WWE: 10 Awesome Matches That Showcased Great Ring Psychology

7. Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat - Clash Of The Champions (1989)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nykN9wafk9k There might be better storylines. There might be hotter crowds. There might be bigger arenas. But in the ring there is no series of matches that can touch Flair vs Steamboat. If you think there's anything better, re-watch them and understand that you are the wrong. This is everything wrestling should be, stripped of all gimmicks. It is the absolute pinnacle of wrestling as 'human chess' and perhaps its peak as an art form, at least within Western wrestling. Now that's out the way we can talk about the match itself. The Two Out Of Three Falls bout was pretty much picked at random here, because trying to decide between their matches is like choosing your favourite child. You might have one, but admitting it makes you feel like a bad person. They're all fantastic. Steamboat shocked the world at Chi-Town Rumble by taking the gold away from The Nature Boy. Now they're here to settle who's the best wrestler once and for all. Look, there's no big storyline here. That's part of its magic. They are fighting because they are athletes and they want to be the best. It's as simple as that. The chain-wrestling has to be seen to be believed. While it's possible to type out every nuance of the sophisticated, logical hold to counter hold on display for nearly 60 minutes, that would be as tedious to read as it would be to write. What's great about this match is how every mistake is exploited, each man doing everything they can not to give their opponent any advantage. You can see it in the way they hesitate before a lock up. More than any match you will ever see, you feel like this is a game of the mind just as much as an athletic contest. Even Flair drops all his usual 'Nature Boy' shtick, showing he is fully concentrated on the task at hand. A masterpiece.