Ric Flair won Group A by living up to his moniker as the dirtiest player in the game. His underhanded tactics helped him win at least a couple of his five matches. He’s the first to advance to the final 16.
Records:
1. Ric Flair 5-0
2. Drew McIntyre 4-1
3. Goldberg 3-2
4. Paul Orndorff 2-3
5. Samoa Joe 1-4
6. R-Truth 0-5
King of the Ring III Home Page
Round 1
Drew McIntyre d. Goldberg by DQ — It was all Goldberg early but McIntyre survived a couple of Jackhammers. He turned things around with a Glasgow Kiss and it turned into a wild brawl. It continued outside of the ring, where McIntyre baited Goldberg into using a chair, and he was disqualified.
Ric Flair d. Paul Orndorff by submission — Flair was in control from almost start to finish. His second effort at a Figure Four caused Orndorff to tap out.
Samoa Joe d. R-Truth by DQ — A wild match went back-and-forth with reversal after reversal. R-Truth hit an early finisher, but Joe had no problem kicking out. At the end, both wrestlers were worn out. A back-body drop by Joe sent Truth to the concrete floor, and he couldn’t recover in time to get back in the ring before the 10 count.
Round 2
Goldberg d. Samoa Joe by pinfall — Both wrestlers went dirty in this one. Joe hit Goldberg with a foreign object and had two straight pinfall attempts, but Goldberg powered out. Later, when they were brawling out of the ring, Goldberg slammed Joe into the ring bell. Goldberg rolled Joe back into the ring and finished him off with a Jackhammer.
Drew McIntyre d. Paul Orndorff by pinfall — McIntyre dominated, but it took a while to put Orndorff away. Orndorff kicked out of a Claymore early on, and it took a while for McIntyre to land another one, but once he did it was over.
Ric Flair d. R-Truth by pinfall — Truth gave Flair all he could handle and was on the verge of victory. But Flair went into his bag of tricks and secured a pinfall despite having a hand full of Truth’s tights.
Round 3
Ric Flair d. Drew McIntyre by submission — It was a wild match between the last two undefeated wrestlers. Late in the match, McIntyre hit Flair with a steel chair and went for the pin, but Flair somehow kicked out. McIntyre lined Flair up for a Claymore, but once again, Flair kicked out. Shocked that he hadn’t won, McIntyre took his eye off Flair, who hit a low blow and put McIntyre into the Figure Four, and that was it.
Paul Orndorff d. Samoa Joe by pinfall — If there were time-limit draws, this would have been one, as the two battled for what seemed an eternity. Both men were worn out, but neither could hit a finisher until Orndorff finally came through with the Spike Piledriver.
Goldberg d. R-Truth by pinfall — It was almost a major upset, as R-Truth had Goldberg on the ropes at one point. Truth somehow survived three Jackhammers, but not the fourth.
Round 4
Drew McIntyre d. R-Truth by pinfall — McIntyre stunned Truth with a Claymore right off the bat, then landed another one shortly thereafter to finish Truth off.
Goldberg d. Paul Orndorff by pinfall — After a series of tough matches, Goldberg won this one in a squash, hitting two quick Jackhammers for the victory.
Ric Flair d. Samoa Joe by submission — Round 4 featured three short matches, and this was the shortest one yet. Flair stayed undefeated by taking down Joe immediately, hitting him with a shinbreaker, and putting on the Figure Four. That was all he needed.
Round 5
Drew McIntyre d. Samoa Joe by pinfall — They threw a lot of haymakers in a short match. There were four finishing attempts, three by McIntyre. His third Claymore put Joe down for good, and kept McIntyre’s hopes of advancing alive.
Paul Orndorff d. R-Truth by pinfall — One, two, three Spike Piledrivers by Orndorff sent Truth to his fifth straight loss.
Ric Flair d. Goldberg by submission — Flair went dirty again, hitting Goldberg with a chair. Flair nearly won the match by pinfall, but the referee noticed at the last moment that he had his feet on the ropes. Goldberg powered back and took the advantage momentarily, but Flair wore him down and snapped on the Figure Four, and Goldberg eventually had to tap.
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 