From The Network – WCW Halloween Havoc 1993

WCW Halloween Havoc 1993
10-24-93
New Orleans, LA

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura.

OK, so we open with one of WCW’s infamous mini movies. A bunch of kids are going trick or treating and they find a haunted mansion. They find Tony Schiavone at the door and wonder why he isn’t at the PPV. Schiavone says he has a helicopter coming for him and that if the kids want to see something scary, they should come inside. Tony reveals himself to be a monster and this leads into the PPV. Wow.

Harlem Heat (Kane and Kole) and The Equalizer vs. The Shockmaster, Ice Train, and Charlie Norris
Kole and Ice Train start. Ice Train overpowers Kole to start and Kole begins to fight back. Slam and a clothesline by Ice Train ends that. Tag to Kane and Ice Train begins to work the arm of Kane. Tag to Norris and he begins to work the arm. Kane ends that and Kole tags in. Norris works his arm and Shockmaster tags in. Shockmaster drops some leg drops on the arm of Kole and the face team continues to work the arm of Kole. Kane catches Ice Train with a kick to the back, allowing Kole to connect with a dropkick. Double sidewalk slam to Ice Train gets 2. Tag to Equalizer and he works over Ice Train. Ice Train drives Equalizer head first into the mat and Norris tags in. Norris tries to overpower Equalizer with no luck, so Shockmaster tags in. Shockmaster overpowers him and he slams Equalizer. Tag to Ice Train and they hit a double back elbow. Tag to Norris and he knocks Equalizer down with a chop for 2 as Kole saves. Clothesline by Equalizer and Kole tags in. Slam by Kole gets 2 and he chokes away on Norris. Tag to Kane and Harlem Heat hit a double clothesline. Knee drop by Kane gets 2. Spinning axe kick by Kane gets 2. Slam by Kane and he goes up. Second rope splash misses and Shockmaster tags in. He cleans house and grabs a bear hug on Kole. He drives Kole to the mat for 3.
Winners- Shockmaster, Ice Train, and Charlie Norris *1/2 ( This wouldn’t be my choice for a hot opener to get the crowd into the show, as a good majority of the workers here are pretty terrible. The wrestling was very slow but nothing was horrific so this was probably as good as this was going to be. )

Terry Taylor promises to call the Rude/Flair match down the middle tonight.

Paul Orndorff w/The Assassin vs. Ricky Steamboat
Orndorff attacks to start and he backdrops Steamboat. Orndorff hammers away on Steamboat but Steamboat catches him with the O’Connor roll for 2. Clothesline by Orndorfff and Steamboat is forced to bail. Orndorff attacks on the floor and they fight on the entrance ramp. Orndorff slams Steamboat on the ramp and Steamboat tries to dive at Orndorff in the ring but misses. Back suplex by Orndorff gets 2. Steamboat takes Orndorff down by the arm and begins to work a hammerlock on Orndorff. Crossbody by Steamboat gets 2 and he goes back to the arm of Orndorff but Orndorff goes into the ropes to break. Steamboat slams Orndorff’s arm off the post and he sends Orndorff shoulder first into the post. Steamboat sends Orndorff shoulder first into the railings and he snaps Orndorff’s arm off the ropes. Back in, Steamboat drops some elbows on the arm of Orndorff but Orndorff is able to escape the onslaught of Steamboat. Orndorff misses an elbow drop and Steamboat begins to clean house. Steamboat hammers away on Orndorff and knocks Orndorff down with a chop. Steamboat slams Orndorff’s face off the steps and Orndorff pulls Steamboat off the apron to come back. He slams Steamboat’s head off the apron multiple times and he hammers away on Steamboat on the floor. He tosses Steamboat into the crowd and back in, Orndorff goes up. Axe handle off the top by Orndorff gets 2. They collide mid-ring and both men are down. Roll-up by Orndorff gets 2 as the ref catches him using the ropes for leverage. Steamboat rolls him into his own weak roll-up for 2. Steamboat dumps Orndorff to the ramp and he goes up. Axe handle off the top by Steamboat and he hits an atomic drop knocking Orndorff back into the ring. Steamboat goes up and hits a karate chop off the top for 2. Steamboat knocks Orndorff down with a chop for 2. Orndorff slams Steamboat’s head into the mat and he goes for the piledriver but Steamboat blocks. Steamboat catapults Orndorff into the corner and he rolls him up for 2!!! Back suplex by Steamboat and he goes up. Crossbody off the top by Steamboat but the Assassin distracts the ref, only allowing Steamboat to get a 2 count. Flying shoulder block by Steamboat gets 2. Orndorff low bridges Steamboat, sending him crashing to the mat. The Assassin puts a foreign object in his mask and he delivers a head butt to the back of Steamboat. Steamboat gets counted out!!!
Winner by Count-Out- Paul Orndorff ***1/2 ( It took some time for this to get going as the opening limb work was kind of dull but eventually they kicked into gear and had the excellent match that you would expect from these two. The finish was lame though and it started a disturbing trend on this show. )

WCW TV Championship- Lord Steven Regal © w/Sir William vs. British Bulldog
Both men attempt to work the arm to start and we reach a standstill. Monkey flip by Bulldog and they chain wrestle until Regal goes into the ropes to end that. Cravat by Regal but Bulldog escapes and they botch a monkey flip. Mexican Surfboard by Bulldog but he breaks it up after a distraction from Sir William. Regal attacks Bulldog and Bulldog hits a cross body for 2. Knee to the midsection by Regal gets 2. Snap mare and Regal hits a summersault senton for 2. Rear half nelson by Regal and he breaks the hold after some time. Regal sends Bulldog sternum first into the corner for 2. Knees and uppercuts by Regal and he goes to the rear Cravat. Bulldog escapes and gets a sunset flip for 2. Regal continues to work Bulldog over on the mat but Bulldog fights out of Regal’s hold and hits a clothesline. Knee to the midsection by Regal and he goes back to the rear half nelson. Bulldog powers up but collapses, allowing Regal to cover for 2. Regal Stretch by Regal but again, Bulldog powers out. Regal stomps away on Bulldog for 2. Bulldog catches Regal with a sunset flip for 2 and he gets a head scissors takeover. Clothesline by Bulldog and he hits a suplex. Running powerslam by Bulldog gets 2!!! Piledriver by Bulldog gets 2 as time runs out!!!!
Match ends in a Time Limit Draw ***1/4 (I’m a sucker for Regal style of matches, where he just works the mat and stretches his opponents. This was a good match with some sloppy moments from Bulldog but the final minutes were excellent drama.)

Vader comes out to Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal. The wheel stops on Texas Death Match.

WCW US Championship- Dustin Rhodes © vs. Steve Austin
Austin slaps Rhodes and bails when Rhodes goes after him. Back in, Austin goes for the Boston Crab but Rhodes rolls out. Back elbow by Austin and he works over Rhodes. Snap mare by Austin gets 2 and he hits a slam. Rhodes hammers away to come back and he catches Austin with a dropkick. Chops by Austin and he goes for a corner knee strike but misses and goes crashing all the way to the floor. Back in, Rhodes hits a knee breaker and he begins to work the bad leg of Austin. Austin makes the ropes to stop Rhodes and he pokes the eye to begin his comeback. Austin works Rhodes over in the corner and he snap mares Rhodes into a knee drop for 2. Slam by Austin and he hits a slingshot knee drop for 2. Rights by Austin and he throws some slaps at Rhodes. Rhodes fires back and he backdrops Austin. Lariat by Rhodes gets 2. Austin blocks the Bulldog attempt by crotching Rhodes on the top rope. Austin throws some kicks at Rhodes and Rhodes comes back with a roll-up for 2. Small package by Rhodes gets 2. Rhodes blocks the Stun Gun for 2 and Austin gets the sunset flip for 2. Austin takes Rhodes down and rolls him up with his feet on the ropes for 3!!!! BUT WAIT, the ref saw the feet on the ropes so he lets the match continue. Rhodes rolls Austin up for 3!!! Austin lays out Rhodes with the belt after the match.
Winner and Still WCW US Champion- Dustin Rhodes **3/4 (The work in this match was solid but they never seemed to find their groove and engage the crowd. It was decent wrestling but it was missing something that would have made this better. They just didn’t click tonight. )

WCW Tag Team Championships- 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Alexander Bagwell © w/Teddy Long vs. Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) w/Missy Hyatt
Bagwell and Scorpio won the belts the night before. The champs attack and nail the Nasty Boys with the belts, forcing them to bail. Saggs and Bagwell start. Saggs fires away in the corner and he hits a knee drop. Tag to Knobbs and he works over Bagwell. Tag to Saggs and Bagwell catches the Nasty Boys with a double dropkick. Crossbody off the top by Scorpio and they clothesline the Nasty Boys to the floor. SCORPIO LEAPS OFF BAGWELL’S BACK AND DIVES ONTO THE NASTY BOYS ON THE FLOOR!!!! Back in, Kobbs tags in and Bagwell drop toe hold him into a big splash by Scorpio. Wheelbarrow roll-up by Scorpio gets 2. He begins to work the arm of Knobbs and Bagwell tags in. Double shoulder block to Knobbs and Bagwell hits a Thesz press for 2. Tag to Saggs and the champs hit a double hip toss into a double elbow drop for 2. Scorpio continues to work the arm and Saggs breaks the hold with some forearms. Springboard clothesline by Scorpio and he hits a dropkick. Scorpio goes back to the arm and tags Bagwell. Knobbs also tags in and the Nasty Boys double team Bagwell in the corner. Double team stun gun sends Bagwell crashing to the floor. Missy gets a cheap shot in and Saggs slams Bagwell on the floor. Back in, Knobbs suplexes Bagwell for 2. Tag to Saggs and he works the back of Bagwell. Slam by Saggs and he hits a leg drop for 2. Tag to Knobbs and he drops some elbows on the back of Bagwell. Sitting chin lock by Knobbs and Saggs tags in as Bagwell began to fight out. Saggs sends Bagwell sternum first into the corner and he drops a leg drop onto the sternum of Bagwell. Bagwell takes down Saggs but Knobbs nails him from behind to end that and covers for 2. Bear hug by Knobbs but Bagwell fights out. Tag to Saggs and he clotheslines Bagwell for 2. Tag to Knobbs and Bagwell takes him down by the hair to come back. Tag to Scorpio but the ref misses it. The Nasty Boys try to double team Bagwell but he avoids it and knocks Saggs down with a clothesline. Tag to Scorpio and he cleans house. Scorpio goes up and hits the moonsault press for 2 as he moves out of the way of a Saggs elbow drop. Missy and Teddy fight on the apron and Bagwell saves Teddy from Saggs. 450 Splash by Scorpio to Knobbs but Saggs breaks up the cover with Missy’s boot, allowing Knobbs to cover for 3!!!
Winners and NEW WCW Tag Team Champions- The Nasty Boys *** ( This turned out to be better than I thought it was going to be. Bagwell and Scorpio actually made for a pretty good team and the Nastys laid a good beating on Bagwell for the majority of the match. They probably got a bit too much time but at least they turned in something good. We got yet another crappy finish though, but at least it resulted in a decisive winner. )

Sid Vicious says it’s time for Sting to face reality and he promises to drive Sting to the mat with a Chokeslam.

Sid Vicious w/Col. Rob Parker vs. Sting
Sid attacks to start and he chokes away on Sting. Slam by Sting and he clotheslines Sid. Sting suplexes Sid back in and Sid bails. Sting follows and they brawl in the crowd. Back in, Sting goes up and hits a flying clothesline for 1. Parker grabs the leg of Sting, allowing Sid to catch him with the Chokeslam. Sid drives Sting into the corner a few times and Parker chokes away on Sting. Sid stomps away and hits a sidewalk slam on Sting. Parker conintues to choke away on Sting and Sid attacks when Sting goes after him. Sid nails Sting in the back with a chair and Sid presses Sting onto the railings. Back in, Sid snap mares Sting into a chin lock with his knee pressed into the back. Sting fights out but Sid catches him with a power slam for 2. Bear hug by Sid but Sting fights out. Sid goes back to the bear hug but again, Sting fights out. He takes Sid down and rams his head off the mat a few times. Bulldog by Sting and he hits a Stinger Splash. A second one by Sting and he knocks Parker off the apron. Parker grabs Sid’s leg by mistake and Sting falls on top for 2. Sid grabs Parker, which allows Sting to catch Sid with the O’Connor roll for 3.
Winner- Sting **1/4 ( Sting tried hard here but I was blown away by how lazy of a match Sid worked. He was slow, didn’t do anything interesting or truly threatening to Sting, and for someone who was being groomed for the Starrcade main event, he put in little to no effort here. This was a weak way to turn Sid babyface and the unfortunate scissors incident in the coming months may have been a saving grace because based off this match, Sid would have failed in the babyface role against Vader. )

WCW International World Heavyweight Championship-Rick Rude © vs. Ric Flair w/Fifi
Terry Taylor is the special enforcer. Flair attacks to start and he backdrops Rude. Flair works over Rude in the corner and he hits a suplex for 1. Corner clothesline by Flair and he charges in the corner but eats knee. Rude goes up and misses a knee drop off the top. Knee breaker by Flair and he grabs the Figure-4. Rude makes the ropes to break so Flair wraps the leg of Rude across the post a few times. Back in, Flair works the leg of Rude but Rude pulls Flair to the floor to end that. Back in, Flair goes for the sunset flip but Rude blocks and uses the ropes for leverage for 2. Crossbody by Flair sends both men crashing to the floor. Flair works over Rude on the floor and he goes up. Axe handle off the top to the floor by Flair and he goes up again. He leaps but Rude nails him on the way down. Rude goes to use a chair but Taylor takes the chair away. Back in, Rude hits a back breaker on Flair for 2. Sitting chin lock by Rude and he jumps on the back of Flair as he tries to fight out. Rude goes up and hits an axe handle off the top for 2. Rude goes back to the sitting chin lock and again, he prevents a Flair comeback. Rude sends Flair to the corner and Flair flops to the apron but Rude catches him with a clothesline. Rude suplexes Flair back into the ring and he goes up. Axe handle off the top by Rude gets 2. They slug it out and Rude clotheslines Flair for 2. Bear hug by Rude and he slams Flair’s face off the mat a few times to prevent yet another comeback. Rude covers for 2 and Flair catches him in a sleeper. Rude backs him into the corner to break and he goes up. He leaps but Flair moves and he hits the Rude Awakening!!! Flair covers for 2 and Flair gets a backslide for 2. Suplex by Flair and he goes up. Flair leaps but eats the boot of Rude on the way down. Rude sends Flair into the ref in the corner and Rude clotheslines Flair. He covers but there is no ref. Taylor enters the ring and Rude clotheslines him on the way in. Rude has a foreign object but misses Flair with it. Back suplex by Flair and he grabs the foreign object. Flair nails Rude with it and covers for 2 as the other ref stops Taylor!!! He DQs Flair!!!!
Winner by DQ and Still WCW International World Heavyweight Champion- Rick Rude ***1/4 ( Both men seemed to be phoning it in here. They worked every Flair and Rude spot that you have ever seen and while it made for a solid match, the crowd wasn’t as hot as they should have been and this didn’t have the emotional of a major championship match. Shockingly, we had another god awful finish in the series of them. )

After the match, Rude tries to carry Fifi away but Flair stops him and grabs the Figure-4 on the ramp!!! Taylor and the other ref pull Flair off of Rude.

Texas Death Match-Vader w/Harley Race vs. Cactus Jack
Jack attacks Vader on the ramp to start and Vader goes for a clubbing blow but misses and nails the post. Jack drives a chair into Vader and he fires away on Vader. Jack bites the head of Vader and he nails him with a fan’s camera. Jack nails Vader in the head with a chair and they head back in. Clothesline by Vader and he throws some jabs in the corner. Vader tries to suplex Jack back into the ring but Jack counters with a suplex onto the ramp. Back suplex on the ramp by Jack and he hammers Vader on the ramp. Race goes after Jack with a chair but Jack catches him and knocks him down. Jack nails Vader with the chair again and he continues to hammer away. Both men are busted open as Cactus catches Vader with a clothesline for 3. Vader is up at 3 and Cactus drives a prop cactus into Vader. Cactus FLYS OFF THE RAMP WITH AN ELBOW DROP ONTO THE FLOOR ON VADER FOR 3!!! Vader is up at 3 again as Cactus works the cut of Vader. Vader fires back and they head back into the ring. Vader pounds away on Cactus in the corner and Cactus sends Vader into a table stacked in the corner for 2. Cactus drives the table into Vader and they head back to the floor. Cactus tries a sunset flip off the apron but Vader blocks and misses the seated senton on the floor. Cactus gord busters Vader on the railings and he goes for a cannonball dive into the crowd but misses!!!! Vader dumps Cactus back to ringside and he hits Cactus with a chair. Slam by Vader and he goes up. Moonsault off the top by Vader gets 3. Cactus is up at 3 and Vader pounds away in the corner. Vader dumps Cactus onto the ramp and Cactus jumps on Vader’s back. Vader falls back, driving Cactus’ into the ramp hard. Vader nails Cactus with a chair and he hits a DDT onto the chair. Vader covers for 3 and Cactus gets right up and hits a DDT on the chair on Vader. Race stuns Cactus with a taser and the ref counts Cactus out!!!! Cactus lays out Race with a double arm DDT after the match.
Winner- Vader **** ( Great brawl to close out the show and end the show. Cactus was his usually crazy self and it was great watching him get the better of Vader for most of the match. This was pretty insane brawl for the time and is a prerequisite for the main event brawls of the late 90s, early 2000s. Also, surprise, we had another awful finish but at least there was a reason for the finish as Race made a last ditch effort to save his monster from certain defeat. )

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

This was a mixed bag of a show. On one hand, it was refreshing to watch a show where every match got a ton of time to develop and get to put on the kind of contest they wanted. There were no restraints, there were no matches short changed for crappy comedy segments. This show was filled with wrestling, with most of it being pretty solid and the main event was an excellent brawl. On the other hand, the booking of this show was awful. This has to be a contender for a show with the biggest collections of cheap finishes in wrestling history. It seemed like they were afraid to book clean finishes to make the loser look weak, but no one came out of this show with any momentum and it did not get the road to Starrcade 93 off to a hot start. For the quality of the action, I'd give this a mild recommendation but be prepared to be frustrated at multiple points during the show.