WCW Halloween Havoc 2000

From Las Vegas, Nevada; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden, and Stevie Ray.

Opening WCW World Tag Team Title Triangle Match: The Natural Born Thrillers v The Filthy Animals v Boogie Knights: Mark Jindrak starts with Alex Wright, and Alex pops off a diving backelbow early. Billy Kidman comes in to help double-team Mark for a bit, before that breaks down, and Wright blasts Billy with a lariat. Kidman fires back with a headscissors takedown and a dropkick before tagging Rey Mysterio Jr in for a bronco buster - blocked by Alex with a nice double boot to the nuts. Jindrak gives Mysterio a tilt-a-whirl slam before tagging Sean O'Haire in to powerslam him. Rey tries a sunset flip on Sean, and Disqo DDTs him to turn it into his own nearfall. Mysterio and Disqo double up on O'Haire, but Rey turns on him in short order, and hits a springboard splash for two. Tags to Kidman and Wright, but they fail to work together, and Jindrak capitalizes by flapjackking Billy. Wright catches him with a loose high knee for two, then goes for a superplex on Kidman, but Jindrak electric chairs him as he does, and gets two out of it. Nice spot there. It turns into a brawl, and the champs bust out a nice spot where they hiptoss Kidman in from the floor, over the top rope. Everyone dives out to the floor for a dog pile spot, and O'Haire catches Disqo with the Seanton Bomb at 10:08 to retain. Not a great match, but action packed, and well paced. Good opener. ** ¼

WCW Hardcore Title Match: Reno v Sergeant AWOL: This is supposedly contested under 'old school hardcore rules,' though I'm not sure exactly what that means, given that the whole title/division hasn't even existed for a full year yet. Reno unloads with a kendo stick to start, and pits AWOL through a table for two. Out to the floor for some weapon shots, and they brawl over to the entrance set, where Reno stacks a pair of tables. He takes too long setting it up though, and AWOL puts him through them, and they brawl backstage. More weapon shots, and back to ringside, Reno Rolls the Dice for the pin at 10:52. DUD

The Perfect Event v The Misfits in Action: Brawl to start, and the Misfits clean house with a pair of sloppy dropkicks. Dust settles on Shawn Stasiak and Lieutenant Loco, and Loco controls in the corner, but takes a kneelift when Stasiak blocks a cross corner whip. Tag to Chuck Palumbo, but he charges right into a drop-toehold, and takes a dropkick. Tag to Corporal Cajun for a 2^nd rope elbowdrop, and he adds a nice snap suplex for two. 2^nd rope clothesline, and he tags Loco, but Chuck is ready with a stungun, and tags out. He ends up getting into an argument with Shawn as they switch off, however, and Loco schoolboys Stasiak for two before getting clobbered. Perfect Event cut the ring in half on Loco, as the announcers discuss video games. Shawn tries a press slam, but Loco counters into a facebuster, and gets the tag. Loco comes in hot, but gets clobbered quickly, and Palumbo slaps on a sleeper. Meanwhile, fans can be seen headed for the concession stands in packs. Cajun escapes and tags, and Loco is a casa of fire. Four-way brawl controlled by Event, but Palumbo accidentally superkicks Stasiak, and Loco tornado DDTs him at 9:23. Decent match here. I hate the Thrillers, but honestly, the effort was there, and they probably could have been bigger starts in a different time/place. ¾*

Mixed-Tag Team Match: Shane Douglas and Torrie Wilson v Konnan and Tygress: Tygress is going it alone, as Konnan is still selling an injury from earlier, during the opener. She blows Shane low to start, and goes after Torrie (dressed in a sexy Wonder Woman outfit, because bless her). She stomps Torrie into the corner with the loosest shots this side of diarrhea, but Shane smacks her from behind, and properly stomps her. Konnan runs in to save her from a double-team chokeslam, and takes them both out with clotheslines. Rolling clothesline for Shane, and the heels bail - only to take a double-team baseball slide. Well, in theory, as they came miles from actually hitting anything, and Torrie didn't even bother selling it. Inside, Konnan and Tygress work Shane's arm... although, not the only with a giant brace on it. Meanwhile, Torrie seems to be confused as to which corner to stand in, but she looks super hot, so whatever. Shane smacks Tygress down again and tags Torrie, who promptly misses a blind charge, and takes a sitout facebuster for two. Shane tries a hammerlock (really?), but Tygress escapes, and tags. Konnan comes in with a backdrop, and a snapmare sets up a seated dropkick. DDT gets two when Torrie breaks up the count, and we have a four-way brawl - Konnan pinning Douglas after a sitout facebuster at 7:30. Look, everyone tried hard, but this was flawed beyond repair. From the shitty psychology (they worked the wrong arm... and then forgot about it anyway), to the poorly worked spots from the ladies, to the overlong run time, it was just bad. I mean, Torrie was wrestling in high heels... how good could it have been, really? –¾*

First Blood DNA Match: David Flair v Buff Bagwell: 'DNA' because this was part of the later aborted Stacy Keibler pregnancy angle. Bagwell slaps Flair around to start, and treats him like a jobber - even leaning on the ropes and acting bored between spots. Flair with a mulekick to turn the tide, and they spill to the outside for a Flair slam on the floor. He pulls the mats up for a piledriver, but Bagwell backdrops him to counter, then whacks David with a chair to draw blood at 5:35. Unfortunately, they forget the stipulations, and Bagwell keeps wrestling him for a pinfall until the referee reminds him that it's First Blood rules. I think Flair was originally booked to go over here, but Bagwell threatened to quit the promotion, because he's an unprofessional piece of shit. Flair, for his part, still sold nicely for Buff, which is big of him, frankly. DUD

Kickboxing Match: Ernest Miller v Mike Sanders: Two minute rounds here.
ROUND ONE: Stalling to start, and Sanders tries a punch combo, but Miller shrugs it off, and takes him off of his feet with his own combo. Mike actually takes an eight-count off of it, and Miller takes him down again as he reaches his feet - time expiring as he gets back to his feet.
ROUND TWO: Miller continues to dance circles around him, and corner him, but Sanders covers up to avoid any definitive shots. Miller pops off one big uppercut, but Sanders beats the count as time expires.
ROUND THREE: Shane Douglas comes out to stand in Mike's corner between rounds, and as the bell sounds, Miller unloads a series of massage like 'punches' in the corner. Roundhouse kick knocks Sanders down, but Douglas whacks him with a chain. They miss their cue though, and that leaves the poor referee to do the slowest ten-count in history (it took nearly a full minute) so that Miller is saved by the bell.
So, Miller comes to, realizes what happened, knocks Sanders out, and jumps out of the ring to brawl with Douglas - the referee counting him out (between rounds?) at 6:10. You'd think this would bottom out at a 'DUD,' but between the punches so worked they make other wrestling show boxing matches look like Heavyweight Title fights, and the nonsensical ending, it's negative star time, baby! –½*

#1 Contender's Match: Mike Awesome v Vampiro: Awesome had already earned top contendership, but Vampiro challenges him for it right here right now - Mike agreeing. Vampiro stupidly tries to match power with Awesome, and gets knocks out of the ring for his efforts, and Mike follows with a tope suicida. Brawl into the crowd (complete with this awesome granny watching them with a perplexed, 'what is WRONG with these boys?' look on her face), and where some idiot fan actually tries to headbutt (!!) Awesome, and gets beaten down. Of all the things to try, a HEADBUTT?! Fucking Vegas. Back to the ring, they do a shitty dueling chairs sequence that results in no one actually getting it, and Vampiro superkicks him for two. Chopfest goes Vampiro's way with a clothesline, and an overhead superplex gets two. Flying seated senton (looked like they were going for a flying rana, and botched it there), and Awesome somehow gets two out of it. Maybe he was supposed to catch him in a powerbomb, then? Mike brings a table into the mix, but ends up taking the Nail in the Coffin. Vampiro goes looking for a table of his own, but has a hard time locating one (what's wrong with the one sitting in the ring, dumbass?), and Mike clotheslines him eventually. Awesome with a sitout powerbomb on the floor for two (is this suddenly Falls Count Anywhere?), and back in he powerbombs him off the top rope for the pin at 9:50. Terrible, sloppy, phony looking match from bell-to-bell - a complete lazy farce. –*½

WCW United States Title Handicap Match: Lance Storm and Jim Duggan v General Rection: Duggan looks downright weird in Canadian colors. He starts with Rection, and controls with a few kneelifts against the ropes, but gets clotheslined over the top. Lance comes in, but quickly takes a backdrop, and a series of clotheslines put him on the floor as well. Inside, Storm tries chops, but Rection no-sells, and returns the favor - the camera angle exposing their spot calling. Fuck, this whole show the camera keeps giving us these weird wide angle shots usually reserved for accidental blood, but when they're calling spots, THAT'S when they decide a close-up is necessary? Well done, WCW. Rection backdrops Storm out of the ring, but gets overwhelmed by Duggan, and gets pounded on the floor. Inside, Duggan chokes him on the ropes, then tags for Lance to get a two count out of it. Chincrusher sets up a superkick for two, and Duggan hits a scoop powerslam to set up the 3-Point Stance - only for Rection to block with a clothesline! He has no one to tag, however, and Storm comes in fresh to finish him with a sleeper. Rection hits a side suplex to break, and a powerslam gets two. Duggan comes in, and the referee gets bumped as they brawl, and isn't there to count the fall when Jim piledrives Rection. Out comes Elix Skipper to help finish Rection (Really? Three guys to finish a pun?), but Major Gunns stops the effort. Lance goes after her on the floor, and that allows Rection to finish Duggan with a flying moonsault to win the title at 10:08. Rection sold the beating well, but Duggan looked absolutely terrible out there, and it went on a bit too long for what they were going for here. DUD

Sting v Jeff Jarrett: Jarrett tries stalling, so Sting attacks with a chair on the floor, and kicks his ass out there for a bit. In, Sting hits the Stinger Splash, but Jeff dodges a second - though Sting manages to stop short to avoid hitting the buckles, and nails Jarrett with an inverted atomic drop instead. Clothesline puts him on the floor again, as another Sting appears in the aisle way - dressed like late 80s surfer Sting. The real Sting beats him up with a Scorpion Deathdrop in the aisle, but the distraction allows Jarrett to attack. They brawl into the crowd, and now an early 90s version of Sting attacks. Real Sting destroys him as well, though I'm glad they did that bit in the crowd, because the looks on peoples' faces were downright hilarious. Back to Jarrett in the ring, as late 90s Wolfpac Sting heads out. Well, they were talking about video games earlier on, and this match has now officially turned into one. Real Sting gives him a Deathdrop too, but Jarrett capitalizes by hitting him with a bat, then suplexes him on the entrance set ramp. Into the ring, Jarrett hits a backelbow for two, and tries a sleeper, but Sting reverses. Jeff side suplexes his way out for two, but Sting starts no-selling, and clotheslines him. Scorpion Deathlock, but another imposter (dressed like then current, Crow Sting) pops up through the ring, and pulls him under to block. Sting beats him up too, then hits a pair of Stinger Splashes on Jarrett. Deathdrop, but the lights die, and another Crow Sting rappels from the rafters to attack - supposedly future Sting, as he's bald. Real Sting gives him a Deathdrop through the announce table, and then casually heads in to Deathlock Jarrett, but first Crow Sting returns and wallops him with a guitar. Real Sting shrugs that off and Deathdrops him anyway, but another guitar shot from Jarrett finishes at 14:39. Holy shit. The multiple Sting bit was kinda funny in an insider way for an old school fan like me, but in no way was this appropriate for fifteen minutes on pay per view. The match itself (what there was of it, as they only really interacted for a few minutes when Sting wasn't dealing with imposters) was just background for the angle, and made Jarrett look ultra weak, to boot. All this was missing was a Jesus imposter repelling from the rafters for the ultimate showdown with Sting, because THAT fight, I'd like to see. –*

WCW World Title Match: Booker T v Scott Steiner: Scott beats up an agent in Gorilla before making his entrance - pissed that they're not going on last. Yeah, that could have been real, I have no idea. Steiner shrugs off Booker's attempts at wrestling, and stomps him down on the mat, but takes a diving forearm as they criss cross for two. Scott rolls to the outside to break the momentum, and does his usual fan threatening stalls on the floor. God, I used to watch this, and always wonder when the day would come that Steiner would assault a fan. I mean, the guy attacked a uniformed police officer, and hit him with his car before. Inside, Booker unloads a ten-punch count, so Midajah runs interference, and Scott knocks him out of the ring for a brawl into the crowd. Scott slams him thorough the makeshift announce table, and inside, drops an elbow for two. Bow-and-arrow (lazy version, too, as Scott just sort of stands on him), but Booker counters into a neckbreaker. Short-kneelift sets up the Harlem sidekick, but Scott clotheslines him to block, then hits a Samoan superdrop. Booker reverses a series of turnbuckle smashes, but Scott shrugs him off again, and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for two. It spills to the outside for a bit, but inside, Steiner misses a charge, and takes a sunset cradle for two. Booker with a savate kick, but Midajah crotches him on the top rope to block the missile dropkick. Scott follows to superplex him, but Booker shoves him off, and fires the missile for two. Axekick, but Midajah passes Scott a lead pipe, and he whacks Booker with it for the disqualification at 13:26. Kind of a dull punch-kick match leading to a bad ending - Steiner's no-selling of everything making Booker look quite weak. ½*

No Disqualification Handicap Elimination Match: KroniK v Goldberg: KroniK double-team at the bell, and they toss Goldberg to the outside for a beat down on the floor. Inside, Bryan Clarke DDTs him, and Brian Adams sets up a table for High Times, but Goldberg shrugs them off, and spears Clarke through it for the pin at 2:26. Adams (called 'Clarke' by Schiavone) comes from behind with a full-nelson slam, but Goldberg wins a criss cross with a spear, and the Jackhammer finishes Adams at 3:44. Uh, okay. Goldberg versus either of these two might have been a decent power match, but glad to see they blew the load by having him squash them both in under four minutes. DUD

BUExperience: Four matches in negative stars. Any other questions?

DUD