Hey! WWE Starrcade is tonight! Did… did you know that? It’s true! There’s honest-to-God gonna be a show of that name on the WWE Network tonight! And it’s got a whole PPV card and everything! Looks like a lot of fun! But unfortunately we’re only set to get a fraction of it… yeah, of the seven matches taking place, we’re only seeing two of them. An hour’s worth of a three hour event.
Why WWE have been doing this with Starrcade for the past couple of years when theoretically they could actually make a fairly big event out of this, given the name value and historic significance, is sorta hard to say. In many ways it feels like yet another petty knock on WCW to take their biggest annual show, their WrestleMania equivalent, and make it into a complete nothing happening filler event. Amidst the trademark disputes, it’s also possible that this is being done to keep the Starrcade license. It may work similarly to Hollywood where they must release a film of an IP every once in a while if they want to keep it.
Either way, let’s go ahead and get to the few things we’ll actually be able to see tonight.
Last Man Standing: Bobby Lashley vs. Rusev
Yes, after about two months of build, we’re finally seeing the first singles match between these two, on this of all shows! And as per tradition, the first bout in the rivalry is a high-level stip match. It will allow the two of them to go no holds barred though I wouldn’t really expect them to do anything too crazy. It’s generally thought that very few people will be watching this event at all, given the timing and lack of build. It’s reeeaaally not the night for wild stunts or brutal shots.
Still, they can have themselves a physical fight befitting the personal nature of the feud. But even though the Last Man Standing match is still considered a major feud ender by some, I have to think WWE is leaning on it as a stip with an easy out here. They’ve had these matches with double count outs six times in the past, and given the circumstance, I think it’s a safe enough bet that we’ll see the seventh here tonight. Nobody expects the feud to end here tonight after all, it’ll continue until atleast Tables, Ladders and Chairs in a couple of weeks.
So yeah, I’m assuming the two of them will fly through an LED board, take a drop off the stage together or, given how their last confrontation went, maybe they’ll each end up buried under some metal framing for the double count out. Lana will probably play some sort of part in making that happen. No contest.
