WWE just announced they were bringing back the historical Starrcade name for a SmackDown LIVE live event on Saturday, November 25th, a week after Survivor Series. And for the first time in 30 years, Starrcade is going to come home in its historical venue of Greensboro, N.C., at the Greensboro Coliseum.
For the very long-time fans of wrestling, the name of Starrcade is not something unknown. From 1983 to 2000, Starrcade was regarded by the NWA and WCW as their flagship event of the year, usually taking place by the end of November, then later in December around Christmas time. As a result, the buildup to each Starrcade featured the largest feuds of the promotion.
From 1983 to 1987, Starrcade was produced by Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), the dominant promotion of the NWA. When JCP was sold to Ted Turner and became WCW, Starrcade was held under the NWA banner from 1988 to 1990. From 1991 to 2000, Starrcade was one of the premier WCW pay-per-view. The Greensboro Coliseum location is related to the history of JCP.
The rights to the event now belong to WWE. The company celebarted the 25th anniversary of the event in 2008 with a special broadcast called The Essential Starrcade. A DVD set called Starrcade: The Essential Collection was released in 2009. All Starrcade shows are now available on demand on the WWE Network.
Ric Flair vs. Harley Race was 1983 first-ever Starrcade main event. Wrestling legends like Dusty Rhodes, The Four Horsemen, Magnum TA or The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express etched their names into sports-entertainment history on the stage of Starrcade. During the WCW era, Sting, Vader, Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, the nWo, Ric Flair, Goldberg or Roddy Piper main evented Starrcade PPV.
WWE already released “an absolutely stacked card featuring two Steel Cage Matches” . The Hardy Boyz are confirmed to appear at Starrcade in their home state of North Carolina, as are WWE Hall of Famers and Starrcade legends Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express.
Matches announced for the return of Starrcade include (talents and matches listed and depicted below are subject to change):
WWE Championship Steel Cage Match
Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
SmackDown Women’s Championship Steel Cage Match
Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair
United States Championship Triple Threat Match
AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Rusev
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Texas Tornado Match
The New Day vs. The Usos
Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens
Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler
Breezango vs Aiden English & Mike Kanellis w/ Maria Kanellis