Starrcade 1986

Starrcade 86: The Sky Walkers

Promotion: NWA
Date: 27/11/86
Cities & Venues: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina & The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentary Teams: Bob Caudle & Johnny Weaver (North Carolina), Tony Schiavone & Rick Stewart (Georgia)
Announcers: Tom Miller & Tony Schiavone

This show is spread over 2 venues again with matches alternating between venues. It's called The Sky Walkers because there's going to be a scaffold match at some point in the show. After the national anthem is heard Tom Miller introduces Schiavone & Rick Stewart in Georgia, before swiftly going back to Bob Caudle & Johnny Weaver in North Carolina. Caudle quickly announces that we're ready for the first match

Match 1 - Tim Horner & Nelson Royal vs Don & Rocky Kernodle

Tag team match, no time limit announced

The first thing I have to say is that the ring looks smaller than usual by a yard or so. I don't remember seeing Tim Horner or Nelson Royal before, while I think Don Kernodle has only been a manager/enforcer so far since I've reviewed these shows. Not seen anything of Rocky Kernodle either.

Horner & Rocky start off and exchange arm drags. Both men tie up and reverse a series of hammerlocks, arm locks and take downs before Rocky misses a drop kick, but he quickly rolls out the way when Horner goes for an elbow drop. Don Kernodle is tagged in after another arm drag, but Horner gains the momentum briefly with a body slam and a 1 count. Horner runs against the ropes but Kernodle gets in position, sets Horner up on his shoulder and hits a front powerslam for a 2 count.

Horner jumps to his corner and Royal is tagged in. After a shoulder block by Don Kernodle, Royal runs off the ropes at him and tries to lock in an abdominable stretch. Don is able to hip toss Royal after about 8 seconds of the stretch being locked in, and whips Royal into the corner, goes for a splash but misses and falls into Royal & Horner's corner. Royal takes advantage of this, using a knee lift on Don and then tagging in Horner while keeping Don in a headlock. Horner goes for a roll-up but Kernodle kicks out at 2. Kernodle fights back with a hip toss but Horner gets in another headlock and Royal is tagged in again. Don tries to fight back again after another shoulder block, but instead of going for a tag runs off the ropes, giving Royal the chance to slap on a sleeper hold. 

Don Kernodle has Royal on his back but is able to make his way over to his corner and tags in his partner. Rocky climbs to the top rope and pins Royal with a sunset flip, but Royal kicks out at 2. He kicks out again after a body slam, and is able to duck under Rocky's running cross body. Now it's Royal who goes for the pin but Rocky got his legs under the ropes. Royal tags in Horner, who immediately whips Rocky against the ropes and lands a powerslam, getting another 2 count. Both men get up and Horner goes for a small package, but doesn't pull it off too well and Rocky kicks out again. Rocky is whipped again and after a couple of leap frogs, both men botch the series and jump into eachother head first. 

Rocky is first to his corner tagging in Don Kernodle, but both Horner and Rocky look to be struggling. Don hits a stalling suplex to Horner bit he kicks out at 2. Kernodle lands a back body drop, but takes him time over the follow up move, a standing diving headbutt, and Horner rolls out the way. Horner doesn't tag his partner in and instead hits Don with a drop kick, but gets another 2 count. Don then reverses a whip against the ropes and lands an impressive clothesline. Don crawls to his corner and tags Rocky in, who then whips Horner against the ropes once more and gets in a press slam for another 2 count. Rocky then goes for a roll up, but Horner counters and uses the momentum  to roll on through on to Rocky and ends up pinning him for a 3 count.

Winners - Tim Horner & Nelson Royal via pinfall (roll up reversal by Tim Horner on Rocky Kernodle)

I didn't really get into this match. Both teams attacked using basic moves and lots of whips against the ropes, and made a huge botch. There were lots of 2 counts but you didn't really believe that the match would end because of the move that preceeded it, and the finish wasn't something I saw coming but it didn't make much sense to me as it came out of nowhere and didn't get a reaction from the crowd. 2/5

The crowd boo the winners, doesn't sound like they were too impressed either. We watch a replay of the pin and Rocky Kernodle almost messes up the ending by not grabbing Horner but just about does enough to pull it off. It looks like we're going to Georgia now for the next match

Match 2 - Brad Armstrong vs "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin w/Precious

Singles match, 15 minute time limit

Garvin is booed coming to the ring and I'm pretty sure the music he's walking down to has been dubbed in as its too loud and awful. I've not seen either of these guys before, but Jimmy Garvin at least looks different to most guys of this era by coming to the ring in sparkling dungarees before taking these off to show his normal ring attire. 

The commentators say that Armstrong is a speed based wrestler while Garvin is pretty similar in style and reputation. Both men tie up quicky and start brawling, and the crowd are getting into this early on. It's fast paced as they escape eachothers holds and reversals are common. It starts to slow down at bit when Garvin gets in a wrist lock, then a headlock, but Armstrong fights back reversing it into a wrist lock, and takes Garvin down before throwing in an arm lock. Armstrong gets a series of two counts thrusting his knee into Garvin while he's down, but both men are back on their feet shortly afterwards. Garvin reverses an arm lock and a headlock and gets a 2 count pin, but the referee stops this as he can see Garvin is holding Armstrong's trunks. 

Both men go through a series of holds but end up in the ropes. Garvin brings Armstromg down and starts to work on Armstrong's legs, using a move pretty similar to an Indian deathlock. Armstrong fights back and is whipped against the ropes, before stopping and bringing Garvin down on with a drop toe hold. Armstrong is keeping Garvin down with a headlock, so Precious jumps to the apron getting the referee's attention. Garvin uses this distraction to his advantage and pulls on Armstrong's hair and locks in a head scissors. The crowd are really into this match and Garvin does a great job telling taunting them and shouting at them to shut their mouths. 

Armstrong slowly and impressively gets into a position where he can handstand his way out of the head scissors and uses a headlock to bring Garvin to his feet. Armstrong is then whipped against the ropes, but is able to get a hip toss in on Garvin and a headlock takedown for an improvised pin and 2 count. Garvin kicks out and is able to hook his legs into another head scissors. Precious again jumps to the apron, and Garvin now starts to choke Armstrong. He keeps the head scissors locked in and poses to the crowd. Same as before, Armstrong slowly manouvers his body into another position, but this time rolls Garvin onto his belly and quickly uses a leg hold not too disimilar to the one Garvin used earlier in the match.

They're both back on their feet and Armstromg has Garvin in another headlock. Garvin is trying to fight back by striking Armstrong in the back and tries to land an atomic drop, but Armstrong keeps the headlock in place and rolls through Garvin's attack to get a 2 count. Armstrong won't release the headlock and Garvin goes for another atomic drop, but again Armstrong counters this and rolls through for another 2 count. When Garvin kicks out, he grabs hold of Armstrong's trunks again and rolls him round for a pin of his own, but the referee spots this again, breaks the count and pushes Garvin onto his back, all while Armstrong has the headlock in place. 

Garvin is eventually able to get back on his feet and instead of going for an atmic drop, he lands a back suplex to finally break Armstrong's dominance. Both men stay down and the ref gets to 5 before Garvin gets up. He moves over to Armstrong and lands a standing knee drop, goes for a pin and Armstrong kicks out at 2. Armstrong gets his head slammed into the turnbuckle and is then thrown through the ropes. Garvin poses in the ring and prevents Armstrong entering the ring kicking him away. The ref starts the count again and Armstrong slowly gets into the ring. 

Schiavone says that there's 3 minutes left in the scheduled match time as Garvin takes Armstrong down with a snapmare and gets a 2 count. Armstromg tries to gather his bearings but Garvin quickly picks him up and drops his neck onto the ropes, goes for another pin but Armstrong kicks out again at 2. Frustrated, Garvin pulls Armstrong back to the mat again and goes for another pin, but again only gets a 2 count. Garvin is getting some momentum going now and does a back breaker on Armstrong, but this isn't enough to keep him down. Armstrong is able to whip Garvin against the ropes and after a couple of jumps both men collide in the ring and bring eachother down.

After the ref gets to 6 Garvin gets hold of Armstrong and tries for a body slam, but Armstrong reverses this and lands onto him for a 2 count. The crowd know the time limit is almost up and are getting behind Armstrong, especially when he reverses a whip to the corner, but all his momentum is lost when Garvin anticipates Armstrong charging towards him and raises his knees in defence. He goes for another pin but Armstrong kicks out as Schiavone says there's one minute left. Garvin goes for another pin and then a sleeper hold, but he can't get it locked in properly and Armstrong hip tosses him away. Garvin gets up and tries a small package, but at 2 Armstrong rolls over getting Garvin's shoulders down, but Garvin is just about able to kick out. After a short sleeper holder Garvin body slams Armstrong and climbs to the top rope, goes for a splash but Armstrong rolls out the way and the bell rings, meaning time has elapsed.

Draw - time limit expired

An enjoyable match this. Both men were quick and used a lot of holds to slow eachother down. Garvin and Precious used heel tactics to get advantages, and Armstrong was always able to do enough to survive what was thrown at him. Draw was probably fair, although Garvin did have the upper hand towards the end. 3/5

The crowd are really excited after the match as Armstrong attacks Garvin, but Garvin rolls out the ring. Precious gets in the ring to confront Armstrong, Garvin attacks from behind but is then punched out the ring. Garvin is booed out the building as he leaves the ring. After a replay of the after match brawl its back to North carolina for the next match

Match 3 - The Barbarian & Shaska Whatley vs Baron Von Raschke & Hector Guerrero
Tag team match, 20 minute time limit

Barbarian & Shaska Whatley are already in the ring as their opponents make their way down to some I think dubbed Mexican mariachi sounded music. Barbarian is wearing chains in his second PPV appearance, and I really hope this is a better match than the one he had at Starrcade 85. I'm pretty sure I've not seen any of the other guys in this match before, but Barbarian, with his Road Warriors-esque looking gimmick will hopefully put in a good showing. I've also just read that Hector Guerrero is the brother of Eddie, so if he's anything like his brother this should be a good match. Whatley and Barbarian are booed as they are announced to the crowd, while Baron Von Raschke gets a mixed reception, but Hector Guerrero is cheered. A bit odd. The announcer also says this is a special grudge match, but there's no explanation as to why...

All 4 men start with a brawl, which ends up with the heels being whipped into eachother. Barbarian falls out the ring, leaving Whatley and Guerrero as the legal men. Guerrero gets an early 2 count when he is whipped into the corner, but jumps to the middle turnbuckle and jumps back with a cross body. After a headbutt from Whatley, he quickly tags Barbarian into action as they double team on Guerrero in their corner. Guerrero rolls under a big boot and goes for a jumping cross body on Barbarian, but he's caught and then dropped throat first onto the ropes. 

Guerrero is struggling and is being held by Whatley against the ropes, Barbarian tries to take advantage of this and runs in with a jumping clothes line - only for Guerrero to quickly move out the way, sending Barbarian flying through the ropes to the outside. Baron jumps down and picks Barbarian up into position, when from nowhere Guerrero flies on top of him. The crowd are loving this, but Shaska Whatley has had enough, steps down off the apron and uses his power to ram Guerrero head first into the ring post. Barbarian then picks up and drops Guerrero onto the steel barricade outside the ring before rolling back in. Whatley gets in a quick strike when the referee's back is turned and rolls Guerrero back into the ring. 

Barbarian lands a press slam and a leg drop before Whatley is tagged back on. Whatley hits a big back body drop, keeping Guerrero away from his corner and tags Barbarian back in. He keeps on top of Guerrero with a backbreaker and a jumping headbutt from the bottom rope. After a quick hold in the ropes Whatley is tagged back in, and they land a double back body drop on Guerrero, who badly needs to make a tag. Whatley goes for a cover and gets a 2 count, but this is a good spell of dominance for his team. Whatley moans at the ref saying it should have been 3, while Guerrero scurries towards his corner, desparate for a tag. Whatley tries to stop this and shows Hector's arse to the world grabbing his trunks down, and just about prevents the tag. He drags Guerrero back into Barbarian's corner, works on him some more and makes the tag. 

Barbarian goes for a cover after a big boot but Guerrero kicks out at 2. After another showing of Hector's arse and hipbreaker, Whatley is tagged back in. He headbutts Guerrero to the mat and appears to spit on him in disgust. He brings Hector up and whips him against the ropes, and Guerrero stops to spit back at Whatley. The crowd love this, and the minor distraction is enough for Guerrero to dive into his corner and hot tag in Baron Von Raschke. Whatley is petrified of Baron, standing still and the big German marches round the ring. After Barbarian comes in, Raschke gets the better of both his opponents, but does possibly the worst head knockers move in history, his Barbarian massively over-sells. Baron throws on his head claw attack on Whatley, which the crowd loves, but Barbarian makes the save with a clothesline. 

All 4 men are in the ring now brawling away, but after a missed shoulder tackle by Whatley, Baron lands an elbow drop, goes for the cover and gets the win.

Winners - Hector Guerrero & Baron Von Raschke via pinfall (Baron Von Raschke on Whatley after a missed shoulder tackle & elbow drop)

Argh. What an awful ending to what was shaping up to be a good match. Good team work by Barbarian and Whatley keeping Guerrero away from his corner, Barbarian using a variety of power moves throughout the match and Guerrero showing his speed. The moment Baron was tagged in changed everything though. I'll never ever be sold on that head-claw type move as a finisher, plus he did the worst double head knock I've ever seen. Also, I was unsold on the finish seeing as Whatley barely took any attacks all match, but that was enough to get pinned when Guerrero took a beating for 95% of it. A better ending would have seen this score 3/5, but I can't go any higher than 2/5 unfortunately.

The heels double team Baron after the bell, inclusing Barbarian landing a diving headbutt from the top rope. Guerrero had been knocked out the ring but gets back in and dropkicks Whatley out the ring before Barbarian bails. After a replay of the ending we go to Johnny Weaver in the dressing room for an interview with Dusty Rhodes. Or so we think, as Dusty tells Weaver to leave his dressing room, which is a shame as I love Dusty on the mic. We go back to Atlanta for the next bout.

Match 4 - The Kansas Jayhawks (Bobby Jaggers & Dutch Mantel) vs Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khruschev (C)
Tag team match, no disqulification, 30 minute time limit for the NWA United States tag Team Championship
  
The Jayhawks have a cowboy gimmick going on and are cheered, while the Russians are booed as usual. Ivan is no longer wrestling with Nikita and is now teaming with Krusher Khruschev, who I hope had learnt how to do a Russian accent since last year. I've liked Ivan's matches so far, but I'm pretty sure I've never seein either of the Jayhawks before. The commentators say that the Russians won the titles in a tournament and beat the Jayhawks in the final for the gold, so there's a bit of history going on here.

This looks to be another no DQ match but people still need to be tagged in and out. Now that the match has started, I can't help but think that Jayhawks is a pretty crap name for the two dudes on that team. They both look like middle aged, over weight hairy men, when that name sounds like it should belong to a youthful team. 

It starts with a brawl between Koloff and Mantel, but Jaggers is quickly tagged in after a back body drop. Another tag is made after a series of strikes on Koloff, and another after more physical attacks on the big Russian. Koloff gets in a quick roll up on Jaggers but he kicks out at 2, and then gets a hammerlock onto Koloff before dragging him to the Jayhawk's corner for another tag. He gets an arm lock on Koloff, but the Russian is able to tag in Khruschev.

Krusher plays up to the crowds boo's and breaks the momentum of the match. He strikes at Mantel, keeping him in the Russian corner, whips him against the ropes and goes for a back body drop, but Mantel sees this coming and kicks Khruschev in the face. Mantel bring Kruschev over to the Jayhawk corner again where they double team him with physical attacks, and Jaggers is tagged back in. After a headlock and two punches, it's back to Mantel. He whips Kruschev and goes for a drop toe hold, but Kruschev holds onto the ropes and tags in Ivan Koloff.

The Russians quickly move Dutch into their own corner and go to work on him with strikes and kicks. Mantel is whipped into the corner but moves out the way when Koloff goes for a shoulder tackle. The crowd kinda respond to this but they don't seem into this match. Jaggers is tagged in, puts a headlock on Koloff walks round for a bit, and tags Dutch back in. Seriously. In a match which has so far been punches, kicks, strikes and a back body drop, Jaggers has made this even worse. Ugh.

They whip Koloff and knock him down with a double elbow block, and Dutch goes for the pin, but Koloff kicks out at 2. Mantel finds himself in the Russian corner again and is distracted by Krusher on the apron. Krusher drops to the outside, trips Mantel, pulls him out the ring and slams his head onto the commentary table. Khruschev then picks Mantel up in the atomic drop position, but drops him on the barricade behind the commentators. Dutch is tossed back into the ring, beat on some more by Koloff and Khruschev is tagged in. 

Mantel is hit with a double elbow block and is pinned by Khruschev, but Jaggers makes the save at 2. Jaggers leaves the ring and then tries to get back in after Khruschev attacks him, but the referee stops him and the Russians hit another double team, ending with Koloff landing a double ax handle on Mantel's back. Normally I'd appreciate this in a regular tag match, but with it being no DQ I don't understand why the ref would stop Jaggers from coming in. Maybe he's doing us all a favour. 

The ref turns around and takes this that the Russians have tagged,  but Krusher is tagged back in anyway. The Russians beat on Mantel in their corner and Jaggers runs across to help out. The ref pushes Jaggers back out the ring, meanwhile Mantel ducks under a double clothes line, runs off the ropes and hits both Russians with a clothesline of his own. The crowd loves this, especially when Khruschev is sent sprawling through the ropes to the apron. Jaggers is tagged in, and he punches his opponents nefore giving them a double head knocker. Jaggers hits a clothesline on Koloff and goes for the pin, the ref starts counting, despite Krusher being the legal man, but Khruschev makes the save. 

Dutch gets back in the ring and starts scrapping with Ivan Koloff, and they fall outside the ring. Dutch's head meets the commentary table again, meanwhile in the middle of the ring Krusher has got Jaggers in a bear hug. Koloff climbs to the top rope, but Mantel comes up from behind him and whips him with a lasso he broght to the ring earlier. Koloff falls into the ring off the top rope and the crowd are into this now. Khruschev is then whipped by Mantel, and it makes one hell of a noise, also giving the crowd a great pop. Kruschev is thrown over the top rope, but grabs hold of a chain and beats on Mantel with it. The referee has followed them out the ring, and Mantel can't get up after his attack. Krusher then climbs to the apron and hits Jaggers in the back of the head with the chain, Koloff pins, the ref gets back in the ring and thankfully Jaggers doesn't get up.

Winners - Ivan Koloff & Krusher Khruschev via pin fall (Krusher Khruschev hit Bobby Jaggers with a chain, pin by Ivan Koloff)

This was terrible until the whip and chain were brought in during the last minute or so which made it slightly exciting. Bobby Jaggers was awful from start to finish, and didn't seem to be able to do any moves or have any imagination. The Russians at least beat on the Jayhawks in a believable manner, and Dutch Mantel took his outside bumps well, but honestly this was a dreadful match, 3 men just hitting eachother while the other mainly watched and did headlocks. 1/5

The Russians celebrate and quickly leave the ring. We see a replay and it's now back over to North Carolina for the next match.

Match 5 - "Ravishing" Rick Rude w/Paul Jones vs "Chief" Wahoo McDaniel
Indian Strap Match, no time limit

When Rick Rude makes his way down to the ring there's an awful voice over of a woman calling him Ravishing and asking where he came from. The we hear saloon music. Wahoo McDaniel comes down to typical NWA rock music that I think has been on every Starrcade PPV. This is the first PPV I've seen for the Ravishing one, and I like Wahoo McDaniel, he seems like a tough, solid performer from what I remember of previous matches of his I've seen. Rick Rude is booed as usual, and McDaniel is very much the face in this one. To win the strap match, you must touch all 4 turnbuckles consecutively.

There's an argument about who should put the strap on first. McDaniel obliges while Rude removes his dressing gown. When posing for the crowd, McDaniel whips him with the strap before the match has even begun. The referee straps Rude up, but McDaniel gets the first attack away with another whip. Rude retaliates with some punches but McDaniel reverses a whip and knocks Rude to the mat. Wahoo starts choking Rude with the strap which the crowd enjoy. Rude escapes the choke and rolls out the ring. Chief smiles at this and keeps walking backwards, letting the strap pull Rude back into the ring.

Rude acts dazed but throws on a headlock. While this is going on Bob Caudle mentions that Wahoo McDaniel is the master of the Indian strap match and has never lost one before. Rude rolls McDaniel over onto the mat and starts to choke him. He then beats McDaniel into the corner, whips him and chokes some more. After working on McDaniel for a minute or so, Rude bodyslams him to the mat, and then starts to tie McDaniel's hands together with the strap, and starts tagging the corners. He gets 2 but Wahoo fights back and kicks Rude to the floor, resetting the corner tags.

Wahoo starts to use his strenth and size advantage over Rude, and also uses the strap to beat him down. He starts to choke Rude in the corner and keeps attacking the head with punches and elbows. Rude starts to get whipped and the crowd are enjoying seeing this. Rude is cut open and takes a Tomahawk chop to bring him down. McDaniel now starts to tie Rude's hands together and tagging turnbuckles. He gets to 3 without any issue, but is struggling for the 4th, as Rude is starting to resist being dragged round the ring. McDaniel tries to stand over Rude but is kicked to the mat, and Rude is quickly on his feet. The Ravishing one lands an elbow drop, climbs to the top rope and hits McDaniel with a splash.

Wahoo is in the middle of the ring flat on his back. Rude tries to tie McDaniel's wrists together but fails. He keeps McDaniel on the mat and climbs up to the top rope once more, however this time Wahoo pulls on the strap making Rude lose his balance, and then rolls into the corner bring the Ravishing one crashing to the canvas. Wahoo hits an elbow drop of his own and ties Rude up once more, and starts going for the corners. The crowd count the first 3 and start cheering as he approaches the last corner, but Rude is digging his heels in trying not to move any more. Just before reaching the corner, Paul Jones jumps to the apron, but McDaniel elbows him off sending him flying. Rick Rude quickly jumps to his feet and hits Wahoo from behind, making him fall into the corner to get the win!

Winner - "Chief" Wahoo McDaniel  

Not much of a match to be honest. Wahoo McDaniel used the strap better in my view and tried to make this entertaining for the fans, yanking the strap to decent effect, but it's not something I think I'd want to watch again. 1/5

Rude and Jones start beating on McDaniel after the match is over, and tie him to the corner, but after a short while Hector Guerrero and Baron Von Terrible make the face save. We see a replay of the beat down Rude gives Wahoo, and we then go back to Atlanta for an interview with Ivan Koloff and Krusher Kruschev. It's the moment I've been waiting for, has Krusher remembered he's supposed to be Russian? Has he shite. Ivan Koloff gives his support to Nikita Koloff for his match later on and mentions the next NWA event called the Bunkhouse Stampede, starts to big that up while Krusher makes faces at the camera, grunts and pulls some chains. I love how awful Krusher is on the mic. It's back to Tony Schiavone to introduce the next match.

Match 6 - "Superstar" Bill Dundee vs Sam Houston (C)
Singles match, 20 minute time limit for the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship 

Bill Dundee is wearing a jacket Chris Jericho would be proud of, and because he's Australian he gets booed, or so it seems. Sam Houston opened Starrcade 85 and I wasn't too impressed by him, he's running with a Texas cowboy gimmick too, how original. Before the match starts, Bill Dundee is wearing his pants so high that Patrick Moore would be proud. The commentators say that Houston won the belt in a tournament and has defended it across the central states since winning it.

The match starts off fairly quickly with holds being countered, and Houston getting a leg drop in early on Dundee's arm, but Dundee is able to fight back before Houston can do any more damage. Dundee takes Houston down with a headlock, but Houston is able to roll Dundee into a couple of pinning positions which he rolls back out of. Houston forces Dundee to his feet and tries to whip him, but Dundee stays in the ropes forcing the referee to split the two up with Dundee cowering - nice shit house heel work. They grapple again, and this time it ends with Dundee being whipped into the corner. He charges back at Houston, but gets taken down with a head scissors. 

The head scissors goes on for a little bit too long but Dundee kicks himself up to his feet, only to run into a couple of arm drags and a drop kick. Dundee stays down and tries to slow the pace. He avoids a grapple from Houston and takes him down, then works in a hammer lock. He goes for a pin but Houston kicks out at 2. Houston fights back with a few strikes and gets a 2 count of his own. He follows this up with a firemans carry and headlock take down, and signals for his finishing move, a Bulldog, but Dundee anticipates this and lifts Houston up over his shoulders. Houston however lands on his feet, runs with Dundee to the corner, rolls over him and goes for the cover, but Dundee grabs at his tights to escape, and is warned by the referee. 

For some reason, we then go to a really far away camera angle, and see Dundee send Houston through the ropes to the outside. Rick Stewart says that Houston caught the table on the way down and is hurt. Dundee tries to take advantage of this, but Houston counters him with an atomic drop, sending Dundee out over the barricade on the outside. Houston gets back in the ring and the referee starts to count. On 7 Dundee is on the apron, but gets flipped back in by Houston pulling on the ropes. Houston goes for a pin, and Dundee kicks out at two, pushing Houston onto the bottom rope.

Houston is back on his feet first and lands a big right hand to Dundee, sending him to the corner. He tries to follow up on this, only to walk into Dundee raising his boots, sending him to the mat and Dundee climbing to the top rope. Dundee lands a splash, but delays his pin by a couple of seconds which allows Houston to kick out. Dundee hits a snapmare into a chin lock, and seems to be on top. He gets another 2 count, and Houston is dazed in the ring, so Dundee using his for jabbing practice, eventually knicking him down. He shouts to the crowd before pinning, again giving Houston the chance to kick out.

Dundee amps up the pressure now and tries to lock in a Boston crab, but Houston powers out into a pin, but they're too near the ropes and Dundee escapes. Houston is then put in a headlock around the bottom rope, and is then put through the ropes to the outside. Dundee tries to climb the top rope but the ref stops him while Houston is outside, so Dundee goes to another corner, and when Houston is in the ring lands a double ax handle, gets a pin and Houston surprisingly kicks out at 2. 

Dundee slaps on a front headlock while both men are on the mat, and Houston is kicking the canvas to try to get some crowd momentum on his side. Houston gets up and forces Dundee into the corner, before unleashing several strikes and knocking Dundee down with an elbow block. He goes for a pin but Dundee kicks out at 2. He hits a knee drop and lets Dundee get to his feet, bodyslams him, goes for another jumping knee drop but misses! Dundee rolled out the way, and now starts to focus his attacks on the knee. He goes for a figure 4 leg lock, but Houston kicks through this, sending Dundee into the referee knocking him down. When he was down, Dundee attacked Houston with a spare boot which somehow made it's way into the ring. Dundee goes for the pin, but the referee ends the match and has disqualified Bill Dundee, it looks like he saw the boot attack.

Winner - Sam Houston via DQ (Attacked by foreign object)  

This match was ok. I was enjoying Bill Dundee's work, he was in control for large parts and acted the heel throughout the match. Houston took his bumps and sold his moves well, but I thought could have done more on the offence, and went for the Bulldog too early. Dundee just about brings this to 3/5

Dundee beats down on Houston with the boot after the match ends but the referee gets Houston out the ring. We see a replay of Dundee laying out Houston with the boot and then quickly move onto the next match.

Match 7 - "The Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant w/Big Mama vs Paul Jones w/Ragin' Bull
Hair vs Hair singles match, no time limit

Paul Jones will compete for his hair, while Jimmy Valiant will compete for Big Mama's, who I guess is his wife. Ragin' Bull Manny Fernandez will also be locked in a cage above the ring. This is probably one of the most stereotypical 80's wrestling matches ever. Loser shaves their head, one of the competitors is a manager and someone is locked in a cage above the ring. Jones and Valiant fought at Starrcade 84 with Jones winning, and Valiant turned up again at Starrcade 85, but I'm yet to see a good match from him.

Ragin' Bull refuses to get in the cage and wants to sit outside the ring, but some wrestlers from the back come down to force him in. Wahoo McDaniel eventually Tomahawk Chop's Manny Fernandez into the cage, and it's slowly lifted up above the ring with Jones trying to hang on.

The bell rings and Jimmy Valiant beats down on Jones from the first second. Lots of punches, kicks and hip tosses force both men into the corner, and the referee gets between them. Jones has his back turned and pulls something out of his pants which fits into his hand, and one shot punches Valiant to the ground. Valiant is cut open and Jones goes for the pin, but he kicks out at 2. Jones beats on valiant some more and goes for another pin, but Valiant has his foot on the bottom rope. Jones misses a knee drop and grabs his weapon again. He hits Valiant in head once more and stomps away, but Valiant kicks out at 2 again. 

Valiant fights back and starts acting feral, and knocks Jones down. After a while he slaps on a sleeper hold. Jones gets the weapon out again, but drops it when he is shoved into the corner. Valiant picks it up in his hands and the crowd screams as he lines up Jones, knocks him down and gets the 3 count.

Winner - "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant via pinfall (weapon attack)

This type of match doesn't really do it for me, although I get this is more so a crowd pleaser seeing a bad guy getting humiliated. Also the way Valiant attacks people is hilarious, so I guess it added to the entertainment value. 2/5 for comedic reasons only.

Valiant grabs the hair clippers and starts shaving Paul Jones as soon as he can. Jones has a moustache and is starting to look a bit like Sgt Slaughter, minus the chin. Ragin' Bull has been lowered and let out of the cage, and he goes mad on Valiant, and from nowhere Rick Rude runs down and joins in. They grab a chair, and flapjack DDT Valiant head first into it. Pretty brutal and a great way to get heat back. Baron and Wahoo McDaniel come down to the ring to help Valiant back up. Baron is jumping in everywhere on this show. 

There's now a bit of a gap before the next match as we watch an advert for an NWA Bunk House Stampede event due to take place in the next month. Some old guy, I think they say it's Nelson Royal, talks about this event around a campfire while drinking coffee and there's some weird music on in the background. In other words, it's just plane bizarre. We see a clip of Dusty Rhodes winning a battle royale too.

After this, there's now hype for the Jim Crockett Senior Memorial Cup tag team tournament. We watch clips of the previous year's tournament, which was won by the Road Warriors. The adverts end abruptly and it's onto the next match

Match 8 - Ron Garvin vs Big Bubba Rogers w/Jim Cornette
Louisville Street Fight, no time limit
  
I'm not sure if the music is dubbed or not, but Big Bubba's music suits his entrance perfectly. Jim Cornette waves his golden tennis racquette in the air as he grabs the mic and introduces Big Bubba as his personal bodyguard. Bubba is dressed in a suit, shades and hat, while Garvin is wearing jeans, a vest and boots. Tony Schiavone explains that to win it will either be by pinfall or 10 count, and anything goes. Bubba is the heel by being associated with Cornette I guess, and Garvin gets the cheers. This is definitely the first PPV Big Bubba match I've seen, but Ronnie Garvin was in drag at Starrcade 85, wrestling as Miss Atlanta Lively. After a short while it dawns on me that I have seen Big Bubba before, only not as Big Bubba - it's Big Bossman.

Garvin gets the first punch in and definitely has a speed advantage on Big Bubba. Garvin gets quite a few punches in on Bubba but he won't go down. After feigning to go for a test of strength Garvin finally lands a big enough punch to knock Bubba down, to the crowd's delight. Bubba gets up and throws Garvin through the ropes, but he's not hurt. After another grapple Garvin is thrown out the ring again. Garvin comes back in but grabs a drink from the commentary table and throws this in Big Bubba's face, again getting a big reaction from the crowd. Garvin now starts punching and moving round the ring, forcing Bubba out temporarily. 

He gets back in and after another grapple Garvin starts to choke Bubba, but doesn't realise he has a small object in his hand. Bubba is able to use this after a short while and also splashes Garvin in the corner. Bubba lands a huge right hand onto Garvin, as the weapon flies out of his hand - a roll of coins. Garvin is down on the mat and the referee starts to count. Garvin gets up at 8, but Bubba beats him down again. Garvin is up at 7 this time, but walks straight into a big body slam, and then a running splash from Bubba. Garvin is pinned but gets his shoulder up on 2. The ref starts a 10 count again, but Garvin is up in time again. 

Garvin his bleeding now but grabs a rope from his boot and starts to choke Bubba with it. He also tries to tie him up in the ropes, and looks like he starts to bite Bubba in the head, making the crowd pop once more. Garvin starts to get a bit cocky, bouncing round the ring going for punches like a boxer, but Bubba connects a suprisingly quick kick to turn the tide back in his favour. Garvin is put into a bear hug, but he headbutts his way out of it. Bubba goes for another bearhug, and Garvin butts his way out once more.

Garvin starts going for his punches again, and one of them sends Bubba flying out over the top rope. The referee starts counting again but Bubba gets back in at 7. Garvin attacks some more and they both go out the ring. Bubba gets a knee lift in and throws Garvin into the ring, and starts to climb to the top rope. He gets on top, only to find Garvin waiting for him who tosses him to the mat. Garvin goes for a pin, but Big Bubba pushes him upwards when kicking out, making Garvin land on the referee. Garvin manages to land a piledriver on Big Bubba, which would normally be enough for the win, but when he's on his knees getting up, Jim Cornette smacks him in the back of the head with his trusty tennis racquette. The ref is up and starts to count out both men, but neither get up before the 10 count. The referee quickly grabs a mic and says that there has to be a winner, so whoever gets up first will win. Jim Cornette jumps into the ring trying to get Bubba up, but the referee pushes him over and back out to the crowd's delight. 

 Both men slowly start moving, and Garvin starts to get up quicker. Big Bubba grabs the referee so he can't see Garvin get up, or Cornette hit him again with his tennis racquette, this time to the knee. Big Bubba gets up to get the win, and the place is filled with nothing but booing.

Winner - Big Bubba Rogers via last man standing

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Probably because of the crowd reactions to everything. Garvin setting it up as him vs a massive powerhouse, getting punches in to knock Bubba down to get crowd pop's, actually using the 10 count for when both guys were down in a good way, and I really liked the ending. The face had it won, but the heel get's the win due to interference. I thought it was going to be a bit of a borefest watching both men trying to get up quicker than the other, but the finish helped Garvin look strong despite losing, and helped Bubba by actually getting the win. 3/5  

 Wow, Cornette and Bubba were HATED after that. We see the replay of Cornette attacking Garvin after the piledriver. We change arenas again now for the next match, and one I'm really looking forward to

Match 9 - Dusty Rhodes (C) vs Tully Blanchard w/JJ Dillon
First Blood match for the NWA World Television Championship, no time limit

Dusty won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 85...or so we thought. Turns out that after the match that the referee reversed the decision and Ric Flair remained champion, but Dusty won by DQ. Since then, Flair formed the Four Horsemen with Arn & Ole Anderson and.....Tully Blanchard. Dusty had a brief spell as World Heavyweight Champion before coming into this match, but lost the belt back to Flair, and is now TV Champ. Tully Blanchard lost one of the best matches I've ever seen at Starrcade 85 to Magnum TA.

Everyone in the crowd loves Dusty and cheers him as he comes down to the ring, Tully got all the boo's. Dusty's got "Tully" dyed into his hair, and the match takes a while to get going as the referee won't start it until Tully removes some headgear. JJ Dillon then tries to grease up Tully's face, but the referee also puts a stop to this, getting a good crowd reaction as he wipes it off with a towel.

The match finally starts when Tully reacts to Dusty giving JJ Dillon a Bionic Elbow. Dillon was shouting in Dusty's face about something, and got Bionic Elbowed for it. Tully as arguing with the referee at the time. JJ is rolling around the ring for a while and is cut open. He leaves the ring but can't get to his feet. 

Dusty and Tully stand off, and Dusty gets the first strike in on Tully. He then starts to taunt Tully with his elow, walking around the ring getting big screams from the crowd. Tully is backing off everytime Dusty motions that he will be using his Bionic Elbow. Tully gets Dusty to the ground at one point and misses a falling punch to the head, but he then rolls out the ring. Tully gets back in and after a grapple is headbutted to the mat. Dusty tries to work on Tully in the corner but he keeps defending himself and eventually goes to his knees while clinging on to Dusty.

This doesn't work. Dusty works Tully into position, and finally hits a Bionic Elbow. He doesn't draw blood but he's on top. He works on a leg lock after a few more strikes, and attacks Tully's knee. Tully rolls out again to break the momentum. He gets back in lands a couple of attacks on Dusty, including a snapmare and an elbow drop. With Dusty down, he then tries to pull at Dusty's face to draw blood, but Dusty easily escapes, performing a snapmare of his own. Dusty stomps Tully in the head and strikes him some more. He rams Tully's head into the top turnbuckle, but Tully fights back knocking Dusty into the referee. Tully climbs to the middle rope and while the referee is down JJ Dillon throws Tully a shoe. He jumps off the ropes towards Dusty, but Dusty catches Tully and thows him back into the corner, making him drop the shoe at the same time. Dusty then suplexes Tully, but Tully lands on the referee, knocking him down again.

Dusty now has the shoe and sets Tully up. He takes one look at the shoe and thinks it's not for him, throws it into the crowd and uses the Bionic Elbow on Tully instead. Dusty then goes to work on Tully punching him a lot then clearly blading him, meaning Tully is now cut open but the referee is still down and can't call it. Dusty knocks Tully down again and starts posing to the crowd, but Tully lands near JJ Dillion, who cleans up the cut on Tully's head and uses grease to clog up the cut. Dillon also hands Tully a roll of coins, which is uses to hit Dusty with, but this cuts Dusty open. Dusty and the referee get up together, but the ref sees Dusty cut open and calls for the bell. Tully Blanchard is the new TV Champion!

Winner - Tully Blanchard via first blood (roll of coins shot)  

I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Both guys played the face and heel roles well enough but there wasn't enough physical attacking for me to get excited about this match. They did well to sell Dusty's Bionic Elbow as the move to turn the match, and the ending played out well, but something seemed to be missing to make this really enjoyable. 2/5

Dusty protests the result with the referee but it falls on deaf ears. Tully and JJ Dillon have gone to the back with the belt. The next match is now the while reason Starrcade 86 is called The Sky Walkers

Match 10 - The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) w/Paul Ellering vs The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) w/Jim Cornette & Big Bubba Rogers
Scaffold match 

There's been a giant scaffold & platforms going over and above the ring in Atlanta, and this match is the reason why. The Midnight Express come down to the ring and are booed, but the Road Warriors have a small Pyro entrance as they make their way down, and they immediately climb up the scaffold, leaving the Midnight Express looking up at them from the ring. The crowd love it as the Warriors walk from side to side on the scaffold. 

Schiavone is the announcer and says that the only way to win is to throw both of your opponents from the scaffold. The Midnight Express start at a disadvantage, seeing as the Legion of Doom are already at the top. The Road Warrios however allow Condrey & Eaton to the top, and we get underway. Kind of. LOD start shaking the scaffold not allowing the Midnight Express to their feet. The bell rings the match starts, Hawk with Condrey and Animal with Bobby Eaton.

Road Warriors start off the better and beat the Midnight Express down either end of the scaffold, but things quickly turn when they thow powder on the Legion of Doom and then start to beat down. Hawk is hanging off the edge holding onto a railing but Condrey can't quite get him down. Things weren't looking to good for Animal either, but off camera he has somehow managed to get Bobby Eaton in trouble, leaving him hanging under the scaffold and onto Animal's leg. Condrey crawls over to stop Animal from attacking Eaton, who slowly makes his way back on top of the scaffold. 

The Midnight Express have been cut open, Condrey in particular looking in a daze. He tries to climb down the scaffold but won't let go of it. Hawk attacks but has to get onto the scaffold himself and Condrey has moved too far down. Bobby Eaton tries to come over and help Condrey but Animal brings him down, and Condrey is fight back against Hawk, both men now holding on to the scaffold under one of the platforms. Condrey thinks he's done enough damage to Hawk that he can escape from him by using the underside of the platofrm across the ring as monkey bars, and sets himself up to move across. Hawk isn't done yet, and begins to fight back. On the other side of the scaffold, Bobby Eaton and Animal are also below the platform.

Eaton has managed to get away from Animal and is using the monkey bars to move across the underside of the platform. Hawk is also holding on to the bars, but has his back turned to Eaton and doesn't know he's there. However, he is trying to swing and kick at Condrey, which he finally does so to some good effect, and Condrey is sent falling off the scaffold and into the ring. Eaton has been taking some kicks from Animal too, and is now caught in the middle of a Road Warrior sandwich. Not surprisingly, Animal kicks him down shortly afterwards, and the Legion of Doom are the winners.

Winners - The Road Warriors

The crowd certainly seemed to love this, but I'm struggling to see why. I didn't really think there was too much excitement, but that's not really anyone's fault. Everyone was making sure they didn't lose balance when being on top of the scaffold, so no one could really perform any moves, the only thing the teams could do was brawl and climb the platform and scaffold. This match seemed to be something which sounded great on paper but in reality there wasn't much else that could have been done. 2/5

Paul Ellering starts chasing Jim Cornette up the scaffold. Animal is still on top, leaving Cornette caught between the two, minus is tennis racquet (Hawk has it and is beating on the Midnight Express with it). Cornette tries to climb down from the platform over the ring for Big Bubba to catch him, but get it all wrong, falls to the ring and does serious legit damage to his knees. The Road Warriors celebrate as the crowd cheer at what they've just seen (Also big props to Hawk who competed in this match with a BROKEN LEG).

We watch clips of the 1985 Great American Bash, which is an advert for the 1987 Great American Bash...I guess the 1986 edition wasn't any good. We then here Schiavone say here's a list of people who made Starrcade 86 possible. And we watch the credits roll. Yawn. Thankfully there's two more matches left.


Match 11 - Minnesota Wreckong Crew (Arn & Ole Anderson) vs The Rock & Roll Express (C) (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Tag team cage match, 45 minute time limit for the NWA World Tag Team Championships

So the titles will be decided in a cage match, where I think pinfall or submission is needed to win. The crowd went absolutely nuts when the Rock & Roll Express came out, however I remember being very impressed with Arn & Ole Anderson at Starrcade 85, so hopefully we can have ourselves a good match here.

Ole starts with Gibson and its a brawl at first. Arn is quickly tagged in and Morton also comes in, the ref trying to stop him leaving Gibson open to extended double beatings. Arn goes to use the cage as soon as possible, but is countered by Gibson and tags out. Gibson's speed is too much for Ole as he moves away from his strikes and tags in Morton. Morton knocks Ole over a couple of times but, sensing danger, Arn is tagged in again. He tries to use the cage to his advantage again but Morton counters. Arn backs off a bit, trying to slow things right down.

Arn starts a grapple sequence which Morton comes out on top of with a hammerlock. Gibson is tagged in and goes for a running knee into the corner, but misses, crashing into the cage. Arn takes control and starts flinging Gibson's leg into the cage. Ole is tagged in and all the attacks are now on Gibson's bad knee. Arn is back in, slamming the knee into the mat, and rather than going for a pin he tries to throw on a figure 4 leg lock. He can't get it on though as Gibson uses his good leg to push Arn away and flying into the cage. Arn's sore from that but tags in Ole before rolling round the ring. 

Ole targets the leg once more with strikes and stomps, and the crowd are chanting ROCK & ROLL! ROCKY & ROLL! Gibson tries to fight back but Ole forces him into a neutral coner and applies pressure again to the knee. Ole drags Gibson to the Anderson's corner and puts on another wrenching leg hold, but Gibson punches his way out. Arn is tagged back in and uses his own leg holds and knee drops to keep Gibson down. Both men eventually get to their feet, and Arn blocks a kick from Gibson, but he anticipates this and smacks an enziguri into the back of Arn's neck. Ole is tagged back in, but Gibson rolls away and hot tags in Morton!

Morton tries to get the upper hand but Ole is too tough for him right now, and he soon finds out as he's thrown into the cage face first. Ole does this once more, and now keeps Morton in the corner, applying pressure to the head making it hard for Morton to breathe. He gets a 2 count, and now starts to attack the arm, but Morton fights back knocking Ole to the mat. The only problem is that their in the Anderson corner, and Arn swiftly tags in. Arn carries on with the head attacls, cutting Morton open against the cage. Arn then moves on to the arm and after a quick flurry of punches from Morton, Ole is tagged back in. Ole goes for another shoulder hold, and Morton's struggling badly here. 

Arn is tagged back in and bodyslams Morton with his arm in a hammerlock position. Arn goes to the second ropes and jumps for a double ax handle, but Morton ducks and punches Arn across the stomach to the crowd's delight. He then lands a DDT from nowhere! Morton doesn't go for the pin, and instead tries to tag out, but Ole is in to stop it. Gibson tries to get in too but the referee stops him. Arn rolls out to the apron, with the ref thinking a tag was made when his back was turned. Ole is on the offence again, and lands a shoulder breaker for a 2 count. 

Morton is back in the Anderson corner and Arn is tagged back in, who goes to work again on the arm and shoulder. A knee lift on Arn brings both men down on the mat, and the ref starts counting. Gibson tries to stir up the crowd, but Arn grabs hold of Morton's tights and tags in Ole. He slows things down some more and wraps Morton's arm around his knee. Morton starts another fightback and tries to tag in Gibson, but Arn is brought back in and he stops Morton in his corner before Gibson can be tagged. Arn lands a fantastic looking spinebuster, but Gibson is in to make the save. 

Ole is tagged in and heads to the top rope. Arn keeps Morton's arm out stretched, and Ole comes down hard on the shoulder with his knees. More focus is put on the shoulder, but Morton gets up again, and both men are brought down with a shoulder block. Ole recovers first, bringing Arn back in, and he cuts off the Rock & Roll corner. Arn puts another hold on Morton, asking if he gives up. Morton refuses, and finally begins to mount a reasonable fight back. Arn is out punched and is dazed, swinging his arns around wildly hoping to connect. The place is on the edge of their seats anticipating Gibson being tagged in, but Ole is tagged in first and rushes across the ring to stop the tag.

Morton is forced into a neutral corner but manages to punch his way out again. Ole goes for a bodyslam but this is reversed into a small package, but Arn this time makes the save. All 4 men are in the ring now, and Gibson has took his frustrations out on Arn in the corner. Ole goes for another bodyslam, only this time Gibson dropkicks Morton during the pick up, forcing the pin and....Rock & Roll Express retain

Winners - Rock & Roll Express via pinfall (Ricky Morton pinned Ole Anderson after a dropkick by Robert Gibson)

Wow, miles away the best match of the night so far. Minnesota Wreckong Crew just looked so dominant during the match and the psychology was spot on too, working Gibson's knee and Morton's shoulder. I just wish that Gibson would have received the mother of all hot tags as the place would have erupted with it being teased for around 10 minutes. Saying that, Gibson's intervention is what won it in the end for the champions, and I'd hope that these two teams can have more matches in future. 4/5

After match brawl takes place with the R&R Express tasting cage, but they escape out the cage door. A replay is shown, and then we have build up to the final match of the evening. 

Match 12 - Ric Flair (C) vs Nikita Koloff 
Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship

Wow, we get to see a full Flair entrance. And while the music sounds bad, the entrance itself suits the Nature Boy perfectly. Flair gets into the ring, and on the network theres a crude video of Magnum TA to an awful song that's clearly been manually added by someone. Magnum was supposed to face Flair and, according to the internet, win the world title at this event, but he crashed his car in the October and never wrestled again. Nikita Koloff was elevated to the main event instead. He walks to the ring to no music and a shedload of boos. Koloff is also United States Champion. Schiavone announces both men and both guys are booed, Flair for being heel and Koloff for being Russian.

Koloff overpowers Flair in the first grapple, shoving him backwards. Flair leaves the ring temporarily and comes back in. He manages to get Koloff to the corner, chops away at him, but Koloff isn't affected by the chops and Flair leaves the ring again. He comes back and again forces Koloff to the corner of the ring, trying to choke him, but Koloff overpowers Flair again and hip tosses him across the ring. 

Koloff starts to take control with another hip toss, and follows this up by picking Flair up and throwing him across the ring a couple of times. Flair backs off into the corner to get up, and tries to shoulder tackle Koloff, but the big Russian won't move an inch. Koloff throws on a bear hug, and bends forward, arching Flair down for a couple of 2 counts. Flair escapes to the ropes, but Koloff tries to contintue the attack. Flair is whipped to the opposite corner, but dodges Koloff's charge towards him. 
 
Flair manages to use a text book hanging suplex, and shows off to the crowd. Koloff is right back up though, and the crowd are getting more and more onto his side. Flair can't believe it and leaves the ring again. He gets back in and the two men back off eachother. After a grapple Flair manages to get in some attacks in the corner. He runs against the ropes but another shoulder block, but Koloff again won't go down. this angers the Russian into choking Flair to the mat. Flair manages to escape but knows he's angered Koloff, and dodges another charges towards him, sending Koloff out over the top rope.

Koloff crawls back into the ring, but Flair moves quickly to the outside and grabs hold of Koloff's leg, slamming it into the ring post. Flair's going for the knee now to try and soften the leg up for the figure 4, and starts his next wave of attacks with a chop block. He goes for the figure 4 quite early and manages to lock it in, and uses the ropes for a bit of leverage. Koloff eventually rolls onto his front for a few seconds, but the hold is broken before too long. It's all Flair now on the attack, with punches and chops in the corner, but this seems to wake Koloff up and make him realise what's going on. Not even a kick will keep the Russian back. Flair is pushed into the opposite corner and tries to get some control back whipping Koloff against the ropes, but he's shoulder blocked to the mat. Koloff runs again, and Flair this time sees it coming and pushes Koloff through the ropes.

Flair comes out after Koloff and rams his head into the scaffold still outside the ring from the Road Warriors match. Koloff is cut open as a result , and Flair starts to focus is offence in the head. Koloff kicks out at 2, Flair responds with a back suplex and gets another 2 count. After more punches to the head, Flair backs off a bit giving Koloff time to recover. The Russian throws Flair across the ring again like he did earlier in the match, Flair landing on his back, and receives another hip toss. Flair is then whipped over the top ropes in the corner and lands on the outside, this time Koloff wastes no time in going after him. 

The Nature Boy uses his shoulder to slow Koloff down, and goes to ram the Russian's head into the scaffolding once more, but Koloff blocks this and gives the treatment to Flair instead. Nature Boy is cut open as well now. Koloff is back in the ring and uses the scaffold to his advantage, ramming Flair a couple more times, before allowing Flair back into the ring to be powered into the corner. After some back and forth strikes Flair flops to the mat, which always raises a smile. Koloff gets Flair back up and hits him with a diving shoulder tackle. Only problem is Flair is set into the referee who falls out the ring injured holding his knee. 

Koloff hits Flair with his Russian Sickle finishing move (a running clothesline) and Flair is down for the count. Well he would be, but there isn't a referee in the ring to do the counting. Another ref from the back called Scrappy McGowan comes in to check on the injured ref Tommy Young, but Koloff is trying to pull Young up into the ring. Flair attacks with a knee to the back of the head and pins Koloff, but the Russian kicks out at 2. Koloff goes for another Russian Sickle, but Nature Boy ducks, letting Scrappy McGowan take the hit (and he seels it brilliantly). Koloff attacks Flair in the corner but Tommy Young is back in trying to separate them. Koloff shoves Young back a couple of times, making Young call for the bell. He ends it in a double disqualification, to the bemusement of everyone

Double DQ - no winner

This was a standard match that was perfectly acceptable, and given the circumstances surrounding how it came about was ok. Flair impressed again, when watching him you understand why he does what he does, mainly softening up the knee/leg for the Figure 4, and attacking open wounds. Koloff was a standard power man, but if truth be told he would be much more impressive if he had a wider variety of moves in his arsenal. 3/5  



The show ends with a huge brawl as the locker room come out to separate Flair and Koloff.

I'll be honest, it's taken me ages to review this PPV because it was pretty bad, barring the last two matches. 2 good matches out of 12 is a really poor return. When adding up the match scores, I come to 28/60, but this dragged on for what seemed like an eternity at times, and was almost a chore coming back to review some matches. I'd give this 3/10 overall
The next PPV is Wrestlemania III, however before I get there I've decided that I basically want to review everything. So, as there was no monday night Raw, Nitro or Smackdown in the 80's, there was the odd TV show instead. WWF had a long running series called Saturday Night Main Event, so I'm going to review the ones I've missed, and then do WM3 when the time comes