While WWE has WrestleMania, the NWA, Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW had Starrcade. The biggest wresting card for these combined promotions pre-dated WWE’s biggest card and continued a Thanksgiving night wrestling tradition in the Greensboro, North Carolina area. While the event would produce some of the best wrestling from the NWA and WCW, it also produced some of the worst. While some cards are recognized as masterpieces, others are recognized as duds. We already looked at some of the best Starrcade cards. Now let’s take a look at some of the worst Starrcade cards.
5. Starrcade 1997
This should’ve been WCW’s crowning achievement. Eighteen months of storytelling setting up the long-awaited matchup between Hollywood Hogan and Sting should have wrapped up the NWO storyline. Eric Bischoff has said Sting wasn’t in the best headspace, but it’s been said that Hogan used his creative control to change the ending. What should’ve been Sting destroying Hogan became an overbooked mess.
On top of the butchering of the main event storyline, the card featured Goldberg and Steve McMichael in a match between two very green wrestlers. Larry Zybysko and Eric Bischoff took the semi-main event spot featuring recent free agent signing Bret Hart as the special guest referee which many have said was a wasted use of the former WWE champion.
The card actually started strong with Eddie Guerrero taking on Dean Malenko for the Cruiserweight title. Diamond Dallas Page and Curt Hennig also fought in a good US title match.
4. Starrcade 1998
One year after butchering the Sting vs. NWO storyline, WCW squandered Bill Goldberg’s undefeated streak. WCW recognized Goldberg as 173-0 going and World Heavyweight Champion going into the biggest show of the year. Goldberg faced Kevin Nash who had won the World War 3 Battle Royal and was now leading the face version of the NWO, NWO Wolfpac. The match ended with Scott Hall using a cattle prod on Goldberg, and Nash ending the undefeated streak. WCW managed to make the decision worse on weekly television following the move, but even at the time, it was an unpopular way to end Goldberg’s streak.
Starrcade 98 featured Eric Bischoff in the semi-main event spot for the second straight year. This time, he defeated Ric Flair following a months-long feud that started with real-life heat behind the scenes. Three matches on the card also never felt like PPV quality matches: Norman Smiley vs. Prince Iaukea, Perry Saturn vs. Ernest Miller, and Brian Adams & Scott Norton vs. Fit Finlay & Jerry Flynn.
Much like 1997, Starrcade 98 featured some excellent work from the cruiserweights. Billy Kidman wrestled the two best matches on the card. He defeated Rey Mysterio and Juventud Guerrera in the opener. Then, Kidman defeated Eddie Guerrero in the second match on the card.
3. Starrcade 1984
One year after the NWA put on a great show to ensure these classic cards would continue, it laid an egg with the sequel. Ric Flair defended the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title against Dusty Rhodes with Joe Frazier as the special guest referee. The match ended with Frazier calling the fight due to a cut above Dusty’s eye, something that almost never happens at professional wrestling shows. Flair and Rhodes never got into high gear and the fans left disappointed.
Most of the rest of the show featured some decent wrestlers in okay to disappointing matches. Manny Fernandez vs. Black Bart, Ron Bass vs. Dirty Dick Slater and the Russians vs. Ole Anderson and Keith Larson weren’t bad, but none lived up to the magnitude of the moment.
This show has been criticized as a one match card. Most thought Flair vs. Rhodes would be the one match, however, it was the classic between Tully Blanchard and Ricky Steamboat that prevents Starrcade 1984 from hitting the bottom of the barrel.
2. Starrcade 1999
This is the only Starrcade booked by Vince Russo, and his fingerprints are all over the show. This card was filled with odd matches and attempts at “screwjob” finishes. Kevin Nash convinced a referee he beat Sid in a power bomb match even though the official had been knocked out. Diamond Dallas Page beat David Flair in a crowbar on a pole match. The Varsity Club teamed with Jim Duggan only to turn on him.
Roddy Piper lazily recreated the Montreal Screwjob in the Bret Hart-Goldberg World title match. Goldberg also delivered the botched kick that ended Hart’s career in this match.
Jeff Jarrett and Chris Benoit wrestled a good match for the US title. And Sting finally realized a confidant would betray him when he gave Elizabeth silly string instead of a blinding spray. Sting often gets betrayed, so it was nice to see him not look dumb for once.
1. Starrcade 1994
This show should’ve been the moment WCW realized Hulk Hogan’s WWE character wouldn’t work in WCW. Hogan brought in several friends when he joined WCW. While most of those friends worked for the WWE audience, the WCW audience didn’t respond well. Sting fought Avalanche (the former Earthquake) in a slow and plodding match that ended in disqualification. Mr. T fought Kevin Sullivan despite Mr. T not being an actual wrestler.
Johnny B. Badd and Arn Anderson fought in the best match of the night. That was ironic because the match was supposed to be Badd and the Honky Tonk Man, but Eric Bischoff fired Honky for his actions prior to the show. The show ended with the Macho Man signaling his jump to WCW by helping Hulk Hogan. Big Van Vader also challenged Hogan to set up his next feud. While the feud was disappointing, the potential made WCW fans happy at the time.
Those are my picks. Which Starrcade shows do you think are the worst? Which ones do you think are the best?
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