The Contentious Ten 10.1.12: Top 10 Halloween Havoc Matches

October means Halloween, and Halloween as a wrestling fan means one thing – Halloween Havoc. It was a Fall tradition for WCW, right along with War Games. If you can’t tell by the tendency that some of my lists take, I was much more a fan of NWA/WCW than of the WWF when I was growing up. I’ve gone over the reasons for this before, and don’t really feel the need to get into it again. For this week’s column, I’m venturing back into the realm of subjectivity and ranking the greatest matches from WCW’s October pay per views, then I’ll let you guys argue about it in the comments section. Without further ado, here’s my criteria for the greatest Halloween Havoc matches of all time:

Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page (1998)size>
DDP Vs. Goldberg [Halloween Havoc 1998] by MercuryIsGod

With one possible exception, I’d wager that DDP vs. Goldberg is the most unexpected classic on this list. The match is easy to dismiss without watching it because of the parties involved. However, you’d be doing yourself a great disservice if you wrote this match off. Goldberg had been in the spotlight enough by this point that he could create/maintain/thrive in a big match atmosphere. Diamond Dallas Page had gone through his evolutionary process with Raven, Benoit, and Randy Savage and was a legitimate main eventer at this point. Through those feuds, Page had managed to master the art of wrestling psychology and could work effectively as either a heel or a face. Goldberg was as hot as any main eventer that WCW ever had, and the heat for this match was pretty intense. The build was good, the match made sense, and both guys came out looking okay. You can’t ask for a whole lot more.

“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton vs. Terrance Taylor (1991)size>
Beautiful Bobby Eaton vs Terrence Taylor by TSteck160

There are few things better than old school, southern style wrestling. It’s predicated on simple, effective offense and an ever-building pace. It’s a formula that works, and creates blue collar heroes to take on underhanded heels. Eaton and Taylor were very good at the style, and it allowed them to put on a textbook match on the undercard of Halloween Havoc 1991. Terry Taylor is unfairly remembered as The Red Rooster, but was a solid hand in the ring with an adaptable style. He could work with anyone, and usually make them look good in the process. Bobby Eaton makes my short list of guys that are among the best all around workers ever. For all of his positives, though, Bobby Eaton has the most inaccurate nickname in wrestling. He’s not beautiful. Just saying. Regardless, if you’re a fan of old school wrestling (I am), the southern style (I am), and quality, basic wrestling (I am), then give this one a watch. You’ll be glad you did.

Chris Jericho vs. Raven (1998)size>
Jericho in WCW Vol 14: Jericho vs Raven by Ninjafish

I don’t remember a ton of build to this match, but that was pretty typical of late 1990’s WCW. Then again, that’s an unfair statement to make. Why? Because WWE and TNA have a habit of throwing matches with no build and no advertising onto pay per views as well. In hindsight, it’s no big surprise that these two turned in a classic. They were two of WCW’s overlooked and underutilized roster members. Nearly 15 years later, both men have well earned reputations for being outstanding wrestling minds. Raven has offered creative input in a number of promotions, and Chris Jericho has shown his understanding of the business in both his time away from the ring as well as his comebacks, and his willingness to put wrestlers over. With a belt on the line that was as overlooked as they were most of the time, Raven and Chris Jericho went out and stole the show from the guys that got more attention and drawing bigger paychecks.

Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair (1994)size>
Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair (HH94 Part One) by mrbling

Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair (HH94 Part Two) by mrbling

WCW was willing to pull the trigger that Vince McMahon wasn’t and put Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan on pay per view. In fact, they did it so many times that it sort of lost it’s luster. Through the various encounters that these two had, it was obvious that they could never live up to the dream match that we all imagined throughout the 1980’s. In fairness, I’m not sure anyone could have. For whatever reason, their styles just never meshed very well. This match was one of the few times that they actually clicked in the ring, and the match was arguably Hogan’s best ever in WCW. Of course, the retirement stipulation meant only mildly less than Flair’s supposed actual retirement from WWE, but we all knew that going in anyway. There was a lot going on around the ring with Sensational Sherri, Jimmy Hart, and Mr. T all involved, and then with The Zodiac making his debut attack after the match. In what would become synonymous with the WCW main event scene for the rest of the company’s existence, this match can be summed up with four words: overbooked, but still entertaining.

Big Van Vader vs. Cactus Jack (1993)size>
Cactus Jack vs Vader Texas Death Match Part 1 by TSteck160

Cactus Jack vs Vader-Texas Death Match Part 2 by TSteck160

Cactus Jack vs Vader-Texas Death Match Part 3 by TSteck160

These days, Big Van Vader is rightfully remembered as a monster, an unstoppable force of nature that ran roughshod over WCW’s army of babyfaces for a very long time. The reason for that is because Mick Foley’s legacy of building stars began here. He took merciless beatings from Vader all around the world, and Mick gave as good as he got. Cactus Jack made a name for himself through this feud, too, and proved that he was as tough as anyone in the business. This match summarizes everything that we love about both men. Vader was brutal and shockingly athletic. Cactus Jack took a beating and was a wildman. This is probably Vader’s best match in WCW that didn’t involve Sting. This was probably Mick Foley’s best effort at building a star until he got to Triple H and Edge. Without this series of matches, and this blowoff in particular, I don’t know that we’d remember Vader as fondly as we do.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (1997)size>
Randy Savage vs DDP (HH97 Part 1) by mrbling

Randy Savage vs DDP (HH97 Part 2) by mrbling

As I alluded to above, Diamond Dallas Page is a highly underrated worker. After the WCW/WWF merger, he got lost in the shuffle and was made a poster child for what happened to guys that had the audacity to get over without being a part of Vince’s empire. In WCW, though, he busted his ass and earned his spot at the top of the card. At this point in his career, Randy Savage didn’t have a lot of gas left in the tank and wouldn’t be a reliable main eventer for much longer, at least not on a regular basis. However, this feud had just about as perfect of a build as possible, and it stood out amidst the whole WCW vs. nWo chaos. There were layers of logic behind this feud, from personal attacks, to professional pride, and it turned into something special along the way. Savage was a professional the whole way through, and this was DDP’s inauguration to the big time.

Doom vs. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson (1990)size>

Doom is a curious case. When Ron Simmons and Butch Reed had their masks on, they were a forgettable team that just never really gained any traction. Once the masks came off, and Simmons and Reed could show a little personality, things got about a thousand times better. They were big, strong guys that could rough people up and just muscle their way to victory. They had done exactly that, dominating the NWA World Tag Team title scene (including the Steiner Brothers), and were running out of guys to feud with in the interim. Enter the Horsemen. In an alternate universe, Ric Flair and Arn Anderson are the greatest tag team of all time and Tully Blanchard led the Horsemen. Flair and Arn had a natural chemistry as partners, and their ability to both wrestle and brawl allowed them to play to Doom’s strengths in this match. This wasn’t the only chapter in the Doom vs. Horsemen feud as Arn and Barry Windham would take on the champions in a street fight as well. This is the best of the bunch, though.

Lex Luger vs. Brian Pillman (1989)size>
Brian Pillman vs Lex Luger 10/28/89 by CrossFaceChickenWing

As I’m sure you’re aware, Lex Luger wasn’t about to carry anybody to a great match. However, as evidenced by Curt Hennig, Ric Flair, Sting, Ricky Steamboat, and others, Lex Luger could be carried to a great match. Brian Pillman was a young wrestler, coming into his own, that was entirely capable of helping someone elevate their game. We’d see Pillman have exceptional matches with Brad Armstrong and Jushin Liger in the coming years, as well as matches with Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and with Steve Austin as the Hollywood Blondes. This was one of his first chances to really show off, and I don’t know that anybody would have minded had the NWA pulled the trigger on putting the United States title on Pillman. It certainly would have been a better choice than, say, Michael Hayes. Pillman and Luger had excellent chemistry, and several of their matches stick out in my mind as fond memories from my wrestling childhood. This match sticks out in my mind after 23 years, and was the second match I thought of for this countdown. Enjoy.

Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes vs. Steve Williams and Steve Austin (1992)size>
Windham/Rhodes vs Austin/Williams by CrossFaceChickenWing

Terry Gordy no showed this event, which led to a teaming of Steve Williams and Steve Austin. This was intended to be a rematch for the Miracle Violence Connection taking on Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes, but apparently Terry Gordy wasn’t interested in such a thing. Maybe it’s better that he moved on, because this impromptu pairing led to one of the greatest tag team matches of the NWA/WCW era. All four men were capable of brawling, and Austin, Windham, and Doc could wrestle well enough to cover up the still-evolving Dustin. All four men sucked the crowd in with basic stuff, and kept things interesting for a half hour. I’ve mentioned before that Barry Windham may be the best all around worker that I’ve ever seen (the same list that I said Bobby Eaton would be on, Windham tops), and Austin’s ring work was starting to peak. I enjoy Dustin’s work as “The Natural” just as much as when he’s Goldust, just in a different way. Doc is Doc, and his ability to adjust on the fly to a new partner here speaks volumes to his professionalism. This match is just another reason I love Dr. Death. Through the years, this has become yet another overlooked classic from WCW’s early years after separating from the NWA.

Eddy Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio, Jr. (1997)size>
WCW Halloween Havoc – Mask Vs Title Match Eddie… by Geylow

Well, here you go. If you were expecting anything else, you’re obviously new to wrestling. This match is one of the most beloved of all time, and with good reason. Eddy and Rey had a natural chemistry in the ring, and this far surpasses anything they did together in WWE for a couple of reasons. The most obvious of which is that Rey’s knees hadn’t truly started to betray him yet, and he hadn’t started to..bulk up…as much. American fans were starting to catch on to what Mexican fans already knew – Eddy was a heat magnet – and he was able to use his size to play the role of bully in this match, while still incorporating his aerial skills. Another reason is likely that there was a certain freedom to what they could do in the ring in WCW’s cruiserweight division as opposed to the “WWE Style” that you hear so much about. This match is arguably the best match of either man’s career, and certainly the best from Halloween Havoc – in 1997 or any other year.

That wraps it up for this week. Let me know what you think I missed, what’s out of order, or what doesn’t belong. I’ll join in the conversation at some point in the near future, and I’ll be back next week to count down a whole new topic. See you in 7.