World Championship Wrestling celebrated All Hallows’ Eve with their annual pay-per-view spectacular full of tricks, treats, and body slams that go bump in the night.
1989 – 2000, Halloween Havoc was a spooktacular staple of WCW’s event calendar.
While holiday-themed wrestling shows can be hokey, there is something about Halloween that fits Pro Wrestling like a glove.
It could be the costumes!
Whether wrestlers were trapped in a cage or had to spin the wheel to make a deal, many classic moments and matches, both good and bad, were produced. It’s time to check out the 10 best matches from WCW Halloween Havoc.
10. Sting & Ric Flair vs. Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman – 1995
Arn Anderson and Ric Flair were amid a feud that no one thought they would ever see. Brian Pillman soon teamed up with Anderson, and the duo teased a 4 Horsemen reunion, minus “The Nature Boy.”
Flair blindsided and bamboozled too many wrestlers for anyone in the locker room to care about getting involved with the very stable that sabotaged them.
Flair turned to the one man who might team up with him, Sting. Their complicated history with each other was the glimmer of hope Flair needed. Sting reluctantly agreed.
Anderson and Pillman jumped Flair on the countdown show (Main Event) before the pay-per-view. With Flair unable to answer the bell, Sting went at it alone. It was a complete role reversal as Flair went into the bout needing Sting’s help. Now, it was Sting who needed Flair’s aid.
All three wrestlers worked the match with a live intensity that can make the difference between a good and great match. The ring psychology was superb.
Sting fended off Anderson and Pillman so well that you forgot it was a tag team match. Once Anderson got that one cheap shot to turn the tide, it made you remember it was a tag team match, and Sting was all by himself.
Sting took a beating but wouldn’t stay down. A bandaged-up Flair emerged, jumped on the apron, and cheered on Sting to tag him in. Sting stumbled into his corner to tag Flair.
The crowd goes wild. One of the best hot tags you will ever see, only for Flair to deck Sting with a sucker punch that even knocked down the referee. It was all a setup.
A trick to go along with the evening’s treats.
Flair looked into the camera and proudly ripped off the bandage, revealing the absence of any injury. Sting rose to his feet and dived at Flair, throwing punches and kicks with an intensity that you don’t see in modern wrestling.
Sting didn’t care that Pillman and Anderson were in the ring. He only saw red for Flair and wanted a few good shots before the numbers game caught up with him—a great piece from start to finish that ushered in a new era of the 4 Horsemen.
The first one was a trick. Now, it’s time for a treat.
9. Vader vs. Cactus Jack – Texas Death Match – 1993
Vader was the monster of WCW and Cactus Jack was the only man crazy enough to not fear him. Cactus returned in the fall of 1993 after recovering from an amnesia-induced beating from Vader.
The stage was set for the “Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal” stipulation. Jake Roberts and Sting spun the wheel the prior year, and it came up lame with a “Coal Miners Glove” match.
The sequel needed to top the original.
Fireworks emerged from the wheel with Vader’s giant spin and stopped on “Texas Death Match.”
The match hasn’t aged well due to the stop-and-start action of a confusing rule set. A 30-second break after each pinfall followed by 10 seconds for the wrestler to get to their feet.
40-second breaks in total took away from the match. However, for the time, it was a gritty hardcore style that wasn’t seen in mainstream promotions. Tables, chairs, blood, and brawls all over the arena. In some ways, it was ECW before ECW.
Unfortunately, the finish is a little wonky as Vader’s manager, Harley Race, used a mistimed Tazer shot to Cactus Jack’s knee, preventing him from making the 10 count.
Vader/Cactus headlining a pay-per-view was a tough sell. It was a non-title match. Vader was the WCW Champion at the time, and Cactus was never a mainstay in the main event scene
The main event over-delivered. Not only was the “Spin the Wheel” concept finally a success, but it also put Mick Foley on the map as a top-level performer.
8. Thunder Dome: Sting & Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk & The Great Muta – 1989:
Thunder Dome! A precursor to Hell in Cell saw Flair and Sting team up against The J-Tex Corporation, comprised of The Great Muta & Terry Funk, managed by Gary Hart.
Bruno Sammartino was the special guest referee for what was advertised as the biggest steel cage in wrestling history. It also had an electric roof to prevent anyone from escaping.
The only way to win the match was if a team’s “Designated Terminator” threw in the towel. Ole Anderson carried the towel for Sting & Flair and Hart for Muta and Funk. Both were heels and hard-pressed to throw in the towel.
Some of the Halloween decorations on the cage caught on fire during the fireworks display. Muta climbed up and legit blew out the fire with the green mist.
The flow of the match was uneven at times as both teams went back and forth between working a traditional tag team match and an all-out brawl. It was weird. There were no rules, so why bother making tags?
Tagging was eventually abandoned. Flair and Funk battled in the ring while Muta and Sting fought as they scaled the cage. I’m not sure why they climbed the cage since they couldn’t escape due to the electrified roof, which didn’t come into play that much.
Jim Ross made a remark on commentary that would surely get him canceled today, stating Muta would be a “fried wonton” if he got too close to the roof.
There was a rope hanging from the cage because…WRESTLING!
Sting got his Jack Sparrow on and swung into action, knocking Muta off the cage. Gary Hart accidentally threw in the towel after an Ole Anderson interception knocked him silly.
Unorganized mayhem is the perfect description for the first main event of the inaugural Halloween Havoc.
7. Lord Steven Regal vs. British Bulldog – Television Championship – 1993:
What looked on paper to be a battle of the Bulldog’s power against Regal’s technical ability ended up as a European-style grappling duel. Regal was the aristocratic TV Champion, and he considered the Bulldog, a lowly commoner.
Regal outwrestled his opponents with a style most found unfamiliar. Bulldog flipped the script and out-wrestled Regal as he was also well-versed in the European style.
Bulldog countered Regal’s every move until the champion cheated to gain the upper hand.
Regal wore down Bulldog with a ground-based attack, looking to prove he was the best European wrestler in WCW. Bulldog came back and resorted to his power-focused, high-impact offense.
Regal began to stall as the 15-minute time limit was almost up. A timing miscue saw Bulldog hit the running power slam too early, as it was meant to be the finish.
The error gave Regal no choice but to kick out of the Bulldog’s finisher. With seconds left, Bulldog delivered a piledriver in the photo finish spot. Regal retained the title once again due to a time-limit draw.
File this one under unsung classics.
6. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Dean Malenko – Cruiserweight Championship – 1996:
WCW’s cruiserweight division came out the gate swinging in 1996. The two stars at the forefront were 21-year-old Rey Mysterio Jr. and “The Man of 1000 Holds” Dean Malenko.
This was the rubber match, as they were 2 – 2 against each other. However, this one was personal.
Malenko ripped off Mysterio’s mask on an episode of WCW Saturday Night. The only thing keeping Mysterio’s identity a secret was Tony Schiavone throwing his coat over him.
Malenko came out with the stolen mask, but Mysterio retrieved it and put it on. Malenko tried to keep Mysterio grounded to avoid his sensational, high-flying offense.
The crowd was with Rey, but they showed Malenko some love, too. Mysterio was hit with a succession of power moves, including a sweet tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a clothesline that nearly took his head off.
The finish saw Malenko hold Mysterio dangling in a gut wrench position on the top rope and ended him with a vicious powerbomb that belongs in Mortal Kombat.
5. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Macho Man Randy Savage – Las Vegas Sudden Death Match – 1997:
DDP and Savage never had a bad match with each other. Both wrestlers consistently exuded utter hatred for one another.
As the match progressed, each wrestler got increasingly desperate to put the other down for a ten count. They brawled in the makeshift graveyard entranceway, with Savage getting torpedoed into a tombstone.
Ms. Elizabeth even got involved and smashed a glass plate over the referee’s head to break up the count. Kimberly rushed out and dragged Elizabeth by her hair to the back.
Controversy reared its ugly head like it did in all nWo matches. A fake Sting later revealed to be Hulk Hogan, cracked DDP in the chest with a baseball bat, giving Savage the win.
1997’s Feud of the Year in WCW belonged to Savage/DDP. They put on three stellar pay-per-view matches that cemented DDP as a main event player.
4. The Steiner Brothers vs. The Nasty Boys – U.S. Tag Team Championship – 1990
Picture a comic book-style street fight between two amateur wrestlers against a pair of bar room brawlers. This was a wild melee where both teams didn’t hold anything back. Steiners were known to be stiff in the ring, but the Nasties gave as good as they could get.
Knobbs and Sags targeted Scott Steiner’s injured back—excellent use of false tag spots where Scott was cut off from tagging his brother Rick repeatedly. Scott’s injured back accentuated the drama.
The hot tag to Rick got a great reaction from the crowd, and the Steiner-Line he leveled Knobbs with made the pop even louder. Scott hit a belly-to-belly suplex off the top rope to Sags and finished Knobbs with the Frankensteiner.
Post-match saw some trick-or-treat action. Sags, dressed as a concession stand worker, leveled Scott Steiner in a blindside attack while interviewed by Tony Schiavone.
3. Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page – World Heavyweight Championship – 1998
Goldberg was amid his legendary undefeated streak and ran through everyone. However, the formula was starting to become stale. Fans wanted to see what else Goldberg could do in the ring.
DDP won War Games the month before to earn a title shot. His popularity was such that fans wouldn’t have accepted a Goldberg squash.
Something different was needed.
If anyone would pull a good match out of Goldberg, it was the master of the Diamond Cutter.
Intensity personified resonated through every move. Goldberg used his strength to gain the upper hand, but DDP stayed on him like white on rice.
DDP mixed up his attack with technical wrestling and high-impact moves to keep Goldberg on his toes. However, Goldberg was no slouch in the technical wrestling department, hitting fireman carries, applying armbars, and a standing backflip to escape a leg pick.
Despite his best efforts, DDP could only produce a sustained offensive attack once Goldberg accidentally ran shoulder-first into the steel post. It was the turning point in the match that changed the tone of the match.
Goldberg was hurt, and it was an unfamiliar sight.
The challenger took full advantage of the moment, fighting the one-armed champion. Goldberg eventually hit the spear but hurt his shoulder even more in the process.
Goldberg couldn’t lift DDP for the Jackhammer but tried again, only to catch a perfectly executed Diamond Cutter.
Excitement filled the MGM Grand Arena as it looked like the streak was about to end.
Goldberg kicked out and used the momentum off a suplex counter to hit the Jackhammer for the win. Goldberg’s first hard-fought win for a compelling story, and DDP was the perfect opponent.
2. Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan – Career vs. Career Cage Match – 1994
Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair are two icons who stood across the ring from each other multiple times. Many years in various promotions produced lots of memorable matches.
Hogan won the world title from Flair in his WCW debut but lost the rematch via countout. The rubber match occurred in a steel cage, and their careers were on the line.
Hogan had his working boots on and wrestled with an intensity like it might be his last match. Flair was on point, as usual. Not even the annoying officiating of Mr. T could ruin this one.
Bobby Heenan channeled his legendary 1992 Royal Rumble performance on commentary. He loved Flair as much as he hated Hogan.
The Detroit crowd was hot for this match. As the two battled, Flair sold being choked on top of the cage by doing the infamous Flair flop off the top rope. Priceless.
Mr. T called it like a regular match instead of the no-disqualification caged affair. No one was heartbroken when he got bumped, and Flair stomped him out (I loved it).
Sensuous Sheri had an MVP performance. She climbed the cage to help Flair. Jimmy Hart ran interference but accidentally pulled off her dress.
That didn’t stop Sheri as she kept climbing until Sting pulled her down. Moments later, Sheri climbed again and leaped off the top of the cage barefoot to double axe handle the Hulkster.
It was awesomen!
Hogan eventually Hulked up, hit the big boot, and leg drop for the win.
Some give this match a lot of flack for the overbooked shenanigans. Two legendary careers were at stake, and both pulled out all the stops to stay gainfully employed.
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero – Mask versus Title – 1997
Some wrestling matches leave the industry better off than they found it. Mysterio put his mask on the line to get one more shot at Guerrero’s cruiserweight title.
Mysterio wore his iconic Phantom-inspired body suit. In theory, it was designed to make it harder for Guerrero to tear off the mask during the match.
Guerrero was a bastard heel who physically bullied Mysterio at will. Still, Mysterio never stopped exuding the heart of a warrior.
Perhaps the most fantastic sequence ever in a wrestling ring saw Mysterio pop up from a test of strength, jump to the top rope, and backflip over Guerrero while planting him with a DDT.
Both wrestlers have tried to duplicate this spot over the years. I was there in 2004 when they tried it in Boston. However, it never looked as good as it did in 1997.
Guerrero went for a back suplex off the top, but Rey blocked it. Frustrated, Guerrero went for the kill by attempting a Splash Mountain off the top. Mysterio turned it into a mid-air hurricanrana, scored the pin, and won the title.
Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio took pro wrestling to the next level with an exceptional match. Many call this the greatest match in WCW history.
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