Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Apr 28, 2010 3:56:09 GMT -5
I recently was going through some old stuff of mine and came across this classic VHS: Halloween Havoc 1991. Now I know the general opinion of WCW during this time is not the greatest, but I decided to go ahead and watch it anyway.
Since this tape was illegally recorded from PPV (a timeless tradition), I am gifted with a 30-minute pre-show similar to those "Free-For-All's" we got from the WWF years later.
The opener of the show is the infamous "Chamber of Horrors" match and, to be honest, I almost did not survive watching this one. We got Sting, the Steiners and El Gigante against Vader, Diamond Studd, Cactus Jack and Abdullah the Butcher inside this huge cage with no build-up for no apparent reason. The match itself is a sloppy mess and the ending is one of the most embarrassing in the history of pro wrestling. Abby gets put onto the "Chair of Torture" (Nickelodeon term for electric chair) and jiggles as all sorts of pyro goes off trying to convince the crowd that they are really witnessing a live execution. Being the crazy bastard he is, Abby shakes it off, beats up a few zombies on the entrance ramp and calls it a night.
And by some miracle, I keep watching.
Next up is a tag match pitting Big Josh & PN News versus the mysterious Creatures although a more fitting name would have been "Two Job Boys in Silly Green Masks". PN News "entertains" the fans with a pre-match rap. Just imagine Men on a Mission, but here we only have one tubby fool with elementary rhyming skills. A top rope splash from PN wins it and you can't help, but feel bad for the Creature who took that one.
As for Big Josh, you know your gimmick sucks when you jump at the opportunity to wrestle somewhere else as a clown.
The third match puts "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton against "The Computerized Man of the 90's" Terry Taylor.
This guy couldn't get a bankable gimmick to save his life.
This match was really good. Both Eaton and Taylor were very underrated in terms of their in-ring work. Bobby takes this one with an awesome leg drop from the top rope. This is the first real glimpse of hope that this show might not suck total dick.
Match #4: Jimmy Garvin versus Johnny B. Badd
If there was any momentum from that last match it ends as soon as Mero makes his entrance. Instead of coming off as just "Tutti-Frutti", the character comes off as 100% flat-out gay. Eyeliner and lipgloss on a man may be classified as "eccentric" today, but in 1991 it's just plain unacceptable. PS Hayes accompanies Garvin and although this incarnation of the Freebirds is still over, the match was forgettable. Mero was a great worker at the time, but Garvin dragged this one down. Badd wins with a punch. A move you see at least 67 times in your average wrestling match apparently gets the job done if your opponent is an over-the-hill, wannabe-rockstar with bad 80's hair.
Moving on...
Several years before "Stone Cold" was a household name and Goldust was making out with angry black men, two underappreciated guys named "Stunning" Steve and Dustin Rhodes were having great matches in WCW. This one is for the TV title and has a 10-minute time limit. Although "Stunning" Steve's attire is anything but (Zoobas in wrestling form, I kid you not!!!), this match was fast-paced and kick-ass. For such a short bout, these two really put alot of emotion into it and the crowd was on their feet by the time the bell rang. Time limit draws are usually considered a cheap way out, but I can forgive in this case as this match was extremely entertaining.
The following match would also feature two top-caliber performers with amazing technical ability.
Just kidding. It's Kevin Nash versus Bill Kazmaier.
This match is doomed before the bell even rings. Shockingly, the Oz character failed to get over. And while Bill Kazmaier may have been the "World's Strongest Man", he was also the "World's Strongest Man Whom Nobody Gave a Damn About". This sets new standards for the term DUD. And while this in-ring tragedy is taking place, some fan actually has the nerve to flash his homemade "WWF SUCKS!" sign. Nice timing, champ! Kazmaier ends the misery with a torture rack.
As if that wasn't enough, it's now time for a Van Hammer match.
Man, this guy was the worst. I don't know why WCW even considered pushing him. Van Hammer has the dubious distinction of being the only guy I never played as in WCW/nWo Revenge. I even played a few matches with Brickowski, but never Van Hammer.
This match against Doug Somers justifies my decision. It features several botches despite the fact that it barely lasts 90 seconds. Just atrocious.
The eighth match of the night finally restores a little bit of credibility to the show: "Flyin'" Brian against Richard Morton for the brand-new WCW Lightheavyweight title. Morton may have been past his prime, but he could still deliver and, quite honestly, Brian Pillman circa 1991 could have a great match with almost anybody. A lot of near-falls and aerial manuevers in this one.
This match also features the notorious "Refer-Eye". Imagine a referee wearing a bicycle helmet with a clunky camcorder attached. This was "Refer-Eye" and boy was it an awful concept.
Pillman takes the strap with a beautiful top-rope crossbody block. Excellent match.
The following contest sees Tom Zenk squaring off against the mysterious WCW Halloween Phantom. Now most of us know by now that this masked guy is actually Rick Rude. Apparently, WCW did not care to keep his identity a secret either. The camera gets a few close-ups as he enters the ring and immediately the porn star mustache is a dead give-away. Even worse, as "The Phantom" easily defeats Z-Man with a familiar neckbreaker, that big-mouthed bastard Tony Schiavone totally kills any surprise factor by referring to it as the Rude Awakening. He may not have uttered the name "Rick Rude", but the cat's already out of the bag.
What a buzzkill.
Next, we have a tag team match between two teams that are each tag team champions yet neither title is on the line. Confused? The awesomely-named Enforcers are compromised of Larry Zbyzsco and a Flair-less Arn Anderson. They take on two 'roided-up goons called The Patriots. I will not delve deeply, but I will tell you that one of the guys is actually named "Firebreaker" Chip and he comes to the ring dressed like a male stripper. It should come as no surprise that I was very pleased to see our fire-fighting friend on the receiving end of a Double A spinebuster to end this one.
The next segment is a mid-ramp interview with Paul E. Dangerously conducted by Eric Bischoff dressed like a metrosexual vampire. Paul E. unveils The Phantom as Rick Rude. Rude gets a nice pop from the crowd and sends a message to Sting.
Tony Schiavone appears totally shocked by these events thus making him the single dumbest person on the face of the Earth.
After a brief video package, we are finally ready for the main event of the evening: Ron Simmons against Lex Luger for the WCW World title in a 2-out of-3 falls match. On opposing sides, Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race are at ringside on behalf of their respective charge. Despite Simmons being new to the main event scene and Luger being on his way out the door in WCW, these two put on a better match than they had any right to. Ron captures the first fall rather fast with a big spinebuster, but Luger evens it up by taking the second via that terrible WCW rule in which throwing your opponent over the top rope warrants a DQ. Who's terrible idea was that anyway? The final fall is a back-and-forth exchange as the crowd really starts to get into it. Simmons comes close several times, but eventually falls to a Luger piledriver. DAMN!!!
This show was totally hit-or-miss, but to me any classic wrestling, whether good or bad, is worth a watch.
Feel free to comment on the event if you would like to. Thanks.
Since this tape was illegally recorded from PPV (a timeless tradition), I am gifted with a 30-minute pre-show similar to those "Free-For-All's" we got from the WWF years later.
The opener of the show is the infamous "Chamber of Horrors" match and, to be honest, I almost did not survive watching this one. We got Sting, the Steiners and El Gigante against Vader, Diamond Studd, Cactus Jack and Abdullah the Butcher inside this huge cage with no build-up for no apparent reason. The match itself is a sloppy mess and the ending is one of the most embarrassing in the history of pro wrestling. Abby gets put onto the "Chair of Torture" (Nickelodeon term for electric chair) and jiggles as all sorts of pyro goes off trying to convince the crowd that they are really witnessing a live execution. Being the crazy bastard he is, Abby shakes it off, beats up a few zombies on the entrance ramp and calls it a night.
And by some miracle, I keep watching.
Next up is a tag match pitting Big Josh & PN News versus the mysterious Creatures although a more fitting name would have been "Two Job Boys in Silly Green Masks". PN News "entertains" the fans with a pre-match rap. Just imagine Men on a Mission, but here we only have one tubby fool with elementary rhyming skills. A top rope splash from PN wins it and you can't help, but feel bad for the Creature who took that one.
As for Big Josh, you know your gimmick sucks when you jump at the opportunity to wrestle somewhere else as a clown.
The third match puts "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton against "The Computerized Man of the 90's" Terry Taylor.
This guy couldn't get a bankable gimmick to save his life.
This match was really good. Both Eaton and Taylor were very underrated in terms of their in-ring work. Bobby takes this one with an awesome leg drop from the top rope. This is the first real glimpse of hope that this show might not suck total dick.
Match #4: Jimmy Garvin versus Johnny B. Badd
If there was any momentum from that last match it ends as soon as Mero makes his entrance. Instead of coming off as just "Tutti-Frutti", the character comes off as 100% flat-out gay. Eyeliner and lipgloss on a man may be classified as "eccentric" today, but in 1991 it's just plain unacceptable. PS Hayes accompanies Garvin and although this incarnation of the Freebirds is still over, the match was forgettable. Mero was a great worker at the time, but Garvin dragged this one down. Badd wins with a punch. A move you see at least 67 times in your average wrestling match apparently gets the job done if your opponent is an over-the-hill, wannabe-rockstar with bad 80's hair.
Moving on...
Several years before "Stone Cold" was a household name and Goldust was making out with angry black men, two underappreciated guys named "Stunning" Steve and Dustin Rhodes were having great matches in WCW. This one is for the TV title and has a 10-minute time limit. Although "Stunning" Steve's attire is anything but (Zoobas in wrestling form, I kid you not!!!), this match was fast-paced and kick-ass. For such a short bout, these two really put alot of emotion into it and the crowd was on their feet by the time the bell rang. Time limit draws are usually considered a cheap way out, but I can forgive in this case as this match was extremely entertaining.
The following match would also feature two top-caliber performers with amazing technical ability.
Just kidding. It's Kevin Nash versus Bill Kazmaier.
This match is doomed before the bell even rings. Shockingly, the Oz character failed to get over. And while Bill Kazmaier may have been the "World's Strongest Man", he was also the "World's Strongest Man Whom Nobody Gave a Damn About". This sets new standards for the term DUD. And while this in-ring tragedy is taking place, some fan actually has the nerve to flash his homemade "WWF SUCKS!" sign. Nice timing, champ! Kazmaier ends the misery with a torture rack.
As if that wasn't enough, it's now time for a Van Hammer match.
Man, this guy was the worst. I don't know why WCW even considered pushing him. Van Hammer has the dubious distinction of being the only guy I never played as in WCW/nWo Revenge. I even played a few matches with Brickowski, but never Van Hammer.
This match against Doug Somers justifies my decision. It features several botches despite the fact that it barely lasts 90 seconds. Just atrocious.
The eighth match of the night finally restores a little bit of credibility to the show: "Flyin'" Brian against Richard Morton for the brand-new WCW Lightheavyweight title. Morton may have been past his prime, but he could still deliver and, quite honestly, Brian Pillman circa 1991 could have a great match with almost anybody. A lot of near-falls and aerial manuevers in this one.
This match also features the notorious "Refer-Eye". Imagine a referee wearing a bicycle helmet with a clunky camcorder attached. This was "Refer-Eye" and boy was it an awful concept.
Pillman takes the strap with a beautiful top-rope crossbody block. Excellent match.
The following contest sees Tom Zenk squaring off against the mysterious WCW Halloween Phantom. Now most of us know by now that this masked guy is actually Rick Rude. Apparently, WCW did not care to keep his identity a secret either. The camera gets a few close-ups as he enters the ring and immediately the porn star mustache is a dead give-away. Even worse, as "The Phantom" easily defeats Z-Man with a familiar neckbreaker, that big-mouthed bastard Tony Schiavone totally kills any surprise factor by referring to it as the Rude Awakening. He may not have uttered the name "Rick Rude", but the cat's already out of the bag.
What a buzzkill.
Next, we have a tag team match between two teams that are each tag team champions yet neither title is on the line. Confused? The awesomely-named Enforcers are compromised of Larry Zbyzsco and a Flair-less Arn Anderson. They take on two 'roided-up goons called The Patriots. I will not delve deeply, but I will tell you that one of the guys is actually named "Firebreaker" Chip and he comes to the ring dressed like a male stripper. It should come as no surprise that I was very pleased to see our fire-fighting friend on the receiving end of a Double A spinebuster to end this one.
The next segment is a mid-ramp interview with Paul E. Dangerously conducted by Eric Bischoff dressed like a metrosexual vampire. Paul E. unveils The Phantom as Rick Rude. Rude gets a nice pop from the crowd and sends a message to Sting.
Tony Schiavone appears totally shocked by these events thus making him the single dumbest person on the face of the Earth.
After a brief video package, we are finally ready for the main event of the evening: Ron Simmons against Lex Luger for the WCW World title in a 2-out of-3 falls match. On opposing sides, Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race are at ringside on behalf of their respective charge. Despite Simmons being new to the main event scene and Luger being on his way out the door in WCW, these two put on a better match than they had any right to. Ron captures the first fall rather fast with a big spinebuster, but Luger evens it up by taking the second via that terrible WCW rule in which throwing your opponent over the top rope warrants a DQ. Who's terrible idea was that anyway? The final fall is a back-and-forth exchange as the crowd really starts to get into it. Simmons comes close several times, but eventually falls to a Luger piledriver. DAMN!!!
This show was totally hit-or-miss, but to me any classic wrestling, whether good or bad, is worth a watch.
Feel free to comment on the event if you would like to. Thanks.
