Clash of the Champions is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The specials were supercards comprising pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) Saturday Night's Main Event series. The Clash of the Champions shows were famous for typically not airing commercials during matches even though many of these matches lasted 20 minutes or more.
The first Clash of the Champions was held on March 27, 1988, by JCP and was entitled NWA: Clash of the Champions. Subsequent events had different subtitles, for example, Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem, up until Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl 1991, which was the last event with a subtitle. JCP was sold to Ted Turner and renamed WCW in 1988, and WCW continued to air the events until 1997. The rights to Clash of the Champions now belong to WWE, which acquired WCW in 2001.
History
Throughout 1987 and 1988, a bitter event scheduling war broke out between rival wrestling promoters Vince McMahon and Jim Crockett, Jr. On Thanksgiving night 1987, McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF) aired Survivor Series against Starrcade from Crockett and the National Wrestling Alliance, two pay-per-view (PPV) events on the same day.
WWE, the owner of the WCW properties since 2001, resurrected the name under the WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view starting in 2016.
Following a 25-year hiatus, the variant of the Clash event was resurrected by All Elite Wrestling as the Battle of the Belts in 2022 and airs on TBS' sister channel, TNT on a quarterly basis.
Dates and venues
{| class="wikitable" width=100%
!width=11%|Event
!width=8%|Date
!width=11%|City
!width=12%|Venue
!width=39%|Main event
!width=1%|Ref
|-
! colspan="6" |National Wrestling Alliance (Jim Crockett Promotions)
|-
|Clash of the Champions I
|March 27, 1988
|Greensboro, North Carolina
|Greensboro Coliseum
|Ric Flair (c) vs. Sting in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem
|June 8, 1988
|Miami, Florida
|James L. Knight Center
|Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard (c) vs. Sting and Dusty Rhodes in a tag team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions III: Fall Brawl
|September 7, 1988
|Albany, Georgia
|Albany Civic Center
|Barry Windham (c) vs. Sting in a singles match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
! colspan="6" |National Wrestling Alliance (World Championship Wrestling)
|-
|Clash of the Champions IV: Season's Beatings
|December 7, 1988
|Chattanooga, Tennessee
|UTC Arena
|Ric Flair and Barry Windham vs. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane in a tag team match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions V: St. Valentine's Massacre
|February 15, 1989
|Cleveland, Ohio
|Cleveland Convention Center
|The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) and Genichiro Tenryu (c) vs. The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda, Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams) in a six-man tag team match for the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun
|April 2, 1989
|New Orleans, Louisiana
|Louisiana Superdome
|Ricky Steamboat (c) vs. Ric Flair in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions VII: Guts and Glory
|June 14, 1989
|Fort Bragg, North Carolina
|Ritz-Epps Fitness Center
|Ricky Steamboat vs. Terry Funk in a singles match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions VIII: Fall Brawl '89
|September 12, 1989
|Columbia, South Carolina
|Carolina Coliseum
|Sting and Ric Flair vs. Dick Slater and The Great Muta in a tag team match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions IX: New York Knockout
|November 15, 1989
|Troy, New York
|Houston Field House
|Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk in an "I Quit" match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shootout
|February 6, 1990
|Corpus Christi, Texas
|Memorial Coliseum
|The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Ole Anderson, and Arn Anderson) vs. Gary Hart International (The Dragonmaster, Buzz Sawyer, and The Great Muta) in a steel cage match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush
|June 13, 1990
|Charleston, South Carolina
|McAlister Field House
|Ric Flair (c) vs. Junkyard Dog in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XII: Mountain Madness/Fall Brawl '90
|September 5, 1990
|Asheville, North Carolina
|Asheville Civic Center
|Sting (c) vs. The Black Scorpion in a singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XIII: Thanksgiving Thunder
|November 20, 1990
|Jacksonville, Florida
|Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
|Ric Flair vs. Butch Reed in a singles match
|
|-
! colspan="6" |World Championship Wrestling
|-
|Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite
|January 30, 1991
|Gainesville, Georgia
|Georgia Mountains Center
|Ric Flair (c) vs. Scott Steiner in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XV: Knocksville USA
|June 12, 1991
|Knoxville, Tennessee
|Civic Auditorium
|Ric Flair (c) vs. Bobby Eaton in a two-out-of-three falls match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl
|September 5, 1991
|Augusta, Georgia
|Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center
|Enforcers (Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko) vs. Rick Steiner and Bill Kazmaier in the WCW World Tag Team Championship tournament final
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XVII
|November 19, 1991
|Savannah, Georgia
|Savannah Civic Center
|Lex Luger (c) vs. Rick Steiner in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XVIII
|January 21, 1992
|Topeka, Kansas
|Kansas Expo Center
|Sting and Ricky Steamboat vs. Steve Austin and Rick Rude in a tag team match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XIX
|June 16, 1992
|Charleston, South Carolina
|McAlister Field House
|Terry Gordy and Steve Williams vs. The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) in the NWA World Tag Team Championship tournament quarter finals
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XX: 20th Anniversary
|September 2, 1992
|Atlanta, Georgia
|Center Stage Theater
|Rick Rude, Jake Roberts, Super Invader and Big Van Vader vs. Sting, Nikita Koloff and The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) in a 4-on-4 elimination match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXI
|November 18, 1992
|Macon, Georgia
|Macon Coliseum
|Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes (c) vs. Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas in a tag team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship and the WCW World Tag Team Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXII
|January 13, 1993
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|The MECCA
|Dustin Rhodes, Sting and Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader, Barry Windham and Paul Orndorff in a Thundercage match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXIII
|June 16, 1993
|Norfolk, Virginia
|Norfolk Scope
|Ric Flair and Arn Anderson vs. The Hollywood Blonds (Brian Pillman and Steve Austin) in a two-out-of-three falls match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship and WCW World Tag Team Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXIV
|August 18, 1993
|Daytona Beach, Florida
|Ocean Center
|Big Van Vader (c) vs. defeated Davey Boy Smith in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXV
|November 10, 1993
|St. Petersburg, Florida
|Bayfront Arena
|Vader (c) vs. Ric Flair in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXVI
|January 27, 1994
|Baton Rouge, Louisiana
|Riverside Centroplex
|Sting and Ric Flair vs. Vader and Rick Rude in a tag team match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXVII
|June 23, 1994
|Charleston, South Carolina
|North Charleston Coliseum
|Ric Flair (World) vs. Sting (International) in a unification match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXVIII
|August 24, 1994
|Cedar Rapids, Iowa
|Five Seasons Center
|Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Ric Flair in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXIX
|November 16, 1994
|Jacksonville, Florida
|Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
|Hulk Hogan, Sting and Dave Sullivan vs. The Three Faces of Fear (The Butcher, Avalanche and Kevin Sullivan) in a six-man tag team match with Mr. T as the special guest referee
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXX
|January 25, 1995
| Paradise, Nevada
|Caesars Palace
|Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage vs. Kevin Sullivan and The Butcher in a tag team match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXXI
|August 6, 1995
|Daytona Beach, Florida
|Ocean Center
|Vader vs. Arn Anderson and Ric Flair in a handicap match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXXII
|January 23, 1996
|Paradise, Nevada
|Caesars Palace
| Ric Flair and The Giant vs. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in a tag team match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXXIII
|August 15, 1996
|Denver, Colorado
|Denver Coliseum
|Hollywood Hogan (c) vs. Ric Flair in a singles match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXXIV
|January 21, 1997
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|Wisconsin Center Arena
|Lex Luger vs. Scott Hall in a singles match
|
|-
|Clash of the Champions XXXV
|August 21, 1997
|Nashville, Tennessee
|Nashville Municipal Auditorium
|Scott Hall and Randy Savage (c) vs. Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger in a tag team match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship
|
|-
|colspan="6"|
|-
|}
Results
National Wrestling Alliance (Jim Crockett Promotions)
Clash of the Champions I
Clash of the Champions (known sequentially as Clash of the Champions I) took place on March 27, 1988, at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. There were 6,000 people in attendance and the show drew a 5.6 rating on TBS. This was aired head-to-head with WWF's WrestleMania IV. In a "College Rules" match, Mike Rotunda won with a cradle for the one-count pin 1:10 into the second round.
In a match for the United States Tag Team Championship, The Fantastics' Tommy Rogers originally pinned The Midnight Express's Bobby Eaton to win the titles but the decision was reversed because Rogers' partner, Bobby Fulton, had thrown referee Randy Anderson over the top rope before the pinfall was made. The Road Warriors and Dusty Rhodes defeated The Powers of Pain and Ivan Koloff when The Barbarian accidentally hit his partner, The Warlord, with a diving headbutt. Animal wore a goalie mask during the match to protect his injured face.
Lex Luger and Barry Windham defeated Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard for the World Tag Team Championship, when interference by the champions' manager J. J. Dillon backfired; Dillon held a chair on the apron, but Lex Luger whipped Arn Anderson into the chair.
In the main event, Sting challenged Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Flair's manager, J. J. Dillon, was suspended in a cage above the ring. As no wrestler scored a decision before the time limit expired, the decision was left to the judges appointed for this occasion: wrestling official Gary Juster awarded the match to Sting, while Penthouse model Patty Mullen decided in favour of Flair. Wrestling official Sandy Scott ruled the match a draw. No decision was announced for the remaining two judges, actors Jason Hervey and Ken Osmond, resulting in the match being ruled a draw and Flair retaining the title.
Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem
Clash of the Champions II took place on June 8, 1988, at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. There were 2,400 people in attendance and the show drew a 4.8 rating on TBS. Throughout the show, wrestlers were being interviewed as they arrived to the building, most notably, Lex Luger who was attacked by The Four Horsemen and was busted open after being slammed head first into the trunk of his limo. This would also be an important factor in the conclusion of Luger's match against Ric Flair at the 1988 Great American Bash. Kevin Sullivan was locked in a cage at ringside during the third match but stole the key from the Garvins’ valet Precious. Steve Williams ran in after the match to save the Garvins from a 3 on 2 beat down. Al Perez was disqualified when Larry Zbyszko interfered in the match attacking Nikita Koloff. The referee is knocked out near the end of the main event, prompting Flair and Barry Windham to interfere, resulting in a double disqualification.
Clash of the Champions III: Fall Brawl
Clash of the Champions III took place on September 7, 1988, at the Albany Civic Center in Albany, Georgia. There were 3,700 people in attendance and the show drew a 5.4 rating on TBS. Fall Brawl would later become a regular PPV event for WCW. After the match Steve Williams ran to the ring to congratulate Brad Armstrong. Armstrong replaced Tim Horner, who left the company in August. Despite the match not being announced as a no-DQ match, Kevin Sullivan is not disqualified when Al Perez interferes in the match. Dusty Rhodes won the match by pinning Gary Hart and not the legal opponent Kevin Sullivan. The bout was originally scheduled as Rhodes and Dick Murdoch vs Al Perez and Ron Garvin. Garvin left the company in August and the bout was changed. Ivan Koloff had manager Paul Jones and The Russian Assassin at ringside. After accidentally costing Koloff the match Paul Jones and the Russian Assassin attacked Koloff soon joined by a second masked Russian Assassin turning Koloff face. Barry Windham was disqualified after hitting Sting with a chair. The referee didn't actually see the chair shot but is informed of it by San Francisco 49er John Ayers who came to ringside.
National Wrestling Alliance (World Championship Wrestling)
Clash of the Champions IV: Season's Beatings
Clash of the Champions IV took place on December 7, 1988, at the UTC Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was the first Clash of the Champions following the sale of Jim Crockett Promotions to Turner Broadcasting and the subsequent company name change to World Championship Wrestling. There were 8,000 people in attendance and the show drew a 4.5 rating on TBS. This show set up Starrcade '88. It was on this show that TBS/WCW experimented with a top down camera angle, which did not catch on. This is comparable to the "refer-eye" camera from Halloween Havoc '91. This was the finals of the tournament to crown new United States Tag Team champions; the titles were vacated when the Midnight Express won the NWA World Tag Team titles in September. Ron Simmons and Eddie Gilbert had originally lost to the Sheepherders in the semi-finals but the decision was reversed when the Sheepherders signed with the World Wrestling Federation to become the Bushwhackers. Both losing finalists would later win the title with other partners (Big Josh and Rick Steiner respectively.) Ivan Koloff pinned Paul Jones after hitting him with Jones’ own illegal object. Koloff had one arm tied behind his back during the entire match. The Russian Assassins attacked Koloff after the match only for the Junkyard Dog to make the save. Dusty Rhodes was disqualified for hitting Road Warrior Animal with a chair. Both Hawk and Sting had already interfered in the match. The Road Warriors chose Genichiro Tenryu to be the 3rd champion on the December 10th edition of NWA World Championship Wrestling.
Clash of the Champions V: St. Valentine's Massacre
Clash of the Champions V took place on February 15, 1989, at the Cleveland Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio. There were 5,000 people in attendance and the show drew a 4.6 rating on TBS. This show was warm up show for the Chi-Town Rumble PPV only 5 days later. Steven Casey was billed as "undefeated" coming into this match. The masked Blackmailer was Jack Victory who did double duty on the night (he was also Russian Assassin #2) Mike Rotunda replaced Kevin Sullivan in the match, Sullivan and Williams originally won the US titles. The main event match was declared a double disqualification when Sting, Junkyard Dog and Michael Hayes stormed the ring. Sting, JYD and Hayes were originally slated to face the Road Warriors and Tenryu but were locked in by Kevin Sullivan before the match. A Ric Flair scheduled interview resulted in a Ricky Steamboat confrontation and an unscheduled in-ring, and out-of-ring, brawl, resulting in Flair losing all his clothes except his socks and trunks. The ring announcer for the night was former IWA and WWF Play-by-Play announcer Jack Reynolds. Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair had an in-ring contract signing for their match at Chi-Town Rumble.
There is a very entertaining review of this Clash Of The Champions on an episode of the We Can't Wrestle Podcast.
Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun
Clash of the Champions VI took place on April 2, 1989, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. There were 5,300 people in attendance and the show drew a 4.3 rating on TBS. This show was used to build the WrestleWar 1989 PPV on May 7. Clash VI was held on the same day as WrestleMania V and on free TV in an attempt to hurt the PPV rating as per the first Clash the previous year.
The Samoan Swat Team defeated The Midnight Express when Fatu hit Bobby Eaton with Paul E. Dangerously's phone without the referee seeing it. This was the continuation of the Jim Cornette/Paul E. Dangerously feud that started when Dangerously brought the "Original Midnight Express" to WCW.
The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) defeated The Road Warriors when Williams cradled Hawk for the pinfall. The match was marred by controversial officiating: referee Teddy Long refused to count a pinfall for the Road Warriors only moments before making a fast count on Williams pinning Hawk. Long was subsequently fired as a referee and became a manager.
NWA World Champion Ricky Steamboat was challenged by former champion Ric Flair in a two out of three falls match. The results of the falls were:
- Flair pinned Steamboat after reversing an inside cradle in the first fall (19:33)
- Steamboat forced Flair to submit with a double chickenwing in the second fall (34:54)
- Steamboat pinned Flair after a failed double chickenwing attempt. Flair fell on top of Steamboat, both men's shoulders were down, but Steamboat got his left shoulder up before the three count in the third fall (55:49).
The replay would show that Flair's foot was under the bottom rope, allowing him to get one last rematch at WrestleWar 1989.
In non-televised dark matches, Sting made Rip Morgan submit to the Scorpion Deathlock and Lex Luger forced Jack Victory to submit with the Torture Rack. The announcers stated during the main event that these were two "standby matches" which would be screened live should the World title match end early. Both matches were later shown on NWA World Championship Wrestling.
Matches 4, 5, and 6 are edited out on the WWE Network showing.