Wrestlespective

Shane Douglas v. Taz at ECW Guilty As Charged 1999 is discussed by Jason Mann and Tom Breihan of The Classical and Stereogum. They talk about whether ECW's myth matches up to reality, Douglas as a weary villain, comparisons between the character of the Franchise and Triple H, Taz and others in ECW succeeding despite their limitations, and much more. Tom also discusses writing about and meeting Colt Cabana and CM Punk (who has a very nice condo). #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 3/3/12

Chris Jericho v. Stone Cold Steve Austin at No Way Out 2002 is discussed by Jason Mann and Joe Drilling. They talk about the strange tone of the New World Order's WWE debut, the odd first interactions of Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall with Austin and The Rock, how Jericho was often an afterthought, Mr. Perfect's drunkenness, how this match had so many chops, Austin's struggles in 2002, the many failures of the NWO, and more. Original airdate: 2/25/12

Goldberg v. Diamond Dallas Page from Halloween Havoc 1998 is discussed by Jason Mann and Thomas Holzerman. They talk about whether Goldberg should be held in higher esteem, how he was underused in WCW main events, the merits of Page's diamond cutter v. Randy Orton's RKO, and much more. #wwe #wrestling Original airdate: 2/16/12

The Rock & John Cena v. The Miz & R-Truth at Survivor Series 2011 is discussed by Jason Mann and Alex Torres (aka Failraiser). They talk about the strengths and weakness of the Rock-Cena story in 2011, how Rock and Cena have each been insufferable louses at times, how fun the Awesome Truth were together, and Alex's experiences attending this show in person. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 2/9/12

The first Elimination Chamber match -- Triple H v. Shawn Michaels v. Chris Jericho v. Kane v. Rob Van Dam v. Booker T -- at Survivor Series 2002 is discussed by Jason Mann and Will Pruett of ProWrestling.Net. They talk about all the many things that went wrong during the match and why it still ended up being brilliant, Shawn Michaels' hideous brown tights, how nearly everyone's stories intersected in this match, and how brilliant and awful WWE could be in 2002. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 2/6/12

A.J. Styles v. Christopher Daniels at Destination X 2011 is discussed by Jason Mann and Alex Torres of Failraiser. They talk about the long history of Styles and Daniels, what the X Division meant to TNA, how it evolved from the WCW cruiserweight division, how this show compares to a nostalgia show like ECW One Night Stand, and more. #WWE #wrestling #TNA Original airdate: 2/3/12

The War Games match of Team WCW (Warrior, Roddy Piper & Dallas Page) v. Team Wolfpac (Kevin Nash, Sting & Lex Luger) v. Team Hollywood (Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart & Stevie Ray) at WCW Fall Brawl 1998 is discussed by Jason Mann and Will Pruett of ProWrestling.Net. They chat about Warrior's weird run in WCW, how this match might have been regarded differently if it wasn't called War Games, Bret Hart's character inconsistency in WCW, and the unbelievable lost best-buddies potential of Hulk Hogan and Stevie Ray. #wwe #wrestling Original airdate: 1/27/12

Here marks the end of Starrcade: It's Scott Steiner v. Sid from Starrcade 2000. Jason Mann and Joe Drilling talk about both wrestlers' penchant for unintentional wrestling comedy, how far WCW had fallen by the this point, the possibly ironic over-the-top announcing from Tony Schiavone and company, and much more. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 1/21/12

Bret Hart v. Goldberg at Starrcade 1999 is discussed by Jason Mann and Razor. They talk about Hart's career-ending injury in this match, his ups and downs in WCW, Goldberg's lost 1999, how recycling the Montreal screwjob and creating a new NWO in consecutive nights might not have been the best idea, and much more. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 1/20/12

Goldberg v. Kevin Nash at Starrcade 1998 is discussed by Jason Mann and Sawyer Paul. They talk about Nash's contrarian nature, how Goldberg's first loss should have been handled, whether the Fingerpoke of Doom was really as destructive to WCW as is generally thought, and much more. #wwe #wrestling Original airdate: 1/18/12

Hulk Hogan v. Sting at Starrcade 1997 is discussed by Jason Mann and Sawyer Paul. They talk about the epic buildup and WCW v. NWO storyline, how big this match really felt in 1997, and how it all inevitably fell short. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 1/15/12

Hollywood Hulk Hogan v. Roddy Piper from Starrcade 1996 is discussed by Jason Mann and Joe Drilling. It's a surprisingly great match, and they discuss reasons why it wasn't considered great, the ups and downs of the NWO story, and the admittedly ridiculous lack of announcement that it was a non-title match. Original airdate: 1/12/12 #WWE #wrestling

Randy Savage v. Ric Flair at Starrcade 1995 is discussed by Jason Mann and Razor. They talk about the great Savage-Flair chemistry, the odd U.S. v. Japan concept of this show, the massive unlikability of Jimmy Hart, possible nicknames for Doug Dillinger, and dream matches that would have been possible but did not happen in WCW in the late 1990s. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 1/11/12

Hulk Hogan v. The Butcher (Brutus Beefcake) from Starrcade 1994 is discussed by Jason Mann and Robert Newsome. They talk about how Hogan's arrival transformed WCW, the tremendousness of a bitter Bobby Heenan, and whether Beefcake was really ever any good. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 12/18/11

Vader v. Ric Flair from Starrcade 1993 is discussed by Jason Mann and Bill Bicknell. They discuss Flair's return to prominence after some time on the sideline, the ethics of loving Vader despite his reputation for hurting people, and the development of the talent that fueled the late 1990s wrestling boom. #WWE #wrestling Original airdate: 12/16/11

The Battlebowls at Starrcades 1991 and 1992 are discussed by Jason Mann and Sawyer Paul in this marathon episode. They discuss the merits and flaws of the Battlebowl concept, how Starrcade often moved away from being WCW's biggest show, how Sting did a poor job of making friends, the greatness of Rick Rude, thoughts on Vader, Barry Windham, Great Muta, Lex Luger, and much more. Original airdate: 12/11/11

Sting v. The Black Scorpion at Starrcade 1990 is discussed by Jason Mann and Brandon Stroud. They talk about their mutual love for Bob Caudle, Sting as the world's biggest sucker, how few endings fans really get in wrestling, the differences between the Black Scorpion's and the Undertaker's magic tricks, what happens when a child loses his belief in wrestling, discovering they both wrote for the same wrestling website in the late 1990s, Ric Flair having to wrestle a match without using his signature moves, and much more. Original airdate: 11/17/11

Ric Flair v. Sting at Starrcade 1989 is discussed by Jason Mann and Scott Bowden of Kentucky Fried Rasslin. They discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of the iron man concept, how WCW could have better used The Great Muta, Flair's booking, and the great WCW roster of the time, including the Steiners, the Road Warriors, Doom, the Skyscrapers, the Midnight Express, Cactus Jack, Tommy Rich, Eddie Gilbert, Terry Funk, and more. #WCW #WWE #wrestling #rasslin #prowrestling Original airdate: 11/14/11

Ric Flair v. Lex Luger for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 1988 is discussed by Jason Mann and Robert Newsome. They talk about Flair's superhuman ability to make even a limited opponent look good, the merits of Luger and Sting, the passion of Southern wrestling crowds, the corporate Horsemen, and much more. #WWE #wrestling #rasslin #prowrestling #WCW Original airdate: 11/6/11

Ron Garvin v. Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 1987 is discussed by Jason Mann and the Masked Tweeter. They talk about the fearsome chops and slaps Garvin and Flair exchanged, the oddness of Garvin's title reign, how Flair almost came off as heroic during the match, and also a bit about the Garvins v. Rougeaus classic feud from Montreal in 1985. #wwe #wrestling #rasslin #prowrestling Originally published: 10/5/11