3. Sting vs. Ric Flair (Clash Of The Champions XXVII)
It was the defining rivalry in World Championship Wrestling and it was always a great match. Ric Flair carried Sting to heights never thought possible and turned him into the superstar that WCW needed him to be. Kevin Sullivan recently commented that, when he wanted to draw a big house or a number, he booked Ric Flair against Sting. At Clash of the Champions XXVII, Flair and Sting faced each other in a unification match for the WCW world title and the former NWA world heavyweight title. You see, WCW had recently split with the NWA but still possessed the Big Gold Belt that everyone is so fond of. After renaming the belt the WCW International Heavyweight title and confusing everyone, WCW decided just to unify the belts and be done with it. The storyline of this match featured Sherri Martel, who had been showing up in the front row of WCW shows without anyone knowing who her client was going to be. For what it's worth, she showed up for this match with her face painted like Sting, which should have been an immediate red flag to Sting, the kayfabe dumbest man in the history of professional wrestling. Flair got a mixed reaction during his entrance so Ric decided to go mega-heel in this match and completely give the crowd to Sting. He liberally went to Sting's eyes and chopped away in the corner, cheapshotting Sting at will and basically being the massive jerk we all know and love. Sting did a great job timing his comebacks and giving the crowd false hope spots, missing his Stinger Splash at crucial times. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21y5ms_wcw-clash-of-the-champions-xxvii-ric-flair-vs-sting_sport A clothesline put Flair on the floor and Sting tried to follow with a dive but Flair hid behind Sherri Martel and Sting crushed her. Sting showed concern for Sherri but that was only a distraction and it allowed Flair to rollup Sting (using the tights, of course) for the pin and the world title. Unfortunately, this great match and potentially great angle was ruined when WCW flushed everything down the toilet with the signing of Hulk Hogan.
