WCW Halloween Havoc 1993 (Version II)

Original Airdate: October 24, 1993

From New Orleans, Louisiana; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura

Opening Six-Man Tag Team Match: Equalizer and Harlem Heat v Shockmaster, Ice Train, and Charlie Norris: Hey, at least they're bunching all the shitty 1993 gimmicks I hate into one match this time, instead of over several like at Fall Brawl. Like a Band-Aid, baby. Kole starts with Train, and they size each other up for a bit. Kole gets overpowered and knocked around at every turn, until he finally gives up, and tags out to Kane. Kane has a little better luck with Train following a cheap shot, but a turnbuckle smash gets reversed, and Norris tags in. He tries working a wristlock, but Kane punches him to block, and tags back to Kole - who promptly ends up in an armbar. It's a testament to the WWF machine that they could make Fred Ottman look credible for as long as they did. The faces keep working Kole's arm, but he manages to get away from Train, and Equalizer gets the tag. The heels cut the ring in half on Train, but it goes nowhere, and he hits Equalizer with a facebuster after less than a minute. Tag to Charlie, but that goes nowhere as well, and Shockmaster tags. He knocks Equalizer around, and a bodyslam hits. This match is terrible. Tag to Train for a tandem backelbow, but Norris misses a corner charge, and Equalizer clotheslines him. Tag to Kane for a bodyslam for two, but Kole misses a 2^nd rope flying splash, and Shockmaster tags. He unloads on everybody, and Kole eats a bearhug for the pin at 9:48. Shitty, disjointed match. But hey, at least the Band-Aid is off, though. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Ricky Steamboat v Paul Orndorff: Interestingly, Orndorff is managed by the Assassin, and the referee is Nick Patrick - who are father and son in real life. Paul dominates at the bell, and a snapmare puts Steamboat down for a pointed elbowdrop, but Orndorff wastes time gloating, and gets rolled up for two! He cuts Steamboat off with a clothesline, so Ricky bails to the outside, but Orndorff is on his tail, and they brawl onto the ramp. Paul hits a bodyslam there, but gloats too much again on the way in, and Steamboat charges down the ramp to try a bodypress, but Orndorff dodges. He follows up with a side suplex for two, but a criss cross ends in Ricky taking him down, and holding a hammerlock. He drags Paul over to the post to bash the arm into it, then pulls him to the outside for a whip into the steel! Steamboat really upped the aggression in 1993, and aggressive Steamboat is the best. Orndorff is in no hurry to get back in, so Ricky lets him enjoy the full benefits of being on the outside with a trip into the guardrail before dragging him back in. Steamboat continues working the arm, so Paul tries bailing, but pays with a trip into the side of the ramp. The referee gets in Steamboat's way long enough for Orndorff to take a cheap shot, and he capitalizes by unloading on the Dragon, then throwing his ass over the rail into the crowd. Back in, Orndorff delivers a flying elbowsmash for two (with the camera angle exposing that it didn't even come close to actually connecting), but he gets caught while trying a leveraged pin, and Steamboat is able to cradle for two. Paul falls to the ramp, so Ricky follows with a flying tomahawk chop out there, then utilizes an atomic drop to send Paul back in. Steamboat follows with another flying tomahawk for two, and a knife edge chop gets two. Backdrop, but Orndorff counters with a facebuster - only to have the piledriver countered with a backdrop! That leads to a reversal sequence that ends in Steamboat delivering a catapult into the corner to setup a schoolboy for two, and the Dragon adds a side suplex. Flying bodypress looks to finish, but the Assassin is on the apron, and delays the count long enough for Orndorff to recover. Ricky keeps coming with a jumping shoulderblock for two, but a charge misses, and Steamboat bumps over the top. He picks himself up, but Assassin loads his mask for a headbutt, and Ricky is counted out at 18:36. This was okay. ** ¼ (Original rating: ¾*)

WCW Television Title Match: Lord Steven Regal v Davey Boy Smith: Regal seems to be channeling Robert De Niro tonight with his facial expressions. Feeling out process to start, with both guys having a ball running through some very European style exchanges. Great sequence sees Regal desperately trying to put a leash on the Bulldog with multiple snapmares, but Davey popping up over and over, before finally grabbing a hammerlock - Steven quickly getting the ropes. He manages to get Smith in a cravat, but a criss cross allows Davey a (botched) monkeyflip, and Bulldog slaps on a surfboard. Sir William hops up with the umbrella, so Bulldog wisely lets off, and hits a bodypress for two. Regal fires back with a knee for two, and a snapmare sets up a somersault senton splash for two. Regal with a corner whip for two, and a series of European uppercuts put Davey down for a neck crank. Smith escapes and tries a sunset flip for two, but Regal cuts him off by stomping the abdomen, and he stretches his challenger on the mat. Regal shifts into a cobra clutch, but Davey powers to a vertical base, and drops Steven onto the ramp to force a break. Unfortunately for him, Regal clobbers him with a forearm from out there, but a reversal sequence goes Davey's way, and he delivers a vertical suplex. Steven tries to bail, but Bulldog keeps him in for the Running Powerslam - only getting two! Piledriver follows, but time expires at 15:00 before the referee can finish counting the pin! This was interesting stuff, but it felt more like the first fifteen minutes of a much longer match than a fully realized piece. ** ¾ (Original rating: ***)

WCW United States Title Match: Dustin Rhodes v Steve Austin: Austin takes him down and tries for a Boston crab early, but Dustin blocks, and slugs him down. They size each other up for a while, until Steve is able to take control, and a snapmare gets two. Bodyslam follow, but Rhodes snapmares his way out of the follow-up - only to have a side suplex blocked. Steve grabs a standing side-headlock, but Rhodes forces a criss cross, and delivers a dropkick. Dustin follows up with some turnbuckle smashes, so Steve tries a cross corner whip, but misses the charge in, and ends up taking a bump over the top to the outside. Austin ends up with a banged up knee out of the deal, and Dustin targets it as the challenger comes back inside. Rhodes with a kneebreaker into a toehold, then down into a leglock. He holds onto that for a while, but Steve gets the ropes to escape, and he takes a cheap shot at the break. Austin with a turnbuckle smash and a bootchoke, then a snapmare down into a kneedrop for two, as the announcers discuss Halloween costumes. Slugfest goes Rhodes' way, and he manages a backdrop, followed by a jumping clothesline for two. Bulldog looks to finish, but Austin crotches him on the top turnbuckle (in a nicely executed sequence), and Dustin ends up in a tree of woe. Steve hammers him, but Rhodes manages a schoolboy for two, and an inside cradle is worth two. Austin tries shooting back with the Stungun, but Dustin counters with a Thesz-press into mounted punches, so Steve counters back with a sunset cradle for two. Spinebuster into a leveraged pin looks to finish at 14:10, but the referee catches him (despite already counting the pin), and Rhodes schoolboys a distracted Austin to retain at 14:24. Had its moments, but on the dull side overall, and I really didn't care for the finish. * (Original rating: ¼*)

WCW World Tag Team Title Match: 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Alexander Bagwell v The Nasty Boys: The champs attack from behind to clean house, and then Bagwell forces himself on Missy Hyatt (kissing her against her will) at the bell. And they're the GOOD GUYS here. Can you even imagine how that would go over today? The dust settles on the Nasties beating on Bagwell, but stereo big boots miss, and Scorpio comes off the top with a flying bodypress onto body challengers to clean house again! The Nasties stall on the outside, so Scorpio springboards off of Bagwell - diving onto both with a plancha! Dust settles on Bagwell and Brian Knobbs, and Marcus controls for a tag to Scorpio for a drop-toehold/splash combo. Scorpio adds a victory cradle for two, and he takes Brian down for an armbar. Back to Bagwell for stereo jumping shoulderblocks for two, and Marcus adds a Thesz-press for two. Popular move tonight - and Steve Austin didn't even do one! Brian rakes the eyes to allow the tag to Jerry Sags, but he walks right into a tandem hiptoss, followed by stereo elbowdrops for two. Meanwhile, Jesse seemingly tries his hardest to get his microphone cut again, like at Fall Brawl. Scorpio hits Sags with a sloppy twisting flying bodypress, then adds a dropkick, before grounding him in an armbar. It's too bad the Steiner's weren't around, because they probably could have had a really interesting match with Scorpio and Bagwell. Marcus tags, but gets powered into the heel corner, and the challengers kill him with a tandem hotshot that leaves Bagwell down on the outside. Missy gets some revenge out there, and Bagwell acts all morally outraged, like he didn't totally have it coming. He actually tries going after her, but thankfully Sags is there to side suplex him on the floor before he can. Inside, Knobbs hits a vertical suplex for two, and the Nasties cut the ring in half, with minimal resting. Bagwell manages to counter a backdrop from Knobbs with a legsweep, and Scorpio gets the tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Flying moonsault press on Knobbs gets two, and the 450 splash looks to finish, but Sags saves - using his boot as a weapon, and knocking Scorpio out in the process for Brian to pin at 14:41. Well, maybe if Bagwell wasn't so busy putting his hands on Missy again, he'd have been able to save! Actually much better than you'd expect. *** (Original rating: *)

Sting v Sid Vicious: Sid attacks from behind, and puts the boots to Sting, then chokes him down. Clothesline misses, however, and Sting hits a bodyslam, then adds a few clotheslines of his own. Vertical suplex sends Sid to the outside, but Sting is hot on his tail, and they spill into the crowd for a brawl. That wasn't an everyday occurrence in 1993, either. Sid takes a nice bump into the guardrail on the way back to ringside, and Sting hits a flying clothesline for two on the way back in. Colonel Robert Parker trips him up as he looks to follow-up, however, and Sid capitalizes with a chokeslam - the crowd popping big for him. Why did they ever try making Sid a heel, when the crowds so obviously wanted to cheer for him? And, it's not like it was only a WCW mistake - the WWF made it multiple times as well. Maybe that story about Sid insisting to work as a heel is true. Vicious works him over in dull fashion (another advantage of being a babyface is that he'd only need short bursts of power moves, as opposed to needing a move set to carry a heat segment), and a sidewalk slam hits. Sting bails, so Sid comes off the apron with a flying axehandle, and he whacks the Stinger with a chair out there. Vicious drops him across the rail before bringing things back in, where he snapmares Sting down for a chinlock. Sting fights free, so Sid powerslams him for two, and grabs a bearhug. Wow, it looks like Sid really tagged him with that chair earlier, as Sting has a nasty mark on his shoulder blade from it. Ouch! Sting escapes the bearhug, but runs into a boot while coming off the ropes, and Sid pounds him down. Back to the bearhug, but Sting escapes again, and this time manages to block the attempted boot! Sting with a facebuster, and a pair of Stinger Splashes put the big man down! That brings Parker up onto the apron, and Sid is able to recover - only to have his manager trip up the wrong man, and allow Sting to roll him up at 10:44. Knowing WCW, I'm honestly surprised they didn't forget to make sure Sting wore take same color boots as Sid. Sid's move set was really lacking, but this was short enough to be okay - though another shitty finish in a long line of them tonight. * ¼ (Original rating: ½*)

WCW International World Title Match: Rick Rude v Ric Flair: Terry Taylor acts as the special guest enforcer for this one. Rude tries to make time with Fifi at the bell, so Flair attacks. Ric with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and a cross corner clothesline dazes Rude enough for Ric to go to school in the corner. Cross corner whip hits, but a charge hits boot, and Rude goes up - Flair able to dodge a flying kneedrop, and deliver a kneebreaker to setup the Figure Four! Rick makes the ropes, so Flair drags him to the corner, and starts posting his knee, then clips the leg. Leglock, as I notice that they've got a really cute looking photographer chick at ringside. It's hard to tell because she's got the camera covering her face most of the time, but she looks cute, anyway. Ric hangs onto the leglock, but Rude manages to dump him out of the ring to escape, so Flair tries a slingshot sunset flip back in for two. Bodypress ends in both men tumbling out over the top (smoothly again, like at Fall Brawl), and Ric unloads chops against the rail. He goes up for a flying clothesline on the outside, but diving again with a flying axehandle ends badly. Rude grabs a chair, but Taylor prevents him from using it, so he smashes Ric's face into the rail instead. Back in, Rude hits a backbreaker for two, and he grounds his challenger in a reverse chinlock. Flying forearm smash gets two (with Rude making sure to sell the knee on the landing), then back to the reverse chinlock. Cross corner whip flips Flair onto the apron for a clothesline (and nearly kills the poor cameraman in the process), and Rude vertical suplexes him back in, then dives with another flying forearm smash for two. Cross corner whip and a clothesline get two, and Rick applies a bearhug next. He wears Flair down into a few two counts with the hold, and a facebuster gets two. Clothesline, but Flair ducks, and grabs a sleeper - Rude quickly falling back into the corner to escape. The champion gets to the top for another flying forearm smash, but Flair dodges this time, and he steals Rude's finisher for two! Backslide gets two, and a vertical suplex sets up a flying kneedrop, but Rude lifts his boot to block. Ric keeps coming with chops, but the referee gets bumped on a cross corner whip reversal, and Taylor steps in. HE then gets bumped, allowing Rude to pull out a weapon - Flair able to duck a swing with it, and hit a side suplex! He picks up the object for his own use, and a dazed Taylor nearly counts the pin, but the original referee stops him - he saw Flair use the object, and awards the bout to Rude by disqualification at 19:56. Was there a contest to see who could book the worst finishes tonight, or something? Basically the same match as at Fall Brawl, but with a lot of the fat trimmed off, and a garnish of stupid booking. ** ¼ (Original rating: ** ¼)

Main Event: Texas Death Match: Big Van Vader v Cactus Jack: Vader is the WCW World Champion here, but this is non-title. They don't even make it to the ring, with the brawl starting on the ramp right away. They spill down to ringside, where Vader misses a swing against the post, and bashes his arm into the steel. Jack capitalizes with a chair, and even borrows a camera from a ringside fan to beat on Van Vader with. This ain't Philadelphia, pal. Inside, Jack hits boot on a charge, and Vader responds with a brutal clothesline. I see Vader has started wearing gloves at this point, which I imagine was a very welcome change in the locker room. He beats on Jack with shots in the corner to draw hard way blood, but a vertical suplex gets reversed over the top onto the ramp! Jack adds a side suplex onto the ramp, so Harley Race comes over with a chair, but Cactus knocks it away from him, and whacks Vader with it. They brawl over to the entrance set, where they spill down into one of the graves, and by the time they come back up, Vader is bloodied as well. Jack capitalizes with a clothesline for the pin at 5:40, but Vader is still in it, so Cactus beats him with a piece of the set - fittingly, a cardboard cactus! He knocks Vader off the ramp, and dives after him with a flying elbowdrop for another pin at 6:49, but Vader beats the count again. Into the ring, Jack brings a table into play, whipping Vader into it for two. Back to the outside, Jack tries a flying sunset flip off of the apron, so Vader tries a seated senton splash to block, but Cactus dodges. He drops Vader front-first across the guardrail, then charges with a somersault senton - only to bounce off of the world champion! Vader backdrops him on the floor, and grabs a chair to get some payback from earlier, then inside for a bodyslam to  setup the Vadersault at 11:59. Jack beats the count, so Vader goes to town in the corner, then dumps him out onto the ramp again. He follows, so Jack tries diving onto his back - which promptly backfires when the monster falls backward, legit injuring Jack in the process! Vader tees off on Cactus with a chair, and adds a DDT onto it, and EMTs are coming out to check on him at this point, but Vader scares them away so he can score a pin at 14:54. Jack is still in this thing though, and he manages his own DDT onto a chair, so Harley pulls out a fucking taser, and that's the end of Cactus at 15:57. Still a crazy, wild brawl, though time has certainly lessened its impact. *** ½ (Original rating: **** ¼)

BUExperience: A solid undercard supporting a wild main event brawl should add up to a good show, but with bad finishes in nearly every match, and little memorable today outside of the main event, it falls a bit short. Still, pretty watchable for the most part, if you don’t mind the booking.

**