10 Things We Learned From Eric Bischoff's Starrcade 1997 Podcast

10. WCW Flew Dean Malenko In On A Private Jet

...not everyone could.

Kevin Nash was hospitalised and famously missed the show, and Konnan wasn't there either due to personal problems. Making things worse, Raven's pancreas had turned heel on him and required surgery. Docs wouldn't clear him in time to wrestle Chris Benoit. For those keeping score, all this affected three major matches on the card.

Bischoff was eager to avoid a fourth cancellation, and that's why he agreed to fly Dean Malenko in on a private jet the day of the show. Malenko's wife had given birth to a baby girl on Christmas Day, and Dean was under the impression he wouldn't be needed. News flash: he was, and WCW splashed out approx $15,000 to get him there.

Eric defended this by saying it was worth the outlay to ensure fans didn't have to put up with another last-minute change to the show. It wasn't necessarily about the Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero match as much as it was about keeping as many promises as possible.