10 years after Starrcade burst onto the national wrestling scene with Ric Flair defeating Harley Race to win the World Heavyweight Championship, there was not a bigger match that WCW could offer for their decade anniversary than Naitch attempting to regain the gold from the man who had been the dominant heel in his absence from late 1991 through early 1993 and who was managed by none other than Race - Big Van Vader. Title vs. Career. The added stipulation gave the match an added touch of drama to a situation reminiscent of 1980s action movie lore. Fitting, it was, given that Flair had earned his iconic status during a decade that had produced so many classic Hollywood presentations of a hero in an almost impossible situation. The Nature Boy had overcome all types of obstacles in his career as of 1993, but rarely as the protagonist and without a challenge quite like Vader. Flair, against Vader, was like Rocky Balboa trying to somehow defeat Ivan Drago. Vader had mauled everyone in his path in the early 1990s, redefining the term clubbing blows and leaving many an opponent physically battered. In kayfabe, there should have been no way that Flair would beat him. Starrcade 93 featured a rabid, hometown crowd in support of Flair, who lived up to one of his many nicknames, The Dirtiest Player in the Game, with rampant cheating to gain any sort of advantage that he could. What else could he do? Vader, meanwhile, bumped like a much smaller wrestler and made liberal use of the aerial arsenal that set him apart from every other big man in wrestling history. The end result was a somewhat sloppy, but incredibly emotional battle that did well to celebrate WCWs definitive super show.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
