Ricky Steamboat & Sting vs. Ric Flair & Steve Austin (w/Sensuous Sherri) - WCW Saturday Night - 30/07/1994
Steamboat and Flair start the match, with Flair immediately going to his tricks of hiding behind the ref in order to get a cheap shot in but that’s immediately turned on its head with a big back drop. Sting punishes him further with punches in the corner. They go to the floor where Sting doesn’t flinch from a Flair chop so he hides behind Sherri this time. And this is where Heenan has a great line about some people who would love to punch Sherri. Flair takes advantage finally and takes in Austin. The sequence here is pretty awesome. Sting punch, kicks and back body drops his way to offence and Austin bumps like crazy for it. And as quick as anything, Steamboat comes in and Austin and Steamboat go back and forth. One thing that I love about WCW and, especially in isolating moments, is the heels commit to be lesser than their opponents. Flair is ever bit the wrestler the other two are, more so in reality, but committed to cheating his way to victory over taking the harder route which would likely be just as successful. But likewise its the durability of the babyfaces who aren’t deterred and defiantly keep coming back. It’s a compelling, fan friendly experience that produces a great story of contrasts. Also one of the more impressive aspects of the match is how relentless it is. You could argue that it forgoes escalation or structure which does cause some sag in the drama, but it is still very entertaining to watch. And to their credit, neither the fans or wrestlers seem to tire. Even when Sting and Austin sweat buckets, they rarely slow down. The finish was a good one where Sherri once again gets involved and Sting gorilla presses her onto Flair, who is on the outside, while behind him is Austin and Steamboat wrestling in the ropes. Austin then roll ups Steamboat for the win while Sting remains oblivious. Great match. Had potential for a 5 star classic, but doesn’t quite have enough to reach it. ****
Verdict - Impressive performance from Sting. It was a star performance where he was the clear protagonist of the match. He was involved with the majority of the wrestling and high spots. And even offensively, he seemed to dominate on an even playing field. Sting’s best attributes throughout his career is his explosive power and his energy which he has in spades here. And he more than kept up with 3 of the best wrestlers workrate stateside in 1994 no problem. In terms of placement, I think he belongs in the GWE Top 100. But he’s tricky in terms of placement because he plausibly belongs in the top 30 as he does in the top 90. Sting doesn’t have the depth as a Flair, but he does have these sorts of performances that act as a supplement to his peak performances that are throughout his career. If I had to rate him somewhere, it’ll be around the 70 region. A respectable ranking for a 1/2 of the Blade Runners.
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