5 Unforgettable Starrcade Matches

#1 Tully Blanchard vs Magnum TA - Starrcade 1985

Magnum shows Blanchard no mercy at Starrcade 1985

In 1985, Magnum TA was being groomed as a future NWA World Champion. A stepping stone to reaching that pinnacle occurred at Starrcade 1985 when Magnum challenged United States Champion Tully Blanchard for that title in an innovative I Quit Match inside the confines of a steel cage.

As fate would have it, this match would prove to be the high point of Magnum's career as he was forced to retire the following year after a life-threatening motorcycle accident that left him partially paralysed for months.

However, the 1985 bout with Blanchard was a true classic and will ensure Magnum's legacy will never be forgotten.

The match was an incredibly violent, brutal and bloody encounter from the get-go with Magnum lacerating Blanchard's arm open with the cage mesh before Blanchard responded by clawing at Magnum's eye.

Blanchard's valet, Baby Doll introduced a wooden chair to the match and the Champion used one of the legs to fashion a wooden spike which he attempted to ram through Magnum's eye before the challenger disarmed him and shoved into Blanchard's eye instead. The Champion gave up, holding his eye in agony and Magnum was the new champion.

One of the finest matches of the 1980s and the greatest in the history of Starrcade. A true five-star classic.