From The Shelf: WCW Starrcade 1998

WCW Starrcade 1998
Washington, DC
12/27/98

Key Points:
-Kevin Nash won World War III to earn a shot at Goldberg’s WCW Title.
-After months of in and out of the ring issues, Ric Flair finally gets his hands on Eric Bischoff.
-DDP looks for revenge after The Giant cost him the US Title to Bret Hart.

Your hosts are Tony Schavontie, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan.

We learn that Eric Bischoff has forced Ric Flair to ban the Four Horsemen from ringside for their match.

WCW Cruiserweight Title- Kidman © vs. Juventud Guerrera vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Juventud Guerrera is a member of Eddy Guerrero’s LWO while Mysterio is a reluctant member. Kidman and Mysterio attack Juvy to start and Mysterio hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Dropkick in the corner by Kidman and Rey follows up with the Bronco Buster. Rey accidentally catches Kidman with a forearm so Kidman fights back. Juvy cheers on their fighting so they both nail Juvy. Kidman wheelbarrows Rey onto Juvy for 2 as Kidman pulls Rey off the cover. Double wheelbarrow bulldog by Juvy gets 2. He chops away on Kidman and Rey but Kidman comes back with a clothesline. Seating faceplant by Rey to Kidman gets 2. Juvy clotheslines Kidman to the floor and he backdrops Rey onto him. Juvy follows up with a springboard crossbody to the floor!!! Back in, Juvy goes up and leaps but eats a double dropkick on the way down. Doomsday Springboard hurricanrana onto Rey and Juvy covers for 2 as Kidman breaks. Tornado Bulldog by Kidman to Juvy gets 2. Sidewalk slam by Kidman and he goes up. He goes for a splash off the top but he eats the knees of Juvy onto the way down. Slingshot moonsault by Rey gets 2 as Juvy breaks. Rey HURRICANRANAS JUVY OFF THE APRON AND TO THE FLOOR!!!! Juvy took a nasty bump there. Kidman suplexes Rey back in and he goes back up. Second rope legdrop by Kidman gets 2 as Juvy saves. Powerbomb by Kidman gets 2 as Rey breaks with a dropkick. Inverted wheelbarrow bulldog by Rey gets 2 as Juvy saves. Over the shoulder backbreaker by Juvy to Rey gets 2 as Kidman breaks. Kidman charges at Rey but Rey low bridges sending him to the floor. Rey follows up with a springboard moonsault to the floor on both!!!! Back in, Rey hits a springboard hurricanrana to Juvy. Juvy catches him with the Juvy Driver for 2 as Kidman saves!!! Juvy puts Kidman on top and he presses Rey into the Frankensteiner off the top for 2 as Juvy saves!!! Kidman escapes the Juvy Driver and hits the BK Bomb for 2 as Rey saves. Rey hurricanranas Juvy to the floor and Kidman follows up with a SHOOTING STAR PRESS TO THE FLOOR!!!!! Eddy Guerrero makes his way out as Juvy snaps Kidman’s neck off the ropes. Kidman blocks the sunset flip but the ref is distracted. Eddy clotheslines him into a sunset flip from Juvy for 2 as Rey breaks with a dropkick. That allows Kidman to roll into his own cover on Juvy for 3!!!
Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion- Kidman ***3/4 (This was a wild three way, with tons of innovators spots and spectacular dives. Unfortunately, the crowd wasn’t hot the whole way through, an issue that will plague the rest of the show.)

After the match, Eddy rips into Juvi and Rey for not getting the job done. Eddy says he’ll have to get the job done himself and challenges Kidman to a title match. Kidman comes back out and accepts!!!

WCW Cruiserweight Title- Kidman © vs. Eddy Guerrero w/Rey Mysterio Jr. and Juventud Guerrera
Eddy attacks Kidman before the bell even rings and he hammers away. Clothesline by Eddy and he hits a powerbomb for 2. Small package by Eddy gets 2. Eddy presses Kidman to the mat and he locks in the abdominal stretch. Juventud tries to assist Eddy but Rey prevents him. Eddy goes to the floor to confront Rey and back in; Kidman hits a slingshot headscissors takeover. Dropkick by Kidman and he hammers away on the back of Eddy. Variation of a standing surfboard stretch by Eddy and he follows up with an uppercut. They go to the floor and Eddy sends Kidman into the ringpost face first. Back in, Kidman catches Eddy with a bulldog. He grabs a sleeper but Eddy breaks with a jawbreaker. Kidman sends Eddy to the corner and hits a corner clothesline. Eddy takes his boot off and he hits a charging Kidman in the head with it for 2. Brainbuster by Eddy and he goes up top. Kidman stops him and follows up with a superplex for 2. Dropkick to the knee by Eddy and he hits an assisted springboard hurricanrana. Eddy goes for a powerbomb but Kidman counters into a faceplant. He stomps away on the back of Eddy and he hits a slam. Slingshot legdrop by Kidman gets 2. Kidman puts Eddy on top and goes for the Frankensteiner but Eddy blocks. Eddy places Kidman on top and follows but Kidman shoves him off. Juventud crotches Kidman, allowing Eddie to go back up. Rey crotches Eddy, taking him down to the mat. Shooting Star Press by Kidman gets 3!!!
Winner and Still Cruiserweight Champion- Kidman *** (Solid match, then went at a much slower pace to sell Kidman’s exhaustion from the previous match. This probably should have done more for Kidman than it did.)

Norman Smiley vs. Prince Iaukea
Chops by Smiley to start but Iaukea comes back with a dragon screw leg sweep. Dropkick by Iaukea sends Smiley to the floor. He follows out with a summersault senton off the apron and back in, he gets 2. Keylock by Smiley and he turns it into a cross armbreaker. Iaukea escapes and hammers away on Smiley in the corner. Smiley suplexes Iaukea into the ropes as the announcers spend their time talking about the Flair/Bischoff match rather than focus on this match. Headscissors by Smiley but Iaukea escapes and gets a sunset flip for 2. Loud “Boring” chant breaks out. Double stomp by Smiley and he goes to a rear abdominal stretch. Iaukea fights out and he goes for a suplex but Smiley blocks and hits his own. Double underhook suplex by Smiley gets 2 as Iaukea gets his foot on the ropes. Smiley goes for the cross armbreaker but Iaukea blocks. Drop toe hold by Smiley but Iaukea comes back with a northern lights suplex for 2. Bodyscissors by Smiley and he turns it into the same standing surfboard Eddy Guerrero used earlier. Double stomp again by Smiley but Iaukea begins to fight back. Headbutt to the midsection by Iaukea and Smiley bails. Back in, Iaukea goes for a springboard crossbody but Smiley rolls through for 2. Chicken Wing by Smiley and Iaukea taps.
Winner- Norman Smiley *1/2 (There was no heat for this. Zero. They did nothing special, they just had a bland, boring match. Can’t believe this was on the biggest show of the year.)

Scott Hall makes his way to the ring. He talks about 1998 not being his best year due to issues both in and out of the ring. Hall says despite what people say, he doesn’t need to prove anything to Kevin Nash or the fans. He needs to prove it to himself. He guarantees that 1999 will be his year.

The Cat w/Sonny Ono vs. Perry Saturn
Before the match, The Cat tells the fans that he’s the best and they’ll see why. He tells Saturn he gets five seconds to leave before he rips him apart. Saturn knocks Cat of the ring after he finishes counting to five. Cat tries a sneak attack but it fails and Saturn hammers away. Cat goes to the floor again to regroup. Back in, Cat rakes the eyes and leg sweeps Saturn. Cat chokes Saturn in the ropes but Saturn comes back with a roll-up for 2. Saturn controls Cat on the mat, so Cat has to bail again. Back in, Cat hits a superkick for 2. Saturn blocks a spinkick and catches Cat with a back suplex. T-Bone suplex by Saturn gets 2. Swinging neckbreaker by Saturn and he goes up. Double axe handle misses and Cat catches him with another superkick for 2. Cat blocks an exploder suplex attempt and hits yet another superkick. Sonny Ono comes in and goes to kick Saturn but Saturn moves and hits Cat. DVD by Saturn gets 3.
Winner- Perry Saturn *1/2 (Cat’s heel antics were fun but his offense was horrible, creating awkward moments throughout the match. Props to Saturn for trying to keep this together.)

Ric Flair comes out and says it doesn’t matter who is here tonight, Bischoff will get his ass kicked. Flair explains some of the horrible things he’ll do to Bischoff tonight and says Bischoff will pay the price of wrestling tradition.

Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell talk trash to Konnan backstage and Lex Lugar has to hold him back.

Brian Adams and Scott Norton w/Vincent vs. Fit Finley and Jerry Flynn
Finley and Adams start. Big boot by Adams to start and he hits a corner clothesline. Clothesline by Finley and he hits an elbow drop. Finley knocks Adams down with an uppercut and he follows up with a seating senton. Finley charges in the corner but misses and Norton tags in. Clotheslines by Norton and he catches Finley with a powerslam. Flynn tags in and Norton catches both with a double clothesline. Norton charges in the corner but misses and Flynn hits a corner spinning heel kick. Adams tags in and Flynn knocks him down with a chop. Vincent hits Flynn from behind allowing Adams to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for 2. Heel kick by Flynn and Finley tags in. Clothesline by Finley gets 1 and he goes to a chinlock. Adams fights out and hits a piledriver. Tag to Norton and he hits a DDT. Norton twists the neck of Finley and hits a sitting neckbreaker for 2. Corner splash by Norton and Finley bails to the floor. Adams attacks him and rolls Finley back in. Shoulderbreaker by Norton gets 2. Tag to Adams and they hit a double back elbow to Finley. Jawbreaker by Finley and he hits a DDT for 2. Finley leaps off the second rope but eats boot on the way down. Gutbuster by Adams and he goes to jump on the back of Finley but eats knees. Tags to Flynn and Norton. Kicks to the chest by Flynn and he hits a spinning heel kick to the back. Double clothesline to Adams but Norton catches him with a clothesline. Jackknife powerbomb by Norton gets 3.
Winners- Bryan Adams and Scott Norton *3/4 (Why was this match booked on Starrcade? Third boring match in a row. It was bland and it served no purpose. The crowd is now 4 of 5 for being dead tonight.)

Eric Bischoff comes out and says the only reason that he’s wrestling with a bad heart tonight is because he is broke. He says Flair paid to be a kiss stealing, wheeling dealing son of a gun. This was hilarious in retrospect.

WCW TV Title- Konnan © vs. Chris Jericho w/Ralphus
Jericho comes out wearing the TV Title despite not being the champion. Konnan blocks a monkey flip attempt and catches Jericho with a basement dropkick to start. Jericho comes back with a spinning heel kick and Jericho goes up. He leaps but Konnan moves and he clotheslines Jericho to the floor. Konnan follows out and charges but misses and hits the railings. Jericho sends Konnan into the ringpost and we head back in. Suplex by Jericho gets 2 and he goes to the chinlock. Konnan fights out so Jericho catches him with a knee to the midsection. Slam by Jericho and he goes up again. Jericho leaps but eats a boot on the way down. Rolling clothesline by Konnan and he hits the Alabama Slam into a jackknife roll-up for 2. Jawbreaker by Jericho and he hits a clothesline. Lionsault by Jericho gets 2 and Konnan bails. Jericho goes for a springboard crossbody to the floor and he hits the steps ribs first!!!! Back in, Jericho hits Konnan with the belt for 2. X-Factor by Konnan and he locks in Tequila Sunrise. Jericho taps!!!
Winner and Still WCW TV Champion- Konnan **1/4 (Jericho’s bumping and antics made this a decent match. Konnan showed no real fire here otherwise this could have been better.)

Eric Bischoff vs. Ric Flair
Flair chases Bischoff around ringside and finally catches him. Flair hammers away and brings him back into the ring. Flair knocks Bischoff down with a chop and follows up with a kneedrop. Flair stomps away on Bischoff in the corner and he works on the knee of Bischoff. The ref tries to pull Flair off, allowing Bischoff to catch Flair with a kick to the side of the head, forcing Flair to bail. Back in, Bischoff hammers at the head of Flair and he catches Flair with another kick to the head. Flair goes low to stop the momentum and he hammers away on Bischoff in the corner. The ref tries to stop him so Flair nails him. Flair kicks the turnbuckle into the groin of Bischoff and Flair hits a back suplex. Suplex by Flair and he locks in the Figure Four. Bischoff is giving up but there is no ref. Curt Henning comes out and hands Bischoff some brass knucks and Bischoff nails Flair with them. Bischoff covers for 3!!!
Winner- Eric Bischoff ** (This should have been Flair kicking Bischoff’s ass and getting his revenge for the hell Bischoff put him through. It’s the biggest show of the year, Flair needed to go over. No exceptions. Bad booking took away from what could have been a great moment. Such a shame.)

The Giant vs. Diamond Dallas Page
DDP spits on Giant to start and he hammers away. He goes to work on the arm of Giant and goes for the Diamond Cutter but Giant blocks. Page clothesline to the floor but Giant pulls him out and catches him with a short arm clothesline. Page nails Giant in the head with a trash can but Giant sends Page into the steps to break the momentum. Giant pulls Page into the ringpost a few times and he presses Page back into the ring. Giant goes to work on the leg of Page and Page rakes the eyes to stop him. Corner clothesline by Giant and he hits a headbutt. Bearhug by Giant and he releases after Page won’t quit. Giant blocks the Diamond Cutter again and he hits a powerslam for 2 as he pulls Page off the mat. Bearhug again by Giant but Page bites the face of Giant to break. Page goes for the sunset flip but Giant blocks and hits a SICK backbreaker. Page catches Giant with the Diamond Dream to come back. Bret Hart comes out and goes to hit Page with a chair but misses and hits Giant!!! Page goes low on Hart and covers Giant for 1. Page goes up and hits a clothesline off the top. He hits another one and goes for it one more time but Giant catches him. Page goes low but Giant holds on to the grip. He puts Page on top and goes for a super Chokeslam but PAGE COUNTERS INTO THE DIAMOND CUTTER FOR 3!!!!
Winner-Diamond Dallas Page **3/4 (Awesome finish and a good match. Page had to resort to counters and quick wit to stop the powerful Giant which made for a good story. This could have been better if Giant’s heat segment was more exciting and remove the Bret Hart interference. )

No DQ Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship- Goldberg © vs. Kevin Nash
Crowd is hot for this. Headlock by Nash but Goldberg breaks with a back suplex, forcing Nash to bail. Back in, Nash hits a knee to the gut and hits some rights to Goldberg. Knees in the corner by Nash and he chokes Goldberg with his boot in the corner. Goldberg takes Nash down and he chokes away. Nash catches the arm and goes for a Cross Armbreaker but Goldberg escapes. He locks Nash in a heel hook but Nash makes the ropes to break. Nash pulls Goldberg into the corner and chokes him with his boot again. Goldberg ducks a big boot attempt and catches Nash with a Spear. Goldberg calls for the Jackhammer but Nash goes low to block. Sidewalk slam by Nash gets 2. Nash chokes Goldberg in the ropes and jumps onto him to follow up for 2. Shots to the back by Nash but Goldberg fights back with rights. Back elbow by Nash and he hits a short arm clothesline for 2. Nash goes for a suplex but Goldberg counters with a swinging neckbreaker. Judo throw by Goldberg gets 2. Superkick by Goldberg and he hits a powerslam for 2. Spinning heel kick by Goldberg and Disco Inferno comes out. Goldberg spears him and now Bam Bam Bigelow is out. Goldberg clears the ring of him but walks into a TASER FROM SCOTT HALL!!!!!!! Jackknife Powerbomb by Nash gets 3!!!! The streak is over!!!!
Winner and NEW WCW World Heavyweight Champion- Kevin Nash **1/2 (In terms of the streak ending, was Kevin Nash the right guy to end the streak? Probably not. There were probably better choices but at least the crowd was into Nash enough that they bought him ending the streak. I think people go overboard saying this was the point where WCW reach their downfall, Nash winning belt wasn’t the end of the world. As a match, it was decent. Nothing great but it was one of the few matches that had a good atmosphere and they packed enough action and drama to make it worthwhile. )

The 411: This did not feel like the biggest show of the year for WCW. Too many pointless matches and a mostly dead crowd made for a dull show. There was also the lack of major star power, with no Sting, Lugar, Hogan, or Savage competing. This was a sign of the times for WCW, with horrible booking and too much interference preventing the show from producing memorable moments and satisfying conclusions for the fans. The only things I can recommend are the opening three way and the main event for historical purposes but otherwise you can skip this.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]