Ric Flair vs Junkyard Dog (NWA, 6-13-1990)

NWA Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush, Charleston, SC

Sometimes people ask me what I think the worst match I’ve ever seen is. I’ve seen worse than this, but this is one of my shortlist picks for worst major match I’ve ever seen, on a level where it shouldn’t be this bad.

Junkyard Dog was a great attraction in his time, especially for Bill Watts in the early 80s, before he was poached by Vince McMahon and joined the exploding WWF, where he was a top babyface attraction. I like Junkyard Dog. He was never much of a worker in the sense that he wasn’t a star ratings machine, but he was a hell of a likable hero.

But by the time he went to the NWA in 1988, he was washed. And by 1990, where he got a main event run for no particularly great reason other than he’d once been a real draw, he was super washed.

So here we are at Clash of the Champions XI. It’s 1990, Ric Flair is still Ric Flair, one of the very best wrestlers in the world, and he’d had a super hot 1989, along with the rest of the NWA.

JYD comes out with a second line band. Flair gets this weird cartoon graphic before his entrance. He’s decked out in a gold robe, strutting his stuff, walking that aisle as only he can do. He’s a six-time world heavyweight champion at this point, accompanied to the ring by Ole Anderson, as we’ve got a lame duck Horsemen revival going on at the time.

Bob Caudle is on commentary with Jim Ross. Ross is brutally honest before the bell: “Junkyard Dog would like to make it short and sweet. At 310, his cardiovascular conditioning will not compare with Flair.” Caudle: “He’s larger, heavier, and that may work to his advantage, as you say.”

They jaw a bit to start, Flair slaps JYD, Dog smacks him back and drops him. Flair woos, JYD howls. JYD drops to his knees as a taunt. C&E, Flair shoved down. C&E, Flair shoved down. JYD putting almost no oomph on the C&E lockups or the shoves, he’s physically depleted at this point.

Side headlock from JYD, off the ropes, shoulder from JYD puts Flair down. Flair with a drop down, but JYD goes down and headbutts him. JYD, already huffing and puffing, throws a right hand and knocks Flair over the top to the ramp. Flair flops on the ramp to put more emphasis on it.

Flair back in and begging off. We look at Ole while Flair chops the Dog, and again, again, again, JYD doesn’t budge. JYD barely able to climb to the second turnbuckle in order to lay in the 10-punch, which stops at six because six is all he’s got. Clothesline from JYD.

Eye poke from Flair as he begs for mercy. Flair with a right hand, JYD doesn’t sell that, really. Another one, still not much other than the Dog breathing heavy. Flair drops the big knee, and JYD no-sells that, too. Because his head is hard.

Flair backing down. Crowd chanting for JYD. Well, that’s why he got the push, as ill-advised as it was. Crowds still loved him. Knuckle lock and JR and Bob talk about how much JYD eats. More chops no-sold by JYD. Right hand from JYD, another, another, left to the body, more rights to the jaw. Flair flop.

Flair pops back up. JYD whips him to the corner, backdrops him bouncing out. Flair begs for mercy again. Another thumb to the eye and Flair gingerly snaps JYD’s neck over the top rope. JYD doesn’t fall down or anything, he just stands there, leaning on the ropes. Flair gets a chair and hits JYD in the head with it. That’s no-sold, too.

JYD firing up after the chairshot. Flair begging some more. JYD slowly climbs for another 10-punch in the corner, this time he gets through all 10. Flair flip in the corner, he sprints down the apron and is caught with a punch when he flies off the top rope.

Flair begging again. Whip to the corner, another backdrop when Flair bounces out again. They’re repeating stuff already. This match is only a few minutes in. Ole distracts JYD, who hits Ole, and Flair knees JYD in the back, and he slowly bumps down to the mat, just tipping over, basically.

Flair up top, JYD up quick enough to slam him off. Headbutt from JYD. He mounts and punches Flair in the face 10 times, then Ole Anderson comes in and just kicks the Dog in the back for the DQ.

Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, and Sid Vicious are in to gang up on the Dog. Extra referee comes in, but he’s shoved away. Horsemen stomping gingerly at JYD. Sting runs in, Luger follows, Paul Orndorff is with them, and we’ve got a brawl! It’s easily the most exciting thing to happen here.

Rating: 1/5. It’s sad watching JYD in this state, he was just gone physically and couldn’t do much of anything anymore. He couldn’t ever run a Ric Flair Match, even at his peak, not a “real” Flair match, but years prior he could hold his own and work a crowd a lot more than he could at this point. The crowd is still into him — again, he was super likable, very naturally charismatic, and he was easy to root for, no question about any of that, even faded as he was in ’90. But watching him physically try to do stuff at this point was depressing. He just had no mustard on anything he did anymore. He couldn’t get up and down well so he didn’t bump much at all, even considering he was never a big bump guy. He was heavy, out of shape, and just struggling in all things once the bell sounded. Still a good promo, still greatly charismatic, but physically shot to hell. Flair tries, but he runs out of stuff to do with JYD, and this is only a six-and-a-half minute match. It’s interesting to watch as an artifact, but it doesn’t represent any of the reasons these guys were Hall of Fame-level, other than Flair putting in the effort to try and make the Dog seem relevant at this point.