this has been a topic over the years , Vince played hardball but before that NWA had already lost 40% of their viewers. 1986 was hot in Crockett land , but if you started at the top and took Garvin out of the title picture who shoulda been in there with Flair? And if you didn't want Flair in there , using the Scaffold and Two Cage matches as part of your line-up , what would you have booked?

Love Windham in the title match , he might have taken a different path if he was given the belt earlier ...

They dropped the ball on the Flair-Garvin main event.  These two had great violent matches.  Why not build up this main event rather than making Garvin look weak by not defending the title before Starrcade?  These guys had feuded for a long time, and Garvin was a no nonsense workhorse who manhandled his opponents.  I don't know what was going on behind the scenes, but they seemed to work hard to make Garvin look weak after building him up for so long.

With a Barry Heel turn.  I would go with Barry holding the belt for awhile.  I'm guessing Tully winning so that we get some Midnight Rider action.  Luger retaining and building toward a longer feud with Nikita.  Of course the RnRs win the scaffold.  The UWF stuff is a toss up.  Use it as a territory or dissolve it?  I would never have bought it in the first place and just stolen talent.

With what they put on top they should have just had title vs title matches for the whole card , what I never got was the feud was based on Flair and the wife of Jimmy Garvin , but for some reason the title went to Ronnie ... also odd at the time was a cage match was the blow off of a feud but Garvin won in a cage and lost in a cage. I guess the set up was for Flair to win a title again at Starrcade , it might as well have been Hawk or anyone cause' Garvin fell off the face of the earth ...
Again , people say Vince buried WCW win he bought it but Crockett made the UWF gang look like chumps for no real reason ...

Would Williams and Flair belt for belt have been a better match at that time ? Would Sting have been too much too soon at that point ?

Quote from JBLCENAFAN on Apr 5^th, 2011, 11:27pm:
I always thought it was bizarre as well. The Jimmy feud lasted that summer and then one saturday you turn on the tv and BAM!..... Ron Garvin is world champ.
 
I know the explanation has always been that Flair went on vacation and Garvin was the only one willing to have such a short and forgettable run with the belt, but the angle just never made any sense. Not then and not now.
 
A better way to handle a Flair hiatus would have been having Flair defend the belt against a high profile heel(bring in fresh blood if necessary), he loses and gets injured, and NWA promotes Starrcade as the return of Flair and let Flair regain the belt.

Sting was not ready for prime time when Starrcade 87 came around.  I was at the New Orleans version where they had 4 matches and then the closed circuit feed from Chicago.
 
1st off, Chicago was a TERRIBLE location.  While that was one of the hot beds of the NWA/JCP outside the traditional Mid Atlantic area, Starrcade should have stayed in Greensboro.  
 
Unifying the UWF/NWA belts was also a mistake.  JCP paid way too much for UWF and this would lead to the collapse of JCP quicker then it was headed.  But seeing as the purchase had taken place, I'd have kept the UWF going.
 
As far as rebooking the show, there are several things they should have done.
 
NWA World Title
Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes  
I would have never put the belt on Garvin.  I get that he was going to be a temporary champion, but let's be honest, he was not top tier.  I would have probably put the belt back on Dusty.  For one, he could have defended the belt leading up to Starrcade which Garvin didn't.  This gives you positive gate revenue at house shows leading up to Starrcade.  Also, it allows for a huge draw for Starrcade.  Dusty was huge with the fans and would put butts in seats and a Flair/Dusty match in the steel cage is a natural Main Event.  Regardless who wins, I'd have Flair regaining the belt, it is a win/win.
 
US Title
Barry Windham vs Larry Zbysko
For one, I would never have put the belt on Luger.  He was terrible.  He couldn't wrestle a lick.  I'm a Horsemen fan and wish he had never been a Horsemen.     I'd have put the US belt on Barry Windham and for Starrcade, I would have him against the Living Legend Larry Zbyszko.  No cage for this one, Windham wins and still sets up for the big heel turn.
 
Tag Team Titles
Road Warriors vs Anderson/Blanchard
Why mess with a perfect matchup?  Only difference is, I put them in the cage.   As for who wins, it doesn't matter.  This is a layup.  People loved this "clash of titans."
 
UWF Championship
Dr Death Steve Williams vs Nikita Koloff
Nikita never wins the TV title and wins the UWF title.
 
UWF Tag Team Championship
Ronnie & Jimmy Garvin vs The New Zealand Sheepherders
To me, the Sheepherders were one of the most violant teams of their day.  You'd have to put this in a cage so Johnny Ace couldn't use the flag pole.
 
Scaffold Match
Rock N Roll Express vs Midnight Express
These two teams were perfect for each other.  They tore up the old Mid South.  They tore up the NWA.  They tear it up at Starrcade.
 
Tag Team Match
Sting & Terry Taylor vs Rick Steiner & Hotstuff Eddie Gilbert
A good classic UWF match
 
This would be the TV title tournament finals
Lex Luger vs Michael PS Hayes  
Somehow, the TV title would be either held up, abandoned, stripped, or forfeited.   Luger wins the belt, but also plants the seeds for the face turn.

If Magnum hadn't wrecked...who knows?  He might have been in the midst of a lengthy World title run...changing the whole picture.  

Another version of STARRCADE is this.....
 
 
STARRCADE 87:Rajun Cajun Showdown
 
New Orleans Superdome
 
New Orleans Louisiana
 
Thanksgiving Night
 
8pm
 
LIVE On Pay Per View  
 
Giant Closed Circuit Location In The State Of Louisiana ONLY
 
12 matches in all
 
Main Event
Steel Cage Match
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Barry Windham Vs Ric Flair
Challenger            Champion
 
 
Steel Cage Match- 2 out of 3 falls
United States Heavyweight Championship
Nikita Koloff  Vs  Lex Luger
Challenger         Champion
 
 
NWA World Television Championship
Pin falls Count anywhere-Loser Leaves Town
Dusty Rhodes  Vs   Tully Blanchard
Challenger             Champion
 
 
 Bunkhouse Match
 Western States Heritage Championship
 Ole Anderson Vs Arn Anderson
 Challenger        Champion
 
 
 
UWF Heavyweight Championship
Steve Williams  Vs  Bubba Rogers
Champion              Challenger
 
 
 
NWA  World Tag Team Championship
Rock N Roll Express  Vs Rude and Ragin
Challengers                  Champions
 
 
 
Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match
UWF Tag Team Championship
Fantastics Vs  Sheepherders
Challengers    Champions
 
 
 
UWF Television Championship
Chris Adams  Vs     Terry Taylor
Challenger                Champion
 
 
 
Louisiana Street Fight
Shane Douglas and Sting  Vs  Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner  
 
 
 
To determined the #1 Contenders to the
NWA World Tag Team Championship
Road Warriors  Vs  Canadian Kodiacs
 
 
 
U.S. Tag Team Championship
Ron And Jimmy Garvin Vs  Midnight Express
 
 
Six Man Tag Team Match
Brad Armstrong, Tim Horner and Michael Hayes Vs Larry Zbysko, Dick Murdock and Ivan Koloff.
 
 
 
I would have took the feuds that a started in the beginning of 87 and the summer of 87 and sum it all up. Like The UWF Tag Team Champions in reality The Sheepherders were the champions but they should have faced The Fantastics for the belts as if they came back in the UWF.  
 
 
The Garvins Vs The Midnight express.  
In beginning the eye of Ron Garvin was burned by Jim Cornette. That was a great feud that should have played it self out.  
 
 
The battle of the Anderson Family
Arn Vs Ole
Ole was injured and ousted out of the four horsemen. Arn Wins The Western States title tournament but Ole comes back and challenges him for the title at STARRCADE.
 
 
The Return Match for The UWF title should have took place at STARRCADE as Steve Williams defends against former champion Bubba Rogers.  
 
 
The Dream match I don't care what nobody say, The Canadian Kodiacs against The Road Warriors would have been good.