Ric Flair vs. Road Warrior Hawk

[7.0] "This was a fun one. On one hand there's Road Warrior Hawk, who looks damn near invincible and just shrugs off a lot of offense. On the other hand, there's Ric Flair who cheats at every possible moment to gain the advantage. These two worked very well together, and it made for a compelling match (helped by the hot crowd). Shame that it ended with a cheap DQ finish though. ***1/2"

[5.0] "I did not like this as much as the previous match and not as much as previous Flair matches I have seen from the years before that. Hawk in a singles setting feels pretty replaceable and I did not believe he had a chance to win here. Flair did a good job as always but the overall chemistry was not amazing and, as already said, the missing excitement took quite a bit of enjoyment out of this. The DQ finish was obviously not the way I want to see any title match end."

[6.0] "This match was a pleasant surprise, with Flair gradually liquefying in the face of Hawk's power. The chemistry between the two wrestlers is just right. The wrestling is varied and the rhythm of the match gradually builds up to this beautiful sequence from the ref bump. The DQ ending is a bit sad, but it's also a way of making Flair look like a coward just after Hawk's no sell. In-ring quality: 1.5/4. Stakes: 2/2. Justification: 0.25/1. Place on the card: 0.75/1. Suspense: 0.25/1. Bonus/Malus: none. Total: 5.75/10. Match seen on WWE Network."

[7.0] "Terrific heel performance from Flair and Hawk's usual no selling of everything actually worked in the match's favour for large parts of it. DQ finish was absolutely horrendous though and ruined a match that was on the verge of becoming pretty great. There were so many better ways they could have got out of the match with the belt still on Flair and Hawk looking unstoppable."

[7.0] "Well, another big Ric Flair match with an underwhelming ending. It's a shame, because the lazy DQ finish left a bad taste in my mouth, but everything else was perfect. Hawk's no selling worked wonders here, mainly because he was the only one in NWA to do it and their timing of these no sells was phenomenal. Flair as a heel was fantastic here and he really made the powerhouse babyface look like million dollars and even when he got some offense in it was because of the cheating. A very good match with a disappointing finish, but still a great one."

[8.0] "This match is a real showcase of Ric Flair cowardly heel tactics. Ric Flair makes Hawk look like an absolute beast, and makes himself look like the biggest scumbag in the world. As someone who started watching Pro Wrestling with AEW, I now see where MJF gets his stuff from."

[9.0] "Underrated world title match, for my money. Flair had a particular talent for fighting musclebound tough guy challengers and making them look great, and while Hawk I don't think needs a huge amount of help to look great, they still worked this one together really well. Are there better Flair defenses? Absolutely, but even so this was classic and the crowd loved it."

[6.0] "Of course Hawk got over during this match, he no sold everything Flair had! Most of Flair's 80s broomstick matches involved various wrestlers just following his lead. That's the case here. Hawk is just along for the ride. It's headed for 'good' territory until the last few minutes, which includes a terrible ref bump for Dick Kroll where suspension of disbelief has to take a couple of extra steps."

[7.0] "Really fun title match. Hawk looks like the Terminator in the early goings of the match - constantly coming forward and impervious to pain. Flair eventually manages to take control after a low blow. They did a good job making you question what Flair could possibly do to keep Hawk down, but unfortunately this wasn't a question that the match actually answered as it ended with a weak DQ following some really pathetic looking chair shots. An unfortunate way to end what was otherwise a really enjoyable bout."

[7.0] "I love the match trope of "Ric Flair makes a top tag team wrestler look great/strong with a world title match showing." Flair makes Hawk look great here. This was a fun match, with a fun dynamic."

[7.0] "A well-contested match between a Ric Flair in his prime, and a truly unstoppable beast in Hawk. They certainly made Hawk look like a machine, here, too, with Flair having to pull every trick out of the book to get one over on him, leaving him bloodied, and Hawk still refusing to back down. It's a bit of an underwhelming one thanks to the blatant chair shot DQ ending, not to mention the ref spending about three years unconscious for part of it in a way-too-long spot, but it's still a very good match besides."

[6.0] "Hawk looks like an untouchable force in this match against the GOAT. Flair uses his classic tactics to get by. Multiple low blows, check. Using the gate outside to his advantage, check. Relentlessly attacking a weak body part, check. Using the ropes for leverage, check. Once Hawk's leg becomes the target after a missed dive, you see Flair do what he does best. He sells as good as anyone ever has and squeaks by keeping the title void of any ethics. Nobody scrapes by to victory better than Ric Flair. DQ finish cheapens it slightly but Hawk comes out showing even in singles he could dominate. ***1/4"

[7.0] "If you don't consider the disqualification in the end, this is a great match, Ric Flair was over the top, Hawk with a big chance to impress outside of the tag team division. The crowd was interested and it was good before the DQ. ***1/2"

[7.0] "A solid match with a disappointing ending. Both work well together and Flair looks great as one would expect."

[6.0] "Considered a classic. I remember all of the pictures in books and magazines from this match of Hawk's military presses and Flair's blade job. WWE network allows me to finally see the match. Can Ric Flair literally make anyone look like a million bucks or what? Flair applied his typical program. Hawk didn't sell any chops and powered out of the figure four. Nice vertical suplex and good execution throughout. Ref bump and chair shots. Well, chair touches more like. Flair took the DQ after Hawk didn't sell anything late in the match. By hook or by crook was the thing back in the day by the heel champions. Still would have been nice to get a clean finish."