Tremendous Tirades: The Best Of Starrcade (1983-1990)

The Best of Starrcade (1983-1990)

(Approx. 60 Min.)

Hosted by Mean Gene Okerlund

All matches are clipped.

Gene says Starrcade put WCW on the map and set the standards for big wrestling events. This one is so big, that this will be part I. We’ll se Flair, Roddy Piper, Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes.

Starrcade 1983

Cage Match: NWA World Championship, Special Ref Gene Kinisky – “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. “Handsome” Harley Race

Here we go, lock up and they shove off. Headlock take over by Flair and Race escapes. Clip ahead to Flair working over Race with a snap mare and a rear headlock. Race fights up and we clip ahead to Flair down and Race stalking him. Pile driver on Flair. Race up and an elbow drop to Flair and covers for 2. Clip ahead to Race picking Flair up, then ramming him into the cage. Flair is busted open as we clip ahead and Kinisky tries to pull Race off of Flair, and a right hand by Flair. Elbow to Race and more right hands. Head butt by Race and Flair is down. Clip ahead to Race being busted open and Flair making his comeback. Race rammed into the cage. Snap mare to Race and the Flair knee drop to Race’s head. Strut by Flair. Boot to Race’s head and he picks him up…pile driver to Race for the slowest 2 count ever! Clip ahead to Flair chopping back on Race and covers for 2. Elbow drop by Flair, and then he mounts him and punches away. Back suplex to Race and Flair goes for the figure four and locks it in! Race tries to turn it and he does and Flair breaks the hold. Clip ahead to a knee drop on Flair. Flair punches away weakly and has no effect. Flair rammed into the cage and Kinisky tries to pull Race away from Flair as Race chokes out Flair. Kinisky grabs Race by the hair to get him away. Clip ahead to the ref bump and Race with a knee to Flair. Chops by Flair…up top…cross body and Race falls over Kinisky and that’s all!

Flair wins the NWA Title, 9:30 shown.

Dog Collar Match – Rowdy Rowdy Piper vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine

They pull at each other to start in a tug of war. Clip ahead to them punching it out. Clip ahead to Piper going crazy with right hands with the chain wrapped around the hand. Clipped ahead to Valentine beating on the bad ear of Piper. Valentine wraps the chain around Piper’s head and rips at his eyes and ear. Clip ahead to Piper doing the same as Valentine did. Piper punches away as well. Clip ahead to them on the floor duking it out. Clip ahead to Valentine nailing Piper in the ear again and Valentine just punches away and Piper’s ear is bleeding. Clip ahead to Valentine beating Piper mid-ring and Piper taking an elbow drop. Valentine up to the 2nd rope…Piper pulls him off. Piper opens up with right hands and then whips him repeatedly with the chain! Cover and that’s all!
Piper wins, 4:10 shown.

Starrcade 1985

“I Quit” Cage Match: U.S. Title – Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard © w/ Baby Doll

They circle to start and then Tully takes Magnum to the corner. Clip ahead to them throwing wild rights at each other and Magnum taking the advantage. Magnum has Tully caught between the ropes and cage and tries to grate his face off of it. Clip ahead to Tully leveling Magnum with a clothesline. Clip ahead to Magnum battling back and Tully is down. Magnum asks him if he quits and Tully SCREAMS NO over the house mic. Clip ahead to Magnum bleeding and Tully taking him down. Clip ahead again and Tully tries to make Magnum quit, and he yells HELL NO then Tully beats him with the mic! Clip ahead to chops by Magnum and Tully is down. Magnum asks again and Tully screams NOOOOOOOO! Clip ahead to an atomic drop on Magnum. Tully grabs the mic and asks him, then hits him with the mic again. Magnum yells NOOOOO AGAIN! Clip ahead to Tully working the leg of Magnum. Elbow drop now and Baby Doll throws a chair in! Tully breaks the wooden chair and has a spike basically now! He tries to drive it in Magnum head after he took out the ref. Magnum fights him off and now has the spike! HE DRIVES IT INTO TULLY’S HEAD! Magnum yells SAY IT SAY IT!!! Tully screams YEESSSSSSSSSS!

Magnum TA wins the US Title, 6:39 shown.

Starrcade 1987

Cage Match: NWA World Championship – “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. Ronnie “Hands of Stone” Garvin ©

Lock up to start, and Garvin takes Flair to the corner, clean break. Lock up again and a shove by Flair. Lock up again and they exchange chops and Flair backs off. Chops by Garvin now and he is lighting up Flair. Flair begs off and Garvin on the attack. Clip ahead to Garvin with more chops. FLAIR FLOP! Backdrop to Flair and he begs off more. Arm bar by Garvin and a right hand to Flair. Clip ahead to Garvin slapping the piss out of Flair. They exchange rights and Garvin gets the better of Flair. Clip ahead to the Flair knee buster, figure four by Flair! Garvin fights it off as best as he can but is in pain. Clip ahead to Flair ramming into the cage. Rammed again and Garvin back in control. He grates Flair’s head on the cage! Flair is busted open and Garvin tosses him into the cage again. Clip ahead to the fighting on the top. Flair down. Chops by Garvin and Flair can barely stand. Boot by Flair, and he goes up top…clip ahead to them both up top and Flair down again. Sunset flip by Garvin and Flair grabs the ropes for 2 as the ref kicked him off and Garvin gets 2. Chops by Garvin again and he mounts him in the corner, and now HAND OF STONE for 2! Garvin charges, Flair catches him and rams him into the cage, roll up and that’s all!

Flair regains the NWA Title, 7:14.

Starrcade 1988

NWA World Championship – “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair w/James J. Dillon © vs. “The Total Package” Lex Luger

Lock up to start, and Lex throws him to the ropes but Flair holds on. They pose at each other and we clip ahead to Lex taking Flair to the floor with a clothesline. Clip ahead to Flair beating down Lex, and chopping away at him. Shoulder block by Flair and then Lex gets a power slam. Clip to a press slam by Lex. Clip to Flair begging off, and then nails Lex with a boot. Flair rammed to the corner and we clip to an eye poke by Flair. Clip to Flair punching at Lex. Shoulder block and then a clothesline by Lex. Lex goes to suplex Flair back into the ring, and does for a 2 count. Lex misses an elbow drop, clip to Lex with corner punches on Flair. Clothesline to Flair, Lex covers and gets 2. Flair off the ropes…power slam! Lex is pumped up! He picks up Flair for the rack and gets it! He leg gives and Flair falls on top and uses the ropes for the win.

Flair retains, 5:00 shown.

NWA World Tag Team Championship – Sting and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes vs. “The Legion of Doom” The Road Warriors © w/Paul Ellering

The Warriors attack but Dusty and Sting fight back and take the Warriors to the floor. They finally do the announcements as we clip ahead. Sting and Animal to start, lock up and they go around a bit and Animal gets a right hand to Sting. Drop kick by Sting and we clip to Dusty tagging in. Elbows by Dusty and he tales Animal down. Clip ahead to Sting and Hawk. He beats Sting down in the corner with rights and kicks. More rights to Sting but he fights back. Rights by Sting, power slam to Hawk. High elbow drop. Clip to Animal and Sting in. Clothesline to Animal. Another and he’s down and to the floor. Sting up top…clothesline from the top rope to the floor by Animal! Sting back in and we clip to Hawk beating down Dusty. Right hands to Dusty, but he starts jiggling and doing his Dusty up. Knee by Hawk and a drop kick from Dusty! JR with the best line, “Mark that on your calendar, that doesn’t come around too often!” God bless you JR. Animal in and they beat Dusty down. He bites Dusty now and we clip to a sleeper by Hawk on Dusty, jaw breaker! Tag to Animal and Sting! Face buster to Animal! Float over by Sting. Stinger Splash to Animal! Scorpion Death lock! Hawk in and breaks it up and Sting tossed over the top to the floor. Dusty in and they double-team him. Sting up top…cross body to Animal for 2 as Ellering stopped the count! Dusty and Sting stand tall as the Warriors are Dqed.

Sting and Dusty win via DQ, 7:18 shown.

Starrcade 1989

Non-title match – Sting vs. “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair ©

This was part of the round robin with Luger and Muta if I recall correctly.

Lock up and Sting with a shoulder block. Clip to Flair with an arm bar, but Sting reverses him and takes him down, Flair grabs the ropes. Clip to a press slam by Sting. Flair shoves him, Sting does the same and Flair is down. Clip to Sting with a backslide for 2. Clip to Sting with a hip toss, then a shoulder block. Clip to Flair whipping Sting on the floor to the steel railing. Clip to them on the ramp and then back in the ring. Abdominal stretch to Sting and then to a cradle. Flair yells at the ref. Clip to Sting getting whipped to the corner. If they draw, Luger wins the round robin. Butterfly suplex by Flair for 2. Sting whipped again, but explodes with a clothesline to Flair for 2! Clip to them on the floor and Sting fighting back. Sunset flip in by Sting, but Flair grabs the ropes and delivers a right hand. Clip to Sting coming back and corner mount punches. Hip toss to Flair. Clothesline for 2. Clip to the last minute. Flair batters the knee of Sting. Flair goes for the figure four…roll up by Sting and that’s all!

Sting wins the round robin and a title shot against Flair, 13:30 shown.

Starrcade 1990

Cage Match: NWA World Championship – Sting © vs. The Black Scorpion – Dick the Bruiser special ref

Four black scorpions are on the ramp as a pod opens to reveal the real Black Scorpion. God bless JR for selling this, “and that is the real deal, there can only be one Black Scorpion.”

Lock up and Sting gets a headlock. Back suplex by the Scorpion. Misses an elbow drop and we clip ahead to a clothesline by Sting. Scorpion to the apron, and we clip to an elbow to Sting. Cover for 2 as the Scorpion had the ropes and was caught by the ref. Clip to Scorpion clotheslining Sting. Snap mare to Sting and a cover for 2. Another cover for 2. Sting powers up and we clip to the Scorpion beating down Sting. Right hands by the Scorpion, and Sting is rocked. Jabs to Sting now and a right hand stakes him to one knee. Shoulder block by the Scorpion, but Sting back with a press slam. Clothesline to the Scorpion. Another and he goes for a cross body but eats the cage. Clip to Sting being rammed into the cage. Another big toss and we clip to uppercuts but Sting off the ropes with a face buster. Corner whip…Stinger Splash! Scorpion Death Lock by Sting! The Scorpion escapes and nails Sting with a right hand. Scorpion tossed into the cage. Sting removes the mask, but he has another on! Clip to the Scorpion bleeding and taking a press slam into the cage. Clothesline. Clip to a top rope cross body by Sting and that’s all.

The Scorpion tries to escape so he doesn’t have to unmask, but Sting grabs him. Arn Anderson and Barry Windham are here! Dick the Bruiser is out. DDT to Sting on a chair! Arn waffles Sting with a chair shot. Barry and Arn hold Sting down as the Scorpion beats down Sting. Ricky Morton and the Z Man charge the cage but can’t get in. The Steiner’s are down with bolt cutters! Sting tries to get the mask and the Steiner’s are in. It’s Flair! The Scorpion is Flair! He and the Horsemen retreat.

The 411: Now this one is a great best of tape. Flair and Race are on Flair’s DVD, Tully and Magnum are on the Cage match DVD, so if you have those you are good. The Dog Collar match with Piper and Valentine rules as well, especially Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle’s commentary for that match and a lot of the others. If you find this bad boy laying around for $5 or under, grab it for a fun hour.
Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]