NWA (JCP) Starrcade 1985 (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 28, 1985

From Greensboro, North Carolina & Atlanta, Georgia; Your Hosts are Bob Caudle and Tony Schiavone

Opening NWA Mid-Atlantic Title Match: Sam Houston v Krusher Khruschev: This is a tournament final for the vacant title, from Greensboro. The canary yellow bell bottoms on the referee are fucking out of control. Feeling out process to start, until Khruschev throws a knee, but Houston lands on his feet during a backdrop, and wins a quickie slugfest. Sam grabs a standing side-headlock, and wins a fast paced criss cross with a headscissors takedown into a headscissors on the mat. Khruschev manages to power up to his feet in the hold, so Sam throws a dropkick, then armdrags him over into an armbar. Interesting fact I never realized until doing my background checks on these guys... Demolition Smash is actually 12 years younger than Ax. Guess I kinda always figured they were the same age, or at least much closer. Khruschev with a backdrop for two, and a press-slam, but Sam escapes a bearhug, and uses a kneelift to block another backdrop. Khruschev cuts him off with a bodyslam, but a trip to the top rope ends badly when Sam dropkicks him off, then unloads a ten-punch in the corner. Bulldog, and Sam thinks it's over, but he doesn't notice that Khruschev had his foot on the ropes - allowing Krusher to sneak up with the Sickle to win the title at 8:50. Not much to this one. ½* (Original rating: * ½)

Mexican Death Match: Abdullah the Butcher v Manny Fernandez: From Atlanta. Despite the name, this is actually a Sombrero on a Pole Match - though I can understand why they thought 'Mexican Death Match' was for marketable. Butcher attacks at the bell, and immediately goes after him with a spike - Manny juicing within the first minute. Abdullah grabs the timekeeper's bell hammer to wallop him with, but Manny manages a monkeyflip of all things. That looked really awkward. Manny takes his boot off and jumps off the middle rope for a smack with it to draw blood from the Butcher, and though this match is absolute shit, the crowd is really into it. Butcher takes the boot and gets a few shots of his own, but fails to retrieve the hat, and Fernandez uses the boot again. He goes for the hat, but Abdullah uses the boot to stop him, so Manny takes his belt off, and goes after him. Butcher stops that effort with a headbutt, but an elbowdrop misses, and Fernandez hits the Flying Burrito. He manages a vertical suplex, but Butcher blows him low to stop a pole climb attempt. Sleeper, but Fernandez escapes with another Flying Burrito, then adds one from the middle rope, but a flying splash misses. Butcher tries capitalizing with an Avalanche, but Fernandez dodges, and grabs the hat at 9:07. Really bad as a match, but the crowd loved it, and that’s all that really matters. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

Texas Bullrope Match: Ron Bass v Black Bart: From Greensboro. If Bass wins, he gets five minutes with Bart's manager, JJ Dillon. Bass uses the cowbell to win the initial tug-of-war, and he pounds on Bart with it for a bit to draw blood. God, these guys were really trigger happy with the blades back then, weren't they? Slugfest goes Ron's way when he chokes Bart with the rope, and he unloads mounted punches, so Bart blows him low. He gets some revenge with the cowbell to draw blood, and a long slugfest ensues, until Bass ducks a clothesline, and Bart goes out over the top. Bass follows him out for some more cowbell on the floor, and inside, Bass gets two off of another bell shot. More bell shots galore, until Bass dodges a charge in the corner, and hits him with the bell for what must be the thousandth time for the pin at 8:34. Like the Mexican Death, this was shit as a match (it was, literally, 90% bell-assisted punching), but worked as a blow off for the crowd, so it wasn't a waste of time or a case of bad booking. Still, –* (Original rating: ¼*)

Texas Bullrope Match: Ron Bass v JJ Dillon: Dillon attacks before Bass can even get back to his feet following the pinfall, and chokes him with his boot. JJ goes to work with the cowbell, and he chokes Bass with the rope, but Ron starts doing his best Hulk Hogan impression, and RON UP!! Dillon adds himself to the list of guys bleeding tonight, and Bass knocks him out, but the referee ends up getting bumped in the process, and Bart piledrives Bass to allow Dillon the pin at 3:29. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

$10,000 Arm Wrestling Match: Billy Graham v The Barbarian: From Atlanta. It's almost creepy how much Scott Steiner grew into looking like Superstar. I mean, Hogan stole a lot of his look and dress style too, but Steiner actually looks like he could be his long lost son, or something. If you've seen one worked pro wrestling arm wrestling match, you've seen 'em all. And this is one of them. Graham is about to win, when Barbarian decks him for the DQ. Uh huh. Anyway, that segues to...

Billy Graham v The Barbarian: Pissed about dropping ten grand so close to Christmas, Barbarian goes right to work (triggering an immediate bladejob from Graham), and he tries fish hooking him. Legdrop misses, but Barbarian cuts off a comeback with a shoulderblock - only to miss a flying headbutt. Graham makes the comeback for real with a bearhug, but Paul Jones whacks him with his cane to prevent Barbarian from submitting, and causing a DQ in the process at 3:02. Total junk. –¼* (Original rating: DUD)

NWA National Title Match: Terry Taylor v Buddy Landel: From Greensboro. Landel looks like the love child of Ric Flair and Tom Hulce in Amadeus, may he rest in peace. Feeling out process to start, until Buddy grabs a wristlock, but Taylor armdrags his way out. Buddy grounds him in a side-headlock, but Taylor counters into an overhead wristlock, and gets a few pin attempts off of it. Backdrop sets up a kneedrop for two, and he slows things down again with a wristlock, but Landel decks him to escape, and unloads chops. I know he did good business in this role, but I'm honestly surprised they allowed Landel to do this poor man's Ric Flair act in the same promotion as the real thing. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, but Taylor side suplexes free, and adds a backbreaker to setup a legdrop for two. Cross corner whip is reversed, however, and Landel takes his head off with a clothesline on the rebound for two. Vertical suplex, but Taylor counters with an inside cradle for two, so Buddy slaps on a reverse chinlock to cutoff a comeback. Terry escapes, and wins a slugfest, then snapmares him over to setup a double-stomp. Vertical suplex is worth two, and a series of turnbuckle smashes weaken the challenger for a superplex, so Landel-manager JJ Dillon sweeps the leg, and Buddy topples him for the title at 10:30. Solid stuff here, with both younger guys working a much more modern style match than the rest of the card thus far. * ¼ (Original rating: *)

NWA National Tag Team Title Match: The Minnesota Wrecking Crew v Wahoo McDaniel and Billy Jack Haynes: From Atlanta. McDaniel and Haynes are the NWA United States Tag Team Champions here, but only the National Title is on the line – which is odd, given that the US belts were considered the higher rank. Arn Anderson starts off with Haynes, and damn, it's hard to believe the Enforcer as barely past his twenty seventh birthday at this point. Talk about a guy born looking like an old man. Even today, he's not sixty yet, but he looks like he's been in his late fifties since the Monday Night Wars. Haynes dominates him with power in the early going, and a press-slam has Arn bailing to Ole Anderson. Ole tries to use his experience to slow Billy Jack down, but ends up in the wrong corner, and gets pinballed. Wahoo tags in and unloads chops, but Arn gets the tag before he can get too far. No matter, McDaniel slaps a headlock on him anyway, but Arn counters with a headscissors on the mat, and tags - the Crew briefly working Wahoo over in the corner. Ole takes him down for a wristlock, and the champs work the part as they cut the ring in half. Wahoo manages to slug free long enough to get the tag to Haynes, and he's a log cabin of fire to ignite a four-way brawl. The referee restores order with the dust settling on Arn and Wahoo - a cheap shot from Ole allowing Arn to retain at 8:59. This was okay. Paint-by-numbers formula stuff, but certainly watchable. * (Original rating: ¼*)

NWA United States Title I Quit Cage Match: Tully Blanchard v Magnum TA: From Greensboro. They immediately end up on the mat in a scuffle, and each tries to overpower the other, until Tully manages to swipe at him. He unloads, but Magnum fires back, and wins a slugfest. He goes to punish Blanchard with the cage, but Tully blocks, and smacks him with an elbowsmash, then tosses him into the cage to draw blood. Reverse chinlock from the champion, but Magnum powers out, and drops him throat first across the top rope - only for Tully to smash him into the cage again before he can build any momentum. Again, but Magnum reverses, and finally Blanchard is made to eat steel. Magnum gives him a second helping that draws blood from the arm, but Tully refuses to quit. Tully goes low, but Magnum won't quit either, so Blanchard beats him with the microphone - giving us our first of the now classic 'SAY IT, SAY IT!' sequences. Tully tosses him into the cage again, then hits a flying elbowsmash, but the challenger won't quit. Tully punishes him with an elbowdrop, but a second one misses, and Magnum forces beats him with the microphone - which the camera teams brilliant angle choice makes look like he's force feeding Blanchard his dick as center ring. Well, that's one way to get him to quit. Tully digs his nails into Magnum's cut to escape, but ends up caught in the corner for a ten-punch, so he throws an inverted atomic drop to take the pep out of TA's step. And, you know, his balls. Magnum still won't quit, but he's battered enough now that Tully has no problem unloading multiple elbowdrops. He grabs a wooden chair, and smashes it on the mat - grabbing a shard of wood to use as a spike. He mounts Magnum, trying to stab him in the eye with it, but the challenger fights him off, and reverses - stabbing Tully with it for the win at 14:53. This is one of the most beloved matches of all time, but to be honest, I've never really 'gotten' it the way others have. It's not that I think it's 'bad' (it isn't; it's  hard hitting, realistic, and emotionally satisfying), but I think because I never experienced the angle/blow off until much later, I just don't have the same investment/nostalgic connection to it that a lot of fans do. Still, much like Roddy Piper/Greg Valentine two years prior (in another match that I never 'got' as much as fans who grew up on that era), it's certainly one of the most visceral blow off matches of all time - no crazy spots or big moves, just all the focus simply on one inflicting pain onto the other. *** (Original rating: *** ¼)

Atlanta Street Fight: The Midnight Express v Jimmy Valiant and Ron Garvin: From Atlanta, obviously. Garvin is dressed in drag for this one, as 'Miss Atlanta Lively.' And speaking of guys born looking like old men, here's twenty four year old Jim Cornette, looking like he's got a wife, two kids, and a Buick. Big brawl, obviously, and blood is spilt within seconds, as per usual for this show. Bobby Eaton and Jimmy Valiant brawl into the crowd, as Dennis Condrey goes after Garvin in the ring. Garvin and Valiant continue absolutely destroying the Express, until a well timed cheap shot turns the tide, and Jimmy does a bladejob of his own. The Express throw handfuls of powder, and use their leather belts to put the faces down, but an attempt to strip Garvin of his lady garb sticks in Valiant craw, and he goes ballistic. That draws Cornette in for some fun with his tennis racket, and the poor referee gets bumped about ten times, but the Express can't put Garvin away. They go for the kill with a flying splash on Valiant, but Garvin saves, and gets the pin at 6:36. Not much of a match, but it worked as entertainment. Plus, give Garvin credit for working an entire match in high heels. ¼* (Original rating: ½*)

NWA World Tag Team Title Cage Match: Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff v The Rock 'n' Roll Express: From Greensboro, this is the final bout from this location. THESE guys made all the girls scream? Jesus. Crowd's were much easier to please in 1985, weren't they? This is straight tag rules, to a pinfall or submission. Nikita starts off with Ricky Morton, and overwhelms him with power, so Morton turns it into a criss cross, and snaps off a dropkick. Over to Ivan, so Ricky blows him up by forcing him to run through a criss cross, into a bodypress for two. Tag to Robert Gibson with a dropkick of his own, and a bodyslam sets up a kneedrop for two. Back to Ricky for a snapmare into a fistdrop for two, and Robert tags in with a schoolboy for two. The keep peppering Ivan with quick tags and forcing him to kick out, until they piss the Russian bear off enough, and he clobbers Gibson, then tags. Nikita decimates Robert by using the cage, and Ivan tags in to get his revenge - tossing him into the cage, and hitting an elbowdrop for two. The Russians cut the ring in half on Gibson, but Ivan misses a straddling ropechoke and misses a legdrop, so Nikita quickly grounds Gibson with a chinlock to prevent a tag. They continue cutting the ring in half, and he keeps fighting them off, but he's so battered that he can never quite make the tag without getting cutoff. Ivan goes for the Sickle, but Gibson manage to slide between his legs, and dropkick him. Nikita quickly saves with a Sickle after the referee goes down, and Ivan covers for a dramatic two. Blind tag to Ricky, and as Ivan goes for a backdrop on Robert, Morton sneaks up with a rollup for the titles at 12:26. Like the earlier tag bout, this was formula. Unlike that match, this was anything but paint-by-numbers though. ** ¾ (Original rating: ½*)

Main Event: NWA World Title Match: Ric Flair v Dusty Rhodes: And we finish up from Atlanta. It's kind of fitting that this comes up as the first Dusty Rhodes match I've reviewed since his passing. Dusty mocks Flair at the bell, so Ric tries throwing chops, but Rhodes decimates him with elbows, and Flair bails. He hops the rail to put some distance between himself and his challenger as he regroups (it should be noted how far back from the ring the first row was in those days, as a wrestler could hop the rail, and literally take five big steps before encountering a fan - all of whom are just sitting there calmly), and back in, Dusty wins a criss cross with another overhead elbowsmash to put the champ back out on the floor. In again, Dusty grounds him with a hammerlock, but Flair gets the ropes - only to try and swipe at Dusty's previously injured ankle when he tries giving him a clean break. Oh, Ric. Flair goes after him with chops in the corner, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two. Ric then suckers him by pretending to go for a wristlock, and firing off a kick right at the bad ankle. Rhodes immediately bails to the floor to recover, and Flair is keen to let him get himself counted out, but Dusty dusts himself off, and unloads elbows on the way back in. He sweeps the leg and applies a leglock, so Flair rakes the eyes to escape, but Flair can't muscle him through a vertical suplex, and Rhodes reverses. He drops an elbow onto the leg and goes back to the hold, but Ric claws his way out again, and wins a criss cross with a sleeper. Rhodes drops Flair into the corner to break, and then exacts some revenge by wrapping Flair's ankle around the post a couple of times. Ric responds by blowing him low, but Dusty toughs out a chopfest - only to miss an elbowdrop. Ric goes to the top to capitalize, but gets slammed down, and Rhodes tries for a figure four - blocked by Ric, with Dusty twisting his bad ankle un the process. I love that Rhodes wore different colored boots for this match, just to make it easier to highlight which is the bad leg for the audience. Also, so he wouldn't forget, probably. Ric goes for the Figure Four, but Dusty blocks, and headbutts him into the corner for a cross corner whip - Flair flipping out to the floor. Rhodes follows for a shot into the post and rail to draw blood, and a bad looking flying bodypress on the way back in is worth two. Dusty mounts him with a flurry of fists, then into the corner for a ten-punch count - Flair flopping to the mat. Rhodes peppers him with jabs, but an attempt to punt a field goal with Flair's head misses, and Dusty hits the corner with his bad ankle. Probably shouldn't have used that foot, big guy. Ric immediately capitalizes by going after it, and this time he's able to slap on the Figure Four! Doctor Dust reverses, so Ric keeps after him with chops, but Rhodes no-sells, and curses at him. Clothesline gets two, but the referee gets bumped during the kick out (in one of the more contrived ref bumps I've seen in a while), thus allowing Arn and Ole Anderson (of this newfangled 'Horsemen' group) to run in for the save. They knock Dusty out, but Flair still only gets two off of it via a new referee. Chops, but Rhodes counters with an inside cradle, and the second referee counts three at 22:06 to crowd a new NWA World Champion. Solid match here. Not an all-time classic from a work rate perspective, but emotionally satisfying as a blow off for a hot feud (well, until the next show ruined it, anyway), and long enough to feel suitably epic - unlike their 1984 main event. Unfortunately for Dusty, the decision would be overturned the next week, and ruled a DQ win for Rhodes due to the original referee seeing the Horsemen interference – a quintessential Dusty Finish. ** (Original rating: * ½ )

BUExperience: My thoughts haven’t changed on this one too much. While it was likely a very satisfying show for fans at the time because the faces went over in all the big grudge matches, most of it just doesn’t hold up today – especially from a work rate perspective – though, obviously, there are those who hold matches like the United States or World title bouts in higher regard simply for their nostalgic value to those viewers.

Objectively though, the top of the card is all strong stuff, but the undercard is atrociously bad at points, and certainly not worth sitting through if you don’t have any emotional connection to the matches being presented.

It’s also worth noting that there’s a ton of blood here (due to the nature of the blow offs, as well as the booking style at the time), but which might be especially off-putting for modern era fans.

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