NWA (WCW) Starrcade 1990 (Version II)

Original Airdate: December 16, 1990

From St. Louis, Missouri; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Paul E. Dangerously

Opening Match: Tom Zenk v Bobby Eaton: This was during that annoying period where they were really pushing to get Zenk over as 'Z-Man.' Feeling out process to start, and a criss cross ends in Zenk hitting a pair of flying bodypresses, each for two. Eaton stalls him a bit to break the momentum, then tries to control on the mat, but Tom gets the better of a hammerlock. Zenk with a pair of dropkicks for two, but Bobby manages to control a wristlock, and he knocks Tom onto the elevated ramp on the break. He tries vertical suplexing Zenk back in, but gets reversed onto the ramp, and Tom dives at him with a tope suicida! Eaton tries stalling again, and that's enough to cause Zenk to miss a charge in the corner, and Bobby bulldogs him down to setup the Alabama Jam - and a beauty! He doesn't bother covering for whatever reason, and Zenk comes back with a backdrop and a dropkick for two. Another backdrop, but this time Bobby counters with a swinging neckbreaker - only to run into a superkick as he tries a flying axehandle. That allows Zenk to try for the missile dropkick, but Bobby dodges, and hooks an inside cradle at 8:46. Pretty average outing for the most part, that overcame some initial awkwardness to get really good by the end. ** ¼ (Original rating: * ¼)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Quarterfinal Match: The Steiner Brothers (USA) v Sgt. Krueger and Col. DeKlerk (South Africa): The Brothers are NWA United States Tag Team Champions here, but that title is not on the line. Rick Steiner starts with Krueger, and gets slammed around a bit, but quickly drills him with a Steinerline. A sloppy criss cross ends in Sarge blocking a backdrop and tagging, but Rick nails both South Africans with a double-clothesline. DeKlerk manages to knock him to the outside with a spinheel kick, but a somersault plancha ends badly when Rick basically just stands there, and lets poor DeKlerk fall onto his head. Ouch! Back in, Scott Steiner gets the tag, and he starts bodyslamming anything that moves. Tilt-a-whirl slam and the Frankensteiner polish off DeKlerk at 2:12. Basically a squash. DeKlerk tried some interesting stuff for 1990, but his execution was terrible, and the Steiner's didn't really give him the time of day as far as selling for him. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Konnan and Rey Misterio Sr (Mexico) v Chris Adams and Norman Smiley (United Kingdom): Rey and Norman start, but Konnan quickly comes in, and helps his partner clothesline Smiley down. That brings Adams in for a tandem-dropkick to clean house, and he hits Rey with a superkick on the outside. Back in to Konnan and Norman, and Smiley wins a criss cross with a fisherman's suplex for two. The UK team cut the ring in half on Konnan, and a superkick/bridging German suplex combo look to finish, but Rey saves. They keep working him over, but Rey comes in illegally again, and this time Konnan is able to capitalize, and pin Smiley at 5:30. Decent enough, but the crowd wasn't familiar with any of these guys, and were bored. ** (Original rating: *)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Quarterfinal Match: The Royal Family (New Zealand) v Great Muta and Mr. Saito (Japan): Jack Victory starts with Muta, and they do a bit of a feeling out process. Muta sends him onto the tamp with a dropkick to setup a flying shoulderblock out there, but he fails to cut the ring in half on the way back in, and both men tag. Rip Morgan hammers on Saito, but runs into a clothesline, and Saito snap suplexes him. Tag back to Jack, but Saito takes him down in a fujiwara armbar, so Victory grabs the ropes. Saito keeps coming with a hiptoss, so Jack goes to the eyes, but fails to cut the ring in half, and Muta gets the tag. Criss cross with Morgan ends in Muta hitting a spinkick, and he adds a quick elbowdrop. Tag to Saito for a sharpshooter, but Victory saves before he can apply it, and adds a cheap shot for good measure. That allows Morgan to hit a side suplex for two, and Jack rams Saito into the post outside of the ring! The Family cut the ring in half, but Rip misses a 2^nd rope flying legdrop, and Muta gets the tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Finish comes as Morgan accidentally drills his own partner with a clothesline, knocking him right into a bridging German suplex from Muta at 5:42. Good outing here, with lots going on, and very little slowdown. ** ½ (Original rating: ¼*)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Troy Montour and Danny Johnson (Canada) v Victor Zangiev and Salman Hashimikov (USSR): The Soviets are hairy as fuck. Johnson starts with Victor, and gets dominated on the mat as Zangiev schools him. Tags all around, and Troy tries to keep some distance, but gets caught in an overhead suplex, and Salman quickly follows up with an armbar for the submission at 3:55. Another one where the crowd didn't know who they were, and responded accordingly. Ugly match too, with both teams not working well together. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Michael Wallstreet v Terry Taylor: The gimmick here is that Wallstreet had a fancy laptop computer he would use to help him prepare for matches, and in this case, the computer predicted he could beat Taylor in eight minutes and thirty one seconds (must have added a buffer - no way it takes that long to chop the head off of a chicken), so a clock counts down, and Wallstreet has to win it within that time. Taylor attacks before the bell and strips Wallstreet of his business suit, then schoolboys him for two. Bodypress gets two, and a dropkick knocks Michael to the outside, where he consults with manager Alexandra York, and the laptop. Back in, Taylor works a side-headlock, and wins a criss cross with a nice jumping clothesline for two. Michael manages to turn things around with an armbar, and a backbreaker follows. Vertical suplex sets up an elbowdrop, but Terry dodges, so Wallstreet plows him with a shoulderblock instead, then adds a legdrop for two. Onto the abdominal stretch, but the referee catches him using the ropes, and Taylor is able to mount his comeback. Backdrop and a jawbreaker hit. Bodyslam and a kneedrop get two. Atomic drop into a side suplex gets two, but Wallstreet is in the ropes to escape the Five-Arm, and he manages a sloppy hotshot before ending with the Stock Market Crash at 6:54. A total TV match, but it was alright. ** (Original rating: ¾*)

The Skyscrapers v Big Cat and Motor City Madman: Big brawl to start, with the Skyscrapers quickly sending Madman to the ramp, and tandem-backdropping Cat. Tag to Madman, but he gets destroyed in another double-team, and a spike powerbomb finishes him at 1:02. Nothing to it, but Skyscraper squashes are like Lindsay Lohan – they’ve got charm. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

The Fabulous Freebirds v Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich: Jimmy Garvin starts with Morton, and a criss cross ends in Ricky hiptossing him. That brings Michael Hayes in, but Rich is ready with a dropkick, and the Freebirds bail to the outside to regroup/stall. Dust settles on Morton and Hayes, and Ricky hits an inverted atomic drop, then sends Michael to the outside for Robert Gibson (on crutches, following a legit injury) to get his licks in. Inside, the 'Birds get trapped in stereo figure fours, and more stalling follows. The Freebirds manage to takeover on Rich, but Tommy backdrops his way out of a DDT attempt, and gets the tag off to Morton - Roseanne Barr the door! Really, already? Ricky tries a rollup on Garvin, but Hayes saves, so Gibson's crutch gets involved, and Ricky schoolboys Jimmy at 6:14. Weird match, as it felt like it was just getting past the initial feeling out portion, and then boom, suddenly it was over. ¾* (Original rating: DUD)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Semifinal Match: The Steiner Brothers (USA) v Konnan and Rey Misterio Sr (Mexico): Handshake to start, and Rick Steiner starts with Konnan. They feel each other out on the mat, until Rick tags out to brother Scott for a powerslam. The Steiner's quickly hit Konnan with the elevated flying bulldog, but he manages to slip away from Scott long enough to tag. Rey uses a drop-toehold to take Scott down in a waistlock, then shifts to a front-facelock, but Scott suplexes out of it. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, and he passes back to Rick to cream Rey with a kneeling powerbomb at 2:54. Didn't really go anywhere. ½* (Original rating: ¼*)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Semifinal Match: Great Muta and Mr. Saito (Japan) v Victor Zangiev and Salman Hashimikov (USSR): Muta starts with Zangiev, and they do a catch-as-catch-can sequence to a stalemate. Victor manages a well executed bridging German suplex for two, so Muta passes to Saito. Victor quickly takes him down in an armbar, but Saito fights free, so Salman tags in. He shoots for the leg and applies a Boston crab, but Muta breaks it up with a kick, and Victor tags back in. Saito sweeps him down for the sharpshooter, but it goes nowhere. Both tag again, and Salman creams Muta with an overhead suplex, and a backdrop suplex gets two - Saito breaking the count, and putting Victor away with the Saito Suplex at 3:09. Kind of disjointed, but it was interesting. * (Original rating: ¼*)

NWA United States Title Texas Lariat Match: Stan Hansen v Lex Luger: Hansen attacks while the referee is tying the rope to Lex's arm, but Luger fights him off, and hits a backelbow. Bodyslam sets up a pointed elbowdrop, but Stan fires back with a knee, and he whips Lex with the rope. He telegraphs a backdrop (that should be expected, he is almost totally blind, after all), and they spill to the outside - brawling around ringside, where Stan uses a chair on his challenger. Back in, they slug it out, and Luger headbutts him, then cross corner whips him to setup a clothesline. Cover, but there's not counts, so Luger unloads mounted punches instead. He gets a couple of corners before Hansen fights back with a side suplex, and he adds an elbowdrop before dragging the challenger to one corner. Stan wraps the rope around Luger's neck and tosses him over the top for a noose, then rams Lex into the post on the outside. Back in, a 1^st rope elbowdrop allows Stan to get three corners, but Luger blasts him with a lariat to stop the momentum. Stan responds by choking him down, and they spill to the outside for another brawl - made somewhat hilarious by a bored looking security guard who nearly gets toppled, but never stops looking bored. That's dedication! Inside, Luger hits a series of three legdrops, but the referee gets bumped just as Lex gets the fourth corner! That allows Hansen to hit him with the cowbell as a new referee runs in, and Stan gets four corners, but then the original referee recovers, and awards Luger the bout at 10:13, since he saw the fourth corner before going down. It was lively enough, but not a good match, and the finish was unnecessarily screwy. * ¼ (Original rating: *)

NWA World Tag Team Title Street Fight: Doom v Arn Anderson and Barry Windham: Windham is replacing Ric Flair, who was attacked by goons prior to the show, and can't compete. Arn Anderson wearing a backwards style baseball cap is just weird. Big brawl to start, of course. Ron Simmons throws down with Arn on the ramp as Butch Reed vertical suplexes Barry in the ring, then takes his belt off to use as a weapon. They spill to the outside for a brawl around ringside that sees Windham bleed, but manages to side suplex Reed on the floor. That allows Arn to whip Reed with the belt for a while, as Windham bodyslams Simmons in the ring, but misses a kneedrop. Arn uses a chair on Reed to draw blood as Barry puts Ron down with the belt, and then uses a chair as well - only to run into a spinebuster for two. Simmons with a press-slam on Anderson, but Windham crotches him as he goes to the top rope, then superplexes him down for two. Reed with a flying shoulderblock on Anderson, but Barry breaks the cover, and DDTs him. Reed comes back with a piledriver as Simmons blasts Arn with a chair, but Reed gets backdropped over the top, and the Horsemen double-up on Simmons. The end result sees another screwy finish, as men from each team make simultaneous covers for a double pinfall at 7:35. All action, but the style isn't really my cup of tea, and the finish was dumb. I do understand that I am in the minority on this one though, as most tend to rate it a lot higher. And that's fine. * ¾ (Original rating: ***)

Pat O'Connor Memorial International Tag Team Tournament Final Match: The Steiner Brothers (USA) v Great Muta and Mr. Saito (Japan): Scott starts with Muta, and gets quickly put down with a flurry of kicks, but responds by taking Muta down for a half-crab. Muta's quickly in the ropes to escape, and Rick tags in - dodging a kick combo and hitting a Steinerline. Tag to Saito to work Rick over with some strikes, but he runs into a dropkick (yo!) during a criss cross, and another Steinerline. Muta tries to fly in, but Rick crotches him on the top to stop that particular effort, and passes to Scott. Muta quickly hits him with the handspring backelbow, but another charge misses, and Scott executes a rotating belly-to-belly suplex for two. Tag to Saito, so Scott throws a stiff backelbow, and passes to Rick - Saito quickly nailing him with the Saito Suplex. Muta tags in with a swift elbowdrop, and he dumps Rick to the outside for Saito to post. The Japanese team cut the ring in half, but Rick ducks a roundhouse kick from Muta, and reaches brother Scott! He's a GNC of fire, but runs into a double-team, and gets choked down. Saito Suplex and a spike piledriver destroy him, but Rick is out of position, leaving the heels to mill around aimlessly waiting for him to get to the top rope. And once he does, Saito tries a sleeper on Scott, but Rick comes off the top with a flying sunset flip for the win at 10:54. Good match, with effort all around, and some really stiff work. ** ¾ (Original rating: * ½)

Main Event: NWA World Title v Mask: Cage Match: Sting v Black Scorpion: Dick the Bruiser acts as the special guest referee for this one. Feeling out process to start, and Scorpion side suplexes out of a headlock, but misses an elbowdrop. You can clearly see Flair fumbling as he tries to disguise his offense. He takes over in the corner, but has to throw forearms instead of the usual chops, and it's awkward as fuck. Clothesline and a gutwrench suplex get two, and a cross corner whip sets up another clothesline. Snapmare sets up a mat-based headscissors, and while this is a bad match thus far, it is somewhat fascinating to see Ric Flair work such a different match. People criticize him for working the same match all the time, but this makes it readily apparent why he found his signature style, and stuck to it forever. Scorpion with a backelbow and a pair of cross corner whips, then an inverted atomic drop. Cross corner clothesline and a snapmare get two, and Scorpion works a chinlock. Meanwhile, the crowd actively doesn't care. Not even 'actively,' like with Roman Reigns, this is just apathy. Scorpion with a series of jabs, but he runs into a press-slam during a criss cross, and Sting throws a pair of running clotheslines, only to hit the cage when Scorpion ducks a bodypress. Okay, this has gone on long enough now, and really needs to wrap up. Scorpion misses a charge to allow Sting a vertical suplex for two, but Scorpion rakes the eyes in the corner, then tosses Sting into the cage wall. Dick the Bruiser really resembles a butch lesbian. He's also a terrible referee. Seeing guest referee's always makes me immediately gain enormous respect for the underappreciated craft of refereeing. Scorpion with a piledriver for two, but he runs into a one-handed bulldog, and the Stinger Splash hits. Deathlock is applied (finally waking the dead crowd up), but Scorpion gets the ropes, so Sting throws him into the cage, and pulls the mask off - only to reveal a second mask underneath! Slugfest on the top rope goes Scorpion's way, but he ends up getting crotched on the top rope, then press-slammed into the cage! Flair has somehow managed to blade without taking the mask off. Now THAT'S a magic trick! Hiptoss and a jumping clothesline setup a flying bodypress to retain at 18:32. And, of course, afterwards the Scorpion is unmasked as Flair. The match had its moments, but was FAR too long for what it was. They could have very easily trimmed about half of this off, and it would have been a lot better served. * (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: This is a terrible, bloated mess of a show. Not only are there fourteen matches on a three hour card, but none of them were even particularly any good! And, hey, that’s not all that different than shows like WrestleMania V or VI, but those shows were memorable and entertaining in other ways. This is just a tedious tournament that no one cared about, and then screwy finishes in the big matches that people did care about. Don’t bother with this junk

DUD