WCW Starrcade 1998 (Version II)

 

Original Airdate: December 27, 1998

From Washington, DC; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan

Opening WCW Cruiserweight Title Triangle Match: Billy Kidman v Rey Mysterio Jr v Juventud Guerrera: First fall wins this. Kidman and Mysterio team up at the bell, and Guerrera gets dominated with combos. Rey accidentally hits Kidman during an exchange, and Billy loses his cool. They slug it out, and Guerrera is bumping around like such a pinball that he’s taking bumps during their slugfest. That’s dedication! Guerrera tries a flying bodypress, but misses, and Kidman uses a wheelbarrow facebuster on Rey on Guerrera for two. Kidman tries one on Guerrera, but Juvi counters with a bulldog on both opponents to block it. Guerrera beats on both guys with chops, but Kidman decks him, and Rey hits Billy with a sitout facebuster for two. Everyone trades pin attempts, and Kidman hits Guerrera with a bulldog while dropkicking Rey. That gets two on Guerrera, and Billy adds a sidewalk slam on him. Kidman goes up for a dive, but Guerrera gets the knees up to block, and Rey capitalizes with a slingshot moonsault on Billy for two. Rey and Guerrera fight to the apron, and Rey uses a rana on the floor to win the exchange. Kidman grabs Rey with a vertical suplex back into the ring, and a 2nd rope legdrop gets the champion two. Kidman with a powerbomb on Guerrera for two, but Rey recovers with a bulldog on the champion for two. They continue trading off, but the crowd isn’t giving them much, since there isn’t a cohesive story being told. Even as they start trading signature moves, they still don’t get much of a reaction for the nearfalls. Eddie Guerrero shows up, resulting in the referee not seeing Kidman cradling Guerrera. Eddie nails Billy, and Guerrera reverses the cradle for two - broken up by Mysterio, whose momentum reverses it back for Kidman at 14:56. This had some unique spots (even for today, and especially for the time), but the storytelling was lacking, and made it hard to properly engage with. Which is a shame, because these three guys had been having an interesting series of individual matches on TV for weeks leading up to this. Afterwards, Eddie chews Guerrera and Mysterio out, and why is Rey even listening to his ranting? We’ve already established that he doesn’t consider himself part of the LWO anyway. But, Guerrera does. And, he’s heartbroken. Eddie decides to show him how it’s done, and challenges Kidman to put the belt up right now. What is this, WrestleMania IX? * (Original rating: ***)

WCW Cruiserweight Title Match: Billy Kidman v Eddie Guerrero: Guerrero is working in construction boots here. Well, points for realism, I suppose. Eddie strikes first, and a powerbomb gets him two. A small package is worth two, so he cracks Kidman with chops, and hits a pop-up flapjack. Guerrero slaps on an abdominal stretch, and Guerrera helps him with leverage from the outside, until Rey stops it. Eddie chews Juventud out, allowing Kidman to recover with a slingshot headscissors, but Eddie cuts him off with a blistering chop. Another pop-up, but Kidman counters with a dropkick this time, and he hammers Eddie down. Juvi with a distraction to allow Eddie to clip the leg, and he puts the champion in a surfboard sharpshooter. Kidman escapes, so Juvi grabs him on the outside, and Eddie feeds the champion the post. Inside, Kidman manages a ten-punch count, and he grabs a sleeper, but Eddie drops down with a jawbreaker. Eddie lets Kidman swing for a bit to try and tire him out, and then with Kidman charges, Eddie blasts him with a loose boot for two. ‘Loose’ as in that he took the shoe off, not as in the opposite of ‘stiff.’ Eddie with a brainbuster, but a trip to the top ends in Kidman superplexing him for two. Eddie fights back with a bridging toehold, but Mysterio prevents him from using the ropes. Eddie with a springboard rana, but Billy blocks a powerbomb. Billy with a bodyslam to set up a slingshot legdrop for two, but Eddie blocks a rana off the top. Eddie tries one, but now Kidman blocks. Kidman tries for the shooting star press, but Juvi crotches him on the top to prevent it. That allows Eddie to follow to the top, but Rey crotches him to even it up, and Kidman dives with the flying shooting star press at 10:49. This was another disappointing one, especially considering that Guerrero was coming off of a four-star+ match the prior Monday, and Kidman had been on a run. But, at least this one had a story you could sink your teeth into, as opposed to just spots. * (Original rating: ** ½)

Prince Iaukea v Norman Smiley: They had a crappy match on the preceding Nitro that saw Smiley go over clean by submission in under two minutes, so I have no idea why they’re repeating it here. Posturing to start, and Prince gets control by dumping Smiley to the outside, then diving from the apron with a somersault senton. Inside, that gets Prince two, and a suplex is worth another two, so Smiley throws some chops to shake him off. Smiley with a keylock, and a swinging bodyslam gets him two. Smiley grounds things with a headscissors, but Prince escapes, and hooks a sunset flip for two. Smiley cuts him off, and a hanging butterfly suplex gets Norman two. Smiley goes to an armscissors, but Prince fights free, so Smiley takes him down with a drop-toehold. Smiley wastes time showboating, allowing Prince to recover with a bridging northern lights suplex for two, but Smiley cuts him off with a bodyscissors. Smiley with a bodypress for two, and they fight over a backslide, ending in Smiley going to the crossface chickenwing, but Prince slips free. Smiley tries again, and gets it locked in this time for the win at 11:32. That’s the exact finish they did in their Nitro match, making this booking all the more perplexing. * (Original rating: *)

Saturn v Ernest Miller: Miller tries giving Saturn a chance to forfeit, which ends in him getting decked. Miller bails and stalls, but manages to nail Saturn, and ropechoke him down. Miller with another choke for two, but he argues the count, and Saturn nails him. Saturn with a cradle for two, and he grounds Miller in a few holds, muscling them into two counts, until Ernest manages to bail to break the momentum. Inside, Miller shakes off a few takedown attempts, and he lands a superkick. Miller calls Sonny Onoo in to take a shot, but it backfires, so Miller kicks Onoo’s ass. All that gives Saturn time to recover, and he hits Ernest with a death valley driver at 7:10. This match had a lot of build on TV, but it was flat. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Scott Norton and Brian Adams v Fit Finlay and Jerry Flynn: Adams and Finlay start, and Brian dominates, but hits a boot while charging in the corner. That allows Fit a clothesline and an elbowdrop for two, and a pair of uppercuts rock Adams. Fit with a sitdown splash, but a charge in the corner misses, and Norton tags in to blast Fit with a few clotheslines. Backdrop, but Finlay blocks. Fit with a few shots, but Norton shrugs him off with a powerslam. Tag to Jerry, but Norton shrugs off a double team on the exchange. Norton misses an avalanche, allowing Flynn a corner spinheel kick, so Scott tags out. Norton is just refusing to sell anything for anyone. Adams at least sells for Flynn a little, so Vincent nails Jerry with a cheap shot, and Brian uses a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Adams tries a suplex, but Flynn blocks, and throws a savate kick. Tag to Fit for a clothesline, and he adds a kneedrop. Fit with another clothesline for two, and he grounds Adams with a chinlock from there. Tag to Norton, and Scott blasts Finlay with an avalanche to give the heels control. They work Fit over, until everyone comes in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Norton drills Flynn with a powerbomb for the pin at 8:38. This wasn’t a bad match, but the crowd was completely disinterested, since it had no build whatsoever. This would have been a random match for a Nitro, let alone for Starrcade. ¾* (Original rating: ¾*)

WCW Television Title Match: Konnan v Chris Jericho: Jericho is in possession of the title belt, after stealing it on Nitro. Posturing to start, and Konnan lands a seated dropkick to win a criss cross. Jericho fires back, and he heads to the top, but misses a flying bodypress. Konnan clotheslines him over the top, and the champ dives after him from the apron, but Chris sidesteps, and Konnan hits the guardrail. Jericho tries a whip into the rail, but Konnan reverses, so Jericho sends him into the post instead. Inside, Jericho delivers a vertical suplex for two, and he takes Konnan into the corner for chops. Jericho with a bootchoke, and a bodyslam sets up a flying splash, but Konnan gets a boot up to block. Konnan uses a whiplash for two, so Chris throws a chincrusher to buy time. That allows Jericho a springboard moonsault for two, so Konnan bails. Jericho dives after him with a springboard bodypress, but Konnan dodges, and Chris lands on the steps. Konnan rolls him in to cover for two, but Jericho counters a sitout facebuster into the Liontamer, only for Konnan to block. Jericho redirects to a catapult into the corner, and he wallops Konnan with the title belt to make sure he’s properly knocked silly. Cover, but Konnan gets a shoulder up at a dramatic two. Chris keeps coming, but loses a criss cross to a sitout facebuster, and Konnan gets the tequila sunrise on at 7:27. * ½ (Original rating: *)

Ric Flair v Eric Bischoff: The Horsemen are banned from the building. Despite that, Flair charges in, chasing Bischoff around the ring. Ric catches him for some chops against the guardrail, and then inside for a pounding in the corner. Ric with a kneedrop, and Bischoff tries begging off, citing a hurt knee. Ric shows no mercy, and hammers on the part, but Eric sneaks up with a roundhouse kick when the referee intervenes - the knee suddenly just fine. To the outside, Bischoff feeds Ric the rail, and Flair blades off of it. Inside, Bischoff unloads more kicks, and gets Flair down for mounted punches. Ric fires up, so Bischoff tags him with another roundhouse kick, but Flair is still pissed, and manages a low blow to slow the boss down. Flair takes him into the corner for chops, and he’s so fired up that he accidentally bumps the referee in the process. Flair with shattered dreams, and a side suplex. A vertical suplex follows, and he gets the figure four on, but Curt Hennig shows up (wearing his suit from 1995), and passes Bischoff a weapon. Eric uses it to knock Flair out to break the hold, and Bischoff covers for the pin at 7:09. And, yes, that’s the actual finish. They don’t reverse the decision, don’t restart the match, that’s it. Gosh, they never learned a thing did they? I wasn’t expecting a good match here, but I was at least expecting Flair to stand tall at the end. That was the whole point of this thing. This show is already kind of a drag, and this should have been the easiest layup of the night, but they somehow blew even that. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Giant v Diamond Dallas Page: Page sticks and moves at the bell, but Giant blocks a Diamond Cutter attempt, though Page manages to clothesline him over the top. Giant drags him out with him, and that ends badly for Dallas when Giant throws a short-clothesline. Giant with a headbutt that knocks Page over the rail, and Giant throws a fist, but DDP blocks with a trashcan so random that even Tony has to openly wonder where it came from. But, it looked cool, so I can forgive it. Back to ringside, Giant bashes Page’s arm into the post a few times, and they head in, where Giant works the leg. Page is jelly, and Giant delivers the chokeslam… but pulls him up at two. Giant wants to squeeze the life out of him with a bearhug, but Page manages to fight free. Page tries a sunset flip, but Giant blocks, and delivers a chokeslam backbreaker! Giant continues working him over, but a hiptoss gets countered with a DDT, and both men are left down taking the count. Page crawls over to cover for two, as WCW United States Champion Bret Hart runs in with a chair. He swings, but Page ducks, and Hart ends up walloping Giant. That allows DDP to cover, but it only gets one. Page goes up with a flying clothesline, but Giant gets up, so Dallas dives with a second one. Giant continues to stir, so Page dives a third time - only to get caught in a choke! Giant looks to turn it into the chokeslam, but Page counters into the Cutter on the way down at 12:38. This wasn’t great, but it told a story. I was surprised that Bret was kind of a nonfactor here, considering the angle was basically built around his initial involvement. I mean, yeah, he showed up, but I kind of expected him to be out there with Giant the whole time, and being more involved. * (Original rating: ¼*) 

Main Event: WCW World Title No Disqualification Match: Bill Goldberg v Kevin Nash: They’ve done a great job of building this one up. Posturing to start, with both men cautious. Nash gets a standing side-headlock, but Goldberg manages a side suplex to break, and Nash wisely rolls out of the ring to regroup. Back in, Nash throws punches, and manages to pound Goldberg into the corner for some abuse. Nash with a bootchoke, but Goldberg sweeps the leg, and grounds him with mounted punches. Goldberg gets a kneebar on, but Nash is so tall that he reaches the ropes from near center ring. Goldberg stays on him with shots in the corner, but Nash manages to drop him into the turnbuckle, and successfully bookchoke him. A big boot misses, allowing Goldberg to rebound with the spear. That allows the champion to set up the jackhammer, but Nash goes low to block. That allows Kevin a corner whip, and he grabs Goldberg in a sidewalk slam for two on the rebound. Nash with an elbowdrop for two, and he adds a straddling ropechoke for two. Nash pounds on the lower back of the champion, and a backelbow finds the mark, but doesn’t take Bill off of his feet. A short-clothesline does, and gets two. Goldberg fires back with a swinging neckbreaker, however, and a hiptoss gets the champion two. Goldberg with a superkick, followed by a front-powerslam for two. Goldberg with a spinheel kick, but Disco Inferno shows up, still trying to join the Wolfpac. Goldberg kills him with a spear, but now Bam Bam Bigelow is out. Goldberg gets rid of him as well, but then Scott Hall pops out of the crowd (dressed like a security guy), and he uses a taser on Goldberg! That allows Kevin the powerbomb at 11:19. I don’t criticize the idea of putting Nash over here, but the way they did it was all wrong. Three bits of interference… it was just so cheap, especially considering Nash wasn’t a heel at this point. I don’t think people would still be second guessing that booking if Kevin just beat him cleanly, after a hard fought battle. ½* (Original rating: ½*)

BUExperience: Despite the WWF overtaking them in the rating war, WCW still had a very strong product in late 1998. You wouldn’t know it by watching this show. Not a single good match, a lot of messy booking choices - this was a big letdown, especially considering that the buildup on TV was strong. 

DUD