Tim's Take 12.16.08: Your Guide to The Best of Starrcade

Posted by Tim Livingston on 12.16.2008

For my favorite PPV of all time, WWE was nice enough to put together 25 of the best matches Starrcade offered over the years. Here's a look at all 25.

As we hit the middle of December, it has now been eight years since the last Starrcade pay-per-view. It was something that I looked forward to on a yearly basis, mainly because while there a lot of things WCW did right, it was Starrcade that really put them on the map. The first one in 1983, "A Flare For the Gold," was the most important match the NWA had maybe in their modern history, because it made the career of Ric Flair and it made Starrcade the most important date on the NWA/WCW calendar. Since I'm feeling nostalgic for the time of year where WCW would present "The Grandaddy of Them All", I thought I'd look at the match listings of the 25-match Best of Starrcade DVD that will be coming out on January 13. No honorable mentions or anything. Just a look at the 25 matches that will represent this monumental DVD release. (/WWE Shill)

25. Starrcade December 29, 1996 - The Match of the Decade: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

This match was, of course, anything but "The Match of the Decade." When Piper came out at Halloween Havoc (with the now burned into my retinas red and yellow motif because of Slim Jim) and challenged Hogan to a match, it was one hell of a big deal because Piper had been on TV for a couple of years. The NWA used to be his old stomping grounds and he had a memorable match with Greg Valentine in a Dog Collar Match (more on that later) that caused Piper to permanently lose hearing in one of his ears. You really aren't going to get anything special in this match, but you will get a match between two of the biggest names in the sport. I also find this match particularly amusing considering what happen at WrestleMania XIX, when Piper came out of nowhere to try and cost Hogan his match with Vince McMahon.

24. Starrcade December 13, 1989 - Iron Man Singles Tournament: Sting vs. The Great Muta

Starrcade '89 is an interesting show because while 1989 might have been the best year in the history of the NWA/WCW, it was something of a let down when Starrcade didn't deliver like many hoped it would. Luckily, while the rest of the show wasn't up to snuff with what the company did earlier that year, we get this little gem between two wrestlers who started a feud up in the summer, had it carry over into the Thundercage match at Halloween Havoc with their respective partners, and then found each other again here. Sting and Muta had a GREAT match at the Great American Bash, and this was the best match in the tournament as these two continued to wrestle great together. It wasn't as good as their GAB match, but it certainly is worthy of consideration.

23. Starrcade December 28, 1992 - Unified World Tag Team Championship: Barry Windham / Brian Pillman vs. Ricky Steamboat / Shane Douglas

The time of the Unified World Tag Team Championship was one of my favorite times of WCW. Steamboat and Douglas were a really underrated tag team at the time when there were tons of great teams, and Windham was fresh off his heel turn after the Clash the month before when he teamed with Dustin Rhodes and lost their newly won Tag Titles with the memorable "leapfrog low blow" spot. Accidental as it was, Rhodes didn't cover and Windham chewed him out for it, and then the challengers swiped a flash pin and took the titles. So now, Windham wants the belts and he brings Brian Pillman along for the ride. Great match here, and Pillman would take this match and catapult himself into semi-superstardom, where after Windham went off to do his "Lone Wolf" gimmick, Pillman decided he needed himself a partner: "Stunning" Steve Austin. Ladies and gentlemen: The Hollywood Blondes.

22. Starrcade December 27, 1998 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash

This is, of course, the infamous "cattle prod" match that led ended Goldberg's streak and led to the reformation (if short lived) of the nWo. It also marked the beginning of Kevin Nash's ruining of the booking of WCW, which was already going under anyways, but this match really tarnished whatever aura Goldberg had around him. After this, he became just another face in the crowd and never really had the run that he did like his first title run. Of course, ten years later, Nash will probably still say he did what he thought was right, but for the rest of us, we realize that it was the second straight year that the main event of the company's biggest pay-per-view of the year ended in a B.S. finish.

21. Starrcade December 29, 1991: BattleBowl

A neat idea in theory that really messed up sometimes when it came to execution, this was probably my favorite BattleBowl because of how everything turned out, with the next BattleBowl where THE GREAT MUTA won being second. While the Lethal Lottery was intriguing at best and didn't have a lasting impact, this match showed that perhaps the formula could work. This was a great showing by Sting, as it came down to him and Lex Luger, who had turned on him earlier in the year and held the WCW Heavyweight Title. Sting ended up winning this and eventually got his shot at Luger at SuperBrawl II, where he would the belt and hold it for four months before this big dude came and took the belt from him at the Great American Bash. His name was Big Van Vader.

20. Starrcade December 27, 1993 - 2 out of 3 Falls for the WCW United States Championship: Dustin Rhodes vs. Stunning Steve Austin

One of the my favorite pairings from this timeframe, this was this time where the WCW U.S. Title was definitely one of the best "workrate" belts going. The IC title had lost its luster a little bit because the wrestlers who had been fighting for it were now going for the World Title, so guys like Rhodes, Austin, Anderson, Steamboat and the like were going crazy in the midcard with some really good matches. This was also the time frame where WCW Saturday Night had 2-out-of-3 falls matches as their main events. Austin had just split with Pillman, so this match was to see what he could do as a singles wrestler. Because of this, he would go on to win the belt and then face off with Ricky Steamboat in a nice little feud.

19. Starrcade November 26, 1987 - NWA World Tag Team Championship: Road Warriors vs. Arn Anderson / Tully Blanchard

Yeah, this match right here is one of reasons people loved the Warriors. The Horsemen were at the top of their game here, and anytime you get to see Tully Blanchard go into swarmy little heel mode against a bunch of power guys, it's all good. You have Anderson going after a knee, a great physical dissection, and a really hot finish. Unfortunately, it was indeed a Dusty Finish, but luckily, it was a match that was great before that finish. This one has an alternate commentary on it with Road Warrior Animal, so it should be a lot of fun to watch.

18. Starrcade December 29, 1996 :Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

This was the definition of "dream match" at the time. For six months, Mysterio had wowed the WCW faithful and Lyger was still one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, even with the whole brain tumor thing. It's still not as great as it could have been, but it's still a whole lot of fun to see these two go at it. One thing to think about is that it might not have been the best junior match that night, as the opening match saw Dean Malenko and Ultimo Dragon go at it in a J-Crown Unification Match that really wowed.

17. Starrcade November 26, 1987 - Scaffold Match: Rock ‘n Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express

This was a memorable match for many reasons. First, it was between two teams that absolutely ruled when they went up against each other. The RnR's were ready to go here, while the ME was looking like they didn't want anything to do with it. Scaffold matches aren't great in the first place, but this particular match was done really well because they sold the drama well. The ME had just been in a match the year before against The Road Warriors (HEY! That's coming up, too!) and this is done well enough.

16. Starrcade December 26, 1988 - NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger

Ah, yes. This was the DEFINITIVE match that brought along the "Broomstick Formula" that Flair was famous for. Luger was on fire. He was just past his "He's too green" phase, and he was much better as a fired up power guy. After the Horsemen did their number on him, he came back and had a great run against Flair that culminated in this match. This is the best match Luger would have until the SuperBrawl match where he and Sting faced The Steiner Brothers. In fact, this match is still better than that. In the WWE 24/7 rankings, this was ranked at 16, but I would have it Top 10, maybe Top 5.

15. Starrcade December 27, 1995: Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Ootani

Great thing about this listing: They STILL spelled Ohtani's name wrong. It's been THIRTEEN YEARS, PEOPLE! This is my favorite match on the set because it made me a fan for life of both guys. Eddie was fresh off his debut a couple months earlier and was an upstart fiery babyface and Ohtani had a phenomenal first couple of years in New Japan and was ALL about being a huge dick heel. In fact, moreso than any of the other "stars" from New Japan, it was Ohtani who did it best. He hit the greatest bridging German Suplex ever in this match. He had his NASTY springboard dropkick to the back of Eddy's head. Eddy had the great powerbomb and a phenomenal Black Tiger Bomb in this match. This was just wrestling at its finest. For me, I'd have it in the Top 3 all time at Starrcade.

14. Starrcade December 26, 1988 - NWA World Tag Team Championship: Dusty Rhodes / Sting vs. Road Warriors

This was an interesting match at the time because Sting and Rhodes hadn't really teamed too much before, but the Roadies were just rolling through people. It's a decent match, but it's not anything special. It's another match on here that's basically here because the names are so prominent, but there's just something about The Roadies whooping ass and taking names. That, and the faceoffs between them and Sting were something to see. Dusty...not so much.

13.Starrcade December 28, 1992 - King of Cable Tournament Final: Sting vs. Big Van Vader

Top 5 Starrcade match all-time. One of the best rivalries of all time gets pushed here to its brink. Vader and Sting just whooped each other's ass and after this was done, they would go on to have an UNBELIEVABLE strap match at SuperBrawl III. This match was great because Sting really had to work his ass off here to stay with Vader, which was usually the case, but Vader was always great at selling Sting's offense. Of their four matches, this was probably third behind the GAB '92 match and the strap match, but it's still a great match.

12. Starrcade November 24, 1983 - NWA World Tag Team Championship: Brisco Brothers vs. Jay Youngblood / Ricky Steamboat

Sneakily good match. Steamboat was always great at being a fiery babyface, but Youngblood worked big time here. I love the Briscos because this was nearing their time at the top, but they still knew how to rile up a crowd. Seriously, this '83 card was great between this match, the Valentine/Piper Dog Collar match and the main event. I'm happy this match gets on because it seriously was a great sign of things to come from Steamboat, who would go on to have a memorable feud with Tully Blanchard that led to a great match at Starrcade '84.

11. Starrcade November 28, 1985 - NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair

The match that coined the phrase "Dusty Finish," this match was much ado about nothing in the end. I think it would have been really nice to see a clean finish that actually meant something, but it's still a very famous match and for good reason. Flair did work his ass off in there to help Dusty along, but it still isn't up to par with the stuff he did with guys like Luger, Nikita Volkoff or even Ronnie Garvin.

10. Starrcade December 28, 1997 - WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko

This match was interesting. It didn't really hit the peaks that a lot of their previous matches had seen, but it was still a good opening match. Malenko was never really a good face unless he was facing Chris Jericho, but this match was pretty dang good. Anyone looking for an ECW classic might be a bit disappointed, but this is still something that really could have been a lot better. Still, a very good outing.

9. Starrcade December 13, 1989 - Iron Man Tag Team Tournament: Road Warriors vs. The Steiner Brothers

Ah, yes. The tag team Iron Man tourney. A match that really is on here for name value alone, it's still a very good match between two great power teams. The Steiners might have had better matches with Doom and all that, but this is still a lot of fun to watch. You also get to see Scott Steiner on his way to being one of the best wrestlers in North America in this match! Freakishly athletic, that dude.

8. Starrcade December 17, 2000 - Ladder Match for a Contract for the World Cruiserweight Championship: 3 Count vs. Jamie Knoble & Evan Karagias vs. Jung Dragons

Great spotfest, but I'm not sure why this one is up here so high. I understand that this match was pretty insane, but it's still something that really didn't register with me. They were trying to do something like the Dudleys/Hardys/E&C, but those guys had already done it better and they made a lot of the spots matter. This was just a way to stack ladders together and do insane spots off them. Not what you'd expect.

7. Starrcade December 13, 1989 - Iron Man Singles Tournament: Sting vs. Ric Flair

This is almost a warmup match for the Great American Bash in 1990 when Sting finally went over, but this has a different dynamic because Flair and Sting had been allies in 1989 stemming from their mutual hatred of the J-Tex Crew. It's not their best match, but it's still Flair vs. Sting at Starrcade, and it's the only time these two would face each other at Starrcade...you know, except for that whole Black Scorpion debacle, if you want to call it that. Hey, where's THAT match, you guys? Really? Just for the hell of it? An Easter Egg?

6. Starrcade November 24, 1983 - Dog Collar Match: Greg Valentine vs. Roddy Piper

Boy, this match will be fun for you who haven't seen it before. This became a pretty hateful feud (Valentine was awesome at these hate-filled feuds. Look up his stuff with Wahoo McDaniel where he comes out with the "I Broke Wahoo's Leg" shirt.) and Piper was up to the task of making this bloody and awesome. It's full of some great stuff with the chain and a lot of blood, but Piper was just great at putting over the hate here. Valentine had some amazing punches and he really did a great job of staving off Piper's flurry. Plus, Gordon Solie on commentary for this is just awesome.

5. Starrcade November 27, 1986 - Scaffold Match: Road Warriors vs. The Midnight Express

This was probably the best Scaffold Match ever. That ain't saying much, but it's still fun to watch the Express beg off the Warriors before plunging to their doom. The Warriors were still relatively green at this point and they were just figuring out how to work their power game effectively. While the ME was ready for a match of this caliber, the Warriors basically knew they could intimidate their way to a win, and that's what they did. This is also the match where Jim Cornette fell and wrecked both his knees after the match in a pretty nasty spot.

4. Starrcade December 28, 1997 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Sting vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

Without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest letdown in the history of American wrestling. Sting's comeback match was absolutely the biggest thing WCW had. Letting him wait and wait until he got his chance to take down Hogan was huge, and after 14 months of the Black Crow Sting, this was the match that was supposed to put Sting over the top. A clean win so that Sting could vanquish Hogan and destroy the nWo. Yeah, instead, they decided to go this route:

-Have Sting get dominated for the entire match and have Hogan win via fast count from kinda evil ref Nick Patrick.
-Have Patrick forget fast count, count normally, piss off fans because Sting got destroyed.
-Play off Montreal incident by having Bret Hart come out and wait for Sting to put Hogan in the Scorpion Death Lock so that he could ring the bell.

Yeah, not the smartest thing WCW ever did.

3. Starrcade November 24, 1983 - Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair vs. Harley Race

The match that made Ric Flair and ended the Harley Race era. While the ending was botched, this was still a great match that saw Race kick Flair's ass. One of the great things was that as Flair was becoming better as a wrestler, he became a hell of a face. Such a good face, in fact, that he was booked as one when the company was needing a top face in the second half of 1989. If any of you don't know how good Harley Race is, here's your starting point. Work back from here and don't stop until you love him. Trust me, it's going to be worthwhile.

2. Starrcade November 28, 1985 - Steel Cage "I Quit Match" for the NWA United States Championship: Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard

The best match in the history of Starrcade. Blanchard and Magnum had an absolutely HATEFUL feud going at this point, and T.A. was smart enough to get the "I Quit" stipulation and get the cage up to keep out the Horsemen. What transpired was 15 minutes of absolute mayhem. Blood everywhere, amazing heat, some great "I Quit" moments, and one of the best finishes in the history of wrestling. Obviously, this match could be the sole reason to get the set, if not for some of the other gems. Nonetheless, this match was the epitome of why Magnum T.A. was seen as a top guy in the NWA's eyes. Unforunately for them, it never came to be.

1. Starrcade December 27, 1993 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship - Ric Flair's Career Is On the Line: Ric Flair vs. Vader

It's still overrated, but God, who would want to miss Vader mauling Ric Flair in Vader's prime? The Ric Flair comeback match was well done, but still, Vader had better matches with Sting, and that formula worked because Sting had good power offense. Flair had to use heel tactics to win the match, but it was still a fun match with a great atmosphere. It definitely should be on here, but I'm not sure it should be #1. I'm a big fan of both guys, but I still put the Magnum/Tully match above this. That match was the epitome of a hateful feud.

Well, I hope this little guide helps you out in wanting to buy it. Actually, I'm pretty sure you're going to buy it anyways. Enjoy it when it comes out. It's going to be a doozy.