On this week’s episode of The Pro Wrasslin’ Reflection
Podcast episode 15… We review NWA Starrcade 1983! “A Flair For The Gold!”
"Mr. Gimmick” Travis Voeltz, “The Professor” Cha Belo Vera Cruz, Billy Ray Valentine and introducing Tommy Wonder will review this classic NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) event!
Event information:
Starrcade (1983) was the first annual Starrcade professional wrestling event, produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) banner by Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). The event took place on November 24, 1983 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina and was broadcast on closed-circuit television around the Southern United States.[note 1] Eight professional wrestling matches were featured.
The main event was a steel cage match where Ric Flair defeated Harley Race to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Their feud began after Race won the title from Flair in June. Race then offered a bounty to have Flair put out of professional wrestling. In August, prior to the event, Bob Orton, Jr. and Dick Slater attacked Flair, appearing to inflict on him a career-ending injury. Flair announced his retirement, but returned shortly after. As a result of his victory in the match, Flair was acknowledged as a reputable champion, and their feud ended after the event. The event also included a match featuring Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood against Jack and Jerry Brisco for the NWA World Tag Team Championship and a Dog Collar match between Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine
Name of the event: NWA Starrcade 1983 - "A Flare For The Gold"
Date: 11/24/83
Promotion: Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance
Type: Pay Per View
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
Arena: Greensboro Coliseum
Attendance: 15,447
Broadcast type: Live
Broadcast date: November 24, 1983
Commentary by: Gordon Solie & Bob Caudle
Starrcade was headlined by the feud between Ric Flair and Harley Race over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In 1981, Flair won the title from Dusty Rhodes on September 17 in Kansas City, Kansas, where Rhodes and Flair were not major names. Flair felt that the match was poorly orchestrated due to the location, and because Rhodes was unhappy about losing the title. Initially, Flair was not well accepted as the champion by the promoters and fans in certain territories.[5] On June 10, 1983, Race won the title from Flair, and began his seventh reign as the champion.[6] The NWA wanted Race to win title to set Flair up as long term champ at Starcade '83. Harley was reluctant, but said yes.[7]
Their feud began, with Flair portrayed as the protagonist and Race as the antagonist, who was afraid to lose the title and employed unethical tactics to remain the champion. The storyline involved Race offering a $25,000 bounty to have Flair put out of professional wrestling to avoid losing the title. On August 31, Bob Orton, Jr. and Dick Slater attacked Flair by performing an aided piledriver, dropping his head into the canvas. Flair was portrayed as suffering from a serious neck injury, and they collected the bounty from Race. Flair announced his retirement from professional wrestling, but returned on September 21 by attacking Orton and Slater with a baseball bat. The promoters planned for their feud to culminate at Starrcade after a long pursuit.
The match between the team of Jack and Jerry Brisco and the team of Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood stemmed from their feud which began earlier in the year. In the storyline, they were originally friends before the Briscos became antagonists by turning on Steamboat and Youngblood. The Briscos won the NWA World Tag Team Championship from Steamboat and Youngblood on June 18. The match between the team of Bob Orton, Jr. and Dick Slater and the team of Mark Youngblood and Wahoo McDaniel was made for Youngblood and McDaniel to avenge Orton and Slater's attack on their friend Flair. The match between Greg Valentine and Roddy Piper was made to culminate their feud, which stemmed from their match on April 30. During which Valentine used the ring bell to attack Piper's left ear. Piper lost the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, and 75 percent of the hearing in the ear.
Charlie Brown faced The Great Kabuki in a Title vs. Mask match at Starrcade. In August, Jimmy Valiant was forced to leave JCP after losing a Loser Leaves Town match to Kabuki. Valiant returned under the name Charlie Brown and wore a mask to hide his identity. Kabuki speculated that Brown was Valiant, and was given the opportunity to expose Valiant in their Title vs. Mask match. In the match, Kabuki defended his NWA Television Championship, and Brown defended his mask. If Brown was revealed to be Valiant, he would be suspended by the NWA for one year. The match between Carlos Colon and Abdullah the Butcher was a continuation of their long feud in the World Wrestling Council promotion from the late 1970s. Other matches were not a result of a storyline.
FULL MATCH CARD:
Tag Team Match
The Assassins (Assassin #1 & Assassin #2) (w/Paul Jones) defeat Bugsy McGraw & Rufus R. Jones (8:12)
Tag Team Match
Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin (w/Gary Hart) defeat Johnny Weaver & Scott McGhee (6:42)
Singles Match
Abdullah The Butcher defeats Carlos Colon (4:29)
Tag Team Match
Bob Orton Jr. & Dick Slater defeat Mark Youngblood & Wahoo McDaniel (14:46)
NWA Television Title Vs. Mask Match
Charlie Brown defeats The Great Kabuki (w/Gary Hart) (c) (10:35) - TITLE CHANGE !!!
Dog Collar Match
Roddy Piper defeats Greg Valentine (16:08)
NWA World Tag Team Title Match (Special Referee: Angelo Mosca)
Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat defeat The Brisco Brothers (Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco) (c) (12:59) - TITLE CHANGE !!!
NWA World Heavyweight Title Steel Cage Match (Special Referee: Gene Kiniski)
Ric Flair defeats Harley Race (c) (23:49) - TITLE CHANGE !!!
