A Match 2 Remember
Chapter Four: Final Conflict - March 12, 1983
#PWHS #Article #Match2Remember #M2R #FinalConflict
Jim Crockett Promotions knew how to build feuds and storylines. Relive with me the storyline and the famous card that night:
1. Sept '82 Sgt Slaughter and Don Kernodle are introduced as new NWA Tag Team Champs by winning them in Tokyo (they were just given them). Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood congratulate them and announce they'll be reforming as a tag team and will be challenging them someday.
2. Tommy Peterson, a young fan, draws a picture of his favorite tag team (Rick & Jay) and they are touched by such a gesture. They tell announcer Bob Caudle they are going to give their Indian headdress and Hawaiian lei out of appreciation. S/K declare they are looking for competitors...and to emphasize their point they tear up Peterson's picture, the headdress, and the lei.
?3. Four months before the Final Conflict night, these four meet and Sgt Slaughter reveals his new move, the "Slaughter Cannon" (lariat off the top rope) on Jay and follows it up with his famous Camel Clutch hold. Jay is hurt badly and Steamboat in a touching scene carries the limp body of Jay back to the dressing rooms while the tears flow from the audience in attendance. Jay is is out of action several weeks.
4. Slaughter and Kenodle brag how they put Jay out of wrestling. This is followed up by Sgt injuring another wrestler on TV that day with the same Slaughter Cannon. This young man who was legit injured was a young Rick Rood (yes THAT Rick Rood) who left the territory for quite awhile.
5. Jay comes back and has to face part of Sarge's stable, Private Jim Nelson. Sarge orders Nelson to put him out of action again with the Cobra Clutch. Nelson gets it on but the fans go wild as Jay is able to break the hold for the first time. He and Steamer say that Jay is back and they want another shot.
6. The two teams meet in a bloodbath in Greensboro as the ring and even the auditorium could not hold them. A cage is determined what they need.
7. NWA official Sandy Scott fines Slaughter and Kernodle for their violent actions at the Greensboro card. They pay the fine, but quickly add they WOULD NEVER fight them again as they had their chance and failed. Sandy says they are wrong and will meet again for the belts but this time in a cage match! Sandy walks off.
8. NWA official Sandy Scott fines Steamboat and Youngblood also and says there will be no re-match until they pay their fine.
9. There is a special signing (of course) and Sarge insists on 1 stipulation: if Rick & Jay lose, they can never be a tag team together ever again. They finally agree and the match is signed for March 12, 1983.
10. The week before the match, Rick & Jay are thanking all those who have helped them get ready for this big match including Johnny Weaver. Then they introduced their "secret weapon" who had joined them and told them all the secrets of the Tag Champs: out comes former Private Nelson wearing Slaughter's drill sergeant's hat, whistle, and carrying his riding crop.
11. The night of the match comes. Traffic backed up I-85 bumper to bumper. Reporters on TV are asking people to avoid coming that direction. All 16,000+ tickets were sold and over 16,000 people turned away. People fortunate to have tickets could not get parked due to the demand of tickets for long periods of time.
12. The card itself had three main events. The under card went as follows:
1. Sept '82 Sgt Slaughter and Don Kernodle are introduced as new NWA Tag Team Champs by winning them in Tokyo (they were just given them). Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood congratulate them and announce they'll be reforming as a tag team and will be challenging them someday.
2. Tommy Peterson, a young fan, draws a picture of his favorite tag team (Rick & Jay) and they are touched by such a gesture. They tell announcer Bob Caudle they are going to give their Indian headdress and Hawaiian lei out of appreciation. S/K declare they are looking for competitors...and to emphasize their point they tear up Peterson's picture, the headdress, and the lei.
?3. Four months before the Final Conflict night, these four meet and Sgt Slaughter reveals his new move, the "Slaughter Cannon" (lariat off the top rope) on Jay and follows it up with his famous Camel Clutch hold. Jay is hurt badly and Steamboat in a touching scene carries the limp body of Jay back to the dressing rooms while the tears flow from the audience in attendance. Jay is is out of action several weeks.
4. Slaughter and Kenodle brag how they put Jay out of wrestling. This is followed up by Sgt injuring another wrestler on TV that day with the same Slaughter Cannon. This young man who was legit injured was a young Rick Rood (yes THAT Rick Rood) who left the territory for quite awhile.
5. Jay comes back and has to face part of Sarge's stable, Private Jim Nelson. Sarge orders Nelson to put him out of action again with the Cobra Clutch. Nelson gets it on but the fans go wild as Jay is able to break the hold for the first time. He and Steamer say that Jay is back and they want another shot.
6. The two teams meet in a bloodbath in Greensboro as the ring and even the auditorium could not hold them. A cage is determined what they need.
7. NWA official Sandy Scott fines Slaughter and Kernodle for their violent actions at the Greensboro card. They pay the fine, but quickly add they WOULD NEVER fight them again as they had their chance and failed. Sandy says they are wrong and will meet again for the belts but this time in a cage match! Sandy walks off.
8. NWA official Sandy Scott fines Steamboat and Youngblood also and says there will be no re-match until they pay their fine.
9. There is a special signing (of course) and Sarge insists on 1 stipulation: if Rick & Jay lose, they can never be a tag team together ever again. They finally agree and the match is signed for March 12, 1983.
10. The week before the match, Rick & Jay are thanking all those who have helped them get ready for this big match including Johnny Weaver. Then they introduced their "secret weapon" who had joined them and told them all the secrets of the Tag Champs: out comes former Private Nelson wearing Slaughter's drill sergeant's hat, whistle, and carrying his riding crop.
11. The night of the match comes. Traffic backed up I-85 bumper to bumper. Reporters on TV are asking people to avoid coming that direction. All 16,000+ tickets were sold and over 16,000 people turned away. People fortunate to have tickets could not get parked due to the demand of tickets for long periods of time.
12. The card itself had three main events. The under card went as follows:
1 - Jerry Brisco def. Ken Timbs
2 - Mike Rotundo def. Ricky Harris [Later Black Bart]
3 - Johnny Weaver & Jim Nelson def. Gene Anderson & Red Dog Lane (of Mule Shoe, Texas)
4 - NWA [Mid-Atlantic] Television Championship
Roddy Piper def. Dick Slater (c)
NEW CHAMPION
5 - NWA World Heavyweight Championship Vs. NWA [Mid-Atlantic] United States Heavyweight Championship
Ric Flair (c - WHC) Vs. Greg Valentine (c - US),
Time-Limit Draw (01:00:00)
2 - Mike Rotundo def. Ricky Harris [Later Black Bart]
3 - Johnny Weaver & Jim Nelson def. Gene Anderson & Red Dog Lane (of Mule Shoe, Texas)
4 - NWA [Mid-Atlantic] Television Championship
Roddy Piper def. Dick Slater (c)
NEW CHAMPION
5 - NWA World Heavyweight Championship Vs. NWA [Mid-Atlantic] United States Heavyweight Championship
Ric Flair (c - WHC) Vs. Greg Valentine (c - US),
Time-Limit Draw (01:00:00)
And the main event was yet to come!!!
6 - NWA [Mid-Atlantic] World Tag Team Championship
Steamboat & Youngblood defeat Slaughter & Kernodle (c)
NEW CHAMPIONS
Steamboat & Youngblood defeat Slaughter & Kernodle (c)
NEW CHAMPIONS
13. This was repeated in Toronto for the Crockett fans there. Later that year Starrcade would be the 1st closed circuit show from Greensboro after being inspired by this turn away crowd.
I hope you enjoyed this. I think it captures OLD SCHOOL as well as any feud I know in my 50 years of being a fan.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
A Match 2 Remember: Chapter Four.
Author: Terry Kent.
Published: July 2014.
Article: #45.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
A Match 2 Remember: Chapter Four.
Author: Terry Kent.
Published: July 2014.
Article: #45.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
A Match 2 Remember: Chapter Five - Read Here.
A Match 2 Remember: Chapter Three - Read Here.
Other articles by Terry can be Read Here.