Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat

The Story Behind The Magic

1989 was a special year that saw Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat have a trilogy of matches for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

From February through to May 7th, 1989, Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat clashed over the coveted NWA title.

At Chicago’s Chi-Town Rumble on February 20th, Steamboat defeated Flair to capture his first-ever NWA world title. The two would meet again at Clash of the Champions VI on April 2nd, which ran opposite of Hogan/Savage at WrestleMania V, in a two-out-of-three-falls match where Steamboat won the 55-minute encounter two falls to one.

The final bout between the two took place just a month later on May 7th at WrestleWar: Music City Showdown in Nashville, Tennesse. It was there where Flair regained the belt with pro wrestling legends Lou Thesz, Pat O’Connor, and Terry Funk looking on as official judges from ringside.

"One of my greatest blessings was the day Ricky Steamboat walked into the office of Jimmy Crockett in Charlotte, North Carolina."

Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat Open Up about Their Legendary Feud

"I felt like they killed it. All those matches are different. The effort was intense. The professionalism was A-plus. I knew when we did them; they were special."

Jim Ross on the Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat Feud and Where It Ranks Today

"You had two artists out there. They raised everybody’s game."

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