I wanted to start a series where I rewatched every show from a specific event. Since I loved Clashes and had already done the first one , I figured this would be as good a place as any to start. I’ll also do a big wrap-up ranking some of the best events, performers, moments, and some of the worst, too. 

WCW Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem

June 8, 1988

James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida

Announcers: Jim Ross & Tony Schiavone

The Setup  

They were already breaking from the original formula of the first show by not having a world title match and by not making every match a title match. Flair was present for a promoted contract signing with Luger on a yacht, but the show was main-evented by Tully and Arn defending the tag titles against Dusty and Sting. 

The Business

The show posted a 4.8 cable rating, which was still a big success for 1988, but it was also down from the first event’s 5.8. Even with Sting still in the main event, the absence of a world title and/or Flair match hurt the viewership by a full ratings point. I would also guess that being on a midweek day instead of a Sunday hampered them a bit. They drew 2,400 in Miami. While obviously not a good number, the crowd was hot. 

The Results

NWA United States Heavyweight Title: Barry Windham (C) def. Brad Armstrong in 13:35. **1/2

NWA United States Tag Team Title: The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) (C) def. The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller) in 19:29. ***3/4

Jimmy Garvin & Ronnie Garvin def. The Varsity Club (Rick Steiner & Mike Rotunda) in 13:11. ***

Nikita Koloff def. Al Pérez in 11:51 via DQ. **

NWA World Tag Team Title: Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (C) vs. Sting & Dusty Rhodes ended in a double disqualification in 10:58. ***1/2

Notable Happenings  

Lex Luger arrived at the arena in a limousine and was immediately ambushed in the parking lot by the Four Horsemen. Lex bladed and was supposed to juice all over his pristine white dress shirt, but didn’t do a very good job, and the angle was a little flat as a result. It’s become a rather infamous screw-up since. It still wasn’t bad overall, but color would have helped. 

Barry Windham attacked Dusty with the claw and kept it on the floor to end the show. The angle was strong, being in Florida with Dusty. It seemed like there were genuine whispers of concern amongst the fans. I thought this probably accomplished more than the Horsemen-Luger angle. 

The finish to the main event didn’t make any sense. Sting pushed Teddy Long to the mat on purpose, and for some reason, Teddy let it continue. Then, Dream intentionally bumped Teddy, and it ended up a double DQ because Barry Windham interfered. Huh? What can you expect from Tully & Arn’s friend? These fucking babyfaces were out of control. 

They did an underrated angle in the Varsity Club tag. Sullivan was in a cage and grabbed Precious through the holes until she was rescued by Doctor Death (more on him later), who then helped the Garvins clean house. He gallantly picked up Precious and handed her to Garvin because it was the 1980s, but Precious got pissed and stormed off on Jimmy. The dissension between Jimmy and Precious was an interesting little turn to the story with Sullivan. 

Larry Zbyszko interfered in the Nikita Koloff vs. Al Perez match, resulting in a post-match triple-team beatdown (including Gary Hart) using a dog collar and chain. Lucky for Nikita, since that was his weapon of choice, it set up a string of Russian chain matches between Nikita and Perez at house shows. What a coincidence. 

Best, Worst, and Most Underrated of the Night

Best: The Sheepherders-Fantastics tag match. I loved this match. Both these teams worked at a very fast pace and had their usual great brawling match. The Sheeps were so believable at what they did, and Tommy Rogers doesn’t get talked about enough. 

Worst: For the second Clash in a row, it was hands down Steve Williams’ promo. He offered prayers to Lex Luger, apparently for the trickle of blood Lex lost in the parking lot. He looked ridiculous standing there in a white tux that looked like it had been dry-cleaned too long. When he saved Precious, the crowd went apeshit, but all the more reason not to let this guy talk and make him less cool. 

Most Underrated: The Precious-Sullivan-Garvin angle was a great addition to the story. 

Backstage Notes

Despite the Turner sale not being completed for almost five months, everyone knew TBS was in the process of buying the company. That was easily the most notable thing for this era. As a result, half of the men on this show were all gone by the end of the year: Brad, Sheepherders, Jimmy Garvin, Ronnie Garvin, Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson. Barry, Perez, Dusty, and the Fantastics follow suit in the first quarter of 1989. This show was the winding down of a really fun era. 

Rating

7.0/10

This was a very strong show. The first Clash was legendary, and while this didn’t rise to that level, it’s a sneaky good show people don’t really talk about much. There’s nothing all-time, but it’s pretty entertaining throughout and continues to advance stories.