Every year, there are two WCW Starrcade PPVs that I watch: 1991 and 1996. This is mainly because they take place on my birthday but each show featured a few matches that I’ve come to appreciate. WCW Starrcade ‘91 took place during a time when the promotion had a pretty dope roster at the midcard and above position.
The rest of the roster was a hodge-podge. You’ll find a few undercard talents that you’d root their push. WCW—and the business in the U.S—were in a rough place at the time but the company still delivered on PPV. Let’s take a look back at Starrcade ‘91: Battle Bowl – The Lethal Lottery.
Skip These WCW Starrcade ’91 Matches
Most of Starrcade ‘91 comprised of tag team matches. It was the Battle Bowl, so you needed those Lethal Lottery tag matches to seed the big battle royal at the end. Actually, WCW could’ve held a battle royal but the Lethal Lottery tournament allowed for some interesting pairings and also helped fill out ten of the show’s eleven matches.
That said, not everything on the show was worth watching. First off, burn Dustin and Morton vs. Larry Z and El Gigante from your memory. Just assume that Dustin and Morton got a bye and don’t acknowledge the match. There was one great talent, one really good one if you love wrestling-wrestling, a good one with a ton of potential, and El Gi-f***ing-gante.
Why? Was it necessary to add him? Someone believes it was.
The seventh bout has four wrestlers that I really enjoy watching. Sting and Abdullah the Butcher team up against Bobby F***ing Eaton and Brian Pillman—in a short bout. You’d be able to pop out for a smoke and miss all of this match and all of Vader and Mr. Hughes vs. Rick Steiner and The Nightstalker (Bryan Clark).
Both of these matches should’ve gotten at least 8-10 minutes. Austin and Rude vs. Big Josh and Van Hammer got almost 13 minutes. Why? I mean Clark had just broken into the business and Hughes was alright at most but c’mon. And there’s no excuse for five minutes of Sting, Abby, Bobby F***ing Eaton, and Flyin’ Brian.
It’s just criminal.
You Could Probably Skip These Bouts
Going back up the card, Liger teams with my fellow Alabama resident Bill Kazmaier against DDP and Mike Graham. This wasn’t a bad match either. Kazmaier had several moments where he was awkward and probably would’ve benefited from being tag matches more often.
I will say that he didn’t drag the match down but this a match that you’d probably be like “Ehhh…I’ll watch it for Liger and DDP.”
Steamboat and Todd Champion taking on Cactus Jack and Buddy Lee Parker wasn’t a bad match at all. However, it was another one that isn’t going to catch your attention on paper. Everyone involved is solid at minimum wrestlers with Parker being the one with the least razzle-dazzle.
It’s a solid enough length though. Steamboat and Cactus are the star attractions in this one but meh.
Pairing “Stunning” Steve Austin with “Ravishing” Rick Rude would sound dope as hell until you see that they’re facing Big Josh and Van F’N Hammer. Big Josh is actually a fine wrestler who would gain his 90s success as the original Doink but Van Hammer? I ain’t ask for that!
Then this match was a bit lengthy by PPV standards. Someone up there really loved them some Van Hammer. That aside, it wasn’t bad at all. There’s a lot of “Not bad” and “Meh” on Starrcade ‘91.
You’d think “Why watch Ron Simmons and Thomas Rich against Steve Armstrong and P.N. News?” Because it was well-paced, Simmons looked great in it, Rich and Armstrong look alright, and News didn’t die out there. As a matter of fact, he played up his power well. This was one of a few matches where I didn’t ask “Why?”
Watch These Matches
The opening bout featuring Jimmy Garvin and Bagwell against Hayes and Tracy Smothers is my pick for runner-up. It was a really solid match and a good one to open the show with. This is a period that shows that Bagwell was working towards establishing a grasp of wrestling and had a ton of potential.
He came in as the young, quick, athletic babyface blue-chipper and he played his part with the veterans.
Also solid was Steiner and Firebreaker Chip defeating Arachnaman and Johnny B. Badd. Having watched Badd during this part of his career, I can see why he was invested in by WCW. He had charisma, skill, athleticism, and a look. How long that gimmick would’ve worked for him is the question. With that, this was a power and speed vs. speed and speed bout that worked.
If anyone was the weak link, I’d go with Chip. He didn’t blow in this match but he could’ve been swapped out for someone else on the card. As a matter of fact, lots of people could’ve swapped partners.
So, you sat through even half of these matches. Great, that means you have to watch the Battle Bowl bout, obviously. The match itself is good but the conclusion is obvious. Sting doesn’t lose tag or singles matches at Starrcade but he might lose a battle royal—as he would in 1992.
Verdict on WCW Starrcade ‘91
This show was barely acceptable. There were some matches to watch, some that you could’ve watched or skipped, and a lot of skippable ones. It’s such an odd card that comes off as what happens when you have a skeleton crew of a roster and some stars.
Happy seventh birthday to me.
