-Today we look at Starccade ’88 from the NWA and World Championship Wrestling.
-Starrcade ’88: True Gritt (with two T’s) was the sixth annual Starrcade event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance and the first produced by World Championship Wrestling after Ted Turner bought Jim Crockett Promotions and the company became WCW. It took place on December 26, 1988 at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, VA. There were 10,000 people in attendance.
-Opening Credits highlighting the matches that will be happening on the pay per view. Tony Schiavone welcomes us to Starrcade. He and guest host Magnum T.A. talk about the matches coming up. They throw it to Jim Ross and Bob Caudle who will call the action.
-United States Tag Team Championship Match: The Fantastics Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers VS. The Varsity Club Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams: Fulton and Sullivan start. Fulton using quickness to try to win early. Quick tags by The Fantastics. Rogers and Williams in. Heels try to slow it down. Double Monkey flip on Williams. Williams presses Fulton. Impressive. Fulton goes back to speed. Jim Ross brings up Williams and his Oklahoma Career if you’re drinking at home. Sullivan in and he takes on Rogers. Rogers hits a dropkick. Both teams chastised by referee Teddy Long. Rogers gets a two count. Rogers gets the tag to Fulton. Back and Forth. Sullivan gets caught up top then Rogers gets caught. Williams brutalizing Rogers. Sullivan keeps it up. Rogers hits a suplex. Fulton tagged in and gets the sleeper on Williams. Fulton goes for the Thesz Press, but Williams hits a hot shot for the pin. New US Tag Team Champions The Varsity Club.
-Tony and Magnum talk about the last match and the matches coming up. Bob Caudle and Jim Ross talk about the upcoming match.
-The Original Midnight Express Randy Rose and Dennis Condrey with Paul E. Dangerously VS. The Midnight Express Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton with Jim Cornette: The teams start to brawl as soon as all four get in. Cornette wants Dangerously. More brawling. Cornette hits Condrey with the tennis racket. The MX double team. Lane gets a two count on Rose. Eaton and Condrey have a slugfest. Eaton hits a nice flying elbow. He hits a bulldog. Eaton is so good. The OMX take a beating. They start to come back. Former partners Eaton and Condrey go at it. Cornette goes after Dangerously. Eaton hits a nice neckbreaker. Rose has a headlock on. Eaton reverses a piledriver attempt. OMX cut the ring in half. OMX misses the Rocket Launcher. Lane tagged in and he cleans house. They all brawl. Dangerously hits Lane with the phone. Cornette hits Dangerously. Long goes to count but sees the phone. The MX hit the double goozle for the pin. OMX grab the phone and the racket and beat the MX and Cornette. MX come back and clean house.
-Tony talks about the last match. Then Jim and Bob talk about the last match.
-Magnum T.A. interviews The Varsity Club. Williams says they will always be on top. Mike Rotunda says he’s going to beat Rick Steiner like a stupid dog.
-The Junk Yard Dog and Ivan Koloff VS. The Russian Assassins 1&2 with Paul Jones: Jones must retire and the Russian Assassins must unmask if his team loses. Music Dub USA as JYD and Koloff come out. JYD and Assassin 1 start. 2 tagged in and JYD is dominating. Koloff tagged in. Back and forth. Koloff hits the sickle from the second rope. 1 back in. Sunset flip by Koloff, but referee Teddy Long distracted. JYD hits the headbutt on 1 but misses it on 2. JYD ducks a double ax handle. Assassins take over. They go to hit the Russian Missile, but JYD moves out of the way. Koloff tagged in. Jones climbs up on the apron. Koloff knocks him off. Koloff hits the sickle again. 2 puts something in his mask and hits Koloff with it. 1 pins Koloff.
-Jim and Bob recap the night so far.
-NWA World Television Championship Match: Mike Rotunda with Kevin Sullivan VS. Rick Steiner: Sullivan is locked in a mini cage and raised above the ring. It takes some time to put Sullivan in. They slug it out to start. Steiner is over with the crowd. He strikes early. Rotunda slows it down. Steiner gets a headlock on and keeps it on when Rotunda goes to shoot him off for a big pop from the crowd. Rotunda gets out, but Steiner hits him with a clothesline. Rotunda rolls out. Back and forth sequence. Rotunda hits a nice belly to belly suplex. Steiner hits a crossbody. Rotunda rolls out again. Syracuse sucks chant goes out. Steiner takes a big bump to the outside. Rotunda takes advantage. Rotunda uses ropes for leverage. Steiner fighting back. Rotunda goes for a pin but gets only 1. Rotunda hits a nice clothesline. Steiner gets a sunset flip. Gets a two count. Hits a clothesline. Steve Williams comes to ringside. Steiner hits a powerslam for two. He goes to pin Rotunda. Williams rings the bell. Steiner thinks he’s won. Tommy Young comes down to confer with Long. Sullivan gets lowered and is out. Match gets restarted. Sullivan tussles with Tommy Young. Steiner pushes Rotunda into the ropes. Young moves and Rotunda hits Sullivan. Steiner gets the pin. New TV champ Rick Steiner. The crowd goes crazy.
-Tony and Magnum talk about the last match.
-NWA United States Championship Match: Barry Windham with JJ Dillon VS. Bam Bam Bigelow with Sir Oliver Humperdink: Slow and methodical to start. Bigelow throws Windham across the ring. Windham with some stiff right hands. Bigelow gets a fireman’s carry and slams straight down hurting Windham’s stomach. Bigelow no sells a side suplex. Back and forth. Windham rolls outside. Bigelow dominates. He hits a dropkick that knocks Windham down and out. Back in, Bigelow gets a two count. Windham fights back. Bigelow gets thrown out and injures his knee. Bigelow hits his over the top splash. Gets up before the three count. Bigelow goes up but misses the splash from the top rope. Windham hits the lariat. Windham hits a dropkick that knocks Bigelow down and out. Back in, Windham gets the claw on. Windham slams Bigelow. Windham misses the elbow from up top. They both tumble out of the ring. Windham gets back in just before the 10 count to win.
-Magnum interviews Rick Steiner. This is typical Steiner shtick. Sound cuts out at one point but I’m sure we didn’t miss anything.
-NWA World Tag Team Championship Match: The Road Warriors Hawk and Animal with Paul Ellering VS. Dusty Rhodes and Sting: Rhodes’ last stand as he is gone shortly after this. Music Dub USA as Rhodes and Sting come out. Ditto when the Road Warriors come out. All four brawl to start. Faces win initial encounter. Sting and Rhodes are over with the crowd. Hawk and Rhodes go at it. Quick tags by the faces. Hawk and Sting slug it out. Animal tagged in. Military presses Sting. Sting fights back Rhodes going at Animal’s leg. Hawk in. Hits a dropkick on Rhodes. He fights back. Hawk gets a sleeper on. Rhodes fights out. Sting and Animal tagged in. Sting hits the splash and applies the Scorpion deathlock. Hawk and Rhodes come in. Sting hits a crossbody on Animal but Ellering pulls Tommy Young out before he can count. Sting and Rhodes win by disqualification.
-Tony and Magnum talk about the last match.
-NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Ric Flair with JJ Dillon VS. Lex Luger: If Flair gets disqualified, he will lose the title. Flair does his usual tricks to start. Luger hits a big clothesline. Flair walks around to compose himself. Luger has a headlock on and Jim Ross starts talking about Luger’s football career if you’re drinking at home. Flair comes back and opens the chop house. Luger hits a powerslam. Flair begs off. Flair then bails. Luger cranks on a hammerlock. Flair gets a thumb into Luger’s eye. Luger fired up and the chops don’t affect him. They go outside. Flair ran into the ring post. Back in, Flair starts fighting back. Luger hits a clothesline. A suplex gives him a two count. Flair throws Luger out. Flair slams Luger against the railing. Tommy Young warns Flair that he will disqualify him. Flair going after Luger aggressively. Luger comes back and gets a sleeper on Flair. Flair counters and goes for the figure four. Luger reverses it into an inside cradle for a two count. Flair goes up top and gets caught to no one’s surprise. Luger hits a superplex for a close two count. Luger gets the figure four on. Flair gets to the ropes. Luger inadvertently nails Tommy Young. Luger hits a flying crossbody for a two count. A Luger backslide gets two. Flair pitched into the corner. Military press on Flair. Powerslam on Flair. JJ gets up on the apron distracting Tommy Young. Flair rolls out and grabs a chair. Flair hits Luger’s knee with the chair. Flair focuses on the leg. Flair hits a snap mare and goes back to the leg. Flair goes back up top and gets caught again so smoke ‘em if you’ve got em. Luger slams Flair then collapses. Flair throws him out. Luger comes back. Presses Flair. Sunset flip by Luger gets a two count. Luger can’t get Flair down. Luger goes for the Torture Rack. His leg buckles. Flair falls on him and pins Luger with his own leg on the ropes for leverage. Luger argues with Tommy Young over the result.
-Tony talks about the last match.
-Jim and Bob recap the main event. They then recap the rest of the card.
-Magnum T.A. interviews Ric Flair and JJ Dillon: Flair says it was all about survival and he is still the champion. He then says Luger will not get another title shot.
-Tony talks about the NWA and how Ric Flair is Mr. Starrcade.
-Bob and Jim talk about where the NWA goes in 1989. They talk about the next PPV on February 20th and then sign off from Norfolk.