1985-11-28-JCP-Starrcade '85

[Loss]

Jim Crockett Promotions
Starrcade '85: The Gathering
November 28, 1985
Atlanta, GA
Greensboro, NC

eBay

Coming off the heels of the most important angle of JCP's national expansion era -- Ric Flair and the Andersons predicting the Four Horsemen by swerving Dusty Rhodes and breaking his leg in Atlanta's Omni -- Jim Crockett Promotions produced the third Starrcade, the biggest and most lucrative annual event so far. Jim Crockett decided to throw a bone to Atlanta, a new base city established when he gained a national television time slot on TBS, while also placating long-time Mid-Atlantic fans in Greensboro. While the card is a bit bloated, the top three matches on the show delivered in a big way, most notably the all-time classic "I Quit" cage match between Magnum TA and Tully Blanchard, the best and most violent match in Starrcade history. The Rock N Roll Express, still new faces in JCP, also had a satisfying match against the Russians where they regained the NWA World Tag Team Titles. Meanwhile, Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes raised their game from the previous year's main event, perhaps even more the result of a better storyline and a hotter territory than visibly better performances. It's often forgotten that when they began their national run, only Flair, Dusty, Ole Anderson, and Ivan Koloff were established national stars. The convergence of new stars with established names meant it was an exciting time to be a fan of JCP,  particularly for those who were turned off by the WWF's bias for glitz over substance. Starrcade '85: The Gathering represents the alternate vision championed by Crockett and Dusty Rhodes as well as any show of the time period.

1. Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title: Krusher Kruschev vs Sam Houston (Atlanta, GA) (Discuss)
2. Mexican Death Match: Abdullah the Butcher vs Manny Fernandez (Greensboro, NC) (Discuss)
3. Bullrope Match: Black Bart vs Ron Bass (Atlanta, GA) (Discuss)
4. Bullrope Match: Ron Bass vs JJ Dillon (Atlanta, GA) (Discuss)
5. Superstar Graham vs Barbarian (Greensboro, NC)
6. National Heavyweight Title: Terry Taylor (c) vs Buddy Landell (Atlanta, GA) (Discuss)
7. National Tag Team Titles: Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn Anderson & Ole Anderson) (c) vs Billy Jack Haynes & Wahoo McDaniel (Greensboro, NC) (Discuss)
8. NWA U.S. Title, I Quit Cage Match: Tully Blanchard (c) vs Magnum TA (Atlanta, GA) (Discuss)
9. Atlanta Street Fight: Midnight Express vs Jimmy Valiant & Miss Atlanta Lively (Greensboro, NC) (Discuss)
10. NWA World Tag Team Titles, Cage Match: Ivan Koloff & Nikita Koloff (c) vs Rock N Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) (Atlanta, GA) (Discuss)
11. NWA World Title: Ric Flair (c) vs Dusty Rhodes (Greensboro, NC) (Discuss)

Bold matches are PWO recommended.