WrestleWar '89: Music City Showdown was the first

WrestleWar WrestleWar was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event series promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was held in May in 1989 and 1992 and February in 1990 and 1991. The first two events were promoted under the National Wrestl ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

(PPV)

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of ev ...

produced by

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

(WCW) under the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a ...

(NWA) banner. It took place on May 7, 1989 from the

Nashville Municipal Auditorium The Nashville Municipal Auditorium is an indoor sports and concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee. It opened October 7, 1962 with both an arena and exhibition hall. The former exhibition hall has been permanent home to the Musicians Hall of Fa ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. The

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

was a

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

between Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner and

The Varsity Club The Varsity Club was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The stable was formed in 1987 and lasted until 1989. The stable was briefly resurrected in 1999–2000. Histor ...

( Kevin Sullivan and

Dan Spivey Daniel Eugene Spivey (born October 14, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler best known under the ring names "Dangerous" Dan Spivey, Dangerous Dan The Left Hand Man, Danny Spivey, Mr. America, and Waylon Mercy, and initially worked ...

) for the

NWA United States Tag Team Championship The NWA United States Tag Team Championship is a name used for several secondary tag team championship used by various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) members since 1958. There are eleven different versions of the NWA United States Tag Team Champ ...

. Gilbert and Steiner defeated Sullivan and Spivey to retain the titles when Gilbert pinned Sullivan. Featured matches on the

undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

were

(

Mike Rotunda Lawrence Michael Rotunda (born March 30, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under the ring names Mik ...

and Steve Williams) versus

Road Warriors The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis).. They performed under the name "The Road Warriors" in th ...

(

Hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfa ...

and

Animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...

) for the

NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

versus

Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promot ...

for the

NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus (wrestler), ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

versus

Iron Sheik Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri ( fa, حسین خسرو علی وزیری, romanized: Hossein Xosrô 'Ali Vaziri; born March 15, 1942), better known by his ring name the Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and ac ...

for the

NWA World Television Championship The NWA World Television Championship is a world television championship owned and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The inaugural champion was Ricky Starks. The current champion is Jor ...

, Michael Hayes versus

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for h ...

for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, Dynamic Dudes (

Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...

and

Johnny Ace John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted guns ...

) versus The Samoan SWAT Team ( Samu and Fatu),

Dick Murdoch Hoyt Richard Murdoch (August 16, 1946 – June 15, 1996) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Dirty" Dick Murdoch and "Captain Redneck". He was best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation and New Jap ...

versus

Bob Orton, Jr. Robert Keith Orton Jr. (born November 10, 1950), better known by the ring name "Cowboy" Bob Orton, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is the son of professional wrestler Bob Orton Sr., the brother of professional wrestler Bar ...

in a bullrope match and The Great Muta versus

Doug Gilbert Douglas Gilbert (born February 5, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with regional professional wrestling promotions throughout the Southern United States, as well as for Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

. Country music group

The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet originating in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in Southern gospel during the 1950s. Their name was chang ...

performed an 8-song mini-concert at the event.

Storylines

WrestleWar featured nine professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers from pre-existing

rivalries A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

, plots and storylines that were played out on ''

World Wide Wrestling ''WCW WorldWide'' was an American syndicated television show that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) that aired from October 8, 1975, to March 31, 2001. At the time of its cancellation, ''WorldWide'' was the longest-running, un ...

'', ''

Pro Pro is an abbreviation meaning " professional". Pro, PRO or variants thereof may also refer to: People * Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest * Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter * Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African retire ...

'' and ''

''–WCW's television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a charact ...

or a tweener as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or a series of matches. The main

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

heading into the event was between

and

for the

. At

Chi-Town Rumble Chi-Town Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) banner. It took place on February 20, 1989 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. ...

, Steamboat defeated Flair to win the title. On April 2 ''

Clash of the Champions VI ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...

'', Steamboat defeated Flair in a

Two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to retain the title. However, Flair's foot was on the bottom rope during the ending of the third fall. As a result, it was announced on April 9 edition of ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'' that a rematch would take place between the two for the title at WrestleWar. The main

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

rivalry heading into the event was between

Varsity Club The Varsity Club was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The stable was formed in 1987 and lasted until 1989. The stable was briefly resurrected in 1999–2000. Histor ...

(

and Steve Williams) and

(

and

) for the

. At Chi-Town Rumble, Road Warriors defeated Club members Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams to retain the titles. On April 2 edition of ''Clash of the Champions VI'', Road Warriors lost the title to Club members Mike Rotunda and Williams with the help of

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...

Teddy Long Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American former professional referee and manager known for his work for WWE and WCW serving as an on-screen authority figure. Long began his career in the National Wrestling Alliance and ...

, who favoured Rotunda and Williams. On April 15 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', it was announced that Rotunda and Williams would defend the titles against Road Warriors in a rematch at WrestleWar. Another predominant tag team rivalry heading into the event pitted the team of Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner against Varsity Club (Kevin Sullivan and

) for the

. At Chi-Town Rumble, the United States Tag Team Champions Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams failed in their opportunity for the NWA World Tag Team Championship against Road Warriors. On March 18 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner defeated Sullivan and Williams to win the United States Tag Team Championship. On April 2 edition of ''Clash of the Champions VI'', Gilbert and Steiner defeated Sullivan and Dan Spivey to retain the titles. This led to a title defense for Gilbert and Steiner against Sullivan and Spivey at WrestleWar. A secondary rivalry heading into the event was between

and Michael Hayes for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. At Chi-Town Rumble, Luger defeated

Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...

to win the title. On March 18 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Luger and Hayes wrestled Barry and Kendall Windham in a tag team match. Hayes turned on Luger and allowed Barry and Kendall to win the match, thus joining

Hiro Matsuda (July 22, 1937 – November 27, 1999) was a Japanese professional wrestler and trainer best known by his ring name . He trained many professional wrestlers including Hulk Hogan, The Great Muta, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Scott Hall, Lex L ...

's group Yamazaki Corporation. On May 7 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', it was announced that Luger would defend the United States Championship against Hayes at WrestleWar. Another secondary rivalry heading into the event was between

and

for the

. On February 25 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Sheik debuted in NWA and issued a challenge to top competitors of the company including Ricky Steamboat and Lex Luger. On April 1 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Sting defeated Mike Rotunda to win the NWA World Television Championship. On April 15 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Sheik challenged Sting for the Television Championship. Later that night, it was announced that Sting would defend the title against Sheik at WrestleWar. On April 1 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Bob Orton Jr. returned to NWA and formed an alliance with

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination until he dropped out amid revelations of extramarital affairs. ...

. On April 2 edition of ''Clash of the Champions VI'', Orton defeated

with the help of Hart. This resulted in a rivalry between Orton and Murdoch, resulting in both men interfering in each other's matches. On April 29 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Murdoch announced that he would compete against Orton in a bullrope match at WrestleWar. On March 18 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', Gary Hart introduced his newest client

Keiji Mutoh is a Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling executive currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), where he is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion. He is best known for his work as in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and N ...

in NWA as The Great Muta, billed as the son of Great Kabuki. Muta began a winning streak after his debut, usually against

enhancement talent In professional wrestling slang, a job is a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect information related to kayfabe from being revealed. The term can be used a numbe ...

. On April 22 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', it was announced that Muta would wrestle

Junkyard Dog Sylvester Ritter (December 13, 1952 – June 1, 1998) was an American professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as the Junkyard Dog (or JYD), a nickname ...

at WrestleWar. At Chi-Town Rumble, The Midnight Express (

Bobby Eaton Bobby Lee Eaton (August 14, 1958 – August 4, 2021) was an American professional wrestler best known as "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton. He was most famous for his work in tag teams, especially as one-half of The Midnight Express. Under the managem ...

and

Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane (born August 5, 1953) is an American retired professional wrestler and color commentator. He is best known for his appearances with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), Jim Crockett Promotions and World Champi ...

) and their

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette (born September 17, 1961) is an American author and podcaster who has previously worked in the professional wrestling industry as an agent, booker, color commentator, manager, promoter, trainer, and occasional prof ...

defeated Original Midnight Express (

Jack Victory Kenneth Rinehurst (born July 3, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name, Jack Victory. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the Universal Wrestling Federation and the World Class Wrestlin ...

and

Randy Rose Randall Alls (born July 19, 1956) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Randy Rose. Professional wrestling career Randy Rose began his career in 1974 in Tennessee. In 1980, Rose formed a tag team with Denn ...

) and their manager

Paul E. Dangerously Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight ...

in a Loser Leaves NWA match, thus forcing Original Midnight Express to quit NWA. Dangerously introduced the Samoan Swat Team ( Samu and Fatu) as his new tag team to avenge the departure of Original Midnight Express from the Midnight Express. Samoan Swat Team began an undefeated streak against enhancement talent. On April 2 edition of ''Clash of the Champions VI'', the Samoan Swat Team defeated Midnight Express and received a strong

push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...

in the tag team division. On April 29 edition of ''World Championship Wrestling'', it was announced that Samoan Swat Team would face Dynamic Dudes (

and

) in a tag team match at WrestleWar. Dynamic Dudes made their debut a week after the announcement.

Event

Preliminary matches

The first scheduled match at the event was a standard wrestling match between Junkyard Dog and The Great Muta. Junkyard Dog did not make it to the show, so he was replaced by

, the younger brother of Eddie Gilbert. Muta dominated the match and easily won the match in three minutes by pinfall using a

moonsault A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. It was innovated by Mando Guerrero. Much of its popularity in both Japanese and American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being ...

. The second match of the event was a standard wrestling match between

Ranger Ross } Robert Lee Ross Jr. (born July 15, 1959) is an American former professional wrestler and former United States Army Ranger known by his ring name, Ranger Ross. Ross is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and World Champion ...

and Butch Reed. The match went back and forth with Ross dominating the earlier part of the match. The action spilled outside the ring until Reed ran to the ring and Ross chased him. Reed attacked Ross on the apron and brought him inside the ring to perform a

suplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling featu ...

. Reed performed a diving shoulder block on Ross and pinned him to win the match. The third match was a bullrope match between

and Bob Orton Jr. It was a very short match in which both men exchanged momentums but in the end, Murdoch won it by hog tying Orton into the ropes and performing an

elbow drop Strikes are offensive moves in professional wrestling, that can sometimes be used to set up an opponent for a hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of strikes in pro wrestling, and many are known by several different names. Professional wre ...

, then pinning him. After the match, Murdoch tried to attack Orton's manager Gary Hart but Orton struck Murdoch with a

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

. The fourth match was a

match between The Dynamic Dudes (

and

) and The Samoan SWAT Team ( Samu and Fatu). Ace and Fatu started the match. Fatu dominated the earlier part of the match by

powerslam A Powerslam or simply Slam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of the opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam or the scoop powerslam ...

ming Ace. Samu was tagged in and he dominated Ace throughout the match. Samu used several moves on Ace and prevented him from tagging in Douglas. Samu applied a

Boston Crab The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with one wrestler lying in a supine position on the mat, with the other wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the ...

on Ace until Ace caught the ropes and performed a monkey flip to get out of the move. Ace finally tagged in Douglas, who

dropkick A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they jump so that when the feet conne ...

ed both Fatu and Samu. Fatu was tagged in and he clotheslined Douglas, followed by a ''Samoan Splash'' (

diving splash Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...

). Fatu lifted Douglas in a

fireman's carry A firefighter's carry or firefighter's lift is a technique allowing one person to carry another person without assistance, by placing the carried person across the shoulders of the carrier.

, allowing Ace to hit him with a missile dropkick, enabling Douglas to pin Fatu for the victory. The fifth match featured

defending the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship against Michael Hayes. Luger dominated the earlier part of the match by performing his power moves on Hayes until Hayes got the momentum when Luger delivered mounted punches to Hayes in the corner but missed a charge and fell out on the ringside. Hayes attacked Luger outside the ring and got a near-fall in the ring. Luger tried to recover until Hayes' manager

interfered, allowing Hayes to apply a

chinlock Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers us ...

. Luger smashed Hayes in the turnbuckle until Hayes attacked Luger with a back elbow. Hayes tried to perform a

bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.scoop powerslams and applied a '' Torture Rack''. However, Hayes countered by performing a DDT. However, the impact of the move caused all the three men to get knocked out.

Terry Gordy Terry Ray Gordy Sr. (April 23, 1961 – July 16, 2001) was an American professional wrestler. Gordy appeared in the United States with promotions such as Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class Championship Wrestling, Jim ...

made a run-in into the match and put Hayes atop Luger. The referee recovered and counted the pinfall for Hayes to make him the new United States Champion. The sixth match featured

defending the

against

The Iron Sheik Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri ( fa, حسین خسرو علی وزیری, romanized: Hossein Xosrô 'Ali Vaziri; born March 15, 1942), better known by his ring name the Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and ...

. Sheik attacked Sting before the match started until Sting gained momentum by delivering a clothesline. Sting performed a '' Stinger Splash'' in the corner then applied a '' Scorpion Deathlock'' to make Sheik submit and retain the title.

Main event matches

The seventh match of the event featured Ricky Steamboat defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Ric Flair.

Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – ...

, Pat O'Connor and

Lou Thesz Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American professional wrestler. He was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 10 years, three months and nine days (3,749 ...

were the special judges in the match in case the match went to the full 1-hour time limit. Flair started the match by performing a shoulder block. Flair and Steamboat competed for longer than half hour and exchanged momentum throughout the match. In the final moments of the match, Steamboat delivered a

superplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling featu ...

to Flair and applied a double chickenwing but Flair wrapped his legs into the ropes. Flair was smashed into the turnbuckle and Steamboat climbed the top rope. Flair fell into the ropes and Steamboat fell down on the floor which hurt his leg. Flair suplexed Steamboat back into the ring and began attacking his injured knee. Flair applied a

figure four leglock Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

until Steamboat caught the ropes. Flair tried to attack Steamboat's knee but Steamboat delivered a Mongolian chop and an enzuigiri. Steamboat tried to pick Flair to perform a scoop slam but his leg was hurt, allowing Flair to pin Steamboat with an inside cradle to win the title. After the match, Flair showed respect to Steamboat by shaking hands with him. One of the judges of the match, Terry Funk challenged Flair for the title but Flair turned down the title match, causing Funk to attack Flair and perform a piledriver on him through the judges table. This match by many wrestling experts is considered the best match in American history. The eighth match was a tag team match for the

. Varsity Club members Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams defended the titles against the Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal).

Nikita Koloff Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson on March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, where ...

served as the

special guest referee In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...

. The leader of Varsity Club, Kevin Sullivan was Rotunda and Williams' manager but was sent to backstage by Koloff for misbehaviour. Rotunda got the early momentum by dropkicking Animal but Animal powerslammed him as Rotunda tried to perform a high-flying maneuver. Hawk and Williams were tagged in. Hawk dominated Williams by performing a powerslam and a fist drop. Williams rolled out to the ringside area but Hawk hit him with a

diving clothesline Aerial techniques, also known as "high-flying moves" are maneuvers in professional wrestling using the ring's posts and ropes as aids, in many cases to demonstrate the speed and agility of smaller, nimble and acrobatically inclined wrestlers prefer ...

off the apron. However, Williams avoided the match and Hawk's arm hit the ringpost. Williams began hurting Hawk's arm and then returned to the ring. Rotunda and Animal were tagged in. Williams illegally entered the ring to prevent Animal from winning. This caused Hawk to enter the ring. Rotunda was sent out to the floor as he missed a charge and Road Warriors performed an ''

Doomsday Device A doomsday device is a hypothetical construction — usually a weapon or weapons system — which could destroy all life on a planet, particularly Earth, or destroy the planet itself, bringing "doomsday", a term used for the end of planet Earth. ...

'', on Williams. Animal attempted to pin Williams but Varsity Club members Kevin Sullivan and Dan Spivey attacked Koloff, thus causing Rotunda and Williams to get disqualified. As a result, they retained the titles. The ninth and final match of the show was a tag team match for the

. Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner defended the titles against Varsity Club members Kevin Sullivan and Dan Spivey. As the match started, Spivey attacked Steiner outside the floor and drove him into the ringpost, thus putting him out of action. This gave control of the match to Spivey and Sullivan, who double-teamed Gilbert throughout the match. Steiner recovered and climbed on the apron for a false tag. This caused a lot of confusion, which caused Steiner to deliver a

Lariat A lasso ( or ), also called lariat, riata, or reata (all from Castilian, la reata 're-tied rope'), is a loop of rope designed as a restraint to be thrown around a target and tightened when pulled. It is a well-known tool of the Spanish an ...

, which he called ''Steiner-Line'', to Sullivan, allowing Gilbert to pin Sullivan with a sunset flip to retain the titles.

Aftermath

After winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ricky Steamboat at WrestleWar, Ric Flair became a fan favorite as he showed respect to Steamboat after the match. Flair began a

with Terry Funk because Funk attacked Flair for turning down Funk's challenge for a title shot. This resulted in a severe potentially career-ending injury for Flair. On July 1 edition of ''

'', Flair announced that he would not retire and agreed to defend the title against Funk at

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...

. Flair defeated Funk to retain the title. The controversy surrounding Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) during their NWA World Tag Team Championship defense against the Road Warriors at WrestleWar caused the title to be vacated. An 8–team tournament occurred to determine the new champions. The quarter–final round occurred on editions of ''World Championship Wrestling'',

the Fabulous Freebirds The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

(Michael Hayes and

) defeating Road Warriors, the Samoan Swat Team defeating

Ron Simmons Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...

and Ranger Ross, The Midnight Express (

and

) defeating Butch Reed and The Raider and the Dynamic Dudes defeating

Rip Morgan Michael Morgan (born August 20, 1957) is a former professional wrestler from New Zealand who competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and World Class Championship Wrestling best known as Rip Morgan. Best known as ...

and

. On June 14

Clash of the Champions VII ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). T ...

, the semi–final round took place, in which Fabulous Freebirds (Hayes and

Jimmy Garvin James Williams (born September 25, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring names "Gorgeous Jimmy" Garvin and Jimmy "Jam" Garvin. A member of The Fabulous Freebirds, Garvin is best known for his appearances wit ...

with Gordy at ringside) defeated Dynamic Dudes and Midnight Express defeated Samoan Swat Team. In the final round, Fabulous Freebirds (same line-up as the semi-finals) defeated Midnight Express to win the titles. A rivalry was formed between Road Warriors and Samoan Swat Team during the tournament and Steve Williams left Varsity Club, resulting in a

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of either four, five, or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not ...

pitting Steve Williams, Road Warriors and Midnight Express against Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Jimmy Garvin and

) and Samaon Swat Team at The Great American Bash. Wiliams, Road Warriors and Midnight Express won. After defeating Lex Luger for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship at WrestleWar, Michael Hayes continued to feud with Luger over the title. Hayes held the title for only 15 days. Luger defeated Hayes for the title on May 22. On June 14 edition of ''Clash of the Champions VII'', Ricky Steamboat defeated Terry Funk by disqualification when Funk attacked Steamboat with a microphone. After the match, Funk continued his assault on Steamboat until Luger made the save but then became a

by attacking Steamboat himself for being jealous of not competing on Clash of the Champions and not receiving a NWA World Heavyweight Championship match. This resulted in a match between Luger and Steamboat for Luger's United States Championship at The Great American Bash. Luger defeated Steamboat by disqualification to retain his title after Steamboat attacked Luger with a steel chair.

Results

References

External links

* {{WCWPPV, WrestleWar 1989 in Tennessee 1989 World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view events Events in Nashville, Tennessee Professional wrestling in Nashville, Tennessee WrestleWar