This left Doc sour since he wanted to score a clean win and felt he wasn't trusted by his team and he left the Varsity Club in June of 1989. Around this time the NWA was having a series of battle royals to determine the King of the Ring. All the winners would meet in a two-ring battle royal at The Great American Bash the next month. Doc got a win to make it to the finals but so did Rotunda and Sullivan. Doc had also formed a bond with Jim Cornette and his team "The Midnight Express" in a War Games match at the Bash it was Doc, The Midnights, and Road Warriors vs. The Freebirds, and The Samoan Swat Team. In the battle royal Doc managed to eliminate Rotunda and Sullivan but not before Rotunda cost Doc the match. Doc's team won the war games. The Varsity Club soon split up. Doc began to renew his old UWF rivalry with Terry Gordy but Gordy left for Japan soon after. It was painfully obvious that Doc was lost in the shuffle. He took another trip to Japan and came back in January of 1990 and managed to secure a shot at Lex Luger's United States Title at WrestleWar '90. Clash of the Champions X saw Doc beat Samoan Savage with a backslide and Sting get kicked out of the Horsemen and hurt his knee. Why does this matter? Because Luger had to take his place and Doc lost his shot. Finally Doc quit the NWA and headed over to Japan to compete on a full time basis. 

NEXT MONTH: 

A look at the first sign of cynical wrestling fans booing the face....The Dynamic Dudes