Text By Jed Shaffer

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

Part II

Our story continues as World Championship Wrestling presents Capital Combat. Gary HartÕs Slaughterhouse 5 stable is tearing a path through WCW, and, if they pull off a sweep, can control every major title in the company. Ric Flair, Terry Funk, the Steiners and World Champion Sting stand as the only bulwarks against Hart running unchecked, but trust is still an issue between them. In the midst of it all is an x-factor: Barry Windham, having just returned to WCW ...

May 19, 1990: Capital Combat

With the Slaughterhouse 5 in position to take every title in WCW, and deliver a crushing blow to five of the company's top performers, tensions run high in WCW on the evening of Capital Combat. Adding to the tension is the sudden naming of Hart's faction; the Four Horsemen label always applied to the four active members, not James J. Dillon. With the faction now being called The Slaughterhouse 5, WCW's announcers are forced to assume there is a fifth member ... and both the recent behavior of Sting and the sudden return of Barry Windham seem to indicate possible members, neither of which are palatable.

The first of the S5's docket is the Tag Title match. The Steiners enter the ring, looking focused, even if they have a question mark hanging above them in the form of Dr. Death's mystery partner. Steve Williams steps through the curtains alone and stops there, drawing out the moment of reveal. Dr. Death reaches back and pulls the curtains wide, allowing his partner to step into the arena and be seen; Dr. Death relishes in the expression of shock on the faces of the Steiners as he walks the aisle with his partner, the 6'9" monstrosity known as Sid Vicious. Together, the two overwhelm the Steiner boys by throwing the rulebook out the window and battering the champs. The ref throws out the match when Williams and Sid show no sign of even trying to abide by the rules, opting to just beat the life out of the Steiners to prove a point. The Steiners don't go down without a hell of a fight, but in the end, Sid and Dr. Death leave the ring under their own power while the brothers need help.

Like the Steiners/S5 "match", the match pitting Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson against Terry Funk and Ric Flair starts off as a chaotic near-riot that the referee can't control. Somehow, the foursome end up reverting to the standard rules, although their hatred isn't tempered one bit, and they do everything possible to bend, stretch or skirt the rules without outright disqualifying themselves. Somehow, the foursome end up falling into the normal order of a tag match, although just barely, as whoever is left standing on the apron for either time is more then ready to jump in and continue the fight. Gary Hart ends up being the difference-maker by blasting  Flair in the face with pepper spray while the ref is distracted with Funk and Arn going at it tooth and nail, allowing Blanchard to get the pin. But before they can celebrate, Barry Windham explodes out of the back and knocks Blanchard's head off with a lariat. Hart helps pull Blanchard out of the ring before Windham can do anymore damage, and gets Arn to beat a retreat from Funk before the crazy Texan can inflict injury more serious then the open wound on Arn's head.

Before the referee can ring the bell to begin Sting's first title defense, Lex Luger offers his former friend one more chance to pledge allegiance to the Slaughterhouse 5 and the campaign to retire Ric Flair. Sting responds with a right to Luger's jaw, and the match is on. Surprisingly, Luger not only doesn't resort to shortcuts, but wrestles a reserved, almost lazy match, as if no effort need be exerted. By contrast, Sting opens the throttle all the way from the opening bell. Up to the last few minutes, Luger persists in wrestling Sting with a nonchalance bordering on arrogance, as if the champ were a rookie fresh out of training. But as Sting starts to really pour on the heavy offense, Luger finds himself stuck; he needs a big offensive burst, and Sting has taken the gas out of his tank with an onslaught. Luger manages to catch what looks like a quick break when he dodges a Stinger Splash, and he goes for the Torture Rack, but Sting floats out, drops behind Luger and hits the Scorpion Deathdrop for the pin.

By the time the ref's hand is coming down for the third hit on the mat, the rest of the S5 are on their way out like a swarm of bees. They get only a couple licks on Sting before Windham, Flair and Funk race to the ring, one-upping the S5 by brandishing chairs, ballbats and tire irons. The threesome send the S5 running thanks to their equalizers, much to the delight of the crowd. Windham signals for a microphone and gets it as Sting pulls himself off the mat.

"I came back to this company for one reason and one reason only: because this here, World Championship Wrestling, is the best wrestling organization on the face of the Earth, and nowhere am I gonna find better competition, more respect and better opportunities then right here!" The crowd applauds, but Windham gestures for them to calm down. "Please, I got something important to say, and that's to you, Ric Flair. You--you--pushed for me becoming a Horsemen a couple years ago. You saw something in me and said I was Horsemen material. That was an honor I can never repay, but tonight, Ric Flair, I'm gonna start trying. Because the fact is, by inviting me into the Horsemen, you didn't make me your lackey; you made me want to excel, to step it up a notch, to do everything I did better. Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, if you got a problem with your time in the Four Horsemen, the first place you need to check is the mirror; maybe the sad isn't that Ric Flair held you back, but maybe, just maybe, the success you found was as good as it was ever gonna get for you! Maybe you weren't standing in the shadows so much as riding Ric Flair's coattails! That's why tonight ... after once standing across the ring from that man and going to a one hour draw ... and after holding up four fingers with pride ... I'm proud to stand beside Ric Flair and Terry Funk and do the right thing in flushing the Slaughterhouse 5 out of World Championship Wrestling!"

Windham shakes hands with Funk and Flair, and goes to shake hands with Sting, but the champ regards him with skepticism. Windham looks Sting in the eyes, but the champ remains resolute. Before Windham can retract the hand, Terry Funk takes the microphone. "Stinger, I know better then anyone what you're thinkin' right now, and that's not to trust that egg-suckin' dog Flair any further then you can throw him. But the man has represented this company for a good part of ten years. He's never even so much as looked at the doors and thought about slinkin' out of town, like Tully and Arn did. And even though I just about tried to kill the man, he shook my hand anyway. Maybe you don't owe Ric Flair a thing. Maybe you don't care about saving his hide. But if you think they'll stop at Ric Flair, I think you just need to think back a couple minutes and you'll know the truth."

Ric Flair steps forward and takes the microphone from Funk. He speaks calmly, holding out one hand in front of him the entire time. "You don't have to like me, Sting. You don't have to trust me. You don't even have to respect me. You're the champ now, Stinger; you're the man. You can walk away and defend your belt and be a man unto himself. But if you can look yourself in the mirror--or look your little Stingers in their eyes--after walking away from a man you've beaten, a man you've proven you're better then ... if you can walk away from me and Terry and Barry and think you did the right thing for this company, then we won't bother you ever again."

For what feels like an eternity, Sting looks at Flair, and behind him at Windham and Funk. Finally, he takes the microphone from Flair, his eyes never leaving his old rival. "Let's get one thing straight, Ric: the fact is, Tully and Arn are right. The Horsemen were all about you and protecting you. You kicked me out because you felt threatened by me. I think you kept them around because you knew that they knew they had a gravy train ready and waitin' for 'em if they didn't rock the boat. But if there wasn't Rolex watches and jet planes and thousand-dollar shoes in it for them, they woulda come after you like a tiger chasing a gazelle. You know it, and I know it."

Reluctantly, Flair nods.

"And the truth is, you wanted me in the Horsemen to keep an eye on me, right?" Flair nods. "Just as I thought. So, why should I expect this time to be any different, Ric? Why should I, or Barry, or Terry, trust you at all? How can any of us be sure you won't use us to protect yourself, and once you're safe, you'll throw us aside?"

When Flair can't answer, Sting nods. "Just like I thought." Sting tosses the microphone aside and starts to leave the ring, but the voice of Terry Funk stops him.

"There's something you forgot, Sting. There's a big difference between then and now." Sting turns and comes back, asking Funk what the difference is. "Back then, Flair had something to protect, and he had something to offer for it. You know what's in it for you now? Nothing. None of us want the fancy suits and the limos. But none of us want Gart Hart turning this company into his own little playground neither. You saw what kind of trouble Hart caused when he had me and Muta and Buzz and Dragonmaster. Look at what he has now, and what'll happen if they get what they want."

For a long moment, Sting considers Funk's words. Sting crosses the ring, taking the microphone and looking Flair in the eyes from inches away. "Ric, I only want to know one thing. One thing. If the time comes when you get itchy and you wanna come back at me for this belt, are you gonna do me the decency of telling me, or are you gonna Pearl Harbor me again?"

"You're gonna believe what you want to, Sting," says Flair. "But I'm tellin' you right now that if you're man enough to stand beside me after everything that's happened between us, I'll return the favor."

Sting nods. "You're right about that, Ric," he says ... and extends a hand. "But I'm gonna give you this one last chance anyway."

May-June 1990

Less than a month stands between Capital Combat and the next Clash Of The Champions, to be headlined by Ric Flair and Sting teaming to face Sid Vicious and Dr. Death Steve Williams. Even before the headlining match is announced, the Slaughterhouse 5 up the ante on their hostilities against their foes, ambushing and attacking them at every opportunity.

But the foursome--whom Flair insists is not a new incarnation of the Horsemen--put up a stronger fight then any, least of all the S5, expect. And worse yet for the S5, Sting's decision to ally himself with Flair, Funk and Windham creates a ripple effect throughout World Championship Wrestling; wrestlers in all positions on the card rally around each other to protect themselves from the threat of the company's most dangerous group of talent. Title defenses by Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard are held under near-lumberjack rules, with virtual armies of wrestlers posting around the ringside area as well as in the aisle; the distraction is enough that, during one title defense, Arn is so distracted by the forces amassed around him, he goes to a time limit draw against Brian Pillman. When Arn slaps Pillman to the ground for daring to ask for a rematch, he seals his destiny; the championship committee books a no-time-limit rematch for Clash Of The Champions.

Stymied by the sudden uniting of World Championship Wrestling against them, Gary Hart announces the S5's intention to take new members under their wing for tutelage. With the unity shown by WCW, nobody believes anyone to break ranks and become a subordinate to the Slaughterhouse 5; the hatred for them cuts across traditional lines.

One week after Hart's open invitation, WCW is rocked by the sudden return of a former World Champion. As Sting is cutting an interview, the crowd suddenly gets very loud; Jim Ross and Sting turn to look down the aisle, expecting someone representing the Slaughterhouse 5. Instead, they get former champion Ricky Steamboat. JR immediately moves from Sting to Steamboat to ask the obvious.

"Well, Jim, I've been sitting at home for several months, and something occurred to me," explains Steamboat. "My phone never rang."

"I don't follow, Ricky Steamboat," says JR.

"Jim, when I won the NWA World Title, what happened? Immediately, the next day practically, the man I won it from, Ric Flair, had a rematch scheduled. That's the former champion's right. So what happened when I lost the title back to Ric Flair? Terry Funk got a shot. And I sat, waiting for the phone to ring. And it never rang, Jim. Even after Flair finished up his problem with Terry Funk, my phone didn't ring. I've watched TV, and I've seen what's been going on, and I realized that my phone isn't ringing because this isn't a get-what-you-deserve company. If I want my title rematch, I need to take it." Steamboat turns to Sting and says matter-of-factly; "Sting, it's nothing personal, but I'm coming for the title, and I'm doing it on July 7, at the Great American Bash." Steamboat and Sting lock eyes for a long moment before Steamboat leaves the ring.

The sudden return of Steamboat and his invocation of his title rematch stirs up the already chaotic pot in WCW, none the least of which with the S5. Gary Hart immediately makes overtures to Steamboat, and proposes a "tryout" match at the Clash against Lex Luger; Luger bridles at being used as a tool for someone to exhibit their wares on, and promises to defeat Steamboat to show he deserves another shot at Sting. Likewise, Arn and Tully voice their concerns to Hart about bringing in Steamboat, but Hart assures them all is well.

In the final week, everyone steps up their rhetoric; Funk promises to be at ringside for Anderson's TV Title defense and that he'll "tear (Arn's) head off and spit down his throat" if he crosses the line with Pillman. Luger vows to spoil Steamboat's return and claim the #1 contendership in one fell swoop. And Ric Flair, more animated then he's been seen in months, says Clash Of The Champions will be the start of a mission to exterminate the S5, one member at a time, and if any of the rest of the group want to get in his face, he'll knock them into the dirt.

But the one person who keeps to himself is Ricky Steamboat ... and with his words and actions on the night of his return, his silence unnerves many.

June 13, 1990: Clash Of The Champions--Coastal Crush

Arn Anderson comes to the ring, flanked by Tully Blanchard (sporting a nice suit and the United States Title over his shoulder) and Gary Hart, a snarl on his face as he awaits his challenger. Arn's face sinks when he sees Brian Pillman step through the curtain, as he is not only escorted by his partner Tom Zenk, but also by Terry Funk, Barry Windham and the Steiners. With the threat of the S5 neutralized, Pillman relaxes and wrestles a fast-paced, high-flying match that leaves Arn's head spinning. Hart tries to protect his client, but every time he makes a move towards the ring, he catches a glimpse of one of Pillman's reinforcements making a move towards him, and he shrinks back. For a while, Arn puts up a good fight, grounding the young aerial specialist with his power and mat work, but the kid refuses to stay down. When Arn makes the slashing motion across his throat, Hart grins like a crocodile and the crowd deflates; Arn whips Pillman into the ropes and picks him up for the spinebuster ... but Pillman hooks Arn's head, turning it into a self-administered leaping DDT. Pillman hooks the leg and, after an exhausting 17 minutes, Pillman pulls off the unthinkable and wins the Television Title.

But no sooner has the bell rung then Tully and Hart slide in and put the boots to Pillman. Just as quick, Pillman's back up sends Tully and Hart scrambling, while Arn gets attacked by Terry Funk. The brawl between the two spills out of the ring, and doesn't stop until WCW officials and other wrestlers pry them apart. As everyone thinks the situation is back under control, Funk leaps out of the hands of his captors and lunges at Anderson. By the time they get Funk off Anderson, Double-A's forehead is split open and Funk--his knuckles covered in Arn's blood--resembles a rabid dog. Officials contain the situation and get everyone separated, even as Anderson and Funk vow to tear each other apart.

As Ricky Steamboat enters the ring for his match with Lex Luger, Gary Hart jumps in, strides over and takes Steamboat's hand with a firm shake. Steamboat regards Hart with confusion that Hart doesn't even notice. "I see big things ahead for you," says Hart, and adds a "Go get 'em, tiger!" in Steamboat's direction before leaving. Perturbed at the slight by his own manager, Luger attacks Steamboat with an uncharacteristic ferocity. Steamboat uses Luger's emotional state against him, luring him into mistake after mistake, until he is able to put Luger down for a three-count. As Luger pounds the mat in frustration, Gary Hart climbs back in the ring, rushes up to Steamboat and grabs his hand again. "Ricky Steamboat," he says, "that was one fine showing you put on. I'd be proud to call you a member of the Slaughterhouse."

Steamboat reclaims his hand, much to Hart's surprise. "Gary Hart, I'm not interested in joining your group. I am in World Championship Wrestling to wrestle, and to once again become World's Champion."

"And I can get you to there, Ricky Steamboat!"

Steamboat's reply need not even be said, with the glare he shoots at Hart. Still, he answers; "I'll get there on my own."

Before either can say anything more, Luger cracks Steamboat in the side of the head. Hart watches, giving Luger a glare of irritation as the former US Champ puts the boots to Steamboat. Hart finally pushes Luger off, but Luger pushes Hart away and goes back to stomping on Steamboat, until Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Sting and Barry Windham chase them away. Sting helps Steamboat to his feet, and is immediately confronted by Ric Flair, who offers a hand for shaking. "I won't force it on ya, Rick Steamboat," says Flair. "And I don't expect you to like me. But I just want you to know that between us ... far as I'm concerned, that's done, and if they give you problems, you got our support."

Steamboat eyes Flair for a minute, then looks to the other men in the ring and sees the same trust in all their eyes. More then anyone, Steamboat looks at Sting. The champ shrugs and says; "If he's gonna be a snake and bite us, Rick, it won't just be you. If that helps."

Steamboat nods and shakes Flair's hand, sending the crowd into overdrive with excitement. Together, the five leave the ring amidst a thunderous applause.

Before their match with Sid Vicious and Steve Williams, Ric Flair and Sting are interviewed by Paul E Dangerously backstage. Dangerously attempts to ask a question, but Flair snatches the microphone from his hands. "Tully Blanchard! Arn You messed with the wrong guy! You crossed the line! You wanna stomp on a kid like Brian Pillman? You and your buddies wanna beat up on people? Come beat me! Come after me! Come get some of me! Of Stinger! Of Barry Windham, and Ricky Steamboat, or Terry Funk! You're chumps, you suck--" Flair interrupts himself, tears off his robe, throws it on the ground and stomps on it. "That's what I think of you! You're nothing! I wouldn't waste spit on you! Everything you do, every dirty trick--" Flair chuckles and holds up four fingers. "Every dirty trick you do, I invented. You say you couldn't ahead because you were a Horsemen? I say you don't know how to be anything but a Horsemen! Look at you now! Look at you now! You're weak, you suck, you're pathetic, and on our worst day, me, Steamboat, Barry, Funker and Stinger, on our worst day, we're better then you'll ever be. We're coming for you, and we're gonna take you apart, one man at a time, starting tonight!"

Flair gives the microphone back to Dangerously, who asks Sting if he has anything to say. "Ya know, Paul, I think he just about said everything I could possibly say to them, except one thing." Sting holds up the title belt so the camera can get a good look at it. "This here says I'm the World's Heavyweight Champion. You know how I got this? I worked. I wrestled. Night after night. I wrestled, and I won. I didn't complain like a kid who doesn't get his way. I didn't pull some trick or bully someone into it. I wrestled for it. Like Terry Funk. Like Ric Flair. Like Ricky Steamboat, and every man who's ever worn this belt. If you want this bad enough, Tully Blanchard ... Lex Luger ... Steve Williams ... Arn Anderson ... Sid Vicious ... if you think you can handle it, you gotta earn it. Or, like someone I know once said ... to be the man, you gotta--WOOO!!!--beat the man!"

The duo hit the aisle like soldiers, marching towards their enemies in the ring with purpose. Sting has his jacket off in the aisle, and together, he and Flair run into the ring. Despite being out-sized and out-muscled, Sting and Flair have their opponents reeling. Flair makes liberal use of his arsenal of dirty tricks against Sid, while Sting keeps Dr. Death off balance with his explosive speed. But the rest of the S5 come out and create enough of a distraction for their stablemates to exert their will, and Flair gets powerbombed by Sid for a shocking upset loss. WCW's locker room empties to drive away the S5, but the stand-off does little nothing to assuage the fact that WCW's standard bearer for the past decade just got pinned.

June/July 1990

The few weeks between the Clash and The Great American Bash have a flurry of activity, as the allied forces of WCW stand against the Slaughterhouse 5's offensive juggernaut. No one in World Championship Wrestling is safe, as the S5 lash out at their opponents; Tully Blanchard insists he is being held back by the "old boys' network" headed by Ric Flair, and takes it out on every wrestler he comes across. He is further enraged when WCW officials concur that Ricky Steamboat was denied a proper rematch, and is named the challenger to Sting at The Great American Bash. In a twist of logic only possible by the very delusional, Blanchard brings this back to Ric Flair during an interview following a successful US Title defense;

"A crime was perpetrated recently in World Championship Wrestling: a theft. It was done not only right under the noses of WCW management, but done so with their approval and their help! For years, Ric Flair used his connections and his status to influence match-makers and officials in this company to keep people he was afraid of out of the limelight, and he's done it again! Because the fact is, I've held this US Title for almost the entire year. I beat Ric Flair six months ago, when he still held the World Championship, in a non-title match. Where's a title shot for Tully Blanchard? I'll ya where: buried under a mountain of corruption, and the maker of that mountain is Ric Flair! Ricky Steamboat walks into this company after almost a year off, and somehow, he gets a title shot, but I get nothing! Flair, the time has come, for both of us; I need to stop pussy-footing around and do what I said was here to do, and you need to come out from behind WCW upper management's skirt. Ric Flair! Great American Bash! You and me, one on one, US Title. I already proved I can beat you, and now, with my gold on the line, I'm gonna do it again, and I'm gonna expose you in front of the world as a fraud, a fake who can't stand up on his own!"

Flair is quick to accept the challenge, which, when added to grudge matches between the Steiners and Sid Vicious & Dr. Death, and Arn Anderson vs. Terry Funk, puts the Slaughterhouse 5 in three title matches. Funk and Anderson cross paths several times en route to the Bash, most notably in a tag match, with Funk partnering with Barry Windham, and Arn tagging with Lex Luger, in a wild brawl that sees Arn and Funk tear apart the ringside area to get more weapons to use on each other. Funk manages to get the upper hand with a thumb to the eye, and tries to strangle Arn with a television cable. While refs try to save Arn's life, Luger is able to cheat his way to a pin on Windham. In a post-match interview, Gary Hart asserts that Windham has been left to twist in the wind long enough, and now it's time to pay for spurning the Slaughterhouse 5 in May, and that the executor of justice will be Lex Luger, at The Great American Bash. Windham happily accepts, vowing to remind Luger why the Horsemen ditched him in favor of Windham by way of beating it into him.

But even though the main event doesn't include any members of the S5, they still assert their presence in it. Tully Blanchard states his opinion to anyone who will hear it, that neither the champ ("How can you get behind a guy as champion who was dumb enough to get stabbed in the back by Ric Flair and trusts him anyway?") nor the challenger ("How long can you coast on pinning a guy once?") are worthy of their positions. Sid Vicious & Dr. Death, in addition to tormenting the Steiners, haunt Steamboat's and Sting's every move to remind them they're being watched. On the last episode of World Championship Wrestling before the Bash, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard team up against Sting and Steamboat; the opponents-to-be show nice teamwork, but the shared history of Double A and Tully is a formidable mountain to climb for experienced teams. Sting and Steamboat manage a comeback, but the S5 use their cunning--and reinforcements--to halt them in their tracks. With the numbers game and willingness to cheat, Blanchard and Double A get the win, with Arn pinning Sting. Flair, Windham and Funk, along with a number of other WCW stars, rush the ringside area to keep the S5 from trying their normal tactics; they leave without incident, even as Tully runs his mouth about "beating" the World Champ.

July 7, 1990: The Great American Bash

The first of the Slaughterhouse 5's big matches for the night is the one with the most to gain--the World Tag Team Title match against the Steiners. With a couple months worth of ambushes and attacks under their belts, the Steiners release all their pent-up frustrations on Vicious & Williams; likewise, the S5 pour on the pain, fueled by a general desire to crush a team that just won't die. In the end, the teamwork of the Steiners isn't enough to overcome the sheer force of their opponents; a powerbomb splatters Rick Steiner, while Dr. Death keeps Scott on the outside, away from rescuing his brother. Three seconds later, Williams & Vicious are the tag champs. Sid joins Dr. Death in brawling with Scott, but Rick recovers enough to join in, and the four brawl out of sight.

Before he goes to the ring, Barry Windham is stopped by Jim Ross for a pre-match interview. "Me and Lex, we go back, JR," says Barry. "We were partners once upon a time. But the sad fact about Lex Luger is that he doesn't measure up. The Total Package, they call him. But the fact is, there's nothing in the box but empty promises and unfulfilled expectations. He was supposed to be the next big thing, but every time he's stepped up to the plate when it counts, he strikes out. That's not Ric Flair's fault, Lex; that's your fault. You're your own worst enemy. From the day you set foot in a ring, you were told you'd be a superstar, you were destined to be champ ... and you bought the hype, and you got lazy. Couldn't be Ric Flair, couldn't beat Sting, couldn't win at Starrcade. Now look at you: errand boy for Gary Hart. Arn and Tully are mad I wouldn't be in their stupid club, so they send you to come take me out. Well, this is your shot, Lex. All you have to do is take this seriously. Because I promise you, I'm taking this very seriously."

Once in the ring, it becomes apparent that, while Luger is giving more effort then he has been, Windham's words are on point: Luger doesn't press his advantages hard enough, misses obvious opportunities to close out the match, and spends too much time showing off his physique to an unreceptive crowd. The end comes when Luger lazily tries for the Torture Rack; Windham slips out and catches Luger off-guard with a lariat that almost tears his head off his well-sculpted shoulders. Three seconds later, and Windham is being announced the winner. Disgusted, Gary Hart leaves ringside, giving Windham a dirty look as he walks away. When Luger comes to and sees his manager is gone, he argues with the ref about what happened; the ref reiterates that he lost fair and square, to which Luger replies by punching the official.

The fighting between Terry Funk and Arn Anderson starts before the bell is rung, as Arn tries to get the drop on Funk during his walk to the ring. Almost seven minutes of brawling has passed before they finally get into the ring and the ref can signal the official start of the match, but if Funk and Anderson even realize it, they don't show it. Within a couple heartbeats, the fight spills out to the floor again, wanders, comes back to the ring, and leaves yet again. The ref allows Funk and Anderson to bend the rules just about to the breaking point, but there is no rule they aren't interested in breaking outright. When Funk blasts Anderson in the head with a steel chair, the ref has calls for the DQ, but Funk's beating of Anderson doesn't stop. With the crowd clamoring for Funk to obliterate Anderson, Funk points to the timekeeper's table at ringside and makes a gesture like a piledriver; the audience explodes, this time cheering on Funk's brutal idea. Funk drags Anderson to the table, puts him in position and, like he did a year before to Ric Flair, drops Anderson on his head, breaking the table beneath them. Funk leaves to a standing ovation, leaving Anderson to quiver and jerk in the ruins of the table.

With the S5 not having the best of nights, Tully Blanchard comes to the ring with purpose. What follows when he and Flair finally lock up is a continuation of their January match, a display of technical perfection. Counters and reversals come one after another, and with one match already between them, counters of counters are used. As the match goes on, it becomes apparent that Flair is exposing two weaknesses in Blanchard: lack of adaptability, and a temper. He uses both against Blanchard, changing up his repertoire in ways that Blanchard has trouble adapting to, leading to Blanchard getting frustrated with his own gameplan. And when Flair keeps escaping pinning predicaments or spots where Blanchard might have a shot to finish off Flair, he only gets more frustrated and leaves himself open for mistakes. With every mistake, Flair zeroes in on Blanchard's legs, until Blanchard can barely support his own weight anymore. Flair pounces and locks on the figure four. But while Blanchard is far away from the ropes, Flair is near them; while the ref checks on Blanchard to see if he's going to quit, Gary Hart climbs up on the apron and dumps some kind of powder in Flair's eyes. Stunned and blinded, Flair releases the hold. Though in pain, Blanchard crawls over and covers Flair as he writhes in pain, and earns himself a tainted victory. Hart acts as if his client has won Olympic gold; Sid Vicious and Dr. Death come out to help Blanchard to the back, carrying him on their shoulders. Hart looks into the cameras and sends a warning to Sting that Blanchard's coming for the World Championship.

Before Sting or Ricky Steamboat can come out, the ringside area fills up with a parade of wrestlers, all loyal to WCW, acting as unofficial, passive lumberjacks. They show no favoritism to either the champ or the challenger, clapping both men on the back and wishing them well as they take to the ring for their first-ever match-up. What follows doesn't disappoint, as they work through a match unrivaled in excellence, showing superior mat work and explosive aerial maneuvers. After twenty exhausting minutes, Sting wins by dodging a top rope cross body and putting on the Scorpion Deathlock. The split crowd applauds, half happy for Sting, and half happy that the match ended squarely. Sting and Steamboat shake hands amicably as the ring fills with friends and well-wishers, and Steamboat even raises Sting's hand in victory.

Sting then requests a microphone, and though he's tired from his grueling match, he manages to get out his words in between breaths. "First, let me say to you, Ricky Steamboat, that was probably the hardest match I've ever fought, and I wanna say, anytime you wanna go again, you just say so." Sting and Steamboat shake hands again, then Sting gets back to business. "Okay, one more thing: Tully Blanchard. For weeks, months, you've been running your mouth to anyone who will listen, and forcing a lot of people who don't want to listen to you do so anyways; you're being overlooked, you're being buried by politics, you're an uncrowned champion. And then you and your buddies run roughshod over everyone, as if this proves you deserve a shot. Here's the problem, Tully; title shots aren't Halloween candy. There ain't no fairy godmother that's gonna come along and make your wish come true, because, until you've shown you got what it takes to compete with a champ, you aren't gonna get the matchmakers' attention. But, frankly, hearing you week after week is getting on my nerves--"

Ric Flair steps in, putting a hand on Sting. "Then Stinger, good buddy, I got some good news for you! I spoke with upper management, and it's already been settled--at the Clash Of The Champions on September the fifth, you don't have to worry about hearing Tully Blanchard run his mouth, cause your opponent, in a rematch of Wrestle War, is yours truly, the Nature Boy Ric Flair!"

July-September 1990

The surprise announcement of Ric Flair invoking his rematch clause sets off the tempers of the Slaughterhouse 5. Tully Blanchard and Gary Hart cry foul, saying the actions of WCW's upper management, Ric Flair and Sting are an illegal conspiracy designed to keep the World Championship inside a closed circle of "corporately approved" wrestlers. Hart says he will file a lawsuit against WCW (although he doesn't elaborate on what grounds) to stop the Sting/Flair rematch from taking place. Further evidence of the "anti-Slaughterhouse 5 conspiracy", says Hart, is the fact that weeks later, Arn Anderson has still not received a rematch against Brian Pillman for the Television Title, and the "grueling, torturous schedule" of defenses for Blanchard and the team of Sid Vicious & Steve Williams.

When those cries go on deaf ears, Hart issues a warning to WCW and the wrestlers: "We will not be responsible for what happens next," he says in an interview. "If WCW refuses to acknowledge our complaints, and insists to perpetrate this obvious double-standard, we will level the playing field ourselves."

For Sid Vicious & Dr. Death, that means upping the ante against opponents. Sid and Dr. Death, whether in singles matches or together, show no regard for their opponents (not like they'd shown much before); Sid's matches come to an end when he powerbombs opponents repeatedly, until they are limp and unresponsive. The refs in Sid's matches, afraid for their very lives, have no choice but to award knockout victories to the towering madman. Likewise, Dr. Death lives up to his moniker, going out of his way to punish rather then defeat. After handing an especially brutal beatdown to Ricky Morton, the Rock N Roll Express challenge the tag champs; the next week, in a non-title match, they win by disqualification when they frustrate the champs so much with their seamless teamwork and dynamic double-teaming that Sid has to clobber Robert Gibson in the head with the title belt. Before Morton can be pulverized, the Steiners, Barry Windham and Ricky Steamboat come out and send the tag champs scurrying. Hart trumpets this as evidence of the conspiracy, of course, saying WCW will do anything to harass Sid Vicious & Steve Williams, including putting them up against six opponents at once, two of whom aren't even a tag team.

Arn Anderson, Hart proclaims, is also a victim, not only of a conspiracy to keep him from a Television Title rematch, but of "an obvious, malicious bias against him"; in Hart's opinion, the continued employment of Terry Funk, a "dangerous loose cannon" is a tacit endorsement of Funk's "campaign of terror against my client". Jim Ross tries to point out the obvious--that Arn attacks Funk as much as the other way around--but Hart won't let the facts get in the way of his delusional spoutings; according to Hart, Funk is "nothing more then an ill-tempered, unrefined thug", and that there is nothing to gain from further altercations with him. Hart says his client will focus on regaining the Television Title, and does so with surgical precision, dissecting opponents one by one in an effort to prove him worthy of facing Pillman. And to ensure there are no distractions from "unwanted parties", Hart files a restraining order against Terry Funk, forcing him to stay 100 feet away from his client at all times. Pillman offers Arn a shot, but Hart insists he and his client will not take hand-outs, and that Arn will prove his superiority and deserving by beating opponents one at a time until WCW grants him the match.

Hart's loudest squawking, though, is for Tully Blanchard, and that quickly gets on the nerves of Blanchard's two targets: Ric Flair and Sting. Flair, ever the antagonist, taunts Blanchard by constantly reminding him of his title shot at the upcoming Clash Of The Champions, and how Blanchard has never had a shot. Sting--the more dignified of the two--extends an open invitation anytime, anywhere for a non-title match to see if he really has what it takes to hang with champions. Blanchard never takes him up on the offer, citing any number of ridiculous excuses.

But he lets his frustrations show in his matches, taking liberties on opponents that get him disqualified and, after a couple weeks of continued transgressions, fined monetarily. Flair continues his taunting of Blanchard, proudly admitting--in addition to his numerous world titles--to having made a career out of breaking the rules and never once having done so enough to incur fines. Blanchard gets so angry that, during a US Title defense against Tommy Rich, he tries to cripple Rich by attacking Rich's leg with particular vengeance. With Rich laying on the mat, unable to support his own weight, Blanchard demands a microphone.

"You think you're something special, Ric Flair? You think you're the best there is? Pay real close attention, old man. Anything you can do, I can do better!"

With that, Blanchard locks in a figure four--pausing to mockingly do Flair's "woo!" in mid-twist--wrenching on it so hard, Rich quits almost instantly. But Blanchard keeps it on, tightening it as hard as he can, as Rich's anguished screams fill the arena. The timekeeper rings the bell over and over, but Blanchard ignores the ref's warnings. He doesn't let go of the hold until the ring announcer comes over the PA and announces that the referee has reversed his decision and awarded the victory to Rich by disqualification. Immediately, Blanchard lets go, jumps to his feet and gets in the referee's face; the ref defends his decision, and Blanchard retorts by laying out the ref with a right hand, then piles on with a slingshot suplex.

The very next week, with Sting, Ric Flair, Barry Windham and Ricky Steamboat behind him, Jim Ross, acting on behalf of WCW management, summons Gary Hart and Tully Blanchard to the ring. The entire Slaughterhouse 5 comes out, and immediately, Hart reverts to indignant, self-righteous victim mode.

"Typical that they send you, Jim Ross," whines Hart. "You're nothing but a lapdog for Flair and his cronies anyway. You even got 'em behind you right now, which just goes to show how deep this conspiracy runs! Go ahead, get on with your little dog and pony show! Go on!"

Ross glares at Hart, then clears his throat and reads from an index card. "Ladies and gentlemen," he says in a clear, authoritative voice, "Gary Hart, Tully Blanchard ... WCW upper management has decided that, based on Tully Blanchard's refusal to bow to the rules and regulations of World Championship Wrestling, and his abuse of a WCW official in a United States Title defense, WCW has no choice but to strip Tully Blanchard of the United States Title effective immediately!"

JR's demand for Blanchard to surrender the title belt go unheard, as the S5 explode in a cacophony of protests and yelling. Hart gets his men to be quiet, then gets in JR's face. "This is, without a doubt, the most egregious miscarriage of justice I have ever seen! If this isn't evidence of a conspiracy against the Slaughterhouse 5, I don't know what i--"

Hart gets cut off by Blanchard, who lightly pushes Hart aside. He drops the belt unceremoniously at JR's feet, then moves past him and gets in Sting's face. "You and I know the truth, Sting," he says in a low growl. "We know how you got Ric Flair to use his rematch clause so you could avoid facing me, because you're afraid. We both know how you got upper management to strip me of the US Title on a bogus charge so I get bumped down the list of contenders. We know what's going on, Sting. And if you think you're bulletproof now, if you think you've managed to push me out of arm's reach, well then, Stinger, you're in for a very rude awakening. Ya see, that US Title, yeah, I love the gold, but what I want, what I deserve, is to be World's Champion. Before, I didn't care who I beat for it. Now, I'll take great pleasure in being the man who pins your shoulders to the mat and killing the dreams of every little Stinger out there. I will consider it the greatest accomplishment in my life to beat you, Sting."

Blanchard moves away from Sting, stopping in front of Flair for a second; he chuckles, shakes his head and says; "You're not worth my time anymore, old man." Flair responds by slapping Blanchard so hard, he staggers and falls through the ring ropes to the arena floor.

Hart is borderline apoplectic. "Do you have any idea what you just did, old timer! That's the crown jewel of the Slaughterhouse 5 you just laid your hands on! You're going to pay for that mistake with your life, Ric Flair. With your life!"

Later on that night, Hart tries to get his revenge, sending Lex Luger after Flair during a match pitting the Nature Boy against Stan Hansen; Luger's timing is off, though, and he ends up eating a wicked lariat from Hansen, allowing Flair to surprise the burly brawler with a roll-up.

To fill the vacant US Title, a 16-man tournament is scheduled, with participants selected based on win-loss record and previous titles held, with the semi-finals and finals to commence at the Clash Of The Champions. In a move that instantly draws the ire of Hart, Tully Blanchard is purposefully excluded from the tournament, a punitive move Hart calls "criminal" and "without merit". Nevertheless, Arn Anderson and Lex Luger are chosen from the Slaughterhouse 5, while Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham and Terry Funk are all given berths as well. Hart promises that the Slaughterhouse 5 will bring home the gold, and if not, will make the "fake champion" pay dearly.

They get the jump on that in the first round, sticking their nose in matches whenever they can. Terry Funk's opening round match against Butch Reed is marred by interference by Hart (since Arn doing it himself would break the TRO), but Funk is able to overcome and get to the second round. Jimmy Garvin drops his opening match to Scott Steiner, but by disqualification, as Steiner is assaulted by Sid Vicious and Steve Williams. So is Rick Steiner, but his opponent, Barry Windham, insists on restarting the match after the DQ decision is announced; Windham ends up winning anyway, but they join forces afterwards to beat back the tag champs. Arn Anderson gets past Ricky Steamboat thanks to help from Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger, but Arn's interference backfires in Brian Pillman's match against Mike Rotunda, and Pillman walks away the victory.

By contrast, the second round has little interference, save for one match: Arn Anderson's brawl with Stan Hansen. Unfortunately, the interference backfires, and Anderson gets pinned off one of Hansen's sick lariats. Anderson shakes Hansen's hand afterwards and tells him to kill Pillman if he should get to the semis. Instead, and despite being outwrestled and not having any reinforcements, Luger pulls out a tainted victory over the TV Champ with a handful of tights. Funk dispatches of Hayes without incident, leaving only Barry Windham's match against Scott Steiner as the last quarter-final. In that, Sid and Dr. Death attack after Windham pins Steiner, beating Windham down and using a television cable to hang Scott Steiner over the ropes until he passes out. Scott's brother and Ricky Steamboat try to lend a hand, but get it between the eyes for their troubles. But further reinforcements come in the form of the Rock N Roll Express; with the numbers against them, Sid and Williams bid a hasty retreat.

The hanging incident eliminates Scott and Rick Steiner from challenging for the tag titles at the Clash, due to the injuries on Scott's throat. As a result, the Rock N Roll Express slide into the lucky slot ... but WCW officials pull a surprise on the tag champs and assign Rick Steiner and Ricky Steamboat as ringside enforcers. Gary Hart threatens another lawsuit and calls it a "raping of my clients' civil rights". Likewise, the semi-final match pitting the "criminal" Terry Funk against Barry Windham gets protests from Gary Hart, declaring that WCW is fixing the tournament to ensure a member of the S5 has no chance of winning.

Finally, after weeks, Hart's diarrhea of the mouth gets to be too much, and during one of his long-winded rants, Sting and Ric Flair interrupt. Hart doesn't skip a beat, showing no fear as two of his most powerful enemies converge on him, alone.

"Ahh, it's the puppet of WCW himself, and the man who pulls his strings," says Hart. "To what do I owe the dishonor of being interrupted by the two of you?"

Flair steps up, looking almost excited. "Gary Hart! Woo! For a year now, you've run your mouth! You get goon after goon after goon, and what does it getcha? How many times have you come after The Nature Boy, huh? I'm still here, tubby! I'm still here, and nobody you can hoodwink to do your dirty work is gonna get rid of me! Diamonds are forever, and so's Ric Flair!" Flair punctuates that with a "woo!" in Hart's face.

Hart wipes some spittle off his face and turns to Sting. "Do you have anything slightly more intelligent to add, Sting?"

"Oh, yeah, I do," says Sting. "When you're not sending your foot soldiers after people, you're running your mouth about conspiracies and plots and bias. Gary Hart, it's real simple: none of your guys have what it takes to get the job done. You know why guys like Arn and Tully never got a shot at the big time? Because they never had what it took to get there in the first place! Me and Ric Flair may not have a lot in common, but the fact is, Gary Hart, that he busted his butt and he earned every title shot he got by being one of the best champions this company's ever had. Maybe the best. But men like Tully and Arn ... well, some guys just aren't cut from the same cloth. Now if you wanna see your clients get the best treatment, get them to put forth their best effort. But the fact is, Ric Flair is owed a rematch, Ric Flair deserves a rematch, and he's been nothing but above board about getting one."

Flair and Sting are about to leave when Hart stops them both with two words:

"Has he?"

Even with Flair advancing on him, warning him to shut up, Hart continues on. "Has he, Sting? How above board was it for him to surprise you with the news a couple minutes after barely beating Rick Steamboat? Since when have Ric Flair and 'above board' even been acquainted, let alone be synonymous with each other? Or was it someone else who beat the tar out of you back in February because you dared ask for a title shot? Ric Flair is everything but an honorable man, Sting. The fact that he swooped in and stole the title shot from the rightful contender, Tully Blanchard, is only one of his crimes, but it's indicative of a pattern of behavior; the man lives only for his own gratification. If he beats you at the Clash Of The Champions, mark my words, Sting, he will do you no favors anymore. He won't have your back, he won't come to your aid; he will leave you to twist in the wind. And then there's the likelihood that he's already made a deal with some devil to win at the Clash."

Flair grabs Hart by the lapels and yanks him close. "Punk, I will punch every one of your teeth down your throat if you don't shut up--"

"See, Sting? Look how defensive he is! He doesn't want you to hear the truth, Sting, but I do! Ask him how far he's willing to go to get the World Title! Better yet, don't ask--you've seen him and what he's done to people who stood in his way! What makes you think you're any different then them?"

The words hit Sting like a slap in the face. Flair lets go of Hart and turns to Sting. "Stinger, you know this snake'd say anything to get under your skin. Don't let him get in your head."

"He's right, Ric," Sting says matter-of-factly. "You would do anything to get this back. If one thing is for sure about Ric Flair, it's that his life revolves around the World Championship, and that he'd move Heaven and Earth to get it when he doesn't have it, and keep it when he does."

Flair never gets the chance to answer, as Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson run down to the ring and go after Sting and Flair. Like every encounter between the two camps, more S5 members come out, and more WCW partisans come out to rally against the S5. But when the smoke is cleared, Sting and Flair don't stand side by side; the champ walks away, looking at Flair with a suspicious glare.

September 5, 1990--Clash Of The Champions--Fall Brawl

The first two semi-final matches open up the September edition of the Clash, leading off with Lex Luger versus Stan Hansen. Luger opens the match with his of-late normal, egotistical laziness, and gets a quick wake-up call when Hansen just about kills him. Quickly, Luger reassesses his gameplan and plays a more pragmatic game, trying to lure the lumbering beast into mistakes Luger can exploit ... but every few seconds, Luger also throws a glance to the stage, expecting something--namely, reinforcements--that just doesn't arrive. Left to his own devices, Luger has to rely on cunning and deception to trap Hansen, getting a fluke pin on a roll-up with a handful of tights and his feet on the ropes. Hansen, who had been owning Luger from bell to bell, doesn't take kindly to being screwed by an inferior opponent, and proceeds to pound the living daylights out of Luger until officials intervene. By then, Luger can't walk on his own and has to be helped to the back.

The second semi-final pits two friends against each other, Terry Funk and Barry Windham. With Sid Vicious and Steve Williams in the building and none too fond of Windham, Ricky Steamboat stands at ringside, in a neutral corner, as a sort-of enforcer. Sid and Williams do make an appearance, but they watch from the aisle, alongside Arn Anderson, as Funk and Windham engage in an old fashioned, Texas-style bar fight. In the end, Funk is able to secure the win with a piledriver; the tag champs start to make a move, but Steamboat quickly jumps in the ring and directs the attention of Funk and Windham to the stage. Reluctantly, they retreat, leaving Funk and Windham to shake hands.

The next time the tag champs appear, it is to defend their titles against the Rock N Roll Express. The veteran Express team unloads every trick in their extensive arsenal against the champs, but the size and strength differential is too much for Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson to overcome. A Sid powerbomb turns Gibson into goo, and Morton gets annihilated by Dr. Death's Oklahoma Stampede, leading to the victory. But as they pick up their defeated opponents to inflict more punishment, the Steiners stop them, sending them packing with steel chairs. Sid and Dr. Death leave so quick, they forget their belts; Rick and Scott grab the belts, hold them up and challenge the champs to come get the titles at Halloween Havoc in a double dog collar match. Sid and Williams demand their belts back, but leave ringside without answering the challenge.

While Terry Funk enters the ring for the US Title finals tired but physically okay, Lex Luger's injuries cannot be hidden; he steps gingerly, and when they lock up, the soreness of his chest from the multiple Stan Hansen lariats hampers his ability to do anything with his arms. Luger tries to fight through it, showing much more offensive intentions then he did at any other point in the tournament, but the injury makes it too difficult; Funk is able to capitalize time and again, leaving Luger to look for help that doesn't show up. Somehow, Luger finds the will to string together enough offense to try the Torture Rack, but his body is too worn down, and Funk is able to drop out and nail Luger with a piledriver. Three seconds later, Terry Funk makes history, winning the vacant United States Championship for the second time in his long career, 14 years and 10 months since his first reign. Funk dedicates the win to his wife and kids, and says that he'll defend the title anytime, against anyone, under any conditions, even against "a gutless, yellow sack of crap like Arn Anderson". He then adds, smiling; "But since I can't get near him cause of his stupid little piece of paper, I guess that ain't gonna happen."

The main event, which had been a scheduled as a pristine meeting of peers over the richest prize in the company, bows with the air of suspicion; Ric Flair offers a handshake, but Sting responds with only an icy stare. When it becomes apparent Sting is wrestling a hard-hitting, more-then-friendly-competition match, Flair has to up his game to keep up. At times, Sting's behavior looks to be not only offensive, but designed to antagonize Flair into tipping his hand; frustratingly for Sting, Flair never dips into his well of dirty tricks.

And then Gary Hart strolls down to ringside, making sure Sting sees him. The sight of the rotund manager incenses Sting, and he shows a side never before seen of the Stinger: actual, unheroic rage. Sting ends up backing Flair into a corner, wailing on him with wild punches as Flair ducks and covers. The ref tries to break it up, and in his anger, Sting's wild swinging clocks the ref on the jaw, knocking him out. As soon as the ref hits the mat, Hart gives the signal and Tully Blanchard runs in. The crowd boos as Blanchard goes after Sting, while Flair is slumped in the corner. When Sting starts to fight back, Hart panics and calls for reinforcements; his face drops when Lex Luger comes out. Luger climbs in and goes for a clothesline, but he connects with Blanchard, sending him up and over the top rope. Flair tosses Luger out, turns around and falls into a small package by Sting, only for the ref, groggy but awakening, to signal for the bell. The official word is a disqualification against Sting for striking the ref. Flair rolls out of the ring and chases Luger, while Sting drops out and goes after Blanchard as the show ends.

To be concluded ...