2. Sting vs. Ric Flair (Clash Of The Champions I)
In 1987, World Wrestling Entertainment created the Survivor Series pay-per-view to not only maximize their earning potential based on the company's unprecedented popularity, but also to serve as competition to the National Wrestling Alliance and Jim Crockett Promotions' Starrcade event. They succeeded, doing a much better buyrate. Crockett and the NWA would not sit back and take their whipping quietly, though. With WrestleMania IV on the horizon, the company decided to promote a free television special titled Clash of Champions, to air at the same time as McMahon's pay-per-view. Fans would have to choose between plunking down hard-earned money to watch a one-night tournament for the WWE Championship or tuning into TBS to watch Ric Flair defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against young up-and-comer Sting for zero dollars. For millions of pro wrestling fans across the country, the decision was simple and NWA rewarded them with a 45-minute classic between the Nature Boy and the Stinger. The match was very much a coming of age tail. Sting, in his first opportunity to take the title away from Flair, delivered the performance of his young career. He cut Flair off at every point and managed to hang with the best in the business for nearly an hour. Flair was his typically great self, helping to guide his opponent to an absolute classic. The contest ended in a draw, leaving fans wanting more. They would get it as the feud between the iconic stars would become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in WCW history.