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WWE recently announced that they would bring back the Starrcade name for a Smackdown live event on November 25, 2017. Starrcade was the signature show for the NWA and, later, WCW. The first Starrcade took place on November 24, 1983, preceding the first WrestleMania by 16 months and was the first major wrestling show to be broadcast on closed-circuit television, the precursor to pay per view.
The last show that bore the Starrcade name took place in December 2000, and during the 18 years that it was held it was host to a number of great matches. In honour of its rebirth, I rewatched a whole host of matches and have come up with a list of the 10 best ones.
#10 Harley Race vs Ric Flair (NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Steel Cage Match) – Starrcade '83
The main event of the inaugural Starrcade was the match that really put Flair on the map. It wasn't his first world title victory but it took place on a much bigger stage and was the passing of the torch from Race to Flair. The show did have the tagline 'A Flair For The Gold' after all, even though the poster for the event had a typo and read 'A Flare For The Gold'.
The match itself was the epitome of an old school encounter, with both men working over the head and neck of their opponent and using the cage when they got the chance. The only real issue with the match was guest referee Gene Kiniski, who kept trying to break the men apart, despite there being no disqualifications.
There used to be a joke that if Flair hit a move from the top rope he would win the title, and that started here. After a clash of heads between Race and Kiniski, Flair hit a cross body and won his second world title. The lasting image is Flair, bloody but victorious, his legendary career in full swing.
#9 Ric Flair vs Lex Luger (NWA World Heavyweight Championship) – Starrcade '88
In early 1988, Luger had left the Four Horsemen, putting him in direct competition with Ric Flair. They had a match at the Great American Bash, which ended due to Luger's excessive blood loss; consequently, a rematch was set for Starrcade.
The match saw Flair use all of the dirty tricks in his arsenal to target the left leg of Luger and it played into the finish as Luger applied the Torture Rack only for his legs to buckle, allowing Flair to get the pin with the assistance of the ropes.
Ric Flair had an innate ability to get the best out of any opponent and that was evident here. Luger was not a wrestler that was well known for his wrestling prowess but Flair made him look like a million bucks. This was probably the best singles match of Luger's career.
#8 Eddie Guerrero vs Shinjiro Otani – Starrcade '95
At the 1995 Starrcade, there was a series of WCW vs New Japan matches that took place throughout the show, billed as the World Cup Of Wrestling. This was the best of those matches.
These two performers had met a number of times before while Guerrero was wrestling in Japan, and that familiarity shone through here. The match was a smooth mix of technical wrestling with some high-flying thrown in for good measure. Both men were excellent wrestlers and while this wasn't the best match of their careers, it was still a great outing.
This match may have been higher on the list if it had a real build to it, but even without that benefit, it is a great standalone example of WCW's Cruiserweight Division.
#7 Vader vs Ric Flair (WCW World Heavyweight Championship) – Starrcade '93
This match was originally set to be Vader vs Sid, but Flair took the latter's place following Eudy's firing after getting into a fight with Arn Anderson. To up the stakes, Flair even put his career on the line.
There were many times when Flair played the cocky heel, using all the dirty tricks in the book, but here he got to play the plucky underdog. Vader was relentless in his attacks and it forced Flair to use all of his experience to overcome the monster.
It may not have had the violence or the flashy moves of some other matches on this list but both men managed to put in top class performances and it was great to see Flair pick up his 11th world title. This is possibly the most memorable of his championship wins.
#6 Ultimo Dragon vs Dean Malenko (WCW Cruiserweight Championship & J-Crown Championship) – Starrcade '96
There are thousands of matches that have a title on the line, but in this instance, there were nine titles up for grabs. The J-Crown consisted of eight titles from promotions in Japan, Mexico, and the USA. Strangely, one of those titles was the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, meaning a WWF title was defended on a WCW PPV.
This match opens the show, setting it off on the right foot. Both of these wrestlers were at their peak in 1996 and were among the elite performers anywhere in wrestling. This match was based more around technical wrestling than high-flying, and that is where Malenko shone brightest.
The match was given plenty of time to breathe; it was the longest on the show, and that allowed them to tell a great story in the ring. Malenko threw everything he had at Dragon, growing increasingly frustrated, but it was not enough. In the end, he let his guard down for a split second and paid the price.
#5 Roddy Piper vs Greg Valentine (Dog Collar Match) – Starrcade '83
Historically, matches that involve the competitors being tied to one another don't make for the best spectacles but the intensity on show here more than makes up for the restrictive stipulation.
This was a grudge match that stemmed from Valentine hitting Piper in the ear with a ring bell, causing him to lose 75% of the hearing in it. Valentine wasted no time in going for the ear here too and, in an all-time great piece of selling, Piper actually lost his equilibrium. That sort of attention to detail is a thing of the past
So often in wrestling, we are forced to suspend our disbelief but that isn't necessary here as this is one of the most realistic matches you will ever see, aided by Piper's heavy blood loss from the ear. This is a gritty, raw match which is the complete opposite of what you see today. A classic.
#4 Sting vs Vader (King of Cable) – Starrcade '92
The King of Cable was a tournament that WCW held in 1992 that was essentially just for bragging rights. It was created to celebrate 20 years of wrestling on the TBS Superstation and involved a number of WCW's top talent.
Other than his feud with Ric Flair, the series of matches Sting had with Vader were probably his best. They had met earlier in the year at the Great American Bash and this match was a revenge of sorts for Sting.
The match allowed Sting to show his power and go toe to toe with the Mastodon. This is a classic face vs heel match and, watching it again, it's amazing to see how much inspiration John Cena took from early '90s Sting. This was a great match.
#3 Billy Kidman vs Juventud Guerrera vs Rey Mysterio Jr (WCW Cruiserweight Championship) – Starrcade '98
If there was one thing that WCW did better than anyone else, it was cruiserweight wrestling. This match, much like the Dean Malenko vs Ultimo Dragon match from earlier in this list, opened the show and was the longest on the card.
The cruiserweight division was at its peak in 1998 with a great mix of talents from all over the world, and this match highlighted everything that made it special. It maintained a fast pace throughout and featured a number of the high spots that had become a hallmark of the division.
Possibly the most impressive thing about this match, though, was that it never fell into the trap that a lot of triple threat matches do, where one wrestler is always out of the action. This match used the stipulation perfectly to add excitement and drama to the match.
#2 Doom vs Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (NWA World Tag Team Championships, Street Fight) – Starrcade '90
Barry Windham replaced Ric Flair, who wasn't in the match due to the Black Scorpion situation in the main event. However, that is a situation which is way too complicated to explain here.
This is how street fights should be, taped fists and jeans. It comes across like a real fight, with both teams using chairs and belts to beat their opponents until all four men are a bloody mess. It was a style of wrestling that the NWA, and early WCW, had made into an art form.
Not even the finish, a draw where both teams got simultaneous pins, could put a dampener on the match. Even after the match, both teams continued to fight. There is no doubt that this is one of the most underrated matches in wrestling history.
#1 Magnum T.A vs Tully Blanchard (NWA United States Championship, I Quit Cage Match) – Starrcade '85
The story of Magnum T.A is a sad one. In 1985, there were very few wrestlers that had his level of popularity, and he was being primed for a run with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, a car accident left him temporarily paralysed and forced his retirement.
However, what we will always have is this masterpiece of violence. A lot of what I said about the Piper vs Valentine match applies here. It's vicious and bloody with both men using the surroundings to their advantage. At one stage, Blanchard got a cut on his arm and Magnum bit the wound.
The finishing sequence of the match was brutal, with Blanchard breaking a wooden chair and trying to insert a shard of it into Magnum's eye. Magnum fought out of it and grabbed another shard of the chair, grinding it into Blanchard's forehead and forcing him to quit.
Not only is this the best match to take place at Starrcade, but it is also possibly the best cage match in history.
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