Starrcade
1997
Date: December 28, 1997
Location: MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 17,500
Commentators: Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Mike Tenay
Date: December 28, 1997
Location: MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 17,500
Commentators: Eric Bischoff, Dusty Rhodes, Mike Tenay
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
Tonight
is WCW's night. After a year and a half of being dominated by the
NWO, tonight is the night that WCW stands up and says this is our
company and you're not taking us over. WCW has its warrior in Sting
and there is no way that Hogan can stop him. Hogan has been running
scared of Sting for months and tonight he's out of places to hide.
This is WCW's night. Let's get to it.
The
opening video is rather awesome with Sting standing in the shadows as
rain falls. He jumps off a wall and lands on a picture of Hogan.
Sting picks up the bat and walks off, all while pictures of Hogan are
superimposed over the screen. That's a great visual.
There
will be a drawing on who gets to be the referee for the main event.
Several
WCW wrestlers are in the crowd, including Harlem Heat and the TV
Champion Disco Inferno.
Apparently
Kevin Nash isn't here tonight. This was another big problem with the
NWO: they didn't like to lose. The original plan for Nash was to
face the Giant and lose. Nash, not wanting to be pinned on PPV,
decided to screw the fans out of one of the biggest matches on the
show and not appear. He eventually appeared in the match at the next
PPV where he was allowed to win.
In
other words, he acted unprofessionally and screwed over the people
and got his way anyway. These are the kind of things that would
catch up to them in the long run. Officially Nash claimed that he
had chest pains, but he's had a tendency to have those many times
over the years when he was about to lose a major match. Also
considering his story has changed multiple times over the years,
something tells me he wasn't being honest. Imagine that coming from
a wrestler.
Cruiserweight
Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko
This
is the culmination of a rather awesome three way feud between
Malenko, Guerrero and Rey Mysterio which led to some excellent
matches between the three of them. Eddie is defending here. They
head to the mat to start where Eddie is good but Dean is great.
Malenko takes over on the champion and fires off some right hands to
the head to send Eddie back. A leg lariat gets two for Malenko and
they trade control of a German suplex until Dean counters a rana into
a HARD powerbomb for two.
Another
powerbomb gets two for Dean and a snap powerslam gets the same.
Eddie begs for mercy and runs to the floor for a breather. Back in
and Guerrero hits a chop block on Dean's knee to give the champion
control. Dean knees his way out of a suplex and drops Guerrero
stomach first over the top rope to slow him down again. A
clothesline gets another two count on Eddie and it's off to a
chinlock. Make that a headscissors as the match slows down a lot.
Back
up and Eddie backs off again before kissing Dean's feet and begging
for mercy. Dean wins a test of strength by taking Eddie's hands to
the mat so he can stomp on them. A dropkick to the face puts
Guerrero down again before Dean counters a tornado DDT and drops
Guerrero face first on the top turnbuckle for two. Eddie gets
suplexed out to the apron but lands on his feet, allowing him to snap
Dean's neck on the ropes. The champion takes over with a slingshot
ax handle onto Dean's leg to put Malenko in trouble.
Guerrero
wraps Dean's knee around the post and dropkicks the steps into said
knee in a nice show of aggression. Back in again and Guerrero cranks
on the leg for a bit before hitting a bit powerbomb for two. Dean
counters a hurricanrana attempt into a nice wheelbarrow suplex for
two. A backbreaker puts Eddie down again but it hurts Dean's knee in
the process. Eddie takes him up top but gets shoved off the top as
he tries a rana. Dean tries the Texas Cloverleaf (submission hold)
but Eddie kicks the knee out to escape. Guerrero hits a missile
dropkick into the knee to set up a Frog Splash to retain the title.
Rating:
C+. Decent opener here but way
below what you would expect from these two. The matches leading up
to this one had been excellent but this came off as somewhat flat.
It's certainly not a bad match or anything, but given the
expectations from the buildup, this was pretty disappointing.
Here's
Scott Hall with something to say. As is his custom, Hall asks the
fans if they're here to see the NWO or WCW. In this case it's WCW
but Hall would rather talk about the main event. He actually has a
reason to as he gets a title shot at the winner at Uncensored. As
for Nash, he isn't here tonight so Giant is the winner. Giant comes
out and says that he's a patient man and one day Nash will be back.
Hall goes after Giant but gets laid out with Kevin Nash's powerbomb.
Why they didn't just have Hall replace Nash in a match here is beyond
me.
Scott
Norton/Vincent/Konnan vs. Ray Traylor/Steiner Brothers
The
Steiners and Traylor had been going to war with the NWO for months so
these three are just a random grouping of members for them to fight.
There's no Konnan in sight during the entrances so we're going to
start with a handicap match. Norton is a big strong guy who used to
be world armwrestling champion. Vincent used to work for the WWF as
Ted DiBiase's bodyguard. The Steiners' manager tonight? Ted
DiBiase.
Since
there's no Konnan, here's former world champion Randy Savage to take
his place. Savage nearly gets in a fight with the WCW wrestlers in
the audience on the way to the ring. For the sake of clarity in this
match, Scott will only be used in reference to Scott Steiner. Savage
starts with Scott with Randy being shoved back into the corner. A
shoulder block puts Savage down but Norton hits Scott in the back to
let Savage take over. Off to Vincent who is there to distract the
referee while Savage chokes Scott.
Norton
comes in for a power vs. power match with Scott, followed by a
backbreaker to work on Scott's back. Savage adds a double ax to the
spine, only to have Scott come back with a double underhook powerbomb
and a gorilla press slam. Everything breaks down and the NWO is
cleared out. Back in and it's Rick vs. Norton now which is a battle
of the tough guys. Rick hits a quick suplex and a Steiner Line
followed by a powerslam for two. Traylor, a former member of the
NWO, comes in to pound away on Norton as well.
Vincent
comes back in and walks into a spinebuster and a belly to back drop.
Back to Scott for that wicked spinning belly to belly for no cover.
Traylor comes in again as we have the rare heel in peril sequence.
Rick puts on a chinlock while rubbing Vincent's head for no apparent
reason. Traylor comes back in but misses a splash, allowing for the
tag off to Norton. After a big clothesline, it's back to Vincent
instead of Savage for no apparent reason.
To
the shock of no one, Vincent is no match for Traylor and it's hot tag
to Rick. He cleans house and the Steiners hit their top rope DDT on
Vincent, only to have Norton make the save. Scott hits the
Frankensteiner off the top but this time Savage makes the save. Now
it's Savage in danger of being caught in the top rope Frankensteiner
but Norton shoves Scott off the top, allowing Randy to drop the big
elbow for the pin.
Rating:
D+. Not a bad match or anything
here, but why in the world would have have the NWO D team and Savage
win this match? The Steiners are the world tag team champions and
they're losing in the second match on the biggest show of the year?
This night is supposed to be all about WCW, not about the NWO winning
a meaningless match that they don't need.
Nick
Patrick is officially announced as the referee for the main event.
The problem with this is that Patrick is a former member of the NWO
with a very sketchy record. Keep in mind that we're wasting time on
the biggest show of the year for this. Also, I wonder what the
announcers are going to spend the next hour and a half talking about.
Bill
Goldberg vs. Steve McMichael
Steve
“Mongo” McMichael is a former Horseman and NFL player, but he's
absolutely terrible in the ring. Goldberg is still undefeated at
this point and would become a much bigger deal after this show is
over. This is happening because Goldberg stole McMichael's Super
Bowl ring and they've attacked each other a few times since. The
brawl is on in the aisle to start but Mongo's offense isn't having
much effect. Goldberg literally picks him up and carries Mongo into
the ring like a rag doll.
Goldberg
picks up a table at ringside as the bell rings and the actual match
begins. Mongo suplexes him down for two but a big shoulder tackle
takes Steve down for two. We head to the floor where the table is
leaning against the post. They fight around the ring with Mongo
taking over before heading back inside, only to have Goldberg punch
Mongo as Steve dives off the top. Goldberg hooks a quick leg lock
and is toying with Mongo at this point.
The
spear (the setup for Goldberg's finisher) hits for two and Goldberg
loads up the table on the floor. He tries to slam Mongo over the top
and through the table but the referee breaks it up. A dropkick of
all things puts Mongo down and out to the floor and we have to be
getting close to done. Mongo gets back up onto the apron, only to be
punched through the table. Back in and the Jackhammer (suplex but
instead Goldberg turns it over into a powerslam) ends Mongo.
Rating:
D. This was terrible but
Goldberg's day was coming. It was clear that Mongo just wasn't any
good as a wrestler and thankfully in 1998 he would be pushed WAY down
the card and rarely ever have a big match again. The match itself
was slow and plodding, but Goldberg would be pushed to the moon very
quickly after this.
Raven
vs. Chris Benoit
Raven,
a loner who has a collection of misfits called his Flock, comes out
for his match against Chris Benoit but says he won't wrestle tonight.
Instead his top man Saturn does, which has been a recurring theme
for Raven. To be fair to him and WCW though, Raven had a legit
appendicitis and wasn't medically cleared to wrestle. On the other
hand, WCW knew this in advance and didn't bother to announce that
Raven couldn't wrestle, thereby ripping off the fans with something
they easily could have fixed. Anyway Benoit is a very tough wrestler
with an excellent amateur skill set. Saturn can do a bit of
everything.
Before
the match, Benoit talks about seeing things for what they are in an
attempt to speak like Raven. This doesn't go well at all, but once
they had their match it would be a classic. Apparently this is under
Raven's Rules, meaning anything goes. Saturn tries to jump Benoit
but gets chopped down for his efforts. More chops hit Saturn's chest
in the corner and a jawbreaker gets Benoit out of a sleeper attempt.
Benoit stomps away in the corner and invites Raven to get in the
ring. Saturn catches Benoit's arm during a chop attempt and hits a
quick suplex to take over.
Chris
comes right back with a dropkick to the knee but has to knock Raven
to the floor instead of go after Saturn. Benoit whips Saturn into
the barricade but Raven's men Kidman and Sick Boy interfere to give
Saturn control. Back in and Saturn puts on a chinlock before hitting
a moonsault, only to injure himself in the process. A few knees to
Benoit's ribs put him down again but Benoit's foot is in the ropes.
Off to reverse chinlock by Saturn to stay on the ribs but he lets it
go for no apparent reason.
A
kind of brainbuster gets two on Benoit and it's off to another
chinlock. Benoit fights up and hooks a sunset flip for two before
clotheslining Saturn down. Both guys are dazed now but it's Benoit
taking over as they get back up. Saturn grabs a quick falcon arrow
(sitout slam) to put Benoit down, only to have Chris knock him off
the top rope and to the floor.
Benoit
takes it to the floor and puts on his Crippler Crossface (arm trap
hold with a facelock) but the Flock makes the save. Benoit fights
them and throws Saturn back in for the flying headbutt, only to have
the Flock come in again. They're quickly dispatched, but Raven
himself comes in with the DDT to lay Benoit out. Saturn puts on his
Rings of Saturn double armbar but Benoit is out cold, ending the
match.
Rating:
C+. This was getting good at
the end but the decision here makes little sense. Benoit had been
running through the Flock, so why have him lose to Saturn right
before he's supposed to face Raven? Benoit can't beat the second in
command so we're supposed to want to see him fight the boss? That
doesn't make sense.
By
the way: this is an eight match card and the heels are now 4/4.
Buff
Bagwell vs. Lex Luger
Buff
is of course Marcus Bagwell and now part of the NWO. This is I think
the fourth match between these two in about a month with Bagwell
cheating to win before. Bagwell of course stalls before the match
begins because that's what people with little talent do to draw heat.
They lock up and go into the corner with no one being able to get an
advantage. Buff starts pounding away in the corner but Lex comes
back with right hands of his own. A press slam puts Bagwell down and
a clothesline puts him on the floor.
Bagwell
is ticked off and wants Vincent out here to help him. Apparently the
power of a worthless man obsessed with his own career like Vincent is
enough to inspire Bagwell as he pounds away on Lex. It doesn't last
long though as Luger pounds him down onto the floor and sends him
into the barricade before nailing Vincent. The distraction lets
Bagwell get in more of his array of right hands and forearms before
stomping away in the corner. Bagwell pounds on Luger's back and says
hi to his mom Judy (future World Tag Team Champion. Please, don't
ask).
Luger
gets in a back elbow but can't follow up at all. Then again he took
some forearms to the back so how good could be be right now? Bagwell
puts on a chinlock for a bit before clotheslining Luger down for two.
Back to the chinlock as this match is already going long. Luger
tries to come back but a knee to the ribs puts him right back down.
Now it's a sleeper because this match hasn't had enough rest holds.
Lex finally fights up and suplexes him down so let's lay around even
more.
Luger
pounds away and hits some clotheslines and atomic drops. Now Luger
has to beat up Vincent before suplexing Bagwell down. Vincent is
thrown off the top and clotheslined to the floor and Luger stomps
away in the corner. The referee calls him off, allowing Bagwell to
hit him in the back and into the referee. Luger puts Buff in the
Torture Rack but there's no referee to see Randy Savage make the
save. Savage gets racked but here's Scott Norton to hit Luger in the
head with a chain and put Bagwell on top for the pin.
Rating:
D. In case you're keeping
track, we're about an hour and forty minutes into this show and the
heels are still undefeated. I'm assuming the idea here was to make
Bagwell look like he can beat a big name, but having him need three
other guys and a weapon to do so isn't going to accomplish that goal.
This was really boring too and could have had five minutes cut out
from it.
US
Title: Curt Hennig vs. Diamond Dallas Page
Hennig
is defending and had been feuding with Flair for months, but Flair is
hurt so Page is subbing for him. Curt is also NWO of course.
Apparently Page stole the physical belt last night on Saturday
Night....and then gave it back before the match tonight. That sounds
like an idea they had and then dropped. Page has bad ribs which he
had for months on end. Hennig gets elbowed in the face a lot and
knocked out to the floor for a breather.
Back
in and Hennig wisely goes after the bad ribs before putting on a
chinlock. Thankfully it doesn't last long as Page counters into
the much more interesting headlock. Curt fights up and is put right
back into the hold as the match continues to go slowly. Back up and
they head to the floor where Hennig snaps Page's throat across the
top rope to take over. Page also goes ribs first into the steps as
Hennig is thinking with his attack here. They go back into the ring
where Curt pounds on the ribs even more.
Page
tries to fight back but charges into a boot in the corner and a
clothesline takes him down. Off to a chinlock which must be left
over from the Bagwell match. The fans start chanting boring as this
hold drags on for over a minute. Page finally fights up and hits a
jawbreaker to escape before punching Hennig out to the floor. A dive
over the top puts Hennig down again and Page throws him into the
crowd to continue the beating.
They
head back inside where Hennig gets to do his reverse crotch against
the post spot. The Diamond Cutter is blocked by a grab of the ropes
though and Hennig gets two. A rollup gets two for Page but Hennig
clotheslines him down for two. Hennig loads up his Hennigplex but
Page counters into a Diamond Cutter. He totally botched the move
though and it looks like an armbar. They both get back up and Page
hits the Diamond Cutter out of nowhere for the US Title and the first
win by a good guy of the night.
Rating:
C-. This wasn't great and the
botched ending hurt it a bit. Still though, it's nice to see the
fans have something to cheer for, even though it took them nearly two
hours to get there. To say the Diamond Cutter was a popular move is
the understatement of the year, as the fans went nuts when he hit it.
This was a pretty dull match until the Cutter hit.
Bret
Hart comes out to be guest referee. There's no pyro, there's no big
entrance, there's nothing but generic music and Bret casually walking
to the ring. The theory is that he's in the NWO but that's never
been confirmed yet.
Eric
Bischoff vs. Larry Zbyszko
This
should have been Hall vs. Larry, as those two had been talking trash
to each other for months. However, Larry only gets Hall if he beats
Eric here tonight. If Eric wins, the NWO controls Nitro. Larry is
in good shape here considering he's 46 and hasn't wrestled regularly
in about five years. Bret checks them for weapons and we're ready to
go. Bischoff has the body of a 15 year old girl. He is however a
black belt in karate so you can expect a lot of striking.
Bischoff
hits a quick shot to Larry's head and immediately celebrates. More
strikes follow and Eric heads out to the floor for consultation with
Hall. Back in and Larry hits some shots of his own and Eric is
scared. Larry goes after him again and Eric hits a spin kick to the
side of the head that knocks Larry down. That's enough for Zbyszko
and he charges at Eric and takes him down to the mat. Bret
admonishes him for pulling Eric's hair, so Larry puts on a sleeper
and a headscissors, both of which are broken up for being chokes.
Off
to a standing figure four but Eric quickly makes a rope. The damage
is done though and Larry goes after the leg. Makes sense against a
karate guy. Bret keeps Larry away from Eric and the announcers
PANIC. Imagine that: a referee following the rules. Eric is sent
into the steps and takes a brief walk around the ring. Back in and
Bret blocks a right hand from Larry, allowing Eric to get in a kick
to the head. Biscoff fires more kicks with Larry on the ropes,
although Bret is fine with them.
Eric
is starting to kick himself out though as the kicks are getting
weaker and weaker each time. Now he fires rights and lefts in the
corner as Larry is just covering up. Eric can barely move now and
Larry shakes everything off. A suplex puts Bischoff down and Larry
ties him in the Tree of Woe. Hall pulls something out of his pocket
and loads it into Eric's shoe, WITH BRET LOOKING RIGHT AT THEM. I
mean, he knows what's going on so why not LOOK THE OTHER WAY???
Anyway,
Eric kicks him in the head with the loaded foot and the piece of
metal goes flying. Bret isn't supposed to see it, despite watching
it fly through the air. Eric celebrates, so Bret hits both Bischoff
and Hall before putting Hall in the Sharpshooter, which is Bret's
version of the Scorpion Deathlock. Larry chokes Eric for a bit and
is declared the winner, presumably by DQ.
Rating:
F. This was in the second to
last spot on the biggest show of the year and featured the boss of
the company who has no skill whatsoever in the ring. Larry did fine
all things considered, but to waste this spot on this match and to
waste BRET HART's in ring debut on this match is absolutely
ridiculous in every sense of the word.
And
yet, it's only going to get worse.
Before
we get to the main event, I need to set the stage a bit more. This
match is 18 months in the making at minimum. Hogan has been the
biggest villain in the company the entire time and has been behind a
ton of attacks, crooked endings, and every other possible evil thing
you can do as a wrestler. He has basically held the world title
hostage for the entire time and has gone completely against WCW.
Tonight should be his punishment for those crimes. This match should
be Hogan being taken to the gallows and executed for everything he's
done for the last year and a half.
WCW
World Title: Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan
So
how does Hogan come out after running scared of Sting for a year and
a half? He struts to the ring, playing the belt like a guitar. He
looks like he's about to face Sick Boy instead of Sting for the world
title. Hogan should have had people literally dragging him to the
ring as he was trying everything he could to get out of the match.
Have him offering money to the security, have him trying to run, have
him doing ANYTHING but walking out with that big grin on his face.
After
a year of repelling from the rafters, coming through the crowd, and
at one point ziplining to the ring Sting.....calmly walks out. Oh
wait there's some lightning and a voiceover that we've heard before
so it's cool right? They stare each other down and as the bell
rings, Hogan shoves him away. Sting slaps him so Hogan walks around
the ring and is loudly booed as you would expect. Sting is pushed to
the corner but comes out with a right hand and it's pretty much all
downhill from there.
We're
about two minutes into the match now and that's literally all that's
happened. Hogan kicks him in the ribs and a single right hand sends
Sting flying across the ring. Sting is pounded in the corner as
Hogan gives a shout out to his son, Nasty Nick. A shot to the throat
has Sting in trouble as the crowd is stunned. There's a slam but
Hogan misses three straight elbows. A dropkick puts Hogan on the
floor and Sting just stands there looking down at Hollywood.
Back
in and the fans are chanting boring. Hogan grabs a headlock before
running Sting over like he's not even there. Two more dropkicks send
Hogan to the floor and again just stands there. Back inside again
and Sting puts on a headlock to take Hogan down. We're six minutes
into this and the entire sequence of action has been punches,
headlocks, a shoulder block and dropkicks. Goldberg and McMichael
went less than six minutes and had a full match while Hogan and Sting
have fit about a minute's worth of action in the same amount of time.
Hogan
shoves him off and lays Sting out with a clothesline. As in Sting is
down on the mat for about 10 seconds off a clothesline. A suplex
puts Sting down but he's on his feet before Hogan is. That's more
like it. He does the crotch chop sign to Hogan and pounds Hogan into
the corner....so Hogan calmly rakes the eyes to take over again.
Hogan is toying with Sting so far and he does even more toying by
throwing Sting to the floor. Sting is thrown into the timekeeper's
area and Hogan hits him in the neck with Sting's trademark baseball
bat.
Sting
is choked with a t-shirt up against the railing, but he comes back by
whipping Hogan into the barricade. As usual though, Sting misses the
Stinger Splash into the steel and Hogan takes over seconds later.
Sting is crotched on the barricade and dropped with a single right
hand. I've seen Hogan have more trouble dropping jobbers. Back in
and Hogan hits an atomic drop before choking away. We're over ten
minutes into this now and Hogan hasn't been in significant trouble at
all.
And
now, it's going to get even worse.
Hogan
hits the big boot and the legdrop for the pin in a little over eleven
minutes. Now, the announcers start talking about a fast count, but
the count was about as fast as you would expect it to be, albeit
maybe a hair faster. It's far from what you would call a fast count
when you're talking about a crooked referee though. I've heard
stories over the years about Hogan actually paying the referee to
count at a normal speed to count properly instead of doing it fast,
and if that's the case then he did a decent job at it. The count was
close enough that you could buy it either way, but it looked good
enough.
On
top of that, the far bigger problem with the fast count theory is
that it doesn't hold up when you look at the aftermath. The idea
behind a fast count is that the guy would have been able to kick out
had it been at normal speed. Sting NEVER MOVED. He doesn't push
off, he doesn't sit up after the count, he doesn't kick his legs.
Sting is still laying on the mat a good ten seconds after the three
count. Even with the fast count, Sting looks like he's out cold so
the count doesn't even make a difference.
On
top of THAT, Bret Hart is seen walking in front of the camera as
Hogan is going down for the cover. Not a few seconds after the
cover, not as Hogan is celebrating, but as Hogan is getting on top of
Sting. That would mean that he came into the arena probably before
Hogan even hit the big boot. Why was he out there? He's there early
enough to grab the timekeeper's hand before he can strike the bell,
which makes even less sense.
Back
to the “action” as Bret grabs the mic and mumbles that “he's
not going to let it happen again.” He complains about the count
being fast and decks Nick Patrick (who has the most amazing overblown
fall ever, throwing his arms in the air and falling over like a
tree). Hogan tries to leave (as Sting is just now getting up) but
Bret throws him back in the ring.
Bret
calls for the bell, Sting goes NUTS and hits a quick Stinger Splash.
He tries for another but Hogan holds the ropes, pretty much stopping
Sting's momentum cold. The NWO runs in but Sting fights them off and
hits another splash on Hogan. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on and
Hogan gives up, allowing Bret to call for the bell and give Sting the
title.
WCW
comes out to celebrate, Sting shouts something in what sounds like
Spanish (the last word was mamacita. A quick Google search says
Sting said something like “revenge is sweet baby”) into the
camera, end of show.
Rating:
W. As in where in the world do
I even start. First and foremost, the match absolutely sucked in
case you couldn't tell. Hogan was destroying Sting for over ten
minutes and then pinned him clean(ish) in the middle of the ring.
It's completely against everything that the match was supposed to be
and was horribly boring on top of that. This made Sting look like a
complete joke and did little for anyone else besides Hogan.
Now
for the second ending, which has even more holes in it. First and
foremost, there's one huge problem with what Bret did: what if you
didn't watch WWF? Simple question: what if you had no idea that this
was a reference to what happened at Survivor Series a few weeks ago
because you don't watch that company's programming? What was Bret
not allowing to happen again? Granted you can only be confused by
that if you understood what Bret said, which was mumbled pretty
badly.
Second,
Bret was hired as guest referee for one match, but he now has the
authority to referee any match he wants all night long. The fans
live weren't told that, so they either had to put it together in
about a minute and a half, or they were completely oblivious to what
was going on. The whole idea was a stretch to put it mildly and it
was made even worse by how badly it was executed.
Finally.....just
why? I mean, aside from Hogan, who could have possibly thought this
was a good idea? The answer I've heard from either Hogan or Bischoff
in one of their books is that Sting had some substance abuse issues
and was in no condition to be champion at this point. The problem
with that theory is that Sting just wrestled a coherent enough match.
He was pretty much a shell of his former self, but he was able to
throw dropkicks, punches, the Stinger Splash and the Scorpion
Deathlock. That's really all he needed in this match, but apparently
he wasn't capable of doing those things, at least according to Hogan
or Bischoff.
All
in all, this match is the biggest disaster that I can ever remember
for a major match. It was booked completely backwards, it did
nothing that it was supposed to do, the ending was screwed up, and
the fans were likely confused by at least one thing at the time.
Sting may indeed have had a drug problem at the time, but if he's
even remotely capable of wrestling a passable match (which he clearly
was), you give the fans this moment and worry about the rest later.
It's been over 15 years since this happened and I'm still amazed by
how badly they screwed this up.
Overall
Rating: F. That's the only way
to describe this show: a failure. WCW completely failed at what they
were trying to do here and the show is a disaster. The best match is
just slightly above average and that's likely being generous. No
good guy wins until nearly two hours into the show and the main
reason to watch the show (which A LOT of people did) was completely
fouled up.
This
is everything that you can possibly do wrong on a major show rolled
into one and multiplied several times over. There's nothing truly
good here and the aftershocks of this show crippled WCW for good.
This was supposed to be the night that WCW was supposed to come back
from everything that had gone wrong for them and take back their
company. At the end of the day, they got back the US Title and
that's it. They already had Nitro and yeah they got back the world
title. For now. That's the other reason this show is so awful: at
the end of the day, none of this mattered for reasons we'll get to soon.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com
Yeah, WCW totally shit the bed. It just wasn't their night. When Eddy/Dean and Benoit/Saturn both have disappointing matches you know you are in trouble. Top that off with Nash/Giant not happening and the main event, the gods were against WCW. Or WCW was against WCW.
ReplyDeleteFor all we know Nash could have legitimately had chest pains but it seems too convenient. That'd be like Jericho not showing up to WrestleMania 28 citing headaches or something similar.
Best part about Bagwell's win was he lost clean to Luger the next night on Nitro. I was so excited for the match, I even had my entire family come and watch Sting finally get revenge on Hulk Hogan. I didn't enjoy school the next day.
ReplyDeleteI never felt that bad after watching a PPV until Fall Brawl '98 and the worst War Games Match and quite possibly the worst PPV off all time.
I believe Nash had the same chest pains before he was supposed to job to Jarrett in TNA.
ReplyDeleteI think it was in Bishoffs book, but he said that Nash's father died young and once Nash hit that age he was paranoid of having a heart-attack. He mentions in one of his shoots that he has regular check ups with a cardiologist so there might be something to do.
ReplyDeleteAnd then Nash had something something or other wrong with him when he was supposed to face Punk at Night of Champions.
ReplyDeleteI was there and had great seats. Got there early and ended up getting pretty bombed. (Fake ID) So I guess the show seemed pretty good that way. When I eventually watched it sober it was amazing how horrendous it was. But I did get great seats for a big event for a relatively low price, because WCW had no idea how to run a wrestling business.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree this show is horribly executed, the Hall being choke slammed by the Giant was fine by me, didn't need to be a match. Hall had been taunting him for months and the Giant gets his hands on him and gets a big pop. Sure, it could've been a match, but it worked. Everything else though...
ReplyDeleteRick Rude went on Nitro and told everyone about it.
ReplyDeleteWe had the thread earlier today about "Lines in the Sand", and, well, this was it for me and WCW. I never watched WCW on a regular basis after this show. I wasn't angry. I was just over it.
ReplyDeleteI knew something happened but not the specifics of it. I didn't get what Bret meant until years later.
ReplyDeleteThen he grew a beard and went back to RAW to introduce DX.
ReplyDeleteWhy win in front of x viewers, when you can lose there and win the rematch in front of 5x viewers???
ReplyDeleteExactly.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least there he had the dignity to pull out a few weeks ahead of time so they could get him a replacement.
ReplyDeleteThis show should be given to perspective bookers everywhere as the prime example of how not to book a blowoff show.
ReplyDeleteFunny how Nash basically did what Bret Hart did (balked at losing), yet was still super-good friends with Shawn Michaels and Triple-H, both of whom decried Bret's unprofessionalism for doing it. Fuck Nash. You don't need x-ray vision to see through his wall of lies there.
ReplyDeleteIt's SO sad that this show, basically the highest-point of WCW's dominance, is 100% held as the shining example of why the company failed- it wasn't just the bad things that happened, it was the absence of good things- high-end feuds ending in disappointing ways.
Let me set the scene for you...
ReplyDeleteI got into wrestling in 1995 when I was 11. It was the day after the first In Your House. I was flipping through the channels when I saw this guy with long, stringy hair beating the shit out of this announcer. He was cussing up a storm and just putting the hurt on this guy. Move over, Mortal Kombat, there was a new love in Caliber's life. Literally from that moment on I became a die-hard wrestling fan, and I was a die-hard WWE fan at that. WCW? That shit was for the BIRDS, man! A bunch of washed-up old phonies who couldn't compete with my two favorites, Big Daddy Cool Diesel & Razor Ramon. They were gonna rock the WWE until the end of ti---....wait...where are you guys going?! What I heard on the Ross Report can't be true, can it?! Who the fuck are Kevin Nash & Scott Hall?! NOOO!!
However, I would soon be eleated beyond my wildest dreams as Razor & Diesel weren't going to work for WCW, they were going to DESTROY IT. See, I still thought wrestling was 100% real, and was in extreme denial about it's predetermined state, so the fact the nWo could just come run roughshod was completely logical to me.
The nWo had won me over. Big time. I became obsessed with Sting and that whole angle, and to this day it's still my favorite of all time.
I bought the PWI Starrcade 1997 preview issue that had a color pull out of Hogan vs Sting - Match of the Century, with a tale of the tape and everything. I hung it on my wall. For the first time in my life, and the only time, I was going to order a WCW PPV. They did it. They finally got me to order a WCW PPV. After all this time. After how much I loathed WCW. They'd done it. Those brilliant bastards.
Mother.Fuckers.
I guess you didn't watch Nitro?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChfWHf2w95o
Sorry for the thread-jack.
ReplyDeleteJust read about the Aries/Hemme story...
I cant believe people are defending Aries.
Me either. I really think he should be fired. There's no way anyone can convince me what he did was anything other than sexual harassment. I know pro wrestling is much different than an office/corporate environment, but this behavior should not be tolerated. I know it'll never happen, but Aries should be terminated and blackballed. I'm pretty sure after an incident like that, WWE would NEVER sign him, even if it was just to bury him in developmental.
ReplyDeleteI remember ordering this show at the very last minute -- literally at 7:59pm after watching the pre-show -- and, like everyone else, being angry, disappointed, and frustrated afterwards. All the bait and switch match matching, poor booking, and lazy work really was the turning of a corner in the Monday Night Wars, especially on the heels of the horrible go home Nitro before this. Like lots of people, I never ordered another WCW PPV again after this...
ReplyDeleteI think the problem is that some people can't separate 'heel character' from 'real life harassment.' I keep reading stuff from defenders saying 'but he's a heel!' and 'the Attitude Era had worst stuff than that!' This isn't a random storyline, Aries was clearly trying to embarrass a woman on live TV who just made an mistake. If some guy did that to their mom, sister or wife at work I'm sure they wouldn't be as forgiving.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Aries should be fired (although that snide tweet he sent almost pushes him over the edge). Just make him apologize publicly and bury him in fines.
Really off-topic, but how come WWE never used the Halloween havoc PPV?
ReplyDeleteIf Aries was a face, it's safe to say he wouldn't have done what he did on TV. He over accentuated his heel character.
ReplyDeleteLooking back, this show was clearly atrocious but I honestly don't remember being that offended at the time. I figured all the heel victories were just to instill a sense of fear leading up to Sting's triumphant win. I remember being kinda confused by the ending of the Hogan/Sting match but not all that bothered.
ReplyDeleteI didn't get salty until early 98, which quickly turned everything back to the status quo. That booking infuriated me more than this show.
Can someone elaborate on what Bischoff and Hogan have said about Sting not being able to work? Hadn't heard that before (but then, I don't exactly seek out Hogan shoot interviews). I mean, they still put the belt on Sting, despite his "issues," which makes it seem like a justification for bad booking.
ReplyDeleteI thought their issue with Sting was when he showed up to Starrcade he had lost significant muscle mass and tone. I haven't heard any complaints about his work, per se.
ReplyDeleteI think a bigger issue is that some fans don't know what "harassment" means (thereby the defense), that if he did 15 pelvic thrusts in her face, then maybe that would be it. The argument leading to the 2nd rope treatment could be considered harassment in most circles, and though wrestling isn't an office environment, harassment is harassment.
ReplyDeleteIt was sexual harassment, but it wasn't assault and it was a first time offense. Those are not firable offenses in the context of the pro wrestling workplace. He got fined, he apologized and will probably take a hit on TV via jobbing and the such. That punishment fits the offense. I wouldn't be surprised that he was told that any future offenses and he's out the door.
ReplyDeleteMy views on Starrcade 97
ReplyDelete-I would have had Giant face Hall in a match if Nash no showed.
-I would have had Savage face Luger and swap with Bagwell in the 6 man
-Sting should have beaten Hogan to a pulp in 10 minutes or the match should have been done warrior-hogan style at wm 6 with it being an actual match.
-Larry Zbyszko should have kicked the crap out of Bischoff and not sold for Bischoff at all.
because it's DUBYA CEE DUBYA related.
ReplyDeleteNot a lot of positive about this show to focus on, although I will say one thing I really do like was how they did Sting's entrance.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't too keen on the whole poem and laser light show thing, but I liked that he just walked out, did the Christ pose, and looked out to the crowd -- I thought that was kind of bad ass. There is just something very dark and a little creepy about it. After all the dropping from the ceiling and then going back up, I thought it was a nice touch to have him just walk out. I took it as "now it's time to get down to business", no net so to speak, no need to run away.
One other thing I loved that was totally uncharacteristic of WCW was the cool crossfades between Sting, the arena lit with strobes, and Hogan in the ring as he was walking up. I haven't seen that effect done since, but there are some cool images there and it's a nice dramatic effect.
Then the bell rings and somewhere in the world, Pat Patterson is crying and shaking his head while thinking "how much I could have helped these poor fools".
Actually, Pat would have said "How much I could have help these poors fool"
ReplyDeleteI was in such favor of WCW when this show occurred. Despite the terrible go-home show I was ready for Starrcade and the nWo's comeuppance. What I got was more WCW bullshit than any normal human being can handle.
ReplyDeleteThis show did not dissuade me from watching WCW in '98 however. Entertainment is supposed to be proactive. WrestleMania XIV was the precursor to the WWF Attitude Era. It set the template fittingly. On the other hand Starrcade contained reactionary booking based upon the Montreal screwjob and genuine nWo bullshit.
I like Tommy's ideas of how Hogan should have been dragged to the ring. Sting's zipline entrance on the previous Nitro (but not the PPV?) showed everyone that WCW was all about Nitro and not the PPV.
Fortunately with WCW's reactionary booking prowess WCW/nWo Souled Out '98 was a great show. I look forward to reading the Nitros leading up to it. Partly because I attended the Georgia Dome show that month.
I guess its just me, but I thought the little kid reading the poem was really creepy and cool.
ReplyDeleteI've never bought into the bribe conspiracy. Hogan had full creative control of the company, I don't see why he would have to bribe a referee to get his way. I think the failure of the angle was just WCW being WCW.
Love hearing these perspectives. These are really crucial times where we develop our basic tastes in wrestling I think and why we like what we like.
ReplyDeleteI always thought I had a really skewed perspective on Hogan as a kid, because the first match I saw him in was WM 6. While everyone else groaned at the predictability of his Hulk Up routine, I lived in fear because I thought it meant he was gonna miss the leg drop and lose lol
It's just crazy to think, while you were deep in denial and your markdom at this point, I'd already been online for two years, being smartened up and having every single surprise in wrestling ruined far in advance of it actually appearing on my TV lol
A lot of people liked it at the time. I can actually remember people making their own versions of it and setting it to a MIDI version of Sting's theme lol.
ReplyDeleteTHEY USED GREAT AMERICAN BASH MR. FACTS GUY
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how the apology is part of a "punishment". Based on the tone of that tweet, any apology coming from Aries is clearly completely insincere. Hemme may forgive him, but it won't be because of a forced, hollow apology that the company made him give.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm being naive, but I really think a WWE wrestler would be fired if they did this to Lillian Garcia. I mean, they're a public company and have an aspiring politician in the family...I can't imagine they wouldn't get significant shareholder/public pressure to fire a wrestler who did this. There must be HR policies that this violates, right???
Yeah, it's really funny how what you loved as a kid can effect your perception as an adult. I was honestly looking forward to Hunter vs Nash at the TLC PPV a few years ago, simply because I dug the hell out of Nash as a kid.
ReplyDeleteIt's also funny that I became a fan during what is widely considered the worst era of wrestling ever, smack dab in the middle of WWE in 1995. I was literally almost in tears because one night on an episode of Raw, Kevin Nash waited in the ring with his lumberjakcks, and then Sid came out with his [because they were meeting at an IYH in a lumberjack main event] and right as he was about to enter the ring, it went off the air. I wanted to see that match more than anything in the world.
I watched SummerSlam 1995 in ScrambleVision. I literally ran home, because I was outside playing, so I didn't miss it. I couldn't wait to see Bret vs Issac, and Diesel vs King Mable, in SCRAMBLEVISION.
So, even though the product may suck now, I know there are tons of kids who are as in love with it was I was.
Although, I will say I do feel sorry for them not being able to have the joy of going to their local video store and renting a wrestling tape. Nothing was better than looking at those HUGE video tape boxes, and looking at the back to make sure it had your favorite wrestler on it.
Part of the "WCW's Wrestlemania" folly is that they didn't do ANYTHING to make the card feel special. If it wasn't for DDP's win waking up the crowd, I bet that they would have filed out during the main event.
ReplyDelete... wait, did Hall actually say that he was getting a shot at Uncensored?
ReplyDeleteBecause the party line was that he was going to get the shot at Souled Out (like Giant the prior year), but the world title being held up meant that Hall's shot was delayed.
Didn't they rename it later though too? "The Bash"
ReplyDeleteIt was supposed to be at Superbrawl. Pretty sure you are right, I don't think it was referenced at all. Piper had Hall come out at Souled Out to tell him he wasn't getting his shot just yet.
ReplyDeleteI did, but at that point with Sting having just lost to Hogan in about ten minutes, I wasn't exactly thinking back to a promo on Nitro from a month and a half earlier. My mind was blown and then Sting won and I was happy again.
ReplyDeleteI KNOW CAPS LOCK MAN! VINCE GAVE IN ON THAT ONE AND NOT THE OTHERS! DON'T ASK ME!
ReplyDeleteAs Stan Lee says about comics: every issue (or show in this case) is someone's first.
ReplyDeleteThe earliest memory of wrestling that I have is the Black Scorpion who scared me to death. I remember wanting to see Sting beat him up. That and Hogan got me hooked to this day.
I got the same feeling about the build to Sting's win too, but that's what has always screwed up companies that Bischoff runs: when you put everything you have on one match/story, that story better deliver. If not, you've got nothing going for you and nothing in the wings to swap in for it.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't say Uncensored by name, no. I added that in for clarification.
ReplyDelete1. I don't presume to know whether Aries was sincere or not. I love how fans think they know what goes on in someone else's mind. Maybe he realized what a jack ass he was and Hemme was ok with that. Who are you to decide what he did or didn't do wasn't sincere?
ReplyDelete2. No, WWE would not fire a top guy for what Aries did. Cena, Orton, Punk, Sheamus...a fine and an apology would do for first time offenders.
3. They may be a public company, but McMahon is by far the majority owner. He decides, end of story.
4. You are naive.
Mankind scared the absolute hell out of me. He looked really scary, he made weird & bizarre sounds, then there was the Mandible Claw where people would foam up and such.
ReplyDeleteTriple H called Lillian a horseface and nothing happened. While obviously HHH isn't going to get fired by WWE for anything, I think that's a sign of how much esteem Lillian is held in by the company. (Not that I don't agree with your point, this type of sexual harassment is completely unacceptable and should lead to a suspension at best, preferably a firing.)
ReplyDeleteI don't know if Bret was not allowed to wrestle until '98, but if he was, he should've wrestled (and submitted) Savage on this show in the co-main. Giant should've chokeslammed and powerbombed Nash for the win. Luger should have obviously defeated Buff and Hall should have teamed with K-dog or someone against the Steiners (Steiner win but tease dissension).
ReplyDeleteThe Larry Z/Bischoff thing should have went a lot quicker and Larry win with his sub. Sting should have came out (or repelled from the ceiling in front of the Starrcade sign) to "Ride the Lightning" by Metallica and beat Hogan clean in 5 minutes. We've had this discussion on here recently, but Sting should have hit dropkicks, atomic drops, clotheslines, elbows. No sold low blows and eye pokes. Stinger splashes, death drop, death lock. New champ!
Next night, Hogan gets on Nash, Hall, and Savage for dropping the ball and not aiding him in the main event. Nash comes to help Hogan in the rematch that night but Sting avoids him and Hogan gets a boot to the face. Sting kicks Nash out and death drops Hogan for the win.
This all leads to Hogan vs. Nash at Souled Out, while Bret Hart challenges Sting for the belt. Hogan wins at Souled Out, Nash wins at Superbrawl. At Uncensored, it's Team Hollywood (Hogan, Hennig, Bagwell, Norton) vs. Team Wolfpac.(Nash, Hall, Savage, and either Konnan or Syxx). Wolfpac wins and Hogan goes away for awhile.
Meanwhile, Sting and Hart draw at Souled Out. Inconclusive finish at Superbrawl (Think Clash VI) and Sting wins at Uncensored. Hart goes on to wrestle and win consistently in the upper mid card while Sting holds on to the title until late summer, dropping it to Goldberg.
Hogan returns in the fall, wins World War III and we gets Goldberg vs. Hogan in the main event. Goldberg wins and goes on to feud with Bret in early '99.
Elsewhere, the Steiners have their feud and Scotty becomes a top heel much sooner. The Wolfpac ends up losing a War Games match (and leaving WCW) at Fall Brawl against Lex and company. And guys like Benoit, Booker T, Wrath, Guerrero, Jericho, etc. start getting big pushes.
By mid-99, Goldberg is the champion. Bret Hart, Sting, Scotty Steiner and the aforementioned young talent are main eventers. Hogan moves on to a role similar to that of his TNA role today. The Wolfpac come and go in comedic situations, wrestling occasionally. By the end of the year, Steiners wins World War III before beating Goldberg at Starrcade. Your new top heel in the business is Scott Steiner who ends the streak and wins the belt. You then have ready made feuds with Sting, Bret, etc. etc.
Goldberg wins the belt back in the spring of 2000 and holds onto it indefinitely (or until someone else is ready to hold it.)
Should've called me, Eric....
I don't care if Sting showed up to Starrcade with a beer belly, the ENTIRE YEAR OF STORYLINES had been building up to this match. Sting goes over, end of story. And it's typical of Hogan/Bischoff to be focused on a guy's physique as a flaw...Sting was never the most ripped guy in the world even in his prime, he always just looked really fit. I couldn't tell any difference at Starrcade.
ReplyDeleteStarrcade 1997's failure was compounded by the fact that a few months later, Wrestlemania 14 went off like gangbusters by simply delivering good payoffs to every story. Austin wins the belt? Check. Undertaker gets revenge on Kane? Check. Foley/Funk win the titles and toss the Outlaws into a dumpster? Check. Shamrock looks like a beast but the rapidly-getting-majorly-over Rock keeps his title in chickenshit heel fashion? Check. Hell, the show even had Sable busting out hurricanranas to stop Goldust and Luna, for pete's sake.
ReplyDeleteOn paper, Starrcade 97 had a better overall card than WM14 (once you factor in Michaels' bad back) but they undercut themselves with poor storytelling all-around. DDP's win was the only clearcut feel-good moment of Starrcade for the faces, whereas probably the only odd note at WM14 was (surprise surprise) HHH beating Owen.
That's like saying "What if someone didn't hear about Kennedy's assassination?". Bret Hart being screwed out of the WWF Championship is to the 90's what JFK's assassination was to the 60's.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there was any limitation on Bret wrestling in 1997, though I'd have to check to be sure. I'm pretty sure they debated on even having him be apart of Starrcade, figuring the show would do a great number on the strength of Hogan/Sting. They wanted to save his first match for the Souled Out PPV to pop a good buyrate for it, after the 1997 show did a low number.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The idea that the Sting character should be a tanned muscle head totally misses the point of what made him appealing to begin with. I agree more with the criticism of his work though, although I think it was more or less him not having yet figured out how to translate his in the rafters act to a ring style.
ReplyDeleteYup, I started watching too in what most people who were fans in the 80s considered a trash period. I started watching WCW just after Flair left too.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the videos too. Just the act of going some place to get them was a lot of fun.
Yeah, it's just not Bischoff's strength I don't think. This show needed special treatment -- lots of cool little touches in addition to great booking and at least decent matches. Production wise he just didn't have another gear to shift to or wasn't aware that people would expect it.
ReplyDeleteI was at Starrcade 98 and let me tell you, the crowd was electric during Scott Norton/Brian Adams vs. Jerry Flynn/Fit Finlay and Prince Iaukea vs. Norman Smiley.
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note, you're right. They didn't do anything to make it feel like a special event. I felt like I was watching an episode of Thunder all the way up until Flair came out for his match against Bischoff (which he then promptly lost).
Thumbs down, brother.
ReplyDeleteWhich doesn't make sense because Hart didn't even main event that show. Luger/Savage did so Hogan could appear in the last segment. God, what a slimeball. Cut Sting's legs out from under him completely and then give Hart/Flair the middle finger, too.
ReplyDeleteSmh.
A lot of people make that point regarding Hogan and while that may be true, I don't really agree that Hart/Flair didn't "main event" the show.
ReplyDeleteThat was the match pushed the hardest on TV, it's the first match featured on the countdown show and eats up the longest portion of it, plus it's the longest match on the show. Hogan and company may have tried to sabotage it after the fact or something, but the show was sold on that match.
I'd think that's a bit of a stretch.
ReplyDeleteI had heard about Hart losing the title of course. However, given that it didn't look to be anything screwy going on here the first time I watched the show, it didn't click. That and the fact that I wasn't clear on how Bret was screwed (I was 9 at that point), this was a confusing point to Starrcade.
WCW had many PPVs that didn't have the fans leaving with smiles on their face.
ReplyDeleteI really hope I'm as bad at detecting sarcasm as I think I am.
ReplyDeleteBret Hart gags are kind of my thing.
ReplyDeleteI was defending that doing something in character while on live television that was inappropriate doesn't necessarily mean that Austin Aries the man is a sexual deviant.
ReplyDeleteRevisionist history, huh? You said it didn't constitute as sexual harassment. You were proven wrong. Let's all move on, shall we?
ReplyDeleteOh no, I still don't think it would hold up as sexual harassment if it went to court and personally I don't think it's the major deal it's being made out to be. But I feel as strongly in my point as you do yours, so let's just agree to disagree.
ReplyDeleteExcept Nash wasn't leaving companies as a champion.
ReplyDeleteNah, he was just bailing on an advertised match on the biggest show of the year. And as stupid as Bret's thing was, he was told he was ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much gave up on WCW after this.I loved the nwo but it should have ended here.Hogan won back the title a few months later and everything was back to the same crap.
ReplyDeleteWow amazing Sting has substance abuse problems and this conveniently helps Hogan look like a million bucks. Now I know Sting (the most honest of the bunch) Has said that Hogan's knees were in rough shape by this time and he had a ton of personal things going on and didn't feel like being there (If your looking for a source I am thinking it is on "Sting Moment of Truth") Obviously there is truth to substance abuse problems, but I don't buy that as the reason for WCW/Hogan/Bischoff screwing this up. If nothing else this event showed just how incapable WCW was and/or how much Hulk having total control over everything and anything he was involved with absolutely crippled the company.
ReplyDeleteTechinally Luger vs. Windham didn't main event either. Jerry Lalwer vs. skerry Avon Eric didn't either,
ReplyDelete