NWA/CWF Battle of the Belts 2! 2/14/86 review

NWA/CWF Battle of the Belts 2
     Match #1 Bahamas Championship Champion Tyree Pride vs Ron Slinker Not familiar with either man in this contest. Slinker was billed as a martial arts expert. I hope he was because wrestling did not appear to be his strong suit! Very basic bout with Slinker trying kicks and chops. With Pride being quicker at every turn! Pride worked on the arm, Slinker went outside numerous times in a 5 to 6 minute match. Pride won when he ducked a chop and came back off the ropes with a flying body press(very awkward looking because Slinker did not take it anywhere near right! Stiff as a damn board! This show must get better quick.
     Match #2 Florida Heavyweight Title bout Champion Kendall Windham vs Rocky "Prince" (no not that one) Iaukea Prince starts out fast hitting a boot to the mid-section, slamming Windham's head in the top turnbuckles and launching the young Texan to the floor. After a fast near fall on a Sunset Flip getting back into the ring. Windham hits a leg dive and puts Iaukea in a leg  lace hold. After escaping that hold twice. Prince grabs a headlock, When Kendall tries to shoot him off into the ropes, the Prince grabs a handful of hair. Windham hits a huge backsuplex to break the headlock. He then clamps on a headlock of his own. Iaukea got the upper hand several times, but failed to keep it more than a few seconds. Iaukea whipped Kendall into the turnbuckles, but missed a corner splash. Windham Moved very quickly and delivered a good "bulldog" headlock. Rolled his man over a got the pin! Successfully defending his Florida Heavyweight title!  Both the guys were "green" and nervous I bet, but it was a good basic bout!
     Match #3 World JR Heavyweight title match, Champion Denny Brown Challenger Keiji Mutoh(The White Ninja)! This is the best wrestling match so far by a wide margin! 4 minutes in and nobody has yet to establish a clear advantage. It has been hold-counter hold Mutoh did hit a spinning roundhouse kick to the stomach. Brown quickly recovered however,  Chain wrestling clinic to this point. Brown got Mutoh down by executing a top wrist lock into a beauty of a back heel trip. A sequence that started with a test of strength "spot." Mutoh did deliver two hard full bodyslams. The most impactful move of the bout to this point was a stiff back suplex Mutoh hit to counter a headlock by Brown. Brown gets up and manages to land a nice knee drop and hook in a reverse chinlock. Mutoh gets to his feet and hits a picture postcard dropkick that rocked Brown's head. Mutoh locked on a single-leg crab and made Brown go to the ropes. Mutoh hit a backbreaker then applied a Camel Clutch. Mutoh hit his signature moves that were to become known worldwide. His perfect handspring elbow in the corner followed by the (with apologies to Christopher Daniels) the real best Moonsault ever. Brown kicked out at two. They went right to the finish. Brown was attempting what looked to be a "Lou Thez" press and Mutoh counted by accidentally throwing him over the top rope! Brown keeps his title via DQ! Now that folks is a utter horseshit finish to a great match! What a damn shame!
    Match #4 Southern Heavyweight Title Bout, Champion Jessie Barr  Challenger former champ Lex Luger(managed by Hiro Matsuda).This was a good bout for as green as Luger was. A great job of building Luger up as a star in Florida paid off here. The crowd was into this from the jump. For the 1st few minutes of the bout they chain wrestled and felt each other out. Luger used a headlock while Barr went after the big man's legs. Luger's power began to were down Barr with Lex utilizing a Boston Crab and Bearhug to great effect. The turn in momentum to Jessie came when he blocked Luger over the shoulder(Jessie Ventura style) backbreaker and countered with a backdrop. Jessie then hit a big shoulderbreaker(his finish But Luger got his foot over the bottom rope at the count of two, breaking up the pin. Barr then went for an O'Connor roll, Lex countered by hanging on to the tope rope. Throwing Barr backwards to the canvas. As Barr got to his feet Luger hit a clothesline(that wouldn't have broken an egg!) He went for the pin and Barr put his foot over the rope, Luger knocked it off before the referee(Bill Alfonzo by the way) saw it and he counted Barr down for the three! Your new Southern Champion Lex Luger!
     Match #5 Wahoo McDaniel vs Bruiser Brody(managed by Gary Hart) This match was intense and wild for the 7 or 8 minutes it lasted. One word can describe the whole thing BRAWL! Brody kicked and my God Wahoo CHOPPED! Gary Hart threw the Chief into the ringpost(blade job) Then Wahoo threw Brody into the ringpost(blade job) They battled past the ring barricade into ringside with Brody stepping on chairs around the arena. The match was a double countout as Hart pulled Brody away from the fight. (I gotta tell the truth this card has been for the most part Mutoh vs Brown being the lone bright spot even with a huge screw you finish, a big letdown!)
     Match #6 The Road Warriors and BlackJack Muligan vs Kevin Sullivan, Bob Roop and Mark Lewin. Another wild chaotic pier six brawl. Sullivan's gang of moral misfits came out with Luna Vachon and two huge snakes. This thing was bonkers from the outset. Just a damn big fist fight! Blood and stairs and Golden spikes and chairs! Referee got thrown down I think it was a double DQ (Like it matters! If you like this style of wrestling have at it! I pass no judgements(out loud anyway)!
Main Event NWA World Title Ric Flair vs Barry Windham! (Thank you God I have stumbled through the wilderness that is this card, for the Manna and Heaven this match is sure to be! I will not bore you with every hold and counter in a 40 minute bout. That being said this is the very definition of a "Five star" match! The chemistry this two had with each other was off the charts! They wrestled they brawled they bled and they both paid the price! Barry Windham was a truly tremendous worker. He used his Lariat and Flair's own figurefour to almost gain victory! Flair for his part was the consummate champion here surviving on guts and will! Match ended in a double countout.(would I have loved to have seen a clear winner? YES but I understand the draw. It sets up rematches and neither man looks weak! In short a classic, bury this match and in 200 hundred years if they wanna know what great athletic compelling pro wrestling was at it's best show them this match!
     Final thoughts: two tremendous bouts in a seven match show is not enough! Only the 1st two contests had clean finishes! I know you need match endings where nobody gets beat but to have that happen in the final three bouts is a huge "screw you" to the paying customer!