WCW Starrcade

We are live from Nashville, TN for WCW Starrcade 1995, WCW's "Grandaddy of them All!" Our hosts are Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes. They hype up tonight's World Cup of Wrestling Best-of-7 matches between WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

The first match of the World Cup of Wrestling might be the best one as Chris Benoit takes on New Japan's Jushin "Thunder" Liger with Sonny Oono, the one behind this project, in Liger's corner as he will be in the corner of all New Japan's wrestlers.

Benoit takes down Liger and Liger sends Benoit to the floor and somersaults on top of Benoit. Liger takes down Benoit with a Hurricanrana and Benoit hits Liger with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Liger avoids a powerbomb and counters with an armdrag and a dropkick that sends Benoit again to the floor.

Benoit hits Liger with lightning snap suplex and back suplex and a German back suplex for two. Benoit gives him an arching Boston Crab and Liger counters with a surfboard. Benoit gives him a Tombstone piledriver and then a superplex for a two-count. Benoit goes for the Flying diving headbutt off the top rope, but Liger moves out of the way and Benoit crashes to the canvas.

Liger gives Benoit a sit down powerbomb for a two-count. Liger then gives him a brain buster again for a two-count. Benoit hits two German Suplexes and a powerbomb and the flying diving headbutt as Kevin Sullivan comes down to distract Benoit as he has problems with the Four Horsemen. Liger hits Benoit with a Hurricanrana for the 1-2-3 to give New Japan a 1-0 series lead.

Gene Okerlund interviews Eddie Guerrero who says he is not cool with what happened and is looking forward to his match with Shinjiro Otani.

Next up is Alex Wright vs. Koji Kanemento. Wright hits Kanemento with a missile dropkick and a superplex. Kanemento lifts Wright and drops him face first onto the top turnbuckle and rolls him up for the 1-2-3 as New Japan takes a 2-0 series lead.

Gene Okerlund is with a cheerful Sonny Oono. Oono says he will buy WCW and Bobby Heenan remarks that the Japanese basically own everything but WCW.

Next up is Lex Luger vs. former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Masahiro Chono. Chono puts Luger in his STF finisher, but Luger grabs the ropes to break the hold. Chono jumps off the top rope, but Luger elbows him in the face. Luger puts Chono in the Torture Rack and Chono gives up, giving WCW the win as New Japan leads 2-1.

Gene Okerlund is standing in the locker room area with Sting. He reminds Sting that he lost his U.S. Title to his opponent later Kensuke Sasaki. Sting says he wants revenge but only for the USA not the title. He can't wait for the Triangle match. Sting says he and Luger are friends but will do whatever it takes to win the Triangle match and the WCW World Title tonight.

Johnny B. Badd takes on former AWA World Heavyweight Champion Masa Saito for match #4. Sony Oono interferes as Badd pulls him into the ring. Saito hits Badd from behind and throws him over the top rope, but gets disqualified as WCW ties New Japan 2-2.

Lex Luger and Jimmy Hart are with Okerlund as Hart says Sullivan doesn't care about Chris Benoit losing. Luger says he owns Randy Savage and will do so tonight as he will win the Triangle match later. He asks Jimmy Hart not to accompany him to the ring as he wants to do it on his own.

Eddie Guerrero takes on Shinjiro Otani for match #5. Both men trade moves until Guerrero hits Otani with a powerbomb for two. Guerrero then delivers a Brainbuster and misses a corner charge. Otani hits Guerrero with a springboard dropkick which sent Guerrero to the outside. Otani does a somersault flip onto Guerrero on the outside.

Back in the ring, Otani delivers a dropkick and then chokes him in the rope. Guerrero reverses a sleeper hold into a back suplex. Otani flips out of another Brainbuster and counters with a German Suplex for two. Otani goes to the top, but Guerrero sends him crotch first onto the top turnbuckle and delivers a Hurricanrana off the top rope only for a two-count. Guerrero hits Otani with a somersault onto the floor.

Otani brings Guerrero back in with a suplex. Otani gives Guerrero a springboard dropkick to the back of Guerrero's head as Otani signals for the end. He gives Guerrero a full nelson suplex, but Eddie reverses it into a Hurricanrana. Otani rolls him into a pin, but Guerrero reverses it only for Otani to reverse that for the 1-2-3 to give New Japan a 3-2 lead.

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Macho Man Randy Savage is standing with Gene Okerlund. Savage says he doesn't care about the Triple Threat match and is only focusing on his match up next with Hiroyoshi Tenzan.

Next up is Savage vs. Tenzan. Tenzan takes it to the WCW World Champion for most of the first five minutes of the match and hits him with a Flying Headbutt, but Savage kicks out at two. Tenzan goes for a Moonsault, but Savage moves out of the way and hits Tenzan with a clothesline to the apron.

Savage tries to suplex him into the ring, but he lands on the ropes and falls down. Savage climbs to the top rope and hits Tenzan with the Flying Elbow Drop for the 1-2-3 as WCW ties New Japan 3-3 with the deciding match coming up next.

Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan are hyping up the Sting vs. Kensuke Sasaki winner take all World Cup of Wrestling match.

Gene Okerlund is standing with Ric Flair, who is talking about the Triangle match coming up in a little while and how he will be fresh since he has not competed in the World Cup matches while Lex Luger has and Sting will do so. Flair will have the advantage. Gee will Flair win? There's a reason since he has not been in the World Cup of Wrestling while Luger and Sting have been.

It's time for the final World Cup of Wrestling match between Sting and Kensuke Sasaki. Sasaki beat Sting in a New Japan/WCW show in Japan to win the U.S. Heavyweight Title last month. Sting carries an American flag with him to the ring.

Sasaki attacks Sting as the bell sounds. Sting fights back and hits him with the Stinger Splash. Sting hits him with a dropkick and clotheslines him over the top rope. Sting tries to suplex him into the ring, but Sasaki flips out of it and counters with a powerslam for two, but does not pin him.

Sasaki tries to insult Sting by putting him in his own Scorpion Death Lock in the middle of the ring. Sting does not give up and powers out of the move. Sasaki tries for a running powerslam, but Sting gets out of it and hits him with a running bulldog. He locks Sasaki in the Scorpion Death Lock and Sasaki submits as WCW wins the World Cup of Wrestling 4-3.

All of the WCW wrestlers come out to congratulate Sting and celebrate winning the World Cup. Even the faces and heels embrace one another as this was a team effort dammit!! Gene Okerlund enters the ring to give the World Cup to Sting and WCW.

It's time for the Triangle match between Sting who just wrestled, Lex Luger, and Ric Flair, who is as fresh as a daisy since he did not partake in the World Cup unlike Sting and Luger. The winner will get to fight Randy Savage for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship right after.

The rules for this match are that only two men can be in the ring at once while the other must stand on the apron waiting for a tag. This is elimination so two men must be eliminated for the other to win.

Sting starts off with his arch-nemesis Flair. The usual Flair hits Sting with chops and Sting gorilla press slams and clotheslines him. Sting tries to put Flair in the Scorpion Death Lock, but Flair reaches the ropes for the break and Flair rolls out to the floor before rolling back in.

Back in the ring, Flair puts Sting in the hammerlock and puts him on the mat. Flair hits Sting with chops which Sting no-sells as Sting fights back with a dropkick, a clothesline, and then another press slam and then hits the 10-count punch in the corner. A running bulldog on Flair sends Flair to the floor.

He baits Sting on the outside and sends him into the guardrail, but Sting no-sells it and clotheslines him. Back in the ring, Flair begs him off as he avoids a dropkick by Sting. Flair hits Sting with a knee drop and taunts Luger to run in.

As the referee stops Luger and is distracted, Flair throws Sting over the top rope but doesn't get disqualified since the ref didn't see him. Flair goes and attacks Sting some more on the floor and brings him back in to beat on him some more.

Flair hits a vertical suplex, which Sting doesn't sell and hits Flair with some right hands and another press slam. He then gives Flair a superplex off the top rope. Sting goes for the cover but Luger runs in to break up the pinfall. Sting is not happy about this and confronts Luger. Flair hits Sting from behind and it sends him into Luger for the tag as Sting finally gets a break.

Luger comes in and flexes his muscles at Flair and Flair leaves the ring. Luger chases him back in where Flair kicks him kind of low. He tries a shoulderblock on Luger but just bounces off of Luger. Luger gives Flair a gorilla press slam and the 10-count punch in the corner. Flair then falls forward. Flair then gives Luger an eye poke and then chops him in his knee and begins kicking his knee.

Flair then brings a chair into the ring. As Sting is protesting the ref's attention is fully on him allowing Flair to hit Luger in the knee with the chair as Flair struts around. He then places Flair in the Figure Four and holds the ropes for extra leverage. The ref counts Luger's shoulders down but only for two. Luger turns the figure four over until Flair lets go.

Flair tries to suplex Luger on the apron and out of the ring, but Luger blocks it and suplexes him into the ring for a near fall. Flair climbs the top turnbuckle but Luger slams him off the top. Flair chops Luger as Luger no-sells it. Flair cowers and tags in Sting to face his best friend.

Sting and Luger shake hands and then lock up and back each other up into a corner. Luger then hits Sting with a forearm to the back and stomps on Sting. He sends Sting headfirst into the turnbuckle, only for Sting to block and send Luger face first into the turnbuckle. Sting then gives Luger the 10-count punch in the corner and hits him with a clothesline.

Luger fights back with kicks and shoulder rams into the corner. He then hits Sting with a running clothesline and then dropped Sting neck first onto the top rope. Sting stumbles out of the ring. Luger jumps off the apron with a double axe handle, but Sting hits him in the gut.

Sting hits Luger with a flying cross body off the top rope for a two-count. Sting scoop slams Luger and jumps off the middle rope for a flying splash, but Luger gets the knees up. Sting fights back to put him in the Scorpion Death Lock, but Luger grabs the ropes to break the hold.

Luger gives Sting a cheap shot to the nuts. Sting gives Luger a couple of roll ups for two counts. Sting gives him a suplex and a kick to the gut followed by a running bulldog. Sting connects with a Stinger Splash and goes for another but misses.

Luger then put Sting in the Torture Rack. However, Luger turns Sting's foot into the referee, knocking him down. Flair runs in and chop blocks Luger's knee, sending him to the floor. Flair then throws Sting over the top rope and onto Luger. The referee gets up and starts counting to 10 since both Sting and Luger were the legal men.

The ref counted 10 as Flair ended up winning the match with both Sting and Luger being counted out. Flair will end up facing Savage for the World Title next. Luger was shown holding Sting's ankle and preventing him from going into the ring to beat the count. What is up with that? Could this be a Sting-Luger rivalry?

Now it's time for the main event as Flair takes on Randy Savage for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Jimmy Hart comes down to congratulate Flair on his win and will be in his corner for his title match. Paul Orndorff makes his way down to ringside wearing a neck brace after the attack the Four Horsemen did to him a few weeks ago on Nitro.

Savage attacks Flair with left jabs and a backslide for a two-count. Savage attempts the 10-count punch in the corner, but Flair counters with an inverted atomic drop. He then tries to put Savage in the Figure Four, but Savage kicks him and Flair flips in the corner and out of the ring.

Savage climbs to the top and tries to hit Flair with a double axe handle, but Flair hits him on the way down. Flair sends him into the guardrail and into the ring post shoulder first with his bad arm. Flair goes back into the ring as Hart kicks Savage on the floor. Head of security Doug Dillinger ushers Orndorff to the back.

Flair works on Savage's bad arm in the ring and puts him in a hammerlock with Flair having his feet on the ropes for more leverage. Flair drops a knee on his arm. Savage tries to fight back with a clothesline, but Flair puts him in a sleeper hold.

Savage fights back with a hard right hand punch, a backdrop and a running clothesline. Savage goes to the top to hit Flair with the double axe handle, only to be met with a punch to the gut by Flair. Jimmy Hart has the referee distracted. He tosses his megaphone to Flair, but Savage kicks him and grabs the megaphone and nails Flair in the head with it.

Flair was really busted wide open as Savage climbed the top and hit him with his Flying Elbow Drop. Hart is still distracting the ref while Four Horsemen members Brian Pillman, Chris Benoit, and Arn Anderson run down. Savage hits both Pillman and Benoit. Arn then hits Savage with brass knuckles, knocking him out.

Arn then pulled a bloodied Flair on top of the unconscious Savage. The referee counts 1-2-3 and Flair wins the WCW World Heavyweight Championship as Flair becomes a 12-time World Champion. The show goes off the air as the announcers talk about the new champion.

We will see you New Year's night on Nitro for a Flair-Hulk Hogan WCW World Heavyweight Championship match.