The Flair-Steamboat Feud of 1978 - part 1 of 2

[Wayneman117]

Didn't realize how small Ricky was back then.As a kid back then (9 yrs old) thought they were about the same size. But as ya know,Flair "made" Steamboat...so the story goes.

[sammys70]

Who was the announcer at the first of this video?Did he work for Jim Crockett Promotions?I don't ever remember him.I remember Bob Caudle and David Crockett,but i've seen the other guy before.

[panchodaman]

Ric Flair WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­!

[panchodaman]

@panchodaman Although I actually came for Ricky!:)

[panchodaman]

Although I actually came for Ricky!:)

[T74G]

that belt had his name on it.....classic

[cavalierfan1995]

i have this on dvd a friend of mine recorded the best of 78 in the nwa

i still love when thees two get it on

[Lovelygal71]

YUM Flair's hot I wanna fuck him so bad! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :D

[tir1066]

Did Flair say he'd kiss every inch of Steamboat's body if he beat him?

[Lovelygal71]

@tir1066 hey, I would. tee hee. I'd kiss 'em both. :)

[rosario508]

That first interviewer had horrible timing.

[japanpro1]

after more than 60 years watching pro wrestling, i am convinced that very, very few ever sold as thoroughly and beautifully as ricky steamboat.

[whycantihavemyownuse]

CLASSIC WRESTLING!!

[breezeman199]

Saw this on TV at the time. Thought it was real.

[BMFRaw]

David Crockett was always a badass. Never backed down from a single wrestler. Even got in Nikita's face!

[soulburst]

The fans here blow away any of the fans at the mega shows the wwe have now.People are screaming like the watching a murder.

[bigdaddyj1985]

@soulburst because theres not action like this anymore. wrestling is so watered down now

[seanj666]

Damn Ric Flair has always been crazy lol!

[danesesse]

1989 steamboat flair would have a series of the greatest matches bar none 11 years earlier, they have their practive for the us belt. I wonder if we could see this one day with wwe. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA­HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Mujangga]

Wow, even in 1978, Flair was flabby.

[cyclops65]

Funny thing is that was the same studio where The Uncle Paul Show(a kids show) was taped--with the little blood stains on the floor and all--and announcer Bob Caudell was actually "Uncle Paul"

[ECWnWWF]

where do you get your information that Bruno wrestled twice/week?

[don417]

Flair was 29, Steamboat only 25 in '78.

[FRSFreeStateNow]

Ric Flair had a great rivalry because it was about beating each other in the ring. And not about destroying each other and they respected each other as well.

[roger6nelson]

A beautiful sport/entertainment

[501columbus]

Nice jacket Ric.My grandma had a sofa just like that

[TVfanfanatic]

@501columbus Stylin and Profilyn! Flair is the man! If he wears it, it must be cool! LOL, those clothes are really bad, even for the 70's!

[ECWnWWF]

Look at that tiny arena/studio ... and Flair had the nerve to compare himself to Bruno Sammartino?

[JuliusC1973]

@ECWnWWF Bruno wrestled once or twice a week. Ric Flair wrestled 6 days a week.

[josephD32]

@ECWnWWF True, but at the time, the NWA had more television coverage, so Flair was actually being seen by more people than Sammartino. Of course, as we know, that would change...

[kinglarry12]

pause at 3:18

1 of the announcers looks at steamboat's ass

[yardape99]

I met a doctor yesteday with the same sport coat as Flair....in 2011!

[MegaYouri13]

When wrasslin was wrasslin! Can't make shoots like that anymore!

[allforch17]

ric flair was hardcore before hardcore

[Mowac]

Damn this brings back memories....this was the best wrestling fueds. I was 10 years old and remember this like it happened yesterday.

[Bloodsport1]

@Mowac thats the beauty of old school wrestling. ITs timeless. I remember feuds from way back, I remember Flair NWA days, Dusty Rhodes, Road Warriors vs The Russians more than I remember Randy Orton, Jericho's championships reign. Why? Because their title reigns dont mean anything.

[WWEPrestigeFan]

@Bloodsport1 5 minutes ago a hater typed hatred on Orton and Jericho and kissed up to Russians.

[Bloodsport1]

@WWEPrestigeFan If Orton was to started wrestling in this decade, brother he would never ever been WWE champion. Orton is really a midcard wrestler. Sorry. Jericho is a great wrestler but the WWE should of had him in better feuds.

[anaihilator]

"Do you know why you're number 1? Because you associate yourself with Big Time People"..and said with a straight face..cant beat it.

[Chargerchad]

Even in the 70's Flair had white hair and saggy boobs. Great video.

[talon115]

Steamboat was such a dirty wrestler! I think that ref was on his payroll too!

[r32adt3db]

where is steamboat originally from?

[mark79]

@r32adt3db He was born in West Point. NY. He has an Hawaiian father and a Japanese mother

[arobinson68]

Damn! I love youtube! This is classic classic classic!

[jdbankshot]

absolutely classic. vin jr, what have you done?

[Chrisdrumz]

Tha U.S,t belt is AWESOME. Shit,they can't even make decent looking belts anymore,

[kamagong78]

2:20 steamboat wanted to laugh. flair carried him on this one.

[sayanroy36]

flair's the us champ in 78, and was way way more over than the nwa world champion harley race at that time

[T74G]

@sayanroy36

it was obvious to Sam Muschnik and crew that Flair was the present and future of the NWA as the 80's came round!!!

[imdagr8st]

yes flair even apologized to him right before he poped steamboat in the eye

[diesel021234]

all the annoucers loved flair. he did make the show #1 in the ratings. flair was a huge tv star down south.

[CaptNemo100]

Good gosh...this is classic wrestling at it's finest! The first fued between Flair and Steamboat

[mrhollister09]

was this the story that Flair told in his book about when he dragged Steamboat across the floor?

[CaseyDrummer]

How many times does Flair have to ask Steamboat to get into the ring?

[crookhunter]

What trailer park was this filmed in? LOL

[CarNNNN]

@crookhunter You're a faggot. Just wanted to let you know that.

[blacklexo8]

why is steamboat wearing a choir robe?

[gothsoul82]

what a classic

[eastwood13]

BEAT HIS ASS RIC!

[cruzlupe11]

The Rock of that era XD

[Nertrender]

who is the interviewer

[hcjc57]

Hands down, the GREATEST feud EVER in the storied history of MACW/GCW/WCW! Too bad we never got to see Steamboat work heel as much as he wanted to!

[Takerfanatic93]

The Flair Vs Steamboat feud is one, if not the best feud of all time. Evertime they stepped in the ring it was a great match.

Theyre match at Chi-town was the best they ever. Such a great work and such a great matches. In my Top 5 for sure. WrestleWar 89 and Clash of Champions were great matches as well, but i liked the Chi-town more.

Flair & Steamboat, both one of the greatest Pro-wrestler that ever lived.

[bjohns1975]

Flair kissing every inch of Steamboat's body? That's some visual.

[garethac81]

@bjohns1975

You said it! I'm pretty sure Flair didn't mean that comment to sound as gay as it did *lol*

[Piledriver86]

Or maybe he did? XD

...I mean, Ive heard things...

[Jmurray5150]

Old school, FUCK YEAH!!

[FingerBoy10]

How awesome it is that feuds felt so organic, natural back in MACW/GCW... And what do you know?... They were contested over a CHAMPIONSHIP... A championship that Flair expertly put over the importance of being champion... The belt benefited from it, the wrestlers even more and as a result the fans enjoyed great wrestling.

[xxHUNGREExx]

TNA...

[wi603666]

The old United States belt was the best looking gold and red.

[Chrisdrumz]

@wi603666 Yeah,it was a great looking strap. Its so pathetic that in addition to be generally lame today,WWE has some seriously lackluster looking belts. There is no uniqueness to any of them. 25 years ago EVERY belt in every federation was different and identifiable.

[shizzle5150]

"hey I'm talkin to you, look at me boy" LOL!

[stali28]

love stuff like that...classic

[pineappleexpresion]

dang 78 i thought the feud started in 88

[miggy25]

nope the Flair/Steamboat feud actually began a year or so earlier than this, around '76 or '77 when Flair was the TV champ and challenged then-unknown Steamboat, who promptly beat him for the title....they feuded off and on for the rest of the '70's and parts of the early-80's before Steamboat returned to the NWA in '88-'89

[Warchief01]

Hate to tell Natch but that was one tacky looking jacket.

[neyetroglys]

Absolute Classic!  Ric Flair had gone mad!!!

[rjasin123]

Flair made wrestling what it is today through work like this. Hulk Hogan at theti the time was no one.

[greatamericanspaz]

Crocket always looked like he had a man crush on Flair.

[BIRISHPM]

Ricky The Dragon Steamboat and Slick RIck Flair were a great pair. Both could sell the matches with incredible skill - just watch the way Ricky Steamboat flops around the floor after Flair messes up his face - great stuff.

[rockjohnson80]

Wow...no fancy commentator booths or special guest wrestlers. WWE is to over the top with the angles and boring. This is just good old wrestling.

[zoomflesh]

i'd have gay sex with the 2 of em and invite tony atlas round with the anal beads

[TaladagaCockknocker]

Is that Lando?

[tpda1990]

lol

[playerschoice3]

all those woman screaming is funny

[125possom]

flair still had tits back then

[MrDeray5]

I remember seeing this as a kid...one of the hottest angles ever. Steamboat was one of the best marks ever. By the way most first ever NWA champions got the belt in their early 30s. NWA politics/tradition if you will...

[rockjohnson80]

This is classic. I can see that The Rock and Hogan got their characteristics from Flair. Clearly he is the first Mega Star.

[morrispalmer71]

those were the days now it's a 15 min match no more 45 or 60 minute classics.

[skinwalkerxxx]

what made Flair this mad?

[miraeja]

he looked like bowie era mick ronson on roids

[philaman1972]

I don't see a WWE 24/7 logo on this classic excerpt. I know the first, primitive VCR's were out back then but there's no way one would be able to record a program with such clarity then. Therefore, this must be directly from the master tape. Connections, connections...

[bjohns1975]

Flair + Steamboat = 2 fine ass men

[teeno654]

I would like to know if wrestling back than was unreal too?

[johnied8509]

when did flair started wrestling

[T74G]

69'-70'...someone correct me if i am wrong..but 69-70 he burst on the NWA scene...

[toosweet4285]

late 70's cause he began training with Vern Gagne around the time The Wrestler came out staring guys from the AWA.

[NAYellowjackets]

1972

[T74G]

72'??? he was paired with Valentine shortly after correct???

[NAYellowjackets]

Either Valentine or Rip Hawk.

[T74G]

yeah he did have a stint with Rip Hawk..they had similar flamboyance....

[TeamFortressKilla]

damn flair is young here, I dont remember ever seeing him young, iv only known him as a crafty old man with a alot of tricks and shortcuts, love the music at the end

[bigcaddydevill96]

Flair kicked his ass lol woooo

[dachamp21]

What was with hair in the 70's it's all full and luxurious, Ric and Steamboat are flipping their hair every minute.

[pitzer4321]

ur comment and this vid has insprired me to grow my hair and feather it so when i work out int he gym i can flip it when it gets in my eyes

[dachamp21]

Look at Ric's Hair.

[4life1971]

this is real wrestling old skool shyt lol!

[thejesman]

Lol, the announcers sound like they're drugged or something. "And now he's rubbing his face against the concrete...just rubbing it on the concrete..."

[Buckeyecat2002]

Two of the three Great Ricks of Wrestling. The other is Rick Rude.

[abominablesnowburns]

let's not forget Martel now : P

[SkankBangertonsays]

And Rick Williams. The "Renegade" ! ! !

[shaunie1981]

at least the other 3 nwa/wcw titles were better, i think the last one before wwf bought wcw was the best and i think the new wwe 1 is crap too including the spinner

[TitusVentura]

True, The spinner is a disgrace. I'd like to see it go back to old school winged eagle or the undisputed belt but i doubt it. In my view, the wwe is gonna have to change back if they want to be watched.

[funkyflashman]

And in 2009 Flair is going to induct Steamboat into the WWE Hall Of Fame!!

[DanJ30]

HA! And thats when Ric's gonna want back in that ring like no other time before LMFAO...

[davie1111]

hardly any people went then and they overreated the moves but i supose nobody new it was fake then  woooooooooooo

[brnleague99]

In Roddy Piper's book "In The Pit With Piper" he talks about how, after a similar "drag his face on the concrete angle" with the Minnesota Wrecking Crew...Gene Anderson took Piper into a bathroom, rubbed sand paper on his face and punched him just so it'd look realistic after the commercial break. LOL.

[piranha70]

He's ugly, and I'm the greatest.

[wrestlerick01]

1978 was the year that i started watching wrestling on cable tv,especially the WWE and Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia and i saw this clip when it originally aired on Channel 6 in Richmond,Va.The show was World Wide Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Wrestling was the sister show to World Wide.Flair would win the NWA World title 3 years later and Flair injuring Steamboat's face was the start of the on-again off again Steamboat-Flair feud.I used to see these two at the Richmond Coliseum.

[BIGGAHITZ]

Flair in his prime, love it.

[nwauwf]

look at that ugly ass belt jesus

[CarNNNN]

Love Flair he's a true Rassler.

[fallguye6011]

gotta love that suit, ah 1978

[ed2kou1]

Classic! Flair's the greatest ever. WOOOO

[wildstar145]

look at how strange the u.s title belt is

[SlimmArmstrong]

true, but then they adopted those belt buckle looking things after this. plate designs were much better, but they looked like glorified belt buckles! after that, they had the silver/nickel plated belt, with no paint on it. they didn't get it right until Jim Crockett designed it, the one that Magnum T.A., Nikita Koloff and Lex Luger started wearing. now THAT one was the shyt!

[redstallion4life88]

Awesome footage. Too bad WWE has the whole NWA (Georgia Championship Wrestling/Jim Crockett Promotions) video library, and doesn't show World Wide Wrestling/Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in any huge capacity on WWE 24/7.

[TheForgottenFlesh]

Flair=Best Classic Heel

Jake The Snake=Best Mental Heel

Big Van Vader=Best HUGE FORCE Heel.

[dAnNyLaD99]

Rowdy Roddy Piper = Best Pompus Heel

;)

[ed2kou1]

The audio played, but the video didn't. Damm

[EGarrett01]

lol at Flair's body looking the same in 1978 as it does in 2008.

[Lovelygal71]

I so love Flair's hair. Wow, just look at him. *drooling* That's part of the reason why I bleached my hair blond like his. ;)

[idclolidk]

Lol, How could you gather from that one post enough information to make that assumption. Small opinion of mine, that's all, I wasn't alive then but Flair could have handled being world champion earlier, and it would have put him on top a bit sooner rather then in his thirties. However in those days, getting to the top was more of a process then it its now, and it took Crockett a little while to "groom" Flair until he was ready.

[ride2p]

It just goes to show that wrestling has changed over the years

Great feud between Steamboat and Flair

[hillbilly1339]

tHIS is when wreslting was cool.

[aj31313]

Steamboat's eyes was discolored for months

one of the old timers took sandpaper to it backstage.

[idclolidk]

Crockett shoulda made Flair his champion sooner, in my opinion Flair was ready in 78. I'm not a wrestling promoter though so what do I know.

[tow74]

Your understanding of NWA history/politics is laughable.

[jste77]

nice funky 1978 disco music and graphics leading into the commercial break

[scstxr]

That right there is example of why hes the greatest of all time. That was classic.

[Unstoppable911]

lol at steamboats selling at 6:16, definete oversell lol

[ronstermaniac1]

The most pimpin' sports coat of all time.

[CrazyHorse316]

Gotta love it. lol.

Steamboat - "You understand this is a great oppurtunity for me, Crockett, right?"

Flair (Background) - GET IN HERE! GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!

Classic stuff.

[davidberry1972]

look at those clothes!

[soln4suh]

lookin' at those plaid checkers on ric's sport coat made my head hurt! lol!

[hydra555]

Damn Flair looked young here

[Lovelygal71]

yeah, those were the days, huh? Both Flair and Steamboat in their prime. Wow they looked great!

[hydra555]

yep this must have been before the whole nature boy gimmick

[jonpgonzales]

that coat is hurting my vision. damn i was born this year.

[43Panthers]

One of the best angles of all time

[triprunnerz]

Flair is 29 here? He sounds like hes 55 and looks like hes in his 40s.

[TheChad35]

He always looked older then what he was. Now he's almost 60 and looks 80.

[Blackmoon218]

Try moving around perfectly well after a broken back, junior.

[OmniNorth]

Can you do what he does???

[CrazyHorse316]

There isn't a damn soul that can do what Ric Flair does.

Or Steamboat either, for that matter.

[qcrossley]

This suposed to be Flair at his best?

[hydra555]

acually Flair was at his best in the 80s

[crassyfrake]

did flair mug herb tarlek on his way to the arena?

[mkl62]

In Flair's book, To Be the Man, he said that the work was that Steamboat kept his hands over his face. When they got to the dressing room, Harley Race, who was in town, sandpapered his face. "Kid, this is gonna hurt." When Steamboat went out in public, fans saw him and would say, "OMG, that is real." They would do the same thing years later with Ricky Morton.

[STACKOLA31]

how many times did flair said get in the ring

[willnchicago]

This was one of it not the greatest wrestling feuds ever. I was just 9 yrs old when this happened and a huge mark for Ricky Steamboat at the time. I remember reenacting this many many times with my friends,, dragging one anothers face on the carpet to get the carpet burns. LOL

[NICKTUBER80]

it was at this point i think ric flair wreslted at least 4000 days a month.... his robes would be washed and pressed by sylvester stallone and his hair was quaffed by the ladies at hugh hefners mansion... he was the greatest

[Joey3ofem]

nobody can cut promos like Ric Flair

[misterio2K]

That music for the Mid Atlantic Wrestling programs was awesome! I love it! The soft strings and beats love it man! It has that disco style.

[misterio2K]

God! How I miss that old school small studio/arena wrestling. Thanks for the clip.

[DavidFullam]

As a native born Charlottean, this is what I grew up with. How I miss it.

[Paquiviris14]

and you were dam lucky, one of the best rosters of all time Mid Atlantic 1976-1985.

[janglar]

The Nature Boy was at his glorious best in this clip. I don't like too much how a legend like Steamboat was made to look so green in this segment, but that just pumped up the storyline. The US belt looked like a plastic, Toys R Us, Playskool, kindergarden "Do it yourself make my first championship belt" made by a burned out hippie leathersmith who got 86'd from his comune for having a bad bowling trophy identity crisis. But the corny belts made wrestling the best in that era, so thats cool

[y2jbrock]

greatness!

[dano3564]

The U.S belt in the NWA was about the same as the Inter-continental belt that Greg Valentine held at the WWF for many years...

[jazinegrrrl]

Ricky was such a nice piece of ass!

[Lovelygal71]

Yeah! Both sure were sexy, wern't they? wow!

[larrylooker33]

"Hey, I'm talking, you listen to me boy"

[deflepp96]

This is the first time I ever saw Flair and Steamboat.What a classic feud

[DiAnno13]

Superb play-by-play.

[djgreg1200]

Its funny to see Flair as a mid card wrestler. That US belt is god awful. They didn't get that belt right unti l986 when Nikita Koloff won it.

[zoltanstar]

the U.S. belt was the #1 title in the territory - Flair wasn't mid card - i remember i used to love the look of that U.S. belt - lol.

[ccie12933]

The Crockett U.S. title was hardly a mid-card title. And on top of that, that belt was great!

[VolumedMusicMan]

The U.S. title was a stepping stone the world title! Flair was a mid card wrestler when he 1st started in the AWA but when he came to MidAtantic, he soared to the top!

[lordhumalice]

Hahaha Flair whooped that whine ass