Grilling JR - Starrcade 1989: Future Shock [Show Notes] (Patreon)

From the Observer:

This was a show for the hardcore wrestling fan. I don't think a casual fan would get into seeing the same guys wrestle three times. The scoring system was great if you were really following the show closely but if you weren't following closely, or were and had no concept of simple mathematics, the show went over your head. Really, aside from Flair, and to a lesser extent Luger, the guys don't have enough versatility to give you three different matches. I mean, how many clotheslines and powerslams do you need in one night? I think the people who ordered the PPV show should have been happy. Maybe not ecstatic, but happy. Those live, for the most part, thought it was a good show, although the comments were it wasn't a Starrcade-caliber show.

Would the format might have worked at a different show - a Battle Bowl for example - compared to a Starrcade? Did it not feel like one as Meltzer points out?

It’s funny considering how Dave talks about AEW now - and would write this at the time:

“There was almost too much wrestling with nothing else. Just one match after another, albeit mainly solid matches.”

I don’t know that I would ever call an AEW show - TV or PPV that had just mainly solid matches - but it’s weird to see the narrative be different at this point in 2023 is it not?

Something else he pointed out that there should’ve been a presentation or trophies or something like that signifying this was a big deal - was that just a miss?

You would work with Jim Cornette on the tag matches and Terry Funk on the singles matches. Is it difficult to work with two guys on complete opposite perspectives in the same night?

“1. Rick & Scott Steiner beat Doom via count out in 12:24. With fans arriving, there was no big crowd momentum early and the bout started slow. Rick jumped out and clotheslined Nitron and all four brawled outside and it looked like a double count out but Rick snuck into the ring to beat the count. It should be mentioned that in this match, along with in many other matches, they were "shaving" time. They made the 10 minute call at a legit 7:30, and they were calling four minutes to go and three minutes to go with 2:30 shaved off real time. In other words, they gave the appearance this was going to a time limit draw (same appearance throughout most of the card) because time was running out when they went to the finish. **¼”

When time stuff like this happens - do you think it’s only something Meltzer points out?

“2. Lex Luger pinned Sting in 11:31. They started with a hot high spot. The time shaving reached its most embarrassing here. At the two minute mark Terry Funk, doing color with Jim Ross, said that was the hottest first minute he'd ever seen. Just seconds later, ring announcer Gary Cappetta called five minutes. They made the ten minute call at 6:00. Sting flipped over when Luger attempted a suplex at 9:30 and apparently legitimately hurt his ankle. Sting made the superman comeback, but missed a few moves, one of which brought out a groan from the crowd. The two were brawling on the apron and both went over the top rope with Luger falling on top of Sting and pinning him using the ropes for leverage. Because of the time shaving, this match again "went down to the final seconds" before the finish. In fact, since they had four minutes shaved off, they even went past the "worked" time limit to reach the finish. There were good spots here and the heat was better than in the opener, but nowhere near what the heat should have been with these two. However there were a lot of missed moves and at times Sting looked lost in the ring and the finish looked bad. ***”

That injury had to derail things - but again with the time shaving.

“3. Road Warriors beat Doom in 8:31 by pinfall. Hawk missed a shoulderblock

and went to the floor and they tried to get heat on Hawk. The crowd never even made a peep, let alone a pop on near falls on the Warriors which makes it very hard to get heat on them because people don't "buy" them selling. They didn't even pop for a near fall when Reed did the elbow drop off the rope onto Hawk and went for the cover. They called ten minutes at 6:50. Hawk gave Animal the hot tag at 7:48. Finish saw Reed about to pick up Animal for a piledriver when Hawk clotheslined him off the top rope and Animal got on top for the pin. **”

Was this an issue with the Road Warriors - hard to get heat on them?

“4. Ric Flair pinned the Great Muta in 1:55. Ole & Arn Anderson came down to ringside with Flair. The match started out furious (it was obvious it was going to be a quickie) and got the first real heat of the show. Buzz Sawyer and Dragon Master ran in and the Andersons brawled with them outside the ring. Muta went for the moonsault but Flair got his knees up and then cradled him for the win. This was the most excitement on the card except for the final match, but too short to be rated higher than **.”

Jesus JR - two minutes for these two! No wonder Muta left shortly after right?

“5. The Steiners beat the Road Warriors in 7:27. This unique match-up had good action, but surprisingly little crowd response. Was told by those live that the crowd was into the match, just didn't pop big because they were confused as to how to react. This bout would have gotten over real big in Japan. The hot move of the match was Scott giving Hawk a belly-to-belly superplex off the top rope. Wasn't a picture perfect executed move, but still creative. Finish saw Animal have Scott up in a back suplex and Hawk came off the top rope to clothesline him but both Scott and Animal had their shoulders down when they hit the mat and Scott raised his at the count of two, clearly, for a rare pinfall loss by the Warriors. Big surprise that the Warriors lost (which made it obvious they were going to win the tournament as they'd never have agreed to it if they weren't getting the payoff in return). While the double pin finish has been done too often on NWA big shows in 1989, the fact that the Warriors did a job made it less objectionable as if someone else was involved. ***”

This could’ve - and probably should’ve - been the main event right JR?

Were the Wild Samoans running late - I mean they haven’t wrestled yet at all?

“6. Sting pinned Muta in 8:41 with a superplex. Again, no heat at all for this one. The match was a combination of some decent action and restholds until an excellent finish. Muta went for the moonsault, Sting got up, Muta landed on his feet and gave him a karate kick. Muta went back up to the top rope, Sting dropkicked him, Muta crotched himself and Sting pulled him off with the winning superplex. **3/4 (mainly for the closing sequence)”

Muta didn’t come out of this looking the best did he?

“7. The New Wild Samoans beat Doom in 8:22. No heat at all for the entire match. The work itself was actually quite good but the match never had a prayer. Samoans tried to work as faces but fans didn't notice. Finish saw Fatu and Reed collide head-on-head. Reed went down and Fatu stumbled backward to the ropes. The Big Kahuna (Humperdink) then pushed Fatu who fell on Reed for the pin. For work this was a three star match but no heat. **”

OLIVER HUMPERDINK! JR - these guys didn’t stand a chance being both heels right?

“8. Ric Flair went to a time limit draw with Lex Luger at 17:01. Unlike the previous matches in which they shaved time, in this one they gave them more time. I'm not complaining or anything about this match going long, but they didn't lock up for two minutes. They started a bit slow for the short time limit match and really didn't open up until the nine minute mark. From that point on the match was excellent with one great spot after another. Luger worked over Flair's throat and Flair was actually coughing. Flair got the figure four on just as they were counting down time but Luger held on for the draw. This match turned the card around. While the work in every match prior was at least decent and generally good, the heat was subpar except for the Flair-Muta quickie. The heat was great for this match and the crowd stayed hot most of the rest of the card. ***¾”

Setting Luger up for the future to go to a time limit draw right?

“9. Samoans beat Steiners via DQ in 14:05. They stalled for several minutes before even starting the match and stalled for the first three minutes of the match. Scott missed the Frankensteiner and was thrown out of the ring and they got heat on him. They crotched Scott on the guard rail and head-butted the groin and he was thrown over the top rope behind the refs back. Scott was in heat (and they did get heat) for six minutes before making the comeback and hitting the Frankensteiner. Scott flipped Fatu over the top rope and ref had his back turned--but he wasn't supposed to. And they had also passed the "work" time limit but Scott still acted like he saw Scott (does this read confusing or what?) throw Fatu over and made the DQ call. ***”

The end was just timed up all wrong but it was the only way to get the Steiners to lose right?

“10. Luger beat Muta via DQ in 11:48. Lex walked down the aisle slowly, still selling the effects of the figure four from the match with Flair. Lex spent the entire match selling the knee and did a great job. Muta spent the match working on the bad leg with unique holds. They called five at 3:00 and ten at 7:00. Luger sold most of the way. Surprisingly, the live crowd cheered Muta slightly more than Luger. Surprising since Luger has gotten cheered more than a lot of the faces he's been in with, but when he's in with a heel (who should be a face himself, but that's another story) he didn't get the majority of cheers (although it was something like 55-45 percent pro-Muta). Finish saw Muta blow the mist in Luger's eyes for the DQ just "seconds" before the worked time limit was going to expire. The match was very good and very intense, but the finish defied all logic as Muta was creaming him almost the entire way, it was just before the time limit would be called for the draw, and he blows mist right in front of the ref for no reason for the DQ. ****”

Not wrong here on the stupidity of the finish to mess this up right?

“11. The tag team tournament came down to Warriors vs. Samoans. At this point, the Steiners have 35 points, Samoans have 30, Warriors have 20 and Doom has nothing. A 1970s game show was better than this final match. The guys were missing moves left and right and even screwed up the finish but Hawk wound up clotheslining Fatu from off the top rope for the pin at 5:18 so the Warriors win the tournament. Very little reaction. -*”

This just didn’t work with the Samoans in the finals did it?

“12. Its now down to the singles finals. Lex Luger is already in the clubhouse with 35 points while Muta has zero. Ric Flair has 25 while Sting has 20. If it's a draw, Luger wins. If Flair wins by a pin or count out, he gets the whole thing. If he wins by a DQ, then he's tied with Luger and we have a wrestle-off (which we already know is impossible because we're running out of time on the PPV). If Sting wins on a pin, he's got the whole thing. If he wins via count out, we've got a tie, but if he wins by DQ, then Luger gets the thing. Flair and Sting enter to about an equal number of cheers. Those live said Sting had slightly more boos but really nobody booed either guy. This was the old Ric Flair, playing vintage heel and doing the same type of spots he did in most of his matches prior to this year when working with Rick Steamboat and Terry Funk totally changed his "normal" routine. He carried Sting to an excellent match. Still wasn't booed but turned Sting into a favorite. The match was excellent all the way through with them adding instead of shaving time, giving the guys an extra minute to do their thing. They passed 15 and it was announced "one minute to go" and they went to all the near falls and with just seconds remaining, Flair went for the figure four, Sting caught him in an inside cradle and got the pin at 15:54. ****¼”

This just didn’t feel like a Starrcade did it JR?

What say you though - thumbs up, thumbs down for the show?