The Flying Hammerlock Video Review #33: Vader Vs. Flair and Arn

 

This review is dedicated to the memories of Randy Anderson, Raymond Louis "Bobby" Heenan and Leon "Vader" White.  R.I.P.
 

Handicap Match: Vader vs. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair and "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, WCW Clash of the Champions #31, Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, FL, August 6, 1995.
 

Historical background: Vader was on a career decline after several big losses to WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan and this was his second-to-last appearance in WCW.   He effectively turned face right before this by rescuing Hogan from The Giant in The Dungeon of Doom right before this, which can be seen here. Flair and Arn weren't getting along during this time.  Put these two situations together and we get this match.  This was the main event.
 

Flair and Arn come out first to Also Sprach Zarathustra.   Vader comes out next, still with the famous headgear, and does his own intro, which is actually better than the one Michael Buffer does.
 

Vader and Anderson start.   They tie up and then separate.  They tie up again and another clean break.   Bobby Heenan is asking Tony Schiavone who the big surprise for the debut episode of WCW Monday Nitro will be.  It would turn out to be...Lex Luger, having jumped back from the WWF without really telling anyone.    They tie up again and Vader powers Arn into the corner but Arn escapes.  Vader is standing by the ropes and Arn starts punching him.  Vader retaliates with punches and a headbutt, sending Arn into the corner.  Vader punches away at Arn, dropping Arn to the mat.  Arn escapes, exits the ring and comes back in again.  Arn is in the corner and Flair gives him a pep talk to get him back in the match.  They tie up again and Arn kicks Vader and backs him up against the ropes and hits some punches and forearms.   Arn goes to whip Vader across the ring but Vader reverses it.  Arn comes off the ropes and Vader lifts him and gives him an Inverted Atomic Drop.  Vader then clotheslines Arn over the ropes to the floor.  (This being WCW, there are pretty blue mats on the floor.)  Flair walks over to Arn and helps him to his feet.  Arn gets back in the ring and he and Vader tie up yet again and Vader breaks it with some big punches and a headbutt, knocking Arn to the canvas.  Vader brings Arn up and knocks him down with a short-arm clothesline.   Vader whips Arn off the ropes but Arn reverses it and when Vader comes off the ropes Arn hits him with the Spinebuster!   Arn doesn't cover however, and Heenan criticizes him for that.   Flair tags in, and he rakes Vader's eyes with his boot a couple of times.  Vader gets to his feet and Flair backs away from him.  Vader whips Flair and lifts him for a power press slam.   Again.  Vader whips Flair into the corner and Flair does the Flair Flip onto the apron.  Flair tries running down the apron but Vader catches him with a clothesline, sending Flair down to the floor.  Flair gets up and grabs Buffer's chair but referee Randy Anderson convinces Flair not to use it.  Meanwhile in the ring Arn clips Vader's knee.  Flair gets back in and kicks Vader's leg and tags in Arn.  They double team him for a bit.   Arn gives Vader two knees to the midsection and a DDT!   Arn tags in Flair, saying "Take it home."   Flair comes in and locks the figure-four on Vader!  Vader is able to grab the ropes though.  Flair goes back to working on Vader's legs as Vader gets to his feet.  Flair chops and punches Vader.  Flair climbs up to the top but Vader stops him and slams him down to the mat.   Into the corner, Vader whips Flair across and gives him a big back body drop.  Vader follows that with a big splash but Arn breaks up the pin at 2.  Vader snapmares Flair and exits the ring and looks to climb up but Flair is back up so Vader headbutts him.  Vader climbs up and delivers a top rope splash but Arn breaks up the pin again.  Flair tags in Arn and they double team Vader and whip him out of the corner but Vader clotheslines Arn and then clotheslines Flair.  Arn tries to get up but Vader grabs him and hits a gutwrench powerbomb for the pin at 8:05!  ****.  After the match, Flair and Arn get into an argument and Arn walks out on Flair.
 

Really good match from three of the best WCW had at the time.  Sadly, Vader was fired soon after this after getting into a locker room fight with Paul Orndorff that Orndorff won and Vader went off to a dismal WWF run.  The Flair and Arn issue led to Arn defeating Flair at WCW Fall Brawl 1995 on September 17th.  That led to Flair enlisting Sting to be his teammate against Arn and Brian Pillman at WCW Halloween Havoc 1995 on October 29th.   That match saw Flair turn on Sting and he, Arn and Pillman reform The Four Horsemen.  This match is recommended and you can see it here.