Hello readers and welcome to the fifth edition of "Keeping The Memories Alive". In today’s edition, I will be reviewing the very first
NWA Clash Of The Champions. The event was shown live on TBS from the Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 27, 1988
. It was meant to compete with WWF Wrestle Mania 4, which was airing on Pay Per View the same night. Keep your requests coming.

A video package opens up the show. It reminds me of a 1990s candy bar commercial. "Question, can Ric Flair survive? Question, can
Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors get revenge?" etc.

Tony Schiavone and Bob Caudle welcome us. They send us to Jim Ross at the announcers desk.

Match #1: Mike Rotundo (with the "Games Master" Kevin Sullivan) defends the NWA Television Title against
 "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (with Ms. Precious) in an Amateur Rules Match.

Commercial Break after introductions.

Three 5 minute rounds are the rules for this match. A round ends after a count of 1, instead of the traditional 3 count. Tony Schiavone is joining
JR to do the commentary. Nice to see the current ECW General Manager Teddy Long refereeing this match. His haircut makes him look older here
 than he does now. Pretty basic match as you can probably imagine with Amateur Rules. The match ends in the second round when Rotundo pins
 Garvin with a roll up. After the match, Sullivan and Rotundo team up on Garvin. Precious defends her man with a 2x4. Rick Steiner comes out to
 help his fellow Varsity Club members. Precious ends up choking Sullivan with a rope. Mike Rotundo retains the Television Title.

Commercial Break, Ric Flair later tonight.

In the entrance way, Bob Caudle is interviewing Steve Williams. Williams says he has been gone for a while because he has been touring Japan.
He wants to challenge the winner of tonight’s NWA Title Match.

Commercial Break, United States Tag Team Title Match is next.

Match #2: the Midnight Express ("Beautiful" Bobby Eaton & "Sweet" Stan Lane, with Jim Cornette) defend
the NWA United States Tag Team Titles against the Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers).
As usual, Jim Cornette introduces the Midnight Express. The Fantastics attack before the bell rings. Jim Ross mentions "stand by matches".
Wow, I miss how "real" wrestling once was. If you don’t know, stand by matches were preliminary unscheduled matches that would take place
"if" scheduled matches did not last long. The stand by matches for tonight are Shane Douglas vs. Larry Zbyszko and Ricky Santana vs. Rick Steiner.
Neither match took place. The referee in this match is the late Randy Anderson. You might remember him as a referee in the late 90s in WCW who
 was involved in a big angle with Eric Bischoff where Bischoff fired him in front of his wife and children. OK, back to the match. It’s the usual 80s style
 tag team wrestling, Fantastics getting the cover while Cornette has the referee distracted. Cornette is now in the ring and gets involved. Bobby Fulton
 tosses Randy Anderson over the top rope. Fulton nails a big splash on Eaton for the win. The decision is changed however because of Fulton putting
 his hands on the ref. The Midnight Express win by disqualification and retain the US Tag Titles.

Commercial Break, Crockett Cup brackets are coming up.

Bob Caudle welcomes us back and sends us to a pre-tape of Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell of "Leave It To Beaver") while the ring crew is setting
up for the Barbed Wire Match.

Osmond interviews Jim Cornette. They talk about playing tennis. ???

Back to Caudle, who is with Al Perez and Gary Hart. Hart makes a challenge to Dusty Rhodes on behalf of Perez. Perez then says that it will take
 more than a baseball bat to stop him from taking Rhodes US Title.

Backstage to Frances Crockett. She reveals the top ten teams for this years Crockett Cup Tournament…… Ivan Koloff & Dick Murdoch,
Sting & Ron Garvin, the Varsity Club, the Fantastics, Barry Windham & Lex Luger, the Powers Of Pain, the Midnight Express, the Road Warriors,
Nikita Koloff & Dusty Rhodes and Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard.

Commercial Break, Barbed Wire Match is next.

Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors make their way out.

Commercial Break, again.

Match #3: "the American Dream" Dusty Rhodes & the Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) vs.
 Ivan Koloff & the Powers Of Pain (the Warlord & the Barbarian, with Paul Jones) in a Texas Barbed Wire Match.
Barbed Wire rope is tangled in the ring ropes. Very taboo for 1988. Pretty short match. Animal pins Warlord in a little less than 4 minutes after
the Barbarian accidentally hit his partner with a flying headbutt. After the match, the POP and Koloff tear off Animal’s hockey mask
(he was wearing it to protect his injured eye) but Rhodes and Hawk fight them off before any damage is done.

Commercial Break, interview with Nikita Koloff is next.

Tony and Jim plug the new NWA Main Event show, debuting this coming Sunday.

Bob Caudle interviews Nikita Koloff, sporting his new haircut. Koloff is holding a poster that says "get high on sports, not drugs". Koloff is rambling
 on about how you should enjoy life. This probably had something to due with his wife’s cancer.

Commercial Break, Tag Team Title Match is next.

Match #4: Tully Blanchard & "the Enforcer" Arn Anderson (with JJ Dillon) defend the NWA Tag Team Titles against
"the Total Package" Lex Luger & Barry Windham.
Dillon is constantly getting on the apron yelling at referee Tommy Young. In the end, he would cost his team the belts as Luger whipped
Anderson into Dillon while he was on the apron for the win. Lex Luger and Barry Windham are the new NWA Tag Team Champions.

Commercial Break, NWA Title Match is next.

Match #5: "the Nature Boy" Ric Flair defends the NWA Title against Sting.
Gary Juster, Sandy Scott, Patty Mullen, Jason Hervey and Ken Osmond will serve as the judges for this match. Also, JJ Dillon is suspended in a cage above
 the ring. This match is regarded by many as one of the best of 1988. It is also the match that put Sting "on the map". This great match ends in a
45 minute draw which means Ric Flair retains the NWA Title.

Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Bob Caudle close the show out.

The show ends with credits. Noticeable names are Jim Crockett, Tony Schiavone and Virgil Runnels (Dusty Rhodes).

 

I hope you enjoyed reading the fifth edition of "Keeping The Memories Alive". My complete collection can be found at www.freewebs.com/jbryan1984/. Email me your feedback and requests at jbryan21408@yahoo.com.

Jim Bryan