Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 3: Ric Flair vs. David Von Erich (10/11/82)

Flair faces David after just squeaking past Kerry two months before. This is my first time putting David under the microscope, and it’s a World Title match. Anything from Flair in the 1980s is worth a strong look.

They mention on commentary the history. Flair faced Kerry in August and everyone in Texas thinks he should be the world champ. Flair put a $10,000 bounty on Kerry’s head, and eight weeks later Gary Hart’s faction made good on it, putting Kerry out. This will all be covered in the lead up to the Christmas Day Kerry versus Flair cage match later on this disk. For now David is stepping in for the title shot.

David is a lanky looking guy with a cowboy hat and floppy hair. Good announcing (Mark Lawrence) sets the stage of David wanting revenge for Kerry, and having had to climb a pole in a match to get the contract from this bout. Flair is tentative at the bell, Von Erich the aggressor, and it’s paced to allow the atmosphere to grow out of the red hot crowd. The match is slower than a Flair-Kerry match, and David’s athleticism is awkward to say the least (his jumping and bumps early look goofy), as they start with headlocks. David has the advantage. Lawrence notices the slow start, so on commentary he puts over how the holds add up, and how it’s a mental game. Smart announcing. Flair bumps well for David, as expected, and David grounds him with the headlock. Five minutes in, I’m hoping they’ve got more, as this is first gear with traces of second gear.

Flair creates a shoulder injury for David to work on, but David’s wrenching is a tad over the top. He does manage to lock it in. The only thing this match has going for it passed basic, solid work is the Flair/Von Erich dynamic. Lots of laying on the mat in a hold, with Flair doing most of the work to sell like they aren’t just laying there. He comes back with some shoulder blocks, and Von Erich bumps goofy (probably acceptable for the era, not my style), until David goes back to the mat with a shoulder lock. Ten minutes gone by in a match that seems void of Flair cheating to get back an advantage, or having short advantages. He’s the one getting hope spots here.

Finally Flair comes back, and I find this much more visually interesting with Flair in control and David having hope spots. David actually sells the chops well, and goes back to the shoulder when Flair tries a rear chin lock. Back to laying on the mat. They MUST be going forty or fifty minutes at this pace. It needs more of that up-and-down roller coaster of emotion feel. We’re only seeing glimpses. Flair doesn’t seem to sell the shoulder much when he comes back, but does throw David to the outside in frustration. Flair’s offense is definitely getting more heat and it’s more active, while David is better selling. Fifteen minutes go by.

The crowd is coming alive for Flair sitting in a headlock on David, the continually cheating with a hair pull as David powers out. It’s part formula, part old standby Flair, but this is a better story than the first ten to twelve minutes. David’s comeback is awkward, but they’ve got movement (I love movement after a long hold), and David and Flair trading abdominal stretches is fine stuff. David wins a slugfest and Flair has to cheat to avoid the Iron Claw. Great to see Flair sell before going after David again. Twenty minutes gone.

The slugfest comebacks by David are perfect because he is bigger, Flair has, well, flare for gradually losing these exchanges, and the crowd lights up for it. Flair takes the flip bump into the turnbuckle and begs off a stalking Von Erich. Both are selling exhaustion. Flair clamps on a sleeper, and David breaks it by pulling Flair into the turnbuckle. It really has picked up. Flair goes for the figure four (announcer wrongly thinking it’s the Funk’s step over toe hold), Flair settling for an Indian Deathlock which was a nice touch. Kerry is out on crutches to fire up a David comeback from ringside. That’s where the mat gets stupid. David is winning and Kerry being there is visually enough, but David inexplicably scoots out of the ring for a thirty second conference where Kerry is telling him what to do. He wasn’t losing! Ugh. Brought the crowd down slightly, and David started losing right away. Twenty-five minutes gone.

Flair throws him to the floor and we see the dopey Von Erichs finally get it right, Kerry counseling David at an appropriate juncture. But even that backfires, as Flair grabs David on the apron and rams his head into the steel post. Now David is in big trouble (sells it well), and Kerry rallies the fans. Flair gets him again. He opens up a cut on David in the middle of the ring, and this is flowing again. Flair gets greedy and starts beating Kerry up, going after the bad knee. David takes the world title and takes out Flair’s knee. Bronco Lubich (hometown ref) lets it go. Someone said this Flair vs Von Erichs angle often plays like a conspiracy against Flair, and this certainly feels that way. David uses Kerry’s crutch, and the ref is forced to call for the bell, but David continues to get retribution on Flair’s knee, smashing it against the post. The crowd is hot for this finish, even if it was a DQ finish with Flair a the hobbled bloody victor. Kerry and Flair go at it, and you can tell this story isn’t over. David and Flair brawl at the end, with David Manning holding Flair down—God knows why.

Slow start, good middle, meandered at it’s apex, but it did capture a good story in the last ten to fifteen minutes, and the aftermath played out well enough considering the finish. 3 ¾ stars and 7/10.