Text By Jed Shaffer

What if...Tully Blanchard didn't fail the drug test and returned to WCW in 1989?

Our story begins at the 1989 edition of Starrcade. The event is dominated by a round-robin tournament dubbed "Night Of The Iron Men", awarding points for the method of victory for the four men involved: The Great Muta, Lex Luger, Sting and NWA World Champion Ric Flair. The last match of night, Sting vs. Flair, is a critical one; Sting languishes in third place with 20 points, behind Flair's 25 and Luger's 35. A pinfall victory for Sting will vault him into top contention for a title shot ... a title held by Flair, with whom he has recently found an accord with. But before the match can even begin, both Sting and Flair unveil surprises for each other ...

Dec. 13, 1989: Starrcade

NWA World Champion Ric Flair steps out onto the stage, decked out in his lavish robes, fountains of fireworks going off around him. He turns around and gestures to the entrance, looking expectantly; as soon as the two similar-looking men set foot on the stage, the building erupts. Flanked by original Four Horsemen members Ole and Arn Anderson, Flair walks the aisle, a smile as big as all outdoors on his face. The flashing of the familiar four-finger hand sign elicits a mixed reaction from both the crowd and the announcers; on the one hand, seeing three of the four together again is a welcome sight. On the other hand, Flair coming to the ring with back-up all but screams a ploy by the champ to stack the deck in his favor, a betrayal of the trust that had been built as Flair had battled Gary Hart's J-Tex Corporation.

When Sting steps out onto the stage and looks at the ring, he doesn't look surprised in the slightest, or even so much as bothered. Instead, the beloved hero of World Championship Wrestling nods to the assembled Horsemen in the ring with a smile just as big as Flair's, then turns to the entrance and directs everyone's attention there.

Through the curtain steps a surprise even bigger then the return of The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, equally surprising for both who he is and the fact that he is coming down the aisle with Sting. In the middle of the aisle, Sting grabs the hand of Tully Blanchard and gives it a firm shake, then walks to the ring with Tully right behind. The collective jaws of Flair and the Andersons need forklifts to come off the floor as their brother, their compatriot, comes to the ring alongside the man seen by many as the person to knock Flair from his throne once and for all. Ever the gentleman, Sting offers handshakes to Flair and the Andersons; the gesture is returned, albeit half-heartedly, as the whole time, eyes are on Tully, standing behind Sting as solemn as a statue. The Horsemen stumble over their own feet, trying to get a handshake from Tully; the most anyone can get is a barely perceptible nod, directed at his long-time tag partner Arn.

Obviously rattled, Flair wrestles with half an eye turned to his old friend, standing in his opponent's corner, arms crossed. Tully gives no outward indication of anything during the 20 minutes Sting and Flair do their dance; not once does he get involved, and not once does he even so much as clap for Sting when the momentum is in the Stinger's favor. Everyone in fact--from the announcers to Flair and his contingent, to the referee and the officials around the ring, to the crowd--keep a nervous eye on Tully Blanchard, waiting for him to make a move. Much to the consternation of everyone, for the 20 minute duration of the match, Tully's only movement is to breathe and blink. When Sting pins Flair, the crowd explodes, and Tully finally breaks his stoic silence by clapping. But as he reaches up to grab a rope to pull himself up, the Andersons come into the ring. Tully drops away as the Andersons and Flair approach Sting. Flair shakes Sting's hand, and Ole raises Sting's hand in the air, making the Horsemen hand sign with the other. Arn holds the ropes open and invites Tully to come in ...

... but Tully backs down the aisle, shaking his head. Flair, Ole and even Sting join alongside Arn in trying to get Tully to back into the ring, but Tully responds by walking away. When Tully disappears backstage, the Horsemen and their new recruit bask in the applause of the audience, putting their erstwhile brother out of their minds. For now, with Sting, the company's most popular star, aligned with the company's most storied stable, reunited with the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, the only thought in the minds of those watching isn't if the partnership will live up to the Horsemen of old, but if there is anyone who can stop the foursome from ruling the company forever.

Dec. 1989-January 1990

With a new ally in Sting, and Starrcade behind them, Flair directs the Horsemen towards resuming the mission that has dominated Flair's life for months: the annihilation of Gary Hart's J-Tex Corporation stable. Some kind of climactic showdown at the upcoming Clash Of The Champions in February seems assured, and so, the two stables up the ante in their warfare. Interference in matches and backstage assaults become commonplace, and even with superior numbers, the Horsemen are often left reeling from the heinous attacks of Hart's troops.

Facing an enemy that has no fear and no moral boundary, it quickly becomes apparent that the Horsemen will need to press their numbers advantage. Ric Flair makes a go of recruiting Tully Blanchard back into the fold to bolster their numbers, issuing invitation after invitation at event after event. Not only are Flair's entreaties met with no response, but when Blanchard is seen, he avoids the question entirely and redirects the course of the discussion.

"I'm not here to discuss Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen, Tony," he says to Tony Schiavone. "Do I look like Ric Flair? No. I'm Tully Blanchard. I'm not here to talk about someone else's problems. I'm back in World Championship Wrestling for one reason and one reason alone: to win championships. To remind the world who Tully Blanchard is; the guy who made Dusty Rhodes bleed like a stuck pig. The guy Magnum TA couldn't beat without jamming a shard of wood in my eye. That man is back, and he's hungry for gold."

Further attempts at getting answers from Blanchard are met with the same stonewalling, and the same insistence to talk about his career, not the careers of others. On the final show before the Christmas holiday, Ric Flair interrupts a Tully Blanchard interview to personally ask, one more time, for Blanchard to take up the mantle once more; Blanchard gives his reply by walking away in the middle of Flair's request.

The second of the Horsemen's reinforcement picks is also a former member of the elite stable: Lex Luger. Sting makes it his personal mission to recruit his friend, but time and again, he is met with the same resistent silence employed by Tully Blanchard towards Ric Flair. Sting pleads at every event, on every broadcast, for Luger to ally with them, if for no other reason then to help his friend, and Luger gives him nothing to hang his hat on. It isn't until Sting suffers a gruesome beating at the hands of Buzz Sawyer and The Dragonmaster that Luger finally takes action, saving his partner and agreeing, for one night, to stand with the Horsemen.

That one night is January 2, 1990; two Horsemen/J-Tex clashes are scheduled for the evening, with Sting and Luger taking on Sawyer and Dragonmaster, and Arn Anderson challenging The Great Muta for the World Television Championship. Arn dismantles Muta and, despite attempted interference from Muta's stablemates, is successful in taking back the TV Title.

Like Arn did to Muta, Sting and Luger overwhelm their opponents, weathering every dirty trick and cheap shot they can unload. But the match turns against the friends when Flair comes out and asks Sting to follow him, while Luger is in the ring, dealing with a two-on-one beating. Flair pleads, saying Ole's been attacked; reluctantly, Sting follows Flair to the back, leaving Luger alone against the J-Tex duo. It's only a matter of time before Luger is beaten, pinned and left for dead. In the Horsemen's locker room, cameras catch up to Sting and Flair, who are with paramedics as they put Ole on a stretcher and take him away.

The next week, Jim Ross has Sting in the studio for an interview. "Stinger, there's two things I wanna ask you about today," says Schiavone, "the first being your victory at Starrcade, winning the Iron Man tournament. That puts you in line for a World Title match at Wrestle War on February 25th ... against your new friend, your partner in the Four Horsemen, Ric Flair. Have you discussed it with Ric, or with the rest of the Horsemen? What is the situation like in the Horsemen, with one of their own being due a shot against Ric Flair?"

"You know, Jim, we haven't talked about it, really. We've had other things on our plate, specifically the J-Tex Corporation and Gary Hart. But the fact of the matter is, the Horsemen, from day one, have always been about the success of the group instead of the individual. There's no reason why, in the spirit of competition, Ric and I can't act like gentlemen and wrestle one another for the biggest prize in the game."

"So you're saying you're gonna sign the contract to meet Ric Flair at WrestleWar?"

"JR, what I'm saying is that first, we gotta get past what we're dealing with now, and that's Gary Hart, and we're gonna do that at Clash Of The Champions on February 6th. Me, Ric and Arn, against Gary Hart's guys, inside a steel cage. Two teams walk in, one team walks out, and this war will be done."

"Well, that brings me to my other question, Stinger. Last week, on this very show, you were involved in a tag team match with Lex Luger against Buzz Sawyer and The Dragonmaster. You ended up leaving the match, and your partner--your best friend, in fact--took a beating at the expense of that. What happened? Why did you abandon the match?"

"I'll tell you why!" exclaims Lex Luger as he barges onto the set. He pushes Schiavone out of the way, getting in Sting's face; Schiavone has to settle for holding the microphone at arm's length. "Ric Flair is lying, no-good, backstabbing snake! This is why I didn't want any part of your little problem with Gary Hart, Sting, because of Ric Flair. You can't trust Ric Flair. You should know that. Ric may say the Horsemen are all for one and one for all, but the truth of the matter is that the Horsemen are there to protect Flair. I learned that lesson when I was a member of the Horsemen, Stinger; Ric only keeps guys around because he is scared to death of guys like you and me. He doesn't see guys like Arn or Ole as a threat, and the second someone in his inside circle scares him, he boots 'em. You watch, he's gonna do it to you; sign that contract for Wrestle War, and I promise you, Sting, they will beat you down and kick you out faster then you can blink."

"Lex, let me expl--"

"No, Sting. I don't want an explanation. Ric's gotten to you. I can see it in your eyes. He's made his big-money promises, he's spun his web, and he's suckered you in. And because he doesn't like me, because he knows I could beat him, he got you to leave my side and leave me to those wolves. I expected more from you, Sting. I expected you to be able to see through Ric Flair's garbage. You're only his buddy because it helps him. Mark my words, Sting; he will turn on you." With that, Luger walks away. Sting follows, calling after Luger, who ignores his old friend, leaving Schiavone speechless.

Like Luger, Tully Blanchard spends the month an island unto himself. Ignoring every request for an interview about Ric Flair, refusing to even acknowledge Flair's calls for a renewed partnership, Tully sets about re-establishing his presence in World Championship Wrestling in the ring, and acquits himself admirably. Quickly, announcers talk about Blanchard as a top name, and a certain threat to any champion, let alone World Champion Ric Flair. Tully ignores it all and goes on about his workman's path, until he is interviewed by Ross a couple weeks before Clash Of The Champions after a successful match.

"Tully Blanchard, I have a question for you," says Ross, "and I want you to hear me out, because it involves one Ric Flair." Blanchard rolls his eyes and starts to walk away, but Ross puts a hand on his shoulder. "Now, wait just a minute, Tully Blanchard. People are talking about you and Ric Flair, namely the idea of you facing him in the near future, with the roll you've been on. I wanna know your thoughts on that. Could you face your old friend?"

Blanchard, in the process of walking away, stops and turns around. There is a gleam in his eye and a smirk on his face; something about it makes Ross take a small step back and his face cloud over with worry. Blanchard comes back to the microphone. "You know, Jim Ross, that's the kind of question I've been waiting to be asked. All I hear, week in, week out, is about Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen. Ric Flair has accomplished a lot in this company, and I mean no disrespect, but I'm trying to make my own way for once, and all anyone ever wants to ask of me is about someone else. So, thank you, Jim Ross. Thank you. Now, to answer your question, could I wrestle Ric Flair? The answer to your question is yes. That is why I came back to World Championship Wrestling; to see if I could be more then I was before. To push myself to the very limit. The chance to beat Ric Flair is something not a single man in this company doesn't cherish, and very few have ever--or will ever--accomplish." Ross starts to pull the microphone away, but Blanchard grabs Ross' hand and pulls it back. "And that is why I'm challenging Ric Flair to a match, right here, on World Championship Wrestling, next week. I don't expect a title shot, Ric. I have to earn one ... and there's no better way to do it then by proving myself against you. No Horsemen, no gimmicks. Just you and me."

Later on, Flair sends word to Jim Ross, who announces the challenge being accepted, setting up a historic, first-time-ever match between Flair and Blanchard. When the date rolls around, Flair comes to the ring alone, but before the ref can ring the bell, Flair asks for a microphone. "Tully, I only wanna say to you one thing," he says. "I want you, after this all over, I hope you'll have gotten whatever it is out of your system and you'll come back, where you belong, with your friends in the Four Horsemen." Blanchard gives no indication one way or the other if Flair's words resonate.

When the bell rings, any pretense of friendship gives way to competition. Neither go for the short-cuts of the Horsemen's past, but neither are punched pulled. For Blanchard, it is a coming-out party of sorts, as the scientific skill he has always possessed comes to the forefront like never before, as he fights to establish himself as more then what he was as a member of a collective. Flair, meanwhile, fights not to hurt or to humiliate, but to repel a potential new threat to his reign, regardless of the person behind the threat. The two technicians put on a clinic, trading reversals and counters, as well as clever psychology that could only come from years of knowing someone the way Flair and Blanchard do. Blanchard scores several near-falls, and so does Flair, including two attempts at the figure-four, one of which happens in the middle of the ring and is only broken up when Blanchard rolls over and reverses the pressure. The end comes when Flair goes up for a move off the top rope and gets caught, but instead of tossing him, Blanchard puts on a front face lock and transitions it into the slingshot suplex for the pin. Exhausted--and obviously stunned--Flair rolls out of the ring; as he walks down the aisle, looking back at his old friend, arms raised in victory, Terry Funk approaches, microphone in hand.

"Ric! Ric!" Funk says, putting a hand on Flair's shoulder. "We just heard! You have an challenger for your World Heavyweight Title at Wrestle War, Ric: Sting!"

The only reply Flair can muster is an astonished stare.

February 6, 1990: Clash Of The Champions - Texas Shootout

Two huge feature matches co-headline the tenth edition of Clash Of The Champions, one of them a late addition to the show: a United States Title defense by Lex Luger against Tully Blanchard. The other match, the headliner for the night, pits Gary Hart's J-Tex stable of Dragonmaster, Great Muta and Buzz Sawyer against Ric Flair, Sting and Arn Anderson inside a steel cage.

But as the show begins, Terry Funk is in the ring and introduces the Four Horsemen. Dressed in their street clothes, the foursome comes to the ring, looking all business.

"I'm told you guys got something you need to talk about," says Funk, holding the microphone up to Ole.

Ole holds up four fingers in Terry's face, his gaze fixed and hard. "What do you see, Terry? I'll tell you what you see. You see brotherhood. You see four pistons, driving one single engine. You see a unit, Terry Funk; four entities, standing side by side. That is how the Four Horsemen works." Funk nods in agreement. "People who cross the Horsemen find out quick that when you mess with one, you mess with every one of them. You mess with Arn, you're messing with me. You mess with me, you're messing with Ric."

Ole turns and looks at Sting. "And when someone crosses us from the inside, like a cancer, well, we cut that cancer out!" Ole gets in Sting's face all of a sudden, taking the young superstar by surprise. "I'm not the kind to talk all day, Sting, so I'm gonna make this short and sweet; the Horsemen stand side by side. One for all and all for one. We do not start hunting each other. That's what the other guys do; we are above that. We operate as a unit, for the good of everyone. We do not go into business for ourselves."

"I don't think I like where you're going with this, Ole," says Sting without a shred of fear in his voice.

"That's exactly what I said when I found out you'd signed the contract to meet Ric Flair at Wrestle War, Sting. That's why we're giving you this one chance, tonight, here and now; withdraw from the match, and we'll forget this ever happened."

Sting chuckles reflexively. "You can't be serious." Sting looks at Flair, whose eyes are as cold as the arctic shelf. "Ric, come on. I put my trust in you. Don't mess with me like this. Tell Ole--"

Ole stabs a finger in Sting's face. "You know what can happen when you cross the Horsemen, Sting. You don't want us coming after you because you betrayed us. Call off the match, or you can consider that contract you signed your death sentence!"

The look in Sting's eyes says everything. He doesn't need to say anything, and he never gets the chance anyway, as Flair clobbers him in the head. The crowd comes unglued as Flair and Ole put the boots to Sting, while Arn watches the aisle for reinforcements. Flair gets in Sting's face, yelling at him to "get out of the business". Terry Funk, long havinf left the ring, jumps back in and makes a move towards helping Sting, but Ole cuts him off and shoves him to the ground. When Sting no longer shows any signs of life, Flair leads the Horsemen back to the locker room as the announcers speculate on the status of the main event.

The shadow of the Horsemen's expulsion of Sting casts a pall over the whole evening. Tully Blanchard's challenge for the US Title is marred by both the commentators' postulating over who will replace Sting, and a crowd ambivalent after seeing their #1 hero crushed by men he'd trusted. The shadow also obviously affects Sting's best friend, Lex Luger, as he wrestles with an obvious distraction on his mind. Blanchard is able to ride that mental advantage to success, catching Luger off-guard after ducking a clothesline and nailing the slingshot suplex. The crowd, still tenuous about Blanchard, gives him a polite round of applause, but they obviously share the same concern that Luger wears on his sleeve: the well-being of Sting. After Blanchard leaves the ring with the US Title, Luger finds Terry Funk and launches into a short but sweet tirade:

"Before you ask, Terry Funk, I don't give a damn about losing my title. Not right now. I told Sting he was looking for trouble by getting in bed with Ric Flair, and the world just saw how right I was for doubting him. Championships don't matter to me right now, Terry. I only have two things on my mind: seeing that my best friend is okay ..." Luger turns to the camera, his eyes as cold as the grave. "And seeing to it that Ric Flair isn't."

Gary Hart leads his team out for the main event. For all the speculation of who, if anyone, will replace Sting on the Horsemen team, Hary shows absolutely no worries, and neither do his troops. The smile on Hart's face is as big as all outdoors; when Flair and Anderson, accompanied by Ole in street clothes, come out without a third, it actually breaks ... until Flair and Arn turn to the entry and gesture for their third to come out.

Carrying the United States Championship, Tully Blanchard steps out onto the stage, joining his brothers in the Horsemen. The crowd, having wanted a full Horsemen reunion for two months now, sours instantly at seeing Blanchard go back on his vow to prove himself on his own.

Together, the reunited Horsemen enter the cage and the brawl begins right away; Muta goes after Arn, Flair pairs off with the Dragonmaster, and Tully takes on Buzz Sawyer. Knowing the hatred between the teams, the referee doesn't even try to exert control; he just steps back and, when a pinfall is attempted, he makes a move to count it.  And as both teams use the cage and utilize the rules-free environment, the pinfall attempts come one after another.

By the time ten minutes have elapsed, a dominance starts to assert itself, as the Horsemen, a functioning unit for much longer then J-Tex, dissects Hart's men. Sawyer is put out of the game when he is accidentally sprayed with Muta's mist and has his head smashed in with a steel chair by Blanchard. Arn nullifies the threat of the Dragonmaster with a spinebuster on the floor, leaving Muta and Flair. Surrounded by enemies, Muta does not shy away, but he does not charge them either, allowing the Horsemen to stalk him.

Before they can pounce, the crowd comes alive; heads turn to the entranceway to see Lex Luger racing down to ringside. With the cage door locked, the Horsemen can only watch as Luger makes a beeline for Ole with bloodlust in his eyes. Ole tries to prepare, but Luger takes him down with a tackle, staddles him and starts raining down the fists. Flair and Blanchard drop to the floor, leaving Arn to deal with Muta; Flair yells at Luger through the fencing, promising to take a piece of his hide ...

... and without warning, his threats are silenced as Blanchard rams Flair face-first into the cage wall once, twice, three times. Blanchard throws Flair in the ring as Arn nails a picture-perfect spinebuster on Muta. Upon seeing Flair, Arn breaks up his own pin attempt to check on Flair; he helps his old friend to his feet, checking his wounds ...

... then whips him into the ropes and nearly drives Flair through the mat with a spinebuster. Blanchard joins Arn in the ring; for a moment, the two stand nose to nose, eyeing each other. And then the tension melts away as knowing smirks grow on their faces; they embrace, then turn and lay the boots to Flair until he doesn't move. With Flair unconscious, Arn and Tully scale the cage wall; once outside, they are met by Gary Hart, and any confusion left in the crowd vanishes when Tully shakes Hart's hand. Arn stabs the dagger in deeper when he joins Luger in putting the boots to Ole. Inside the cage, the members of J-Tex pick at Flair's bones for no good reason other then to pile on; Flair cannot even fight back, and Muta's pinfall over Flair is the definition of academic.

And even though it doesn't need to be proven, Arn puts into a gesture what everyone already knows, by holding up the familiar four-fingered salute and drawing a throat-slash across it. Paramedics rush into the cage as the ref opens the door; when Flair and Ole are wheeled by on a gurney, Tully and Arn spit on their former friends. As the Clash fades to black, the final image of the night burned into the memories of fans is of Tully, Arn, Luger and Gary Hart walking out of the arena, laughing.

February 1990:

The first edition of World Championship Wrestling following the events of Clash Of The Champions is a grim one for fans: the conditions of both Sting and Ric Flair are in question, jeopardizing the main event of WrestleWar. WCW executives have no news to offer, and put a dislcaimer on promos for the event that say "condition pending".

But one camp where it isn't silent is that of Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and Gary Hart. At the first available moment, the foursome appear on WCW television, with Terry Funk being the lucky interviewer to bring up the elephant in the room: why? Blanchard is the first of the group to speak.

"Terry Funk, you of all people should understand why," says Blanchard with a heavy dose of condescension. "Years ago, four men, the most dominant men in all of wrestling, united under a single banner, against common foes. We won championship after championship. We broke Dusty Rhodes' arm and his leg. We sent Nikita Koloff into retirement. There was no one, no one, who could stand against The Four Horsemen. We operated as a unit, for the good of the unit; one for all, and all for one." The smirk that was on Blanchard's face vanishes. "That 'one' was Ric Flair. The Four Horsemen were nothing more then real fangs glued on a paper tiger, and Ric Flair knows it! Those days are over, Ric. No longer will we be your stooges. We have seen, we have tasted, we have experienced life outside your shadow, Ric. The time for us to take the one thing you kept from us--the spotlight, the main event, our destinies--is now!"

Arn Anderson steps forward, his grim demeanor made even more ominous by his matter-of-fact tone. "They say you catch a fish for a man, and he eats for the day. But if you show him how to fish, well, the man eats for his whole lifetime. The fact of the matter is, for years, Tully Blanchard and I got our dinners handed to us by Ric Flair, and we were too stupid to notice the fact that we got guppies while Ric Flair dined on sea bass. We learned this lesson by walking away from Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen for a year and a half and fighting for our survival on our own; we saw that, without Ric Flair and JJ Dillon and Ole Anderson ready to bail us out, we were not only capable of making an impact and finding success, but that our opportunities were only limited by our desires ... and when we realized that, our eyes opened. Our eyes opened to the fact that, for a brotherhood of four supposed equals, only one was allowed to achieve everything he dreamed, while the other three were relegated to the supporting muscle. And when we came back to World Championship Wrestling, the first thing Ric Flair did was petition for the Horsemen to get back together so he could protect himself and his title from Gary Hart. I didn't expect better of Ole, since leeching off Flair was the best he could ever hope to accomplish, but Tully and myself are worth much more then that ... and Ric Flair knows it, and he's scared of it. That's why he wanted the Horsemen back together, and that's why he wanted Sting as a Horsemen: to neutralize a threat. Well, you don't have that luxury anymore, Ric; you cast Sting aside, and we've cast you aside. The days of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard being the supporting players in the dreams of Ric Flair are over; starting today, we are the lead in your every nightmare, a nightmare you'll soon discover there is no waking up from, because the nightmare is your life."

Funk is aghast; without a shred of fear, he glares at Anderson. "But why did you attack Ole? That's your cousin! You don't turn on family!"

Blanchard puts a hand on Funk's shoulder. "Double-A doesn't owe you an explanation, old man."

"No, it's okay, Tully. I want to make sure everything is crystal clear." Arn returns Funk's steely glare. "Family, Terry Funk, is not just in blood. It's in the bonds, and it's in the heart. Ole is a fat, broken-down shell of a man. He has nothing left in him, except a need to stay in the spotlight, and he's attached himself to Ric Flair like a leech to get a taste of it. He means less than nothing to me."

"Well, what about Sting? What does he mean to you? Where does he fit in all this? Just collateral damage?"

Arn and Tully both take a step back and defer to Sting's close friend, Lex Luger. Like Arn and Tully, Luger is dressed nicely; Polo shirt, slacks, Rolex watch, sunglasses. The very model of a Horseman ... were they still an existing entity. Luger takes off his sunglasses and hangs them in the crook of his collar. "Terry Funk, I want you to think back," says Luger. "Who raised Sting's hand at Starrcade and offered him the membership in the Horsemen? Who said Sting that Ric Flair would stab him in the back at the first opportunity? Who put the boots to Sting when he got kicked out of the Horsemen?" Luger nods, a satisfied smirk on his lips. "That's right; not once have you seen myself or Tully Blanchard or Arn Anderson take any sort of action against Sting. The fact is, Stinger, we've shown you over the past two months who has honor in this company and who is a low-down snake in the grass. We are men of honor, Sting, men you can trust. Ric Flair is a cancer in World Championship Wrestling, and we intend, with the guidance of Gary Hart, to cut him out for good. We know you have no love lost for Flair ... we can only hope you'll take up our cause and help us rid this sport of Ric Flair once and for all!"

The next week, WCW officials announce that both Sting and Ric Flair are expected to participate in their World Heavyweight Title match at Wrestle War. But attempts to reach the WCW Champion prove fruitless, as he doesn't answer phone calls, and doesn't appear at any television tapings, leading to speculation that he will no-show Wrestle War. Gary Hart's new army--having dissolved his J-Tex stable, sending Muta and Dragonmaster back to Japan--wastes no time in helping fuel that rumor at every opportunity, saying Flair's silence is proof he's a coward without his reinforcements. WCW officials go so far as to send Terry Funk to Ric Flair's house in Charlotte, but Funk is met with stone silence and a closed gate.

Sting, however, does not follow Flair's retreat into a hermetical existence; the very next week, he returns to World Championship Wrestling like a tiger uncaged, tackling opponents of all shapes and sizes and mowing them down like they were fresh out of training. The only person who shows any resistence to Sting's onslaught is Dr. Death Steve Williams, who forces Sting to empty his arsenal in a 15 minute slugfest. Every opponent gets a handshake, and every kid in the audience gets a hand-slap from the Stinger. The only show of stoicism is towards the subject of Ric Flair and Gary Hart's contingent; multiple interview attempts are met with walk-offs. Lex Luger sits at ringside for Sting's match against Dr. Death, and offers a hand for the shaking as Sting walks out; Sting walks away without so much as a nod in Luger's direction. Luger follows Sting behind the curtain, but no indication is given of Sting accepting Luger's gesture.

But the former Horsemen don't rest on their laurels as they court Sting's attention; the month between Clash Of The Champions and Wrestle War, the trio carry over one ideal from their old Horsemen days: taking what they want by pure force and overwhelming numbers. For Arn, this comes about in the form of vengeance against the last man standing of the old J-Tex empire, Buzz Sawyer; the group wages attack after attack against Sawyer, who finds the fans siding with him as he is put through the ringer against the threesome. Stemming from the attacks, WCW officials book a Television Title defense for Arn against Sawyer at Wrestle War.

Tully Blanchard's desires, meanwhile, are simple: more gold. Unfortunately, with the World Champ tied up and the TV Title being held by Arn, that leaves the World Tag Champions, Rick & Scott Steiner. Blanchard and Luger launch a campaign of harassment, interfering in matches and vicious backstage ambushes. But unlike with Arn and Sawyer, WCW executives don't cave into the pressure: "We will not bow to the whims of these men at their will," says a statement from WCW's management, read by Jim Ross one week before Wrestle War. "Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger have no legitimate claim for a World Tag Team, especially when they have no record--be it successful or otherwise--of tagging with one another."

The response from Hart's men is immediate and gruesome: a parking lot assault, not unlike the one perpetrated on Dusty Rhodes a few years before, that sees Scott and Rick pummeled with axe handles and thrown into the sides of cars. When the trio leave the Steiners bleeding and unconscious in the parking lot, they add one more insult to the injuries: Blanchard and Luger steal the belts, daring the Steiners to come get them. A week before Wrestle War, the WCW executive committee relents and books the Steiners to square off against Luger and Blanchard ... but as a non-title match.

With 24 hours to go before Wrestle War, Sting finally breaks his silence in an interview with Terry Funk on WCW's flagship show. "I only have one thing to say about tomorrow night, Terry Funk," says Sting. "Tomorrow night isn't about Ric Flair and the guys he used to call friends. It isn't about who kept who under a thumb, or shadows, or any of that. And even though I wanna kick Ric Flair's butt from here to the moon, tomorrow isn't about what happened at Clash Of The Champions, either. Ric knows he's due a receipt from me for that, and believe me, on another day and time, he'll get what's coming to him. But tomorrow isn't about that; it's about the belt that Ric Flair carries around. Tomorrow is about me challenging him for the right to be called World Heavyweight Champion and nothing else. I hope that, wherever you've been hiding, whatever you've been doing, Ric Flair, you haven't taken tomorrow for granted. I've beaten you before, Ric, and I'm gonna do it again tomorrow."

February 25, 1990: Wrestle War

The audience lets loose the full force of their hatred on Gary Hart as the unctuous manager of Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger makes his way to the announcer's table, taking a seat next to Jim Ross. Hart is peppered with questions by JR, most of which he deflects with insults to the play-by-play man. The only thing that stops Hart's barrage of insults is the most plainly obvious question:

"Well, at least answer me this, Gary Hart: why are you out here right now? None of your boys are wrestling now!"

"Jim Ross, I would not be a successful manager if I only concerned myself with the activities of my clients," he says as condescendingly as possible. "As the guiding hand of their career, it is in their best interest if I keep an eye to the horizon, to pick out oncoming threats ... and potential allies."

"Are you saying--"

"What I'm saying, Jim Ross, is what I just said. Let me do my job, and go on with the business of doing yours."

When Hart won't even respond to questions, JR just gets back to calling the action, which kicks off with Dr. Death Steve Williams taking on Tom Zenk. Anyone expecting a quality wrestling match, however, gets a shock when Williams bulldozes the Z-Man onto the trash heap with a 28-second victory. As soon as Zenk rolls out of the ring, Williams grabs the microphone from the announcer and demands better competition. Zenk's tag partner, Brian Pillman, comes out to avenge his friend's humiliating loss, but Pillman--outweighed by Williams by quite a bit--is overpowered and dispatched in just under a minute. Again, Williams grabs the microphone and demands a better opponent. A young, burly brawler named Cactus Jack flies out of the back and finally gives Dr. Death a bit of a challenge. But Williams still ends up overwhelming the youngster, getting a pin off an Oklahoma Stampede in three minutes. One more time, Williams grabs the microphone.

"This is pathetic!" he exclaims. "Two years ago, I was in the main event of this very same company, beating the living hell out of the Four Horsemen in a WarGames match! Now, I'm kicking around rookies in the first match of the night? I took Sting, the number one contender, past fifteen minutes only a couple weeks ago, and now, I'm beating up kids and wannabes to kill time! Well, if this is what I can expect as a reward for my efforts, World Championship Wrestling can stick it!" Williams throws down the microphone and storms out of the ring.

Gary Hart excuses himself shortly before the first of his clients are set to take the ring. When he re-emerges from the back, it is alongside Arn Anderson, approaching the ring for a Television Title defense. The look in the eyes of Double-A, as well as his overall demeanor, is a different one then that of the Horsemen-era Enforcer; where once he was a no-nonsense wrestler who kicked ass because it was his job, now, Arn is simmering with rage and resentment. As soon as Buzz Sawyer steps into the ring, Arn lets his anger consume him as he tears through Buzz in a fast-paced dissection of the challenger. Every move, every punch, every kick is delivered with a little extra something that he never had before. Buzz puts up a noble fight, and even gets a couple attempts at a pin, but never manages to keep Arn down for more then a second. When Arn turns a back body drop attempt by Buzz into a DDT, the audience sees the writing is on the wall for Buzz. But Arn picks up his opponent, lifeless though he may be, and throws him into the ropes for a very unnecessary spinebuster. The pinfall is beyond academic, but Arn puts the boots to Sawyer afterwards just because.

Taking the position of the semi-main is the non-title tag encounter between the Steiners, Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger. From the opening bell, the foursome throw the rulebook out the window, with the Hart soldiers trying to continue their parking lot beatdown and the Steiners looking to stamp a receipt into their backsides. Despite all four men being credible wrestlers, grappling and suplexes go right out the window as they try to beat each other stupid. In the final minute of the match, the Steiners take firm control, but their need for vengeance cancels out common sense; Rick slides out, grabs their (stolen) title belts and hands one to his brother. Together, they make imprints of the belts in the foreheads of their opponents, drawing the disqualification in favor of Blanchard and Luger. But the Steiners ignore the bell; Tully gets tossed over the top rope and Luger gets hoisted onto Scott's shoulders so the brothers can hit their super-bulldog. Fortunately, Arn makes the save, hitting the ring with a tire iron. But the Steiners leave with their belts and a small measure of revenge.

Ric Flair is introduced first for the main event, but the man who comes out only looks like the Nature Boy; the swagger, the pomp and circumstance, the swagger, it's all missing. The Ric Flair in the ring has no trace of the pompous, self-assured playboy that has ruled World Championship Wrestling for nearly a decade. And when his challenger steps through the curtain to the roar of the crowd, the weight on Flair's shoulders seems to double. Right before the bell rings, the ref tries to get the opponents to shake hands; Flair extends his without hesitation, mouthing two distinct words: I'm sorry. Sting steps away, glaring a hole through Flair; the champ retracts his hand, looking dejected, but readies himself for the fight of his life.

From the first tie-up, Flair is on the defensive, looking for ways to stop Sting's onslaught. His long career proves a handy resource, as he finds all sorts of counters and reversals to the young challenger's offense ... but not once does he live up to his "Dirtiest Player In The Game" moniker and take the low road, even when the opportunity presents itself. But with the change in respect for the rules comes a seeming lack of competitive fire, as he spends more time fending off Sting then fighting him. Finally, after a grueling 25 minutes of wrestling that harkens back to their legendary 45-minute draw, Sting is able to exploit a Flair mistake and puts on the Scorpion Deathlock in the dead center of the ring. With no hope of reaching the ropes and no chance of reversing the move, Flair has no choice but to submit. The audience explodes as the ref signals the timekeeper to ring the bell and hand over the belt to present to Sting. Flair rolls out, letting Sting have the moment of glory he so rightly deserves, as the referee snaps the belt around the new champ's waist.

But the jubilation is snuffed out as quick as a bullet to the head by the incursion of Gary Hart's troops ... only, instead of a trio, it is a quartet that jumps Ric Flair in the aisleway, with Dr. Death Steve Williams now helping stomp Flair into the ground. As Arn, Tully and Williams put the boots to Flair, Luger heads for the ring; Sting immediately assumes a defensive posture, but Luger holds up his hands. He signals for a microphone and keeps one hand up as he speaks. "Sting, I'm not here to fight." Luger steps through the ropes, making sure to keep his hands visible even as he approaches his old friend.

"Sting ... first off, on behalf of Arn, and Tully, and Steve, and Gary Hart, let me thank you for putting an end to the reign of terror of Ric Flair." Luger extends a hand, but Sting lets it hang in the air. "Come on, Sting, don't be like this. We're on your side. That man stabbed you in the back the same way he stabbed me in the back two years ago. He's backstabbed every friend he's ever had, or kept them under his thumb. You know I'm right. You know I'm not lying; these people know I'm not lying. Now do the right thing, Sting. We're your friends. Together, we can rid this business of him once and for all and take what's kept from us for our whole careers!"

Sting looks past Luger at the gruesome tableau behind him; Flair is being carried--dragged--to the ring; he is dumped on the mat like a deer carcass, as the rest of Luger's friends stand alongside him. Undaunted, Sting looks to the belt wrapped around his waist, then back up at Luger. "You're too late, Lex," he says without a shred of fear. "I already climbed the mountain. I'm the man now. I beat Ric Flair clean as a sheet, and I didn't need help to do it." Sting spares Flair a glance; the now former champion is virtually unconscious, and his face a bloody mess. "He's suffered enough. I've taken his title, and you've taken your pound of flesh. Call it off."

Arn steps forward and takes the microphone from Lex. "Sting, you need to think about this. This isn't a game. We intend on putting this man out of business, and we will not take prisoners should anyone stand in our way."

"I'm not standing in your way, Arn. I'm just not interested in helping. What you're doing, that's not what the Stinger is all about."

Sting starts to walk away, Arn's words stop him cold. "Sting, if you're not helping, you're in the way."

Sting turns and glares at The Enforcer. Arn doesn't even blink. "We'd rather have you on our side, Sting. Frankly, it's where you belong, and we both know it. But if you're not gonna do the right thing, then we're gonna do what we need to without you."

"Then you do what you need to, Arn, and I'll do what I have to." With that, Sting turns and starts to leave the ring ...

... and gets clobbered from behind by Luger. The foursome quickly surround Sting like a pack of wolves and pick him apart. Sting tries to fight back, but between his exhaustion from the match and the numbers against him, he doesn't get in more then one or two wild blows. By the time they walk away, Flair and Sting are lying side by side, bleeding and unconscious.

March-May 1990

In the aftermath of Wrestle War, Gary Hart's group--who bridle at any comparisons to the Horsemen--reinforces their line in the sand; opponents aren't just defeated, but crushed, humiliated, broken in body and spirit. WCW, they declare, is their domain, and they will enforce their rule by any means necessary. While Flair is the primary target of their hostility, anyone they perceive as a "face of the promotion" is, in their eyes, a victim in the waiting; World Champion Sting and Tag Champions The Steiners lead the hitlist, and the acquisition of their belts is a goal stated at every opportunity. Both Sting and The Steiners invite their newfound enemies to take their best shots. Suddenly, every waking moment for Sting and the Steiners in WCW is spent watching their backs, as Hart's army stalks their new enemies.

However, the human flashpoint for the formation of Hart's new alliance, Ric Flair, is nowhere to be seen in World Championship Wrestling. Announcers speculate on the whereabouts, assuming he is nursing injuries suffered at the hands of the Hart alliance. Hart and his troops, of course, assume Flair is petrified of getting his retirement ticket punched, thus "proving" he was the weak leg in the Horsemen all along.

Three weeks after Wrestle War, Ric Flair comes out of hiding, via a videotaped message filmed at his home in Charlotte. Sitting on his couch, alone, the Flair before the camera looks years older then the stylin' and profilin' son of a gun that has ruled the company for the better part of a decade. His eyes are hollow and sad, his voice tired and breaking. "I've been a wrestler for almost 18 years," he begins solemnly. "I've broken bones, I've bled buckets and I've gotten my butt kicked just as many times as I've been the butt-kicker. There was always two things I thought I could count in: that whether the people liked me or you hated me, people would come to the show to see me. And that the friends--the brothers--I'd found in this business would always be there." Flair's head drops; he sniffles and wipes away a tear. "Like I said, I've been wrestling 18 years ... but for the past 5 years, I've carried this concept, this idea, of the Four Horsemen, on my shoulders. And I'm not saying I carried Arn and Tully and Ole; we all carried the burden. I let that image define me, and it pushed away what made me Ric Flair. I spent so long fighting for this"--Flair holds up four fingers, then slowly folds down three of them, leaving one pointing at himself--"that I forgot to fight for this. I don't know how to do that anymore. And unless I can find the Ric Flair that beat Dusty Rhodes nine years ago ... unless I can find the Ric Flair that came back from a broken neck and beat the living hell out of Harley Race inside a steel cage ... whoever I am, I got no business being in the ring."

The ramifications of Flair's announcement are immediate; the assumed Sting/Flair rematch is shelved, and WCW officials (by way of Jim Ross) have to admit they have no clear #1 contender. When questioned, Sting shows a sense of loss only insofar as not getting another shot at the Nature Boy. Other wrestlers in WCW are less diplomatic about the loss of Flair, pointing out that perhaps Arn, Tully, Luger and Williams have been right all along and Flair is nothing more then a paper tiger. Even Jim Ross questions whether Flair was ever truly a strong competitor, or if he "etched his place in the history books with someone else's chisel".

But the one entity with which Flair's unexpected departure doesn't sit well is the one entity that had been aggressively pursuing that very thing: Gary Hart's contingent. Arn, Tully, Lex, Dr. Death and Hart all express outright fury at their quarry having stepped out of the spotlight, and they take their anger our on their opponents; anyone unfortunate enough to be facing one or more of the foresome gets a beating whether they win or lose. And a couple matches that they don't even participate in are ruined as the group lashes out in frustration. Sting and the Steiners, already busy fending off challengers to their titles, have to constantly check over their shoulders for the anti-Horsemen. Sting tries to appeal to the former friendship shared between him and Luger to get Hart's men to cool their jets, but the Steiners prefer the physical route, as they both dish out and take beatings to various combinations of the gang.

In the second week of April, Hart draws a line in the sand, in more ways then one, during an interview segment with Jim Ross. "JR, the fact of the matter is, the Steiners and Sting are running scared, just like Flair," growls Hart. "I have two men with championships, and two men without 'em. Luger wants a shot at Sting, and I don't think that's too much to ask, and Williams wants a piece of the Steiners. Neither of 'em seem to have anything to do for Capital Combat on May the 19th, so why doesn't WCW management make the matches? It's all political, JR, that's why."

"Maybe it's because your boys haven't earned title shots yet, Gary Hart!" says JR in a sudden display of bravado. "You get title matches in this company by beating people, not beating people up! That's how it's always been in professional wrestling! Great champions, like Harley Race and Dory Funk and Lou Thesz and Ric Fl--"

As quick as a hiccup, JR's feet are off the ground, lifted up by the lapels by Luger. Tully and Arn are right next to Luger, in JR's face. "Say it, Jim," says Arn, as calm as a cool breeze. "Finish what you were gonna say. Say Ric Flair was a great champion. Say he was a man of honor. Say it."

"Maybe what we need to do to get Ric to pay attention again," says Tully conspiratorially, "is to start hittin' him where it hurts. You're good buddies with Ric, aren't you, Jim?"

Luger dumps JR on his ass; Ross quickly scoots back into the corner, stammering over his tongue as the foursome advance like buzzards on fresh carrion. "S-s-s-stay away. You'll be making a big mistake if--"

Arn, hunched down to be face to face with JR, stops his sentence cold with a slap across the face. "Jim ... you want Ric back just as much as we do. Think of this as a small sacrifice. You take a few lumps, Ric comes back and swears vengeance, and we beat him into a real retirement."

The scene is disrupted by the sudden appearance--still in his backstage interviewer's suit--of Terry Funk. Funk's cold glare burns into everyone in the ring, and despite being outnumbered five to one, he shows no fear. Tully is the first to approach Terry, extending a hand that Terry ignores. "Terry ... please. Don't embarrass yourself. We're on the same side, you and us. We could use a man like you to help us, in fact. You got to Flair like no one has since the Horsemen came about."

Arn steps forward, looking as grim as Terry. "Terry, this isn't your concern. Turn around and go back to the locker room. You know us. We don't wear white hats anymore then you do, and we've got the numbers. I'm not threatening you, Terry; I'm just laying out what you may not be seeing here. This is about Ric Flair, and him getting what he deserves."

"Well, the only person besides your buddies I see in this ring is a fat ol' Okie, and last I checked, he isn't Ric Flair." Terry steps up to Arn, getting close enough for nosetips to touch. "Ric Flair may be a gutless dog and I may hate the man with every fiber of my being, but the man has my respect. He faced me like a man, he beat me like a man, and he shook my hand like a man, even after everything I did to him. You were his friends, his brothers, and you can't even look him in the eye." Funk chuckles humorlessly. "You're more pathetic than he is."

Tully's eyes go big, while Arn's narrow to slits. Luger reaches in to grab Funk's lapels, but Funk bats his hands away. "Don't make mistakes you're in no shape to correct, old man," says Blanchard. "You don't wanna go down for the wrong reasons, do you?"

"If standing for respect is the wrong reason, boy, then I'm going down in flames," says Funk, who punctuates his statement by winking at JR, then slaps Blanchard hard across the cheek. Ross takes the hint and rolls out of the ring just as Steve Williams clobbers Funk in the back. Like a pack of wolves circling a dead deer, Arn, Tully, Williams and Luger lay into Funk. The former NWA World Champion is dissected, with each man taking turns hitting big moves on the semi-retired Funk before leaving him a broken shell in the ring.

The very next week, during an opening bout on World Championship Wrestling, Terry Funk limps into the ring; gone is the suit he has been wearing, replaced with the Funker's wrestling tights and a ripped, sleeveless gray t-shirt. One of the two wrestlers takes exception to Funk's interruption and attacks; Funk lays him out with a right hand and stomps him until he rolls out of the ring. The other wrestler opts for discretion, leaving Funk alone in the ring with a mic.

"Last week, I got the living crap kicked outta me, and now, I wanna rumble!" Funk yells. "I wanna beat the tar outta the yellow, egg-sucking dog that's responsible for this ... and that's you, Ric Flair!" The crowd, behind Funk up until then, is rendered silent. "I shook your hand last year because you were a man. You faced me like a man, and you beat me like man, and this is what you do when someone stabs you in the back? You got someone bringin' the fight to your door, and you go runnin' home to put your head in your wife's lap like a kicked dog? If I was your son, I'd spit in your face, you coward! You disgust me! You ain't no man, and you certainly didn't deserve my handshake! I'm callin' you out, Ric Flair; I'm callin' you out, in front of the world, to get your scrawny, yellow hide back here to WCW, or so help me God, if I gotta go to that nancy-boy town of yours and drag you by your bleach-blonde hair back to this ring, I will! You owe me the respect I showed you, by standing up for yourself, and standing by my side to whip Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard like the low-down, scum-suckin' snakes they are! You don't have to like me, Ric Flair, cause as sure as the day is long, I hate your stinkin' guts, but you owe me this much!"

Funk interjects in the main event later, a six-man tag pitting Sting and the Steiners against Arn Anderson, Lex Luger and Steve Williams. What starts off as a violent but controlled contest turns into a full-scale riot, with Luger putting Sting in the Torture Rack after knocking him unconscious with the world title belt; Funk going after Arn with a chair; and Tully Blanchard trying to help Williams against the Steiners. The ref has no choice but to throw out the match, but the constant ringing of the bell does nothing to stop the carnage. When the scene finally clears out, Sting is on the mat, broken from the Torture Rack; the Steiners are laid out on the arena floor; and Funk is hurt, but pulling himself on the guard rail, daring the departing Hart army to come back and fight some more.

The following week, WCW management makes the announcement: Lex Luger will face Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Title, at the request of Sting himself. Likewise, the Steiners, wanting another piece of Hart's men, grant the group a tag title shot to "any two members"; Williams steps up and claims one of the two spots, but says his partner won't be revealed until the event.

That very same show, Sting faces off against Williams again in a non-title match. Like their previous encounter, Williams and Sting take each other to the very limits of endurance. When the 20-minute time limit elapses, Williams' friends flood the ring and start laying into the champ. Sting gets reinforcements from the Steiners and Terry Funk, resulting in another melee.

But the tide suddenly turns when Ric Flair runs down to the ring, armed with a baseball bat, and cleans house. One by one, the anti-Horsemen contingent either beats a hasty retreat or tastes wood and is summarily dumped. The return of the Nature Boy nearly blows the roof off the arena. Flair grabs a microphone and approaches Terry Funk.

"Terry Funk ... you are, without a doubt, the ugliest, nastiest, meanest son of a gun I've had the displeasure of meeting! I don't like you, I never have, and I never will ..." Flair drops the bat and extends a hand, his histrionics suddenly disappearing in favor of a solemn tone. "But if truer words were spoken, I don't know 'em. Everything you said was true, Terry, everything. I couldn't look my kids in the eyes. I couldn't look my wife in the eyes. You know what she said to me after we saw you last week? She said 'Pack your bags. I don't wanna see you again. You get out, you go find The Nature Boy, and you send him home, after he beats the tar outta Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard'." Flair sighs, noticing his hand still hanging in the air, unshaken. "Terry, this ain't about us. This is about them. I need your help. I need your help to make 'em pay."

Funk regards Flair for a moment, then takes the microphone. "Flair, you're a miserable dog, and you don't deserve an ounce of my help or my pity." Before the audience can turn on Funk, he adds; "But you're man enough to come to a guy who hates your stinkin' guts because you need the help. And as long as you remember that, that you came to me and asked for help, that you and me are in this together as equals, I'll help put Arn and Tully and Luger and Williams in a retirement home." Funk grabs Flair's hand and shakes it, to the delight of the crowd. Flair turns to Sting and extends a hand; before Flair can even say anything, Sting leaves the ring without a second glance. The crowd murmurs, unsure of what to make of the company's #1 hero walking away from an olive branch; Flair looks on, visibly upset, while Funk looks angry.

With Flair back, the Hart camp waste no time in demanding a piece of their former friend, and Flair and Funk are all too happy to accept, setting up a historic tag match for Capital Combat: Flair & Funk, teaming for the first time, against Anderson & Blanchard, the first time any combination of the participants have stood across the ring from each other. Coupled with title shots for both Dr. Death and Lex Luger, the group spends the remaining weeks before Capital Combat tormenting their opponents; matches are thrown out by a flood of interference, and wild pull-apart brawls become as commonplace as air. Any defense of the TV or US Title by the respective champions become debacles, with Hart's army attacking challengers like a pack of crazed pirahnas; anyone that tries to challenge ends up being carted away instead of walking.

Except when it comes to Sting and Luger. While Luger does attack Sting when he gets the chance, he also tries to guilt Sting into dropping the match, saying everything can still be avoided and their friendship healed if he would just see the light and join their crusade. Sting never replies verbally, and every time he and Luger cross paths, Sting is quick to fight back and holds his own ...

... but the fans of WCW, the announcers, and even fellow wrestlers, are still concerned about Sting for one reason: his constant rebuffing of Flair. Time and again, Flair and Funk come to the aid of Sting when the numbers game isn't his favor, and every time, Sting brushes off the former champs. Flair offers contrite apologies every time a microphone is in front of his face, and Funk urges Sting to do the right thing, even if it means standing beside the wrong man, but the WCW Champion is not swayed.

A week before Capital Combat, another familiar face returns to World Championship Wrestling, observing a match between Dr. Death and Rick Steiner: Barry Windham. Immediately, the announcers speuclate on Windham and if he's involved in the feud consuming WCW; Windham does nothing to clear up the issue, either, as he also observes matches featuring The Midnight Express, Mark Callous, Bam Bam Bigelow and Doom with the same level of interest as he does the Williams/Steiner match. Windham shrugs off an attempt by an interviewer to questions answered, save to say; "I'm doing what any good wrestler does; scouting the competition."

The next week, 24 hours before Capital Combat, the Hart army teams up against Flair, Funk and the Steiners in an 8-man tag. The match degenerates quickly, and the ref has no choice but to throw it out as the ring is overloaded with wrestlers trading punches. Hart's troops resort to grabbing chairs, turning the tide in their favor; before long, their rivals are left lying, the ring looking like a battlefield from a war, with bodies everywhere. As his teammates keep up the beating, Tully Blanchard grabs a microphone. "You see this? Does everybody see this? I don't care who you are; Rock N Roll Express, Doom, Kevin Sullivan, Brian Pillman, whoever you are, take a good look. Sting, take a good, close look. When you mess with one member of the Slaughterhouse 5, you mess with every member!"

Arn takes the microphone as Tully goes back to join Williams and Luger stomping at their victims. "Sting, you need to think about your future, and the future of your championship. You see the man behind me? Lex Luger, The Total Package. He has you in weight, in strength, and in skill. Take a good look, Sting. This is a group of men dedicated to excellence, to exerting superiority, and eliminating the weak from the herd. Ric Flair is weak, and you proved that in February. Now is the time, Sting; now is the time to step forward and take your rightful place in the Slaughterhouse 5." Arn pauses, then adds, "And Barry ... see you tomorrow."

To be continued...