Chris Flackett
Starrcade ’93 was, on paper, an important event for WCW. Not only was Starrcade their “granddaddy of them all”, but Starrcade ’93 was the 10th anniversary of the original event, a significant milestone (let’s skip over the fact that technically the previous year’s event was the 10th anniversary, but WCW in their wisdom decided to bill Starrcade ’93 as the “11th Starrcade and the 10th anniversary, suggesting they forgot about the anniversary in 1992).
The wrestling landscape had changed significantly in the ten years since the inaugural Starrcade; the territories were dead; the NWA was a complete shell of its former self and now operated on the indies; Jim Crockett Promotions had been bought by Ted Turner and renamed World Championship Wrestling; Vince McMahon had turned the taste for wrestling into a desire for ‘sports entertainment’; TV, PPV and merch were now the big business, not the live circuit.
You would think ten (or eleven) years of Starrcade would force WCW to take stock, but in typical WCW fashion, it is not really clear what anyone in the office there was thinking. The original plan for Starrcade ’93 was for Sid Vicious to defeat the dominant Big Van Vader for the World Heavyweight Champion. Indeed, due to how TV tapings were scheduled, Sid had been filmed prior to the event wearing the title belt and appearing as champion on WCW Worldwide. Needless to say, the infamous Sid-Arn Anderson scissor fight that occurred whilst on a tour of England put paid to any chance of a Sid title run and the footage of Sid with the belt was never aired. As WCW would often do when they ran out of other options, they turned to Ric Flair. On this occasion, they made the right call.
In fact, with the event being held in Flair’s hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, the stage was set for an emotional, gripping main event storyline that was easily the promotion’s best of the year. As we will see, though, WCW hadn’t paid the same due care to the rest of Starrcade ’93…
A Fine Set Up
One thing I have to say right off the bat: the opening to this PPV is perhaps one of the best openings to a supercard I have ever seen. Seriously. If the opening of a show is designed to set the tone for what we are about to see and get the audience invested, then Starrcade ’93 did it on spades.
The opening package made it clear from the start. Via a series of black and white photos of a young Ric Flair growing up to clips of that famous Flair chop being used against the likes of Harley Race, Nikita Kolloff, Ronnie Garvin, Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk, complete with Flair voiceover from his many classic promos, the mood quickly changed as Vader broke into the clips, destroying opponent after opponent and growling like an animal. The gentleman wrestler was not just dealing with any other wrestler here: he was dealing with a beast!
Tony Schiavone and Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura (in tuxes for the occasion) further build up the feeling of Flair being in over his head by showing footage of a carefree Vader arriving at the arena and telling fans they were going to have a party before getting in the ring and shadow boxing with Harley Race. The champ had no concerns; not so the challenger. According to Schiavone, Flair hadn’t even arrived at the arena yet…
Handily, Mean Gene and a camera crew were at the Flair residence to escort the ‘Nature Boy’. We all know the wheelin’ dealin’, kiss stealin’ etc. Flair like the backs of our hands; what I find fascinating when watching old Flair stuff now is when he was a face and decided to play it absolutely straight. He would appear sincere, calm and professional—a contrast to his usually wild, arrogant persona. The sombre Flair was on display here as he hugged his children (including a teenage David!) and gave his wife a long, lingering hug full of concern and worry. Mean Gene, being the red-hot investigative reporter that he was, questions Flair on their way to the limo, but in a way that actually communicated genuine concern. He knows Flair has beaten the best but Vader has ‘decimated’ people in the last few years. Flair really sells it, confirming that of course, he’s worried (had he ever admitted that before about an opponent? I really don’t know) but that he knew what he was signing up for when he signed the contract and that he had to prove himself tonight just as he has proved himself over the course of his career.
WCW were criticised many times for an apparent lack of ability to tell stories, but in five minutes they told a genuinely captivating story full of pathos and emotion. Not bad at all for a ‘Plan B’ match. I really do give WCW kudos for this opening. For once, perhaps for the first time since 1988, the Starrcade main event really felt like a big deal.
2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Alexander Bagwell (w/Teddy Long) vs. ‘Mr Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma (w/ The Assassin)
I forgot 2 Cold and Marcus were a tag team in ’93! And I especially forgot they held the tag belts (for one night) as Tony points out on commentary. The crowd seem mixed here, with equal cheers and boos for their entrance. Teddy Long gets the ‘Manager of the Year’ award before the bout. You would have thought Harley would have claimed that one, what with managing the champ and all!
In the other corner, the team that would soon become ‘Pretty Wonderful’ and win tag team gold—but not quite yet. It’s early days and I’m not quite sure what the link with The Assasin is. Indeed, he looks pretty lost at ringside for large chunks of the match.
There’s not really any kind of story at play here. On the offensive, 2 Cold and Marcus are the faster of the two teams, although you can be forgiven for thinking the only move Bagwell knows at this point is the arm drag. Scorpio seems quite toned down here by his standards, which is a shame. When the faces are in charge, the pace is faster and then Orndorff and Roma slow it down when they take over. Not a lot of note happens until the end where, with the ref distracted by Roma and Bagwell fighting on the outside, The Assassin gets on the apron and gives Scorpio a weak headbutt with a foreign object inside his mask. The heels take the victory.
Not awful for the standards of the time but nothing particularly interesting either.
Winners: Paul Orndorff & Paul Roma
Back in the limo, Mean Gene lay it on thick on Ric Flair, mentioning how it could be the last time they could travel in a limo to an arena for a match of this magnitude. This could be the end. Flair retorts that he won’t second guess himself and that he loves this sport and they’ll see what kind of man he is tonight. Flair calls Gene one of his best friends in the business. Were they particularly close outside of the ring? Answers on a postcard, please! The segment goes on a bit, but it serves its purpose and features a particularly ridiculous Flair line that he delivers with absolute pathos: “You know what a guy said to me the other day?…He said, ‘hey, Ric Flair, if you’re gone, who’s gonna go woooo?’ I looked at the guy for about ten seconds and I said, ‘My friend, nobody’s ever gonna go woooo except for Ric Flair, and I ain’t going anywhere. And that’s the bottom line.'”
Awesome Kong (w/King Kong) vs. The Shockmaster
Even by WCW 1993 standards, this is a match nobody wanted. The Shockmaster had reverted from having enacted wrestling’s favourite meme to becoming a ‘builder’, complete with hard hat. The match was less than three minutes long, started with double teaming and saw ‘Shockie’ take the win with a body slam and what appeared to be a fast count to my eyes and ears. Nothing to see here.
Winner: The Shockmaster
Flair’s limo pulls into the arena and Jesse claims Flair is “more popular than Bill Clinton”, as well as having more money than Bill Clinton—“at least for now”. Gene escorts Slick Ric to the door and gives him a firm handshake. It’s the bromance I didn’t know I needed.
WCW TV Champion Lord Steven Regal (w/Sir William) vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat
Now we’re talking! Two of my favourite wrestlers on WCW’s biggest show of the year for championship gold. Can I say how much I love Steamboat’s old WCW music? (It’s my review so yes, yes I can). No-one can pull a disgusted face like Regal, and he does just that when Steamboat holds up Regal’s title belt above his head to send a message to the champ.
This is not a bad match by any means, but it never seemed to get out of second gear, perhaps because they were going for the time-limit draw. The fact that you would put a time-limit draw on your biggest show of the year is baffling anyway, but the fact Steamboat and Regal were clearly slowing things down to meet the time-limit did stop this match from being something really special.
I will say that both men were very crisp here and it’s a positive that they could be so smooth without making it look overly choreographed. Both men worked on the arm throughout until a final stretch saw Regal’s European uppercuts waken Steamboat up into chopping Regal to the outside. A Sir William distraction led to Steamboat chasing the former Bill Dundee around ringside and in and out of the ring, leading ‘The Dragon’ right into the path of a nasty Regal dropkick on the outside.
With ten seconds remaining, Steamboat looked like he might come back and steal a win, but his flying crossbody missed and a last-ditch belly-to-back suplex was too late to get the three count.
Not a bad match by any means, but the time-limit decision really had a negative impact on the layout and the story of the match. Shame.
Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce vs. Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne
So it came to this for Mrs Foley’s baby boy: headlining Halloween Havoc in a world title match to tagging with Maxx Payne against Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce. If ever a guy couldn’t catch a break, it was Cactus Jack in WCW. Saying that, his team with Payne would in a matter of months indulge in one of the great WCW street fights of all time, so it wasn’t all doom and gloom. But before that, they would have to suffer the indignity of wrestling the artists soon to be known as The Godwins.
Even with Jack in the equation, this is just a straight punch-and-kick fest without any heat or excitement. The most ‘interesting’ thing about it is that Shanghai Pierce is wearing a mask, which in all my years of watching WCW Worldwide on a Saturday afternoon in the UK, I do not recall Shanghai wearing a mask. That is how good this match is. Actually, credit where credit is due: Jack does do a nifty clothesline over the top to the floor, and the crowd pops for Maxx Payne backdropping Jack onto Shanghai on the floor. That was pretty cool.
In the end, Shanghai accidentally clotheslined Tex over the top rope, and a double arm-DDT finishes for Jack. At least it was quick.
Winner: Cactus Jack & Maxx Payne
Mean Gene proceeds to bring out Kyle Petty. I must confess ignorance, but Google confirms he was a race driver and the son of driver Richard Petty, who has just retired. Petty talks about going out on top but hopes Flair wins. I gotta give WCW credit; they really wanted to sell the idea that Flair might lose and retire here.
2 out of 3 Falls: WCW United States Champion ‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes vs. ‘Stunning’ Steven Austin
In just a few years, Steve Austin would be the biggest draw in wrestling, and Dustin Rhodes would be Goldust. Funny how things turn out. Actually, 1993 had been a big year in its way for Austin, as for the majority of the year he had been in one of the freshest, most over tag teams in wrestling at the time: The Hollywood Blondes with Brian Pillman. For reasons that both Austin and Pillman speculated were political, the team was split up in October of 1993 and Pillman turned face. He arguably wouldn’t recover until he joined the Horsemen in late ’95.
2 out of 3 falls here. And considering the talent involved, this is another encounter that just can’t seem to get out of second gear. The crowd are quite subdued at first, especially when Austin takes over and we go into punch-kick territory. There was an impressive moment, however, when Dustin sent Austin into the guard rail and Austin zoomed over it head first like a torpedo and landed face first onto the concrete. I’d love to someone do that now—bring back the torpedo!
Approaching the end of the first fall, the crowd woke up as ‘The Natural’ mounted a comeback, nailing Austin with a Bionic Elbow and a big jumping clothesline. A two count followed, with Colonel Robert Parker on the apron to try and create a distraction. It failed—and worked in its way. Instead of creating an opening for Austin to attack Rhodes, Dustin instead launched Austin over ropes and onto the Colonel instead, sending them both to the floor. All fine and dandy—until you realise WCW still had the archaic ‘over the top rope’ rule and Dustin is instantly disqualified to give Austin the first fall. I can’t believe they were still pulling that in 1993. This might have protected Dustin if it didn’t make him look weak for forgetting the top rope rule in the first place.
This is where things get silly. Austin is bloody after Rhodes sent him into the ring post after the first fall. As Rhodes sends Austin back into the ring and climbs up top for a double axe handle, the lights flicker and then go off. Oh dear. There’s still enough light to see and I quite like the dramatic effect of two people fighting in the dark, but it’s no wonder the WWF was still at the top of the tree in professional wrestling. In any case, the second fall lasts all of three minutes. That’s right: three minutes. As the lights come back on and Dustin hammers Austin in the corner, the Stunning one manages, out of nowhere, and with no build-up to a finish, to drop Rhodes down and roll him up with a handful of tights for the win out of nowhere! Not only was it anti-climatic, but for Rhodes to lose two falls in a row in such stupid ways did Dustin Rhodes no favours at all.
A big disappointment, this one.
Winner: ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin
WCW International Heavyweight Champion ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude vs. The Boss
Now, this would have been a great WWF match in 1990. Alas, we’re three years later and although Rick Rude is the International Champion here, a lot of his performances during 1993 had left a lot to be desired. Only four months after this match, Rude would be retired from in-ring competition due to a back injury. The Boss, on the other hand, is the artist formerly known as The Big Boss Man. The Boss: real imaginative, huh? The WWF would send the legal boys in during 1994 (hence the change in name later to The Guardian Angel), but it’s a wonder they didn’t send them in sooner—swap The Boss’s black shirt back to a blue shirt and he even dresses still like the Boss Man!
Originally, this was meant to be Rude vs. ‘The British Bulldog’ Davey Boy Smith, which would certainly be a better match on paper, but Smith had been let go by the promotion because of his legal troubles at the time.
This is a relatively short encounter, which is perhaps for the best, but it’s noticeable for how little offence Rude gets in. I would say the match is 90% Boss. I don’t know if Rude is hurt or just doesn’t have his working boots on, but it’s very strange and very noticeable how little he has to do in this match. While The Boss could still go at this point (check out his matches with Vader in 1994), he decided to do the opposite at WCW’s BIGGEST SHOW OF THE YEAR. Admittedly, The Boss does try: he works the crowd like a pro. But his offence is too limited to lead a match like this. So, like other matches on the card, this is just another example of a punch-kick special.
The ending is another one that comes out of the blue as well. Remember, Rude has got in minimal offence at this point. There’s no build to suggest the end is coming. So, Rude is draped on the ropes, The Boss goes for his patterned leg drop against the ropes, Rude moves out of the ring so that The Boss crotches himself. Fine. But then Rude nails a sunset flip back into the ring and ekes out a surprise three count for the (very) sudden win!
This is actually a bit depressing now. Only two matches to go though! Speaking of which…
WCW World Tag Team Champions The Nasty Boys (w/Missy Hyatt) vs. Sting & Road Warrior Hawk
This was a match that had me intrigued, I must admit. Sting and Road Warrior Hawk seem quite a random team on paper but actually, seeing them in the ring together, it works. And it’s not a face paint thing either. They look pretty good together. In fact, the first part of the match is pretty entertaining, thanks to the Sting/Hawk pairing. They work a speed and power combination and have the crowd popping quite nicely. Hawk press slams Sting from the ring to the floor on top of the Nasties in a good spot. Saggs returns fire with fire by sticking with what he’s good at: using furniture. Unfortunately for Hawk, he took a hard shot not with a folding chair but a normal plastic chair that doesn’t fold, and god does it look like it would have hurt!
From there though, things went downhill. The Nasties took control, first on Hawk and then Sting, with a series of rest holds broken up only by the occasional power move. Then it was back to the arm bar or abdominal stretch. As ring announcer Gary Michael Capetta was counting the minutes down, it became clear they were trying to tease a time-limit draw. Fine, but you’re telling me there wasn’t a more entertaining way of doing it than making me sit through twenty minutes of arm bars?
As the last three minutes arrived, the faces made a comeback. Yet, commentary was confused and so was I; Hawk and Saggs were the legal men, so why did Nick Patrick count two on a Sting roll-up on Knobbs? A clumsy-looking Doomsday Device followed (which I least appreciated as a nod to the Road Warriors) but the subsequent pin was broken up by Missy Hyatt (in a revealing dress that would be passe now but was pretty risque for 1993). However, something looked completely off. Hyatt kind of grabbed at Sting, pulled him off Knobbs awkwardly before seeming unsure of what she was meant to do and leaving the ring. Even Sting and Hawk looked a little confused. I get the feeling that the finish didn’t go the way it was supposed to, but I don’t know what the issue was.
In any case, the Nasties lose by DQ but retain the titles. I’m not sure they retained the appreciation of the audience with that finish though. Thank God the main event is next.
Winners: The Nasty Boys
WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader (w/Harley Race) vs. ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair
The time for talking is done. Flair has beat many men, but can he beat the man who has been decimating WCW’s top stars for two years? Is Ric Flair old hat? Can he beat Big Van Vader?
What I love about this match is that it really does have, and I know it’s a cliche now, but it really does have that big fight feel. A large part of that is because it is in part an actual fight but we’ll come back to that. But the crowd reaction to Flair is astonishing: this is Flair country and that North Carolina audience loves him intensely. Keys to the city? He is the key to the city.
Also, it goes to show where it’s a main event with the right stars and the right story, Michael Buffer’s introductions really do add to proceedings. As does a solemn Flair who really does seem genuinely moved and teary moved by the audience’s reaction to him.
This match is simple wrestling storytelling at its best. Flair cannot compete with Vader in terms of power and striking. So he tries to outrun Vader so as to tire the big man out. However, that plan comes a cropper when Vader eventually catches him—the onslaught of fists and forearms completely slows Flair down. Flair is able to get his shots in but Vader is too much for him. Flair is bleeding from the mouth and there’s genuine tension in the air in the arena: this could be the night the ‘Nature Boy’ finally falls.
Which makes it all the more remarkable when Flair does fight back and starts to build momentum about halfway into the match. He takes Vader by surprise, rocking him with chops and hard fists, taking him down to one knee, then the mat. It’s determination, drive and the desire to prove oneself. Flair is still hungry for greatness and the crowd roar behind every smack to Vader’s face. Flair also knows to play to his strengths. He might not be a power man like Vader but then Vader is not ‘The Dirtiest Player in the Game’. Unfortunately for Vader, Harley Race gives Flair room to be just that, with Flair smashing Vader’s leg into the ring post and then unleashing a chair shot while the ref has his hands full with Race. That’s how you fight fire with fire (on a side note, Flair beat Harley Race in the main event of Starrcade ’83. It must have been weird for all concerned that in the main event of Starrcade ten years later, Race was now a manager and was involved in Ric Flair’s latest title win).
Vader keeps coming back, and every Vader strike and Flair fail sucks the air out of the room. You truly believe that the crowd feels Flair has run out of luck each time. It’s what gives this match such terrific tension and atmosphere. Ultimately, though, Vader’s power and arrogance can’t overpower Flair’s hunger and passion and, with an assist from a Harley Race headbutt gone wrong, Flair takes advantage of a wobbly Vader by chop-blocking his leg and holding on for a roll-up and the 1-2-3 and an 11th World Heavyweight Championship reign! Rather than being past it, Flair used all that experience he had gained over the years and knew when to take his advantage when he saw it. The fight had been fought and it was simple wrestling in the end that won the day for Flair. It’s masterful storytelling. The pop as Flair raises the gold says as much.
As you can tell, I love this match. I genuinely think more fans should go out of their way to see it. The atmosphere, the storytelling: it’s all there in spades. And while I might have been complaining earlier about punch-kick encounters, this match demonstrates such an approach can work when there’s a storyline reason for it and when both men are genuinely potatoing each other as they do here. Vader was never the most gentle of performers and it’s genuinely uncomfortable at points to see some of the stiff shots Flair takes—the forearm off the top rope which bloddied Flair’s mouth being a prime example. Flair tells the story that partway through the match, Race told him to go for Vader and fight back legitimately, and he does. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Flair hit as hard as he does in this fight. Forget standing there and waiting to be chopped; this is genuinely hard-hitting.
Post-match, Vader trashes a dressing room, while Mean Gene interviews a tearful Flair and family, with Sting and Ricky Steamboat, legendary rivals, congratulating the ‘Nature Boy’. “I’ve been a very, very fortunate man”, says Flair. Fortunate, yes. But matches like this remind you how hard Ric Flair worked as well.
Final Thoughts
If you ever looked up the meaning of a one-match card in the dictionary, Starrcade ’93 would be it. Flair-Vader is everything it promised it would be and more. It was emotional, violent, a great story and the right man won on the night. It’s a match that doesn’t get talked about enough, possibly because Flair’s run in 1993 wasn’t particularly interesting overall and would soon be overshadowed by his run in 1994 with debutant and ‘saviour of WCW’ (in his own mind), Hulk Hogan. But if you want to see 90s-era Flair have one of his most hard-hitting and best matches, this is the one to watch.
I can only speculate the amount of attention and work that went into the main event led the office to not pay the same amount of attention to the rest of the card. But that’s not strictly fair; on paper, Steamboat-Regal, Rhodes-Austin, Rude-Boss and Sting/Hawk-Nasty Boys all had potential. But possibly due to the booking (time-limit draws, over-the-top-rope DQ’s, matches going too long), these matches didn’t particularly click. It’s a shame—the talent really was there. Imagine a Starrcade ’93 where those four matches delivered alongside Flair-Vader. Yes, you can say that about any card, but when you think about the potential, it is frustrating.
So ultimately, Starrcade ’93 was a one-match card. But hell—what a match!
