WCW Starrcade 1996 Results and Review

WCW Starrcade 1996

Here we go, another review that I can guarantee is better on VHS than on the WWE Network. Regardless, here is my take on the event as it was. Today, we’re talking about WCW Starrcade 1996, and all of the ups and downs that occurred.

The event took place on December 29, 1996. I tweeted at Eric Bischoff about this event, and he tweeted me back, because I mentioned how great the opening match was. The attendance on this show was 9,030 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. This was the last PPV event for the 1996 year, and over on the WWF side, they had a crappy In Your House. Now, let’s see how well this event came through, with a few notes of interest.

WCW Starrcade 1996 Results

Ultimo Dragon defated Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight and J-Crown Championship
Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa for the WCW Women’s Championship
Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.
Jeff Jarrett defeated Chris Benoit in a NO DQ Match
The Outsiders defeted The Faces of Fear in the WCW World Tag Team Championship match
Eddie Guerrero defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Title
Lex Luger defeated The Giant
Roddy Piper defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan

WCW Starrcade 1996 Review

Ultimo Dragon defeated Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight and J-Crown Championship

This match was a great example of how to turn on the heat in a Cruiserweight title match. Dragon was flying around the ring and Malenko was trying to stop him. Overall, he wasn’t able to get the Japanese and Lucha star to go down, and in the end, after around 20 minutes, this match was in the books with Dragon being the new champion.

Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa for the WCW Women’s Championship

Madusa was awesome, and didn’t get her dues, I think. Hokuto put on a show here, putting the boots to Madusa, and eventually getting the win. Madusa looked to be legit hurt in this match.

Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Rey Mysterio Jr.

Talk about another classic, Jushin Thunder Liger and Rey Mysterio Jr. in their prime! This was a 15 minute match that was very much back and forth. There was a little confusion on the finish, but overall, this is an instant classic. This is a great example of how to throw down a cruiserweight match, just because. The crowd got into it with the escalation of moves.

Jeff Jarrett defeated Chris Benoit in a NO DQ Match

Not a great match. Didn’t really care for this one, but hey it was ok, I guess.

The Outsiders defeated The Faces of Fear in the WCW World Tag Team Championship match

The Outsiders put the boots to the Faces of Fear, and won this match in about 15 minutes. It wasn’t that good. Hall and Nash were not putting in a lot of work in these matches, and well it showed. There were a few moments of interest, but overall, this wasn’t a great showing for the tag titles.

Eddie Guerrero defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the WCW United States Title

You would think that these two guys would have more chemistry, but it wasn’t to be had, yet. This was a boring affair, with Eddie Guerrero getting the big win. I didn’t really think that these guys hit their stride until 1998, but hey, that’s just my two cents. \

Lex Luger defeated The Giant

No, Luger didn’t rack the Giant. This is the BIG SHOW, by the way, and he’s awesome. The Giant was awesome back then, and this match shows. Luger and Giant put on a good match, with Giant even getting a top rope move in. Great stuff from Luger, selling for Giant, and well, this was a fun match to watch.

Roddy Piper defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan

The crowd went nuts for this match. It’s what you would expect from two 40 something year old men. Overall, a good brawl, but after about 15 minutes, Hogan was put to sleep. This wasn’t for the title, but the crowd went ballistic when Piper won by submission.

Overall, WCW Starrcade 1996 wasn’t a great PPV, but it had some solid performances. The cruiserweight matches are well worth watching, and the last two matches are a lot of fun overall. Sting was in the rafters, and well, that ended WCW’s 1996. A good year if you ask me, and this PPV was better than a lot of the WWF stuff that was going on, although it would flip.

I recommend buying WCW Starrcade 1996 on VHS here, instead of the WWE Network, as the Network has butchered the music, and edited the fans signs, and more.

WCW Starrcade 1983 Review

Starting today until I am done. I will be reviewing every single PPV and supercard that I have in my collection starting from 1983 forward. I will also be updating HULU Raw reviews, Smack down reviews and more. I will be watching WrestleMania as well. Strap in, for the second coming of this blog.

Starrcade 1983
November 24, 1983
Greensboro, North Carolina
A Flair For The Gold

The first ever PPV from WCW right? I don’t know. I got this tape a long time ago, back before any DVD had it. It’s an interesting difference to see things on tapes, but that’s what happens. Starrcade has always been an interesting PPV source for me. My favorite of course is 1998, but I’m in the extreme minority on that one. This showcase I saw again with new eyes and wow, there are some highlights and some low moments as well.

The Assassins defeated Rufus R. Jones and Bugsy McGraw

Heavy hitting match, nice frenetic pace. Very entertaining back and forth. The Assassins took a lot of bumps to make this match go forward. Some minor botches, but great overall back and forth action. The crowd was really into the highs and lows of this match up. The Masked Assassins won out of nowhere. This wasn't an emphatic win like you would expect from a well-oiled tag team. It seemed rushed towards the finish, but that's old school for you. The Assassins win in non-dramatic fashion. Not a bad match, not a great one. I liked the pacing here, it was classic tag team action.

Kevin Sullivan and Mark Lewin defeated Scott McGhee and Johnny Weaver

Wow, a YOUNG Kevin Sullivan. That's right, the task master was featured in this match. Other than that, this was a mediocre offering. It was short at least. This was definitely not a great match at all.

Abdullah the Butcher defeated Carlos Colon

This was just a brawl. Nothing technical here. Abdullah pulled out a foreign object, Carlos stole it, the ref took a bump, and that was that. A short brawl that ended in an interference and that was that. The announcers kept saying that this was banned in Puerto Rico. Nothing too fun here. It was rushed.

Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater defeated Mark Youngblood and Wahoo McDaniel

This was an interesting brawl of sorts. It lasted a good 14 minutes, and it was cool to see the Chief in there mixing it up. Bob Orton flopped like no other, and Dick Slater had some hard hitting moments. This was not a great match, but the crowd was into it, so it made it a bit better.

Charlie Brown defeated Great Kabuki (NWA Television Championship Match)

This was a slow prodding match up. However, Charlie Brown’s entertainment was great. Kabuki was ok, but he was slowed down by the pacing of Brown at times. This 10 minute match really highlighted what the TV title was about, if you recall that championship.

Roddy Piper defeated Greg Valentine (Dog Collar Match)

This is a frenzied and definitive brawl. Piper injured his ear in this one. The chains they used back then were not gimmicks. They were tight chains and they looked heavy. Whether the guys were blading or not, Piper bled hard in the ear. I don’t think that was by accident. The ear looked immensely messed up. This was a great brawl, and as hardcore as you’re going to get in 1983.

Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood defeated The Brisco Brothers (NWA Tag Team Championship)

Angelo Mosca as ref was really cool in this one. The young guys really took on the Briscos. I will say this much about the Brisco Brothers, they can bump like crazy. They were flying around getting trashed by Steamboat and Youngblood. This was a nice classic tag title match with the faces going over after some nice tandem moves.

Ric Flair defeated Harley Race (NWA Heavyweight Championship)

Gene Kiniski was the guest referee on this one. The match was a slow moving one, but that was standards for Flair back then. Race was a beast back then, and he really manhandles Flair on several occasions. Kiniski took a mean ref bump at one point. Race loses, Flair gets praised, everyone goes home happy. This is a classic old school match, but at 23 minutes, it’s a bit boring.

Overall, Starrcade 1983 is a good PPV for those that love classic wrestling. It really is something to behold. It’s even more interesting to read the WIKI page here. I liked it enough. There were some nice touches here and there, but overall, this isn’t my favorite Starrcade.

There are several ways that you can enjoy Starrcade 1983. You can CLICK HERE and find some tapes and DVDs on it. Or you can get the WWE network and watch it. It's up to you.

Rare Wrestling Finds: WCW Starrcade 1990 Collision Course VHS

When I sold my wrestling collection, the one tape that garnered the most bids on ebay was WCW Starrcade 1990 in the original packaging. Someone in the UK paid $150 for it, and I originally got it for 99 cents. You can buy this one now online for around $30 in relatively good condition.

Starrcade 1990 was memorable for me because it was the first time on American television that I saw Konnan and Rey Mysterio SR face off against American opponents. I would see tapes later of them, but in this instance, it was a classic to see them wrestle in the United States, away from their Lucha Libre roots.

Also, Ric Flair's gimmick at the time was that he was a masked man, but no one knew. I guess that ruins the surprise for those that haven't seen the event. This was a great event, and it is not available on dvd, so you can order WCW Starrcade 1990 Collision Course VHS tape here.

WCW Starrcade 1990 Collision Course Card:

Bobby Eaton defeated The Z-Man

The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) (USA) defeated Sgt. Krueger and Col. DeKlerk (South Africa) Tournament Quarterfinal

Konan and Rey Misterio (Mexico) defeated Chris Adams and Norman Smiley (United Kingdom)

Mr. Saito and The Great Muta (Japan) defeated The Royal Family (Rip Morgan and Jack Victory) (New Zealand) Tournament Quarterfinal

Victor Zangiev and Salman Hashimikov (Soviet Union) defeated Troy Montour and Danny Johnson (Canada)

Michael Wallstreet (with Alexandra York) defeated Terry Taylor

The Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious and Danny Spivey) defeated Big Cat and The Motor City Madman Tag team match

Tommy Rich and Ricky Morton (with Robert Gibson) defeated The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) (with Little Richard Marley

The Steiner Brothers (USA) defeated Konan and Rey Misterio (Mexico) Tournament Semifinal

Mr. Saito and The Great Muta (Japan) defeated Victor Zangiev and Salman Hashimikov (Soviet Union) Tournament Semifinal

Lex Luger defeated Stan Hansen (c) Texas Lariat match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship

Doom (Ron Simmons and Butch Reed) (c) (with Teddy Long) and Arn Anderson and Barry Windham fought to a no-contest Street Fight for the NWA World Tag Team Championship

The Steiner Brothers (USA) defeated Mr. Saito and The Great Muta Tournament Final

Sting (c) defeated The Black Scorpion in a Title Vs Mask Steel cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Dick the Bruiser as special guest referee

If you're interested in purchasing this Rare WCW vhs, click here to get Collision Course 1990.

WWE Starrcade: The Essential Collection Dvd Box Set

I haven't been this excited about a WWE release ever! This looks amazing! The WWE Starrcade Essential Collection features some of the best from the Starrcade era of WCW wrestling. They don't skimp out on you either, they really go way back when and include some of the best matches from highly collectible vhs tapes that i used to own.

I'm not kidding, the WWE Starrcade: Essential Collection spans 3 discs packed full of matches. This also includes commentary from the wrestlers that were involved! This is the premiere dvd set from WWE and you know what? I'm very excited. Buy this three disc set by clicking here. Don't think it'll be good? Here's the list of matches for WWE Starrcade: The Essential Collection:

Here is the match list!

Disc 1
Starrcade December 29, 1996 - The Match of the Decade
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

Starrcade December 13, 1989 - Iron Man Singles Tournament
Sting vs. The Great Muta

Starrcade December 28, 1992 - Unified World Tag Team Championship
Barry Windham / Brian Pillman vs. Ricky Steamboat / Shane Douglas

Starrcade December 27, 1998 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash

Starrcade December 29, 1991
BattleBowl

Starrcade December 27, 1993 - 2 out of 3 Falls for the WCW United States Championship
Dustin Rhodes vs. Stunning Steve Austin

Disc 2
Starrcade November 26, 1987 - NWA World Tag Team Championship
Road Warriors vs. Arn Anderson / Tully Blanchard
Alternate Commentary: Todd Grisham / Road Warrior Animal

Starrcade December 29, 1996
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

Starrcade November 26, 1987 - Scaffold Match
Rock `n Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express

Starrcade December 26, 1988 - NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger

Starrcade December 27, 1995
Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Ootani

Starrcade December 26, 1988 - NWA World Tag Team Championship
Dusty Rhodes / Sting vs. Road Warriors

Starrcade December 28, 1992 - King of Cable Tournament Final
Sting vs. Big Van Vader

Starrcade November 24, 1983 - NWA World Tag Team Championship
Brisco Brothers vs. Jay Youngblood / Ricky Steamboat

Starrcade November 28, 1985 - NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair

Starrcade December 28, 1997 - WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko

Disc 3
Starrcade December 13, 1989 - Iron Man Tag Team Tournament
Road Warriors vs. The Steiner Brothers

Starrcade December 17, 2000 - Ladder Match for a Contract for the World Cruiserweight Championship
3 Count vs. Jamie Knoble & Evan Karagias vs. Jung Dragons

Starrcade December 13, 1989 - Iron Man Singles Tournament
Sting vs. Ric Flair

Starrcade November 24, 1983 - Dog Collar Match
Greg Valentine vs. Roddy Piper

Starrcade November 27, 1986 - Scaffold Match
Road Warriors vs. The Midnight Express
Alternate Commentary: Todd Grisham / Road Warrior Animal

Starrcade December 28, 1997 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Sting vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan

Starrcade November 24, 1983 - Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Ric Flair vs. Harley Race

Starrcade November 28, 1985 - Steel Cage "I Quit Match" for the NWA United States Championship
Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard

Starrcade December 27, 1993 - WCW World Heavyweight Championship - Ric Flair's Career Is On the Line
Ric Flair vs. Vader



Oh and if that is not enough. In February, we are getting The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event! You can order that by clicking here. Notice that MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE is on the COVER! LOOOOOOK!

Don't forget to pick up this dvd set and enjoy some good savings. Man I'm excited! Don't miss out on WWE Starrcade: The Essential Collection DVD Box Set!