Ricky Steamboat defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Ric Flair in a Two-out-of-Three Falls Match at Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin’ Cajun on April 2, 1989. The event aired from the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Steamboat had defeated Flair for the championship at Chi-Town Rumble on February 20, 1989. Flair received his opportunity to regain the title under rules requiring one wrestler to secure two falls. The match lasted 55 minutes and 49 seconds, with Flair winning the first fall before Steamboat claimed the next two to retain the championship.
No. 3 — Ric Flair Wins the First Fall
Flair and Steamboat entered the match knowing they could not afford to use all their energy during the opening minutes. One fall would not be enough to win the championship, and the contest had a 60-minute time limit.
Steamboat controlled much of the early wrestling by repeatedly trapping Flair in headlocks. Flair attempted to escape, but Steamboat continued bringing him back to the mat. The champion also used his speed to frustrate the challenger whenever they exchanged holds. Flair eventually changed his approach by attacking Steamboat’s body. He used chops, strikes and moves aimed at weakening the champion’s neck and back. Steamboat answered with his own chops and several quick pinning attempts.
The first fall ended after Steamboat tried to catch Flair with an inside cradle. Flair shifted his weight, reversed the position and held Steamboat’s shoulders against the mat for the three-count at 19 minutes and 33 seconds. Flair’s victory placed Steamboat in immediate danger. The champion now needed to win two consecutive falls, while Flair required only one more pinfall or submission to regain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
The finish also showed how closely matched the two wrestlers were. Flair did not win the fall with the Figure-Four Leglock or another familiar finishing move. He survived Steamboat’s pinning attempt and turned it against him. Steamboat was forced to adjust his strategy when the second fall began. Instead of chasing a quick pin, he started working on Flair’s back and arms, preparing him for a submission hold.
No. 2 — Ricky Steamboat Forces Ric Flair to Submit
Flair carried his advantage into the second fall and continued trying to keep Steamboat under control. The challenger knew another fall would end the match, while Steamboat could not afford another mistake.
Steamboat began targeting Flair’s back with body slams and other attacks. The repeated punishment slowed Flair and made it harder for him to escape whenever Steamboat gained control of his arms. The champion finally trapped Flair in a double chickenwing. Steamboat pulled both of Flair’s arms backward while lifting him away from the mat, placing pressure on his shoulders and back.
Flair attempted to resist, but the work Steamboat had done throughout the fall left him unable to escape. He submitted at 34 minutes and 54 seconds of total match time, tying the score at one fall apiece. The submission gave Steamboat a direct answer to Flair’s first victory. Flair had used Steamboat’s own pinning attempt against him, while Steamboat responded by forcing the challenger to surrender.
Neither wrestler held an advantage on the scoreboard as the third fall began. One more decision would determine who left New Orleans with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Flair entered the final fall with pain in his back. Steamboat had tied the match but had already wrestled for more than half an hour. The remaining minutes became a test of which man could continue using his preferred offense while protecting the damage he had already suffered.
No. 1 — Ricky Steamboat Retains in a Disputed Final Fall
Flair turned his attention to Steamboat’s left leg during the third fall. Steamboat missed a running kick in the corner and caught his leg across the top rope, giving Flair a clear target. Flair attacked the knee and eventually applied the Figure-Four Leglock. Steamboat remained in the hold for an extended period but refused to submit. He eventually reached the ropes and forced Flair to release him, although the damage continued affecting his movement.
Steamboat later attempted to use the double chickenwing that had won the second fall. His injured leg could not support the weight, and he fell backward with Flair landing on top of him. Both wrestlers’ shoulders were against the mat when the referee began counting. Steamboat raised his left shoulder before the count of three, while Flair remained down. The referee awarded the fall and the match to Steamboat at 55 minutes and 49 seconds.
The decision allowed Steamboat to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship by two falls to one. A replay then showed that Flair had placed his foot beneath the bottom rope during the pin. The referee had not seen Flair’s foot, so the result remained unchanged. The disputed ending gave Flair another reason to demand a championship match. Steamboat and Flair met again at WrestleWar 1989 on May 7, where Flair defeated Steamboat to regain the title.
The final fall completed nearly an hour of wrestling without giving Flair a clean reason to accept the loss. Steamboat left Clash of the Champions VI as champion, but Flair could argue that the deciding pin should not have counted. Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair used each fall to tell a connected story. Flair’s reversal gave him the opening fall, Steamboat’s double chickenwing tied the match, and one raised shoulder decided the championship in the final minutes.
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