|Date: December 13, 1989
|Venue: The Omni |City: Atlanta, Georgia
|Attendance: 10,000 |Buys: 130,000

|tweet me: @bastionblogger

This show is entirely based around two Iron Survivor tournaments. There is a singles Iron Man and a tag team Iron Team tournament whereby everyone will face each other and if there is a winner by pinfall or submission then they will get 20 points, a win by count out will earn 15 points, disqualification will earn 10 points and a draw will be 5 points. The singles competitor and tag team with the most points at the end of the night will be declared the winner. The singles competitors are Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Sting & The Great Muta. The tag teams are The Steiner Brothers, Road Warriors, Doom and The New Wild Samoans (who replace The Skyscrapers due to an injury to Sid Vicious).

We kick off with an 80’s video package and then the American national anthem.

Jim Ross welcomes us to the show, he’s joined by Terry Funk and Jim Cornette who runs down the point scoring system for tonight. It’s 20 for a win by pinfall or submission, 15 for a count out, 10 for a win by disqualification and 5 points for a draw.

The four tag teams involved int tonights series are all presented on the stage. The Samoans are now involved, replacing The Skyscrapers.

The Steiners Brothers (Rick & Scott) vs. Doom – Match 1 of the tag team Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: These two teams met at Halloween Havoc, a match that was won by Doom.

Starrcade PPV Record: Rick Steiner has won 1 and drawn 1 at this event, the other three men wrestle at Starrcade for the first time in this match.

Match: Scott Steiner and the Ron Simmons looking Doom member kick off the match. Scott hits a big powerslam early before tagging out to Rick. Doom have Woman and Nitron in their corner. Rick hits the Butch Reed looking member of Doom with a powerslam and tags out to Scott. It’s a pretty cagey match between two powerful teams. Nitron gets involved, hammering away at Scott Steiner after he gets thrown out of the ring. Doom take control from here, hitting powerslams, suplexes and making quick tags. Simmons hits a big spinebuster for a two count. There’s only four minutes left in this match and Reed dumps Scott out of the ring. Scott hits a belly to belly suplex and makes the hot tag to his brother Rick. Rick hits some big, stiff clotheslines and one for Nitron who gets involved again. All hell breaks loose on the outside with all four men, Rick slides back in and wins the match by countout.

Result: The Steiner Brothers win the match by countout, earning 15 points.

Review: This was an ok match to kick things off with. It wasn’t terrible but also wasn’t hugely exciting. Doom dominated for much of the match but in the end it was he Steiner Brothers who win by countout.

Rating: 5/10

The four singles competitors are introduced for the World Heavyweight Championship Round Robin.

Sting vs. Lex Luger – Match 1 of the singles Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these two men.

Starrcade PPV Record: Sting has won one and drawn one, Lex Luger is 0-2.

Match: Lex Luger makes an early exit but Sting brings him into the ring and lays into the United States Champion. Sting brings quick pace to the match, hitting splashes and clotheslines to send Luger reeling. Sting lays into Luger on the outside and then hits a high cross body back into the ring for a two count. Luger takes a long time to get into the match. Lex counters a high cross body and hits an inverted atomic drop. It’s all Luger from here, he hits a big powerslam and looks for the rack but Sting counters. Sting hits a suplex and the two men fight to the outside with one minute to go. Back in the ring and Lex botches a pin somewhat but gets the three count by hanging on to the ropes!

Result: Lex Luger wins by pinfall, earning 20 points.

Review: This match was decent but I don’t think it lived up to the expectations I had. Luger wins though and has 20 points, leading the way in the wingles round robin.

Rating: 6/10

The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) vs. Doom – Match 2 of the tag team Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two teams.

Starrcade PPV Record: The Road Warriors are 1-2, Doom are 0-1.

Match: Animal and Butch Reed kick off the match for their teams. It’s not long before both men have tagged out. Hawk hits a big powerslam on Simmons before tagging back out. Doom take control for a short period, keeping Hawk from tagging in Animal. Reed hits an elbow drop off the middle rope for a two count. Doom keep Hawk grounded with five minutes remaining. Animal makes the hot tag ands picks up the pace with a flying shoulder block and powerslam for a two count. All four men go at it, Reed looks for a piledriver on Animal but Hawk comes off the top with a clothesline which gives Animal the three count!

Result: The Road Warriors win by pinfall, earning 20 points.

Review: This match was ok, again nothing special here. Doom dominated for most of the match but it was the Road Warriors with the win. A pretty slow match but not awful.

Rating: 4/10

Ric Flair vs. The Great Muta – Match 2 of the singles Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time singles match between these two men on PPV.

Starrcade PPV Record: Ric Flair is 4-1-1, The Great Muta makes his Starrcade debut tonight.

Match: The Great Muta starts out quickly, hitting fast strikes. Flair has Arn and Ole Anderson in his corner. Ric fights back and applies a figure four. Out come Buzz Sawyer and The Dragonmaster but The Andersons fight them off. Muta looks for a moonsault but Flair gets his knees up and then rolls up Muta for the three!

Result: Ric Flair wins by pinfall, earning 20 points.

Review: This felt like a short, quick match but it wasn’t terrible. It was fast paced from the get-go and all hell would break loose with their respective allies. Ric Flair wins with a roll-up.

Rating: 3.5/10

The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) vs. The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) – Match 3 of the tag team Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time tag team match between these two teams.

Starrcade PPV Record: Rick Steiner has won 2 and drawn 1, Scott Steiner is 1-0, The Road Warriors are 2-2.

Match: By my maths, if The Road Warriors win this then it means that The Steiner Brothers and Doom cannot win the tournament. Scott Steiner and Hawk kick off a back and forth match. The Road Warriors take control until Rick takes Animal down with a big clothesline. It’s back and forth as Hawk lays into Scott Steiner before Scotty takes control against Animal. Hawk hits Scott Steiner with a gutwrench suplex. Scott then hits Hawk with a belly to belly suplex off the middle rope and to be honest, it was a rough landing for Hawk. The Road Warriors keep control and stop Scott from tagging in Rick. All four men go at it, Hawk and Animal hit a double team German suplex/ clothesline combination with a bridge but Scott gets his shoulder up and Animals shoulders are down for the three!

Result: The Steiner Brothers win by pinfall, earning 20 points.

Review: This match was good in parts and slow in parts. There wasn’t a lot of chemistry, it was just hard-hitting.

Rating: 4/10

Sting vs. The Great Muta – Match 3 of the singles Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: The previous match between these two men ended in a draw.

Starrcade PPV Record: Sting is 1-1-1, Muta is 0-1.

Match: We get a fast-paced start to the match, much like we did at The Great American Bash. Sting attempts to lock on the scorpion deathlock early but Muta gets to the ropes. Muta applies an inverted full nelson of sorts. Sting hits a big gorilla press slam for a two count and then a powerslam and elbow drop. Muta hits a backbreaker and then looks for a moonsault, Sting moves, Muta lands on his feet and hits a karate kick. Muta goes to the top again but Sting crotches him and hits a superplex for the three.

Result: Sting wins by pinfall.

Review: This wasn’t as good as their previous bouts but some of these matches aren’t given a lot of time due to having to get through so many matches. Sting gets the win and some points on the board as the singles round robin looks to go the distance.

Rating: 4.25/10

Doom vs. The New Wild Samoans (Fatu & The Samoan Savage) – Match 4 of the tag team Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these two teams.

Starrcade PPV Record: Doom are 0-2, The Samoans wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Fatu and Ron Simmons kick off the match. Doom are already out of the running for this tournament but a win would put the brakes on The Samoans. Fatu hits a big running powerslam before exchanging headbutts with Simmons. The Samoan Savage tags in, hits a kick but misses with a splash off the top. Reed tags in as Doom have the advantage. Butch Reed hits a spinning neckbreaker for a two count. Doom make quick tags and stop the Samoan Savage from making a tag. Eventually Fatu makes a hot tag and picks up the pace. All four men then go at it, Fatu and Reed knock heads and Humperdink pushes Fatu on top of Reed to get the three!

Result: The Samoans win by pinfall, earning 20 points.

Review: This match wasn’t bad. The Samoans have a tremendous upside which makes for some good matches. The Samoans win the match which puts them level with The Road Warriors.

Rating: 5/10

Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger – Match 4 of the singles Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: These two men met in the main event of Starrcade 88, a match won by Ric Flair. Flair also beat Luger at The Great American Bash 1988 so he’s looking to make it 3-0 tonight.

Starrcade PPV Record: Ric Flair is 5-1-1, Lex Luger is 1-2.

Match: The match begins with a headlock from Luger as the two men look to pace themselves. This could easily be the main event tonight. Flair unloads with his trademark chops. There’s plenty of long holds in this one. I’ll be shocked if Luger wins this match. Flair applies an armbar and then hammerlock before getting three near falls. Luger starts a comeback and hits a big gorilla press slam. Only four minutes remaining in this one as Luger lays in some boots. Flair hits a suplex and a backslide for a two count. Flair attempts something off the top rope but Lex clotheslines him. Luger continues the offence with a minute to go. Flair hits a side suplex and then applies the figure four but Luger doesn’t tap out and the time limit expires!

Result: Time limit draw which earns both men five points.

Review: This was a slow paced match that really picked up later on. The match ends a draw which puts both men on 25 points, whilst Sting has 5 points. It was an. okmatch, pretty run of the mill.

Rating: 5/10

The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) vs. The New Wild Samoans (Fatu & The Samoan Savage) – Match 5 of the tag team Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two teams.

Starrcade PPV Record: Rick has won 3 and drawn 1, Scott is 2-0, The Samoans are 1-0.

Match: If The Steiner Brothers win this match then they win the whole series, leaving the final match between The Road Warriors and The Samoans pointless so I suspect The Steiners won’t win this one. The Samoans replace The Skyscrapers in this competition due to an injury to Sid Vicious. Rick Steiner starts the match against The Samoan Savage. Rick hits one of his big Steinerlines and The Samoans starts walking to the back. Oliver Humperdink rallies his troops and they head back. It’s back and forth between Fatu and Rick Steiner. Five minutes down and this one hasn’t really got started yet. Scott tags in and hits a big clothesline. The Samoans soon take control, making quick tags and keeping Scott away from Rick. The Savage hits a low blow behind the referee’s back keeping the advantage for their team. Scott hits a frankensteiner but still can’t make a tag. Only a minute remaining. Rick hits some big clotheslines as all hell breaks loose. The referee then awards the match to The Samoans by disqualification!

Result: The New Wild Samoans win by disqualification, earning ten points.

Review: This was another average match. The finish was messy. More of the same really.

Rating: 4/10

Lex Luger vs. The Great Muta – Match 5 of the singles Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these two men.

Starrcade PPV Record: Lex Luger has won 1, lost 2 and drawn 1, The Great Muta is 0-2.

Match: Lex Luger walks in selling his knee following the match with Ric Flair. Muta targets the knee as Lex tries to back away. As Terry Funk correctly states, if Liger gets a win by pinfall or submission in this match then he will at least tie-win the whole thing. Luger tries to comeback but he can’t get Muta up for a suplex due to his knee. Muta his a huge handspring elbow and then goes back to working the knee. Muta applies an inverted Indian deathlock but Lex is too close to the ropes. As the time ticks down the pace picks up. Lex Luger finishes the match strongly, almost working as a babyface. With a minute to go Luger hits a powerslam. He looks for a rack but Lex’s knee goes. Muta sprays mist in the face of Lex Luger and the referee calls for the bell! It’s a disqualification win for Luger!

Result: Lex Luger wins by disqualification.

Review: Lex really sold in this match, better than I’ve ever seen him sell before. I thought Muta would actually win this one but Luger picks up the 10 points which keeps. himin the match.

Rating: 5.75/10

The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) vs. The New Wild Samoans (Fatu & The Samoan Savage) – Match 6 of the tag team Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time tag team match between these two teams.

Starrcade PPV Record: The Road Warriors are 2-3, The Samoans are 2-0.

Match: Animal and Fatu kick off the match for their teams. Both men make tags and Hawk picks up the pace with The Samoan Savage. A pinfall or submission win for either team would be enough for them to win the competition. There’s some real miscommunications between the two teams here. The Samoans take control until Animal makes the hot tag to Animal. All four men then go at it. More miscommunication and then Hawk hits a clothesline off the top on Fatu which is enough for the three.

Result: The Road Warriors win by pinfall, winning the whole series in the process.

Review: This wasn’t good. It was sloppy, there was a lot of miscommunications and botches. It may have been because of fatigue but both teams were done at this point.

Rating: 1.75/10

Ric Flair vs. Sting – Match 6 of the singles Round Robin

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Starrcade PPV Record: Ric Flair has won 5, drawn 2 and lost 1, Sting has won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1.

Match: It’s a back and forth start to the match. These two men have been teaming up as of late but the competitive side soon comes out in both men as they shove each other. Flair lays in some chops but Sting hits a hiptoss and dropkicks. Ric takes control for a while, hitting chops, a suplex and a knee drop. Flair gets a few near falls and starts to lose his patience. Sting no-sells Flair’s offence and picks up the pace, hitting Flair with right hands, a hiptoss and a clothesline for a near fall. Sting hits a Stinger splash and then locks on the scorpion deathlock but Flair gets to the ropes quickly. Flair then locks on the figure four but Sting gets to the ropes. As the time ticks down both men attempt pinfalls. Flair looks for the figure four byt Sting rolls him up in an inside cradle for the three!

Result: Sting wins by pinfall, winning the singles round robin.

Review: Well this was definitely the best match of the night. This might just be Sting’s coming out party. I’d love to see he and Flair battle over the world title again, they could put on a real classic. This was a good match, a solid way to end the show.

Rating: 7/10

After the match Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson raise Sting’s arms.

And that was Starrcade 89. It was not like any PPV event I had seen before. Based around the two Iron Survivor tournaments, it was the same wrestlers in every match. With so many matches. togo through it did negatively affect the quality of the matches. Given time how good would Flair vs. Muta or Flair vs. Sting be? Or Lex Luger vs. Sting? I also didn’t like that they were non-title. Really the tag team and world heavyweight championships should have been on the line. The tag team tournament took a big hit with The Skyscrapers not being there. The New Wild Samoans didn’t turn up until half way through the show, hence all of their matches were on later. I think The Freebirds would have been a better addition than Doom too. Doom didn’t come out of this looking too good as they didn’t win a match. It was The Road Warriors and Sting who went on to win the tournaments and should place them in the running for the world and tag team titles respectively.

Overall Rating: 46.04/100 (ranked 13th out of 16 NWA/WCW PPV’s reviewed so far)

Match Of The Night: Ric Flair vs. Sting
Worst Match Of The Night: The Road Warriors vs. The New Wild Samoans
Surprise Of The Night: The Steiner Brothers defeat The Road Warriors
Worst Booking Of The Night: Having Doom instead of The Fabulous Freebirds
Superstar Of The Night: Sting
Starrcade 89 Will Be Remembered For: Being the night of the Iron Survivors