[2005-11-01-WWE-Taboo Tuesday] HHH vs Ric Flair (Cage)

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWE Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair vs Triple H - WWE Taboo Tuesday 2005 Steel Cage Match

 

I have fond memories of this feud as it was well-built with lots of hatred and blood. Like many feuds in this era, I never saw the PPV match. I thought this was tremendous. Unless the Michaels match is a lot better than I remember, this is hands down the best Flair match of the 2000s. Buckets of blood and hate. I thought Flair was his old energetic self. Even the usually milquetoast Triple H feels like a violent bully in this.

 

Liked the beginning with Flair taking it right to Triple H with his big hammock right chops and punches. He was pissed from the beatings from HHH and he wanted to kick some ass. I love HHH's use of the high knee as a cutoff. You see HHH gradually beat Flair down with the spinebuster and then busting him open on the steel. Now Flair is in a bad way. Flair is already a bloody pulp and HHH is ready to leave over the cage. Flair meets him on top rope with big chops. Nice headbutts from HHH. HHH gets a chain, but eats a boot. Flair gets kneecrusher, but HHH punches him with chain to avoid the figure-4. So HHH to add insult to injury applies figure-4 on Flair. Love Flair hollering and then flipping HHH off. Flair is so fucking awesome. Flair kicks HHH off on second attempt into the cage bloodying him. Flair is awesome here. He lunges at HHH, chopping and punching. Raking the forehead across the cage. Flair delayed vertical. Flair is feeling it right now. Chop block on the knee. Great knee work leading to the Figure-4, baby!!! Flair flips off HHH again, love it! HHH is selling in the figure-4 really well. HHH breaks the hold by throwing ref into Flair. Flair hits a massive low blow and heads for the door. HHH stops him, but Flair brings in a chair. This could be bad for Flair. Testicular Claw by Flair, oh Lord with all that roid usage surprised there is much to grab. Flair tees off with the chair and wins the match, but looks like a battered man.

 

Slow grinding war with tons of blood and violence. Flair brought that characteristic energy and charm that was missing from most of his 2000s matches, but here he mustered it up. Loved the blood and the steel cage felt really Crockett. I know that's what they were going for. HHH was methodical, but in a way that was not boring. He built to breaking Flair down then got caught when he wanted to try to humiliate Flair by winning Figure-4 and that pride cost him in the match. Once he went into the cage, he never recovered. Flair did a great job on offense! Energy, hard-hitting, logical. Thought the finish was very definitive. Great throwback, violent cage match. ****

[SmartMark15]

I thought this was fantastic. The two of them just went in there and absolutely tried to maul each other. Triple H's Ric Flair cosplay finally meant something and Flair put on one of the most compelling babyface performances of his career. This is the babyface Flair that I grew up with when I first started watching wrestling and this may just be the peak of his powers as a babyface--entirely bloodied up but always trying to get back in there with a lot of fight and a lot of shortcuts. They just played their characters excellently. The blood, oh the blood. I hate to be one of those guys, but the blood really did add so much to this match. Made everything feel more real and more urgent. I'm glad they didn't overdo escape attempts through the door and that the attempts made added to the story as a whole especially with Flair dragging the chair in. Great feel good moment to see Flair retain against Triple H.

 

****1/2