Halloween Havoc ’97

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Halloween Havoc

October 26, 1997

MGM Grand Garden Arena

Las Vegas, Nevada

News & Notes: Are you ready for Age in a Cage, an all-time classic between Eddie and Rey, and more fake Stings than you can shake a stick at? It’s Halloween Havoc. Oh, excuse me. I meant to say Slim Jim’s Halloween Havoc. But first, other things happened in WCW-land.

Eric Bischoff dared Sting to show up at the PPV. He claimed Hogan would beat him up. Bischoff thought Sting wasn’t there. But Sting showed up after a Giant/Hennig match to clear the ring of nWo members. This didn’t stop Hogan from dressing as Sting to attack Piper. So Sting had enough. He did the only thing you would do in such a situation. Sting deployed his own army of fake Stings! That should mess with Hogan’s head—and confuse fans. Even Piper & DDP dressed in Sting masks. Did Oprah show up and hand out Sting costumes? You get a Sting Mask! And you get a Sting mask! I apologize for that digression. On with the notes.

Meanwhile, a new wrestler debuted on Nitro. Hugh Morrus faced what appeared to be a jobber. He got no entrance or music. The commentators knew nothing about him. But this big bald man in black trunks destroyed Hugh. He then turned to the camera and said, “That’s one!” Then Gene tried to interview this Bill Goldberg fellow. But Goldberg ignored him. However, Mike Tenay got the scoop. He discovered Goldberg was a former NFL player. After another squash, Gene asked Goldberg about this. He got the same response as before. Since Bill played football, it’s only natural he drew the attention of Mongo. McMichael stared him down in the aisle. But the two didn’t fight—yet.

In other news, Raven made new friends. He continued sitting in the front row and watching the action. Raven also attacked Richards a few times until he beat Stevie into submission again. Soon, Raven showed up with Perry Saturn in tow. (Kronus didn’t make the jump.) Next, Raven added the man we’ll later learn is Sick Boy. They watched a Billy Kidman match. This was apparently enough to make Kidman interested. He joined Raven a week later. Kidman had a new Gothic look and a pesky itch that wouldn’t go away. (It’s supposed to make him look like a meth addict.) Raven’s crew also scouted a Scotty Riggs bout. But we’ll get to him soon enough. Also, WCW hasn’t named them The Flock yet.

We open with a video about Hogan vs. Piper. The narrator tells us the world of wrestling will change forever. (I somehow doubt it.) They show clips of Hogan and Piper taunting each other. These are cut between what sounds like Geiger counter noises. It’s Hogan vs. Piper in a cage for the first time! Hogan promises to put Piper out to pasture with the rest of the fossils. (That’s rich coming from him.) Piper says Hollywood is cornered. He’ll chew him up from head to toe! But Hogan claims he’s the god of professional wrestling. (With all the wrestlers who named themselves gods, how have we never had a stable called The Pantheon?)

Tony Schiavone welcomes everyone to Vegas and Halloween Havoc. Fireworks explode around the awesome set. There’s a spooky ghoul face in the entrance with glowing eyes. It’s surrounded by Styrofoam headstones. They also play the Halloween Havoc theme. (It’s the same song Marc Mero used after his return. The odd thing is, that return happened a few weeks before this event. Is this a power play by WCW? Are they showing they can use the same unlicensed music as the WWF?) Then Tony talks about Piper debuting at this event last year. Tonight, he’ll try to end his feud with Hogan once and for all. But Heenan hopes Piper didn’t bite off more than he can chew. Even a cornered weasel will fight! (Tony looks surprised at Heenan’s word choice.) Next, Schiavone asks Dusty about the main event. Rhodes believes guys’ livelihoods are at stake! If Hogan wins, the nWo party might never end. You’ve got to fight!

Yuji Nagata (w/ Sonny Onoo) vs. Ultimo Dragon

Notes: Ultimo Dragon’s never-ending issues with Sonny Onoo continued. Sonny realized Psychosis wasn’t getting it done. So he found a new client in Yuji Nagata. Yuji made a name for himself in various Japanese promotions, as well as MMA. (His MMA career wasn’t as successful.) He appeared a few times on WCW programming before Onoo snatched him up. Yuji then proved his worth to Sonny by squashing Psychosis. Dragon confronted Nagata afterward, but Yuji and Sonny beat Ultimo up. Also, Dragon was dealing with bone chips in his elbow. It plays into this match. (On a side note, Raven and his followers take front row seats during this bout. He’s with Saturn, Kidman, and Sick Boy. Richards joins them later with a plethora of signs.)

The Match: They trade kicks, shoulder blocks, and takedowns. Dragon fends Nagata off with his headstand kick on the turnbuckles. But Yuji answers with suplexes and chinlocks. He alternates between chinlocks and sleeper holds. Dragon fires back with his own kicks and takes Yuji to the floor. There, he nails an Asai Moonsault. Nagata fights back with knees and attempts a superplex. But Dragon turns it into a sunset bomb and hits another moonsault. Then Ultimo tries for a super Frankensteiner. Yuji counters by dropping Dragon’s bad arm across the turnbuckles. He follows with kicks to the arm and armbreakers. Next, Yuji uses the Nagatalock (modified Figure Four). However, Dragon breaks free and turns a powerbomb attempt into a Dragon Sleeper. Nagata reaches the ropes. Then after some more kicks, Dragon lands a super Frankensteiner. He’s slow to cover because of his arm and only gets a two-count. So Ultimo returns to the Dragon Sleeper. But Yuji turns it into a Fujiwara Armbar for the submission.

Thoughts: This was a strong technical opener with some hard strikes. I enjoyed this. The psychology and storytelling with Dragon’s arm worked well. It played into the finish perfectly. This wasn’t a long match, and it didn’t need to be. Dragon’s bone chip issue was legitimate. They do a post-match beating to write him off TV for surgery.

Winner: Yuji Nagata (9:42)

Yuji kicks and wrenches at Dragon’s arm. Then he holds Dragon’s arm while Sonny Onoo kicks it. Nagata bows to Onoo and Sonny hands him an envelope full of money. Heenan loves it. He says Yuji earned his bonus pay the right way. Heenan’s comments disgust Tony.

Meanwhile, TV champion Disco Inferno is in the wcwwrestling.com room. He’s with Mark Madden and Jeff Katz. (Boo! Bring back the intern!) Madden says Disco makes history tonight when he faces a woman! Disco claims it’s never been done before. (Andy Kaufman begs to differ.) He also says he can’t hit her. But he’s the best wrestler on TV today. He’ll find a way to win. Disco then says cheerleaders shouldn’t be on the field. This draws an angry Jacquelyn into the room. She’s pissed at Disco and asks Madden why he didn’t interview her. Mark claims he wanted to, but Disco wouldn’t let him. Jackie jumps over the table and chases Disco away. She knocks Madden over, which delights Dusty Rhodes and me! Dusty says, “She knocked Mark Madden down! His big old butt when flying. Didn’t it?”

Chris Jericho vs. Gedo

Notes: This is a special unannounced bout. We were supposed to get Goldberg vs. Meng. But WCW decided not to do that encounter. Some of you may know Gedo as NJPW’s current booker. But this is long before those days. Gedo worked in both Mexico and Japan with his partner, Jado. He even competed in the Super J-Cup against guys like Benoit and Liger. Gedo also had a history with Jericho before this match. They teamed together and Gedo defeated Chris for WAR’s Junior Heavyweight Championship. During the entrances, Stevie Richards holds a sign that says, “Ooh, that’s scary!” If he means the entrance, Jericho agrees. Chris admires the ghoul face as he walks to the ring.

The Match: They exchange slaps, arm wringers, and hammerlocks. Gedo regroups when Jericho takes control. But Chris gives him strikes and a stalling suplex when Gedo returns. Then Gedo throws Jericho over the ropes, but Chris skins the cat. However, Gedo answers with a clothesline over the ropes. He follows with powerslams and sleeper holds on Jericho. This lasts until Chris lifts and drops Gedo. Jericho also turns a hurricanrana into a double powerbomb. Next, they head to the top. It seems Jericho is going for a superplex. But he changes to a super Frankensteiner instead. And—OH MY GOD! Chris lands on his head! How is Jericho still alive and walking? (See the GIF above.) Gedo bails to buy Jericho time after his brush with death. But Chris is running on adrenaline. Jericho does a slingshot crossbody and gets kicked. Then Gedo avoids a German suplex and turns a victory roll into a backbreaker. However, Gedo misses a missile dropkick. This allows Jericho to lock in a Liontamer for the win.

Thoughts: Other than the scary botch, this was a fun, hard-hitting match. It seemed they were working stiff. Jericho believed Gedo was pissed at him because Chris changed the finish. Bischoff wanted Gedo to win. Chris felt it made no sense because Gedo was making a one-time appearance. You can see the frustration come out in this encounter. This bout was a short car crash. Jericho said in his book he never watched it because of the botch. I don’t blame him.

Winner: Chris Jericho (7:18)

Mean Gene is backstage. He wants to talk about a Fleetwood Mac concert from the previous night. But Debra motions for him to get on with it! She was supposed to lead Jeff Jarrett into a match with Mongo. If her man lost, she’d leave WCW. But Jarrett left the company. Now, she has a mystery man. Gene says she may be out of a job. Debra finds that ridiculous. Mongo won’t steal her limelight and neither will Gene. He talks too much! Gene ignores the slight and asks about her mystery man. She says it’s not Jarrett, Michael Cook, or even Steven Seagal! Then Mongo interrupts. He tells her to listen good. (It’s listen well, Mongo. Get it right!) He got her into this, and now he’s the bad guy? If she doesn’t need him anymore, she can give back the diamond ring, Rolex, and credit cards! (Gene can’t believe he gave her a Rolex.) Debra says she has no intention of giving those back. She earned them by putting up with him and his family. Gene thinks they should settle this in a courtroom.

Title vs. Mask for the Cruiserweight Title: Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero (c)

Notes: Eddie Guerrero didn’t forget his upset loss to Mysterio before Fall Brawl. Guerrero targeted Rey after winning the Cruiserweight title. He distracted Rey. So Rey dove onto him. Then Rey faced a mysterious masked man named El Caliente. The ruse fooled no one, especially not Mysterio. He defeated Caliente and unmasked him to reveal Guerrero. So Guerrero got a measure of revenge. Eddie ran in during Malenko vs. Mysterio and snatched the mask off of Rey’s head! Dean defeated Rey while Mysterio tried to cover his face. This led to WCW booking this Title vs. Mask Match. To drive home the importance of this, Mike Tenay taught us about the tradition of masks in Mexico. They aired a series of videos about the rich history. Mike also told us about the Guerrero family’s history with masks. They resent them because Gory Guerrero lived in the shadow of El Santo throughout his career. (On a side note, Rey wears a Phantom-inspired bodysuit for this encounter. The mask is attached to it. So it will be difficult for Eddie to remove the mask.)

The Match: Rey sticks and moves and takes Eddie down with arm drags, monkey flips, and a crossbody. But Eddie pulls him off the apron and rams Rey head-first into the steps. Eddie also uses strikes and catches Mysterio out of the air with a back suplex. Next, Guerrero uses backbreakers, an abdominal stretch, and knucklelocks. He has Rey flat on his back. But Mysterio leaps onto the ropes and springboards into a moonsault DDT! However, Eddie takes Rey to the floor and whips him into the rail. They head back inside where Eddie uses a Camel Clutch. He rips open Rey’s mask while Mysterio is in the hold.

When Rey breaks free, they trade more strikes. Eddie places Mysterio in a tree of woe and does a baseball slide. But Rey moves, and Eddie crotches himself on the post! Guerrero regroups, so Rey nails a flying body press over the post. Rey also flusters Eddie with hurricanranas and headscissors. They send Guerrero to the floor, where Rey hits a somersault dragonrana over the ropes! Rey follows with a corkscrew moonsault and a split-legged moonsault. Eddie raises his knees on the latter. He powerbombs Rey and catches him in a backbreaker on a hurricanrana attempt. However, Eddie misses a Frog Splash and rolls through it. Since that didn’t work, Guerrero tries a super back suplex. Rey blocks it. So Eddie attempts a super Splash Mountain Bomb instead. Rey turns it into a hurricanrana in mid-air for the win.

Thoughts: I love this. I called Hell in a Cell almost flawless. This falls into the same category. It’s the perfect blend of high-flying moves, technical wrestling, and storytelling. The action is good enough for me to excuse Rey using that finish again. It’s been long enough since we last saw it. Plus, the commentary was the icing on the cake. Tenay provided the context, and the others brought the enthusiasm. It’s a shame the commentary goes downhill after this. (On a side note, Bischoff wanted Rey to lose the mask. Mysterio pleaded his case for weeks. Eric didn’t budge until the day of the show. But Bischoff gets his wish later down the line.)

Winner: Rey Mysterio Jr. (New Champion) (13:51)

Rey celebrates with his belt and speaks to the camera. So Eddie jumps him and throws Mysterio out of the ring. Rey smartly walks away while Guerrero sulks. Then Gene stands in the entrance and plugs the hotline. He says a clique in wrestling might have added a new member. Call the hotline for more information! Gene also asks Tony what he’s wearing for Halloween. Tony says he’ll wear his Mean Gene costume.

Next, they go to Hogan and Bischoff in the nWo locker room. There’s an awkward pause before Hogan begins. Eric wants to speak, but Hogan needs to talk about the mirrors first. He loves how they show every strand, striation, and ripple in his body. But Hogan feels bad. The fans won’t get their due. This is because WCW hasn’t provided a safe working environment for Hollywood. (They’re mocking Shawn Michaels for complaining about an unsafe working environment.) There are guys coming out of the roof and cages are lowering over the ring. Hogan wants to wrestle, but Bischoff can’t let him. It’s for the fan’s safety! The main event won’t happen unless WCW provides assurances. They must produce a document banning Sting from the building. He can’t sell concessions, tickets, or merchandise. If he’s there, the nWo will go home and party. Hogan says they’ll win either way. Hogan is the god of wrestling and he’ll get his belt back. It doesn’t matter if he does it today or tomorrow. Hogan calls WCW as low as Piper and Sting. If he doesn’t see JJ Dillon, the boots will come off and he’ll leave. WCW can either get it done, or they’re out of there! (I paraphrased because they repeated themselves a lot! This was long and rambling, as usual. It also kills the commentary for the rest of the show. They only speak about Hogan not wanting to wrestle.)

Mongo enters for his match, but the commentators couldn’t care less. They talk about Hogan. Then Debra arrives with her mystery man. It’s Alex Wright! They don’t draw out the drama. He walks arm-in-arm with Debra. (There’s no need to draw it out. Wright is the obvious choice. He already had an association with Debra.) Wright’s music doesn’t begin until he’s halfway down the aisle. But the commentators are already back to discussing Hogan. They took two seconds to address Alex Wright’s appearance.

Alex Wright (w/ Queen Debra) vs. Steve Mongo McMichael

Notes: Mongo hasn’t had a good month. First, he tried to get revenge on Hennig. But he lost his US title to Curt. Then Ric Flair disbanded the Horsemen. Ric told Benoit & Mongo to go their own way and not to worry about him. Next, Mongo lost to Jarrett when Debra slapped him. So Mongo cost Jeff a match as well and got slapped again. This led to a big argument backstage. The commentators revealed Mongo and Debra were separated and heading for a divorce. Despite losing his US Title, they still booked Mongo vs. Jarrett for this show. If Jarrett lost, Debra had to leave WCW. Ironically, it was Jeff who left the company. However, Debra promised to find a new man. Mongo would get a big surprise at Halloween Havoc. Mongo told her to find the kitchen instead. This didn’t amuse Debra. As you saw, Debra’s mystery man is Alex Wright. But he too lost his belt. (More on that in a moment.)

The Match: It begins with punches, arm wringers, and slams. Wright even does a cartwheel. But Mongo isn’t having that! Then Alex fires back with shoulder blocks, uppercuts, and headlocks. Mongo answers by blocking and reversing a hip toss. McMichael follows with more strikes and slams until he eats a boot on a corner charge. Next, they botch a Tombstone reversal spot and Mongo hits the move. However, Debra distracts the ref. This allows Goldberg to enter the ring! Bill spears Mongo. (He has to stop short to avoid the ref.) Then Goldberg hits the Jackhammer. (The ref pretends not to see him. They’re inches away!) Bill places Wright on Mongo. The ref turns and sees this. So he counts the three.

Thoughts: This was basic and sloppy. And that finish was ridiculous. Charles Robinson had to pretend not to see Goldberg. You even saw Charles peek over his shoulder. Also, this means Goldberg’s first feud is with Mongo. Who thought that was a good idea? Let’s put two green guys against each other!

Winner: Alex Wright (6:31)

After the match, Debra hands Goldberg Mongo’s Super Bowl ring as payment for his services. Goldberg says the ring is his now. Debra claims she always gets her way. An oblivious Wright tries to shake Goldberg’s hand. But Bill punches him. He then takes Alex into the ring and gives him a spear and a Jackhammer. Goldberg tells the camera Mongo is the next victim.

Then Savage is in the nWo locker room. He doesn’t understand Bischoff’s contract talk. Randy didn’t have to read between the eyes because it doesn’t matter. (That’s not a saying, Randy.) Savage says he’s only there to beat up Diamond Dallas Page. He’ll celebrate with a pack of Slim Jims because it’s Slim Jim’s Halloween Havoc. After tonight, DDP can tell his grandchildren he had a glimpse of greatness. But he couldn’t handle it. Page is nothing compared to the madness! Randy even asks Liz for her thoughts. She says Page on his best day shouldn’t be in the ring with Savage. Then Randy claims he’s the best wrestler today. He doesn’t care if he gets hurt in the fight. (That becomes clear later.) Finally, Randy reminds us this is Slim Jim’s Halloween Havoc and walks away. He rambles about gambling as they leave.

Jacquelyn vs. Disco Inferno

Notes: Disco and Alex Wright had their issues before Fall Brawl. So Disco received a TV title shot and won the belt! But Disco had no time to celebrate. Jacquelyn confronted him afterward. Disco thought she wanted to dance. No, she wanted to fight! He wanted no part of this, so Jackie threatened to tell everyone why Disco disappeared for six months. Jackie then interfered in Disco’s matches until WCW signed a bout between them. This is playing off the real reason WCW fired Disco. Bischoff wanted Disco to lose to Jackie back in the spring. Disco refused, so Eric fired him. After Disco’s WWF opportunity fell through, he asked for his job back. Bischoff said fine, as long as he lost to Jackie. They never stated this on TV. We got hints about it in the build, but that’s it. As you can see, WCW did worked shoots long before Russo arrived. Oh, and this is non-title. The Nevada Athletic Commission wouldn’t sanction an intergender title contest. Meanwhile, Stevie Richards’ sign says this is girl vs. girl. (That won’t convince the athletic commission.)

The Match: Disco stalls for a few minutes. He bails and hides behind the ref when Jackie advances. She chases him around and into the ring. When they meet at the ropes, Jackie hits a shoulder to the gut and a slingshot sunset flip. But Disco answers with a drop toe hold and bails again. He also gives her an arm drag, but Disco returns to the stalling. Jacquelyn has enough. She wails on Disco. So he tries to leave. She drags him back and nails him with forearms and shoulder blocks. Disco pulls her out of the ring, but Jackie crotches him on the post. She also suplexes Disco on the floor! Next, Jackie gives Dusty a heart attack when she lands a float-over DDT! A flying crossbody is next, but Disco reverses for a two. He argues with the ref, so Jackie rolls Disco up for the three count.

Thoughts: This was dull and pointless. It was 90% stalling. That got some heat early, but the fans stopped caring after the 100^th time. The match only existed to punish Disco for refusing to do the match. The booking team put the TV title on Disco hoping it would dissuade Bischoff. As you can see, it didn’t work.

Winner: Jacquelyn (9:39)

U.S. Title Match: Curt Hennig (c) vs. Ric Flair

Notes: As I mentioned in my Fall Brawl review, they showed footage of Flair’s surgery on Nitro. Ric’s fate disgusted Schiavone enough for him to walk off the job for one night. Then Hennig came to the ring wearing Flair’s robe. Curt gifted it to Hogan, who cut off the sleeves to show off his guns. (Hennig wears the desecrated robe in his entrance for this bout.) Next, Hennig won the US title and defended it a few times. One defense was against Benoit. Ric Flair returned afterward and chased Hennig into the parking lot. Ric then cut a promo on Hennig. He said Curt wasn’t nWo 4-life. Hennig is nWo for three weeks until Ric gets his hands on him! But Ric tried to get Hennig early. He interfered in Curt vs. DDP. An angry Flair cost DDP his shot at the US title. But Flair was more focused on revenge than any title matches going on. (On a side note, Hennig carries the Cruiserweight belt to the ring with him for this match. Did he grab the wrong one backstage? It looks nothing like the US title!)

The Match: Ric runs to the ring and pulls Hennig to the floor. Then Flair attacks Curt’s leg and stops him from leaving. Ric puts on the destroyed robe and struts. But Hennig fires back with a running clothesline and a neck whip. Curt then returns the favor with the leg work. He jumps on Ric’s knee and wraps it around the post. Ric rallies with chops, but Hennig continues attacking the leg. He even uses a spinning toe hold. Then Curt takes Ric outside and uses the guardrail to do more damage. Ric fights with more chops and shoulder blocks. But Hennig grabs a sleeper hold. Ric won’t go down without a fight. So Hennig drags him to the post and threatens to use a chair on Flair’s head. Ric moves and rallies with chops, punches, eye-pokes, and stomps. Curt has enough and tries to leave. So Flair stops him. The belt ends up in the ring and Hennig tries a Hennig Plex onto it. Ric blocks it and does his own suplex, but he misses the belt. Then Ric places Curt in a tree of woe. He puts the belt over Hennig’s face, but the leather side is facing Curt. Flair ignores the ref’s warning and kicks the belt into Hennig’s face. So the ref calls for the bell.

Thoughts: This started hot. There were parts I liked. Hennig trying to sandwich Ric’s head between a chair and the post was a nice touch. However, this was disappointing. It lost steam in the middle and the finish was lame. I get they want to continue the feud. But this fell flat. These two had better matches in the past.

Winner: Curt Hennig (by DQ) (13:57)

Flair continues attacking. So the officials and nWo members come to help Hennig. Flair hands out chops to the refs. But Vincent and Konnan finally pull Hennig to safety. Curt holds his face in pain as they leave. The officials prevent Flair from following them.

Meanwhile, Savage is in the wcwwrestling.com room with Madden & Katz. Mark asks Randy about his match with DDP. Savage wants people to know he’s the greatest wrestler in the world. He claims DDP misunderstands that. But he’ll get him tonight. Then Madden asks if the women will get involved. Savage says anyone who gets involved is over-involved!

Next, Gene is with the returning JJ Dillon. He recovered from the nWo attack. But JJ walked into a can of worms! Gene can’t believe Hogan and that piece of garbage Bischoff made demands! They want to deprive the fans of the Cage Match. Dillon says he’s back because he’s not a quitter. He has a job to do. Hogan’s actions won’t fly. The main event will happen as advertised. This draws out Eric Bischoff. Eric asks who Dillon thinks he is. He has no stroke. Dillon proves him wrong by producing a notarized document. Bischoff has his demands, so the match will happen. Bischoff is pissed, despite getting what he wanted. But JJ ignores his whining. Dillon says he’s a man of his word and walks away. But Eric continues yelling. He doesn’t care about the document. If Sting shows up tonight, the nWo wants Nitro! (Remember that. It will come into play soon.)

Lex Luger vs. Scott Hall (w/ Syxx)

Notes: After the events of Fall Brawl, Bischoff confronted Zbyszko. He warned Larry to never get involved in nWo matches again! Larry countered by calling Eric a coward. Bischoff only joined the nWo out of fear because they powerbombed him. Then Scott Hall called Luger out for a fight. He knew Lex wasn’t there, so he challenged Larry instead. But Zbyszko wasn’t dumb enough to enter the ring while Syxx was there. Later in the episode, a cocky Hall faced Hector Garza and lost! Hall took out his frustrations on refs for the next few weeks. So Piper booked Luger vs. Hall for Havoc. He made Larry the special referee! Zbyszko promised to call it down the middle. He didn’t want to rob Luger or WCW of a clean win over Hall. Larry even got practice as a ref. Piper made Hall & Syxx defend the tag belts against The Steiners. (Nash is out for knee surgery. Syxx took his place.) Zbyszko counted the three when the other ref went down. The Steiners are the new tag champions! This frustrated Hall even more. So he attacked another ref and spray painted a Z on his back.

The Match: Larry tells Hall to lose the toothpick. So Scott throws it in Zbyszko’s face. Then Hall and Luger back each other into the ropes. It happens multiple times with lock-ups, headlocks, and hammerlocks. Larry makes both men break clean every time. But Syxx thinks he’s giving Luger more time. Then Hall teases a test of strength and kicks Luger in the gut. Hall controls the match with a long bow and arrow stretch. Luger rallies, but Hall uses a Manhattan Drop, clotheslines, and a fallaway slam. Both Hall & Syxx complain of slow counts from Larry. But Larry is having none of Syxx’s crap. He catches him trying to interfere and threatens Syxx. Then Hall argues with Zbyszko. They shove each other and Larry backdrops Hall over the ropes. This draws out Bischoff to complain. Larry kicks him off the apron. Meanwhile, Luger takes control with running clotheslines, Manhattan Drops, and the jumping forearm. He calls for The Rack, but Bischoff distracts Larry. This allows Syxx to whiff a kick to Luger’s head. Oh, I mean, he kicked him. Yeah, he definitely kicked him. Hall then nails an Outsiders Edge for the win. Or did he?

Larry smells a rat. He calls for a replay and sees the missed kick. Zbyszko restarts the match, much to Hall & Bischoff’s chagrin. Hall shoves Larry, who pushes back. Luger grabs the dazed Hall and puts him in The Rack for the real victory.

Thoughts: This was more about the story than the action. The match was basic and slow. On its own, it’s not a bad story. It popped the crowd. But this exposes an inconsistency in wrestling. Why don’t refs always call for a replay? If they won’t do it again, it loses its impact. I don’t mind it because it builds the ongoing feud. But this wasn’t great.

Winner: Lex Luger (13:02)

Syxx immediately attacks. He kicks Luger and sends him outside. But Larry grabs Syxx in a guillotine choke. Tony says Larry learned it from Judo Gene LeBell. (Somewhere, Daniel Bryan smiles.) But Bischoff stops this with a kick to Larry’s head. Hall then holds Zbyszko while Eric gives Larry another kick. Bischoff places a foot on Zbyszko’s chest, so Hall does a three count. This disgusts Schiavone. He mocks Eric by saying, “Mama, I want to be a wrestler!” Bischoff, Hall, & Syxx leave the ring and Hall tells Nash to come back soon.

Then they show a commercial for World War 3. A man in a gas mask walks around a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The wind blows a piece of paper against his leg. He picks it up to see the WCW logo on it. They follow this with clips of WCW action. Words flash on the screen that says the war isn’t over yet! The commercial makes Tony say, “Wow!” (It wasn’t that good.)

Las Vegas Sudden Death Match: Macho Man Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Notes: DDP called Savage a disease eating away at him. So he challenged Randy to one more fight at Havoc. Randy accepted the bout and attacked Page later on Nitro. Savage exposed the concrete and tried to piledrive him. But Piper prevented this. However, DDP grabbed Randy and gave him the Diamond Cutter on the floor! They took Savage out on a stretcher. Then Savage appeared on the next Nitro in a neck brace. Hogan vowed to get revenge on Randy’s behalf. (Remember that for later.) Piper realized this feud was escalating. So he made this a Las Vegas Sudden Death Match. It means this has Last Man Standing rules. Then DDP & Piper dressed as Sting to attack Hogan & Savage. But Randy’s neck brace didn’t prevent Savage from giving DDP multiple flying elbows.

The Match: They brawl on the floor and Savage targets Page’s ribs. But DDP rips off Randy’s shirt and chokes Savage with it. Savage attacks the ribs again. So Page rallies with one-man clubbering and chokes. Then there’s a double down from a double clothesline. (Dusty explains a double clothesline to silence from his partners. So Dusty says, “Hello?”) Next, Savage avoids a Diamond Cutter and they fight on the floor again. Randy uses the guardrail to damage Page’s ribs. They brawl into the crowd and end up at the set. DDP reverses Savage into the Styrofoam tombstones. (Dusty calls it a real Tombstone piledriver.) Page also smashes a plastic sign over Savage’s head. (Dusty yells, “He wobble-legged him! Did he wobble-leg him!? Huh? I like this!”)

When they return to the ring, Savage grabs Jackie Crockett’s TV camera. But Page kicks it into Savage’s face. A worried Liz breaks a tray over the ref’s head to stop the count. This draws out Kimberly, who drags Liz to the back by the hair. (Dusty yells, “Catfight!”) Then Nick Patrick takes over as the ref. DDP rallies with a Manhattan Drop and a pancake. But Randy holds the ropes to block a Diamond Cutter. Next, Savage lands two flying elbows. Both are slow because Savage is exhausted. DDP keeps rising. (Patrick restarting his count for no reason helped.) So Savage lifts DDP again and clips Nick Patrick as Page nails a Diamond Cutter. Patrick is down, but both men get to their feet. Savage hits a low-blow that sends Page tumbling to the floor. This allows a fake Sting with Hogan’s tan and Hogan’s boots to hit DDP with a bat! (Hmm, I wonder who it is.) Page can’t answer the count, so Savage wins.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this. It wasn’t their best match. But they haven’t had a bad one-on-one encounter. This was entertaining chaos, as usual. Savage is great at playing the out-of-control maniac. My only gripe is they did the feud backward. DDP won the first bout and lost the rest. It should have built to his big win.

Winner: Randy Savage (18:07)

Nick Patrick prevents Savage from attacking while the officials check on Page. So Savage decks Patrick and grabs DDP. However, Doug Dillinger makes Randy back up. They place DDP on a stretcher. But Randy waits until they strap DDP down and punches him.

Then the commentators recap the drama surrounding the main event. Heenan points out we haven’t heard from Piper. Bobby says Roddy is dangerous when he’s quiet. Tony says WCW has the momentum after Monday. Heenan proves he wasn’t listening by saying the same thing.

Next, Michael Buffer introduces the steel cage grudge match. The survivor, if there is one, will be the winner! (Is Buffer implying there will be a murder?) Then Buffer says his catchphrase. Fireworks and thunder welcome the cage. WCW took the old Thunderdome and removed the lip at the top. It destroyed the stability of the structure. The thing wobbles throughout this match. They’re trying to one-up the WWF’s Hell in a Cell. It failed. Also, no one explains the rules of this bout. It seems no one knows because the wrestlers and the commentators are all confused. The ref waits outside until they call him. Meanwhile, the competitors arrive. Piper carries Hogan’s belt with him. (He’s not the champ. He stole it. More on that in a second.)

Cage Match: Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hogan

Notes: Piper claimed WCW wanted to ban cage matches after what happened to Flair. But Roddy was having none of that. He loves cages! Piper promised to chew Hogan up. He’d make Mike Tyson look like a vegetarian. Then Hogan and Piper cut their usual promo on each other. They argued about who is the bigger icon. Bischoff clipped Roddy’s knee and Hogan held him for a kick. But Eric hit Hogan by mistake! The nWo attacked, so Sting came to Roddy’s aid. And Piper stole Hogan’s WCW title belt! Roddy refused to return it. He was sick of watching Hogan desecrate the title. But Piper never made this a title match, despite booking the bout himself. (Is he an idiot?) Next, Roddy attacked nWo members before Nitro went on the air. So Hogan lost his cool. He called Piper out for a fight. As I mentioned before, Piper dressed as Sting to attack him. This led to the parade of fake Stings I discussed in the intro. While this happened, someone lowered the cage over the ring. It caused Hogan to retreat in fear.

The Match: Piper chases Hogan around the cage, whips him with a belt, and bites him on the ass! Roddy follows this with more choking, eye-pokes, and back biting. He also bites Hogan’s head! After head claps, low-blows, and getting rammed into the cage, Hogan has enough. He tries to leave. They brawl outside, which confuses everyone! Then a fake Sting prevents Hogan from retreating. This leads to more brawling around the cage. They slam the door on each other and climb up and down the walls. Another fake Sting arrives, so Dusty says there are Stings galore! Next, Hogan uses his weight belt and a fist weapon to take control. But a third fake Sting stops him from escaping. (We also see Hogan is bleeding above his eye. It adds nothing to this bout.) Even more Stings appear as Hogan and Piper fight on top of the cage! (Insert the DJ Khaled another one meme here.) They exchange timid punches on top of the rickety cage. But they climb down once they realize that’s stupid. Then Hogan nails Piper with the WCW title, rams his head into the mat, and lands two leg drops! But Piper kicks out to no reaction. (The fans stopped caring.) Hogan calls for help, so Savage runs to the ring. The Stings don’t stop him from climbing. Randy then jumps off the top of the cage and almost shatters his legs upon impact! Piper moves and Randy grazes Hogan. So Roddy dispatches Savage and puts Hogan in a sleeper for the win.

Thoughts: This was awful. The cage was rickety. No one knew the rules. Why was the ref outside if there could be pins and submissions? Plus, the fake Stings were overkill. They tried to add bells and whistles to make this work. It failed. This match was three weeks after Hell in a Cell. There’s no comparison. Hogan vs. Piper was an embarrassing main event. Jim Cornette ripped into the bout on the next night’s RAW. Cornette said Hogan is a household name. But so is garbage, and it stinks when it gets old too!

Winner: Roddy Piper (13:37)

Savage attacks Piper before Buffer can finish announcing the winner. A fake Sting tries to stop it. But Bischoff comes to the rescue. He revives Hogan and they attack Piper. Hogan handcuffs Roddy to the cage while Savage throws punches. Hogan then puts on the fake Sting’s mask and mocks Roddy. So a fan jumps the rail and climbs into the cage. The fake Sting tackles him. Then Hogan and Savage grab the fan and give him—worked punches? Hey, wait a minute! Come on, WCW! Fan run-ins are a real problem. Don’t do an angle like this. (The WWF debuts a new wrestler in much the same way soon. It’s unwise.) A fed-up Tony says goodnight as the credits roll.

The Good:

• Eddie/Rey is amazing.

• Dragon/Nagata was solid.

• DDP/Savage was fun.

• Jericho/Gedo wasn’t bad, despite the botch.

The Bad:

• The main event was awful.

• Mongo/Wright was a mess.

• Too many fake Stings.

• That Jericho botch.

Performer of the Night:

It’s a tie between Eddie and Rey. They both stole the show with an all-time classic. If you haven’t seen the match, watch it.

Final Thoughts:

This PPV is the definition of a mixed bag. The first half of the show and the DDP/Savage match is good. Everything else ranges from disappointing to awful. Watch the good parts and avoid the rest. I love the Sting storyline. But this show almost made it jump the shark. The excessive use of the fake Stings only confused matters. Plus, WCW teased Sting for PPVs and almost never had him there. You could tell it annoyed the fans.

Thank you for reading. My next review is a big one. It’s time to cover the WWF’s Survivor Series ’97. I’m sure this will be a perfectly normal review. After all, nothing of note happens on that show. Right?