Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 13: Ric Flair vs. Kevin Von Erich (4/1/83)

I cherish all the 80s Flair I can get considering the way he embarrasses himself every week on TNA. From Mid South to Memphis, Flair rules the Diaries series, and once again we get a Flair versus Von Erich match, this time against the oldest, Kevin. Since I loved his matches with Kerry and David, I’m hopeful for this one.

Kevin is the World Class American Champion, Flair the NWA World Champion. The crowd is, well, hot as usual for a Von Erich chance and a Flair title defense. Any night could be “the night,” after all. Kevin is a breath of fresh air. While Kerry could be spotty depending on the skill level of his opponent, and David is too damn awkward for me, Kevin is the bear that’s just right. Stylistically he’s different from the other brothers, or anyone I’ve seen on this set so far. A barefoot wrestler that does some flying, Kevin is aggressive with his opponent. Flair generously gives Kevin the first five minutes, and it’s his match to shine. He does.

Flair offensively feels grittier and more aggressive too. I like it. It’s like it’s so rough and competitive, it becomes smooth in a visual sense. You don’t get moments of confusion or indecision here. The bumps look better. Kevin’s comebacks are great, and the way Flair competes and sometimes cheats is authentic for the story they are telling (the one Flair told variations of for all of the 1980s). They even do the Flair suplex tease that drops into a Von Erich sleeper, done in the Kerry matches. Flair works in getting caught on the top rope. Flair bumps ref Lubich by mistake, then tosses Kevin over the top rope (illegal), and then head first to the post. Kevin beats the count, and the crowd is into every near fall he kicks out of.

Unfortunately, the match gets a little ridiculous when they bump ref Lubich a second time, this one via a mistake from Kevin. While Lubich is down Kevin throws Flair over the top rope twice for revenge, then posts him heads first. Ref David Manning is out to regain order, with Kevin going crazy. Manning takes over refing, and Kevin hits a twisting crossbody press onto Flair for the clean pin. The place explodes thinking they saw an upset title win, David Von Erich coming out to celebrate, but Bronco Lubich is changing the decision. A bloody Flair crawls on the ground asking for his belt back. The boos when Flair does get it are golden, especially as a crazed Flair screams, “It’s mine!” Really fun match and I hate to cut it because of the finish, when all the brothers had wacky finishes to their matches with Flair. This was in some ways more enjoyable than the David Von Erich/Flair match, but it didn’t fully grab me in the same way. It was shorter and not as dramatic, but this is no doubt a good story and a great contest. Just below the David/Flair match for me. 3 ¾ stars and 7.4/10.