The next time these two would meet would be at the following Clash Of The Champions. It was a classic confrontation. Ric Flair entered the ring for his interview in a suit, fur coat, and with about 20 gorgeous women. Alongside Hiro Matsuda, Flair was doing everything he could to be the ultimate heel.

The arrogant Flair was interrupted by the World Champion, Steamboat, and the two had a climactic brawl that ended with Steamboat ripping Flair's suit to shreds. Steamboat left Flair in his boxers and socks, an angle copied from their earlier feud in the early 80's. However, this was presented to a new and bigger audience.

On February 20, 1989, Ric Flair and Rick Steamboat collided for the first time in almost 7 years headlining the Chi-Town Rumble. The match was fast paced and something that a public,
spoon-fed Hulk Hogan and muscle men main events, were not used to. Even Ric Flair had not been challenged like this since his rivalry early in 1988 against Sting. Rick Steamboat pinned Ric Flair in a grueling match to become the NWA World Champion.

Rick Steamboat became a fighting champion. To boost house shows, JCP never promoted Steamboat's original opponents. All that was announced was that Rick Steamboat would be defending the Championship. That was enough. Steamboat's challengers ranged from Iron Sheik to Butch Reed to Mike Rotunda. Not the cream of the crop. Rick Steamboat also headlined the second ever WTBS Saturday Night show with the brand new format against Ron Simmons. A rare face against face challenge.

Then came the Flair-Steamboat house show series. What a series! These guys went out to half filled houses and turned it on for close to 60 minutes. While nobody believed a title change would occur on a house show, the crowd was in suspense at about the 20 minute mark of a back and forth match. Rick Steamboat, by hook or by crook would barely escape with his NWA World Championship. The prestige brought to this belt now rivaled Hulk Hogan's WWF Championship.

Next up was the showdown in New Orleans, a card that competed against Wrestlemania, containing an Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan alternative. While most people did tune in for the alternative, what they missed was an all time classic. Rick Steamboat and Ric Flair were scheduled to compete in a best of three falls match and what they gave was the unexpected… a match that went close to the hour time limit. Not only that, but it was one of the more exciting hour matches ever seen. Even a simple headlock kept up the suspense. Ric Flair took the first fall. Rick Steamboat came back with the second. Finally, using a stand up double chicken wing, Steamboat bridged his way to a win. This match is still talked about to this day as being an all time classic.

The final showdown occurred on May 7, 1989. The card was called Wrestlewar. Steamboat was up 2 matches to none on the big shows, and Flair was desperate. He'd gone nuts in the recent weeks as his losing efforts against Steamboat were becoming obsessive for the former champ. Wrestlewar was shaping up to be an all time classic. The next piece of the Ric Flair puzzle was inserted. Three judges were assigned to make sure that a winner was named. With the Flair-Steamboat history, a 60 minute draw was not out of the question. Tonight a winner would be crowned NWA World Champion. A judge fans had not seen on a national level for almost five years was named. He was former NWA World Champion Terry Funk.

Some will argue that the showdown on May 7, 1989 was the greatest of them all. Once the match began, all the showboating, challenging and fanfare was over. The crowd was on their feet from start to finish. For every move the other had a counter. For every chop from Flair, Steamboat countered with a harder chop. For every headlock from Steamboat, Flair had a reversal. For every pinning attempt, the other kicked out. The match was probably more action packed than their prior matches and it had all the intensity. After a grueling battle, Ric Flair regained the NWA World Championship.

Ric Flair now stood proudly, a six-time NWA World Champion in an era where belts changed rarely. Ric Flair who had gone into this series as the ultimate heel, was now the recipient of a standing ovation. While you loved to hate Flair, how could you? He was not the chicken sh*t heel. He earned everyone's respect from Steamboat to the fans. The handshake at the end was not scripted. How often did you see the top babyface and the top heel shake hands after a match? Jim Ross interviewed an emotional Ric Flair in the center of the ring following his match and asked the question of who Flair's next challenger would be. Who would have predicted what was to come following that question? Ric Flair answered the question. Who would even come close to provide the interest and match quality that Steamboat had provided challenging Flair? An unfamiliar face stepped into the ring to question Flair's answer. A man that little was made of as he sat ringside in his tuxedo as a judge. His name was Terry Funk.

NEXT MONTH:

We'll center on the feud between Ric Flair and Terry Funk