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.

A Better VHS Experience: WCW World War 3 1997 Results and Review

World War 3 - 1997 Results and Review - A Better VHS Experience

The Palace of Auburn Hills was the home for this event in 1997. The big jump that WCW was gaining in popularity was evident here. This venue was coming from Auburn Hills, Michigan, and there were 17,128 people jam packed in the building for this event. This had a total of 9 matches, and it really showcased how powerful the WCW brand started to get.

I used to have the VHS edition of WCW World War 3 1997, and the original recording from the PPV. I can tell you that there are a lot of musical edits, as well as sign edits that the WWE has put on the Network. If you want to see the unedited version of this, you should buy the VHS tape here.

Here are the quick results, and then I’ll go into the review of the wrestling.

WCW World War 3 1997 Results

The Faces of Fear defeated Glacier and Ernest Miller
Perry Saturn defeated Disco Inferno (WCW Television Title Match)
Yuji Nagata defeated Ultimo Dragon
The Steiner Brothers defeated The Blue Bloods (WCW Tag Team Title Match)
Raven defeated Scotty Riggs (Raven’s Rules Match)
Steve McMichael defeated Alex Wright
Eddie Guerrero defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. (WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match)
Curt Hennig defeated Ric Flair (NO DQ WCW U.S. Title Match)
Scott Hall won World War 3 after eliminating The Giant

WCW World War 3 Review

Here we go, the event was one of the highlights of WCW’s 1997 year. Of course, on the opposite side of wrestling, you had the WWF putting on a show known as Survivor Series in which they completely screwed over Bret Hart, but hey, that’s their thing, and this is the WCW version. Let’s talk WCW and this event that went down.

The Faces of Fear defeated Glacier and Ernest Miller

I may be one of the only idiots that liked Glacier. Yes, he was a gimmick that was ripped from Mortal Kombat, but that wasn’t a bad thing. He had some stellar wrestling moves, and was far better than Ernest Miller. The Faces of Fear were always grand in my book, and Meng was still in his prime before getting injured by Bill Goldberg. The Barbarian was slowing down, but overall this wasn’t a bad match. There was a lot of power moves and eventually the Faces of Fear got the big win.

Match Rating: 2 out of 5

Perry Saturn defeated Disco Inferno (WCW Television Title Match)

Perry Saturn was a very unique wrestler and it showed here with Disco Inferno. Disco is always a character, but he did put on some good matches here and there. This was a good one, but it was Perry Saturn’s unique offense that got the win. Saturn won with the rings of Saturn from what I remember, but overall, this match was well timed, and on the button. Saturn and Disco’s timing was great here, and I definitely enjoyed the match.

Match Rating: 3 out of 5

Yuji Nagata defeated Ultimo Dragon

If you’re not a pure wrestling fan, then you aren’t going to like this match. At the time Ultimo Dragon was feuding with his manager Sony Onoo and Nagata was taking Ultimo’s place in the Asian wrestling stable that was in WCW. Yuji Nagata was the heel, and Dragon was playing off of his strong style. Dragon was great here, and Nagata’s strong style, mixed with some clever counters made this match really strong. The fans didn’t get it at first, but over time they started to get into it and the ending was a shocker, with Ultimo falling short thanks to Sonny Onoo’s constant nagging outside.

Match Rating: 3 out of 5

The Steiner Brothers defeated The Blue Bloods (WCW Tag Team Title Match)

This was a hard-hitting match, with The Steiner Brothers working very stiff with Regal and Taylor. I liked it, the fans seemed to get a kick out of the Steiners, and the match was not too long. You’re not going to get a technical masterpiece here, but The Blue Bloods do have enough heat to make you invest a little bit of your attention into this match up. The Steiners were definitely a great team at one point, so don’t just judge them by their solo runs.

Check out WCW World War 3 1997 VHS Tape, by purchasing it here!

Match Rating: 2 out of 5

Raven defeated Scotty Riggs (Raven’s Rules Match)

JJ Dillon came out and announced that Raven had to decide whether or not he was going to sign a WCW contract. He hadn’t yet, in story line. Well this match featured some nice hits, and Riggs was definitely a good foil for Raven. The match was hard hitting as it was No DQ and it eventually saw Riggs get beat down to the point where he was knocked out solid. I loved the drop toe hold to a steel chair, and the fact that Riggs sold the gimmick by wearing an eye patch. At the end of the match, the flock picked up Riggs and went out of the arena through the crowd. I loved Raven’s WCW Run.

Match Rating: 3 out of 5

Steve McMichael defeated Alex Wright

I miss Alex Wright. I liked the stupid dance, and then Kaz, and the other dancing idiots. This wasn’t much of a match. McMichael was underrated if you ask me, and he won this without a ton of action. It was a fun in between.

Match Rating: 2 out of 5

Eddie Guerrero defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. (WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match)

People always cite the original match, but this is one is my personal favorite. Rey Mysterio and Eddy (as I read it) put on another great match. This time around, Eddie was wrestling a hard style on this one. Instead of flying around, Mysterio was grounded, and Guerrero was attacking ribs, legs, and grounding the little guy. There were a few moments that showed Mysterio selling injuries from Nitro and previous matches. If you liked the Halloween Havoc match, then you will like this one for sure. Without Eddie trying to break Mysterio’s mask, this match really took on a whole new world. Again, people like to cite the Halloween Havoc match as their best, but this was definitely a great sequel to a great match. More people should mention this one, especially with Eddie’s psychology focusing on body parts of Mysterio rather than just trying to do the same thing he did at Halloween Havoc. Great moments, that led to a false finish, and eventual win by Eddie Guerrero! Great match, and one of the best in the cruiserweight division ever! Killer frog splash for the win, and the constant Eddie Sucks chants, great stuff here. Mysterio put on a valiant effort, but man, Eddie was on fire here.

Match Rating: 5 out of 5

Curt Hennig defeated Ric Flair (NO DQ WCW U.S. Title Match)

Two guys that are legends in wrestling faced off over the United States title on this show. How could these guys follow up a stellar cruiserweight match? Well, psychology my dear friends, some great overall booking in this match up. Hennig and Flair put on a show of chops, reversals, suplexes, and a great overall ending. In the end, Ric Flair slapped on the Figure Four and looked to be winning the title, but Hennig used the belt, which was in the ring to knock his old ass out, and then get the win. This had the crowd going crazy, and for me, this was a great booking decision, a desperation move that made this rad.

Match Rating: 4 out of 5

Scott Hall won World War 3 after eliminating The Giant

This was a great one. Scott Hall was getting beat down, and a lot of different wrestlers were part of the last 10, 6, and 4 and then it was The Giant and Scott Hall! The crowd erupted, and then Sting came down from the rafters, going absolutely ape, only to find out that it was KEVIN NASH! Oh man, great ending to a good overall show. For those that aren’t familiar with World War 3, it’s a 60 man battle royal.

Match Rating: 3 out of 5

As far as WCW shows are concerned, World War 3 is a great example of a great show amidst a bad show versus the WWF. Yes, the Montreal Screw Job occurred in WWF in the same month, but this show was better all around. I loved it. I didn’t like the screw job, and didn’t think that show had a lot to it, but this one, had a lot of wrestling, great moments, and overall stellar match ups in the final 3 matches.

My recommendation is that you purchase the VHS tape of this, and NOT watch it on the WWE Network. You will find that there are subtle edits, changes in the music, and a lot of cuts that weren’t supposed to be there. But hey, that’s just my two cents.

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 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.