Post by Leo on Dec 24, 2023 12:00:42 GMT -5
WCW Starrcade International for 12.24.23
Live from the Sydney SuperDome in Sydney, Australia
Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Gary Michael Cappetta
Interviewer: SoCal Val
Referees: Tommy Young, Joey Marella at Charles Robinson
“The Man With the Hands of Stone” Ronnie Garvin vs. One Man Gang with “Number One” Paul Jones
Referee: Charles Robinson
OMG jumps Garvin at the bell and dominates for most of it, just clubbing him around the ring and hitting power moves. He locks Garvin in a bearhug and really grinds on him. Garvin gets a second wind and breaks the hold with two bell ringers. Garvin with a Superman punch that staggers OMG a little. A second Superman punch staggers him more. A third Superman punch has him falling into the ropes and getting his arms wrapped in the ring ropes. Garvin wales on him until Robinson backs him off to release Gang. Jones jumps up on the apron and tries to hit Garvin with his cane. Garvin slugs him and the cane falls into the ring. Garvin snaps it over his knee. OMG attacks from behind, slings Garvin into the near corner and gets an Avalanche. He whips him to the opposite corner and tries again, but Garvin gets a boot up. Garvin with a double ax handle from the second turnbuckle. Stone Cutter (inverted stunner) for the victory.
Winner: Ronnie Garvin by pinfall at 8:29.
Post match, Jones jumps on Garvin’s back and Ronnie tries to shake him off. OMG gets the broken cane, nails Garvin with it and then gouges him in the eye with the broken end and it looks like he’s trying to take his eye out. Security comes out, followed by medical.
— — — — —
Hulk Hogan talks with Bret Hart in the back about keeping his eyes and ears open during Risky Business. Bret corrects him that it’s WarGames. Yeah, that too. Bret tells Hogan that the Hart Foundation has this. Hogan knows the pink and black will have no trouble with the black and white. Bret says if Hogan believes that, then just stay out of it and let them take care of it.
— — — — —
Jake “The Snake” Roberts promos in the ring. “The past few weeks I’ve been giving lessons to Brian Pillman. But I never said which one. Brian Pillman Jr., you’ve been living in your father’s shadow for far too long. He’s not let you fight your own fights. He got you injured and beat up by sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. He’s kept you on the sidelines. He even picked the Armstrong Brothers over you to stand with him against my Snake Pit. Now, I admit a snake hisses with a forked tongue, but you look deep inside and you’ll know I’m right. Brian Pillman Jr., now is the time you need to stand on your own two feet as a man, to hell with your dad. Trust me.”
Snake Pit Match (loser is dumped into a casket full of snakes and the lid closed)
Brian Pillman Sr. vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
No Referee
Since the two rings are set-up for WarGames, the snake casket is set-up in the second ring. Pillman blitzes Roberts to start in the first ring. Roberts reverses a whip into a short arm clothesline. He follows with a swinging knee lift. Jake slows it down with an arm bar. Pillman works up the second turnbuckle and flips over Roberts to snap his arm and break the hold. Pillman hits several arm drags. Roberts goes into the corner and asks Pillman for a time out. Pillman goes to hit him, but Roberts hits a low blow. He gets a hot shot. Release inverted slingshot suplex drops Pillman into the second ring. Robert with a dropping fistdrop off the second turnbuckle. Jake with another short arm clothesline. He gets a microphone and tells Brian Pillman Jr. to come out. This allows Pillman to recover and he hits a spinning wheel kick to the back. Tornado DDT leads to a hangman’s neckbreaker. Side Russian leg sweep and Pillman does a cross armbreaker with head scissors. Pillman Jr. comes out and opens the casket lid for his dad. Brian lets Jake go, embraces his son, then turns around back to Jake and Brian Jr. hits his dad in the back. Jake recovers, gives Brian Jr. an evil smile and then hits a DDT on Brian Sr. He throws Brian into the casket full of snakes and grabs the microphone. “Shut the lid on your father and on this miserable chapter in your career. Be reborn, all you have to do is trust me.” Brian Jr. slams the lid shut and exits with Jake.
Winner: Jake Roberts by Brian Pillman being put into the casket and the lid closed at 15:15.
— — — — —
Dusty Rhodes cuts a promo on Steve Austin. “Tonight is the night the American Dream achieves his dream here in the great country and continent of Australia. I’m going to return to the states from the land down under with the WCW World Heavyweight Title around my waist. Now it might be a little flabby and my booty a little wide. I might not be as stunning as Steve or as stone cold. But, Big Dust is not just the American Dream, but the International Dream here tonight at Starrcade International and when I whip Steve Austin within an inch of his life tonight with this here bull rope with cowbell on it, I do it for every man, woman and child in this building, everyone watching at home and everyone in the great state of Texas and anybody out there whoever had a dream.”
— — — — —
AEW International Title
Brian Cage © vs. “The Ultimate Olympian” Kurt Angle
Referee: Tommy Young
Winner: Brian Cage by pinfall at 7:32.
Angle pops up post match like nothing happened, runs around the ring some more and then goes to the back. Cage looks after him like ‘this fucking guy.’
— — — — —
Steve Austin cut a promo on Dusty Rhodes. “Look at this dumb son of a bitch trying to prove who the better Texan is in a Texas Bull Rope Match here in Australia. The Stunning One is going to dump this dummy here down under once and for all. I’m the WCW World Heavyweight Champion and I sure as hell am not going to lose it to a fat tub of lard whose ability to speak English should put all of Texas to shame. And that's the bottom line, because Stunning Steve said so.”
— — — — —
WCW World Tag Team Titles
Perfectly Wonderful (Curt Hennig and Paul Orndorff) © with Col. Robert Fuller vs. Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray)
Referee: Joey Marella
Winners: No contest at 10:40.
— — — — —
Brian Pillman Jr. is in the back with Jake Roberts. “I realized sitting on my rear backstage that Jake Roberts was right. My father hasn’t let me do anything for weeks. And, I know, deep down he blames me for everything that’s been going wrong for him with Roberts and the Snake Pit. I never asked you to fight my battles for me. I asked you to fight alongside me. I wanted to be your backup and you chose the Armstrongs. You always send me to the back. You always rush to my side without letting me prove myself on my own. Well, now I’m out from under your shadow.”
Jake laughs evilly. “Brian, your son has proven that he has surpassed the father. He knew I was right and you were wrong. I’m going to let him fight his own battles and stand on his own. He’s going to be the Viper in my Snake Pit, striking when he’s ready. And that’s who he is now, Viper Pillman.”
— — — — —
$1,000 per minute challenge - Winner pays the loser the time of the match by the thousands of dollars
“Lionheart” Chris Jericho vs. Magnum TA
Referee: Charles Robinson
Magnum cockily plays keepaway from Jericho trying to rack up the time and increase the amount of money he’ll get when he wins. He goes back and forth between the two rings. Jericho finally catches him with a double jump springboard dropkick. Jericho with a spinning heel kick and he drives Magnum into the near corner with backhand chops. Magnum reverses a whip, Jericho bounces out of the corner and goes right into a clothesline. Magnum works an abdominal stretch, again ramping the time up. Jericho hip tosses out eventually. Backstabber sets up a Lionsault, but Magnum gets his knees up. Magnum impresses with a Mexican surfboard. He eventually lets that go and then stretches Jericho by the arms while standing on his lower back. Magnum drops a few knees to the lower back. Full nelson slam.
Diving knee drop misses. Jericho with the Breakdown. He tries the Lionsault again, but his back is hurting too much and he falls off the ropes. Magnum grabs Jericho and slams his head into the top turnbuckle three times. He chokes Jericho out on the top rope and then jerks the rope back so he lands on his back on the canvas. Diving knee drop lands, but only gets a two count. Magnum cinches the belly to belly suplex, but Jericho blocks and punches out. Standing enzuigiri. One handed bulldog. Flashback gets a two count. The back spasms again, but Jericho was faking and Magnum runs right into the Judas Effect for the loss.
Winner: Chris Jericho by pinfall at 17:22, meaning he takes $17,000 of Magnum TA’s money.
— — — — —
The nWo are in their dressing room and L.A. Knight is rallying the troops. They have a secret strategy that can’t miss. Tonight they end the Hart Foundation once and for all. They become the kings of WarGames and the rulers of the WCW. This version of the nWo is the greatest ever. A true force to be reckoned with and they will prove that tonight. And that’s just a fact of life.
— — — — —
Texas Bullrope Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Title
“Stunning” Steve Austin © with Col. Robert Fuller vs. “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
Referee: Tommy Young
This is pinfall or submission rules, not tagging the ring corners. Austin loops the bull rope around the ring post and uses it to keep Rhodes at bay while he bashes Rhodes in the head with the cowbell on the rope. Rhodes is bleeding. Austin goes to whip Rhodes by the rope to the opposite corner, but Dusty reverses. He charges to eat a boot and Austin gets an elbow to the top of the head off the second turnbuckle. Austin tries to hogtie Rhodes, but he turns it into a small package. Rhodes comes back with a series of punches and his flip flop and fly. Fuller jumps on the apron with his loaded loafer. Dusty nails Fuller with the cowbell and Fuller drops the loafer in the ring and falls to the floor. He’s bleeding. Austin gets the shoe and goes to waffle Rhodes with it, but he spins around with the cowbell and clocks Austin with it. He’s bleeding now. Rhodes splash gets two. He wraps the rope around Austin’s throat and hangs him over the top rope. Fuller on all fours gets under Austin, so he doesn’t hang, and he’s able to get back to the apron. Austin pulls on the rope and drops to the floor, cursing Rhodes to choke himself out on the top rope. Austin back in and he works the cut on Rhodes’ head. He locks in the Rattlesnake Clutch, but Rhodes backs Steve into the near corner to break. Hip toss out of the corner. Dusty uses the rope for a clothesline. He does a fist drop with the ring bell and works Austin’s cut. Rhodes with the Weaver Lock. Fuller is out of it on the floor and eventually Austin fades. Young raises his hand three times, it falls three times and Young calls for the bell.
Winner and new WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Dusty Rhodes by submission at 19:50.
— — — — —
The Hart Foundation is in the back getting ready for WarGames. A production assistant sticks his head in the door and tells Harry Smith his father is on the phone for him from the U.S. Smith said he’s had lousy cell service in Australia, so he probably called the arena. Harry is happy to hear from his dad wishing him luck, because they were estranged when Davey Boy Smith left for the AWA. Bret tells him not to take too long and watch himself out there.
— — — — —
WCW Women’s Title
Wendi Richter © vs. Charlotte Flair
Referee: Joey Marella
Richter works a body scissors on the mat and Flair eventually powers out. Wendi tries to follow with a belly to belly suplex, but Flair blocks with a couple forearm shots and Flair reverses to a belly to belly suplex of her own. Hard whip to the corner and Richter goes to her rear. Queen’s boot in the corner, she then stomps a mudhole and walks it dry. Flair tries a bulldog out of the corner, but Richter blocks and gets an atomic drop. She turns around into a jumping clothesline. Richter goes for the True Colors DDT, but Flair blocks, drops to her knees and gets a double leg takedown. She tries the Figure Eight, but Richter pushes her out of it through the ropes to the floor. Flair sidesteps a suicide dive and Richter crashes into the ring barrier wall. Body slam on the floor. Flair rolls Richter back inside and hits her rare moonsault for the win.
Winner and new WCW Women’s Champion: Charlotte Flair by pinfall at 12:42.
— — — — —
Security grabs the Hart Foundation and rushes them to where Harry Smith has been beaten unconscious. It’s obvious he was jumped by the nWo and Davey Boy Smith wasn’t on the phone. Owen asks what they’re going to do and an enraged Hart, who’s made at Harry for being so stupid, says f*ck it, we’ll go three on four.
— — — — —
Nitro Girls perform and we get a hype video for the Tremendous Tussle on Jan. 28 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. It’s announced the first formal announced entrant will be Randy Savage, returning from injury.
— — — — —
WarGames
The Hart Foundation (Harry Smith, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart) vs. The nWo (Mike Bennett, Killer Kross, Will Hobbs and L.A. Knight)
All referees monitoring from ringside
Owen Hart and Mike Bennett start out and do some chain wrestling and fast back and forth stuff. Highlight is Bennett going for a flying crossbody and Hart does a drop down so Bennett smacks into the cage wall.
Segment Two
Hart catapults Bennett into Killer Kross as he enters. This allows Hart to take the advantage for a bit, but the numbers eventually get him. Highlight is a double team buckle bomb style move by the heels of Owen into the cage wall.
Segment Three
Jim Neidhart runs in and saves Owen. Hart and Bennett and Neidhart and Kross pair off. Highlight is the heels going for a whip of the faces into each other, but Owen and Jim do-si-do and come back with running charges into the heels. Neidhart then beats on Bennett and Jim works Kross.
Segment Four
Will Hobbs comes in and uses his power to give nWo the advantage again. He hits spinebusters on Hart and Neidhart.
Segment Five
Bret Hart comes in and pulls a pair of brass knuckles out of his tights. He nails all three members of the nWo as they charge at him. L.A. Knight complains to the officials, but there’s nothing against taking a weapon into the cage. Knight then gets a steel chair from under the ring.
Segment Six
Knight runs in with the chair. He swings it as Bret comes around with a punch and he gets whacked on the hand with the brass knuckles. Knight uses the chair on Owen and Jim. Hobbs and Kross hold Bret in place and Knight rears back for a massive unprotected chair shot to the head when what would have been the final segment ends.
Segment Seven
“When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside.” Hulk Hogan comes out wearing the pink and black of the Hart Foundation instead of the red and yellow. The crowd goes nuts. Hogan is still in forced retirement, but commentary theorizes that the WarGams parameters says any four members of the Hart Foundation against any four members of the nWo and it looks like Hogan has joined the Hart Foundation, so there’s his loophole.
Bennett, Kross and Hobbs charge at Hogan and he takes them all out with his big punches. Knight goes to hit Hogan with the chair and Hogan gives him a big boot to force the chair into his face. He falls with the chair across him and Hogan hits the leg drop on the chair. Bret recovers and asks Hogan what the hell he thinks he’s doing. Hogan says he’s saving his ass, brother. Bret says he doesn’t need saving. They argue and this allows Hobbs to grab the chair and waffle Hogan with it in the back. Bret gestures like ‘go ahead, take him.’ Bret walks out of the cage, also abandoning Jim and Owen. Hobbs helps with three spiked Gravy Trains on the chair while Kross and Bennett beat on Owen and Jim. Hogan is finally declared unable to continue.
Winner: The nWo by Hulk Hogan unable to continue at 41:10
The show ends with the nWo celebrating in the rings and Bret just looks back at the ring and shakes his head while the fans boo and throw junk at him. We fade out.