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WCW Halloween Havoc 1991
Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone are doing commentary tonight.
EARLIER TODAY. Cactus Jack and Abdullah the Butcher arrived. DDP and The Diamond Studd arrived. During this, Eric Bischoff was running down the card. Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes pull up. As they do, Larry Zbyszko and Arn Anderson smash Barry's arm in the door. Because of this, he will not be able to compete in the Chamber of Horrors match.
El Gigante/Sting/Steiner Brothers vs Abdullah the Butcher/Cactus Jack/The Diamond Studd/Vader Chamber of Horrors Match
The first team to put someone from the opposing team in the electric chair and pulling the switch will win. It's a giant cage, curved at the top to prevent climb outs, and has Halloween themed weapons. The heel team was originally to be Studd/Oz/One Man Gang/Barry Windham. Gang left WCW, Windham was turned face, and I have no idea why Nash wasn't in the match. Hall is basically already Razor, down to the moves, hair, and tooth pick. Rick Steiner has a chainsaw! Sting is using Abby's own stick. Someone was hiding in a casket. Scott beat him up. Just mindless brawling. The ref has a camera on his head, the Refer-Eye cam, predating PRIDE by years. Steiners do the doomsday DDT. As they do, the chair comes down and nearly squashes Cactus. Rick almost gets electrocuted, but knocks Vader out of the ring. Sting throws a casket lid in the air. It lands on Cactus' head. Some ghost orderlies come out. Cactus is gushing blood. Big surprise. Did you ever want to see Vader vs Giant Gonzalez? You could in this match. Cactus takes a big bump over the ropes and into the cage, but you couldn't really see it. LOL, a shot of the chair switch shows that it is actually already on. So you have to turn it off to turn it on. This is just a mess. I bet Pat Patterson could have booked something decent with some big spots and some kind of story, but there is none of that here. It's just mindless brawling and bad camera angles. At some point, someone got the level into the off position. Cactus waits at the switch as Abby puts Rick in the chair. Rick takes 10 minutes to put Abby in, during which time Cactus was conveniently not looking at the ring. He flips the switch. Abdullah is dead! Faces win. Such a mess. And really bad booking idea to put 4 of the best guys (and 3 of the most over) on the roster in a shitty garbage match. Abby woke up, attacked Cactus, then they both attacked the ghost orderlies on the ramp.
Jimmy Garvin vs Johnny B. Badd
God, the Freebirds in 1991 were so out of date and uncool. Johnny B. Badd is a Jew pretending to be an ambiguously gay black man. Teddy Long is a manager. It was still in his fat stage. Jimmy Garvin looks so weird. He's actually in pretty good shape, maybe better than he ever was. But he also looks old and creepy. When DDP turned heel in 1999, he was basically doing 90s Freebirds, of which he was a part of for a bit. The Birds are faces. Maybe. I'm not really sure. The show is in Tennessee, but they are wearing Atlanta Braves stuff and doing the chant. But the fans are into it. Not really sure what's going on here. Mero was still very new to wrestling. He does a pretty bad flying sunset flip. Flying elbow. If I'm not mistaken, I believe Jimmy Jam invented the Stone Cold Stunner. He was at least the first person to do it on US TV. Jimmy hits the DDT. Teddy distracts the ref, allowing Johnny to nail a punch and win.
TO THE BACK. Missy Hyatt tries to find the identity of the Halloween Phantom. Bobby Eaton, who just won a match that wasn't on the Turner released tape, says he doesn't know who it is.
Dustin Rhodes vs Steve Austin WCW TV Championship
Sweet. Both guys are still young and new to the business, but still. Austin's hair was terrible. Shaving it was the best thing he ever did. He should have done it as early as 1990. Dustin shows Steve up a few times in the opening moments. Also, Austin's trunks are awful. Flower print/Saved By The Bell intro boxer briefs. Lariatooooo and dropkick from Dustin. Some basic, but good chain wrasslin. A lariatooo sends Austin over the top rope. It wasn't a DQ. Back suplay from Ausin. Austin throws off the bulldog. He doesn't dodge the big punch to the mouth. Dustin does his cross body spot, which has always been one of my favorites. Dustin has been busted open from punches. Ax handle from the top to the floor from Austin. Austin with that heel headlock. The ref finally catches the feet on the ropes and breaks the hold. Big lariatooo/collision spot. Lady Blossom gives Dustin some slaps. 2 minutes left in the time limit. Dustin tries to win as fast as he can. 1 minute left! 30 seconds! Dustin hits a flying lariatooo, but the time limit runs out at the 2 count. Time limit draw. Title retained. Really enjoyable match. These guys always matched up well. They'd have even better ones in 1992-1993.
Z Man vs The Halloween Phantom
The Phantom is a guy in a black unitard and black and white mask. He appears to be quite jacked. Ravishing even. He has a mustache. It's basically a squash which ends in a very familiar looking neck breaker. Tony says the move looks very much like the Rude Awakening, if he may be so bold to say.
The Patriots vs The Enforcers WCW Tag Team Championships
The Patriots are US Tag Team Championships, but their titles are not on the line. The Patriots are Todd Champion and Firebreaker Chip, two jacked up dudes who suck. The Enforcers are Arn and Larry. I don't know who is who, but the bigger guy reminds me of Rob Terry. Arn and Larry can try all they want, they aren't getting anything good out of these guys. Arn wins with the spinebuster. One of my favorite things about Arn is that he ALWAYS got a pop from the spinebuster, even into the 2000s when he hadn't been a wrestler for years. Titles retained. Tony looks miserable working with JR.
TO THE BISCHOFF. Eric is dressed as Dracula and brings Paul E. Dangerously and Madusa out. Paul E. has huge story. Paul cuts a promo about how people in WCW are afraid of what Paul has to say and are stuck in the past. THIS MEANS WAR! Starting tonight, he's planning to bankrupt WCW for screwing around with him. He's going to do that by taking out WCW's heroes. He brings out the Halloween Phantom, who is revealed to be Ravishing Rick Rude! Rude only cares about himself, his women, and his money. His money man has a problem with Sting, so that scum bag is first on Rude's list.
Ron Simmons video. It included him hanging out at FSU in short shorts, reliving his glory days, talking to his former coach, and showing of his hams he had hidden in his short shorts. Almost as big as Big E.'s.
Ron Simmons vs Lex Luger WCW Championship 2/3 Falls
This is the first time the WCW Championship had been defended on PPV in a 2/3 falls match. If that sounds weird to you, that's because WCW pulled out of the NWA in January of 1991. Ric Flair kept possession of the Big Gold Belt and jumped to the WWF with it. The title (now the WCW, not NWA Championship) was vacated and Lex Luger and Barry Windham had a match at the Great American Bash 1991 to crown a new champion. The crowd chanted for Flair the whole time and Lex, previously a popular baby face, turned heel, pissing the fans off even more. They didn't even have a real belt, instead using an old regional title of Dusty's. Lex has both Harley Race and Mr. Hughes with him. Dusty is with Simmons. Lex was still capable at this point in his career, but 2/3 falls with another guy who needed to be carried sounds like a bad idea to me. Simmons wins the first fall in about 5 minutes with a spinebuster. Simmons controls the opening moments of fall 2. Simmons goes over the top rope when Lex ducks down. Powerslam from Lex. Rest holds! Harley is covered in sweat despite having not done anything in the match. Maybe it was really hot in the building. He finally does get involved and Dusty gives him an elbow for it. Harley holds Ron in place. Lex runs at him and goes over the top. Ron Simmons is disqualified for it. That finish doesn't even make sense since Lex was doing the attack and Simmons didn't do anything to toss him over the ropes. If Dustin didn't get DQ'd for clotheslining Austin over the ropes, no way should Simmons have been disqualified for that. Match is tied at 1 to 1. Lex gets the jump on the 3rd fall. Ron come back with an atomic drop and superplex. Powerslam. Simmons does a second rope shoulder block. Lex rolls to the floor. Simmons runs head first into the ring post. Lex pulls him back in the ring and hits one of the worst piledrivers this side of Crush to win the 3rd fall and retain his title. It actually wasn't nearly as bad as you'd expect.
DQ Count: 0 out of 6 matches. However, the official home video release cut out Big Josh (Doink)/PN News defeating The Creatures, Bobby Eaton defeating Terry Taylor (in a 16 minute match that probably should have been on the tape), Bill Kazmaier defeating OZ, Van Hammer defeating Doug Somers, and Brian Pillman defeating Richard Morton to become the first WCW Light Heavyweight Championship. They didn't put the match to determine a first ever champion on the home release? Such is WCW.
