WCW: Starrcade
December 27, 1998
Washington, D.C.
MCI Center

The current WCW champs are as follows:
WCW World Champion: Bill Goldberg (7/6/1998)
WCW U.S. Champion: Bret Hart (11/30/1998)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: Rick Steiner & Kenny Kaos (10/26/1998)
WCW World Television Champion: Konnan (11/30/1998)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Billy Kidman (11/22/1998)

I’m not sure where I want to stick this paragraph, but I think its important to understand before we get started where WCW is at here at the end of 1998. If you’re looking at the lineup on this card and scratching your head as to why it look like this, you’re not crazy. This is touted as the “biggest show of the year” by our esteemed commentators all the time and it sure doesn’t look that way. I mean, how many guys that are under contract are missing from the card due to injuries or renegotiating contracts or for no understandable reason?

For starters, let’s begin with the champions that are not on the show: the WCW U.S. champion Bret Hart and who we understand to still be the WCW tag team champions for better or worse Rick Steiner and Kenny Kaos. Bret’s contract is certainly fine, but he’s apparently out with a groin injury. Why was he given the belt if he wasn’t going to be active? Why not leave it on DDP and make this match with the Giant a title match? Rick Steiner is out after having shoulder surgery and Kenny Kaos is arguing with ex-partner Robbie Rage, so who cares.

There’s also nWo stars that are not on the card: the obvious one being Hollywood Hogan who has “retired to pursue the avenue of becoming the POTUS” to outdo Jesse Ventura, Scott Hall doesn’t have a match, Scott Steiner doesn’t have a match despite being the new leader of the nWo B&W, Buff Bagwell is still in recovery over his neck issues, Curt Hennig is injured, Lex Luger just isn’t wrestling tonight, Sting has been AWOL since Halloween Havoc, and nobody cares about Stevie Ray or Horace.

As for major WCW talent, Booker T who doesn’t seem to have gotten his mojo back since returning from his knee injury, Nash ended Wrath’s win streak, RODDY PIPER (who just left after Wargames), Chavo Guerrero Jr., Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Raven, Kanyon, Meng (you wouldn’t want to see him rip into somebody?).

So yeah, what the heck, WCW? Concerning the constant change of plans over this show, Meltzer writes from the 1/4/99 Observer:

“WCW has changed plans [for Starrcade] so often that many original plans for whatever reason didn’t take place. Most, like Dusty Rhodes as ref for Flair vs. Bischoff, or Miller vs. Saturn being a kickboxing match, were in original formats, but never actually announced to the public. There were WCW produced advertising listing Flair vs. Bischoff as Flair’s career against control of the company, which was the original plan, although that stipulation was also never announced on television. In Japan, they had hyped a Norton vs. Van Hammer IWGP title match, which never took place to the chagrin of the audience watching on PPV there, but to everyone else’s pleasure. While at one point there were plans for Lex Luger vs. Scott Steiner, Luger nixed that match and it was never announced on television although it was on the WCW Hotline. Scott Hall vs. Bam Bam Bigelow was announced on the WCW Saturday Night show, and it also didn’t take place, nor was it ever acknowledged during the broadcast despite being hyped on TV as a last minute special addition to the show. Hall actually suffered a twisted knee at Nitro six days earlier and it was questionable whether he’d be able to wrestle, but was advertised on the Saturday show anyway.”

What a mess. I hope to have more to share on my overall thoughts on 1998 WCW. I think Vince McMahon might have broke Eric Bischoff’s brain.

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan. Due to Eric Bischoff’s request, the Four Horsemen are banned from the MCI Center. Read the rest of this entry →