This review was commissioned by Alistair Gilmour over on my Ko-fi account.
With someone who reigned for as long and as often as Ric Flair did at the top of the heap, it’s important to have an understanding of losing. As the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, losing is one of the most significant things that Flair could do for the business, even when the gold would find its way back on his waist much sooner than later. In this match, he drops the title to longtime rival Dusty Rhodes in a bout that feels spiritually linked to something like the Kerry Von Erich title win in Texas a couple years beforehand.
In this match, Flair has nowhere to run. The cage serves not really as a means to escalate violence (though it does do that eventually) but rather as a way to keep out the Horsemen. It’s less about promising a crazed brawl, and more about taking away Flair’s trumps. Nobody can help him this time, and there’s nowhere left for him to run. Because of that, there’s a certain urgency that’s lacking from this match, but it feels natural to the occasion nevertheless. In this cage, Dusty Rhodes isn’t rushed, he doesn’t have his back against the wall, rather he’s finally evened the playing field and he’s confident in how that’ll work in his favor.
While I still might have preferred something with a little more pep in its step, or even just a little more spite, there’s a lot to enjoy here. For one, it’s a very selfless performance from Flair, even moreso than his usual. He’s got almost nothing on Dusty in the early moments, with the challenger easily controlling the pace and even blocking early attempts to use the cage as a weapon. His transition into control is real nasty and underhanded too, catching Dusty coming off the ropes with a big punch right to the gut. It’s vicious and great to watch, but also feels shitty and unworthy of our admiration.
I appreciate too how Flair flips a switch once he is in control. He’s not out to wrestle Dusty and immediately starts using the cage to his advantage. He grates Dusty open on the steel, and then goes for the leg that the Horsemen famously put hard times on. Just stacking evil vibes onto evil vibes in an attempt to keep the gold around his waist.
It’s all for nought though as it’s a night for Dusty. Again, the cage makes all the difference. When Dusty comes back, Flair tries to run and he tries to beg off, but without anybody on his side, there’s only really so much he can do. Dusty endures the figure four, he controls the space in the ring, he busts open Flair as well and gives the champion a taste of his own medicine. He’s so damn charismatic through all of it too, really letting the occasion sink in at multiple points. My favorite moment from Dusty might be when he’s chopping Flair in the corner, takes the briefest moment to consider nailing an elbow, which gives Flair just enough space to flop to the mat. And Dusty just revels in it too, secure in the fact that he’s got this fully in the bag. Pro wrestling, baby.
It’s about as straightforward as you can get from a babyface championship win. No big twists, just the one extended control to get heat, and then delivering on the promise of professional wrestling: seeing our hero give the bad guy exactly what’s coming to him.
Far from a Flair masterpiece for me, but one that highlights the sort of baseline understanding the both he and challengers like Dusty had for how all of this should really work. The heel can run for as long as he wants, but once the walls start closing in, it feels sweet to finally see him get caught.
Rating: ***3/4