10 Wrestling Storylines That Don't Get Enough Love
2. The Greatest Transition Of All Time
The Flair/Steamboat rivalry is rightly held aloft as the pinnacle of in-ring achievement for its era. Even revisited through a modern lens, there is so much to admire in the athleticism and technicality. And, of course, the psychology behind Flair's deception and Steamboat's unparalleled babyface fire is timeless.
Televised weekly pro wrestling follows the same relentless, incessant churn of soap opera - so it is little surprise that continuity and logic is often retconned. Though capable of reflecting the dramatic heft of the grandest art forms, the wrestling schedule almost necessitates bullsh*t. Transitioning from one feud to the next is a deceptively difficult task - but, in 1989, an on-fire NWA segued from greatness to greatness in the greatest manner imaginable.
After Flair recaptured the World Heavyweight Championship from Steamboat at WrestleWar, Terry Funk, one of three judges dispatched to settle the rivalry in the event of a one hour draw, attempted through flattery (and encroaching, scary passive aggression) to backdoor his way into title contention. Flair was having none of it. "You've been in Hollywood with Sylvester Stallone while I've been World Heavyweight Champion. I'm lookin' at the top 10. You're not in the top 10."
Incensed, Funk battered Flair when he could not barter with him, circumventing the rules by breaking them outright, before in a shocking moment, piledriving him onto the judge's table. The table was as powerful then as a saw would be now.
This was the ultimate transgression and the ultimate transition.