WCW Starrcade 1993 (Version II)

Original Airdate: December 27, 1993

From Charlotte, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura

Opening Match: 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Alexander Bagwell v Paul Roma and Paul Orndorff: They're already 'Pretty Paul' and 'Mr. Wonderful,' but no one had thought to mix peanut butter in their chocolate yet. Also, I get that drugs ran rampant in the locker rooms back then, but why are Scorpio and Bagwell dressed for Halloween Havoc here? The heels try an attack right away, but Scorpio and Bagwell manage to clean house. The dust settles on Bagwell and Paul Roma, and Marcus hits a bodypress for two, then works a wristlock. Roma uses a bodyslam to escape, and he tags Paul Orndorff, but Orndorff runs into an armdrag, and Scorpio tags in to work an armbar on him. Orndorff slugs out of it, and literally kicks Scorpio out of the ring, but a vertical suplex on the way back in is blocked, and a criss cross ends in Scorpio taking him down with a headscissors. Sloppy exchange there. Bagwell comes in with a splash for two, and he goes back to that wristlock again, but Orndorff escapes with a drop-toehold for the tag. Roma rushes in, but runs into a drop-toehold, and he's back on the mat in an armbar. He escapes, so Bagwell delivers an atomic drop (complete with Orndorff inspired selling), then over to Scorpio for a hiptoss/kneedrop combo for two. They take turns working the arm, but Orndorff gets the tag, and blitzes Bagwell on the way in. Marcus tries fighting him off with a sleeper, but Roma comes off the top with a flying axehandle, and he adds a nice three-alarm no-release backbreaker to set up an elbowdrop for two. They cut the ring in half on Bagwell, but Roma misses a flying splash, and Scorpio gets the tag! He comes in hot on both heels, and Roseanne Barr the door! Scorpio hits Orndorff with a vertical suplex and a flying punch, but runs into a headbutt from the Assassin, and Orndorff scores the pinfall at 11:47. Nothing to tell mama about, but it was watchable, and a solid start to the pay per view. Scorpio looked way off of his game here, though. * ¾ (Original rating: *)

Shockmaster v King Kong: Awesome Kong is supposed to wrestle, but King does instead. As if you cared. The Kongs double up on Shockmaster before the bell, and avalanche him in the corner, and King hits a splash. These two are so fat, it's uncomfortable to look at them. Like, Yokozuna was fat, but looked more athletic. These guys look like those disgusting hillbillies that need a forklift to get out of their trailers. Shockmaster looks positively lean beside them. I'm honestly blown away that they're both not dead today. King misses another avalanche, and Shockmaster hits a bodypress, followed by a bodyslam at 1:35. You wouldn't think a match that didn't even run two full minutes could hit negative stars, but there you go! -½* (Original rating: DUD)

WCW Television Title Match: Lord Steven Regal v Ricky Steamboat: Regal stalls to start, and keeps the Dragon in first gear by drawing him into a feeling out process. Ricky manages a somersault cradle for two, and a hiptoss for two, so Regal backs off to break the momentum. Steamboat forces a criss cross, and hooks a sunset cradle for two, but ends up on the mat in a toehold. Ricky escapes with an enzuigiri and a bodyslam, followed by a flying tomahawk chop for two. He grounds the champion in an armbar, so Steven powers to a vertical base to try the Regal Roll, but Ricky blocks by wrenching the arm back down to the canvas. Steamboat hold onto the arm for an extended period, so Regal uses European uppercuts to escape, and they spill to the outside. That allows Sir William to sneak up with the umbrella, and though Steamboat catches him before he can use it, the distraction allows Regal a dropkick out there. Inside, Regal tries keeping him grounded to run out the clock, but Steamboat gets to a vertical base for a butterfly suplex for two, and Steven wisely bails. Dragon is hot on his tail, so William tries to interfere again, but it backfires this time! Back in, Steamboat comes off the top with a flying bodypress, but Regal sidesteps, and the challenger wipes out! Regal tries a haymaker, but Steamboat counters into a side suplex, but the fifteen minute time limit has expired at 13:08. I think they must have gotten a signal to go home early there, because this was a real snoozer. The dynamic of the Fall Brawl match, where Ricky had the injured ribs for Regal to target for heat, as well as where Steven was the challenger (and thus didn't stall as much), was better. I appreciated the psychology of Regal stalling and grounding Steamboat throughout, but it didn't make for the most interesting of matches. * ¼ (Original rating: ** ¼)

Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce v Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne: Pierce starts with Payne, and they measure each other a bit. Both guys tag, and a slugfest goes Jack's way, setting up a single-arm DDT for two. This match has been really awkward and unfocused thus far. Things settle into Jack and Payne working over Tex, but Maxx misses an avalanche, and Tex bulldogs him before tagging. Maxx stays in control with a sunset flip for two, and a side suplex allows the tag back to Cactus, and Roseanne Barr the door. Both heels end up on the outside, so Payne backdrops Cactus onto Tex, but Shanghai jumps Maxx from behind. He comes off the top with a flying axehandle, but gets caught in the Payne Killer, and Tex is forced to save. They try a double team, but Shanghai gets caught in the double-arm DDT from Jack at 7:49. Ugly match. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

WCW Untied States Title Two-out-of-Three Falls Match: Dustin Rhodes v Steve Austin: Feeling out process, as the announcers have an amusing back-and-forth about the ring girl's tits. Tony and Jesse were an underrated duo. A reversal sequence ends in Rhodes hooking a backslide for two, so Steve bails to the outside to break the momentum. Steve manages to drag the champ out as well, but a slugfest backfires on Austin when Rhodes reverses a whip into the guardrail - the challenger taking a bump into the crowd! Back in, Steve tries to sucker him into a cheap shot, but Rhodes is ready for it, and grounds his challenger in a side-headlock. Austin escapes and hits a pointed elbowdrop, followed by a facebuster for two. Snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two, and a backelbow is worth two. The camera work here is terrible - missing tons of stuff to focus on Colonel Robert Parker. Rhodes fights back with a slingshot sunset flip for two, and a poorly timed dropkick is worth two. Steve ducks a haymaker and delivers a side suplex for two, but both guys are left looking up at the lights following a collision while coming off the ropes. Rhodes tries a slam, but Steve topples him for two, and a snapmare sets up a 2^nd rope kneedrop, but Dustin dodges! He slugs away on Austin, and hits an elbowsmash, followed by a jumping clothesline. Powerslam gets two, so Parker hops up on the apron - Rhodes throwing Austin into him, but Steve going over the top in the process for a DQ at 13:26. Dustin follows him out for a trip into the post to draw blood, as the arena's lights die, and the crew has to improvise with a spotlight so they can finish the match. Rhodes with a vertical suplex for two, but Austin counters a ten-punch count into a cradle to win the second fall (and the title) at 16:16. These two were both very good workers, but they just never seemed to click when working against each other. The only reason this made that Essential Starrcade collection is for the name value of Austin winning a title. * (Original rating: ¾*)

WCW International World Title Match: Rick Rude v Boss: Boss is replacing Davey Boy Smith here, who parted ways with WCW earlier in the month. It's kind of funny that both Boss Man and Nailz ended up doing rip offs of their WWF gimmicks in WCW during the same year. Just shows how great the WWF was at crafting memorable gimmicks in the old days, as so many of the guys who jumped between '93 and '95 got saddled with rip off gimmicks that were nowhere near as memorable as the original WWF versions. Boss wants to brawl right away, but Rude is keen to stall him. Boss delivers a backdrop and a big boot, followed by a backbreaker for one. Cross corner whip hits, and a bodyslam is still only worth one. What was Rude pissy about here? To the outside, Boss slams him on the floor, then hangs him in a tree of woe outside of the ring - hammering the abs of the champion. I'm surprised Jesse didn't note that Rude's abs are too strong for that to work. Back in, Boss grabs a bearhug, and a facebuster follows, but a straddling ropechoke misses, and Rick hits a slingshot sunset flip to retain at 9:06. I believe we were originally supposed to get this pairing back in the WWF in 1991, as the payoff to the Boss Man/Heenan Family storyline, but Rude left the promotion before it could happen. Looks like he did us all a favor. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

WCW World Tag Team Title: The Nasty Boys v Sting and Road Warrior Hawk: We get an ad for SuperBrawl IV before the match, which promises two Thundercage matches. I know they were notorious for taping shit in advance during this period, but that's ridiculous. This show isn't even over, and you're already promoting a rematch for the bout that hasn't yet happened? In all fairness, they don't actually promise Vader versus Flair again, but that did end up being one of the two Thundercage matches, so from a kayfabe perspective, are we supposed to believe that they were going to do a Thundercage match regardless? I could go on, but Missy Hyatt is strutting around now, and I want to watch that instead. Brian Knobbs starts things off with Sting, and they size each other up a bit. Knobbs tries to take control in the corner, but Sting fights him off with clotheslines, and Brian ends up on the outside. He strategizes with Jerry Sags out there, so Hawk comes in to press-slam Sting out of the ring onto both champions! The dust settles on Sags and Hawk, and the Nasties double up on him to try and gain control, but Hawk shrugs them both off with a double-clothesline, and the champs end up on the outside again. Back in, Hawk unloads on Sags with rights until Jerry just collapses, and Hawk throws a dropkick as Sags pulls himself to his feet. Jumping shoulderblock and a fistdrop follow, and Jerry bails again. Back in, Sags eats a leg-feed enzuigiri for two, and Sting tags in for a tandem backelbow, followed by a vertical suplex. Sags goes to the eyes to shake him off, but Knobbs runs right into a hiptoss, and the challengers work Brian's arm. Hawk ends up missing a charge in the corner, and ends up on the outside, where the Nasties use a chair to knock him silly. Inside, the Boys cut the ring in half, but Hawk manages to fight off a double team, and Sting gets the tag! He blitzes both Nasties, and sends them both out onto the ramp, so Missy decides to sashay her way over, and tell them to walk out. They take her advice, but the challengers drag them back, and Sting tries a flying splash on Knobbs to finish it up, but Brian lifts his knees to block! Knobbs with a bodyslam to set up a 2^nd rope legdrop, with Sting trying to roll out of the way, but not quite making it. That looked like it might have been a botch, but it didn't come across badly. A regular legdrop gets two, so Knobbs dumps Sting for Jerry to abuse on the outside. Back in, Knobbs hits a vertical suplex for two, as the Boys settle into cutting the ring in half on the Stinger. Funny bit during a resthold, as (a likely bored) Ventura notes that the building is 'packed to the rafters - just as a great announcer used to say.' Knobbs hits boot while trying a 2^nd rope flying splash, but Sags comes in to cut off the tag, and Brian capitalizes with a front-powerslam. Hawk gets pissed, and comes in without a tag, taking out both champions to allow Sting a clear path to the legal exchange! Hawk comes in hot, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! Stinger Splash on Knobbs sets up the Scorpion Deathlock, but Missy interferes. Sting deals with her, allowing Knobbs to charge, but he hits Hyatt instead, and Sting schoolboys for two. Crowd thought that was the finish. They hit Knobbs with a Doomsday Device beck, but in comes Missy to break up the count (nearly spilling out of her top in the process), and we have a super lame DQ at 29:08. Yep, a half hour for a dumb 'manager breaks the pin DQ' finish. Whose bright idea was it to book the Nasties in thirty minute matches all the time during this period to begin with? Regardless of the finish. They're tolerable enough in small doses, and they've actually been pretty motivated since coming in, but nothing about their act warranted such long matches. * ½ (Original rating: ¾*)

Main Event: WCW World Title v Career Match: Vader v Ric Flair: They do a great job of building this up throughout the night, with Gene Okerlund accompanying Flair from his home (where he says goodbye to his wife and kids - including little Charlotte) to the arena, as they discuss the match, and Flair's career. Flair bumps all the way across the ring off of a simple shove during the initial lockup, so you know he's in the zone tonight. Vader keeps easily shoving him around, so Ric bails to the outside to force the champion into a chase, then takes the high ground. He doesn't capitalize on it as Vader comes back in, however, and only succeeds in angering the beast. Vader wrenches him with a knucklelock, then drills him with a short-clothesline, so Ric tries to fight back with chops, but the monster ignores them. Flair bails again to avoid getting pummeled, but he doesn't have the luxury of getting counted out here, and he knows it. Inside, Vader traps him in the corner with a barrage of forearms, until Ric is down, so Vader switches to stomping him instead. Press-slam hits, so Ric rolls out of the ring to avoid getting covered, but Vader follows him out for a press-drop across the railing! Avalanche against the rail misses, however, and the Nature Boy comes to life with a flurry of rights before Vader can recover. A trip into the post follows, but Harley Race nails Ric before he can take the champion back inside, and Vader suplex-slams him back into the ring from the apron. Another suplex-slam follows, and Vader goes to work in the corner again - any momentum Flair built on the outside long gone now. Cross corner whip flips Flair to the outside, but he beats the count in, so Vader punishes him with more right hands. Ric is basically out on his feet, but he instinctively throws some chops, but Vader ignores them, and slams him for two. 2^nd rope flying clothesline connects, and poor Ric is just getting murdered here. Vader with a snapmare to set up a 2^nd rope flying splash, but Flair manages to roll out of the way of that one, and he hustles to the top with a flying tomahawk chop. Vader doesn't go down, so Ric goes up with another one, but still no dice. He peppers him with a bunch of chops before going back up, and the third time is the charm! He manages to add a kneedrop, but unfortunately for him, all of this has barely registered with Vader, and the champ clotheslines him. Vader with a vertical superplex and an elbowdrop, but a splash misses, so Flair looks to capitalize with a shoulderblock - only to bounce off of the wall that is Vader. He tosses Ric to the outside for Race to abuse, but Flair is dumb enough to beat the count, so the punishment continues in the corner. Ric manages to dodge an avalanche, but a cross corner whip is reversed, and Vader gets him with that avalanche on the second try. Ric is left down in the corner, but Vader shows him no mercy - unloading with more rights on the broken challenger. Knucklelock, so Flair resorts to going to the eyes, and he goes nuts with his own flurry of rights to beat the champion's mask off of him! Ric drags him over to the corner to wrap the leg around the post before Vader can recover, and he bashes it with a chair as well! Vader is groggy, and Flair capitalizes by pulling him to the outside for a wild flurry of closed fists! Vader is still staggering around, so Flair whacks him with the chair again, and for the first time in this thing, Vader is in trouble! Inside, Ric keeps hammering with rights to try and finish this thing off while he still can, and he starts trying to take the monster trucks wheels away from him by working the leg. Figure Four, but Vader is able to block, and oh shit, he's still alive! Vaderbomb, but Flair dodges, and that's enough to allow him to get the Figure Four on - the crowd going wild! Vader gets the ropes to save himself, but Flair is reenergized, and ready to rumble! Unfortunately, all that vim and vigor still results in a boot to the face while trying a charge, and Vader goes to town with some mounted punches. Vadersault looks to squash this pesky fly for good, but Flair rolls out of the way of that as well! He covers, so a desperate Race comes off the top with a flying headbutt to try and cause a DQ, but Ric sees it coming - rolling out of the way so that Harley lands it on Vader! That knocks Vader loopy, and Flair unloads with chops, but runs into a shoulderblock while charging. Unfortunately for Vader, he's twisted the bad knee in the process, and Flair has enough presence of mind to clip it - holding it down into a cradle to win the title at 21:08. Massive ovation for that one! Surprisingly, Ric doesn't stay to soak in the cheers for long - grabbing the belt and heading to the back almost right away. Guessing he might have been a hurt there, and in need of medical attention. One hell of a match here, which I certainly shortchanged the first time around. Non-stop action for over twenty minutes, and tons of psychology. It was also very, very different than your usual Flair formula match, as he was fighting from underneath the whole time, and getting cut off whenever he'd start to get some traction. **** ½ (Original rating: *** ¼)

BUExperience: As a show, it’s underwhelming – marred by bad booking, and subpar wrestling. But, boy, did it wow ‘em in the end! The main event is not only a great match (likely the match of the year for 1993, and later voted the best match in Starrcade history), but was built with an exceptionally well booked angle, and delivered a great payoff. Not really worth sitting through the whole thing, but the main event is a must see.

*