NWA (WCW) Halloween Havoc 1989

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to look back at WCW’s old Halloween offerings, starting with the first one, way back in 1989.

Live from Philadelphia, PA, your hosts are Jim Ross and Bob Caudle.

Opening Match: Z-Man v Mike Rotunda: Z-Man is Tom Zenk, as WCW was feeling especially creative. They fight over a headlock in the early going, with Zenk controlling, until Rotunda catches him with a knee, and dumps him. Zenk back in with a sunset flip for two, and he goes to a wristlock to really speed things up. Rotunda comes back with a mat based headscissors, but does at least bother to use the ropes for leverage. Criss cross, and Rotunda dumps Zenk, then stuns him across the ropes when he tries to crawl back in. Suplex back in gets two, so he grabs a rope assisted abdominal stretch (shades of IRS!). Dropkick misses, however, and Zenk rolls through a flying bodypress to get the pin at 13:23. Horrible choice for an opener. ¼*.

Six Man Tag Team Match: The Samoan Swat Team & Samoan Savage v The Midnight Express & Steve Williams: The Swat Team are the future Headshrinkers. Big stall to start, as they can't decide who will start (what is this, Survivor Series?), until finally we get Savage and Stan Lane. Lane with a backdrop, and he dumps him, drawing everyone onto the floor, and they tease a brawl. Back inside, Eaton tags in but gets slammed, and that draws everyone in again. We get Williams/Fatu when the dust settles, and Dr. Death just slaughters him, as the crowd roars with approval. The Midnights take over, but that doesn't go as well. Samu with a side kick on Lane, and he bails to tag Williams back in, as the crowd pops. He is giddy as he decimates him with clotheslines, and lets Eaton hit a neckbreaker for two. Lane tries a bodypress on Fatu, but gets slammed, and Savage tags in. He crotches Bobby in the corner, and then dumps him so the SST can crotch him on the rail. Oh, poor Bobby Eaton's balls. First, they get attached to Bobby Eaton, then this. Inside, he takes a double clothesline for two, and a nerve hold from Fatu. In a six man?! Seriously? Do you not understand the concept? The entire Samoan side take turns headbutting the hell out of Bobby, and a sidewalk slam gets two. Savage with a Vaderbomb, but he hits the knees, and we have a hot tag to Williams. Slams all around! The big brawl finally erupts (Chekhov would be so proud), and Savage pins Lane during a miscommunication spot at 18:16. Much faster paced than the opener, and probably should have gone on first to get the crowd going, particularly because they were rabid for Steve Williams. Not much in the way of an actual match, though, and overlong. ½*.

Tommy Rich v The Cuban Assassin: The Assassin jumps him at the bell, but gets caught on a criss cross, and a pair of slams puts him on the floor. Back inside, Assassin gets a springboard bodypress for two, and tries to dump Rich, but he looks hesitant to take the bump, and instead counters with a sunset flip for two. They work a long armbar sequence, peppered with brief bits of traded offense. Cuban with a suplex, but he gets crotched on the top rope, and pinned with a Thesz Press at 8:26. Nothing to see here. ¼*.

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: The Fabulous Freebirds v The Dynamic Dudes: Hayes and Douglas start off, and Hayes gets a sunset flip off of a criss cross right away. He looks like a dead ringer for slightly pudgy, 1993 Shawn Michaels, too, which makes his stint as WWF-shill Doc Hendrix all the more hilarious. “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.” Shawn: “That’s great. So, where’s the coke?” Another criss cross, and Shane gets a neckbreaker, so Hayes tags Jimmy Garvin in. Shane with a backdrop, and both guys tag out. 4-man brawl leads to the Dudes double dropkicking the champs to the floor, and controlling with a bunch of quick tags and double team leapfrog/dropkick combos. Nice spot, as Johnny Ace gets Garvin in a headlock, but Hayes runs in, so he backdrops him while still keeping the hold on. Hayes charges again, so he hits a headscissors takedown, all while STILL keeping the hold on! The Freebirds won't have any of that cute shit, though, and nail him with a cheap shot, and one side suplex later Ace is half conscious on the floor. Back in, Garvin catches him with a backdrop, and they do a cross corner slingshot. Hayes with a DDT, but Ace blocks, and makes the tag. Shane with dropkicks all around, causing a 4-way brawl, but Garvin reverses a side suplex and pins him at 11:27 to retain. Fast paced tag match, that worked just fine for what it was. * ½.

The Steiner Brothers v Doom: This was actually the debut of Doom (under masks), and the Steiner's themselves are only about a year into their run at this point. Big brawl to start, which the Steiner's win with stereo German suplexes. Double double clotheslines put Doom on the floor, as they regroup with manager Woman (Nancy Sullivan, who had brought them in as revenge for having her affections rebuffed by the Steiners). The Steiners control the early going with power stuff, as I have a hard time telling Doom apart. Oh, come on, they all look alike. Masked wrestlers, that is. Butch Reed takes over with an atomic drop on Rick, tags in Ron Simmons. He can't keep the momentum going, however, and eats a suplex. Tag to Scott, who hits a flying clothesline for two. Simmons comes back with a stunner on Rick, and a fist drop. Both men tag out, and Scott drops him with a layout suplex for two, and then gives Simmons a German suplex for his troubles. Trip up give Doom the advantage, and Reed hits a flying axehandle to put Scott on the floor, where he drops him on the rail a couple of times for the hell of it. Back in, they work a series of two counts off of that (a spot I always love), distract the referee in order to double team and choke Steiner, then dump him over the top. Scott tries to come back with a sunset flip for two, but eats a neckbreaker for getting uppity, and then tossed into the heel corner for a proper beat down. Reed powerslam gets two, saved by Rick. Double suplex gets two, and Scott gets the tag to Rick, but the ref doesn't see it. In perfect form, as the official is clearing Rick Steiner out of the ring, Doom hit Scott with a spike piledriver. He makes the real hit tag moments later, however, and Rick is on everyone. Scott, too, apparently having forgotten the entire heat segment. Rana clears Simmons out, and Rick hits his powerslam on Reed, but Woman slips him something, which he loads his mask with, and one headbutt later spells doom for the Steiners at 15:26. Great, hard hitting tag team wrestling. *** ¼.

NWA United States Title Match: Lex Luger v Brian Pillman: They fight over a collar-and-elbow to start, with neither man able to take the advantage, until Luger catches him with a knee, and unloads in the corner. Slam, and he tries to dump him, but Pillman hangs on, and tackles him, following with a backdrop and a dropkick, putting the champ on the floor. He follows him out with a baseball slide, but Luger avoids a springboard dropkick, and catches him on the way back in, choking him on the ropes. Criss cross leads to Pillman with a springboard bodypress for two, and he goes to an armdrag/wristlock combo. Luger tries a hip toss, but Pillman does a terrific counter into a dropkick, and goes into an armbar. Luger shoulderblocks to try and take over, but eats a dropkick, and gets locked back in the armbar. Pillman with a crucifix for two, and then (say it with me) right back to the armbar. Of note: (or maybe less so, these days) we see future ECW Hawaiian Shirt Guy in the crowd, though in a baseball cap. Pillman upstairs, but a dive finds only mat, and Luger tosses him in the air to let him see how it feels again. Lariat, and another from behind. Hanging vertical suplex for two, and he drops a series of elbows. Getting frustrated, he dumps Pillman to the floor, but it backfires when he sunset flips back in, and then gets dumped himself when his desperately throws a clothesline. He tries a superplex next, but no dice, and Pillman hits a flying sunset flip for two. Diving back elbow, and a backdrop lead to a springboard dropkick for one, when Luger's foot on the ropes saves him. Neckbreaker, but Pillman misses a very visually impressive missile dropkick, and gets caught in a stungun to allow Luger to retain in 16:48. Terrific, fast paced match, with Pillman getting Luger further and further frustrated, only to get overzealous when he thought he had the title won, and defeated up by the veteran wrestler. *** ¾.

The Road Warriors v The Skyscrapers: Big stare down to start, of course, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Animal starts with Dan Spivey, and dumps him after a pair of clotheslines, where he regroups with Sid. Back in, Hawk attacks with a flying axehandle, but double shoulderblock leads to a standstill. Spivey solves that problem by tagging Sid in. Hey, it's what I'd do, too. He eats clotheslines, and gets dumped, too, as I'm surprised they booked this thing so completely one sided thus far. Test of strength goes Hawk's way, but he catches Hawk with a big clothesline. Airplane spine variation of his powerbomb, and Spivey tags in to hit a sidewalk slam for two. Baseball slide puts Hawk on the outside, and Sid dumps him on the rail. Back in, Spivey with a hanging vertical for two, but Hawk reverses a 2^nd attempt. Sid tries to stop the comeback with some double teams behind the referee's back, but Hawk catches Spivey with a clothesline, and in comes Animal. Dropkicks! Clotheslines! Big brawl breaks out within a minute, and Animal finishes Sid with his powerslam, but the referee is caught up with Spivey and Hawk, allowing the Skyscrapers to get hold of a large metal key, and clock Animal to break up the pin, and cause a DQ at 11:39. Well, you knew they weren't going to book a clean ending here - though, I'm surprised they didn't do a rematch at Starrcade. Match is no more than ¾*, but fun.

Main Event: Thunderdome Cage Match: Sting & Ric Flair v Terry Funk & The Great Muta: Bruno Sammartino is the special referee. A Thunderdome is basically a Hell in a Cell style cage, but without a top, instead, electrified on top to prevent anyone from getting in or out. The bout ends when a towel is thrown in. It's standard tag rules, otherwise. Flair and Funk start out, and it's chops all around. Sting wants in on the fun, and dumps Funk, slamming him into the cage. Inside, Flair with a shindrop, and he takes a shot at Muta, too, for fun. That gives us Sting/Muta, and Sting press slams him ring into Terry Funk. Suplex, and Flair comes in for an inverted atomic drop. Shindrop, and Muta eats cage, triggering a 4-way brawl. In the chaos, Muta takes over, and drops a series of crisp elbows and legs on Sting. Suplex, and Funk runs in for some fun double team elbowdrops until Flair can save. Sting with bulldogs on everyone, and Flair atomic drops Muta right into a Sting clothesline. All four scale the cage, but it goes nowhere, as they just sell the idea of the electrified top, and then climb back down. Sting with a long delayed press slam on Muta, and Flair hits him with a side suplex. Figure four, as Sting battles Terry atop the cage. Hold broken, and Muta applies a bridged leglock. Funk joins in the fun, with a spike piledriver, as Sting is tied up in the cage, and can't make the save. He finally pulls free, and makes a suicide dive from the corner of the cell to mid ring, taking out Funk. Flair hits Funk with a kneebreaker. Shindrop onto the, and Sting crotches Muta as Flair slaps Funk into the figure four. Sting dives off the top rope with a pair of splashes to really add to the effect, and Gary Hart throws in the towel at 21:55. Hot brawl, to blow a fantastic program off. *** ¼.

- BUExperience: I hope you like tag team wrestling! Honestly, this plays as fun show, from a fun period. Even some matches (such as the Road Warriors/Skyscrapers) may not be technical classics, but they manage to but fun, and the hot crowd doesn’t hurt. Definitely worth a look, particularly Luger/Pillman. ***.