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This week on STRAIGHT SHOOT RETRO, we’re heading back down south for the first-ever WCW pay-per-view, Starrcade 1988, and we’re talking about it this Wednesday, August 6, 2014!

As always, myself and co-host Jeff Schiller will bring the historical background, the who’s who and copious amounts of jokes, so all you need to do is watch Starrcade 1988 on the WWE Network before Wednesday, then RSVP and start submitting questions on the official event page.

Ways to watch/listen are below. Scroll down for more information on Starrcade 1988.

• Right here, on this very page, live or after-the-fact, through the embedded YouTube video right up above
• Over at the official Google Hangout event page, where you can watch live and even ask questions.
• On my official YouTube channel, where the video will continue to live after the event. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE.
• The morning after, via audio-only podcast versions of the show embedded above or on iTunes, Stitcher and PodOmatic.

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• If all that sounds like too much work, consider donating via Paypal.

As we’ve covered in-depth on STRAIGHT SHOOT RETRO, even though JCP/NWA got their big closed-circuit supercards going before WWE, bad decisions, bad booking and some plain old bad luck caused the subsequent years to be a steady downward spiral for the promotion. So much so that by 1988, shortly before Starrcade (which had been moved to Christmas to avoid the Thanksgiving slot Survivor Series had taken over), Jim Crockett Promotions was purchased by Ted Turner, who gave the promotion a somewhat more impressive name: World Championship Wrestling.

The names on the card look familiar to previous pay-per-views under the JCP name, but this is the beginning of big changes for the promotion, as Turner brought the deep pockets and cable television connections needed to stay in the game against the growing power of Vince McMahon’s WWE. How does the PPV hold up? Well, we’ll have to watch it to find out, but in the meantime, here’s the card…

• NWA United States Tag Team Champions The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) vs. Kevin Sullivan & Dr. Death Steve Williams
• The Original Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose) with Paul E. Dangerously vs. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) with Jim Cornette
• The Junkyard Dog & Ivan Koloff vs. The Russian Assassins
• NWA World Television Champion Mike Rotunda vs. Rick Steiner
• NWA United States Heavyweight Champion Barry Windham vs. Bam Bam Bigelow with Oliver Humperdink
• NWA World Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) with Paul Ellering vs. Sting & Dusty Rhodes
• NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger