Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Best of the Gateway: Looking Back at the Early Lead-Up To Starrcade '85


THE FORGOTTEN PRELUDE TO STARRCADE '85 
From Last year's 30th Anniversary Celebration of Starrcade '85
by Dick Bourne
Mid-Atlantic Gateway
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 23, 2015

As the years pass, it's natural for the smaller details to fade from memory on any good story. When folks talk about the build-up to Starrcade '85 all these 30 years later, the story usually begins with Ric Flair and the Andersons turning on Dusty Rhodes in the cage in the Omni on 9/29. That's the angle they think of when they remember all the things that led up to the big world title match at Starrcade.

But the story began much earlier. You see, Dusty Rhodes needed to be the number one babyface and he had to have more than just the number one heel do bad things to him to set up his biggest match of the year. He needed someone the fans were beginning to love as much or more than him to turn on him. He needed more than evil deeds; he needed selfish betrayal.

Ric Flair had somewhat of a dual personality in the spring and summer of 1985 on Atlanta TV.....

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