5 Unforgettable Starrcade Matches

Starrcade was once WCW's flagship show in the same vein as WWE's Wrestlemania. In fact, WCW Starrcade actually predates Wrestlemania by almost 18 months.Debuting on November 24, 1983, before the initial WWF Wrestlemania in March 1985, the inaugural Starrcade show pitted NWA World Champion, Harley Race versus Ric Flair.Starrcade continued to be the biggest show on WCW's calendar until the year 2000, as the company closed its doors for the final time, just three months later.Last year, WWE reintroduced the Starrcade name to the public, using it to promote a special house show on November 25, 2017, in WCW's own stomping ground of Greensboro, North Carolina.The event was not televised but was a much-hyped card, which featured special appearances by WCW legends such as Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat and The Rock n Roll Express.Flair's daughter, Charlotte competed on the card in a steel cage match as a call back to her father's match with Race at the first ever Starrcade show. Like her father, Charlotte was also victorious.Now, in 2018, WWE is set to once again dust off the classic Starrcade moniker to promote a special house show on November 24, 2018.Ric Flair will once more make a special appearance and the card is set to be highlighted by another steel cage match involving Charlotte as she is set to clash with current Smackdown Women's Champion, Becky Lynch inside the structure.The following slideshow revisits the best five matches in the original Starrcade's history.#5 Harley Race vs Ric Flair - Starrcade 1983:Harley Race defended the NWA World Championship versus Ric FlairThe very first Starrcade was given the tagline &quot;A Flare for the Gold&quot; as the show was sold on the basis of Ric Flair's quest to win his second World Championship from long-time Champion, Harley Race who had dominated the title for the previous decade.Prior to the bout, WWF boss, Vince McMahon had attempted to derail the main event of Starrcade and as a result, the whole show by meeting Race a few days before the event was to take place.McMahon offered Race a mega money contract to sign for WWF and not compete as scheduled versus Flair.Race, feeling obligated to the NWA and aware his withdrawal from the event would have dire consequences for the company he represented, respectfully declined McMahon's offer.Not used to people saying no to him, McMahon incredibly lunged at Race, angry at his refusal. Race, a noted hard man quickly subdued McMahon and left. He went on to wrestle Flair as scheduled at Starrcade 1983.In a match, widely regarded as a classic, the pair pounded each other relentlessly as blood was spilt. The finish came when Flair threw Race into the special referee, Gene Kiniski and performed a splash off the top turnbuckle to pin Race clean and become the new NWA World Champion.

5 Unforgettable Starrcade Matches

#4 Vader vs Sting - Starrcade 1992