Starrcade
| Starrcade | |
|---|---|
 WWE Starrcade logo | |
| Created by | Dusty Rhodes |
| Promotions | NWA(Governing body) (1983–1990) JCP (1983–1987) WCW (1988–2000) WWE (2017–2019) |
| Brands | Raw (2018–2019) SmackDown (2017–2019) |
| First event | 1983 |
| Last event | 2019 |
Starrcadewas a recurringprofessional wrestlingevent,originally broadcast viaclosed-circuit televisionand eventually broadcast viapay-per-view.It was originally held from 1983 to 2000, first by theNational Wrestling Alliance(NWA) from 1983 to 1990, with the 1983–1987 events specifically held byJim Crockett Promotions(JCP) under the NWA, and then held byWorld Championship Wrestling(WCW) from 1988 to 2000.
Starrcade was regarded by the NWA and WCW as their flagship event of the year, much in the same vein that its rival, theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF), regardedWrestleMania.As a result, the buildup to each Starrcade featured the largestfeudsof the promotion. In 2001, the WWF acquired WCW, and the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002.
WWE revived the event in 2017 as ahouse showwith portions of the events in 2018 and 2019 airing asWWE Networkspecials. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,an event was not held in 2020 and no further events were scheduled.
History
[edit]From 1983 to 1987, Starrcade was produced by theNational Wrestling Alliance's (NWA)Jim Crockett Promotions(JCP), the dominant promotion of the NWA, and aired onThanksgiving Day.In 1987, theWorld Wrestling Federation(WWF) scheduled apay-per-view(PPV) of their own,Survivor Series,on Thanksgiving night and demanded exclusivity from cable providers on carriage of the event. In order to prevent such a problem, Starrcade was moved to December the following year and the show was held aroundChristmas Day,mostly in the days following, beginning in 1988. Also in 1988, JCP was sold toTurner Broadcastingdue to financial problems and becameWorld Championship Wrestling(WCW), though Starrcade was held under the NWA banner until 1990.[1][2]
From the 1960s to the 1980s, it was tradition for JCP to hold major professional wrestling events on Thanksgiving and Christmas, mostly atGreensboro Coliseum.In 1983, JCP created Starrcade as theirsupercardto continue the Thanksgiving tradition, and spread it across its territory onclosed-circuit television.[3]It popularized broadcasting on closed-circuit television and was financially successful. From 1987, Starrcade was broadcast on PPV, the first NWA event to do so.[4]
Starrcade was held for the final time as a WCW event in 2000: the promotion would be acquired by the WWF in 2001, and the brand would become dormant.[5]In 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (with its "WWE" abbreviation becoming anorphaned initialismin 2011).[6][7]In 2017, WWE revived Starrcade for aSmackDown-brandednon-televisedhouse showon November 25, 2017.[8]The following year, WWE's Starrcade house shows began to be held asWWE Networkspecials and featured both theRawand SmackDown brands.[9][10]An event did not occur in 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,which prevented WWE from holding shows outside of its normal weekly television programming and PPVs.[11]WWE resumed live touring in July 2021, but a Starrcade event was not scheduled for that year.[12]
Events
[edit]| WCW/nWo co-branded event | SmackDown-branded event |
2017
[edit]| Starrcade | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | SmackDown | ||
| Date | November 25, 2017 | ||
| City | Greensboro, North Carolina | ||
| Venue | Greensboro Coliseum Complex | ||
| Attendance | 10,234 | ||
| Tagline(s) | Starrcade Returns | ||
| Starrcade chronology | |||
| |||
The 2017Starrcadewas the 19th Starrcadeprofessional wrestlingevent. It was the first Starrcade promoted byWWEand was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion'sSmackDownbrand divisionas a non-televisedhouse show.It took place on November 25, 2017, at theGreensboro Coliseum ComplexinGreensboro, North Carolina.[8][14]It was the first Starrcade event in seventeen years. It was also the first Starrcade event not to be televised in any way and the first to be held in the Greensboro Coliseum since 1985. The event featured appearances byRic Flair,Arn Anderson,Ricky Steamboat,The Rock 'n' Roll Express,andThe Hardy Boyz.
References
[edit]- ^Molinaro, John (December 17, 1999)."Starrcade, the original" super card "".SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012.RetrievedNovember 26,2017.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^Meltzer, Dave (November 27, 2003)."Thursday news update: It was 20 years ago today..."Wrestling Observer. Archived fromthe originalon August 10, 2007.RetrievedJune 2,2008.
- ^"Flair defeats Race for wrestling title".Greensboro Daily News.November 25, 1983. p. D3.RetrievedJune 2,2008.
- ^Hoops, Brian (December 18, 2007)."Specialist – 20 Years Ago: Detailed look back at Starrcade '87 with Flair vs. Garvin".PWTorch.RetrievedMay 24,2008.
- ^"WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting".March 23, 2001. Archived fromthe originalon March 13, 2014.RetrievedMay 5,2007.
- ^"World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Drops The" F "To Emphasize the" E "for Entertainment".WWE. Archived fromthe originalon January 19, 2009.RetrievedAugust 28,2008.
- ^Sacco, Justine; Weitz, Michael (April 7, 2011)."The New WWE"(Press release).Connecticut:WWE.RetrievedNovember 25,2021.
- ^abcdefghi"Starrcade returns to Greensboro this November".WWE. September 18, 2017.RetrievedNovember 26,2017.
- ^Joseph Currier (November 16, 2018)."ONE-HOUR STARRCADE 2018 SPECIAL LISTED ON WWE NETWORK SCHEDULE".Wrestling Observer.RetrievedNovember 17,2018.
- ^"Starrcade returns to WWE Network Dec. 1".WWE.RetrievedSeptember 18,2019.
- ^Mohan, Sai (November 13, 2020)."Backstage News On WWE Moving On From House Shows Post COVID-19 Era".Wrestling Inc.RetrievedMarch 26,2021.
- ^Brookouse, Brent (October 20, 2021)."WWE schedule, list of PPVs for 2021: Crown Jewel date, location, start time, watch live".CBSSports.RetrievedOctober 23,2021.
- ^"Starrcade returns to WWE Network Dec. 1".WWE.Retrieved2019-09-18.
- ^"WWE Live presents STARRCADE".Greensboro Coliseum Complex. September 18, 2017. Archived fromthe originalon September 19, 2017.RetrievedNovember 26,2017.