Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

[Guest ligerbomb03]

Source: www.1wrestling.com

 

The marquee outside Madison Square Garden said it all: LEGEND VS. LEGEND, SHAWN MICHAELS VS. RIC FLAIR.

 

Sure, Goldberg was defending the World Title against Kane, The Dudleys were taking on Chris Jericho & Christian in a tables match, and there were six other matches on the show, but to be honest, I could care less about them. "The Nature Boy" and "The Heartbreak Kid" were going to go one-on-one for only the fourth time ever, and the only way to see it was to be there live at the Garden. Their first battle was back during Flair's first WWF run, when Michaels was still a Rocker. That match ended in a countout, with Flair going over. They wrestled on a tour of Australia this past year, then went at it during the Bad Blood Pay-per-view this past June. That was the match that got cut down to 15 minutes the evening of the show, resulting in Michaels publicly complaining about the lack of respect being given their match. Of course, that story only stayed up on WWE.com for a few hours, but I digress, back to the Garden.

 

After a handful of matches receiving lukewarm reactions at best, the crowd heated up for the Dudleys-Jericho & Christian match. Then, it got electric. Flair came out to a huge ovation. He humbly took the mic and thanked the crowd, then got down to business, ripping on the failing and floundering New York sports teams to get a little cheap heat. Flair then reminded several fans in the crowd that he was indeed a legend, and that they could learn a thing of two from him. This set up the entrance of Michaels', who also received a nice ovation. As the match began, I would say the crowd was probably 70-30 in favor of Michaels.

 

They started off with come collar and elbow tie ups, and then gave the fans the expected chopfest. As the "Wooo's" rang out, the crowd started to get into the bout. Then came the side headlock. Usually, this is the kiss of death on a house show. The wrestlers start working a body part and the crowd, accustomed to the fast, spot-oriented matches on Raw, start to chant "boring" or take a hike for the concession stands. However, this is Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, not a pair of Tough Enough contestants. These guys know how to work a hold. Flair tries to escape, Michaels maintains the headlock. Flair shoves Michaels into the ropes, drops down for Michaels to rebound over him, but Michaels instead drops back into the hold. Flair runs Michaels into the corner, but Shawn steps off the turnbuckles, taking Flair to the mat with a side mare, and MAINTAINING THE HEADLOCK.

 

Michaels continued on offense for a time, as he and Flair started to pull out their trademarks. Michaels hit a pescado to the floor. The Nature Boy did the "Flair Flop" in the ring. Sure, some of the spots have become predictable, but it's like hearing Keith Richards play the opening riff to "Satisfaction". It doesn't get old. Michaels put Flair in a figure four, which was reversed, setting up Flair's offense, working over Michaels' leg. Flair went for a figure four, but Michaels turned it into a small package for a two count, as the match was closing in at the fifteen minute mark. They kicked it up a notch, taking the fight to the floor, where Michaels rammed Flair into the guardrail. Soon, a bloody Flair was being pounded in the ring by HBK. Michaels dropped a top rope elbow, and with the twenty minute time limit coming down to the wire, we entered the "Bait and Switch" segment of the bout. With Michaels on offense, and time running out, standard booking procedure is for Michaels to hit the superkick, cover Flair, and have the bell ring for a draw at the two count. However, the two veterans pulled out a swerve. Flair catches the superkick, trips Michaels, and applies the figure four. Michaels is trapped in the hold as the last minute ticks down. Flair holds the ropes for leverage, but it is to no avail, as the bell rings for the draw. Instead of Michaels, it is Flair who feels cheated by the bell.

 

Flair, blood running down his face, screams at the referee that he wants more time. He refuses to be cheated out of his win tonight. He takes the mic into the ring and demands that Michaels agree to five more minutes. Lying on the mat, Michaels screams his approval and pulls Flair down to the canvas. Punches are exchanged as the bell rings to begin a five minute overtime. Back and forth, the crowd is in the palm of their hands. Before you know it, four minutes have elapsed, and "Bait and Switch, Part 2" is about to take place. Standard booking says that time runs out again, this time with Shawn on top, forcing a second overtime as his request. Then Flair can be a heel and walk out, taking a draw.

 

Not with these two. Instead, Shawn hits the superkick, and Flair is pinned at the 4:50 mark of the five minute overtime.

 

There were no long drawn out curtain calls. No handshakes or hugs. Michaels waved to his adoring fans and walked to the back. Flair, with "Wooo's" still cascading down from his fans, walked to the back as well. Jonathan Coachman, forgetting his heel gimmick for a moment, called for the crowd to once again give a hand to the legends. The crowd applauded, and many fans put on their coats and left. There were still two matches left on the card, but for many, the main event had already ended.

[Guest Askewniverse]

Their first battle was back during Flair's first WWF run, when Michaels was still a Rocker.  That match ended in a countout, with Flair going over.

Flair won that match via pinfall, not countout.

[Eclipse 0]

Wow, it was just great to be a part of that match. The crowd went crazy for both guys. I loved the oldskool feel to the match. We gave Ric a HUGE round of applause after he was leaving the ring. AWESOME match.