One of the great things about delving into pro wrestling history is finding gems like this match from the second hour of Saturday Night Wrestling on TBS on November 12, 1988.
Ric Flair is widely considered one of, if not the best wrestler in history as he dominated the sport alongside Hulk Hogan in the 1980.
This Day in Wrestling History (11/12) – Ric Flair Defeated George South On TBS
While Hogan was the face of WWE and changed professional wrestling forever, Flair was the face of the NWA and later WCW but that never kept him out of the conversation for the best ever.
Flair had the ability to make anyone he wrestled look better than they may have looked normally, but this rare match was with George South, who was just as good in many ways but was still green at the time.
Dusty’s inspiration
Matches like this weren’t as normal at the time as usually to see the world champion in action you’d have to buy a ticker of pay-per-view.
It was the companies’ way of keeping their stars fresh and ensure fans would pay to see them in action.
Like many matches, this one has a fun backstory that was shared with the above Youtube video and was reportedly from George South himself.
“When you got to TV, you found out who would actually work, Ric was scheduled to work for the first time in awhile, but he really didn’t want to. He had just gotten in from Pittsburgh after being up all night and he had to catch an early plane to Ohio after the taping. That studio was so cold and he didn’t want to work and then have to shower and have that wet hair and rush to the airport.
“He and Dusty sort of got into it right there in front of everyone, and Dusty told him he was going to have to wrestle, so Ric threw his bag on a chair and said, ‘Well then I want South.’
“Ric started calling all these spots, and I was going a hundred miles an hour. I was having the time of my life, but I was rushing. I got so blowed up in there, I was really hurting.
“Back in those days, he called it in the ring. I didn’t know anything. And I didn’t know if we were going 2 minutes or 20 minutes. I was just going so fast. Ric did this every night, but I didn’t!
“Honestly, I think he was doing it just to tick Dusty off. He was so annoyed with Dusty, I think he would have let me win the NWA belt just to get back at him.” – George South.
There are times the stories behind the matches are more entertaining than the match, and this is one of those depending on one’s mood and the day.
To be honest, it would’ve been hilarious if Flair had decided to drop the title to South just because. Imagine that backstage story.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
