Posted January 17, 200818 yr comment_5427221 Ric Flair vs. Brett Sawyer (2/3 falls) (30:10) - First fall starts off working Flair's long match formula. No rushing, headlocks, tests of strength, etc. However, the crowd is just going nuts for this match. Still, pretty solid with only one botched spot I could think of where Flair they collide and neither man could figure out who was supposed to sell the shot. Sawyer takes a nice bump off a Flair knee to the midsection where he drops headfirst to the concrete. This was setup all because Flair took advantage of Sawyer when Saywer thought Flair would break because he was on the ropes. Flair takes over and spends the remainder of the fall abusing Sawyer, tossing him around, throwing him outside the ring, executing moves designed to put Sawyer away like the shoulder breaker and gut wrench suplex. At the end of the fall, Flair is trying to put him away with the Figure 4 but Sawyer small packages him to score the upset pin. If this fall were its own match, I would not have nominated it. Secoond fall, Flair is pissed and takes it to Sawyer. Flair goes for a knee drop on Sawyer's head but Sawyer grabs the leg with his hands and applies his own Figure 4 in a spot that made the crowd erupt. Sawyer attempts a flying body press that ends up being reversed by Flair for the pin. I must have missed it but the match either cut off after a fall apiece or I missed a fall inbetween somewhere. As it stands, it is a nomination but I want to know if I have the complete match. I'll have to rewatch it. (Lynch Portland 7.1)
April 13, 201115 yr comment_5469804 Pre-match stuff with Rose and Flair talking shit over the house mic was awesome. They go to the Flair amateur wrestling stuff that was a staple and man does Flair the hell out of Sawyer finally catching him with a big shot. The crowd is going insane and Sawyer takes some big time bumps for Flair's offense. Loved the way he took the atomic drop especially. I liked the way they sort of went into slugfest mode and Flair gook the first fall cleanly but in a non-definitive way which is ideal for a 2/3 Falls traveling champ match. Man the crowd is still rabid for the second fall. The crossbody near fall for Sawyer was great. Flair's atomic drop sell job is fucking awesome. They flub a spot here, but then Sawyer does the Buddy Rose style backward through the ropes bump and it looked great so I forgave them. Flair starts unloading offense after a posting with a shoulder breaker and a nice gut wrench suplex. Flair ends up in total control, but gets caught going for the figure four with a cradle to even things up. Flair opens up in control in the third and hits a piledriver early. Sawyer blocks a piledriver with a back body drop. Sawyer gets a figure-four locked on at one point. Finish was pretty sloppy, but this was still an enjoyable match.
May 2, 201114 yr comment_5470703 Sawyer was a good opponent for Flair. He really came off as someone who wanted to compete hard every minute and Ric was a guy who always wanted to be doing something. So the match was never boring. Sawyer actually outbumped Flair, and I liked the way they traded falls without either guy really establishing dominance. The layout fed the crowd's desire to believe, and they loved the figure four turnabout in the third fall. Finish was a little sloppy but this was entertaining enough to make the set.
