Why?! Why this match?! Out of hundreds of possible matches from PPVs, why is this one the first to appear on Classics? Why is this match picked to be our first taste of Jim Ross announcing? Why is this match our first look at long-time referee Nick Patrick? And why is Tommy Rich on this salute to young lions? Rich is known for two things; being one of the worst world champions in the days before Vince Russo, and for being a big drunk. And this is his "big comeback" which failed to amount to anything other than the birth of Big Josh, and a stint in the York Foundation. On the other hand, this match is a beautiful intro to a long-time wrestling tradition: the hostile, babyface-hating, Santa Claus-booing Philadelphia crowd. Tommy Rich works on the arm of the Assassin (David "Fidel" Sierra, last seen as one half of the "Barrio Brothers"), and the crowd erupts, against Tommy. They boo Tommy unmercifully, even getting a "Tommy Rich sucks" chant going. Good ol' JR does his best to ignore the building tide of hatred towards Rich, and hype that year's Starrcade and it's top secret revolutionary format (it was the Iron Man tournament, and it bombed). Assassin cheats to take the advantage, leading JR to question his amateur credentials (I did not make that up). Rich finally gets the win with his finisher, the Thesz press, and the crowd boos. It was a blah match, but it is perversely fun to see the WCW equivalent of "Kill the Clown" (ask the Rick about it, or don't).   More...