5. Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (Clash Of The Champions IX, November 1989)
For those that do not recall or were not alive to see it, NWA/WCW had a different vibe than the flashier, more theatrical WWE. In 1989, they were still producing as gritty a television show as was allowed. The feud between Ric Flair and Terry Funk was one of the finest examples of the difference between WCW and WWE that you could ever find. Funk, a former NWA Champion, had returned to the southeast after a stint up North and brought back his rugged style with him. He engaged Flair on the night that he regained the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, viciously assaulting him. A piledriver onto a table was unheard of in those days. Such antics were not even commonplace when using furniture was commonplace, but it created an anarchic buzz when Funk did it to Flair in May 1989. Naitch was always a much more natural heel than he was a babyface, but he excelled as a protagonist when playing off of Funk. He was outstanding as a revenge-seeking hero, pushing all the right emotional buttons to get the crowd behind his every move. Funk was equally as impactful as the despicable villain. Their clash at the 1989 Great American Bash is somewhat less heralded because of their match several months later at the 9th Clash of the Champions TV special. The I Quit match is regarded as one of the truly epic matches in NWA/WCW history, if not wrestling history altogether. Watched as a standalone battle, much of the context that made it brilliant is lost. So, be advised, if you intend to view it, you would be doing yourself a favor to watch the end of the title match at Mays WrestleWar. Then, watch the Funk-Flair match from The Great American Bash. Continue onto the Thunderdome Cage match at Halloween Havoc and then end with the I Quit. The story was of a maniacal former champion wanting to relive his glory days by physically destroying the top star of the 1980s. Yet, he continually failed. The resilient champion even made the dastardly antagonist utter the words I Quit.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
