Starrcade '83: A Flare for the Gold
Official poster used to advertise the event locally, featuringRic Flair,Harley Race,Ricky Steamboat, andRoddy Piper
Promotion(s)	National Wrestling Alliance[1] Jim Crockett Promotions
Date	November 24, 1983[2]
City	Greensboro, North Carolina[3]
Venue	Greensboro Coliseum Complex[2]
Attendance	15,447[4]
Tagline	A Flare for the Gold!
Starrcade chronology
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Starrcade '83: A Flare for the Gold was the first annualStarrcadeprofessional wrestlingevent, produced under theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) banner byJim Crockett Promotions (JCP). The event took place on November 24, 1983, at theGreensboro Coliseum Complex inGreensboro, North Carolina and was broadcast onclosed-circuit television around theSouthern United States.^{[note 1]}

Eight matches were contested at the event. In the main event,Ric Flair defeatedHarley Race in aSteel Cage match to win theNWA World Heavyweight Championship. In other prominent matches,Jay Youngblood andRicky Steamboat defeated The Brisco Brothers (Jack Brisco andJerry Brisco) to win theNWA World Tag Team Championship andRoddy Piper defeatedGreg Valentine in aDog Collar match.^[1][2]

Starrcade was headlined by thefeud betweenRic Flair andHarley Race over theNWA World Heavyweight Championship. In 1981, Flair won the title fromDusty Rhodes on September 17 inKansas City, Kansas, where Rhodes and Flair were not major names. Flair felt that the match was poorly orchestrated due to the location, and because Rhodes was unhappy about losing the title. Initially, Flair was not well accepted as the champion by the promoters and fans in certain territories.^[5] On June 10, 1983, Race won the title from Flair, and began his seventh reign as the champion.^[6] The NWA wanted Race to win the title to set Flair up as long term champ at Starcade '83. Harley was reluctant, but agreed.^[7]

Their feud began, with Flair portrayed as theprotagonist and Race as theantagonist, who was afraid to lose the title and employed unethical tactics to remain the champion. The storyline involved Race offering a $25,000bounty to have Flair put out ofprofessional wrestling to avoid losing the title. On August 31,Bob Orton Jr. andDick Slater attacked Flair by performing anaided piledriver, dropping his head into the canvas. Flair was portrayed as suffering from a serious neck injury, and they collected the bounty from Race. Flair announced hisretirement from professional wrestling, but returned on September 21 by attacking Orton and Slater with abaseball bat. The promoters planned for their feud to culminate at Starrcade after a long pursuit.^[8][9] It later transpired the WWF'sVince McMahon offered to pay Race $250,000 to walk out on the NWA and join the WWF, in an attempted sabotage; Race kindly rejected the offer.^[10]

The match between the team ofJack andJerry Brisco and the team ofRicky Steamboat andJay Youngblood stemmed from their feud which began earlier in the year. In the storyline, they were originally friends before the Briscos became antagonists by turning on Steamboat and Youngblood. The Briscos won theNWA World Tag Team Championship from Steamboat and Youngblood on June 18.^[11] The match between the team of Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater and the team ofMark Youngblood andWahoo McDaniel was made for Youngblood and McDaniel to avenge Orton and Slater's attack on their friend Flair. The match betweenGreg Valentine andRoddy Piper was made to culminate their feud, which stemmed from their match on April 30. During which Valentine used the ring bell to attack Piper's left ear. Piper lost theNWA United States Heavyweight Championship, and 75 percent of the hearing in the ear.^[12]

Charlie Brown facedThe Great Kabuki in aTitle vs. Mask match at Starrcade. In August, Jimmy Valiant was forced to leave JCP after losing aLoser Leaves Town match to Kabuki. Valiant returned under the name Charlie Brown and wore a mask to hide his identity. Kabuki speculated that Brown was Valiant, and was given the opportunity to expose Valiant in their Title vs. Mask match. In the match, Kabuki defended hisNWA Television Championship, and Brown defended his mask. If Brown was revealed to be Valiant, he would be suspended by the NWA for one year. The match betweenCarlos Colon andAbdullah the Butcher was a continuation of their long feud in theWorld Wrestling Council promotion from the late 1970s.^[1][13] Other matches were not a result of a storyline.^[14]

The first match was atag team match betweenthe Assassins (#1 and#2) and the team ofRufus R. Jones andBugsy McGraw. The match started with McGraw and Jones in control over the Assassins until #1 performed aneye rake on Jones. After repeated attacks by #2, Jones fought back with aheadbutt. McGraw tagged in and attacked both of the Assassins. As McGraw slammed #2, #1rolled up McGraw from behind and pinned him to win the match.

The second match was a tag team match between the team ofJohnny Weaver andScott McGhee, and the team ofKevin Sullivan andMark Lewin (accompanied byGary Hart). The match started back and forth until Sullivan and Lewin gained the advantage over McGhee by targeting his left arm. McGhee and Weaver fought back when Weaver performed abulldog on Sullivan, sending his face into the canvas. Weaver attempted another bulldog, but Sullivan pushed him into the corner. Lewin performed aknee drop from the topturnbuckle on Weaver's left arm as Hart and Sullivan held onto him. Lewin then pinned Weaver to win the match. After the match, Lewin and Sullivan beat down McGhee and lacerated his forehead with aforeign object provided by Hart.Angelo Mosca attempted to help McGhee, but was also attacked.

The third match was betweenCarlos Colon andAbdullah the Butcher. The match started with Abdullah dominating Colon with the use of a weapon. Colon fought back withpunches and used Abdullah's weapon on him. Abdullah knocked down thereferee, and Colon applied afigure four leglock on Abdullah. While the referee was still knocked out,Hugo Savinovich entered the ring and hit Colon with a foreign object, allowing Abdullah to pin Colon and win the match.

The fourth match was a tag team match between the team ofWahoo McDaniel andMark Youngblood, and the team ofDick Slater andBob Orton Jr. Youngblood had the early advantage over Slater until Slater sent him down with aRussian legsweep. Slater and Orton then took control of the match until Slater accidentally hit Orton. Youngblood performeddropkicks to Slater and Orton, but the pair then double-teamed him. They placed Youngblood on the top turnbuckle, and Orton performed asuperplex, sending Youngblood back-first onto the canvas. Orton then pinned Youngblood to win the match. After the match, Slater and Orton beat down McDaniel and attacked his left arm with a knee drop from the top turnbuckle.

The fifth match was aTitle vs. Mask match betweenCharlie Brown andThe Great Kabuki (accompanied by Gary Hart). Kabuki'sNWA Television Championship was defended in the first fifteen minutes, and Brown's mask was defended for the entire match. The match started with Brown having the advantage with the use of the ringpost and asteel chair. Brown applied achokehold, but Kabuki fought back and applied aclawhold, squeezing Brown's skull. This continued until Kabuki missed a kick in the corner, and Brown pinned him after anelbow drop to his chest to win the match and the title.

The sixth match was aDog Collar match betweenRoddy Piper andGreg Valentine. The match started back and forth, with Valentine targeting Piper's injured left ear. Piper gained the advantage with the use of the chain. Valentine fought back and choked Piper with the chain. Valentine targeted Piper's left ear, causing him to have trouble standing. The match went back and forth until Valentine performed an elbow strike from the turnbuckles and an elbow drop. Valentine climbed the turnbuckles again, but Piper pulled him down. After delivering punches with the chain, Piper pinned Valentine with the chain wrapped around his legs. After the match, Valentine attacked Piper and again choked him with the chain.

The seventh match was a tag team match between the team ofJay Youngblood andRicky Steamboat, and the team ofJack andJerry Brisco for theNWA World Tag Team Championship. Angelo Mosca was thespecial guest referee. The match started back and forth until Jack performed adouble underhook suplex to Steamboat, slamming him onto his back. The Briscos had the advantage until Jerry complained to and shoved Mosca after almost pinning Youngblood. Mosca shoved Jerry down, and Youngblood and Steamboat gained the advantage. They performed anaided splash, where Steamboat dropped Youngblood onto the fallen Jerry, and Youngblood pinned him to win the match and the title. After the match, the Briscos attacked Youngblood, Steamboat and Mosca until they fought back.

Themain event was asteel cage match betweenRic Flair andHarley Race for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship, with former NWA World ChampionGene Kiniski as the special referee (another former NWA World Champion,Pat O'Connor, was originally set to be the special referee, but it was discovered that O'Connor (along with Race, Bob Geigel, and Verne Gagne) owned theCentral States territory so the change was made (kayfabe) to avoid a conflict of interest). The match began with Flair having the advantage with aheadlock. Race fought back by targeting Flair's head and neck. Race, using apiledriver maneuver, dropped Flair head first into the canvas and then sent his head into the cage. Flair fought back after sending Race into the corner of the ring. Flair performed a piledriver and sent Race's head into the cage. After slamming Race down with abelly to back suplex, Flair applied a figure four leglock. Race broke the hold by rolling into the ropes and fought back with aheadbutt from the top turnbuckle. As Race applied a headlock, Flair sent Race's head into Kiniski's head. Flair then performed abody press from the top turnbuckle and pinned Race to win the match and the title.^[8]

Harley Race had been wrestling for over twenty years and was physically and emotionally exhausted. He took time off fromprofessional wrestling, and his loss at Starrcade is seen as the torch-passing toRic Flair.^[15] Flair's win at Starrcade was significant as it made Flair as a reputable champion.^[1][8] During an international tour in early 1984, without the approval of the NWA board of directors, Flair lost theNWA World Heavyweight Championship to Race on March 21 inWellington, New Zealand, and won it back two days later inKallang,Singapore. This was done to increase attendance of the events, and the title changes were not recognized by the NWA until years later.^[16] Race did not win the title again.^[6] On May 6,Kerry Von Erich won the title from Flair as a tribute to Kerry's brotherDavid, who died in February. Flair won the title back eighteen days later.^[17] At the end of Starrcade,Dusty Rhodes made a challenge to Flair for the title, and this led to their title match at the following year'sStarrcade.

The feud betweenCarlos Colon andAbdullah the Butcher continued for over a decade while other feuds ended with their match at Starrcade.^[1][13]Rick Steamboat retired from wrestling after winning the NWA World Tag Team title to focus on his new gym, but then unretired in mid-1984 to feud withWahoo McDaniel (who turned heel during 1984 claiming he was unappreciated and taken advantage of because he was Native American) andTully Blanchard over theUnited States heavyweight title. Steamboat's partner,Jay Youngblood teamed with his brother Mark in JCP and in Florida before Jay's tragic death in 1985.

Several others (Roddy Piper,Greg Valentine, andBob Orton, Jr.) went to theWorld Wrestling Federation as part of its 1984 national expansion (and all as heels, forgetting their previous feud), and the Briscoes went there as well after selling their shares ofGeorgia Championship Wrestling to Vince McMahon, resulting inBlack Saturday.

Angelo Mosca remained in JCP, while his son, Angelo Mosca, Jr., was given a push, with three reigns asMid-Atlantic Champion before father and son left JCP after control ofMaple Leaf Wrestling went to the WWF and became a broadcaster on the WWF programMaple Leaf Wrestling.

Jimmy Valiant returned to JCP after his 90-day "Loser Leaves Town" period lapsed and the NWA Television Title was vacated,Mark Youngblood won a tournament final for the vacant title before losing it to JCP newcomerTully Blanchard, while Valiant ended his feud with Gary Hart and began his years-long feud with Paul Jones, losing his trademark beard to the Assassins, but Valiant would get revenge by unmasking Assassin #2 (revealed to beHercules Hernandez) and Hernandez left JCP for Mid-South Wrestling. Hart stayed around for a short time, replacing the Great Kabuki (who went to Japan) with Ivan Koloff and "Big Cat"Ernie Ladd, then went back to World Class Championship Wrestling, while Kevin Sullivan and Mark Lewin returned to Championship Wrestling from Florida to reform his "Prince of Darkness" group which included his then-wifeNancy, as "Fallen Angel" as well asLuna Vachon and Mike Davis.

TheWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) was a competingprofessional wrestling promotion that was expanding nationally with the use ofcable television and attempted to take over the market. Promotions under the governance of the NWA only operated within their territory, and the WWF was affecting their business and acquiring their top wrestlers. JCP, owned byJim Crockett Jr., was one of the top promotions of the NWA and attempted to compete with the WWF by creating Starrcade. Starrcade was a large event, heavily promoted on televised events and broadcast onclosed-circuit television viasatellite in arenas around the promotion's regular tour stops.^[3][18]

Traditionally, major wrestling events were held by the promotion onThanksgiving,Christmas andEaster, and Starrcade continued and spread the tradition by being held on Thanksgiving.^[19] Starrcade was headlined by the title match betweenHarley Race andRic Flair and featured other major feuds across the territory. Since Race won theNWA World Heavyweight Championship in June, Crockett began planning Starrcade for Flair to regain the title in style.Dusty Rhodes was the booker of the promotion, one who creates storylines, schedules matches, and decides their outcomes. Starrcade was the inspiration of Rhodes.^[20][21] Wrestling historianDave Meltzer has claimed thatDory Funk Jr. was the actual booker of the first Starrcade and the events leading up to it and that he came up with the idea for the show with Crockett. According to Meltzer, Rhodes came up with the name Starrcade and booked the show in subsequent years.^[22][23]

Starrcade drew a sold-out attendance of 15,447 and a $500,000 gate at theGreensboro Coliseum.^[4] The attendance at closed-circuit television broadcast locations was affected by awinter storm and drew around 30,000 people.^[3] Its use at the event popularized closed-circuit television broadcasting for professional wrestling events.^[1][20] Starrcade continued to be the flagship event of the promotion, held annually until the final Starrcade event in 2000.^[1]

• Johnson, Steven (August 7, 2009)."Starrcade '83: The show that almost wasn't".Slam! Wrestling.Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. RetrievedAugust 7, 2009.

• Starrcade 1983 review at 411mania
• Starrcade 1983 review at The Powerdriver Review

• 1983 in professional wrestling
• Starrcade
• 1983 in North Carolina
• Professional wrestling shows in Greensboro, North Carolina
• November 1983 in the United States

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