WCW Starrcade 94'

RATING LEVELS:

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

Starrcade 94’ – December 1994

Nashville, Tennessee

CHAMPIONSHIP BACKGROUNDS: Hulk Hogan is the reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion heading into tonight’s show. The team of Pretty Wonderful are the WCW Tag Team Champions, Jim Duggan is the reigning US Champion, and Johnny B. Badd is the recognized TV Champion.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & Bobby Heenan

Aaron Tippin kicks things off by singing the National Anthem in front of the Nashville crowd. I miss Maxx Payne.

Would you trust your child with this RCA Recording Artist?

Before we get our first match, viewers are treated to a replay of Macho Man's WCW debut. Savage states that he will be at Starrcade for a face-to-face with his longtime frienemy, the Hulkster. This is followed-up by video footage from Hulk's Pro Wrestling Illustrated award press conference.

We kick off with Vader challenging Jim Duggan for the US Championship. I must admit to not having seen much of Duggan's non-WWE output, so I was genuinely surprised at just how physical and stiff he could be, going toe-to-toe with Vader and looking very impressive doing so. What makes this match even better than the physicality is the back-and-forth and nifty false finishes. Each one of Vader's signature moves looks like it SHOULD be the end as Duggan wasn't typically booked as capable of keeping up with most monster heels (he was essentially the "gatekeeper" for Hogan). Harley Race's interference adds an extra wrinkle, but it is the finishing blow that really makes this one worth seeing - you just don't see enough matches end so definitively with such a non-lethal maneuver. It is surprising and believable at the same time and it should be no wonder this match has often been cited as Duggan's best non-Mid-South match ever. (3.5/5)

The Three Faces of Fear make some comments in the back before the next match. Nothing fantastic here, though, I do think John "Avalanche" Tenta is the MVP of the segment for his passionate shouting of Sting's name.

Jean Paul Levesque makes his way to the ring next, essentially doing the same gimmick that Steve Regal was using only "French." His opponent is "Das Wunderkind" Alex Wright, who, to this day, still has one of the coolest entrance songs of all time. This match can be summarized in two words - silence and restholds. The few moments of excitement are stretched incredibly thin with lots of selling and very little by way of high spots to pull the crowd in. From a historical standpoint, I can understand the interest in seeing a very young Triple H make his PPV debut...but the novelty of seeing him in this setting wears off quickly. Too long and not very exciting, this match overstays its welcome and under-impresses. (1/5)

We hear the ring music of the Honky Tonk Man, but instead of having to suffer through a third Badd/Honky match, Arn Anderson arrives in his place to challenge for Johnny B. Badd's Television Championship. The match begins with at a slow, technical pace, very different from the Badd/Honky matches, which I found to be, in the words of Good Ol' JR, "alot of sizzle and no steak." While Anderson relies on some of the same tricks as Honky (rolling outside for "breathers," overselling Badd's patented punches), the difference is that Arn's offense actually looks devastating, from his sinister spinebuster to something as simple as an irish whip to the corner. Badd, meanwhile, always seemed to look better when he had to fight from underneath, when it was obvious that he was outclassed in terms of wrestling knowledge, but could show enough fire to hang in the match (as he did in his series with Regal). As much as I find this match to be an improvement from Badd's last few bouts, it's still not a masterpeice, and wouldn't go on either man's Best Of DVDs. (2/5)

The Nasty Boys vs. Harlem Heat is next in a rematch from Clash of the Champions. This one is hard-hitting, energetic, and physical, with Harlem Heat noticeably improving with each outing. The crowd is into it and Sherri's involvement in the final minutes only adds to a bout that, like other matches on this card, may have been a bit on the long side, but was still pretty good for what it was. (2/5)

Mr. T vs. Kevin Sullivan is a trainwreck. For starters, Mr. T arrives in referee gear inexplicably (especially when you consider he wasn't in referee clothing when he actually refereed the Flair/Hogan match at Halloween Havoc) and, to make matters worse, he seems to have spent more time enjoying Nashville's BBQ than he did training. Dave "Evad" Sullivan makes an unwanted appearance, officially making this one of the worst stretches of 5-10 minutes I can recall. Absolutely awful and unnecessary and you don't even get to hear Dave Sullivan's music, which is usually good for a laugh. The lone bright spot is the post-match beatdown that Kevin gives to his "little brother."(0.5/5)

Thankfully, John "Avalanche" Tenta vs. Sting is next and you have two veterans that know how to work a match and may actually be two of the most underrated talents of the 90s. This match may not have the same marquee value as it would have had 5 years earlier, but there is a "dream match" quality to it and Tenta and Sting deliver by keeping a good pace, selling appropriately, telling an interesting story punctuated by big powerslams from the Avalanche, and adding a believable ref bump that creates suspense for what the outcome will be. On paper, this match may not seem "PPV worthy," but both guys work hard and they pull the crowd in. Unfortunately, the finish is a serious disappointment and one that prevents this bout from being a hidden gem in Tenta and Sting's 90s output. A few more minutes and a clean finish would've made this a possible challenger for match of the night honors. (2.5/5)

It is main event time - Hulk Hogan vs. The Butcher for Hogan's WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Before the match begins, we get a full video recap of Brother Bruti's slow burn turn on his best friend. The funniest part of the storyline may be how many different body types were used to play the Masked Man character. Hogan arrives on the scene with a chair in hand, daring the challenger to step inside the ring with him while Michael Buffer announces the participants. In a bizarre production decision, Hogan's music plays again after Buffer's announcement and even more fireworks go off. Sadly, that is the most exciting part of the match. With an extended sleeper segment that irritates and angers more than it engages, this match does little to differentiate itself from the classic Hogan bouts of his WWE heyday. The eventual arrival of the other two Faces of Fear makes sense, though, his thwarting of them comes off as so effortless it leaves one wondering why the Macho Man even gets involved. The crowd response is huge for Savage and Hogan's reunion, with Tony Schiavone announcing "The Mega-Powers are back again," a bit of a surprising turn of phrase considering this was their name in WWE. Not a good match and not a good enough post-match to lift up the score. (0.5/5)

Fear not, though - the show ain't over! Hogan and Savage are celebrating in the back when the number  one contender, Vader, arrives to challenge the Hulkster. Vader's promo is near-flawless and, for the first time, Hogan actually seems to show a little bit of worry. I've heard some call this one of Vader's best promos, and while I can't point to a better example, I still wouldn't say the segment is so excellently produced that it's worth hunting down. I like the idea of ending the show with clear build to Hogan's next challenger and the pull-apart brawl certainly helped get the bad taste of the main event out of my mouth, but it is a very small cherry on a large shit sundae. (2.5/5)

With an average match/segment rating of 1.81-out-of-5, Starrcade 94' is a downright horrible show and a serious low-point for the company. The main event is practically unwatchable, even for a dyed-in-the-wool Randy Savage mark like myself. Duggan/Vader is clearly the best match on the card and the only one worth viewing, though, Sting/Avalanche might have reached that level with a better finish. The tag bout is average, as is the TV title match, but average doesn't mean much when you consider that WCW expected fans to pay $30 to see this show on pay-per-view. Remember, Starrcade was also WCW's "WrestleMania," the biggest show of the year and one that had, 12 months prior, been headlined by Ric Flair vs. Vader in what some consider the company's best match of the decade. With only one match that I'd recommend worth catching (but still one that features Jim Duggan, not exactly a guy whose work I tend to direct people towards), this show is a chore to get through.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville