Flair v Dusty (they wrestled each other once or twice)

Ric Flair v Dusty Rhodes (JCP, 3/9/86)

This was good. I'm mostly whatever on Flair v Dusty at this point and maybe it's just because their matches have all sort of blended together now, but this one stood out enough that it might be one of their best together. Or at least distinguishable from the rest, but maybe that's because I just watched it right there, but then maybe not. Only goes 19 minutes, which feels short for a Flair arena match from around this period. Flair gets much more offence than I'd have figured and controls for about ten minutes. Dusty shucks and jives early, then Flair just kicks him in the ankle to take over. We get some leg work and even a lengthy figure-four, and when it looks like Dusty is ready to go on a run of offence Flair manages to flip it and stay in control. Dusty doesn't really sell the leg much when Flair isn't actively working it over, but he does at least draw attention to it once when he takes a spill out to the floor. When we get to the Flair on the Ropes portion there's a great bit where Flair initially starts begging off after a flurry of elbows, then maybe decides he's had enough and gets belligerent, so Dusty casually flips him off and drops him with another elbow. Hebnar (any of them) refereeing in Crockett will always be weird to me, but he was never afraid to take a loony toon bump and he really knocked this one out the park. I thought Dusty was no longer allowed to wear his protective boot during matches, but the finish is him being DQd for whacking Flair with said boot (after Flair scored a huge nearfall by whacking Dusty with it), then losing the plot and whacking Hebnar with it too. If I was Earl (or Dave) I'd have fucked off to the WWF as well. A much better working environment, I'm sure.