WCW Starrcade 1995
(Chosen by Dave Green)
It’s a common criticism of today’s WWE that so much of the TV and supercard output is all too samey, matches are often recycled and not enough is done to distinguish one show from the next. One of the features of wrestling from yesteryear which I personally feel is lacking from today’s landscape therefore is the amount of different concept shows that were produced. Wrestlemania obviously stands apart from today’s crop but apart from The Royal Rumble and maybe The Survivor Series, there aren’t many events with their own unique feel and which can be sold on the basis of offering a different type of match. The King of the Ring was one such concept and the last to be put out to pasture however different shows like these are vital to the annual wrestling calendar because they offer variety to the paying punter and as a result can invariably shake things up and offer something fresh.
And this was one such strength I feel WCW had back the day; a willingness to present one-off supercards, albeit often with mixed results. Personally I loved the Lethal Lottery/Battlebowl concept used between 1991 and 1993 and resurrected in 1996 and particularly when it was used in a cut-down format at Starrcade ’92. The 4-man and 4-team round-robin format at Starrcade ’89 was another interesting idea but one of the best innovations held at Starrcade took place in 1995 when WCW teamed up with New Japan to stage the World Cup of Wrestling. This seven match series between the likes of Randy Savage, Sting and Eddy Guerrero battling Jushin Liger, Masa Chono, Koji Kanemoto et al made up the bulk of the PPV broadcast. On top meanwhile, Sting and Lex Luger both pulled double duty also wrestling in a triple threat match opposite Ric Flair to determine the challenger to Randy Savage’s WCW Heavyweight title in the main event. Another forgotten WCW gem you should check out.