NWA Starrcade 1986 Review

NWA Starrcade 1986 Review
May 17, 2012 (edited February 23, 2024)
By Ryan Porzl

Starrcade 1986 VHS Cover

Event: Starrcade 1986
Tagline: The Night of the Skywalkers
Date: November 27, 1986
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina & Atlanta, Georgia
Live or Tape: Live
Arena: Greensboro Coliseum & The Omni
Attendance: 16,000 (Greensboro) & 14,000 (Atlanta)
Announcers: Bob Caudle & Johnny Weaver (Greensboro) and Tony Schiavone & Rick Stewart (Atlanta)
Interviewers: Johnny Weaver (Greensboro) and Rick Stewart (Atlanta)
Other: Bob Taylor (Starrcade Control Room)
Broadcast: Closed Circuit Television

Like Starrcade 1985, the 1986 edition was also held in two venues which were the Greensboro Coliseum and the Omni like the previous year.

We start with ring announcer Dr. Tom Miller opening the show by welcoming everyone and we get the Star Spangled Banner.

Schiavone and Stewart then welcome us from Atlanta while previewing the show.

We then get Caudle and Weaver from Greensboro.

Tim Horner and Nelson Royal vs. Don Kernodle and Rocky Kernodle (Greensboro)- I've already explained who Nelson Royal was in my Crockett Cup 86 review. Horner was best known for his time in southern wrestling promotions like Georgia Championship Wrestling, Universal Wrestling Federation, and later Smoky Mountain Wrestling while also doing prelim work for the WWF and NWA/WCW. His biggest claim to fame was teaming with Brad Armstrong in The Lightning Express where they held several tag titles. He's also perhaps known for being the recipient of one of Jim Cornette's epic rants. The Kernodles were, I believe, legit brothers. Don was successful in several NWA territories and Puerto Rico but is mostly known for working for Crockett where he specialized as a tag team wrestler having several successful world tag team title runs with the likes of Sgt. Slaughter, Bob Orton Jr., and Ivan Koloff. Rocky briefly did time under the name “Keith Larson” before using the Rocky Kernodle name. Though Rocky was a solid hand, he didn't go far in wrestling.

Horner and Rocky start with a tie up and Horner gets an armdrag. Another tie up and Rocky gets an armdrag. Tie up with Horner applying an arm wringer into a hammerlock. The two trade counters until Rocky gets a double leg takedown from behind. Rocky gets a side headlock but Horner counters with a hammerlock. They get up and Rocky gets out with a snapmare position into a backflip. Rocky attempts an O'Connor roll but Horner holds on to the ropes. Rocky misses a dropkick while Horner misses an elbow drop. Rocky gets an armdrag and holds on to the arm. Tag to Don who gets an armbar. Horner whips Don to the ropes and catches him with a bodyslam for 1. Horner comes off the ropes, Don drops down, Horner jumps over, comes off the ropes, and Don catches him with a running powerslam for 2. Tag to Royal who ties up with Don and Don gets a side headlock. Royal whips Don to the ropes and Don comes off with a shoulder block. Don comes off, jumps over Royal, comes off, and Royal catches him with an abdominal stretch but Don eventually gets out with a hip toss.

Royal recovers and sends Don to the corner. Don reverses a whip to the corner but misses the avalanche. Royal whips Don to the ropes and catches him with a knee to the stomach. Royal gets a side headlock. Tag to Horner who gets a schoolboy for 2. Horner gets a side headlock but Don whips Horner to the ropes and catches him with a hip toss. Tie up with Horner getting another side headlock. Tag to Royal who gets his own side headlock. Don muscles Royal to the ropes and punches the stomach. Don gets a side headlock, Royal whips him to the ropes, and Don comes off with a shoulder block. Don comes off, jumps over Royal, comes off, and Royal jumps on Don's back with a sleeper. Don still makes it to his corner. Tag to Rocky who comes off the top turnbuckle with a diving sunset flip for 2. Rocky hits a bodyslam for 2. Rocky whips Royal to the ropes and comes off the other side with a high crossbody but misses.

Royal covers for 2. Tag to Horner who whips Rocky to the ropes and catches him with a powerslam for 2. Small package gets 2 for Horner. Horner whips Rocky to the ropes, lowers his head too early, Rocky leapfrogs over Horner, comes off the ropes, Horner leapfrogs, Rocky comes off the ropes, and they jump into each other while knocking into each others heads. Both are down. Tag to Don who hits a stalling suplex for 2. Don whips Horner to the ropes and catches him with a back body drop. Don drops a headbutt but misses. Horner hits a dropkick for 2. Don reverses a whip to the ropes, drops down, Horner jumps over, comes off the ropes, and Don catches him with a clothesline. Tag to Rocky who whips Horner to the ropes and hits a gorilla press slam for 2. Rocky attempts a belly-to-back suplex but Horner backflips out. Horner attempts an O'Connor roll but Rocky gets his own but Horner reverses with his own pin for the win in 7:30.

Thoughts: *** Good opener to start the show that had a good pace. The highlight was Horner and Rocky who had some good moves and counters. Don was also fun against Horner but he always was a good tag team wrestler. Even Royal wasn't bad despite being 51. Sadly, this was pretty much it for the Kernodles are they left shortly after this following Christmas and then retired with both occasionally coming out for Carolina indie shows in the 21^st Century. Kind of a shame as both were good hands as Don was a good tag wrestler and from what I seen, Rocky had potential. Could've been a good NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.

Brad Armstrong vs. Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) (Atlanta)- I must say, Armstrong looks like Brian Pillman. Tie up to start with Garvin muscling Armstrong to the ropes before breaking it up. Another tie up with both muscling the other in the corner until breaking it up. The two start to shove each other. Garvin gets a waistlock takedown but Armstrong wrestles out of it and gets back up to his feet. Armstrong gets a side headlock takedown but Garvin reverses with a headscissor but Armstrong gets out. Garvin applies a side headlock but Armstrong attempts to muscle out of it and the two head to the ropes for the break. Garvin reapplies the side headlock but Armstrong muscles out and muscles Garvin to the canvas. Armstrong applies an armbar and then starts to drop knees on the arm. With Garvin's shoulders down, the ref counts several times but Garvin continues to get his right shoulder up. They get back up as Armstrong goes for an arm wringer but Garvin reverses with his own.

The two continue to apply arm wringer until Armstrong gets another that sends Garvin to the canvas. Garvin quickly kicks Armstrong off and the two are once again at a stalemate. Armstrong gets another side headlock but Garvin rolls him over for the pin but the ref stop at 2 when he sees Garvin grabbing the trunks. Armstrong rolls back to the side headlock but Garvin reverses into a hammerlock. Armstrong rolls over into a pin but Garvin's foot is on the rope. Garvin gets a single leg takedown and applies a leglock. Eventually he crosses the legs and applies an anklelock. Armstrong escapes with a chinlock. As the two get up, Armstrong continues to hold on and changes to a side headlock. Garvin whips him off the ropes, drops down to the canvas, Armstrong jumps over, comes off, Garvin drops his head too early, Armstrong leapfrogs off Garvin and trips him with a drop toehold. Armstrong goes back to the armbar. Garvin tries to armdrag Armstrong off but Armstrong holds on and continues applying the hold.

Precious jumps on the apron to distract the ref which allows Garvin to grab Armstrong's hair and apply a headscissor. Armstrong eventually escapes and applies a headlock to a pop. Garvin whips him to the ropes and attempts a hip toss but Armstrong reverses into his own. Armstrong goes back to the side headlock. With Garvin's shoulders down, the ref counts but Garvin gets a shoulder up at 2. Garvin uses the hair again to reverse into a headscissors. Precious distracts the ref allowing Garvin to choke Armstrong. Armstrong eventually escapes by crossing the legs, applying an anklelock, and reapplies the headlock. The two get up with Garvin trying to escape but Armstong takes him down again. Garvin gets up but gets taken down again. Again, Garvin tries to roll Armstrong into a pin while holding the trunks the ref catches him again. Garvin seems to fade and the ref checks his arms but Garvin keeps it up on the third time. Garvin gets up and hits a belly to back suplex to get out of the headlock.

Garvin drops a knee for 2. Garvin rams Armstrong into the turnbuckle and then throws him out of the ring to boos. Precious taunts Armstrong as he tries to get back in the ring but gets kicked off the apron by Garvin. Garvin taunts the crowd. Armstrong tries to get in the ring but gets kicked off. Armstrong finally gets back in the ring but Garvin hits a snapmare for 2 with three minutes left. Garvin picks up Armstrong and hits a hot shot for 2. Another pin gets 2. backbreaker gets 2. Garvin attempts a side headlock. Armstrong whips him to the ropes, drops down, Garvin jumps over, Garvin comes off the ropes, jumps over, comes off the ropes, Armstrong gets up, and the two collide into each other with two minutes remaining. Garvin tries another bodyslam but Armstrong falls on top for 2. Garvin comes back with a stomp. Armstrong reverses a whip to the corner. Armstrong charges but runs into Garvin's knees. Garvin attempts the pin but gets 2 with one minute left. Armstrong gets rammed to the canvas. Garvin tries a sleeper hold but Armstrong escapes with an armdrag. Garvin hits several knees and small packages for 2. Armstrong reverses to his own for 2 with 30 seconds left. Garvin hits a bodyslam and climbs the top turnbuckle but misses the diving splash as time runs out at 15:00. After the match, the two continue to fight until Armstrong gets the better of it.

Thoughts: *1/2 Alright match but kind of on the dull side. The wrestling was very solid but this match never got going and felt like a broken record. I also didn't like we didn't get much urgence from the participants with Garvin doing sleepers with less than a minute left. Armstrong can be great but even a workhorse like him would struggle to carry Garvin to a fifteen minute match.

Hector Guerrero & Baron Von Raschke vs. Shaska Whatley & The Barbarian (Greensboro)- Talk about a motley crew. Guerrero is, of course, a member of the Guerrero family and one of the older brothers of Eddie Guerrero and an uncle to Chavo Jr. He's sadly perhaps best known for his goofy gimmicks like Lazortron in Crockett Promotions and The Gobbledy Gooker in the WWF. Von Raschke was perhaps mostly known for his time in the AWA where he held the tag titles with The Crusher and also worked various NWA territories, including Crockett where he held his share of titles. Whatley mostly worked the southern US like Championship Wrestling from Florida, NWA Mid-America, and Georgia Championship Wrestling enjoying solid success while being a midcard act for Crockett. He later did prelim work for WWF and WCW in the 90s before becoming a backstage worker for WCW. I think most know who Barbarian is. I'm guessing this is one of those "get everyone on the card so they can get a payday" type match.

Whatley & Barbarian jump Guerrero to start but Raschke comes in to even things up. Barbarian and Whatley get the advantage in the corner. They try to whip Guerrero & Raschke into each other but they reverse and Whatley & Barbarian get whipped into each other. We now settle into Guerrero and Whatley. Guerrero hits a back body drop and works Whatley over in the corner. Whatley reverses an irish whip to the corner but Guerrero stops himself and comes off the second turnbuckle with a crossbody for 2. Dropkick doesn't even get 1. Whatley comes back with a headbutt and tags Barbarian. Whatley holds Guerrero for Barbarian to come off the second rope with a forearm. Barbarian whips Guerrero to the ropes but misses the big boot as Guerrero somersaults out of the way. Guerrero comes off the ropes with a crossbody but Barbarian catches him and hits a hotshot. Barbarian ties Guerrero on the ropes. Barbarian runs the ropes and attempts to charge but Guerrero moves and Barbarian flies over the top and to the floor.

Raschke holds Barbarian which allows Guerrero to hit a plancha. Whatley goes after Guerrero and rams him to the ring post. Barbarian picks him up and drops in onto the guardrail but you can barely see it since it's too dark in the crowd. Whatley throws Guerrero back in the ring. Barbarian nails a gorilla press slam and a leg drop. Tag to Whatley who whips Guerrero to the ropes and gets a back body drop. Tag to Barbarian who comes off the ropes with a boot to the stomach as Whatley exposes the stomach. Fans are chanting something but I can't make out what. He follows by whipping Guerrero to the ropes and catching him with a pendulum backbreaker. Barbarian hits a second rope headbutt. Tag to Whatley with the two whipping Guerrero to the ropes and catching him a double team back body drop for 2. Guerrero tries to tag but Whatley won't let him. Whatley sends him to his corner and distracts the ref which allows Barbarian to choke Guerrero with the tag rope. Whatley gets a punch and tags Barbarian. Guerrero whips Guerrero to the ropes and Barbarian catches him with a big boot for 2. Two backbreakers and Barbarian tags Whatley. Whatley works over Guerrero until whipping Guerrero to the ropes with Guerrero stopping short, spits at Whatley and makes the hot tag to a big pop.

Raschke cleans house and nails both with a double noggin knocker. Raschke whips Whatley to the ropes and catches him with the claw to a big pop. Barbarian breaks it up and all four are in the ring. Whatley whips Raschke into the corner but misses an avalanche. Raschke drops an elbow for the win at 7:25. After the match, Whatley and Barbarian do a heel beatdown on Rascke until getting chased off by Guerrero.

Thoughts: **1/2 Pretty enjoyable match especially when Barbarian and Guerrero were in as Barbarian had some good moves and Guerrero took good bumps and played babyface-in-peril well. I would have preferred it being Guerrero vs. Barbarian one on one but it was still good. Also kudos for keeping Raschke out for most of the match. Nothing against him but he was past his prime and his offense was pretty weak. Whatley was fine but nothing special.

We go to Weaver in the back who is supposed to interview “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes but he's outside the dressing room saying Rhodes hasn't granted any interviews to the newspapers or radio. He knocks on Rhodes' door, opens, and asks Rhodes for comments but Rhodes tells him to leave him alone and go. Not feeling this. I think this type of backstage promo can be great but needs the right reasons like Randy Savage at Wrestlemania VIII. Honestly, this would've fit much better the previous year. There, Rhodes was coming off a bad injury and about to challenge for the world championship on the biggest show of the year against the man who helped put him out. Here, he has history with Blanchard but it's not really personal and it's not like this is the biggest match of his career or something.

NWA United States Tag Team Championship/No Disqualification: The Russians (c) vs. The Kansas Jayhawks (Atlanta)- The Russians are Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev while the Jayhawks are Dutch Mantell and Bobby Jaggers. Mantell is probably best known to 21st century wrestling fans for his time as TNA's head booker and as Zeb Colter in the WWE. Prior to that, he enjoyed wrestling and booking in many southern wrestling promotions and Puerto Rico. Jaggers was a successful NWA journeyman winning many titles in many territories. The Russians were coming to an end at this point with Nikita having turned face a month earlier while Khruschev would join the WWF a few months later to be Smash of Demolition. There is history between these teams as the Russian defeated the Jayhawks in the finals of a tournament to become the inaugural champions on September 26^th.

This match stumbles out of the gate as it's supposed to be No Disqualification but there's still a tag format. What sense does that make? Koloff and Mantell start with a tie up. Koloff muscles Mantell in the corner and starts hammering on Mantell with forearms. Koloff attempts a whip into the corner but Mantell reverses and hits a back body drop as Koloff comes out of the corner. Mantell gets a front facelock. Tag to Jaggers as both land punches. Jaggers whips Koloff to the ropes and catches him with an elbow. Jaggers then hits Khruschev for the hell of it. Why doesn't Khruschev just come in? It's No Disqualification. Koloff tries to fight back but Jaggers rams him into Mantell's knee and tags Mantell. Mantell whips Koloff to the ropes and catches him with a kick. Tag to Jaggers who gets a kick. Koloff gets a schoolboy but only for 2. Jaggers comes back with a scramble out of a chinlock and gets a hammerlock. Tag to Mantell who applies an arm wringer but Koloff tags Khruschev. The two don't engage as Khruschev yells at the fans. They tie up with Khruschev hitting a knee and working over Mantell in the corner and on the ropes while Koloff hits a hangman. Jaggers comes in but the ref sends him back to the apron which makes no sense since it's no disqualification.

Khruschev whips Mantell to the ropes but lowers his head to soon and Mantell comes off the ropes with a kick. Mantell continues to work over Khruschev in the corner and Jaggers starts to choke him. Mantell taunts Koloff into the ring and the ref sends him back. Once again, why is the ref enforcing the rules? Tag to Jaggers who gets a punch, a side headlock, and thumb to the throat. Tag to Mantell who whips Khruschev but Khruschev holds onto the ropes and tags Koloff. Khruschev holds on to Mantell as Koloff works over him with forearms. Koloff whips Mantell to the corner. Koloff charges but Mantell moves and Koloff goes shoulder first into the ring post. Mantell whips Koloff to the corner. Mantell charges but stops as Koloff moves out of the way and works over Koloff. Tag to Jaggers who gets a side headlock and tags out? Why? You just tagged in. Anyway, The Jayhawks double team whip Koloff to the ropes and catch him with double elbows for 2. Koloff regains control and muscles Mantell to his corner.

Mantell tries to fight out but gets double teamed. Khruschev heads out, grabs Mantell's leg as Koloff gets shots in. Khruschev then positions Mantell on the second rope as Koloff comes off with a knee. Khruschev pulls him out and rams Mantell on the timekeeper's table. Khruschev follows by dropping Mantell kneefirst on the guardrail. Khruschev throws Mantell back in the ring. Koloff whips Mantell to the ropes and catches him with an elbow. Koloff rams Mantell into Khruschev's boot and tags Khruschev. Koloff and Khruschev double team whip Mantell to the ropes and both catch him with a double team elbow for 2. Khruschev cheapshots Jaggers which brings him into the ring. This distracts the ref long enough for Koloff to come off the top turnbuckle with an elbow which doesn't make sense as it's No Disqualification. We get an illegal switch which makes no sense as Koloff immediately tags Khruschev back in which also makes no sense. 

The Russians double team Mantell in the corner as Jaggers comes in but again is sent back despite their being no rules and even Schiavone says there's nothing the referee can do. Double team irish whip but the Russians miss a double clothesline and Mantell comes off the ropes with a double clothesline. Hot tag to Jaggers and he starts to clean house. Double noggin knocker. Jaggers whips Koloff to the ropes and catches him with a clothesline. Jaggers covers but Khruschev breaks the pin at 2. All four are now in but Koloff and Mantell head outside. Khruschev catches Jaggers in a bearhug as Koloff goes to the top with his chain. Mantell gets on the apron and knocks Koloff off with his whip. Mantell comes in and whips Khruschev. The Jayhawks toss Khruschev over the top rope since it's no dq. Mantell follows as Jaggers and Koloff go at it in the ring. Khruschev grabs Koloff's chain and gets back on the apron. Koloff whips Jaggers to the rope, misses the clothesline but Khruschev nails Jaggers coming off the ropes with the chain. Koloff gets the pin to retain at 9:10.

Thoughts: DUD Blah match that annoyed me. The no dq stip didn't mean anything since they barely used it until the end with the weapons and it was a detriment to the match. One thing I can't stand about the old days are matches like this when you got a No Disqualification match and everyone is adhering to rules. Why was there a tag format? Why was the wrestlers letting referee Scrappy McGowen send them back? It's No Disqualification. There are no rules. Even the announcers would bring this up. The match was also dull and pretty forgettable until the end with the weapons and finish.

Indian Strap Match: Wahoo McDaniel vs. Rick Rude (w/Paul Jones) (Greensboro)- A strap match is when both wrestlers have a strap attached to their wrist. In this case, the only way to win is to touch all four corners while both wrestlers have the strap on them and without interruption.

Feeling out session begins with Wahoo being able to whip Rude. Rude comes back with forearms but Wahoo reverses the whip to the ropes and clotheslines Rude with the strap to the throat. Wahoo gets Rude down and chokes him with the strap. Rude escapes by raking the eyes and bailing but Wahoo pulls him back in the ring with the strap. They tie up with Rude getting a side headlock, takes Wahoo down with a weak side headlock takedown, and proceeds to choke him with the strap while mounting him. Wahoo escapes with a karate chop but Rude knocks him into the corner and starts hammering away. Rude whips Wahoo with the strap. Rude starts wrapping the strap around his fist and punches Wahoo. Rude taunts to boos. More punching and choking in the corner from Rude. Rude hits a bodyslam and goes for the turnbuckles but only touches 2 before Wahoo stops him. Now Wahoo works over Rude in the corner with punches and chokes. Rude and Wahoo are both busted open. Wahoo whips Rude to the ropes and catches him with a chop. Wahoo goes for the turnbuckles but only gets 3. Rude drops an elbow followed by a fist drop. Rude comes off the top turnbuckle with a diving fist drop. Rude wraps Wahoo for the turnbuckles but Wahoo gets an ear clap with his legs. Rude hits a knee drop. Rude climbs the top again but Wahoo pulls Rude off and rolls out of the way while Rude does a front flip bump off the turnbuckle. Wahoo drops an elbow. Wahoo goes for the turnbuckles. After 3, Jones jumps on the apron only to get chopped. Rude nails a forearm to the back of the head but knocks Wahoo by mistake into the fourth turnbuckle to win at 9:05. Afterwards, Rude and Jones beat on Wahoo until Hector Guerrero and Baron Von Raschke make the save.

Thoughts: 1/2*, Boring punch/choke strap match. To make matters worse, it featured a wrestler well past his prime (Wahoo) vs. a wrestler who was still pretty green (Rude). I give it half a star cause Rude bumped well.

Stewart interviews The Russians with Ivan saying they are still the United States Heavyweight Tag Team Champions and that they not only outsmart but outbeat The Jayhawks. He says they're looking for thousands of American dollars in the Bunkhouse Stampede and getting Rhodes. He accuses Rhodes of poisoning Nikita's mind and they will destroy him. He tells Nikita that he'll face Ric Flair later, that he's trained him enough for Nikita to beat Flair, and hopes Nikita wins the title so either he or Khruschev can take the world title. Khruschev says to Nikita that he's known him for a long time and that he's a greedy man and usually when he wants something, he'll get it. He says if Nikita wins tonight then he wants to be the first to get a title shot because if he doesn't than Nikita is not only a traitor but a coward. Khruschev says he'll beat him and beat him bad just like Rhodes. Ivan says the Bunkhouse Stampede is their match and they're looking forward to getting the American money as well as Nikita and Rhodes. Solid promo from both. I like them bringing up wanting Nikita to win so they could take the title from him which would also explain why they don't get involved later.

NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship: Sam Houston (c) vs. Bill Dundee (Atlanta)- The Central States Heavyweight Title is a title from the Central States Wrestling promotion. CSW was owned at one point by former NWA president Bob Geigel. By 1986, it became one of many companies that Jim Crockett was buying out in attempt to combine the NWA territories so they can compete with the WWF. Dundee is unquestionably best known for his success in the Tennessee territories where he's become one of the biggest names to compete there. He also was known for his successful run as the booker for Mid-South Wrestling from 1984-1985. He's also the father of fellow Memphis legend Jamie “JC Ice” Dundee of the PG-13 tag team and father-in-law of Bobby Eaton. Some WCW fans may also remember him for his time as William Regal's manager Sir William in WCW from 1993-1994. There was a story here as Houston won the vacant title by defeating Dundee in a tournament final.

Tie up to start with Dundee pushing Houston to the ropes as fans chant “Let's Go, Sam”. Another tie up and Dundee muscles Houston to the corner. Dundee misses a punch and Houston gets out of the corner. Another tie up with Dundee getting an arm wringer. Houston reverses and the momentum takes Dundee to the ground. Houston leg drops the arm and hooks in an armbar but Dundee gets back up and escapes by pulling Houston down with his hair. Another tie up with Dundee getting a side headlock and taking Houston down. Houston tries to roll Dundee but gets several 2 counts. Houston gets up and gets to the ropes. The two tie up again with Dundee attempting an irish whip into the corner but Houston reverses. Houston catches Dundee coming out of the corner with a flying headscissor takedown. Dundee escapes but Houston nails two armdrags and a dropkick which sends Dundee into the corner. Dundee comes back by taking Houston down with his hair. He applies a hammerlock and knees the arm for 2.

Houston comes back with a side kick and a punch for 2. Side headlock takedown follows and Dundee's shoulders are down for 2. Houston attempts a bulldog but Dundee blocks. Dundee tries to suplex out of it but Houston lands on his feet. Houston rolls Dundee up with an O'Connor roll for 2 as Dundee pulls Houston's trunks. Dundee grabs the trunks and pulls Houston out of the ring. Dundee comes off the apron with a double ax handle. Dundee rams Houston on the apron. Houston comes back with an atomic drop that sends Dundee flying over the guardrail. Dundee eventually makes it back to the apron as Houston slingshots him back in the ring for 2. A punch sends Dundee to the corner but he delivers a kick to get out. Dundee climbs the top turnbuckle and nails a nice diving fist drop for 2. Dundee continues to work over Houston with kicks and fish hooking. Snapmare and a chinlock follow. Some chant "Let's go Sam" as Dundee yells at them. 

Dundee lets go and rakes Houston's face with his boots. Bionic elbow gets 2. Dundee then does Dusty Rhodes' jabs and and double throat thrust. Dundee hits another bionic elbow for 2. Dundee lands another punch which drops Houston and applies the boston crab. Houston muscles out and attempts a pin for 2. Dundee catches Houston's arms with his legs and rolls Houston but the two are in the ropes. Dundee chokes Houston with the ring rope and throws him through the ropes to the outside. As Houston makes it back to the ring, Dundee climbs the top turnbuckle and walks the ropes to catch Houston with diving double ax handle for 2. Nice spot from Dundee. Dundee hooks a front headlock. Houston gets up and escapes by ramming Dundee into the corner. Houston gets some punches which drop Dundee. Houston whips Dundee to the ropes and connects with an elbow for 2. Houston drops a knee. Houston hits a bodyslam but misses a second knee. Dundee starts working over the knee, puts it on the second rope, and hits it with a jumping seated senton. Dundee applies a toehold. Dundee tries to spin but Houston kicks Dundee off and into the ref. Frustrated, Dundee grabs Houston's boot which came off and nails Houston with it but the ref sees it and disqualifies Dundee at 10:24. After the match, Dundee whips Houston with the boot and taunts the fans to boos.

Thoughts: *** Surprisingly this was a good match. Houston was good as the young, fast, and talented babyface while Dundee was good playing the wily, cheating heel who knows all the tricks and shortcuts though his cheating eventually backfires. I give Dundee a lot of credit as I thought he would just do a bunch of cheap Memphis tactics like stalling but he kept up well with Houston. I liked his rope walk diving double ax handle and he took some good bumps. Both threw good punches. Dundee would go on to win the belt in January.

Hair Match: Jimmy Valiant (w/Big Mama) vs. Paul Jones (w/Manny Fernandez) (Greensboro)- Oh great, just what I need. A Jimmy Valiant match. Valiant was the NWA version of George "The Animal" Steele. He was over with the people but he sucked in the ring and was annoying. Like Steele in the WWF, Valiant was a near guarantee to have the worst matches on the show at least from the 1980s onward. The Hair stip in this match is Jones loses his hair if loses while Big Mama loses her hair if Valiant loses. "Raging Bull" Manny Fernandez is also suspended in a shark cage. This story has dragged on and off for two years but largely got intense by 1986 where both Shaska Whatley and Manny Fernandez both aligning and then turning on Valiant to join Jones. From there, both Whatley and Valiant have suffered haircuts. Before the match begins, Fernandez being the typical heel refuses to enter the cage until he's forced in by Baron Von Rashke, Nelson Royal, Tim Horner, and Wahoo McDaniel.

Valiant starts punches, whips Jones to the corner, and catches him coming out with a punch. Valiant kicks Jones and beals him out of the corner. Valiant gets a thumb to the throat. Jones punches the stomach but Valiant no sells and gets a Back rake followed by a chest rake. Jones takes control with a kick but it doesn't last long as Valiant comes back by reversing a whip to the ropes and catches Jones with a hip toss. Valiant gets a shitty eye rake. Valiant chokes in the corner until referee Earl Hebner gets Valiant off. Jones gets a foreign object out and hits Valiant with it. Jones works over Valiant who's busted open and Jones pins for 2. Another pin attempt but Valiant gets his leg on the ropes. Jones tries to drop a knee on it but misses to a pop. The foreign object is once again used for 2. Indian deathlock is blocked and Valiant takes control with more punching to a pop. Valiant whips Jones' to the ropes and catches him with a sleeper hold. Jones grabs his object but Valiant pushes him into the turnbuckle and Jones drops the object. Valiant gets the object and KOs Jones to win at 4:00 to a big pop despite Hebner clearly able to see the foreign object in Valiant's fist. Afterwards, Jones gets his head shaved until Fernandez & Rude (the future Tag Team Champions) lay out Valiant. Rude holds Valiant as Fernandez comes off the second turnbuckle with a european uppercut. Rude works over Valiant while Fernandez grabs a chair. Fernandez and Rude then hit an elevated Problem Solver like DDT on a chair. Von Raschke and Wahoo come out to check on Valiant.

Thoughts: DUD, Lousy match but at least it was short which is probably why I'm generous to give it a DUD. I'm surprised this wasn't the worst match of the show. A rarity for Valiant but to be fair, it wasn't for a lack of trying on his part as his punches looked like crap and his mannerisms were annoying. Hell, he fucked up the finish by still having the foreign object in his fist and Hebner clearly saw it during the pin. I guess I'll give him credit for bleeding well.

Schiavone hypes the upcoming Bunkhouse Stampede.

We then go to Bob Taylor in the control room who previews the Bunkhouse Stampede before sending us to Nelson Royal who explains it in a campfire as we get clips of one. Long story short, The Bunkhouse Stampede is a battle royal where wrestlers can come as they are like wearing jeans and boots while being able to bring weapons. Nice bit to hype the Bunkhouse which was the next big thing for NWA/Crockett.

We go to Intermission.

We're back as Schiavone then hypes the 1987 Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament in April before Bob Taylor sends us to clips from 1986. The events will be held at the Baltimore Arena on April 10^th and April 11^th. Pretty far off but good to start plugging.

Louisville Street Fight: Big Bubba Rogers (w/Jim Cornette) vs. Ron Garvin (Atlanta)- The rules for this match are the only way to win is by pinfall or if the opponent doesn't get up before a 10 count. Rogers is, of course, best known as the Big Boss Man. Bubba is replacing Nikita Koloff who turned babyface and was moved to the main event after Magnum TA's career ending car accident.

Bubba goes a tie up but Garvin ducks and hits a jab. Another tie up is dodged and Garvin hits another jab. Once again Bubba fails to get Garvin and gets punched. Bubba goes to Cornette for advice. Test of strength is teased but Garvin gets several punches which drop Bubba to a big pop and he bails. Back in the ring, Bubba throws Garvin out. For some reason, referee Tommy Young is counting Garvin on the outside despite it being a street fight. Back in again, Bubba gets some forearms and then a sloppy sequence takes place with Garvin getting thrown out again. Back in, Garvin throws a drink in Bubba and starts jabbing away until Bubba bails out for more advice. Back in, Garvin gets a front facelock before he transitions to choking but Bubba comes back by working over Garvin in the corner. Garvin gets hit with a roll of coins but comes back at 8. Bubba gets a knee and some punches which drop Garvin but he gets up at 8. Bubba hits a bodyslam and a splash for 2.

Bubba gets up and lets Young count Garvin but he gets up at 8. Garvin makes the comeback with a kick to the stomach and (what else) punching. They go out for a bit with more punching and Garvin chokes Bubba with some green rope. Garvin bites to a pop. Garvin hits jabs until Bubba comes back with a kick to the stomach, a forearm, and a knee. Bubba gets a bearhug but Garvin gets out with headbutts. Bubba gets another bearhug but Garvin gets out with headbutts. Garvin hits more jabs and punches which send Bubba over and out to the floor. Again, why is Young counting in a street fight where there's no count outs? Back in, Garvin hits more punches which sends Bubba to the outside and Garvin follows. Garvin hits more punches until Bubba stops selling and knees the stomach before throwing Garvin back in. Back in, Bubba tries to climb the top turnbuckle but gets thrown off. Garvin pins but gets 1 as Bubba's kick out sends Garvin on top of Young. Garvin gets a pulling piledriver but Cornette loads up his tennis racket and hits Garvin with it and both are out. Referee Tommy Young counts to 10 but since there must be a winner, Young declares that the first wrestler to his feet will win. Cornette comes in to yell at Bubba to get up but gets pushed out by Young to a pop. Garvin gets up first but Bubba distracts Young long enough for Cornette to whack Garvin in the knee with the racket and Bubba gets up to win at 11:50. After the match, fans chant “bullshit”.

Thoughts: -* Horrible match as it was sloppy, boring, and way too tame for a street fight as the roll of coins and rope were the only weapons used. I also didn't get Young counting wrestlers out of the ring. It's a street fight. How do you get counted out in a street fight? I did like Garvin trying to stick and move at the beginning and the pulling piledriver looked good but that's it.

NWA World Television Championship/First Blood: Dusty Rhodes (c) vs. Tully Blanchard (w/JJ Dillon) (Greensboro)- First Blood, of course, is when a wrestler can only win by forcing their opponent to bleed. Rhodes gets a special boxing/MMA entrance where we see him leave the dressing room, walk through the back, and to the ring. In one of the dumbest things I've seen, Rhodes shaved the side of his head and wrote "Tully" in black marker around the ears. You know, I'm all for wrestlers wanting to do something to show how personal their feuds are but shaving parts of your hair and writing your arch rival's name in black marker isn't right. If anything, Rhodes looks more like a crazed stalker. Aside from the Dusty Rhodes n' Friends vs. The Four Horsemen story, these two go back nearly two years as they traded the World Television Championship back and forth during the first half of 1985 while Blanchard would later beat Rhodes for the National Heavyweight Championship earlier in 86. Because they're heels, Blanchard and Dillon try to put headgear on Blanchard to prevent him from bleeding but Earl Hebner won't allow it. They then try to put vaseline on Blanchard's face but Hebner wipes it off with a towel. Dillon gets in Rhodes' face and takes the bionic elbow which causes him to bleed.

They circle as we get a loud “Dusty” chant and Blanchard misses a jumping knee in the corner. Rhodes gets a kick to the leg. They tie up with Blanchard muscling Rhodes in the corner but Rhodes blocks a punch. They separate and Rhodes keeps Blanchard at bay by positioning the bionic elbow knowing it made Dillon bleed. They stall a bit with Rhodes strutting until Blanchard gets a knee and forearms the face in the corner but misses a second and Rhodes escapes the corner. Rhodes grabs Blanchard to set up a punch but Blanchard gets out of the way. Blanchard gets a leg kick and takes Rhodes down but misses a fist drop. Rhodes attempts a punch but Blanchard bails. Back in, Rhodes hits a headbutt and Dillon wants the ref to check Rhodes but no one is bleeding. Snapmare and Rhodes stomps the leg. Rhodes gets Blanchard in the corner where he gets some body shots but Blanchard keeps blocking his face. Blanchard grabs Rhodes' leg but Rhodes positions the bionic elbow and connects to a good pop but Blanchard's not bleeding. Rhodes drops Blanchard with a chop and drops an elbow to Blanchard's knee. Rhodes another elbow to the knee. Blanchard eventually bails and again, we're getting a count. Why? It's a First Blood match. You can't win or lose on a count out. Back in, Blanchard misses a punch. Blanchard hits a knee to the stomach and a punch. Blanchard snapmares Rhodes, drops an elbow, and rakes the forehead until Rhodes snapmares out of it.

Rhodes stomps away and follows with a spinning forearm to Blanchard but no blood. Rhodes rams Blanchard into the turnbuckle and works him over while Blanchard desperately tries to protect his face. Dillon trips Rhodes, who fall on top of referee Earl Hebner. Blanchard jumps off the second turnbuckle with Dillon's shoe but Rhodes catches him and rams him in the corner. Rhodes hits a suplex but hits the ref. Rhodes considers using the shoe but decides to hit another bionic elbow. Mounted punches follow and Blanchard is bleeding but the referee is out. Rhodes drops Blanchard with punches and showboats for a bit while Dillon frantically tries to wipe the blood off Blanchard & apply vaseline. Blanchard is then handed a roll of coins which he nails Rhodes with making Rhodes bleed. The referee wakes up and sees Rhodes bleeding first which gives Blanchard the win and the title at 7:30. After the match, Rhodes throws a fit and explains things but the decision is final.

Thoughts: **1/2 This was a hard match to rate. Pace wise, it was really slow which at times hurt the match and can make it come off dull. Psychology wise, I thought it was good with both playing it cautiously to avoid running into a shot to the face. I liked them putting their arms up or Rhodes trying to goad Blanchard to charge into a bionic elbow. My biggest complaint was the format as this match came right after the Louisville Street Fight and while this was much better, I thought they had some similarities like a No DQ match, blood, heel using a roll of coins, and heel winning due to heel shenanigans. Putting them back to back probably wasn't smart even if they were running in two different cities.

Scaffold Match: The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) vs. The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette & Big Bubba Rogers) (Atlanta)- The story here is the Midnight Express and Cornette beat up the Road Warriors and Ellering on the September 13, 1986 edition of World Championship Wrestling and put them out for several weeks (In reality, this was a way to write the Road Warriors out so they can tour for All Japan Pro Wrestling). Weeks later, on the October 25^th edition of World Championship Wrestling, the match is announced in the now famous segment where the Road Warriors are at a construction site on a scaffold and proceed to throw pumpkins with Condrey and Eaton's names on them from the scaffold at which point the camera goes into slow motion as the pumpkins go splat on the concrete. The tagline for this event “The Night of the Skywalkers” is due to this match. In the scaffold match, both teams are on a 25 ft scaffold and the only way to win is to throw or knock the other team off the scaffold.

The Midnights take a bit to climb the scaffold. Eventually they climb up and it's Hawk/Dennis Condrey and Animal/Bobby Eaton. Mostly punching going on as there's not much they can do. Road Warriors take control and the Midnights are clinging to the scaffold. Hawk works over Condrey and rakes the eyes while Eaton rakes Animal's eyes and works over him. Eaton rakes Animal again as Condrey tosses powder into Hawk's eyes. Eaton follows by throwing powder into Animal's eyes. Condrey rams Hawk into the railing while Eaton chokes Animal. Hawk is barely hanging on as Condrey rakes his eyes and rams him on the scaffold. Eaton starts hanging on the scaffold, trying to pull Animal down but quickly has second thoughts. Hawk regains control with a double ax handle and rams Condrey on the scaffold. Eaton climbs back up but Animal takes control and Eaton's bleeding. Condrey is now bleeding and trying to climb under the scaffold. Hawk follows and a brawl on the ladder part takes place. Now Eaton and Animal start climbing down and all four are under the scaffold. All four are hanging on the monkey bars under the scaffold where Hawk keeps swinging and kicking Condrey while Animal does the same to Eaton. Condrey gets knocked off and Eaton follows giving the Road Warriors the win at 7:00. Afterwards, Cornette tries to cheap shot Ellering but Ellering grabs the racket. The Warriors and Ellering chase Cornette up the scaffold where he tries to escape by climbing down and starts dangling underneath. Bubba is supposed to catch him but because of his hat and sunglasses, he's a few inches off. Ultimately, Cornette drops like a stone in the ring and fucks his knee up badly which will affect him for decades to come.

Thoughts: ** Better than I remember it as they pulled off some cool things using the railing and fighting on the rungs of the scaffold which is about all you can do in this match. Ultimately, they tried their best but a scaffold is more about the sizzle than steak as it's more about the visual of the combatants on top a 25 ft. scaffold and them falling off it. Unfortunately, due to limitations, it's not known for it's classics.

Back to Bob Taylor in the Starrcade Control Center where they show clips of the 1985 and 1986 Great American Bash tours while bringing up the tour will return in 1987. Talk about planning ahead.
We go to intermission

Then we go to the credits despite the fact there's still two matches left.

NWA World Tag Team Championship/Steel Cage: The Rock n' Roll Express (c) vs. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Greensboro)- This was a great example of the horrible editing jobs that Turner Home Entertainment and the NWA/WCW were doing at the time. This match took place after the TV Title but aired first on the home video so as a result we hear Caudle and Weaver give away the result of the TV Title match to the home video viewers.

Ole and Gibson start with tie ups. Ole attempts a punch but hits the fence instead. Ole muscles Gibson to the corner but misses a forearm. Another tie up with Ole managing to get Gibson into his corner and tags Arn. All four are in the ring, while the ref tries to get Morton back to his corner, the Crew double team Gibson. Gibson comes back by ramming Arn into the cage several times. Arn get caught in the RnR corner and takes some shots from Morton. Tag to Ole, who gets a kick, a punch, and rams Gibson in the corner but Gibson blocks and fights out of the corner. Tag to Morton who works over Ole with punches and drops him to a pop. Ole comes back with a knee and a snapmare but Morton kicks him off. Tag to Arn as the fans loudly chant “Rock n' Roll”. Tie up and Arn hits a knee and tries to ram Morton into the cage but Morton blocks. Tie up with Arn getting a side headlock and transitioning to a hammerlock but Morton gets his own and punches Arn. Tag to Gibson, who gets the arm but Arn sends him to the corner and works him over. Gibson reverses a whip into another corner but misses with the jumping knee. Arn rams the knee into the cage several times and tags Ole, who kicks and stomps the knee. The knee gets set up on the bottom rope and Ole jumps on it with a seated senton.

Tag to Arn, who continues the punishment of the knee by driving it to the canvas. Spinning toe hold is blocked and Gibson kicks Arn into the fence to a pop. Tag to Ole and the punishment continues as Ole stomps the knee as the fans give a "Rock n' Roll" chant. Ole continues to work over the leg and gets a leglock until Gibson fights out but Ole tags Arn and keeps Gibson from tagging. Arn drops an elbow and drives his knee repeatedly into Gibson's. Arn gets a leglock. Finally, Gibson gets up, hits an enzuigiri, and tags Morton. Morton cleans house but not for long as Ole takes advantage and rams Morton to the cage. Morton gets rammed again and Ole works him over in the corner. Ole gets a snapmare for 2. Ole kicks the arm and applies a wristlock as the fans chant “Rock n' Roll”. Morton fights back but Ole scissors Morton's leg to prevent the tag while tagging Arn. Arn works over Morton and bites him in the corner as Morton is busted open.

Arn rakes Morton on the cage. Arn instigates Gibson which distracts the referee and allows Ole in for cheap shots. Arn rakes Morton on the cage again and works him over in the corner. Morton tries to fight back but Arn hits the arm and works it over on the rope. Tag to Ole who stomps on the arm and wraps it around the ropes. Ole whips Morton hard into another corner with Morton running arm first into it and bouncing out of the corner. Ole applies an armbar, releases it, and stomps the arm. Ole rams Morton arm first into Arn's knee. Tag to Arn who bodyslams Morton on to his arm and drops a knee on the arm. Arn climbs the second turnbuckle and comes off but Morton catches him with a punch to the stomach. Ole comes in to stomp away and then Gibson follows but is sent back which allows Ole to throw Morton into the cage again. Ole hits a shoulderbreaker for 2 and rams Morton into Arn's knee. Tag to Arn as Morton tries to fight back but Arn stops it and wraps the arm around the ropes.

Arn works over Morton, whips him to the ropes, misses a chop, and Morton comes off the ropes with a knee lift. Both are down. Arn prevents the tag and tags Ole who stomps Morton and applies an armbar. Fans chant “Rock n' Roll”. Morton again starts to fight back but Ole stops it and wraps the arm around the ropes. Ole distracts the ref allowing Arn to get cheap shots in. Ole grabs the arm but Morton comes back with attacks on the leg. However, Arn tags in and prevents the hot tag. The MWC double team Morton. Arn whips Morton to the ropes, misses the forearm but nails the Spinebuster for 2 as Gibson breaks the pin. Tag to Ole, who hits a diving knee on the arm. I love that move, you don't see it a lot outside of Ole. Ole applies an armbar to the bloody Morton as the fans chant “Rock n' Roll”. Morton eventually escapes with punches but Ole pulls Morton down with the hair only for Morton to kick him off. Ole gets a side headlock, Morton whips him to the ropes, and both collide into each other. Tag to Arn, who works over the neck as the fans chant "Rock n' Roll". Morton begins to fight back and both fall to the canvas. Tag to Ole who prevents the tag with a running knee. Morton attempts to fight back but not for long as Ole gets a knee. Bodyslam is reversed into a small package but Arn breaks the pin. All four in the ring, as Ole picks Morton up but Gibson hits a dropkick with Morton falling on top to retain at 20:20. After the match, The MWC beat down the RnR until they escape the cage.

Thoughts: ** Definitely not as good as I remember it. This was a decent match but pretty overrated. Both teams were great at what they do with the MWC picking a body part and working over to heel beatdowns while The Rock n' Roll are as great as anyone in the babyface in peril while the fans cheer them on. That said, this match felt like 95% MWC on offense and it went on and on and on. Again, both teams are great at what they do but this needed to be more even. Another issue was the same thing we've been seeing this show is certain matches are supposed to be No DQ but we still have rules. I know this was 1986 and times were a bit different but what's with the tag format in a cage match? I can't get past that. Anyway, this match would be important as Ole taking the pin loss along with other reasons would see him get kicked out of the Horsemen by early 87.

Before the next match and in between Flair and Koloff's entrances, we get a music video of Magnum TA running on the beach while, I believe, his mom is watching. Nice touch and tribute to Magnum who was supposed to have his big moment here only for a career ending injury to prevent it. Also, it's pretty clear Magnum's accident cast a dark cloud on this show.

NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ric Flair (c) vs. Nikita Koloff (Atlanta)- Originally this match was scheduled to be Ric Flair defending against Magnum TA where Magnum would finally win the title as the hope in the promotion was that Magnum could become the NWA's answer to Hulk Hogan and take them to the next level. Unfortunately, it what's probably the worst timed injury in wrestling, Magnum would be involved in a serious car accident on October 14^th which ended his in-ring career. Taking advantage of the growing relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, Rhodes and the NWA booked Koloff to turn babyface and become Rhodes' new tag team partner with the story being Koloff gained respect for Magnum following their famous Best of seven series matches during the summer. With that, the American Dream and the Russian Nightmare become the Superpowers. Koloff was the United States Champion but that title isn't on the line. I like Koloff's entrance with the way the lighting is from the moment he emerges through the curtains to him walking to the ring. Bad ass stuff.

They circle and tie up to start with Koloff shoving Flair. Another tie up and shove. Flair bails for a bit to regroup and returns to the ring. Test of strength which Koloff obviously wins but Flair gets Koloff in the corner and starts chopping which is no sold. Flair bails again. Back in, Koloff gets a side headlock with Flair trying to power out but Koloff just shoves him into the canvas. Flair trash talks. They attempt a tie up but Flair hits a knee to the stomach and sends Koloff to the corner. Flair tries to hip toss Koloff out of the corner but it's blocked and Koloff gets his own. Koloff sends Flair to the corner and hip tosses him out. Koloff follows with two bodyslams and taunts to cheers. Flair hooks a side headlock but Koloff whips him off and Flair comes off the ropes with a shoulder block to no effect. Flair attempts a second but gets caught in a bearhug. Koloff lowers Flair's shoulder to the ground in a pinning combination while still applying pressure with the bearhug in a cool move but it only gets 2. Back to the bearhug but Flair is able to make into corner for the break. Koloff nails a few shoulder blocks in the corner and whips Flair to the other corner but misses a charge.

Flair hits a suplex but Koloff no sells. Flair begs off and bails out again. Back in, they tie up with Koloff getting a side headlock. Flair muscles Koloff to the corner and gets some shoulder blocks and chops. Flair gets two side headlocks and a punch each. Flair gets a side headlock, Koloff whips him to the ropes, and Flair comes off the ropes with a shoulder block to no effect. Flair comes off the ropes again but Koloff takes him down with a choke. Koloff signals for and attempts the russian sickle but Flair ducks and Koloff flies over and out to the floor. Flair heads out as Koloff comes in, Flair sends Koloff to the corner, and rams the leg into the post repeatedly. Back in, Flair gets a chop block. Koloff gets up but Flair kicks the leg, hits a few chops, and gets a single leg takedown. Figure four is applied with Flair getting the ropes for added leverage behind the referee's back. Flair gets a 2 count. Flair works over Koloff's leg as Koloff hobbles around.

Koloff gets raked with the ropes. Chops in the corner from Flair but Koloff no sells and fights out of the corner. Koloff works over Flair in the corner until Flair fights out. Koloff gets a side headlock with Flair whipping him to the ropes and he comes off the ropes with a shoulder block. Koloff comes off the ropes again but Flair grabs him and throws him through the ropes to the outside. Flair follows out and rams Koloff into the scaffold which busts Koloff open. Back in the ring, Koloff gets raked across the ropes. Snapmare and Flair drops the knee for 2. Belly-to-back suplex gets 2. Flair starts punching in the forehead but only angers Koloff and he starts to make the comeback. Koloff hits shoulder blocks in the corner, a bodyslam, and a hip toss from the corner. Koloff whips Flair to the corner with Flair attempting a Flair flip but Flair falls to the floor.

Koloff follows but gets headbutted. Flair tries to ram Koloff into the scaffold but Koloff blocks and rams Flair instead. Back in, Koloff rams Flair to the scaffold again from the ring. Flair heads back in but gets rammed arm first into the corner. They exchange offense with Flair taking a Flair Flop. Koloff applies a side headlock but Flair whips him off only for Koloff to come off the ropes with the a jumping shoulder bump hitting Flair who bumps into referee: Tommy Young who flies through the ropes to the floor. I love how Tommy Young is considered one of the all time great refs but during these matches, he comes off like a klutz who always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Flair gets an eye poke and whips Koloff into the corner but Koloff rebounds with the Russian Sickle. Koloff covers but no referee. Koloff tries to pull Tommy Young back in allowing Flair to nail him with a jumping knee for 2 as referee Scrappy McGowen comes in. Koloff attempts another Russian Sickle but Flair dodges and it hits McGowen. Tommy Young tries to separate but gets shoved and it's a double disqualification at 20:00. After the match, both wrestlers keep brawling. Eventually, Bubba, Jimmy Garvin, and Dundee come in to help Flair before Houston, the Jayhawks, Ron Garvin and Armstrong come in to even things. Finally, the faces keep Koloff at bay while the heels do the same with Flair before Flair leaves.

Thoughts: ***1/2 Really good main event, much better than I remember. The story was well told with Koloff having the advantage with his strength while Flair had to rely on picking apart Koloff or wait for an opening after Koloff made a mistake. I like Flair didn't do all his usual stuff and he went for the leg without Koloff having to accidentally hurt it. Meanwhile, I liked Koloff's moves like the bearhug pin and choke takedown. The DDQ result was the best and worst choice for a finish as for the main event of a show like this is probably the worst result you can book but neither really should've lost so it was the best as well. In the end, that's the hand the NWA was given. As mentioned, they obviously thought this would be Magnum TA's coronation and assent to superstar status but fate had other plans.

Schiavone and Stewart wrap things up as we end with stills and clips from the show.

Final Thoughts and Verdict
Starrcade 1986 was a weak show for the most part and pretty long at nearly four hours. Only three matches crack the three star range which is bad for the biggest show of the year. The World Title, Central States, and the opening tag are good to really good but everything else is either terrible or decent at best. The first half of the show mostly features decent at best to lousy and boring at worst. None of the big matches are great as the Louisville Street Fight is a worst match of the year candidate, the TV Title and scaffold matches were decent but nothing special, the World Tag Title match is overrated, and the World Title is the best on the show. Along with these issues, the loss of Magnum TA was definitely felt and you can't help but wonder how much bigger the show could've been if he were there and won the world title. Overall, I've seen far worse Starrcades but this one is still weak as there's no great or amazing matches and the ending of the show is kind of flat which is none of the things you want for the biggest show of the year. With all that plus the long run time, I can't really recommend this show.

Not Recommended

Starrcade 1986 Facts-
First Starrcade to feature a scaffold match

First Starrcade to feature a first blood match

First Starrcade to have a match go to a draw

First Starrcade to have a match end in a double disqualification

First Starrcade to have a NWA United States Tag Team Championship match

Second and last Starrcade to be held in two venues simultaneously

The only Starrcade to have the Central States Heavyweight Championship defended

The only Starrcade to have a strap match

Final Starrcade to be held or co-held at the Greensboro Coliseum

Nikita Koloff replaced Magnum TA in the main event. Magnum was forced into retirement after being severely injured in a car accident on October 14^th.

Ron Garvin was originally scheduled to face Nikita Koloff but the match changed when Koloff replaced Magnum TA in the main event. He was replaced by Big Bubba Rogers.

At four hours, Starrcade 1986 is the longest Starrcade in history.