Starrcade

Let's take a look on Starrcade '86

Brad Armstrong Vs. Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin

6/10

Shaska Watley/The Barbarian Vs. Hector Guerrero/Baron von Raschke - Predecesser of Eddy, great work and young Barbarian look funny too

7/10

US Tag Team Championship: Champions - Krusher Khruschchev/Ivan Koloff Vs. The Kansas Jayhawks

5/10

Indian Strap Match: Rick Rude Vs. Wahoo McDaniel

5/10

Central States Championship: Bill Dandy Vs. Sam Houston

5/10

Paul Jones Vs. Jimmy Valiant - I hate Valiant. He's one of the most embarrassing wrestlers I've ever seen. He always pose like as he s*its and wrestling skills are really bad.

3/10

Street Fight: Ron Garvin Vs. Big Bubba

4/10

World TV Championship: First Blood: Tully Blanchard Vs. Dusty Rhodes - Dusty lost :) So I must give one extra point.

4/10

Midnight Express Vs. Road Warriors - Wow. That was one breath-taking match. Atmospheric. Bobby Eaton rocks.

8.5/10

World Tag Team Championship: Champions - Rock 'N Roll Express Vs. Andersons - Neverending match :)

5/10

World Heavyweight CHampionship: Champion: Ric Flair Vs. US. Champ Nikita Koloff - Yes, Flair and Nikita were good chosen main event.

6.5/10

NWA Starrcade '86 was hyped as 'Night of the Skywalkers'. The match that earned it that tagline was a tag team scaffold match between the Road Warriors and the Midnight Express (Eaton & Condrey). This match was entertaining as a novelty, but only barely. The wrestlers involved were obviously unable to perform to the best of their ability due to fear of falling from the scaffold. Who could blame them? This meant a very slow match with a lot of punches and a few stomps, and a lot of holding onto things. It reminded me of four grown men playing on a jungle gym, and was overall fun to watch if you don't set your expectations too high.

The best matches of the card were the Andersons vs. the Rock'n'roll Express and Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff. Although neither of those matches are what I would consider stellar, they were solid and enjoyable. Much of the rest of the card was not terribly interesting or inspired, such as Wahoo McDaniel vs. Rick Rude in an Indian Strap match, Jimmy Valiant vs. Paul Jones in a Hair vs. Hair match, Ronnie Garvin vs. Bubba Rogers in a Louisville Street Fight, and Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard in a First Blood match. This one was particularly disappointing to me, as I know what both men are capable of, and this match was not what I would consider a great showing for either.

Overall I would call it a pretty mediocre card. If you like classic NWA wrestling like I do, you will enjoy Starrcade '86. Otherwise I don't think this pay-per-view event will be incredibly enjoyable. It was most definitely not among the best that I've seen from Jim Crockett Promotions.

My review was written in July 1987 after watching the show on MGM/UA video cassette.

"Starrcade '86" is an above-average wrestling program chronicling seven bouts waged last Thanksgiving as part of the National Wrestling Alliance's annual promotion. Key here are gimmicks setting the matches apart from the usual events seen weekly on WTBS featuring the NWA's impressive lineup of pro grapplers.

Lending a circus-like atmosphere to the proceedings is a most unusual match involving the "Skywalkers", namely two tag teams suspended 25 feet above the ring on a steel scaffold, aiming to toss each other off. The Road Warriors won this match handily, with all four grapplers applying punches rather gingerly and exhibiting aerialist skills rather than wrestling holds.

Champion Ric Flair defended his title successfully against Nikita Koloff, with the rather malleable fans rooting for the Russian goodnick rather than the local Nature Boy. Other interesting gimmickry includes the various managers interfering in matches, causing popular Dusty Rhodes to lose a "First Blood" bout (first wrestler to draw the opponent's blood wins) with Tully Blanchard. Foreshadowing a trick that has caught on in a rival wrestling league, Jimmy Valiant shaved the head of opponent Paul Jones after winning the bout, per the rules of an oddball contest, replete with Jones' teammate The Raging Bull suspended in a cage high above the ring so not to interfere in the action.