WCW Starrcade 1994 (Version II)

Original Airdate: December 27, 1994

From Nashville, Tennessee; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

Opening WCW United States Title Match: Jim Duggan v Vader: Vader charges him in the aisle during the entrances, and they slug it out - the challenger taking a bump into the guardrail. Duggan beats up Harley Race as well for good measure, then whips Vader into the rail before they head inside for the first time. Duggan unloads a ten-punch on the way in, then sends poor Vader right back out with a clothesline over the top! Vader is pinballing like crazy for Hacksaw here. In, Duggan wins a criss cross with a bodypress for two, and he actually manages a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop for two. Jim slugs him down for a kneedrop for two, then slaps on perhaps the worst chinlock I've ever seen. Isn't that, like, day one of wrestler school? Vader fights free, and ignites a slugfest, but Hacksaw holds his own, and clotheslines the challenger down. He tries a 2^nd rope flying back-elbowdrop, but Vader dodges, and he clotheslines the champion out of the ring. Back in, the big man hits a slam to set up the Vaderbomb, but it only gets two. Vader tries another one, but Jim knocks him off the turnbuckles before he leaps, so Vader bodyblocks him down to keep control. He tries for the Vadersault, but Jim rolls out of the way of it, so Vader smacks him with an avalanche instead. Second one, but Duggan counters with a clothesline this time, and he dominates a slugfest to allow a cross corner whip. 3-point stance looks to finish, but Race rakes his eyes to break up the count at two. That allows Vader to try a 2^nd rope flying bodypress, but Duggan catches him in a powerslam - only to have Race on the apron distracting the referee to prevent a count. Jim gets distracted, and ends up running into a cheap shot from Harley - allowing Vader a wheelbarrow facebuster for the title at 12:06. One thing I've always loved about Vader is that he wasn't shy about taking a beating from a much smaller man, and always kept his heat regardless. Duggan's execution was lacking, but he was working really hard here. Not exactly a good match, but better than you'd expect. * ¾ (Original rating: * ¾)

Alex Wright v Jean-Paul Levesque: It's interesting just how fully baked the Hunter Hearst Helmsley character was before ever getting to the WWF - down to the little bow, and everything. Extended feeling out process to start, with the crowd rapidly losing interest. Levesque puts the boots to him upon escaping a headscissors, and hits a spinheel kick. Weird seeing the guy who we're so familiar with as Triple H doing moves like that, and generally looking like a light heavyweight. Levesque with a snap suplex for two, so Wright tries a bodypress, but Jean-Paul ducks, and Alex wipes out. He ends up on the outside, so Levesque hits him with a baseball slide, and blocks an attempted slingshot sunset flip. Jean-Paul with a powerslam for two, and he grounds Alex with a chinlock. Wright escapes, but eats a dropkick and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before he can mount any sort of comeback. Levesque with a bodyslam to set up a flying elbowdrop, but Wright rolls out of the way, and there's the comeback! Hiptoss gets two, and a backdrop hits, but both guys bump heads during a criss cross for a double knockout spot. Levesque recovers first, but Wright blocks a cross corner whip, and rolls Jean-Paul up for three at 14:04. Not especially engaging, but I've seen worse. * (Original rating: * ¼)

WCW Television Title Match: Johnny B. Badd v Arn Anderson: Anderson is a last minute replacement for Honky Tonk Man, who walked out on the promotion just days before this show. Feeling out process to start, with Arn stalling, and playing mind games. Johnny gets sick of him, and dumps Anderson to the outside following a hiptoss, overhead armdrag, and a dropkick. Arn takes his sweet time getting back in, where he tries a cheap shot in the corner, but Badd sees it coming. Arn does manage to plant him with a rotating spinebuster, however, and he ropechokes Johnny down. Abdominal stretch is applied, but Badd escapes. He tries a sunset flip, but Arn blocks him with a right hand for two, and they battle over a double-knucklelock. Arn wins with an elbowdrop for two, and he works a chinlock next. Badd escapes, so Arn tries a sleeper instead, but Johnny reverses. Anderson uses a stunner to escape, but a tilt-a-whirl slam is countered with a headscissors, and Johnny backelbows him for two. He mounts his comeback, so Arn tries a leveraged pin - mistakenly thinking he got three when he didn't, and allowing Badd to schoolboy him to retain at 11:23. Sinfully boring. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)

The Nasty Boys v Harlem Heat: Big brawl to start, with Jerry Sags executing a pump-handle slam on Booker T for two right away, as the Nasties clean house. The dust settles on Sags and Booker to officially start, but it breaks down into another four-way brawl again, and settles on Brian Knobbs and Stevie Ray. Knobbs manages a clothesline after getting whipping into the corner, and a two-handed bulldog is worth two. It's interesting, because I've always had a much lower opinion of Harlem Heat as a team than most fans tend to, and I've never really thought about why before, but now I think it might actually have to do with the fact that this extended feud with the Nasty Boys was basically my first exposure to them. Even later, when everyone else was always hot about Booker as a single, I could just never really see it, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was at least partially because of the horrible memories I had of falling asleep to matches from this endless series. Anyway, the Nasties cut the ring in half on Booker, until Sags ends up brawling in the aisle with Stevie Ray, and the Heat take over. They cut the ring in half on Sags in dull fashion, until he counters a tandem backdrop with a double-DDT, and gets the tag off to Knobbs. He's an outhouse of fire, and Roseanne Barr the door. Sister Sherri pulls out some hairspray to try and help her team to the win, but ends up hitting the wrong guy. That allows Sags a flying elbowdrop, so Sherri comes off the top with a flying splash, but ends up hitting her man again. The Boys respond by rubbing her face in their armpits, and the Nasties are declared winners by DQ at 17:47. I've always disliked this pairing, but I've outright hated the booking. Whose bright idea was it that they were always - always! - booked in twenty minutes pay per view matches? Like, seriously, the one thing that makes me skittish about getting to 1995 in these re-reviews is this series. Not the Dungeon of Doom, not the Mabel push, not Ric Flair in a dress - just this feud. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Kevin Sullivan v Mr. T: Mr. T is so excited to be here that he's come dressed in his pajamas, complete with sleeping cap. I feel ya, dude. Mr. T dominates Sullivan in the early going, as we turn our attention to Dave Sullivan (dressed as Santa Claus) hanging out in the aisle. In the ring, Mr. T works Kevin over with right hands and corner whips, but gets dumped to the outside, where Sullivan slugs at him. This is such a mess that even the poor camera man can't maintain a vertical base - tripping over all the suck and falling on his ass at ringside. That was pretty funny. They continue weakly brawling around ringside, until Jimmy Hart runs out to load Dave's gift bag with his megaphone, and Dave bops his brother Kevin with it to allow Mr. T the pin at 3:51. The crowd barely even reacted to the three count there, which just shows how horribly this whole thing came off. At least it was quick, though. DUD (Original rating: -*)

Sting v Avalanche: Avalanche shoves him around to start, but Sting won't back down, and shoves him right back. Lots of posturing here, as they size each other up for an extended period. Avalanche pounds him in the corner, but misses an avalanche, allowing Sting to kick at his leg. This is starting to feel like Avalanche's match with Koji Kiato that broke into a shoot in 1991, with lots of circling each other, and Sting taking kicks at the leg. Test-of-strength goes Avalanche's way, and he pounds the Stinger in the corner, as this match just dies. Sting tries kicking at the leg again, but Avalanche manages to hide in the corner to avoid going down, so Sting tries a bodyslam, but that ends badly. Avalanche is a bodyslam of his own to set up an elbowdrop for two, and a legdrop follows. Avalanche continues to work him over in slow, dull fashion, so Sting starts kicking at the leg yet again, and this time manages to send the big man to the outside with the strategy. Back in, Avalanche works a thrilling headlock, as the crowd heads to the concession stands in droves. Sting fires shots at the leg to escape, so Avalanche clotheslines him down, and hits a powerslam for two. He keeps pounding on Sting in the most boring manner imaginable, but Sting manages a sleeper. He wears Avalanche down to one knee in the hold, but the big man shakes him off in the corner, so Sting starts kicking at the leg again. Slam, but Avalanche topples him for two, and hits another powerslam - as the announcers note that we should 'stay tuned for 1995, because this is just a sample.' Not exactly putting your best foot forward there. Avalanche looks to finish, but Sting suddenly pops up, and starts mounting a comeback. Stinger Splash sets up a bodyslam, but the referee is bumped as the Scorpion Deathlock is applied. That allows Kevin Sullivan to come in, and Sting is left on his back to set up the Avalanche Splash. That brings out Hulk Hogan now, and he chases Avalanche and Sullivan out of the ring, as the referee declares Sting the winner by DQ at 15:26. Total snoozer, with a terrible ending tacked on for good measure. One of the most boring Sting matches I can think of offhand. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Main Event: WCW World Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Butcher: Hulk shoves him around to start, and they spill to the outside. Butcher manages to ram him into the rail out there, and he pounds the Hulkster around ringside, including choking him down with an electrical cable. Among the many (MANY) issues with this feud is that Butcher was not nearly in good enough physical shape to pull this role off. He looks like a puffy middle-aged restaurant manager, not a top level heel. Like, unless he's supposed to be the butcher supplying the meat for some southern California organic eatery, it's just not the right role for him. Hulk uses a chair on him, but gets choked down on the way back in, so Hogan starts biting him. The general idea behind this feud wasn't a bad one, but man, it is just dying as a pay per view main event. Hogan is Hogan, but Butcher just does not have what it takes to hang with him in any believable sort of way. Hulk with a ten-punch count, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Butcher chokes him down again. He works a nervehold next, then on to the Sleeper, as the crowd gets distracted by something going on near the entrance. And I mean quite distracted, as they turn their collective attention there for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, we don't get to see what it was. Anyway, Hogan does the two arm drops routine, but Butcher lets off before the third, and Hulk makes his comeback. That summons Kevin Sullivan and Avalanche, but Hulk shrugs them off, and hits Butcher with the Legdrop at 13:08. Hogan continues fighting the Three Faces of Far after the bell, but he's outnumbered, so suddenly Randy Savage runs in! He looks to side with the heels, before quickly turning on them, and helping the Hulkster clear the ring! This whole match probably would have worked a lot better in the WWF, where they had more usable back-story, and where they would have been protected by much smarter booking. DUD (Original rating: ¼*)


BUExperience: Easily the worst wrestling pay per view of 1994. Easily. Life is far too short, please don’t waste your time on this horrible junk.