WCW Halloween Havoc 1996 Results and Review

Poster For Halloween Havoc 1996

Going back to 1996 the New World Order was in full effect. Hollywood Hulk Hogan had defeated The Giant at Hog Wild, he had turned heel at Bash at the Beach and was going through every main eventer. Then came The Macho Man to lay claim to the title, before he too joined the New World Order.

Halloween Havoc 1996 was held on October 27, 1996 in Las Vegas. There were a legit 10,000 people there, and the crowd was hot at various times. There were 10 total matches, with 7 of them being on PPV. Here’s how it went down.

WCW Halloween Havoc 1996 Results

Dean Malenko defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. in the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship
Diamond Dallas Page defeated Eddie Guerrero
The Giant defeated Jeff Jarrett by DQ
Syxx defeated Chris Jericho
Lex Luger defeated Arn Anderson
Steve McMichael and Chris Benoit defeated The Faces of Fear
The Outsiders defeated Harlem Heat for the WCW Tag Team Championship
Hollywood Hogan defeated Randy Savage in the WCW World Title Match

WCW Halloween Havoc 1996 Review

Dean Malenko defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. in the WCW World Cruiserweight Championship

The opening match was an instant classic. Under 20 minutes long, and yet better than most of the WWE cruiserweight matches that you’ve ever seen. Malenko put on a show with Mysterio. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen these guys clash for the title. Lots of great back and forth, lots of high spots, and Malenko’s psychology taking the passenger seat at times.

Diamond Dallas Page defeated Eddie Guerrero

This was a stiff match. It wasn’t that great at all. It had a lot of good moments, but let’s be honest, the two weren’t in their prime just yet.

The Giant defeated Jeff Jarrett by DQ

The Giant was able to win a match against Jeff Jarrett, but not without some interference and well, this was less than stellar in under 7 minutes.

Syxx defeated Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho should’ve won this back and forth match. Syxx was good, no doubt, but Jericho was shining here with a lot of crisp offense. It would eventually break down and Syxx would get the win, but barely. Great overall match, with under 10 minutes of action, but lots of great momentum shifts.

Lex Luger defeated Arn Anderson

The crowd was going nuts for this one. Arn Anderson was amazing here, and Lex Luger was put through a good overall match. At under 13 minutes, this was a fast moving, great back and forth match that played to the crowd at various levels. When Lex Luger put Anderson into the Torture Rack, things really gained a whole new level. The crowd blew up to all new levels, and it was a fun romp.

Steve McMichael and Chris Benoit defeated The Faces of Fear

This was a somewhat boring match. Meng and The Barbarian were monsters, and it showed here. The two were able to put on a hard hitting battle with the Four Horseman members, and it wasn’t half bad. Sure, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t half bad, good stuff if you like big man matches.

The Outsiders defeated Harlem Heat for the WCW Tag Team Championship

The Outsiders had good chemistry with Harlem Heat, and this match showed the two could work well together. Harlem Heat had too much going on with Sister Sherri and Col. Parker, and that led to their downfall here. Hall and Nash finally pick up the tag titles, and this would be a momentum swing for the New World Order.

Hollywood Hogan defeated Randy Savage in the WCW World Title Match

At under 20 minutes, this was less than classic between the two. However, the fans were all into this one. Randy Savage was blown up midway, and Hogan was not at his best either. But the two knew how to worked the crowd. I didn’t think this was a great match at all, but the fact that the two could get the crowd into a feeding frenzy was great to see. The match broke down into Randy Savage hitting two major elbows on Hogan, but Nick Patrick wouldn’t count the 3. That led to a break down, and eventually Hogan would win with interference from the New World Order. Oh, and Hogan had a wig on, it was great.

To end the show, Roddy Piper came to the ring, and things broke down. That would set up a feud between Hogan and Piper that would go into Superbrawl in February, but I already talked about that, and their match at Starrcade. You can click those links to see those reviews.

Overall, Halloween Havoc 1996 wasn’t that great. But it didn’t suck like most of the WCW events did in the mid 1990s. This was a great showcase of talent, and there was enough to keep me interested at times. The best match was the opener and the Lex Luger match. Other than that, this was an ok show. Get the VHS tape for the best version of this, not the WWE Network edited option.

WCW World War 3 1996 Results and Review A Better VHS Experience

And here we go, in 1996 this event was definitely an intriguing one. If you are not familiar with the wrestling event of WCW World War 3, you should know that it has 3 rings and 60 men. That’s right, 3 rings, and 60 men go in, and only 1 wins. It’s a battle royal to end all battle royals, and it’s amazing to say the least. I loved these events, and absolutely enjoyed the 60 man gimmick. Anyways, for 1996, the VHS was unedited. When I watched it back on the network, I noticed a lot of blurs, and changes made by the WWE team. So if you’re going to watch this, get the unedited version, or just watch it on the network, what do I care?

In Norfolk, Virginia a crowd of 10,314 was gathered to see this one, and there was a lot of action. I didn’t get to see the dark match, but apparently it featured La Parka and Villano IV. So here we go, Sunday, November 24, 1996, World War 3 cue the fireworks.

WCW World War 3 1996 Results and Review

The Ultimate Dragon defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. (J Crown Championship)

Holy crap! This was an opener that you have to see. These two were in their absolute primes. Mysterio is young, light, and flies around the ring like no other. Ultimate Dragon is a great fighter, and he really showcases some great respect for Mysterio in this match. I loved the back and forth, and the two were playing a game of pro-wrestling chess. Dragon would eventually get the win, and that was that.

Chris Jericho defeated Nick Patrick in a one arm tied behind the back match

This was not a high point for Chris Jericho. He beat up Nick Patrick, in a forgettable match.

Harlem heat defeated The Amazing French-Canadians

Not a great match, but afterwards Sherri would get Colonel Robert Parker for 5 minutes. She is awesome, and she really threw herself around the ring. As for Harlem Heat, they worked stiff, and I don’t know how a lot of teams let Booker T drop his tree trunk of a leg on their heads. Holy crap. You have to see him fly around the ring.

Dean Malenko defeated Psychosis (Cruiserweight Championship)

Malenko was all technical wrestling in this one. Psychosis is a high flyer normally, but Malenko had him grounded for the whole match. I was surprised how this went, and Malenko would eventually get the win. Psychosis is one of my favorite luchadors, but here, he just couldn’t get much going against a very methodical Malenko.

The Outsiders defeated The Faces of Fear and The Nasty Boys (World Tag Team Championship)

This match was hard hitting. The Outsiders and the rest worked stiff in my view. They all brawled but it would eventually be The Outsiders with the win. This was like watching the old school get tossed aside for the new. The Outsiders won after around 16 minutes.

The Giant won the World War 3 match

This was amazing. The ending had the NWO against Lex Luger alone. Luger took on all of them by himself, but eventually it was The Giant that would give him the win. Great match, and a lot of fun.

WCW World War 3 Competitors: Arn Anderson, Marcus Bagwell, The Barbarian, Chris Benoit, Big Bubba Rogers, Jack Boot, Bunkhouse Buck, Ciclope, Disco Inferno, Jim Duggan, Bobby Eaton, Mike Enos, Galaxy, Joe Gomez, Jimmy Del Ray, Johnny Grunge, Juventud Guerrera, Eddy Guerrero, Scott Hall, Prince Iaukea, Ice Train, Mr. JL, Jeff Jarrett, Chris Jericho, Kenny Kaos, Konnan, Lex Luger, Dean Malenko, Steve McMichael, Meng, Rey Misterio Jr., Hugh Morrus, Kevin Nash, Scott Norton, Carl Ouellet, Diamond Dallas Page, La Parka, Sgt. Craig Pittman, Jim Powers, Robbie Rage, Stevie Ray, Lord Steven Regal, The Renegade, Scotty Riggs, Roadblock, Jacques Rougeau, Tony Rumble, Mark Starr, Rick Steiner, Ron Studd, The Taskmaster, Syxx, Booker T, Squire David Taylor, the Ultimate Dragon, Villano IV, Michael Wallstreet, Pez Whatley and Alex Wright.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 10

The event seemed short to me. I don’t know if that’s editing on the WWE’s part, or it was that short. Other than that, the matches were not that great, with the exception of the opener, which was a lot of fun to watch. The rest was ok at best. Good back and forth hard style wrestling at points, but it’s the main event and opener that is worth checking this out for.

If you find this on VHS, you should buy it, why not? It’s better than the network experience, I guarantee it.

WCW Fall Brawl 97 Results and Review A Better VHS Experience

A sellout crowd in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for WCW’s Fall Brawl on September 14, 1997. This was an instant classic, even if you haven’t seen it, the card looked amazing, which is why I had to watch this play out. I didn’t see it live, but had the VHS tape. I revisit this today to see whether or not it still worth owning, and whether or not the matches are fun to watch. So here we go, a breakdown of WCW Fall Brawl 97.

WCW Fall Brawl 1997 Results and Review

Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Jericho for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship

These are two wrestlers in their prime, and opening up the card. This went roughly 17 minutes, and it was a fun back and forth contest. These two went back and forth, but it was Guerrero that would pick up the win, and Jericho left better off for it. This was a competitive, fast paced, great match that makes this a great PPV to start with, but that doesn’t mean greatness throughout.

The Steiner Brothers defeated Harlem Heat

This was a hard hitting tag match, and it was fun to watch, but the Steiners looked tired after a while. Harlem Heat worked stiff, only to get the loss. Lots of clotheslines here, lots of big bumps, and even a Harlem Hangover attempt. It was fun, but nothing grand.

Alex Wright defeated Ultimo Dragon

This surprised me. Ultimo is an incredible talent, but Wright won this match after around 18 minutes, and it was some of Wright’s best work. Ultimo Dragon was absolutely great, and his offense is second to none. What you should look for in this match is the stiff kicks of Dragon. He doesn’t slap his leg to make a noise, he literally kicks you as hard as he can and it resonates on camera. You can hear it, and Wright’s chest was turning red. Wright wins after a hard battle, and it was fun.

Jeff Jarrett defeated Dean Malenko

I never liked Jeff Jarrett, and Dean Malenko is no captain charisma. This match was not grand, but there were a few moments in which the crowd made this worth watching. It was a bit slow, but it’s to be expected.

Wrath and Mortis defeated The Faces of Fear

A hard hitting big man match. Meng and The Barbarian were absolutely stiff here, dropping people on their heads, and just throwing the young guys around. They’d lose this one, but wow, what a hard hitting bout.

The Giant defeated Scott Norton

Norton was buried here, simple as that. The Giant wins.

Lex Luger and DDP defeated Scott Hall and Randy Savage (NO DQ)

This was mostly DDP fighting Hall and Savage, but Luger got the hot tag and racked everyone for the win. Not a bad match, lots of action, and Savage worked hard and heavy on DDP which set up their match for Halloween Havoc, in a sudden death match.

The NWO defeated The Four Horseman

While the horseman weren’t my favorite in this incarnation, they did manage to beat the snot out of Nash, Bagwell, Syxx, and Konnan. However, it was Curt Hennig that ran in to betray the Horseman with hadncuffs that made this. He tied up the Horseman than slammed a gate into Ric Flair’s head to end the night and the match. What a war. No blood, but wow, lots of stiff shots on Syxx, and Bagwell.

Overall Rating: 6 out of 10

While there was some good wrestling, it wasn’t grand. The card fell flat in the middle before picking up in the end. There was no major fall out after this, and seeing Flair get a door slammed into his head is a tough watch. Other than that, this was above average, but only for 3 matches tops.

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WCW Spring Stampede 1997 Results and Review A Better VHS Experience

Here we go again, the year was 1997, the April pay per view for WCW went to Tupelo, Coliseum and put in 8,356 in attendance for this show that was headlined by two of the best in the business ever. 8 matches were shown on the program, and there was a lot to enjoy and well, I liked this event a great deal. I’m going to be reviewing this from the WWE network, but I recommend that you get it on VHS. You can purchase WCW Spring Stampede 1997 on VHS here, unedited, uncensored, and without WWE’s editing squad. Here we go, the results and review of Spring Stampede 97.

WCW Spring Stampede 1997 Results and Review

Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Ultimo Dragon

This opener was absolutely great. A young Rey Mysterio Jr. before all the knee surgeries took on the iconic Ultimo Dragon in a stellar match up. Mysterio was crisp, young, and flying around the ring. Meanwhile, Ultimo was so crisp in his movements. He was able to counter Mysterio often and really put on a showcase of the Japanese style mixed with Lucha elements. This 15 minute opener is worth your time, a seriously classic cruiserweight match.

Akira Hokuto defeated Madusa (WCW Women’s Championship)

A five minute throwaway match. WCW failed to use Madusa well, and this match showed that.

Prince Iaukea defeated Lord Steven Regal (WCW Television Championship)

This was another interesting bout for the night. Steven Regal’s style didn’t fit Iuakea’s in this match. It went just over 10 minutes and it was still good, but it just started awkwardly. Regal is always fun to watch, as his mat work is second to none. It’s an adequate match, but nothing great.

The Public Enemy defeated Steve McMichael and Jeff Jarrett

This was an interesting match that featured Public Enemy going over. It was a nice little match, but nothing too grand. Public Enemy wasn’t treated well in WCW, but they were on a win streak at this point, so they get the win, and yes, someone does go through a table. Overall, not bad, but definitely not a great match. Lots of slow moving, and despite the table spot, it was a bit boring overall.

Dean Malenko vs. Chris Benoit ended in a No Contest (WCW United States Championship)

This went 17 minutes and it was a slow one. It was like watching a human chess match. The ending came with Kevin Sullivan coming through and hitting Chris Benoit with a kendo stick, knocking him out for the 3 count. This was a good match, if you like old school wrestling, because it was definitely old school, and methodical. The ending would continue the feud with Benoit and Sullivan, leading to their epic retirement match at Bash at The Beach 1997.

Kevin Nash defeated Rick Steiner (WCW World Tag Team Championship)

This match ended up being a single’s match for the titles. Scott Steiner was arrested earlier in the show, and Nick Patrick was the referee here. Overall a hard hitting match, Steiner working very stiff. Eventually Nash would win overall, but this was not a great match at all.

Lex Luger defeated The Giant, Booker T, and Stevie Ray in a Four Corners Match

Lex Luger got the win, but the story here was that whomever got the pinfall, would get a title shot against Hollywood Hogan. As I recall, Luger would get a title shot and actually win, only to get the title stripped away from him on Nitro. Whatever the case is, this was a good overall match, with The Giant and Luger on the same page, while the Harlem Heat ended up arguing. This was the night where Booker T called Hogan the N word, if you’re curious.

Diamond Dallas Page defeated Randy Savage

Macho Man was super stiff working with DDP. DDP ended up getting the win, but only after taking a serious beating by Randy Savage. After a diamond cutter, a ref bump, and Nick Patrick’s return, DDP would win. This was a brawl, nothing more than a sheer fight, and Macho eventually went down to DDP, but the feud was far from over.

Overall Spring Stampede 1997 was an underrated event and definitely deserved a lot more attention. The WWF at the time was running Revenge of Taker, and only received 6,477 in attendance in New York. Their main event was Stone Cold versus Bret Hart, so you know. Taker fought Mankind for the title, and well, that show I didn’t get live, I got Spring Stampede and recorded the VHS tape off the event. It was a classic in my view. Anyways, this night was cool for WCW, but there was a lot of dissension and disarray in the ending. The NWO seemed to be breaking apart.

Overall Rating: 7 out of 10

The cruiser weight match and the main event made this one above average. However, the rest of the card left something to be desired overall.

Again, if you’re going to watch this one unedited, you’ll want to look into Spring Stamped 1997 on VHS by clicking here. Don’t watch it on the Network, it will be edited, and censored, without the real music and reactions.