WCW Starrcade 1998

This was, at least, the main event built up to be a big show: Undefeated Goldberg against Kevin Nash for the WCW Title. Can we stomach so much ego in one ring? We shall soon see!

1 Juvi Juice v. Rey Mysterio v. Billy Kidman- 8
Wow! This was freaking Icecapades Awesome! Okay, it was even better than seeing bad actors in costumes with ice skates on. Even still, these three seemed to glide across the ring with the greatest of ease and the most kick of ass of spots. It was really refreshing to see these guys again when they were still young and would try anything. Rey would just grab Juvi by the neck, like he was a bad German Shephard, and give him a hurricanrana out to the floor. One of the best three ways I've seen in recent memory. I would have like to see it get more time, but for the pace they kept, this was really appropriate.

2 Billy Kidman v. Eddie Guerrero- 5
Wow! Kidman wrestled again, but he was kind of a salty slug in this second match. But, matter not, because Eddie was deep in most heelish of moods- he had on cowboy boots, tight Levi's and a mullet that could choke a giraffe. There was some funny stuff with Rey hitting Juvi on the head with Eddie's boot on the outside, plus Juvi was wearing Eddie's leather jacket like he was his popular high school girlfriend. Both guys, in-ring, were hitting good stuff and Eddie was eventually pinned with a bomb ass Shooting Star. Great effort by all the guys involved, especially Kidman for hanging in there.

3 Norman Smiley v. Prince Ieakeau- 4
Everybody's favorite faux hardcore, screaming TNA jobber was in rare form in this Starrcade clinic. A match featuring two guys who combine a single fan's appreciation in the whole building got over 15 minutes to show their stuff… at Starrcade! Nash had the book; I guess he had an affinity for tiny wrestling shoes and Hawaiian dudes…much like I heard his wife does! Norman kind of just played with the Prince like they were in the Power plant before finally, eventually, pulling him into a Chicken wing. The finish was good, though.

4 The Cat v. Saturn- 2
We were discussing Saturn's failed singles career and then we realized the Cat had a pretty Shitay one himself. Sonny Onoo was at ringside doing his best impression of a moving Twinkie ( he was wearing a bright yellow ring coat.) This match was a joke, and the punchline was as funny as Scott Hall taking a dump on Sunny's hotel room food, well, wait a minute, that was pretty funny, okay, as funny as Scott Hall puking on Lex Luger on Nitro, well, hold on a second, that was damn funny as well, okay, it was as funny as Scott Hall's life falling apart.. Fine, the match was bad.

5 Brian Adams/ Scott Norton v. Fit Finlay/ Jerry Flynn- 4
If you're scratching your head looking at those 4 names, you're doing the same thing we were. This was an example of Bischoff over saturing New World Order to everyone. I thought this match had some potential in the stiffness department, but it was Finlay and Flynn that were pummeled.

6 Chris Jericho v. Konnan- 3
Jericho was pounded into dog food in a rather quick fashion in this throwaway, Nitro-esque match. Not a lot happened in this match; they went outside very briefly and put together some badly contrived spots with the steel steps, then they got back in the ring and Konnan got the duke.

'7 Eric Bischoff v. Ric Flair- 1
The setup for this match was the highest ratings Nitro had gotten in a while, when the Horsemen reformed- I guess someone( Bischoff/ Nash) thought it would be cool to do a match from it. Well, let me tell you, it reeked of stinktitude( if I may borrow a line from some second rate TNA talent). Flair got a few stiffy chops in on Easy E, but after that Curt Henning, in a bright blue tuxedo, showed up and gave Bischoff a "foreign object" that he used to beat Flair. Let's pause and accept this as wrestling reality and then move on.

8 The Giant v. Diamond Dalls Page- 5
I hadn't actually seen a DDP match in quite some time, but he still cared at this time in the game, luckily for us, because this match could have easily have been a long, slow, suicide thoughts ridden match. But, Page pulled some excitement out of Giant and Giant had to pull his knee out of Page's severed back after a sick backbreaker. They had a cool finish that I didn’t' see coming, as well as a Bret Hart run-in. Bret in WCW… God, there's so much material there, I just can't wrap my brain around it. He looked like I did in the 6th grade with high shorts and sneakers on. Maybe he thought it was recess, or thought he would revert back to childhood and pretend he didn't have a cow of a wife and a bad career going.

9 Kevin Nash v. Goldberg- 5
The historic streak ended, due to Nash's own politicking and he got the belt at the end of this match. It wasn't long, nor was it bad per se. Neither guy had much emotion in their sells; the only one Nash even made a facial for was when he was legitmately hurt from a rib breaker. Disco, Bamm Bam and Hall all had a hand in interfering, which brought down the score a little bit; as well as the scowling contest the two wrestlers had in the ring, which I'm sure is better than the Bratwurst eating blowjob event that would take place later that night with a pound of frozen dogs and the Nitro Girls. But, the crowd surprisingly erupted when the match was over, even if WCW had just washed their biggest draw down the toilet. It went down the drain much easier than Luger's murder weapon would a few years later.

WCW Starrcade ‘98

1 Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Billy Kidman - 8
2. Billy Kidman vs. Eddie Guerrero - 4
3. Norman Smiley vs. Prince Iaukea - 5
4. The Cat vs. Perry Saturn - 2
5. Brian Adams and Scott Norton v. Fit Finlay and Jerry Flynn - 4
6. Chris Jericho vs. Konnan - 3
7. Eric Bischoff vs. Ric Flair - 1
8. The Giant vs. Diamond Dalls Page - 5
9. Kevin Nash vs. Goldberg - 5

The opening three-way dance was exquisite. While watching it, I absolutely couldn’t get enough. It was fast-paced action, to say the least, with all three guys really working hard and sacrificing to entertain us. I’d take this over any Ring of Honor three-way any day of the week – here we didn’t just get crazy spot one after another, but brilliant crafted storytelling amidst the mayhem. I’d forgotten how good these guys were during this era. Directly afterwards, Eddie Guerrero saunters down to ringside and pummels Kidman in an impromptu match. Billy essentially played Eddie’s bitch, crawling around the ring, as the mullet-sporting madman went to town all over him. Kidman scored the surprise victory, however, with a sensational shooting star press that made me pour my fruit punch over my own head in excitement.

Smiley and Iaukea had no story that I could discern, and went a tad long given that crucial missing element; however, it was largely well-wrestled and Smiley’s submission finish was a pleasant surprise. Saturn and The Cat was extremely bad, and should have been reserved for an episode of WCW Thunder, and not given valuable time on their supposed biggest pay-per-view of the year.

The following tag match featured four big brutes, and managed to be mildly entertaining the short time it lasted. Jerry Flynn just looked ridiculous, with his larger than life mullet, and goofy look plastered on his face. I thought Jericho and Konnan might be worthwhile, but was definitely disappointed when all we actually got was nothing more than a mere glorified squash.

Bischoff and Flair was bad – I’d rather them had a public debate, airing each other’s dirty laundry, so to speak, than put us through this debacle. Both looked in no shape to be performing, and would have been better suited doing heroin with their respective trophy wives. DDP and Giant had a basic match, utilizing the familiar “big man bullies little man” formula, with the only memorable moment being a devastating backbreaker by Giant that likely had Page pissing blood for the next couple days.

Goldberg and Nash was a spectacle, that much is certain, but arguably a letdown in terms of what the crowd anxiously anticipated. It’s important in terms of historical significance, as Nash ended Goldberg’s infamous winning streak here, but otherwise patently insulting. The interference by Disco Inferno (whom I loathe), Bam Bam Bigelow, and Scott Hall didn’t help matters. I’m sure later that night, in a Washington D.C. strip club, over an order of chicken wings and draft beer, Bill and Kevin shared a laugh or two over how much money they were making, and how little they truly cared about the business and individuals who made them stars.

WCW Starrcade '90

1 Z-Man v. Bobby Eaton- 3
2 Team South Africa (Col. Deklerk/ Sgt. Kruger) v. Team USA (Steiner Brothers)- 0 3 Team Britain (Chris Adams/ Norman Smiley) v. Team Mexico (Konnan/ Rey Misteric)- 1
4 Team New Zealand (Jacko Victory/ Rip Morgan) v. Team Japan (Great Muta/ Masa Saito)- 2
5 Team Canada (Troy Montour/ Bull Johnson) v. Team U.S.S.R (Victor Zangiev/ Salmon Hashmikov)- 0
6 Terry Taylor v. Michael Wall Street- 3
7 Skyscrapers v. Big Cat/ Motor City Madman-1
8 Freebirds v. Ricky Morton/ Tommy Rich- 3
9 Team Mexico (Misteric/ Konnan) v. Team USA (Steiner Brothers)- 1
10 Team Japan (Saito/ Muta) v. Team U.S.S.R (Zangiev/ Hashmikov)- 2
11 Stan Hansen v. Lex Luger (Bullrope Match)- 4
12 Doom v. Arn Anderson/ Barry Windham (Street Fight)- 6
13 Team Japan (Muta/ Saito) v. Team USA (Steiner Brothers)- 6
14 Sting v. Black Scorpion (Cage)- 3

Man, this was a massive card! We start out with Zenk-Eaton( which Zenk was on a 35 match winning streak as told by his info card before the match. Remember when stats made matches seem more real and important?) Anyways, the content itself was really ambitious and not everything worked. Both men could throw great punches and could sail from the top rope tremendously. If this was a tighter match, it could have been pretty good. Next, we have our international tag tournament. Steiners mauled this team from South Africa (of all countries, why did they get a team?), including a brilliantly no sold front flip from the "high flyer" of the team onto Rick outside. He held his legs at the ankle, as if just having fucked him from a sitting position and laughed. (reminds me of my first time.) Britain and Mexico got along as well as their food mixes inside the digestive system of a human being. Then, we had New Zealand(again, why that country?) who got crushed by an extrememly poised Japanese combo. And finally, the worst match of the show featuring four guys who really looked as lost as could be. The Ruskies got the duke after a flubbed 2 count. The crowd looked as stupified as Jim Ross did as he saw Paul Heyman sitting next to him, open up a Magic 8-ball and inject the liquid content into his veins.

Next, we have Wall Street and Taylor. They had a 8:32 time limit. Go figure. Very basic stuff. The Skyscrapers blew through their large opponents then played a game where they fought with their own sense of morality on trying to figure out if they wanted to break Madman's neck. The Freebirds had a face painted Jamaican transvestite with them at ringside. All 4 of these guys could punch and really work a good tag to a degree, but none of them exhibited the latter quality in this bland encounter. Mexico and USA locked up in a wretched affair and again Rick no-sold and laughed it off. The announce team found it proper to point out the massive bruise that had developed on Misteric's ass. Then, Japan and Russia traded a few Germans, but ultimately ended in non-fabulous fashion.

Luger was pulled like a stubborn horse to what became an alltogether mess with Hansen. It is rare you can see a US Hansen match, but after you do, you could see why he moved to Japan (also because he likes those little sushimi rolls and sex with underage, pale skinned women and he was already banned from the local teenage morgue.) The street fight was refreshing and ahead of it's time. Both teams potatoed each other and bled real good, just like in a real street fight! And just because it finished uglier than Hacksaw Duggan's wife doesn't mean they would stop fighting. Now, that's dedication! The Tourney finals finally injected some actual wrestling into the darned lost cause and kept me entertained with both teams showing off their vast array of suplexes and the size of their pricks. The main event had it's flaws: first, the Bruiser was the ref and he looked like a fucking mascot for Long John Silvers. Then, Flair(who was under the mask) desperately tried to wrestle like he was someone else and while I admire his attention to detail, why strive to be anyone else when you are already best in the world? Sting took a good cage bump, but even his crowd heat couldn't make this worthwhile.

Overall, a fun show to watch but quality wise, not the best.

WCW Starrcade 1990

Oh my God! It’s the Black Scorpion!! … And he seriously sucks.

1) Bobby Eaton vs. Tom Zenk – 4
This was an entertaining bout that had it’s share of miscues. There was a nice suplex on the ramp and Jim Ross compared Eaton to a NASA satellite. Hmmm. Eaton won with a small package after Zenk missed a top-rope dropkick. A good opener that set a decent pace.

2) The Steiner Brothers (Team USA) vs. Sgt. Krueger & Col. DeKlerk (Team South Africa) – 2
This was the first round of the Pat O’Connor Tag Team Tournament (hereby referred to as the POC3T) and it was a total squash. Krueger and DeKlerk were supposedly from South Africa and made the trip only to get their asses beat by the Steiners. I forget who tried a top rope dive on Rick Steiner on the floor but it didn’t work as Steiner just kinda caught him and did nothing.

3) Norman Smiley & Chris Adams (Team England) vs. Rey Misterio & Konnan (Team Mexico) – 3
Another first round match in the POC3T. This was somewhat competitive and it was cool to see Smiley before he started screaming. Misterio’s name was misspelled on the graphic as “Misteric”. This did not belong on a pay-per-view. Misterio and Konnan advance to the delight of no one.

4) Jacko Victory & Rip Morgan (Team New Zealand) vs. The Great Muta & Mr. Saito (Team Japan) – 3
The third first round match in the POC3T. Victory and Morgan fought the good fight but alas, it twas not to be as they were squashed by Muta and Saito. I still have no idea on how New Zealand was decided upon for the tourney.

5) Danny “Bull” Johnson & Troy Montour (Team Canada) vs. Victor Zangiev & Salmon Hashimikov (Team USSR) – 2
The final first round POC3T match. The USSR contingent look like they have no pro training whatsoever except for the basics. I have no idea about the Canadian fellows. Crowd was really dead for this. The Russians advance to face Muta and Saito later.

6) Terry Taylor vs. Michael Wallstreet – 4
This had potential to be good but since both men are still working their same routine this doesn’t make it above the mid-card. Also, I need to point out that the York Foundation gimmick where the computer was used to formulate a gameplan against the opponent was pretty lame. Anyway, they kept it pretty basic here and the end result was a satisfying match that was won by Wallstreet.

7) The Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious & Dan Spivey) vs. The Big Cat & The Motor City Madman – 1
Big Cat is Curtis Hughes and after doing some research, I still have no idea who the Madman is. Anyway, this was a squash and Sid didn’t sell shit. Afterwards, the Skyscrapers choke Paul E. for fun during an interview.

8) Tommy Rich & Ricky Morton vs. The Freebirds – 4
Just like the opener and the Taylor/Wallstreet match, this had the potential to be good but it quickly became a mess. The match was just over six minutes and that was nowhere near long enough for these four to have a good match. There were also four guys in the ring at the time of the pinfall and I’m not exactly sure why.

9) The Steiner Brothers (Team USA) vs. Rey Misterio & Konnan (Team Mexico) – 2
And we’re back to the POC3T. Another squash for the Steiners as they move on in the tourney.

10) The Great Muta & Mr. Saito (Team Japan) vs. Victor Zangiev & Salmon Hashimikov (Team USSR) – 3
This is the other POC3T semi-final. Muta and Saito work the Soviets over and barely break a sweat to advance on to face the Steiner in the finals.

11) Lex Luger vs. Stan Hansen – Bullrope Match – 4
It’s usually a pleasure to see Hansen work high profile matches in the States but this was not one of them. They brawl outside the ring for the majority of the match. A ref bump later and Luger regains the US title. Nothing really notable except that Luger would end up being world champion in six months.

12) Barry Windham & Arn Anderson vs. Doom – Street Fight – 5
This was an awesome, old-school brawl. All four got busted open and just beat the crap out of each other for ten minutes straight! The finish came when Windham pinned Simmons and Anderson pinned Reed at the same time. The bout was eventually ruled a no contest but they just kept fighting. Definitely a classic matchup but the finish brought the score down.

13) The Steiner Brothers (Team USA) vs. The Great Muta & Mr. Saito (Team Japan) – 4
It’s the finals of the POC3T and did you really expect Team England to make it all the way? If you didn’t see this matchup coming then you need to stop reading right now. The teams got briefly stiff with each other but in all honesty, it didn’t go over too well. The Steiners won after Rick pinned Saito and were presented a gigantic trophy for beating two unknowns and a hard-ass Japanese contingent. Muta and Saito were presented with $20 gift certificates to Sushi World.

14) Sting vs. Black Scorpion (Ric Flair) – Cage Match – 4
This is the climax to perhaps one of the most infamous and craptastic angles of all time. I actually own a tape that has nothing but the interviews, matches, and vignettes that made up this angle. The reason this is being held in a cage is because numerous Scorpion impersonatators have interfered with Sting’s matches. Dick the Bruiser, who has a vague resemblance to Popeye, is also the referee for … um, yeah … I can’t think of a reason for him to be involved. The Scorpion came out to the ring in this really dumb spaceship after about five other people dressed as the Scorpion came to the ring. Anyway, the whole match is Flair trying to wrestle like he’s not Flair because the guy they picked for the role, a wrestler known as The Angel of Death, backed out at the end. Sting took some good cage bumps but not enough to salvage this match. Afterwards, there’s a huge run-in by the Horsemen and mega assault on Sting. Steiners come out with bolt cutters and break into the cage. Scorpion is revealed to be Flair as the show ends.

There’s really not much left to say about this one. The tag tournament took up the bulk of the show and everything around the first half was filler. The street fight and cage match are pretty interesting to watch, if nothing else.

WCW Starrcade ‘90

1. Tom Zenk vs. Bobby Eaton – 3
2. Team South Africa (Col. Deklerk and Sgt. Krueger) vs. Team USA (The Steiners) – 1
3. Team Britain (Norman Smiley and Chris Adams) vs. Team Mexico (Mysteric and Konnan) – 2
4. Team New Zealand (Jacko Victory and Rip Morgan) vs. Team Japan (Masa Saito and Great Muta) – 3
5. Team Canada (Bull Johnson and Troy Montour) vs. Team USSR (Victor Zangiev and Salmon Hasimkov) – 1
6. Michael Wallstreet vs. Terry Taylor – 4
7. Big Cat and Motor City Madman vs. Skyscrapers – 1
8. Tommy Rich and Ricky Morton vs. Fabulous Freebirds – 3
9. Team Mexico vs. Team USA – 2
10. Team USSR vs. Team Japan – 2
11. Lex Luger vs. Stan Hansen – Texas Lariat Match – 4
12. Doom vs. Arn Anderson and Barry Windham – Street Fight – 6
13. Team USA vs. Team Japan – 5
14. Black Scorpion vs. Sting – Steel Cage Match – 3

Starrcade entered into the 90’s with a huge show, filled to the brim with matches galore, including an international tag team tournament filled with racial stereotypes aplenty. The show started with Zenk and Eaton, and while it was fast-paced, they blatantly blew a handful of spots. Still, that being said, it wasn’t a bad opener. Then, we get right into our highly touted tournament. Team South Africa made absolute fools of themselves. The Steiners didn’t sell a damn thing for them – period. I laughed until I cried when one of the South Africans somersaulted over the top rope onto Steiner, who just sort of let the guy bounce off of him and go crashing to the floor upside down. Team Britain and Team Mexico had all the potential to be really good, but what we actually got was pretty unimpressive. Memorable moments included Mysteric taking a nasty bump to the floor, accidentally landing awkwardly on the nearby ring steps, and the Britain boys blundering through a double-team maneuver leaving Adams to fumble face-first into Norman’s crotch.

Team New Zealand featured two out-of-shape drunkards who were totally outclassed and outworked by the magnificent Team Japan. Muta’s kicks were crisp, and Saito is always a joy to watch operate. Team USSR were two hairy amateur types, and Team Canada (not to be confused with the horrible TNA incarnation) featured two stereotypes, including a “Indian chief” who looked like he should be standing in-front of a cigar store somewhere near a deciduous forest. Their match ended so abruptly that everyone seemed confused, including the ref, who was probably to preoccupied overanalyzing the new rash that was forming on his genitals.

Wallstreet and Taylor kept it simple, but solid, in a basic match void of much charisma or story. I think there was an angle being played out, involving the York Foundation, which would have been a totally useless stable save for Alexandra York’s epic tits and totally righteous laptop. The date rapists known as the Skyscrapers destroyed Big Cat (real creative name) and Motor City Madman (who looked like perennial ECW loser 911). Morton’s usual partner was injured, so he got Tommy Rich to fill-in, and they waged war against the Fabulous Freebirds who were sporting sequined suspenders and generic painted faces. It became a convoluted mess; though, as I predicted, and ended up a jumbled clutter much like Salmon Hasimikov’s underwear that night. I was excited about Team Mexico and Team USA, but it was over too quickly, and only noteworthy due to Konnan working weird submissions on Rick Steiner in the early goings. Team USSR looked completely out of place in a wrestling ring, and were better suited in Russia’s drug trafficking scene; Team Japan beat their asses soundly.

Luger was mauled by Hansen in their gimmick match, essentially a Texas bullrope match, but with a nifty new name that never caught on. Hansen’s a beast, and Luger’s a non-talented hack; when put together, they got through a moderately good match, but nothing worth seeking out. Hansen’s facials during sells are pretty fun, but Luger’s so brutally bad at acting hurt and selling pain that it nullifies Hansen’s contributions. Doom versus Windham and Anderson stole the show, in my humble opinion. It was a wild, wild brawl with a lot of intensity, stiffness, big bumps, and emotion. The finish was weak, with the ref doing two simultaneous counts at the same time, but otherwise, this was rather choice.

Team Japan versus Team USA ended with the Americans winning, of course – I recall as a kid, my brother and I both being pretty upset, as for whatever reason, I think because my brother thought Muta’s orally spraying of colored mist was cool, we were pulling for the foreigners. The match was building up nicely, but ended kind of inconclusively for my tastes. The main event was definitely weird, as Ric Flair was wrestling under the guise of Black Scorpion, and had to in effect, wrestle a completely different style which didn’t come off well at all. Flair’s movements were mechanical, almost distractingly so, and Sting couldn’t save this one from being a bust. Still, the aftermath is pretty wild, with all kinds of people fighting, including Dick the Bruiser who looked like an old fogy Popeye.

WCW Starrcade 93

1 2 cold Scorpio/ Marcus Bagwell v. Pretty Wonderful- 5

2 Awesome Kong v. Shockmaster- 1

3 Ricky Steamboat v. Lord Regal- 6

4 Tex Slazenger/ Shanghai Pierce v. Cactus Jack/ Maxx Payne- 2

5 Steve Austin v. Dustin Rhodes (2 of 3 Falls)- 5

6 Rick Rude v. The Boss- 6

7 Nasty Boys v. Sting/ Road Warrior Hawk- 4

8 Vader v. Ric Flair- 8

WCW had a wonderful, deep tag division at this time and this opener was a good argument for it. Pretty Wonderful were like the classic 80's team; over the top, colorful robes, and cutesy name. Both teams geled well together and put on a very likable first encounter. Our next match featured tons of fun, without the fun. Shockmaster literally looked as if he could have just gotten dressed to go out to a construction job, and was recruited to be at Starrcade. This only went about a minute, stretching the lengths of both men's abilities. Anytime you get to see the Dragon work, it's a treat, and especially against Regal. They had such good chemistry together; the only downside of watching a Regal match at this time is you know how it ends: 15 minute draw, and that's exactly how this ended. The next tag match featured four rugged men who love to beat the snot out of each other, so what do they do: try and wrestle? I would have preferred Foley take a guard rail bump, or Payne to smash Norma Jean (his guitar) over Naked Midian's head. Rhodes and Austin only lasted 2 falls and neither were that spectacular. They were good, but the story of this match was lacking. They were working at break neck speed, but there was nothing behind it. And they failed to use this gimmick match effectively. Very disappointing from two guys who would share a port-a-potty a few years later on national TV. Rude and the Boss was surprisingly very fun to watch. Both men have awesome strikes, awesome sells and I hadn't really seen many of their matches. It went to a DQ, which was unfortunate because Rude was World Champion and Boss wasn't the man to take his belt. Sadly, both men are no longer with us, and at least one of them had to work with Vince Russo. Life's a bitch. The Nastys were more than happy to tangle with WCW's favorite painted team, whom I never knew ever teamed together, none the less earned a title shot, yet here they were. There wasn't a lot of good tag action from Sting and Hawk, but they did mimic the Doomsday (which I heard, ironically, when Doomsday comes, only cock roaches and Jerry Sags will be left; interesting.) Flair vs. Vader: this match was booked as perfectly as it could be. Flair was shown leaving his home, saying goodbye to his kids, kissing his wife and driving to the show with Mean Gene in a limo. It was right out of Rocky II when he fights Apollo and we follow him from his house. Really well done. It was the 10th anniversary of Starrcade, a show Flair started. It was Flair's 20 year in ring anniversary. Vader's manager was Harley Race, the man Flair beat at the 1st Starrcade. And they were in Flair's home town of Charlotte. What could make a better story than his glorifying win, getting back on top as World Champion? That would be Vader, whose run in WCW is one of the best big man runs ever in all of wrestling. He was legit stiff and worked Flair pretty good in the match. They set a great pace for themselves, and never got rushed. The crowd was living electricity and they built up to Flair winning through the whole match. The way he won I don't really like (almost a half assed schoolboy) but I loved that he pinned Vader clean and a quick win was the only way to do it. Classic event.

WCW Starrcade '93

1. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma vs. Marcus Alexander Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio - 5
2. Shockmaster vs. Awesome Kong - 1
3. Lord Steven Regal vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - 6
4. Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne vs. Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce - 4
5. "Stunning" Steve Austin vs. "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes - Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match - 5
6. "Ravishing" Rick Rude vs. The Boss - 5
7. Sting and Road Warrior Hawk vs. The Nasty Boys - 4
8. Ric Flair vs. Vader - 9

When I was a kid, I like thousands of other youngsters, was a huge Hulk Hogan fan. But, in the early 90’s, as I got a little older, I started rooting for wrestling’s notorious villains. That being said, I was a big Ric Flair fan, as he surpassed Hogan as my personal favorite. So, when they announced that his career would be on the line in the main event of Starrcade ’93, you better believe I was sitting there watching intently, on pirated pay-per-view. Let’s see how that show holds up today, shall we?

The show starts with a good tag match, featuring the likeable good guys against the older, more cocksure veterans. Bagwell and Scorpio worked well together, utilizing a lot of their agility and speed. Orndorff’s best days were far behind him, and Roma’s sells were atrocious, as after being hit, he’d prance around like a flamingo or something. Still, this match had good energy, and was a fine opener.

Shockmaster and Awesome King lasted less than two minutes, and featured over 600 pounds of pure unadulterated manhood. Granted, nothing could have made this a good match, per se, but I’d like to have seen it get at least a few more minutes, so they could have at least attempted trying to tell a story. Regal and Steamboat was a clinic, however; a real joy to watch. It went to a time-limit draw, which happened all the time in Regal’s old title defenses, but was wrestled like an actual athletic competition and very compelling.

The following tag match featured four rugged men, all sporting beards and tubby waistlines, and was a bit of an eyesore to be honest. It was less of a brawl than I’d imagined, though; which isn’t exactly a good thing. Watching these guys try to work over body parts with actual wrestling holds is as surreal as stumbling upon a sibling’s homemade porno, not that I’d know what that’s like or anything.

Rhodes and Austin was good, but I’ll be damned, this is the third match between these two that I’ve watched in less than a month. They’re capable of better than this, too; the structure of this match was weak, and the performances not up to par with the rest of their series together. Seeing Rude and Boss (Ray Traylor, or Big Boss Man) work together was kind of interesting, not just because they’re both unfortunately dead now, but I couldn’t recall them ever doing many matches together. I’ve become a huge fan of Rude’s as of late, his knack for selling is great, and he utilizes psychology brilliantly. I wanted to honor The Boss, so I went to his gravesite where I planned on leaving a copy of this show and an old figurine of him in remembrance – only to find his ex-nemesis Nailz already there, on his knees masturbating on Traylor’s tombstone.

Sting and Hawk as a tag team is mind-blowing enough, but pitting them against The Nasty Boys is just asking for my brain to implode. This match was pretty lengthy, and I don’t know if it was just that I was watching this at 2:00AM, but I had a real hard time getting into this one. On paper, you’d expect one thing, but the end result wasn’t what I anticipated. I forget the finish, too; but I’m pretty sure it was something preposterous.

The main event is a classic match in my eyes. I realize the score is high, but it’s my score, and I believe it warrants the recognition. Sure, nostalgia has a lot to do with it, but to me when I was growing up, this match was equally as important as Hogan vs. Andre at WrestleMania III. It still holds up, too; Flair said in his book that Vader was punching him hard legit, and the evidence is clear on the video. This is a very physical match, and Vader’s just a pure monster, demolishing Flair. The Charlotte crowd is absolutely on fire, Vader’s the perfect bully, and Flair’s victory still exhilarates me every time I see it. This is arguably the greatest Starrcade main event ever.