Flair/Arn v Dusty/Garvin (and the crowd goes wild)

Ric Flair & Arn Anderson v Dusty Rhodes & Ron Garvin (Worldwide, 2/22/86)

These Worldwide crowds are insane. It's consistent, ballistic heat; obviously more so when your Dustys and Flairs are in there, but it's not just a star power thing. Every episode from around this period has some of the best crowds ever in wrestling. It's very awesome. This was also a wonderful little five minutes. It's a hyper-condensed southern style tag and they make the absolute most of every second. Flair gets beaten from pillar to post in the first minute and I loved his spin on the Flop, the way he reached out to make the tag only to fall on his face. Then Garvin yanked him back up by the trunks, Flair's bare backside exposed to everyone, and swiftly chopped him back down to the mat. Dusty was outrageous in this. A complete whirlwind of charisma and his crowd connection was something otherworldly. He drops both Flair and Arn with an amazing double punch combo in their corner (after they try to hem him in there), runs over and leans out to give Baby Doll a kiss, then gives Garvin a kiss, then catches an onrushing Flair with an unbelievable flurry of jabs and elbows, then Flair turns around and sort of collapses in Tommy Young's arms. It's genuinely one of the greatest ten seconds I've ever seen in a match. I watched it six times in a row and I'll watch it six more times after I write this. Arn's look of sheer contempt when he finally gets in the ring is spectacular -- a man who is sick to the back teeth of this plumber's son. Add a great finish with maybe the biggest pop in recorded history and this is one of the best five minute matches there's ever been.