Starrcade 1986

Are you ready for my last actual review of 1986? You better be because after this, there’s only bare bones rundowns until 1987. 

Today, I bring you NWA Starrcade 1986: The Night of the Skywalkers, aired from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina and The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.

NWA World Tag Team Championship Match: Rock & Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) (c) vs. Ole and Arn Anderson

Type: Cage Match

The match started with Ole and Gibson squaring off, with Arn being tagged in soon. Gibson did a fine job, but eventually, Morton came in and was able to dominate over Arn and Ole. There was a brief lull, in which the Andersons were able to gather some steam. Though Gibson was dragged around the ring and worn down for a while, he was able to find a foothold and tag Morton back in, who got taken down as well. The Andersons remained in control for the rest of the match, but when Gibson drove a cheap shot to Arn, who had Morton ready for a slam, causing Morton to fall on his opponent.

Winners: Rock and Roll Express to retain the championship

A good match and a great way to open the card. The Andersons were in control for nearly all of the match, but Express did get some great moments. While the ending wasn’t perfect, it didn’t seem forced. 3/5

Ron Garvin vs. Big Bubba Rogers (with Jim Cornette)

Type: Louisville Street Fight

Anything goes anywhere.

Garvin began with a few good shots over Rogers, eventually bringing him to the floor. Bubba was able to throw Garvin outside the ring twice. The second time coming back, Garvin tossed water in Bubba’s face and proceeded to use the distraction to his advantage. While Garvin did go down after being clocked in the face, he was able to come back up and regain some advantage over Bubba. After Garvin hit a piledriver, Cornette decided to hit Garvin and neither man responded to a 10-count. The winner was decided by… first man to his feet? Of course the referee is distracted when Garvin gets up and Cornette knocks him back down.

Winner: Big Bubba Rogers

That was an interesting, but good match. Garvin was the underdog due to not being as big as Bubba, but he was able to hold his own. Street fight rules were not taken to their full advantage though. I also think the ending should have been a draw 3/5

Paul Jones vs. Jimmy Valiant (with Big Mama)

Stipulation: Hair vs. Hair

For some reason, Manny Fernandez is locked in a cage above the ring.

Jimmy Valiant immediately started on Jones when the bell rang, working all over him in a very methodical manner. Jones was able to bring Valiant down for a bit and pay him back, but when going for a headlock, Valiant turned it around.

Winner: Jimmy Valiant

Good match, I think Jimmy Valiant’s gimmick right now is that he’s just a little off and it’s working well, especially in the beginning. I do like how Jones was able to control he match in the middle until Valiant found an opening. 3/5

NWA World Television Championship Match: Tully Blanchard (with J. J. Dillon) vs. Dusty Rhodes (c)

Type: First Blood

Before the match even began there was heat. Dillon tried to put the match in Blanchard’s favor with headgear, which ended up in a push between him and the referee. Dillon also poked Rhodes, who went after him.

Now for the match itself.

For the early match, there was no real control. Blanchard kept going for strikes and Rhodes kept taunting Blanchard. Finally, Rhodes was able to headbutt Blanchard and exert some sort of domination. The referee gets hit twice and Rhodes continues beating up Blanchard, resulting in blood, but the referee is unable to see it. It gets cleared up and Blanchard throws blood in Rhodes’ face, which the referee sees when coming to.

Winner: Tully Blanchard to win the NWA World Television Championship

This was one of those times when a downed referee not seeing the obvious win worked. But I don’t have to like it. It was a great match though, with Blanchard acting very sneaky to win from behind. Rhodes showed great power and charisma. There wasn’t any shortage of energy either. 4/5

The Midnight Express (with Jim Cornette) vs. The Road Warriors (with Paul Ellering)

Type: Scaffold “Skywalkers” Match

It’s kind of hard to call a match like this, both of the Express lagged in getting up onto the scaffold and once the match started, the Warriors were all over them. Express was able to recover to try to get the Warriors to fall. However, the Warriors subverted their attempts. At one point, one of the Express was simply hanging on to one of the Warriors’ leg. Animal and Eaton were fighting on the supports at one point and all of them were hanging off of the underside near the end. Condrey fell first, Eaton second.

Winners: The Road Warriors

This was an interesting match. It was good, but it was a little slow. This was the first scaffold match I’ve ever seen though, so maybe it was good in the context of scaffold matches. Other than that, nothing really wrong with it. 3/5

NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Nikita Koloff vs. Ric Flair (c)

Koloff started powerfully against Flair, throwing him around until he left the ring.  He remained strong until Flair was able to back him into the post to chop him and leave again. Flair kept having sudden spurts, but Koloff held ground until Flair was able to execute a suplex and turn it over. Koloff eventually found a second wind and showed his retribution. At the end, both of them pushed the referee out of their way. It took the entire locker room to break them up.

Double Disqualification; Ric Flair retains

Great match and in this case, the ending of the two throwing the referee to the side wasn’t forced. It came off as both of them trying to legitimately settle their score. 4/5

There were other matches on the card, but they didn’t show up. They included

Tim Horner and Nelson Royal vs. Don and Rocky Kernodle

Winners: Tim Horner and Nelson Royal 3/5

Hector Guerrero and Baron Von Raschke vs. Shaska Whatley and The Barbarian

Winners: Hector Guerrero and Baron Von Raschke 3/5

Wahoo McDaniel vs. Rick Rude (with Paul Jones)

Type: Indian Strap Match

Winner: Wahoo McDaniel 3/5

Jimmy Garvin (with Precious) vs. Brad Armstrong

Draw 3/5

NWA United States Tag Team Championship Match: The Russians vs. The Kansas Jayhawks (c)

Type: No Disqualifications

Winners: The Russians to retain. 3/5

NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship Match: Sam Houston Houston (c) vs. Bill Dundee

Winneer: Sam Houston to retain. 3/5

I thought this was a pretty good show, unfortunately, the missing matches will end up giving it a 3.16/5

I think my favorite two matches were the Blanchard/Rhodes match and the Rock and Roll Express/Anderson match.

That’s it for today, Monday: Superstars of Wrestling

Starrcade 1985

It’s time once again to delve into the past! Today, I correct my mistake at the end of last Friday’s post: Starccade ’85 was on November 28, obviously before the December 19^th Saturday Night’s Main Event and therefore will be covered today. The pay per view was showcased in two venues: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina and The Omni in Atlanta Georgia. Let’s get to it!

We start off with bob Caudle and Tony Schiavone promising a night to remember with every title on the line and grudges to be settled.

Match: Sam Houston vs. Khrusher Khrushchev for the Mid-Atlantic Title

In a match of power vs. speed, both men started out strongly, with Khrushchev slowly gaining the edge. Houston had a second wind somewhere along the way, almost winning, but Khrushchev was able to take quick advantage.

Winner: Khrusher Khrushchev with a pin to become the new Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship

This was an ok match. What was promised as speed vs. power didn’t really have a lot of speed to it. Houston’s second wind was nice, but it should have gone on longer and the “I believe I’ve won so I’ll let myself be pinned” didn’t feel right in this case. 2/5

Match: Ragin’ Bull vs. Abdullah the Butcher (with Paul Jones) in a Mexican Death Match

In essence, it’s a Hat on a Pole Hardcore Match. Bwuh?

Anyway, Abdullah had the weight advantage to begin with, which was eventually used against him, with Bull utilizing his own boot and belt. Soon, none of them had any real favor going for them.

Winner: Ragin’ Bull

This match was good. It was intense with neither man having any clear ground. It had a good finish with Abdullah making a small miss, allowing Bull to get the hat. 3/5

Match: Cowboy Ron Bass vs. Black Bart (with J. J. Dillon) in a Texas Bullrope Match

Both men are tied together with the Bullrope, anything goes.

Bass early on had the strength to dominate Bart with a cowbell. Bart’s attempts to turn it around were met with being tossed out of the ring and more cowbell.

Winner: Cowboy Ron Bass with a cowbell and pin

This was a very weak match. Sometimes dominated hardcore matches are good, but when it just results in getting clocked in the head over and over again with a cowbell? I kept wondering to myself when Bass was just going to have mercy and stopped caring. Maybe if Bart was able to get a hit in edgewise I’d find it to be ok. 1/5

Match: Cowboy Ron Bass vs. J. J. Dillon (with Black Bart) in a Texas Bullrope Match.

No matter how many times I wish it was, this is not a typo. Apparently the stipulation going into the Bass/Bart match were that if Bass won, he got a shot at Dillon in the same style match.

Dillon didn’t even wait for Bass to get up from the matt after pinning Bart, he just went into it. Bass was able to retaliate with… more cowbell.

I refuse to put Walken on.

The ref got knocked down, Bart came in piledrived bass, dragged Dillon onto Bass and the ref woke up.

Winner: J.J. Dillon with Bart’s interference and a pin.

The above is the only play-by-play detailed description I will give of any match. That’s exactly how it went. What was the point? Stupid Stipulation with stupid timing (right after the match? Really?) with really stupid decision making. 1/5

Match: Superstar Billy Graham vs. The Barbarian (with Paul Jones) in an Arm Wrestling Match.

Arm wrestling. We go with this now? What kind of booking is this?

It looks like both men are physically straining with this and Graham looks like he’s passing a kidney stone the size of a walnut. I cannot and refuse to buy this. And Paul Jones hit Graham upside the head with his cane.

Winner: Billy Graham by disqualification

Worst. Booking. Ever. 0/5

You see that? I gave it a zero. That’s what happens when you have something this stupid. The Dillon/Bass match was incredibly stupid, inane, and asinine (yes, I realize they are all synonymous. Deal with it.), but at least it had something akin to professional wrestling, not grown men struggling with a child’s game. If this is what I have to look forward to with WCW, I’m going to be having an aneurysm by 1989.

What next?

Match: Superstar Billy Graham vs. The Barbarian (with Paul Jones)

What?

Match: Superstar Billy Graham vs. The Barbarian (with Paul Jones)

What?

Match: Superstar Billy Graham vs. The Barbarian (with Paul Jones)

They shorten everything, for an awful arm wrestling match and THEN put the two together in a real match? WHERE THE OUTCOME IS THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, the same thing happens. Paul Jones hits Graham, who then wins by disqualification.

I wish I were kidding.

1/5  because it was at least a professional wrestling match.

OK then. I refuse to even comment on the rest of the pay per view. I will give the matches, the winner, and a rating, but will not comment for fear of losing my sanity.

Match: Terry Taylor vs. Buddy Landel (with J.J. Dillon) for the NWA National Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Buddy Landel to become the new champion

3/5

Match: Ole and Arn Anderson vs. Wahoo McDaniel and Billy Jack Haynes for the National Tag Team Title

Winner: Ole and Arn Anderson to retain the championship

2/5

Match: Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard (with Baby Doll) in an “I Quit) steel cage match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Magnum T.A.

4/5

Match: Midnight Express vs. Jimmy Valiant and Miss Atlanta Lively (with Big Mama) in an Atlanta Street Fight

Winner: Jimmy Valiant and Miss Atlanta Lively

3/5

Match: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Ivan and Nikita Koloff in a steel cage for the World Tag Team Championship

Winner: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express

3/5

Match: Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Dusty Rhodes

3/5

It actually did pick up after the second Graham/Barbarian match, but it really was lousy booking in the start to the show. When that happens, it makes me lose quite a bit of interest. Granted, the later matches were better, but I honestly stopped caring because of how it began. However, using this show as a learning experience, I won’t stop commenting because I don’t like how I feel the show is doing.

The night as a whole? 2.6/5 The arm wrestling and rehash matches are what killed it. Also the Pay-Per-View was quite a gimmick-filled night. I would say my favorite match was the Magnum/Blanchard “I Quit” match.

That’s it for today. Wednesday is our last night in 1985!

The 1985 Great American Bash

Today on Vintage Wrestling Review, we head into July 10, for NWA’s first Great American Bash in Charlotte, North Carolina’s American Legion Memorial Stadium.

Match: Buddy Landel (with J. J. Dillon) vs. Ron Bass

The match began with Landel with a kick and blow, throwing Bass out of the ring. The two fought furiously back and forth, Bass’ head being thrown onto the bell once early on and Landel being thrown into the ring posts numerous times.

Winner: Draw

Match: Ole and Arn Anderson vs. Buzz Sawyer and Dick Slater for the Tag Team Championship

The fight started before the bell, Sawyer and Slater heading straight towards the Andersons, and dominated nearly the entire match, save for an illegal switch at the end.

Winners: Ole and Arn Anderson with a pin to retain the National Tag Team Championship

Match: 6 Team Tag with “Superstar” Billy Graham, Konga the Barbarian, and Abdullah the Butcher (with Paul Jones) vs. Manny Fernandez, Sam Houston, and Buzz Tyler.

The match was pretty dominant from Graham, Barbarian and Abdullah’s side, once having Houston in their corner and all three completely thrashing him. Eventually though, Houston was able to escape from the torture, spark a brawl and make a pin in the midst.

Winners: Fernandez, Houston and Tyler with a sneaky pin.

Match: Jimmy Valiant vs. Paul Jones in a Dog Collar Match

Jones was in control for the beginning and most of the match, weaponizing the chain. Eventually, Valiant was able to gain leverage when Jones was on the rope and soon gained the upper hand. Jimmy eventually hit the Valiant Elbow and won. Though, Abdullah decided to beat on Valiant after the match.

Winner: Jimmy Valiant with the Valiant Elbow and pin.

Match: The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) (with Paul Ellering) vs. Krusher Khruschev and Ivan Koloff for the World Tag Team Championship

Hawk started this match doing very well against Koloff, even slamming him from the top rope. Eventually, Khruschev and Koloff were able to gain the advantage over Animal, working him down.  The match would end with all four men brawling in the middle of the ring, each using the same chair to hit each other.

Winner: Double Disqualification

Match: Magnum T.A. vs. Kamala (with Skandor Akbar) for the NWA United States Championship

Kamala began the match in complete control, though Magnum used his weight to gain a slight advantage at one point, but it was quickly lost. Somehow, over the hopeless beating, Magnum was able to turn it around with three dropkicks.

Winner: T.A. Magnum via Disqualification to retain the NWA United States Championship.

Before the next match, there was a short interview with Ivan Koloff, who stated that the Kremlin had chosen his brother Nikita to be the next NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Yay Red Scare!

Match: Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff (with Ivan Koloff) for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with David Crocket as special referee.

Ric Flair landed in the stadium via helicopter along to Zarathustra. Gotta love that.

Anyway… Kolof started the match off brutally strong, putting Flair in a headlock. Flair tried to fight back, but to hardly any avail, but a Figure 4 Leg Lock almost did it. Finally, all bloodied up, Flair was able to gain the advantage by falling on Koloff. Afterwards, the Koloffs gave Flair a complete beatdown even with other wrestlers trying to stop it.

Winner: Ric Flair by deadweight fall and pin to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Match: Tully Blanchard (with Baby Doll) vs. Dusty Rhodes for the NWA World Television Championship in a Steel Cage

Rhodes started off the match quite strong, but Blanchard gained small headway before Rhodes retained control. Every leg up Blanchard tried to get was met with a counter by Rhodes until the piledriver.

Winner: Dusty Rhodes with the piledriver to win the NWA World Television Championship

Match Ratings

Landel vs. Bass.

Good match. Both men brutalized each other, but left no clear victor. Yet, sometimes no true winner is good when a feud needs more heat. Following the bell though, Bass staying in the ring to egg on Landel just didn’t feel right. If the feud was really that strong, he should have chased them to the back or out of the stadium. 3/5

Ole and Arn Anderson vs. Buzz Sawyer and Dick Slater

Good match. The illegal switch and pin were a good way to dirtily retain the titles. The beginning was good too with Sawyer and Slater not even waiting for the bell to ring. My only problem was sometimes the chaos with all four men in the ring made it confusing to watch. 3/5

“Superstar” Billy Graham, Konga the Barbarian, and Abdullah the Butcher (with Paul Jones) vs. Manny Fernandez, Sam Houston, and Buzz Tyler.

Sometimes 6 Man Tag matches can be good and fun to watch. This was a great match with Sam Houston being demolished until the last second. He body slammed Graham for a partial pin, but when the other four came in, he scored another pin to win. My only problem for this match was that Houston should have gotten some more hits in than just a slam. But it was still great. 4/5

Jimmy Valiant vs. Paul Jones

Research shows that Vince Russo didn’t begin booking until 1992, and that was with the WWF. So I’m not sure who to blame for this. I’m not really into Dog Collar matches, but even so, this match was ok. Nothing really notable, except for Abdullah’s beating after the match. 2/5

The Road Warriors vs. Krusher Khruschev and Ivan Koloff

This was a good match. Both teams were evenly matched and had their own high points. I said before that sometimes no winner is a good move, but sometimes it doesn’t work. The double disqualification came with both teams using the same chair. I would have liked this match to have a clear winner, but the Double DQ could have worked if the first match hadn’t been a draw. It also got a little slow before the DQ. Other than that, good match 3/5

T.A. Magnum vs. Kamala

This was a good match. It would have been a great match if it hadn’t been for the disqualification thanks to Akbar. I like matches where the smaller guy turns it around to eventually win and Magnum had Kamala off his feet, it could have been great for a true pin. I do like how Magnum took the post match hit from Kamala to make it look like he won fairly, but it was still a poor finish. 3/5

Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff

It was an amazing match. Flair’s victory came out of nowhere after both men were going back and forth for quite some time. At one point a fan ran into the ring which, though stupid, was completely hilarious. I found nothing wrong with this match and the post match beatdown just proved how livid Koloff really was. 5/5

Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard

This was quite a good match; Dusty really showed his drive and determination in stopping Blanchard whenever he could. On the other hand, Blanchard really didn’t have a chance, even though he got some offense in. I think there should have been a time where it looked like he was going to retain the title. Also, I don’t think it should have followed the Flair/Koloff match, it was a little less energetic and should probably have gone on a bit longer. 3/5

Show Rating: 3/5

It was a good card. Most of the matches were quite entertaining, and I liked all of them except for the Valiant/Jones match. For the most part, it was an energetic night with one good title change and a crazy fan. I’d say my favorite match was either the 6 Man Tag or Magnum/Kamala.

And so we’re almost halfway through 1985! Stay sharp, there’s two more airings of Saturday Night’s Main Event before the next Pay Per View!