10 Best Wrestling Matches That Went Over 45 Minutes
7. Ric Flair Vs. Sting (Clash Of The Champions I) - 00:45:00
Clash of the Champions has been described by some as WCW's answer to WWE's Saturday Night Main Event, but anyone who watched both will know that one was streets ahead of the other when it came to in-ring action.
At the inaugural COTC, Ric Flair defended the NWA World Hevayweight Championship against long-time adversary Sting in the main event, with his manager JJ Dillon suspended above the ring in a cage - just to give the match an extra layer of drama.
The legendary pair battled to a 45-minute time limit draw, whose action - in a rare deviation from the 1980s norm - frequently spilled out of the ring and to the feet of the excitable crowd, who were firmly split between two of the era's most popular performers.
With no falls, the result went to the judge's panel who - naturally - failed to reach a unanimous decision. Through the prism of today's wrestling lens, fans might take a dim view on a finish of this kind, but for its time, it worked - and added an extra layer of drama to what was an instantly classic occasion.