Starrcade 1999: WCW's Biggest Show Became Bret Hart's Last PPV

The opener is one of the few matches allowed enough time to establish a normal tag structure. Vito and Johnny the Bull use size and double teams to isolate LeRoux, while Disco provides the veteran comeback and enough movement to keep the crowd involved.

The finish comes when Disco accidentally hits LeRoux with the Last Dance, allowing Vito to score the pin after his lifting DDT. Nothing about the match feels important enough for Starrcade, but the wrestling is coherent and the teams avoid the chaos that defines most of the card. D+ is modest credit for competence on a night where competence becomes valuable.

Madusa and Karagias are asked to turn a personal story into a Cruiserweight Championship match in under four minutes. Karagias controls portions with athletic offense, but Spice's interference quickly becomes the focus and prevents the match from developing a competitive rhythm.

Spice turns on Karagias with a low blow, and Madusa wins the championship with a bridging German suplex. The moment is historically notable because a woman captures the cruiserweight title, but the match treats the division as a storyline prop rather than an athletic showcase. F reflects a title change with more novelty than wrestling substance.

Smiley's terrified hardcore persona gives the match some personality as Meng chases him through the backstage area and destroys the catering setup. Smiley repeatedly survives by accident, using a fire extinguisher and whatever objects happen to be nearby.

Finlay and Brian Knobbs eventually attack Meng, allowing Smiley to crawl over and retain the championship. The match is short, messy and dependent on interference, but Smiley's character work gives it more entertainment value than the score might suggest. D- recognizes an amusing segment that never becomes much of a wrestling match.

The match has eight participants and less than five minutes, which guarantees that almost nobody can establish a role. Duggan refuses to tag his partners, the Revolution attack in short bursts, and the Varsity Club spend much of the match waiting for the betrayal everybody knows is coming.

Sullivan, Rotunda and Rick Steiner eventually turn on Duggan, allowing Shane Douglas to enter and collect the pin. The result advances the storyline but makes the wrestling completely disposable. F reflects a pay-per-view match structured like a backstage angle with a bell at the beginning and a pinfall at the end.

Steve Williams brings legitimate physical presence, but the match is overwhelmed by the Oklahoma storyline before it has a chance to develop. Vampiro uses speed, Williams answers with power, and the Misfits repeatedly distract from the action around ringside.

Williams eventually ignores the referee's warnings and is disqualified for continuing his attack. The finish exists only to trigger the next match, making the five minutes feel like setup rather than competition. F reflects a pairing with potential that WCW sacrifices to a comedy angle and an immediate sequel.

Oklahoma enters immediately after Williams has already damaged Vampiro, giving the comedy character an obvious advantage. He lands a few moves and works the leg, but the match is less about competition than getting the Misfits involved again.

Vampiro rallies, the band members interfere openly and the Nail in the Coffin ends the match in under three minutes. The segment closes the two-match sequence without giving either bout a reason to exist independently. F reflects material built almost entirely around a parody character rather than wrestling stakes.

Stevie Ray refuses to participate at first, leaving Booker and Midnight to work from underneath against three opponents. Midnight gets a substantial portion of the match and shows enough athleticism to keep the structure moving, while Booker handles most of the credible offense.

Stevie eventually appears but remains disconnected from the team, and Hennig's brass-knuckle interference allows Creative Control to score the pin. The match tells its internal story but does so in another compressed seven-minute package. D- reflects competent effort buried beneath confusing team dynamics and another weapon-assisted finish.

Jarrett and Rhodes finally receive enough time to create a physical match with progression. They fight backstage, use the wheelbarrow and ringside objects, and gradually move the brawl toward the ring rather than immediately cycling through random weapons.

Rhodes eventually takes control with the cowbell and powder, but outside interference gives Jarrett the opening to use the guitar and score the pin. The finish is predictable for the era, yet the eleven minutes before it are solid and suitably rough. C- reflects a respectable brawl that looks better because so much of Starrcade is rushed.

The stipulation loses its logic before the bell because David Flair attacks Page with a crowbar he already brought to ringside. Once the match officially starts, Flair targets Page's ribs and even applies the Figure Four, giving the short bout more wrestling than its premise suggests.

Flair retrieves the official crowbar, but Page avoids the swing and wins with the Diamond Cutter in under four minutes. The wrestlers work hard inside the limited time, yet the entire concept is undermined by the pre-match weapon. F reflects a gimmick that defeats itself before the audience can invest in it.

Sting remains popular enough to pull the crowd into his comeback, while Luger attacks the arm and uses Elizabeth's presence to control the pace. The match is short but has a recognizable story, and Sting's Stinger Splashes give the audience the reaction the undercard has repeatedly denied them.

Elizabeth eventually reveals her allegiance to Luger and strikes Sting with the baseball bat, producing the disqualification. The betrayal is the entire point of the match, so the wrestling never gets a real conclusion. D reflects a functional five-minute angle that succeeds at its story while failing as a major Starrcade bout.

Sid dominates enough of the match to make the stipulation straightforward: he attacks Nash's back, survives the ringside brawl and eventually lands the required powerbomb. Under the advertised rules, the match should be over at that exact moment.

Jeff Jarrett attacks Sid with a guitar while the referee is down. Nash then fails to complete his own powerbomb because of his injured back, revives the referee and simply claims that he hit the move. The referee believes him and awards Nash the victory. F reflects one of the clearest examples of WCW asking the audience to ignore what it just watched.

Benoit and Jarrett understand that ten minutes require urgency. They introduce the ladder quickly, interrupt each other's climbs and use each weapon spot to create another race toward the championship rather than pausing for unrelated interference.

Jarrett's missile dropkick into the ladder is the match's best counter, while Benoit's decision to dive from the top of the ladder instead of grabbing the title adds danger and character. Benoit recovers, climbs again and retains the championship cleanly.

B- reflects the clear match of the night. The bout is shorter than many famous ladder matches, but the compressed runtime works because both men remain focused on the belt. Starrcade 1999 briefly feels like a major wrestling event instead of an overstuffed television episode.

Hart tries to turn Goldberg's explosiveness into a technical story by attacking the left leg and repeatedly forcing the challenger to work from compromised positions. Goldberg's power keeps creating openings, while Hart's ring awareness gives the match a structure stronger than most of the card.

The match changes permanently when Goldberg's mule kick connects with Hart's head. Hart continues, multiple referees go down and Roddy Piper eventually enters in a referee shirt. Hart applies the Sharpshooter, Piper calls for the bell before Goldberg submits and the show ends on another imitation of Montreal.

D+ reflects a match that is watchable before the finish but impossible to separate from its consequences. The injury ultimately ends Hart's full-time career, while the screwjob recreation makes the competitive story feel secondary. Historical importance cannot turn twelve uneven minutes into a good main event.