Starrcade ’96

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Starrcade

December 29, 1996

Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Nashville, Tennessee

News & Notes: Roddy Piper got his match with Hollywood Hogan. But he maintained he wasn’t representing WCW. He walked alone. This didn’t stop WCW wrestlers from rallying behind him. Ric Flair endorsed Piper and reminisced about their history together. Then Piper called out Hogan on Nitro a few times. But Hogan avoided him. The nWo attacked. Piper fended them off with the help of NFL player, Kevin Greene. On the go-home episode, Hogan believed he was safe. No one saw Piper in the building. The nWo mocked Roddy. Eric Bischoff dressed in a kilt and did a poor imitation. However, a bagpipe band appeared and played the real Roddy Piper to the ring. This led to a brawl between Hogan, Piper, and the nWo.

In other news, Eric Bischoff gave WCW an ultimatum. Everyone had thirty days to convert their WCW contracts to nWo ones. The first person to answer the call was Marcus Bagwell. The American Males approached the ring. Riggs didn’t understand what his partner was doing. Bagwell assured him everything was fine—and then gave Scotty a neckbreaker. (Somewhere, Scott Cavaliero mourns.) Marcus joined the nWo. He would soon call himself Buff Bagwell. Then Ted DiBiase offered an nWo contract to his old buddy, M. Wallstreet. Next, the nWo added an international star in Masahiro Chono. Big Bubba Rogers also jumped ship and turned on his Dungeon of Doom partners. WCW commentators believed Hogan was surrounding himself with protection. (The Booty Man and The Nasty Boys must wonder why the nWo rejected them.)

The narrator tells us two of wrestling’s biggest icons lock up in this all-important reunion. We see clips of Hogan and Piper’s various confrontations. These are inter-cut with soundbites from both men. Piper walks alone. He doesn’t represent WCW. But Hogan leads the nWo. Hogan promises to break Piper in half. It’s Starrcade, the granddaddy of them all!

Tony Schiavone welcomes everyone to Nashville and Starrcade. He says people scalped tickets earlier today. (Why would they mention that?) Tony is with Dusty and Bobby. They discuss the hype and electricity. Dusty talks about Piper’s keys to victory. He needs to reach way down to win. Then Heenan tells Hogan it’s the longest night of his life. He never defeated Roddy Piper. Next, Tony talks about the nWo gaining numbers. He says Hogan is surrounding himself with protection.

J-Crown/Cruiserweight Title Unification Match: Ultimo Dragon (w/ Sonny Onoo) vs. Dean Malenko

Notes: After Dean Malenko defeated Psychosis, he focused on Ultimo Dragon. Dean wanted to unify the J-Crown and Cruiserweight titles. The winner will hold nine belts. (Imagine carrying those in your luggage. Going through airports must be a pain.) They announce later the winner must face Jushin Thunder Liger in Japan.

The Match: They exchange mat holds, athletic reversals, and kicks. Dean rallies with suplexes, but Dragon takes him to the floor and slams Dean. He then fakes out Malenko and nails a suicide dive. Dean tries more suplexes. But Dragon controls the match with a neckbreaker, an octopus stretch, and a sleeper hold. Dean finally takes control and attacks Dragon’s leg. Ultimo keeps reaching the ropes. But Dean reapplies the submissions once he’s free. Then they trade powerslams and powerbombs. They also reverse through a Tombstone, and Dean attempts the Cloverleaf. Next, they fight to the floor and Dragon lands an Asai Moonsault. However, he misses a second one. Malenko then puts him in the Cloverleaf, so Onoo distracts Dean. Dragon uses the opening to roll Dean up. It’s not enough and Malenko answers with a brainbuster. They reverse through suplex attempts until Dragon pins Dean with a bridging Tiger Suplex.

Thoughts: It was slow, but it built to a crescendo. I liked the action and so did the crowd. They reacted well to the big spots. It wasn’t flashy, but it was a solid bout. I’m also glad it was evenly matched. Dean didn’t dominate most of it.

Winner: Ultimo Dragon (18:30)

Women’s Title Tournament Finals: Akira Hokuto (w/ Sonny Onoo & Kensuke Sasaki) vs. Madusa

Notes: Madusa joined WCW a year ago. They finally held a tournament to crown a women’s champion. Did Bischoff spend that year building a deep roster? No, he did not. A few women pulled double duty in the tournament under masks. These two faced each other in the first round, but Hokuto used a different gimmick. Some competitors never appear again for the company. It shouldn’t surprise you to hear the belt doesn’t last long.

I introduced Hokuto in an earlier review. I won’t repeat the information. Her husband Kensuke Sasaki accompanies her to the ring. The two married after meeting at the WCW/NJPW Collision in Korea event. Hokuto wears a cool entrance outfit. She has a wild wig and a gas mask. When coupled with her colored contacts, it’s a wicked look. Also, Lee Marshall joins commentary for this match. He’s the Mike Tenay for the women’s division. (Is he an expert on women?)

The Match: Akira jumps Madusa and whips her around by the hair. Madusa returns the favor until Onoo trips her. (Kensuke takes offense to this.) Then Madusa uses a handstand head scissors. But Akira answers with choking. She places Madusa in a Scorpion Deathlock and an STF. Hokuto even bites Madusa’s foot. (Dusty says she’s teething on it.) Next, they trade slams and takedowns until Akira chokes her again. Hokuto uses a northern lights suplex and a cross armbreaker. Madusa counters with a sloppy DDT, a tornado DDT, and a powerbomb. Both women also use German suplexes. Akira then catches Madusa on the ropes and lands a superplex. But Madusa sends Hokuto to the floor. Something distracts Nick Patrick, so Onoo hits Madusa with a flagpole. Hokuto capitalizes with a running dropkick and a northern lights bomb for the win.

Thoughts: This was messy, but it was a fun match. They kept it a good length. There were some hard-hitting moves. I like the story of the finish. It sets the stage for Madusa chasing the title. However, she never wins the belt. Two people hold it before WCW drops the division. Madusa threw the WWF Women’s Title in the trash for nothing.

Winner: Akira Hokuto (New Champion) (7:06)

Akira celebrates, but Kensuke isn’t happy. He yells at Onoo for interfering. Meanwhile, DDP is in the Compuserve room. A WCW employee types what Page says. Page blows cigar smoke in his face. Someone asks DDP for his thoughts on Eddie Guerrero. Dallas calls it a stupid question. Everyone knows his thoughts.

Then Gene welcomes Rowdy Roddy Piper for an interview. Gene recaps how they got there. He says Hogan stirred up a hornet’s nest. Piper laughs and begins rambling. He says he sings like a vulture. Piper calls himself a midget compared to Hogan. He’s 6’7”! Will his match be a walk in the park? Yeah, Jurassic Park! Then Piper says he watched Hogan’s big dumb mug as he arrived. Next, Piper takes offense to people implying he and Hogan are the only icons in wrestling. Piper name drops Dusty Rhodes, Strangler Lewis, and Gorgeous George. Piper says he’s a man in a dress. He can call it that because he’s tough enough. He carries bagpipes because a piano would be too heavy. But he’s also had a hard life. He has six kids! He left home at thirteen! He’s not giving up! Piper then says, “Of course, it’s the season giddings! That’s tidings in reverse!” (No, it’s not!) Piper follows up by saying it’s better to give than receive. He gives the camera a hip thrust. He also claims if you put Hogan’s ego in Rosanne’s bra cup and put it on Hogan’s head, it’s a yarmulke. Piper finishes, but Gene asks about his hip. Piper doesn’t speak. He hops out of the frame on one leg, like a bunny. (I tried transcribing this madness. It sounds like a mess because it was. But it was entertaining.)

Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

Notes: This is Liger’s first PPV appearance after battling a brain tumor. Liger wrestled since the 80s and retired earlier this year. He did it after also beating cancer. It’s crazy when you think about it. There isn’t a build, but that’s okay. If you tell me Liger is facing Mysterio, I’m on board! This is their first one-on-one bout. They were on opposite sides of a tag match earlier in the year.

The Match: They trade holds, takedowns, and suplexes. Liger presses Rey into the air and gives him a powerbomb. But Rey takes him to the floor with head scissors. Then Liger suplexes Rey off the apron and powerbombs him on the floor. Rey rallies until he misses a missile dropkick. Liger controls the match with a surfboard stretch. Rey answers with suplexes and moonsaults. However, Liger attacks Mysterio’s leg with a dragon screw leg whip. (Dusty loses his mind over this name.) Rey rallies again with more head scissors and springboard moves. But Liger avoids a springboard senton. Jushin capitalizes with a flying headbutt and sends Rey to the floor. But Rey crotches him and tries a super Frankensteiner. Liger blocks it and nails a rolling kick. He then hits a Liger Bomb for the victory.

Thoughts: This was a good mix of high-flying and hard-hitting moves. The action was solid. But the crowd was dead. It didn’t help this encounter had no build. The lack of reaction hurt this bout. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t as great as I hoped. I’d love to see a longer match with more hype.

Winner: Jushin Thunder Liger (14:16)

No DQ Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Chris Benoit (w/ Woman)

Notes: Benoit still disagrees with Flair’s endorsement of Jarrett. There’s no build outside of this fact. Benoit had other issues. Woman all but admitted she’s married to Kevin Sullivan. But she told Kevin it’s over. Benoit and Woman then mocked Sullivan with videos. They showed the two having fancy dinners together. Benoit compared the situation to chess. He said his bishop took Sullivan’s queen. Kevin yelled at the commentators for showing the footage. He accused them of using his personal life to boost ratings. The rest of the Horsemen also didn’t care for Benoit’s behavior. They felt Chris was distracted. (If you’re wondering why Benoit didn’t face Sullivan on this show, there’s a reason they’re dragging out the feud. I’ll explain in a future review. This Jarrett match is to further Jeff’s storyline and give Chris something to do in the meantime.)

The Match: They exchange takedowns and mat holds until Benoit slaps Jarrett. Then they trade strikes and mock each other. The match devolves into stomps and wild punches before they fight to the floor. Woman distracts Jeff, so Benoit attacks him. But Jarrett blocks a superplex and tries a running knee on the ropes. Woman pulls Chris to safety. The fight spills to the floor again and they fight at the railing. Benoit controls the match with a sleeper hold and uses the ropes for leverage. But the fight turns to chops and strikes once more. Next, they fight at the ropes before Woman prevents a Figure Four. This draws out Arn Anderson, but he stands in Jarrett’s corner. Also, the Dungeon arrives and grabs Woman. She fends them off with a kick to the balls. During this chaos, Arn gives Jarrett a DDT. But Sullivan also attacks Benoit with a wooden chair. Arn rolls Jeff into the ring. However, he lands on an unconscious Benoit for the win. Arn can’t believe it.

Thoughts: I enjoyed the match. The action was crisp and hard-hitting. But the finish was an overbooked mess. The camera missed Sullivan’s chair shot. I get what they went for, but the execution wasn’t great. I still liked most of this. The ending brought it down a notch.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett (13:48)

Arn isn’t pleased. He tells Woman it’s her fault and leaves the ring. Gene tries getting a word with one of the Horsemen. No one wants to speak with poor Gene. Everyone passes him. But Mongo and Debra want to talk. Gene asks about the state of the Horsemen. He thinks the group could go up in smoke. Mongo answers that question with some unintelligible yelling. The sound quality was poor. All I understood was hook ’em up! There was also something about a mosquito. Then Mongo speaks about running people out of Chicago with a bus ticket and an apple in their hand. He also tells Benoit Woman is addling his brain. They fed Double J to him on a platter and Benoit lost. Next, Debra speaks. But Mongo tells the zipperheads to shut their pie holes first. Debra sings Jeff Jarrett’s praises. She says he’s Horsemen material. But she doesn’t think much of Woman. Debra says Woman was rode hard and put away wet too many times. (Gene almost drops the mic in shock.) Debra also thinks the men in the crowd want her. But she’s too much woman for them. She only has eyes for her Stevie. (Stevie Ray?) Gene says it’s not right at all. He also thinks the Horsemen are in trouble.

Next, they show a video package about Sting. It includes distorted soundbites and footage of Sting’s recent behavior. Luger and Rick Steiner don’t understand what he’s doing. Why is Sting attacking people? Is he nWo or not? That’s the question on everyone’s mind.

Tag Team Title Match: The Outsiders (c) (w/ Syxx) vs. The Faces of Fear (w/ Jimmy Hart)

Notes: The Faces of Fear’s impressive showing in the Triangle Match earned them a one-on-one shot. The Outsiders scouted their opponents during episodes of Nitro. They also interfered in their matches. We almost got this bout early. The Outsiders challenged the Faces to a match. But it never happened. Big Bubba helped the Outsiders attack the Faces of Fear. Rogers turned on the Dungeon and joined the nWo.

The Match: Hall and Meng exchange strikes and Meng gains the advantage. Hall answers with a diving bulldog, but Barbarian tags. Hall then spits on him and tags Nash. Barbie and Nash throw chops, elbows, and knees until the match turns to clubbering. Nash uses a double noggin knocker. It’s ineffective. The Faces counter with a double headbutt. Then Barbo hits a side slam. Nash fires back with Snake Eyes and Hall clotheslines Barbs from the apron. However, The Faces return with more clubbering, big boots, a piledriver, and a powerbomb. Nick Patrick hesitates on his count. Next, The Outsiders use double-teaming, so Jimmy Hart complains. Syxx takes his megaphone and chases Jimmy to the back. Meanwhile, Hall breaks a nerve hold with a back suplex and Nash nails a big boot. This leads to a brawl. Hall and Meng spill to the floor while Nash lands a Jackknife for the win.

Thoughts: This was a good big man match. They filled it with hard strikes, as I expected. The Outsiders gave The Faces of Fear a good amount of offense. Also, I like the story they told with Nick Patrick’s officiating. Even Heenan acknowledged he made slow counts. The only thing that surprised me is the clean finish. I expected cheating, especially with Patrick involved.

Winners: The Outsiders (11:52)

Then Ted DiBiase is backstage with Hollywood Hogan, Vincent, and Miss Elizabeth. (They never explain if she wants to be there. She always looks displeased.) Ted says Piper got what he wants, but he will regret it. Hogan claims he told his friends in California he already won. They’re on Pacific Time, so they don’t know. Hogan says Piper’s kids cried in their soup. Next, Hogan says he hoped Piper wouldn’t show up. He wanted to tell the fans Piper ran for his life. But he saw one of Roddy’s snot-nosed kids backstage. He knows Roddy is there, despite being a skirt-wearing woman. Hogan then promises to celebrate Hollywood-style because it isn’t Roddy Piper Day. (No, it’s Rusev Day!) But Hogan refuses to do movies with Stallone or Arnold. He’s doing things his way. Hogan ends the promo by asking Piper what he’s going to do. He says it in a sarcastic voice and gives a hearty fake laugh.

U.S. Title Tournament Finals: Eddie Guerrero vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Notes: The Giant still had the US Title belt. But they proceeded with a tournament to crown a new champion. DDP advanced in the first round when The Outsiders distracted Jeff Jarrett. He then received a bye because Luger and Arn fought to a double count out. (Arn wrestled more than I realized in late ’96. I was mistaken.) Meanwhile, Gene continued pestering Page about his allegiance to WCW. Gene claimed Dallas ducked his questions, despite DDP answering them. Page said he wasn’t a member of the nWo. His friendships with Hall & Nash and being neighbors with Bischoff didn’t matter. Both situations existed before the nWo was a thing.

The Match: They exchange shoves, chops, and takedowns until the fight spills to the floor. Eddie whips Dallas into the rail. Page rams Guerrero into the steps. Then they fight at the ropes, but Eddie gains control. He hits a slingshot senton and wears down DDP with holds. DDP also tumbles out of the ring. But he reverses ten punches in the corner and nails a pancake. Next, Page keeps using an abdominal stretch. He grabs the ropes for leverage until the ref catches him. Guerrero then surprises Page with pin attempts and prevents his comebacks. However, Eddie misses a Frog Splash. Page capitalizes with a powerslam, a gutbuster, and a spinning powerbomb. Eddie answers with an atomic drop and head scissors. Then they collide and Eddie falls to the floor. The nWo arrives while the ref checks on Guerrero. Syxx also distracts him. This allows Hall to attack DDP and give him the Outsiders Edge. An oblivious Guerrero hits the Frog Splash to end the match.

Thoughts: This was another good match hurt by the crowd reaction. The action was crisp and well-paced. Everything was on point. But the fans only reacted to Page. When Eddie controlled the match, they were silent or booed. DDP is in transition between heel and face. It makes for awkward reactions.

Winner: Eddie Guerrero (New Champion) (15:20)

Eddie didn’t realize the nWo attacked Page. He celebrates until he sees Hall & Nash. Eddie fends them off with dropkicks until the numbers become too much. Hall & Nash hold Eddie in the ropes while Syxx nails him with kicks. Syxx then takes the US Title belt. (WCW had a new belt made because The Giant refused to return the one he stole. Now, Syxx stole the new one.)

Tony then says the nWo bought time to promote their PPV, nWo Souled Out. (This is the show they got for winning War Games.) But they removed the commercial from the network version. I’m unsure why.

Lex Luger vs. The Giant

Notes: After Luger’s performance in World War 3, they labeled him the hero of WCW. Since Sting was busy brooding, Luger was the flag bearer for the company. The nWo chose The Giant to put a stop to this. Luger prepared for the match by facing big men. One was a wrestler named Tombstone. (He’s the former 911 from ECW. His WCW run is short.) The Giant attacked Luger once the match ended. Luger almost put him in the Rack.

The Match: They begin with a long lock-up and shove each other back and forth. Luger uses forearms, punches and a running clothesline. But The Giant keeps pushing him. The Giant gains control and focuses on Luger’s back. He whips Lex around the ring and steps on him. Lex tries a slam, but he fails. However, The Giant lands on the turnbuckles on a missed splash. Luger doesn’t attempt a Torture Rack, despite the opening. Then The Giant misses a dropkick! (What was he thinking?) Luger answers with a neckbreaker. He covers, but The Giant powers out of the pin. Luger lands on the ref and knocks him out.

Nick Patrick arrives and hides behind the ring post. Next, Luger lifts The Giant for The Rack. Patrick kicks him in the knee. This finally draws out Sting. While he approaches the ring, Syxx arrives and stops another Rack attempt. But Syxx runs when he sees Sting. Patrick then steps up, so Sting shoves him with the bat. Sting places the bat in the middle of the ring. He whispers something to both Luger and Giant before leaving. Luger crawls toward the bat, but The Giant steps on it. Luger low-blows The Giant and hits him with the bat before pinning him.

Thoughts: I liked the storytelling and the finish. But this dragged when The Giant controlled the match. It wasn’t great. They should have cut a few minutes from it. It went longer than it should. However, I appreciate the storyline progression. It accomplished its goal. Plus, the fans reacted well to the ending.

Winner: Lex Luger (13:23)

Luger celebrates with the fans while The Giant holds his head in pain. Tony and Heenan say Hogan hung The Giant out to dry. They sent Syxx and Nick Patrick, but Hogan, Hall, & Nash didn’t help. The Giant stares down the aisle with a look of anger.

Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hogan (w/ Ted DiBiase)

Notes: Michael Buffer does the introductions. He calls it the match of the decade. But the magnitude may make it the match of the century. (Make up your mind!) Hogan enters first. Buffer says Hogan is in every wrestling record book. He also says Hogan is facing a man he always wanted to fight. (First, they’ve faced before. Second, Hogan didn’t want to fight him in this storyline.) Then Piper arrives. Buffer draws his name out for a few seconds. Dusty yells, “I comes to fight!” Hogan then sends Vincent and Liz to the back with the belt, but DiBiase stays.

The Match: Hogan begins with his usual stalling. He trades slaps, punches, and eye-pokes with Piper. But Hogan regroups whenever he’s in trouble. Then Piper grabs a headlock and holds on for dear life. Hogan sends him to the floor, but he only uses back rakes before they return. Piper fires back with a dropkick and whips Hogan with a belt. But DiBiase trips him, so Piper chases Ted. Hogan attacks and uses more back and eye rakes. He also puts Piper in an abdominal stretch and focuses on the hip. Roddy breaks free and there is more awkward fighting. Hogan misses a leg drop, so Piper rallies. However, The Giant arrives. He grabs Piper for a chokeslam. (A fan enters the ring, so he holds him a long time.) Piper breaks free by biting The Giant and pushes him over the ropes. Roddy then grabs a sleeper hold. The ref checks Hogan’s arm, and it drops three times!

Thoughts: This match was 90% biting, back rakes, and punches. Some of Hogan’s antics were amusing. But this was a dull bout. It seemed like Piper was limited in what he could do. I’ll admit the crowd reacted well to it. But it wasn’t fun to watch. Oh, and you probably noticed I never mentioned the title. The belt wasn’t on the line. WCW avoided mentioning this. They wanted fans to be unsure. If they billed it as non-title, it might affect the buyrate. It’s deceptive booking. It confused me when I watched this in ’96. Also, it makes Piper look foolish for not demanding a title match.

Winner: Roddy Piper (15:27)

Hall & Nash arrive. Piper fights them while The Giant leaves the ring. Piper escapes, so The Outsiders check on Hogan. The Giant stares at them and then back at Piper. Hogan and company chase The Giant down the aisle. The Giant yells at them. He asks where they were in his match. Hogan tells him he dropped the ball. The Giant disagrees, but he leaves. Hogan demands Vincent bring him his belt. Hogan says he’s still the champion. Tony mocks him for losing the match. Hogan doesn’t care. He holds his belt up for the camera and says, “Non-title! Piper, I killed ya!” He then spits on the lens, so Tony calls him classy.

The Good:

• Malenko/Dragon was good.

• Rey/Liger was fun.

• The tag title match was a great big man fight.

• The storyline work with Sting, Luger, and The Giant.

• There were some amusing promos.

The Bad:

• The main event was dull.

• The deceptive booking of the Hogan/Piper match.

• The camera work on the Benoit/Jarrett match.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Jushin Thunder Liger. He had an impressive performance so soon after beating a brain tumor.

Final Thoughts:

This was a fairly strong show. The main event was disappointing, but it didn’t ruin the rest. The undercard was amazing. Plus, there was some good storyline work. It was a return to form after the flat World War 3 PPV. Now, if only I could say the same about the next WCW PPV. I won’t say anymore. You’ll see what I mean when I cover Souled Out.

Thank you for reading. My next review is the WWF Royal Rumble ’97. Look for it next Sunday!