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Post by GodzillaIsMyMonster on Oct 30, 2022 21:09:08 GMT -5
Man... how good was this? The build up. The promos. The slow car ride as Flair makes his way to the Arena.
Jesse and Tony do an amazing job on commentary. And the match? Easily the greatest WCW World Title match of all time.
Flair is arguably the greatest heel ever... but this is one the greatest baby face moments ever.
Just WOW.
What's everyone else think?
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Post by GodzillaIsMyMonster on Oct 30, 2022 21:39:33 GMT -5
Was re-watching the match as I typed that.
Just finished it. And even after seeing it probably a 100 times, even knowing how it ends, it STILL brings tears to my eyes.
Just wrestling perfection.
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ppl591
ALF
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Post by ppl591 on Oct 31, 2022 4:08:37 GMT -5
For my money the best starrcade main event ever and one of my favorite wcw matches ever. I find that era of wcw so fascinating. I remember seeing bossman show up and being so confused
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Post by James Fabiano on Oct 31, 2022 8:39:04 GMT -5
One match show, pretty much, and it's just what you think, as per the comments above.
I remember watching it over my friend's house, and someone else was with him, and the match led him to refer to Flair as "that guy who got his teeth knocked out"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2022 9:20:52 GMT -5
'93 WCW was so damn good. I need to re-check this year, it's been years. 🤔
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Squirrel Master
Hank Scorpio
"Then the Squirrel Master came out of left field and told me I'm his bitch!"
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Post by Squirrel Master on Oct 31, 2022 12:28:12 GMT -5
It goes to show that WWF didn’t know how to book Flair while they had him, and later equally puzzled how to book Vader.
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Post by Denny Zen is Cooking™ on Oct 31, 2022 12:34:07 GMT -5
This match (and pretty much all of Flair and Vader's respective primes) was just a bit before my time. A couple of years ago, when The Lapsed Fan were doing their Starrcade retrospective deep dive, I went back and watched every Starrcade, along with listening to the podcast's discussion of the context surrounding each of the events.
I was left with the impression that Vader was Flair's best opponent. I don't know that I am quite willing to go as far as to say that Vader was Flair's signature opponent to the extent of Ricky Steamboat, but every time those guys got together it was magic. At the very least, Vader was Flair's signature opponent as a babyface, and I don't think the greatness of their feud and matches is remembered for just how stellar it was.
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tafkaga
Samurai Cop
the Dogfather
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Post by tafkaga on Oct 31, 2022 15:12:02 GMT -5
As I recall, the crowd was kind of dead for that whole show and then they just woke up for the main event. Deservedly, it's a perfect go-to example of great storytelling in pro wrestling.
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thecrusherwi
El Dandy
the Financially Responsible Man
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Post by thecrusherwi on Oct 31, 2022 15:44:02 GMT -5
The build to Vader and Flair is great and the match is spectacular. The rest of the show it pretty bad though. I had it on VHS as a kid. I usually watched Pretty Wonder vs. Scorpio and Bagwell and then fast forwarded to the main event. Just lots of filler and lots of really boring matches with heels either winning or retaining titles by default. That Sting/Hawk vs Nasty Boys match feels about fours hours long and ends in a DQ. But just so this isn't a long hater post, here is this. It might be Flair's best promo and it isn't as well remembered as many of his others for some reason: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG116I6loT0"It started in 1975. October 4th to be exact. I was in an airplane that crashed in Wilmington, North Carolina Gene Okerlund. In that airplane, one of the biggest names our sport has ever known never walked away. He's paralyzed. His name is John Valentine. In that same airplane, the pilot died. In that same airplane, they carried Ric Flair in an ambulance to the hospital and doctor locked at him in the eye and said, "Kid, you will never wrestle again." Well let me tell you what; 18 years later, $10 million later, ten world championships later, Ric Flair is looking a 400 pound monster - not the greatest wrestler I've ever competed against, but maybe the greatest athlete in our sport today - a 400 pound man - I'm lookin him in the eye and I'm tellin him like I'm tellin you Gene, like I'm tellin my mother and father, my wife and kids, fifi, I want this one for ME!!" |
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Post by James Fabiano on Nov 1, 2022 8:22:25 GMT -5
It goes to show that WWF didn’t know how to book Flair while they had him, and later equally puzzled how to book Vader. They started out promising, but it's like they slipped seemingly when they lost the rights to use the Big Gold Belt and Flair was becoming Another WWF Heel/Hogan Victim. Then after deciding Hogan/Flair "wasn't drawing", and/or Hogan deciding to leave after Mania. There remained bright spots though...winning the Royal Rumble and the She Was Mine Before She Was Yours angle. Vader, on the other hand... |
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Post by James Fabiano on Nov 1, 2022 8:26:47 GMT -5
'93 WCW was so damn good. I need to re-check this year, it's been years. 🤔 Interesting take. Certainly there were bright spots, but you had to deal with some of the most infamous WCW goofs, the likes of Paul Roma, the Kongs, the Shockmaster, Lost in Cleveland... Wasn't this when WCW was cutting back on house shows? I just remember Wrestling's Main Event talking about that and the bad gimmicks, and predicting WCW's end back then. |
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Post by James Fabiano on Nov 1, 2022 8:28:18 GMT -5
The build to Vader and Flair is great and the match is spectacular. The rest of the show it pretty bad though. I had it on VHS as a kid. I usually watched Pretty Wonder vs. Scorpio and Bagwell and then fast forwarded to the main event. Just lots of filler and lots of really boring matches with heels either winning or retaining titles by default. That Sting/Hawk vs Nasty Boys match feels about fours hours long and ends in a DQ. I am now wondering if in the original PPV, you actually saw, erm, the moment that would lead to Missy quitting and suing WCW? |
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thecrusherwi
El Dandy
the Financially Responsible Man
Brawl For All
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Post by thecrusherwi on Nov 1, 2022 8:32:57 GMT -5
The build to Vader and Flair is great and the match is spectacular. The rest of the show it pretty bad though. I had it on VHS as a kid. I usually watched Pretty Wonder vs. Scorpio and Bagwell and then fast forwarded to the main event. Just lots of filler and lots of really boring matches with heels either winning or retaining titles by default. That Sting/Hawk vs Nasty Boys match feels about fours hours long and ends in a DQ. I am now wondering if in the original PPV, you actually saw, erm, the moment that would lead to Missy quitting and suing WCW? I have the original PPV copy on a DVD somewhere but it's been a long long time since I've seen it. I never knew there was any backstory. It's such a nothing PPV I've never looked for any behind the scenes information. What happened? |
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Post by James Fabiano on Nov 1, 2022 8:36:49 GMT -5
I am now wondering if in the original PPV, you actually saw, erm, the moment that would lead to Missy quitting and suing WCW? I have the original PPV copy on a DVD somewhere but it's been a long long time since I've seen it. I never knew there was any backstory. It's such a nothing PPV I've never looked for any behind the scenes information. What happened? At the end of the match where Missy runs in and jumps Hawk to cause the DQ, she has a wardrobe malfunction apparently. Later, she discovered someone took a picture and posted it in the WCW offices. |
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