavone recently mentioning it on his podcast.
This main event is more than worth your time, as is the entire event, as this starts what would become 35 Clash of the Champions that fans grew to wait on with great anticipation. How about you, what are you memories of the first ever Clash of the Champions?
You can watch the first ever NWA Clash of the Champions on WWE Network RIGHT HERE!
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