Mind you, I've seen this event many times before. But I'm watching with different eyes now. Here's my assessment:
The WWF's answer to NWA Starrcade showed me a couple of things. 1st was that WWF decided then that they were going the Entertainment route. 2nd was that there matches were much more thought out and executed better than NWA's offering. Of course at the top, NWA had some of the best @ the time. But, WWF had started pulling the mid-card guys from Jim Crockett including: Ricky Steamboat, Greg Valentine & Roddy Piper.
It was rag tag @ times like Lord Alfred Hayes' match previews. But the matches were entertaining. Ricky Steamboat & Matt Borne was a technically sound match. King Kong Bundy's squash of S.D. Jones was an example of putting someone over big time. They claimed it lasted 9 seconds, but my mental count was 23 seconds. Guess they didn't understand the magic video would provide a couple years later lol.
I only saw 1 or 2 of Bruno Sammartino's matches, but seeing 1 of his son, David's showed me he had nothing on his pops. Brutus Beefcake was an awesome name for the time. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine was a master in his match with Junkyard Dog. Cheat to win has been around long before Eddie Guerrero. Although the ref restarted the match & Valentine was counted out it was still a great match. But, I do hate that a ref will restart or reverse a decision in one match, but 2 matches later in the Tag Title match Barry Windham is hit with a cane & pinned & it is not challenged. Why didn't Tito Santana run down there for that one?
In the Main Event, WWF Champion , Hulk Hogan & Mr. T challenged "Mr. 1derful" Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper seconded by another NWA defector, Bob Orton . Starrcade 84 was topped when WWF got Muhammad Ali as the Special Enforcer in response to Joe Frazier calling the Main Event between Dusty Rhodes & Ric Flair. With Mr. T they focused on the amateur wrestling and Hogan took the beating to set up a hot tag to T that was cut off quick, so they build back to Hogan coming in. Alot of chaos but not in a bad way. Orton accidentally hit orndorff with the cast to cost them the match & then him & Piper walked out on the 1derful One leaving him to apparently turn face.
Overall much more entertaining than the 2 offerings by NWA so far.
4 out of 5 stars.
