Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 15: Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage (Nitro 1/22/96)

Flair is out again with Jimmy Hart as his manager. I’m apathetic. This is coming the night before a Clash of the Champions. We’re in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace. This is pre-MGM Grand. Miss Elizabeth and Woman (RIP to both, sadly) have switched affiliations to Savage prior to this match.

We start out with some brawling, which is good because Flair sells a beating so well and Macho is wild in giving one. Flair is so great with his “who me?” look after tossing Macho over the top rope while the ref is distracted. Savage bumps over the rail nicely on the outside. They do a lot of in and out of ring punch sequences. Flair really has to use his dirty tricks to stop the onslaught, which makes this instantly better then lazy Sting beating Flair in half speed much of the time. Flair does the grab of the ropes during the figure four.

They goof a bit with the finish. Savage comes back launching Flair off the top rope, two double ax handles from the top, and wants to do the elbow. Arn Anderson interferes, Flair take sa shot from him by accident, and Hogan comes out to beat him up. The bell starts ringing as Savage get to the top rope for the big elbow drop. I thought it was a DQ. But he hits the elbow and Randy Anderson counts the pin. Huge pop. Maybe it was an angle to get the title held up, I don’t remember. The match was great for under ten minutes and the finish was hot. 3 ½ and 7/10.