Since 1983, Starrcade had been the biggest event of the year for both the NWA and WCW. The 2000 iteration of the event attempted to give fans so much that it actually ended up achieving very little. Out of the 10 matches on offer, more than half featured some sort of stipulation or gimmick. The card didn't feature any build towards the Sid Vicious vs. Scott Steiner main event. By the time that particular WCW World Title match took place, fans were numbed by so much action. Things were out of hand. When Starrcade should have been the blow off to the entire year, it instead felt like just another convoluted, frenzied mess that WCW was becoming famous for presenting. Things needed to be reset. In 2001, WCW desperately needed to reconnect with their longtime fan base. Giving them adequate build towards Starrcade 2001 would have went a long way, offering the olive branch to those people. Fans needed a reason to feel good about World Championship Wrestling again, and Starrcade could have been that moment.