-Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there. It’s Thanksgiving here in the United States and I hope that wherever you are that you all take a few moments to recognize that even though this year has been crap, you can still find some things to be thankful for.
-My Thanksgiving plate: Turkey, Dressing (Stuffing), Macaroni & Cheese, String Bean Casserole, Cranberry Sauce (from the can), a little gravy, deviled egg, and a roll. Pie with whipped cream for dessert.
-Required viewing for the holiday: The West Wing Butterball Hotline Scene, WKRP in Cincinnati Turkey’s Away episode, Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and Cheers Thanksgiving Orphans episode.

-Today we will be looking at Starrcade ’83 from the NWA and Jim Crockett Promotions.
-November 24, 1983. 16,000 in attendance. CCTV Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. The beginning of the big show feel.
-Thanksgiving Night was always a big night for wrestling.
-We see the Assassins and Paul Jones in the ring as we hear Gordon Solie say that this is the night indeed.
-The Assassins with Paul Jones VS. Rufus R. Jones and Bugsy McGraw: Assassin 1 and McGraw start. Back and forth. Assassin 1 with some stiff shots and McGraw counters with a knee to the stomach. Assassin 1 knocked down. Assassin 2 tagged in. McGraw slams and hip tosses Assassin 2. Jones tagged in and misses a rollup but still gets a two count. He head butts Assassin 2’s arm a few times then tags McGraw back in. Assassin 1 also tagged in. Assassin 1 with an Arm lock. Jones tagged in. Assassin 1 trying to get out of an arm bar. It’s all Jones. He does a big corner whip onto Assassin 1. Assassin 1 with an eye rake. Assassin 2 tagged in pounding Jones who tags in McGraw. McGraw clears the ring. All four in now. Assassin 1 trips McGraw up and pins him.
-Bob Caudle and Gordon Solie with a stand up talking about the last match. They then do the welcome to Starrcade ’83. The sign behind them says F-L-A-R-E for the gold.
-Tony Schiavone is in the dressing room. He says he’s going to be talking to some of the wrestlers.
-Johnny Weaver and Scott McGhee VS. Kevin Sullivan and Mark Lewin with Gary Hart: McGhee and Sullivan Start with some mat wrestling. McGhee with some big dropkicks and Lewin is then tagged in. They battle then Weaver and Sullivan tagged in. Running the ropes. Lewin tagged in and Weaver hits some big elbows. McGhee tagged in. Sullivan tagged in with some big elbows and a snap mare. Lewin tagged in. He gets McGhee down and Sullivan then back in. Quick tags as they keep McGhee down. Lewin with a shoulder hold. McGhee drags him to Weaver but the referee waves the tag off. McGhee fighting hard. Trying to make his way back to Weaver. He then makes the tag. An Oklahoma Stampede gets a two count. Lewin tagged in. He hits Weaver then Sullivan back in. They keep switching off and McGhee comes in. Referee Sonny Fargo goes to kick him out and Lewin comes with a foot off the ropes and a knee to Weaver’s arm. He gets the pin on Weaver. Hart comes in and McGhee dropkicks him and Hart pulls something out of his boot and gives it to Lewin. Johnny Weaver, Scott McGhee and Angelo Mosca are all attacked and McGhee is busted open. Mosca carries him to the back.
-Barbara Clary talks to some fans who think Ric Flair is going to win the main event.
-Tony Schiavone talks to Harley Race, who is dressed in a fine suit. He is flanked by the Brisco Brothers and Greg Valentine. He says that Greensboro is the last place that he wants to be but that he knows what Ric Flair’s shortcomings are.
-Carlos Colon VS. Abdullah the Butcher: Gordon Solie says that this match was “banned” in Puerto Rico. Abdullah with the early advantage. He gets Colon down. Colon trying to come back. Caudle calls Colon a young man a full 10 years before Gorilla Monsoon would do it at the 1993 Royal Rumble. Abdullah has a foreign object that Colon gets and uses on Abdullah and then he bites Abdullah. Abdullah is now bleeding. Color me shocked. He uses the object for several minutes. Colon with a high knee lift. Abdullah is down. He gets a two count. The referee gets knocked down. Colon gets the figure four on. Hugo Savanovich comes charging in, knocks Colon out, and Abdullah gets the pin. The crowd boos.
-Tony Schiavone interviews Angelo Mosca who has his arm bandaged from the attack earlier in the night. Mosca says that he is fired up and will be the referee for the tag match coming up. He says that Mark Lewin is a malicious man and will pay. The camera then pans out and Scott McGhee is beside Mosca and is still openly bleeding, not bandaged or even cleaned up. Angelo Mosca fails as a friend. Mosca says that Ric Flair is ready for tonight.
-Barbara Clary interviews more fans who say Ric Flair is going to win.
-Wahoo McDaniel and Mark Youngblood VS. Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater: Dusty Rhodes is announced to the crows but you don’t see him. McDaniel and Orton start. They trade shots. McDaniel gets Slater down and Youngblood is tagged in. Slater gets a two count from a double leg takedown. Youngblood with an arm lock. Slater gets a leg pickup and Youngblood kicks him off. Slater hits a Russian leg sweep and Orton gets tagged in and hits a backbreaker on Youngblood. He misses an elbow drop. Youngblood with a hip toss then Slater tagged back in but he rethinks it and Orton stays in. Slater then does come in and he and Orton do a backbreaker elbow drop combo. Slater with some jabs at Youngblood. A gut wrench suplex gets a two count for Slater. It goes outside and Orton stomps Youngblood. He hits a backbreaker on the barricade. Back in, Slater kicks Youngblood. Orton tagged in with a headlock. Youngblood fighting back but Orton hits a stomp and goes back to the headlock. Slater tagged and hits a back elbow. Slater hits a suplex. Youngblood counters a piledriver into a backdrop. He tags McDaniel in. He cleans house and drops an elbow on Orton for a two count. Slater tagged in. They trade blows. Slater with a belly to back suplex. He gets 3 two counts. Orton tagged in and he and Slater deliver a double elbow to McDaniel. Orton then drops several knees to McDaniel. Slater tagged in but he accidently hits Orton. Youngblood tagged in. An Orton knee knocks McDaniel off of the apron. Youngblood hits a dropkick on both men. He misses one to Orton. They set Youngblood up for the superplex and Orton gets the pin. They continue fighting after the match. Orton and Slater both go down on McDaniel’s arm on the apron. Officials come in to check on McDaniel.
-Tony Schiavone interviews Ric Flair, Jay Youngblood, and Rick Steamboat. Flair says he is prepared to take the title. Youngblood says their match is important. Steamboat says that they are prepared.
-Barbara Clary interviews Dusty Rhodes in the crowd but the mic doesn’t work so you can’t hear anything that is being said.
-NWA TV Title Match: Title VS. Mask: Charlie Brown from out of town VS. The Great Kabuki with Gary Hart: TV Title is only up for grabs in the first 15 minutes of the match. Brown is of course Jimmy Valiant under a mask but the joke is that it’s so obvious. Brown comes at Kabuki hard. It goes outside and Brown slams Kabuki into the barricade then he slams a chair into him then rams him into the post. He then chokes Kabuki. Brown gets Kabuki in a sleeper. He gets him down and Kabuki grabs for the mask. Brown goes back to the sleeper. Hart reaches out and puts Kabuki’s foot on the ropes. Kabuki comes back with kicks and chops. Kabuki then puts the claw on Brown. Brown then comes back with a backdrop. Back and forth. Kabuki goes to the ropes and drops the claw again. Brown fighting back. The crowd comes to life. Brown gets up but Kabuki immediately goes back to the claw. He gets a two and a half count. Kabuki goes and hits a chop from the top rope. Brown keeps trying to come back. Kabuki tries to go for the mask. A kick knocks Brown down. Brown comes back and hits an elbow and gets the three count. The crowd goes crazy.
-Bob Caudle and Gordon Solie interview Dude Walker from G105 radio who says Ric Flair is going to win the main event.
-Caudle and Solie then reset the rest of the evening by previewing what’s still to come, including the dog collar match and Solie brings up his past with Roddy Piper doing commentary in Georgia.
-Tony Schiavone interviews Bob Orton, Dick Slater, and Harley Race about the bounty on Ric Flair. Orton says Race will retain the title. Race says he has it all because he has collected the info on Ric Flair.
-Barbara Clary again interviews Dusty Rhodes, this time in a backstage area. He challenges the winner of the main event to a match. He thinks Harley Race is going to win.
-Dog Collar Match: Greg Valentine VS. Roddy Piper. Valentine is the United States Champion at this time, but the belt is not on the line. They start out having a tug of war with the chain. Piper hits Valentine with the chain. They trade blows. They both try to control the chain. Piper gets it and batters Valentine. Valentine striking back. Valentine gets the chain and beats Piper’s head and ear with it. He wraps the chain around Piper’s head. Piper fighting back and has the chain around the mouth of Valentine. He wraps the chain around the post and punishes Valentine in the corner. Valentine is then busted open. And they go outside. Valentine pounding on Piper’s ear. It goes back outside as both men are now bloody. Valentine punishes Piper’s head with the chain. Piper trying to fight back. Piper swinging wildly. Valentine drops an elbow then another for a two count. Valentine pulled down and Piper charges and attacks him and the crowd comes alive. Piper attacking with the chain. Both bleeding freely. Piper landing blows. Valentine wraps the chain around Piper’s throat. Valentine then drops a knee but can’t get the pin. Piper gets a suplex. Both men down and the referee starts a dual count. Both men up. They trade blows. Valentine gets a sleeper on. Piper does not go out. He reaches up and hits Valentine with the chain. Valentine then drops an elbow from the second rope. Piper comes back, beats Valentine with the chain, wraps his leg up with it and gets the pin. The crowd loves it, but Valentine attacks Piper after the bell. He chokes Piper with the chain.
-Bob Caudle and Gordon Solie talk about the last match.
-Tony Schiavone interviews Ric Flair. He talks about the injury to Wahoo McDaniel who is sitting beside him as well as being ready for Harley Race. McDaniel says his money is on Ric Flair.
-Barbara Clary talks to Don Kernodle. He thinks that the tag title match is going to be a good one and that Ric Flair is going to win the main event.
-NWA World Tag Team Championship Match: Jack and Gerry Brisco VS. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood: Angelo Mosca is the special guest referee and the titles can change hand on a disqualification. Kernodle comes in and shakes everyone’s hand and then leaves. Jack and Steamboat start. Steamboat with some leap frogs. Back and forth. Gerry tagged in. Steamboat with a drop toe hold and Jack tagged back in. Steamboat with an arm drag. Gerry tagged back in. He tries to bring Steamboat out of the corner. Gerry with some big left hands. Steamboat counters with some big chops and Youngblood tagged in. He gets Gerry in the corner and Mosca breaks that up. Youngblood slammed by Gerry, but holds on and gets Gerry in an arm bar. Steamboat tagged in and delivers a chop from the top rope to Gerry’s arm. Quick tags by the faces who clean house. Gerry coming back and drops a knee on Steamboat’s throat. Steamboat coming back. Gerry gets a double under hook suplex for a two count. Gerry with a big arm bar. Steamboat lifts up Gerry and slams him down. Both Jack and Youngblood tagged in. Jack hits a suplex. Gerry tagged in and he and Jack do a double tackle on Youngblood. He gets a two count. Another suplex gets another two count. Gerry shoves Mosca after saying he counted slow. Mosca pushes him back. Youngblood knocks him down and tags Steamboat in. He also knocks Gerry down. Youngblood tagged back in and hits a double chop. Steamboat picks Youngblood up and slams him down on Gerry for the pin. New Tag Team Champions. The Briscos then knock Youngblood out and put the figure four on Steamboat and try to break his leg but Mosca stops them. So they go after Mosca. Then all four start brawling.
-They show the credits.
-They show Ric Flair pacing in the dressing room.
-Tony Schiavone interviews Charlie Brown. He just rants and assaults Schiavone. Schiavone then interviews Roddy Piper. He says that he is going to take Greg Valentine’s United States title next. Schiavone then interviews Jay Youngblood and Ricky Steamboat, who say they aren’t closet champions and will take on anyone.
-Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle talk about the Main Event coming up. They then talk about the new tag team champions and Roddy Piper. This is called filling time while they put the cage up. Gordon gives a shout out to Puerto Rico for tuning in to closed circuit.
-Barbara Clary talks to Dusty Rhodes again but it’s about the same thing that he said before.
-Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle talk about the cage going up.
-They have James Weeks sing the National Anthem.
-The 2001 theme plays as a strobe light, disco ball, and a laser light go off. Finally, Ric Flair is shown backlit with fog behind him as he walks that aisle. Police have to escort him to the ring so that he gets there. Harley Race then makes his way to the ring.
-NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Harley Race VS. Ric Flair. Cage Match. Gene Kiniski is the special guest referee. They are face to face as they go over instructions. The bell finally rings. They go back and forth. Flair gets a side headlock on. Then an elbow and a snap mare to Race. Race hits a high knee but misses a head butt. Flair goes back to the headlock. They go back and forth and Race hits a suplex. Race misses the head butt again, but reverses a slam. He drops the knee again. He chokes Flair with a knee across the throat that Kiniski breaks up which makes no sense as they said at the beginning of the match that this is no disqualification. Race knocks Flair around with punches and knee drops. Race hits a piledriver. It gets a two count. Race works on the neck. Race then hits a neckbreaker for a two count. He then runs Flair into the cage and then drives Flair into the mat. Flair trying to come back. Race then hits the head butt. He is run into the cage again and again and Flair is bleeding. Race beating Flair into the corner. Flair then opens up the chop house. Race with another head butt to Flair. Race whipped into the corner buckle. Race run into the cage and he is also bleeding. Flair hits a sloppy looking piledriver for a two count. Flair then hits a double under hook suplex. He runs Race back into the cage. Race comes back and runs Flair into the cage and head butts him. Kiniski getting in the way so often that it is taking away from the match. Flair hits the chop and gets a two count. Flair unloading on Race. Flair hits a back body drop. Flair then gets the figure four on. Race reverses it into the ropes. Race tries for a suplex but his leg buckles and Flair gets a two count. Race gets Flair down and delivers a second rope head butt. It gets a two count as well. Race hits a suplex that gets another two count. Race drops a knee. Race driving his foot into Flair’s face. Kiniski pulls Race away by the hair. Flair reverses a suplex. He then misses an elbow drop. Kiniski then accidently gets hit by Race. They fight into the corner. Flair chops Race off and hits the top rope body press to get the pin and win the title. The crowd loves it.
-All of the faces come out to celebrate Flair. His then wife Beth comes into the ring to congratulate him and gets covered in his blood as she hugs and kisses him. Flair then gets on the mic and thanks everyone. He is then shown leaving the ring.
-Bob Caudle and Gordon Solie talk about the match, the title, and the event.
-Tony Schiavone talks to Ric Flair in the dressing room. Flair is humble and emotional. Ricky Steamboat comes over to congratulate him. He then gets showered with champagne. Dusty Rhodes comes in and says that his time is coming and he and Ric Flair will meet for the title. He then leaves.
-Bob Caudle and Gordon Solie talk about Dusty Rhodes’ challenge and about Harley Race and where he goes from here and what the future holds for Ric Flair.
-Barbara Clary talks to Harley Race. He is very morose and quiet. He says nothing is going to stop him from getting the title again and he isn’t going away.
-Tony Schiavone talks to Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and Jay Youngblood. They are very calm and quiet. This is called filling satellite time. They run out of things to say.
-Bob Caudle and Gordon Solie recap the evening, thank everyone, and sign off from Greensboro with a video package of the evening.
-The push for big matches with big names and supercards being shown remotely pushes us toward PPV.
-The expansion is underway. The territory system is slowly crumbling.

• JCP is going for consolidation.