Center Stage was rocking for this. I thought Flair was tremendous as a fired up babyface. Muta's targeting of Flair's leg was so great. He used traditional spots, and mixed in some unique spots to tell the story. Hell he even used sand bags. I like the back and forth in this. It had a real edge in the work. When Flair went to work on the knees it had a real drama and this shit is on feel to it. Flair is on the verge and then the heels all come out and lay waste to him.

NWA World Heavyweight Title: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair © vs. The Great Muta (11/16/89)

What a TV main event this is and I love that Muta's facepaint is Great Kabukiesque. Flair started the match trying to keep Muta grounded on the mat which was the smart strategy to weaken him. Muta would counter though and he would use his ankle locks to work on Flair's legs including the Muta Lock. Center Stage is molten hot for Flair throughout and Flair the most over guy in that building at the time which said a lot. Muta constantly works over Flair's left leg but Flair fights back valiantly on the floor trading shots with Muta and this sets the tone for Flair's comeback as he starts firing away on Muta setting up for the Figure-Four. Flair has Muta in big trouble and then gets the Figure-Four when Dragon Master ran in for the DQ. Flair then puts the Figure-Four on Dragon Master on the floor as Muta sprayed Flair with some red mist then Sawyer ran out and it's 2-on-1 as the fans chant for Sting who isn't there. Muta hits the Moonsault on Flair with Sawyer making the count. The match was very good and the angle afterwards was hot so I'm putting this up as a solid nomination.