In this edition of Blake’s Best Of, we head back to Jim Crockett Promotions for a look at Clash of the Champions III: Fall Brawl.
This looked like a lackluster show on paper, but it was actually pretty entertaining aside from Dusty Rhodes winning his match by pinning someone who wasn’t in the match. Yeah, that was a thing.
Let’s dive into the best of Clash of the Champions III.
Brad F****** Armstrong
Guys, he did it again. I mentioned that Armstrong was my pick for most underrated wrestler of 1988, and his match against Mike Rotundo at this particular Clash was another reason why. I even went as far as to call it one of the most underrated matches in wrestling history. If you want the definition of a red-hot crowd, just watch this match. Incredible atmosphere and incredible storytelling.
Surprisingly good tag team brouhaha
Everyone knew that they weren’t gonna get a technical masterpiece when the Sheepherders squared off against Nikita Koloff and ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams. But fans did know that they were gonna get two teams beating the shit out of each other. And that’s what they got, which made this an entertaining brawl. The match went 17 minutes, and while that may have been a little surprising, these two teams managed to keep it fun the entire way.
Sting vs. Barry Windham
You don’t really think about Sting vs. Barry Windham as a memorable JCP/WCW feud since they weren’t paired together all that much. This one was for the US Heavyweight title, and these guys put on a show. Of course, instead of the biggest takeaway being the match itself, it was the convoluted DQ finish that held it back from being a truly great classic featuring two of the company’s best talents.
For my thoughts and match ratings for the entire Clash of the Champions III card, check out the Pro Wrestling 1988 Year In Review on Amazon.
Blake Knox is a pro wrestling writer and author. You can find his Pro Wrestling Year In Review series on Amazon.