Legacy Review
Halloween Havoc '91
October 27, 1991 from the UTC Center in Chattanooga, TNCommentary: Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone. Eric Bischoff and Missy Hyatt are on roving interview duty, both dressed up for Halloween. One is a creature of the night that will go after any warm body in sight. The other is Eric Bischoff dressed as a vampire.
JR and Tony cue up a clip from the afternoon of Bischoff stationed at the entrance as wrestlers arrive, trying to figure out the identity of the WCW Phantom. Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes pull up. Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko run in and jump them! Zbyszko smashes Windham's hand in the car door! This is what lead Zbyszko to getting the nickname "The Cruncher". Classic Four Horsemen style stuff.
Chamber of Horrors Match: WCW United States Champion Sting, El Gigante, and the Steiner Brothers def Abdullah the Butcher, The Diamond Studd, Cactus Jack and Big Van Vader in 12:33- This is one of the most infamous matches in history. So what exactly is a Chamber of Horrors match? Well, it's in an oversized steel cage, like Hell in a Cell it allows some floor access inside the cage, but with no roof. I believe it's the same structure WCW previously used for the Thundercage matches. However there's one addition: The "Chair of Torture" (sounds like something from the BROKEN Universe, and not to be confused with Monty Python's comfy chair), an electric chair that's lowered into the ring during the match. The only way to win the match is to get someone from the opposing team into the chair and flip the "fatal lever" that's located halfway up one of the sides of the cage. Really. They promoted this like someone was going to be literally murdered on national TV. At least it's on PPV I guess. The entrances for this match are mixed, with members from both sides coming out at random to generic music. Only Sting gets his entrance music. Top star perks. As if the match concept wasn't crazy enough, WCW chose this match to debut the REFER-EYE cam. That's right, a helmet with a camera worn by the referee. And to pour even more diarrhea on this turd, there's coffins propped up inside the cage that masked jobbers come out of to harass everyone! Trying to do a blow by blow recap of this match is completely impossible and pointless. The main problem is with all the insane crap scattered all over the cage the wrestlers have absolutely no room to work, especially after the CHAIR OF TORTURE is lowered down and takes up most of the ring. So they all just lumber around trying to look like they know what to do and get some shots in with the random weapons all over the playpen. Some try more than others. Foley looks like he's desperately trying to find someplace to do a big bump off of but can't, so he settles for bleeding like a stuck pig instead. Sting and Abby also blade. A closeup shot of the FATAL LEVER clearly shows that it's in the ON position halfway through the match. You can spot a referee climbing up and trying to fix the switch just before the finish. The heels get Rick Steiner into the chair, and Foley climbs up to PULL THE LEVER. Rick pops up and belly to belly suplexes Abby into the chair, then takes forever tying him down, leaving Foley to stall on the switch like an idiot. Finally he gets the cue to go, and the activation of the CHAIR OF TORTURE, seriously, has to be seen to be believed. Lights out, pyro, sound effects, the works. Just go watch it with a bit of popcorn. And then the pyro sets the ring mat on fire. How fitting. DUD match, ***1/2 unintentional comedic entertainment, like watching a movie you know should be on MST3K/Rifftrax.
The Young Pistols lay down a challenge for the US tag titles and foreshadow their coming heel turn by saying some very not nice things about the Patriots.
Big Josh & PN News def The Creatures in 5:16- A lumberjack that's OK and a white rapper with no rhythm walk into a bar....The Creatures are your usual generic PPV themed one off masked tag team. Sadly neither of them are Jack Victory. Creature 1 goes heel 101 immediately, running away from Josh and getting a cheap shot on the ropes. Josh whips News into an avalanche on Creature whichever it is. News strong arms a whip reversal and lets Creature 33 1/3 run into him. A "belly bump" JR calls it. News with a headlock suplex. Creature 0.5 dodges an avalanche. Josh belly to belly suplex for 2. After one last punchy kicky Creature flourish Josh hits the northern exposure and News comes off the top with a big splash to win. An extended squash that was twice as long as it needed to be. 1/2*
"Beautiful" Bobby Eaton def Terrance Taylor (w/Alexandria York) in 16:00- Gotta say, the York Foundation music is pretty good. JR says neither of these guys get the respect they deserve. Damn right. Two of the best workers ever in the ring right here. Lots of shoving at the start. Eaton offers a free shot. Taylor declines. He gets an armdrag instead and taunts after. Eaton responds with a series of armdrags and Taylor powders. Eaton gets the better of a straight right exchange. Taylor tosses Eaton to the floor and whips him into the guardrail. Eaton backdrops Taylor over the rail into the first row! Well, not INTO. Just in front of. Back in Eaton blocks a hiptoss into another armbar and works a hammerlock for a bit. Taylor jawbreakers out and they go out to the ramp. Eaton slams Taylor on the ramp. He goes up top....Eaton big splash off the top onto Taylor on the apron! That's a huge spot for 1991. Taylor grabs Eaton's tights to throw him to the floor again. When Eaton gets back on the apron Taylor runs his back into the turnbuckles, and a running knee sends Eaton flying into the rail! Corner clothesline and kneedrop from Taylor for 2. Eaton tries to come back. Taylor uses his momentum to send him back out to the ramp. Taylor with a gutwrench powerbomb on the apron! Big splash off the top in the ring from Taylor for 2. Eaton gets a sunset flip off the top for 2. Taylor hooks in a sleeper. Eaton takes his turn to jawbreaker out. He goes for a splash but Taylor gets his knees up. Taylor goes to the second rope. Eaton gets his knees up! Backdrop. Mounted punches. Taylor tries to counter with an inverted atomic drop. Eaton blocks it and hits a suplex! Swinging neckbreaker! Eaton goes up top. Taylor shakes the rope and Eaton falls. Taylor tries the superplex. Eaton fights him off. Alabama Jam! 3 count! Just two of the best getting the time and doing what they do. ***1/2
Johnny B Badd (w/Teddy Long) def Jimmy Jam Garvin (w/Michael PS Hayes) in 8:16- It's not often you see someone out-peacock the Freebirds, but early days heel Badd does it. Hayes is on the shelf with an arm injury, or so we think. The Birds are all decked out in Braves gear for their first playoff run in forever. JR talks a bit about signature moves in wrestling, which is a pretty nice setup for the WCW Phantom reveal later in the night. An extended speed run lead to a series of blocked hiptosses, with Badd finally going over the top to the floor. Hayes takes his "hurt" arm out of the sling and punches Badd with his signature straight left! Once heels, always heels. Garvin with a powerslam and a HUGE running forearm that sends Badd to the floor. There was a little mistiming there as Garvin had to hit the ropes several times waiting for Badd to get set up. Badd goes to the eye rakes and lays in some of his Golden Gloves punches. Leaping clothesline and Badd works a chinlock. Long distracts the ref, tosses his towel in and Badd chokes Garvin with it. HUGE sunset flip off the top from Badd. They didn't stick the landing 100% but that was serious elevation. Badd hits an elbow off the top for 2. He tries coming off the top again and Garvin catches him. Garvin dodges in the corner and Badd flies over and all the way to the floor! Badd is flying around like a maniac trying to make an impression. Midring collision as Badd goes for a leapfrog. Garvin ducks a punch and hits the DDT! Long has the ref distracted. Badd pops Garvin with the Tutti Fruiti I'm So Pretty Punch and gets the pin. Hayes tosses the sling out and takes out Long. **
WCW World Television Championship: "Stunning" Steve Austin (c) (w/Lady Blossom) and "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes go to a 15 minute time limit draw- This is Dustin's first major title opportunity. After a hammerlock swap Dustin hits a bionic elbow. Austin runs Dustin over with a shoulderblock. Speed run and Austin runs into a clothesline. I'm always amazed how fast Austin was before he destroyed his knees. He could fly across the ring in practically one second flat. Headlock/headscissors exchange and some solid mat wrestling. Austin blocks a roll up but Dustin runs right back up and clotheslines him to the floor! Back in Austin back suplexes out of a headlock for 2. Dustin counters a backdrop. He goes for the bulldog but Austin blocks it. Some headlock work by Dustin with Austin trying for leverage pins with tights pulls to slow things down a little after the furious start. Dustin crossbody for 2. He goes for another one. Austin ducks and Dustin bounces off the mat and flies all the way to the floor! Damn! Austin goes to the floor and pummels him with punches, busting him open. Austin double ax handle off the top to the floor. Gutwrench suplex from Austin back in the ring for 2. Austin works a chinlock with illegal rope leverage as we hit the 5 minutes left mark. Dustin punches back. Austin blocks a monkey flip and hits a huge flying clothesline for 2 with 4 minutes left. Dustin rolls up a small package and they roll around reversing it for near falls. Dustin lariat for 2. Austin dodges a dropkick. Dustin is draped over the rope and Blossom gets some slaps in. 3 minutes left. Dustin dodges and Austin bounces off the ropes. Atomic drop and another lariat. Austin gets a boot on the rope. They go outside again. Austin is posted. Now he's busted open. 2 minutes left. Dustin powerslam for 2. Dustin pummels Austin's cut with ground and pound punches. Bionic elbow for 2. One minute left. Dustin mounted punches and elbows. Austin flop! 30 seconds. More Dustin punches for 2. Lariat off the top rope! Time expires as the ref's counting! Austin survives, barely. Damn good early career match from two future legends. They especially did a good job of not doing much obvious stalling as the time limit closed in. ***3/4
Big Josh & PN News def The Creatures in 5:16- A lumberjack that's OK and a white rapper with no rhythm walk into a bar....The Creatures are your usual generic PPV themed one off masked tag team. Sadly neither of them are Jack Victory. Creature 1 goes heel 101 immediately, running away from Josh and getting a cheap shot on the ropes. Josh whips News into an avalanche on Creature whichever it is. News strong arms a whip reversal and lets Creature 33 1/3 run into him. A "belly bump" JR calls it. News with a headlock suplex. Creature 0.5 dodges an avalanche. Josh belly to belly suplex for 2. After one last punchy kicky Creature flourish Josh hits the northern exposure and News comes off the top with a big splash to win. An extended squash that was twice as long as it needed to be. 1/2*
"Beautiful" Bobby Eaton def Terrance Taylor (w/Alexandria York) in 16:00- Gotta say, the York Foundation music is pretty good. JR says neither of these guys get the respect they deserve. Damn right. Two of the best workers ever in the ring right here. Lots of shoving at the start. Eaton offers a free shot. Taylor declines. He gets an armdrag instead and taunts after. Eaton responds with a series of armdrags and Taylor powders. Eaton gets the better of a straight right exchange. Taylor tosses Eaton to the floor and whips him into the guardrail. Eaton backdrops Taylor over the rail into the first row! Well, not INTO. Just in front of. Back in Eaton blocks a hiptoss into another armbar and works a hammerlock for a bit. Taylor jawbreakers out and they go out to the ramp. Eaton slams Taylor on the ramp. He goes up top....Eaton big splash off the top onto Taylor on the apron! That's a huge spot for 1991. Taylor grabs Eaton's tights to throw him to the floor again. When Eaton gets back on the apron Taylor runs his back into the turnbuckles, and a running knee sends Eaton flying into the rail! Corner clothesline and kneedrop from Taylor for 2. Eaton tries to come back. Taylor uses his momentum to send him back out to the ramp. Taylor with a gutwrench powerbomb on the apron! Big splash off the top in the ring from Taylor for 2. Eaton gets a sunset flip off the top for 2. Taylor hooks in a sleeper. Eaton takes his turn to jawbreaker out. He goes for a splash but Taylor gets his knees up. Taylor goes to the second rope. Eaton gets his knees up! Backdrop. Mounted punches. Taylor tries to counter with an inverted atomic drop. Eaton blocks it and hits a suplex! Swinging neckbreaker! Eaton goes up top. Taylor shakes the rope and Eaton falls. Taylor tries the superplex. Eaton fights him off. Alabama Jam! 3 count! Just two of the best getting the time and doing what they do. ***1/2
Johnny B Badd (w/Teddy Long) def Jimmy Jam Garvin (w/Michael PS Hayes) in 8:16- It's not often you see someone out-peacock the Freebirds, but early days heel Badd does it. Hayes is on the shelf with an arm injury, or so we think. The Birds are all decked out in Braves gear for their first playoff run in forever. JR talks a bit about signature moves in wrestling, which is a pretty nice setup for the WCW Phantom reveal later in the night. An extended speed run lead to a series of blocked hiptosses, with Badd finally going over the top to the floor. Hayes takes his "hurt" arm out of the sling and punches Badd with his signature straight left! Once heels, always heels. Garvin with a powerslam and a HUGE running forearm that sends Badd to the floor. There was a little mistiming there as Garvin had to hit the ropes several times waiting for Badd to get set up. Badd goes to the eye rakes and lays in some of his Golden Gloves punches. Leaping clothesline and Badd works a chinlock. Long distracts the ref, tosses his towel in and Badd chokes Garvin with it. HUGE sunset flip off the top from Badd. They didn't stick the landing 100% but that was serious elevation. Badd hits an elbow off the top for 2. He tries coming off the top again and Garvin catches him. Garvin dodges in the corner and Badd flies over and all the way to the floor! Badd is flying around like a maniac trying to make an impression. Midring collision as Badd goes for a leapfrog. Garvin ducks a punch and hits the DDT! Long has the ref distracted. Badd pops Garvin with the Tutti Fruiti I'm So Pretty Punch and gets the pin. Hayes tosses the sling out and takes out Long. **
WCW World Television Championship: "Stunning" Steve Austin (c) (w/Lady Blossom) and "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes go to a 15 minute time limit draw- This is Dustin's first major title opportunity. After a hammerlock swap Dustin hits a bionic elbow. Austin runs Dustin over with a shoulderblock. Speed run and Austin runs into a clothesline. I'm always amazed how fast Austin was before he destroyed his knees. He could fly across the ring in practically one second flat. Headlock/headscissors exchange and some solid mat wrestling. Austin blocks a roll up but Dustin runs right back up and clotheslines him to the floor! Back in Austin back suplexes out of a headlock for 2. Dustin counters a backdrop. He goes for the bulldog but Austin blocks it. Some headlock work by Dustin with Austin trying for leverage pins with tights pulls to slow things down a little after the furious start. Dustin crossbody for 2. He goes for another one. Austin ducks and Dustin bounces off the mat and flies all the way to the floor! Damn! Austin goes to the floor and pummels him with punches, busting him open. Austin double ax handle off the top to the floor. Gutwrench suplex from Austin back in the ring for 2. Austin works a chinlock with illegal rope leverage as we hit the 5 minutes left mark. Dustin punches back. Austin blocks a monkey flip and hits a huge flying clothesline for 2 with 4 minutes left. Dustin rolls up a small package and they roll around reversing it for near falls. Dustin lariat for 2. Austin dodges a dropkick. Dustin is draped over the rope and Blossom gets some slaps in. 3 minutes left. Dustin dodges and Austin bounces off the ropes. Atomic drop and another lariat. Austin gets a boot on the rope. They go outside again. Austin is posted. Now he's busted open. 2 minutes left. Dustin powerslam for 2. Dustin pummels Austin's cut with ground and pound punches. Bionic elbow for 2. One minute left. Dustin mounted punches and elbows. Austin flop! 30 seconds. More Dustin punches for 2. Lariat off the top rope! Time expires as the ref's counting! Austin survives, barely. Damn good early career match from two future legends. They especially did a good job of not doing much obvious stalling as the time limit closed in. ***3/4
Ad for Starrcade '91, featuring the first ever Lethal Lottery and Battlebowl.
Bill Kazmaier def Oz in 3:59- Former World's Strongest Man Kazmaier was getting a sizeable push well beyond his actual wrestling ability in the form of a mini-feud with world champ Lex Luger. Amusingly, Kevin Nash has given up completely on the failed Oz gimmick and is pretty much just acting like himself. Oz would be out and Vinnie Vegas in before too much longer. Shoulderblock standoff and Kazmaier hits a clothesline. Test of strength that goes on. And on. And on. Oz tries to direct Kazmaier where to go and takes a hiptoss. Back suplex from Oz for 2. He pummels Kazmaier to the apron. Kazmaier skins the cat back in and hooks Oz in the torture rack as a message to Luger. Oz submits. 1/4*
Van Hammer def Doug Somers in 1:13- This is Hammer's PPV debut after making his initial debut at the last Clash a couple of weeks prior and doing the near impossible- having a bad match with Terry Taylor. There are guys working jackhammers during Hammer's entrance. But I thought he was "heavy metal", not "union street worker". Hammer was greener than any of JR's favorite football fields at this point. WCW was using him to try to capture the same magic as the Ultimate Warrior, having him win a bunch of squash matches. Spoiler: didn't work. He and Somers can't seem to figure out who's supposed to hold the headlock at the start of the match, then Hammer completely fucks up whatever they were supposed to do next and hits a clothesline to cover. He then proceeds to wedgie Somers' tights all the way up his colon while barely hitting his slingshot suplex finisher. Somers isn't selling at the end, he physically can't stand after getting his testicles squashed in a spandex vice. DUD
Inaugural WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final: "Flyin'" Brian Pillman def Richard Morton (w/Alexandria York) in 12:45- REFER-EYE camera match #2. Nick Patrick looks, well, pretty ridiculous in it, but its use on TV in this match is actually not that bad. Slow "hit a move, stop, circle and stare" start, in contrast to the high octane light heavyweight style JR is trying to put over. Morton slides under Pillman's legs and goes all the way to the floor to check the computer. He flips out of a blocked hiptoss but gets slammed by Pillman. A spinning heel kick sends Morton to the floor again. Pillman flips over Morton in the corner, springboards to the second rope, Morton anticipates the crossbody, so Pillman waits and hits him with a double ax handle. A few rapid fire near falls follow. Japanese armdrag from Pillman. Morton catches Pillman with a back elbow but misses an elbow drop, and it's back to the headlock. Pillman runs into an inverted atomic drop. Morton rakes his eyes and throws him out, but Pillman bounces right back in with a roll up for 2. Morton cuts off the momentum with a clothesline. He spends the next little bit working Pillman's arm as the pace continues to be on the pedestrian side. Pillman ducks a clothesline and hits his own. Morton goes to the eye rake again. Back suplex for 2. Pillman hits an enzuguri! Bit of a chop exchange. Midring collision and both guys fall to the floor. Pillman is posted. Morton gets back in normally, Pillman sneaks up top behind him. Pillman crossbody off the top! That gets the pin and the title! Really disappointing, especially after Pillman and Brad Armstrong as Badstreet put on a great match in the semifinals the last Clash that showed what this division could do. As I've mentioned so many times before, Morton never being comfortable in a heel role was certainly a part of it. To quote the great golf announcer David Feherty, Morton's heel turn was poor planning, poor execution, poor everything. Other than that it was perfect. *
The WCW Halloween Phantom def "The Z Man" Tom Zenk in 1:27- Gee, this Phantom guy looks kind of familiar......Wait, that neckbreaker he just used to finish off Zenk, I know that, I just can't quite put it together......Then Tony Schiavone ruins all the fun by saying point blank that was the Rude Awakening. Spoilers, Tony. Next thing you know he'll be telling us when Mick Foley wins a world title before he actually does it. 1/2*
WCW World Tag Team Championship: The Enforcers (c) def WCW United States Tag Team Champions The Patriots in 9:51- The Patriots are from the "WCW Special Forces" but I can't for the life of me remember if anyone else was supposed to be in that group or not. Maybe Ranger Ross in his occasional appearances. Zbyszko and Chip start. Zbyszko goes for an early abdominal stretch. Chip reverses it and Zbyszko hiptosses out. Chip backslide for 2. Zbyszko is pissed at being outwrestled. Arn tags in to a bit of a pop, and in a non-smarky town to boot. He gets a waistlock takedown but Chip rolls him around to the point Arn falls to the floor. The faces work Arn's arm for a bit. Arn grabs Champion's tights to back him to the ropes and gets some shots in. Arn tries for a piledriver on the floor but Champion backdrops out. Champion hooks Arn in a bear hug. Zbyszko gets him out but Champion double clotheslines both heels. They roll out to regroup. Zbyszko slaps Champion and runs. While getting back in he tags Arn in and he hits Champion from behind. Champion is thrown to the floor and takes a rail shot, going patriot in peril. Zbyszko swinging neckbreaker for 2. Champion ducks an Arn punch and lifts him up for an atomic drop, but as he does Arn tags Zbyszko! Genius. Zbyszko nails Champion from behind again. Watching the veteran Enforcers constantly outsmart these guys is really hilarious. Champion reverses a Zbyszko suplex and tags. Chip has slams and dropkicks for everyone. I think he was supposed to powerslam Arn but can't swing him over and settles for gradually working him over. Donnybrook! Arn hits the World's Greatest Spinebuster and it's over. Arn and Zbyszko did the best they could with who they were working with. *3/4
Bischoff interviews Paul E Dangerously. Paul E says that WCW fired him as an announcer because he was "too controversial", but they forgot he also has a manager's license. He vows to "take away your heroes" and use the power he gains to take control of WCW and fire everyone who's ever crossed him, and he's going to start right at the top with Sting. He's hired Madusa, and Madusa went and found the one man that can do the job: the WCW Phantom. The Phantom comes out, unmasks, and it's GASP SHOCK Rick Rude! Paul Heyman was born to cut wrestling promos. This was the opening shot in what would become the red hot Dangerous Alliance angle.
2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: "The Total Package" Lex Luger (c) (w/Harley Race) def "The All American" Ron Simmons (w/Dusty Rhodes) in 18:59- Mr. Hughes also comes out with Luger but Nick Patrick sends him back to the locker room. Dusty is with Simmons to try to keep Race from interfering.
Bill Kazmaier def Oz in 3:59- Former World's Strongest Man Kazmaier was getting a sizeable push well beyond his actual wrestling ability in the form of a mini-feud with world champ Lex Luger. Amusingly, Kevin Nash has given up completely on the failed Oz gimmick and is pretty much just acting like himself. Oz would be out and Vinnie Vegas in before too much longer. Shoulderblock standoff and Kazmaier hits a clothesline. Test of strength that goes on. And on. And on. Oz tries to direct Kazmaier where to go and takes a hiptoss. Back suplex from Oz for 2. He pummels Kazmaier to the apron. Kazmaier skins the cat back in and hooks Oz in the torture rack as a message to Luger. Oz submits. 1/4*
Van Hammer def Doug Somers in 1:13- This is Hammer's PPV debut after making his initial debut at the last Clash a couple of weeks prior and doing the near impossible- having a bad match with Terry Taylor. There are guys working jackhammers during Hammer's entrance. But I thought he was "heavy metal", not "union street worker". Hammer was greener than any of JR's favorite football fields at this point. WCW was using him to try to capture the same magic as the Ultimate Warrior, having him win a bunch of squash matches. Spoiler: didn't work. He and Somers can't seem to figure out who's supposed to hold the headlock at the start of the match, then Hammer completely fucks up whatever they were supposed to do next and hits a clothesline to cover. He then proceeds to wedgie Somers' tights all the way up his colon while barely hitting his slingshot suplex finisher. Somers isn't selling at the end, he physically can't stand after getting his testicles squashed in a spandex vice. DUD
Inaugural WCW Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament Final: "Flyin'" Brian Pillman def Richard Morton (w/Alexandria York) in 12:45- REFER-EYE camera match #2. Nick Patrick looks, well, pretty ridiculous in it, but its use on TV in this match is actually not that bad. Slow "hit a move, stop, circle and stare" start, in contrast to the high octane light heavyweight style JR is trying to put over. Morton slides under Pillman's legs and goes all the way to the floor to check the computer. He flips out of a blocked hiptoss but gets slammed by Pillman. A spinning heel kick sends Morton to the floor again. Pillman flips over Morton in the corner, springboards to the second rope, Morton anticipates the crossbody, so Pillman waits and hits him with a double ax handle. A few rapid fire near falls follow. Japanese armdrag from Pillman. Morton catches Pillman with a back elbow but misses an elbow drop, and it's back to the headlock. Pillman runs into an inverted atomic drop. Morton rakes his eyes and throws him out, but Pillman bounces right back in with a roll up for 2. Morton cuts off the momentum with a clothesline. He spends the next little bit working Pillman's arm as the pace continues to be on the pedestrian side. Pillman ducks a clothesline and hits his own. Morton goes to the eye rake again. Back suplex for 2. Pillman hits an enzuguri! Bit of a chop exchange. Midring collision and both guys fall to the floor. Pillman is posted. Morton gets back in normally, Pillman sneaks up top behind him. Pillman crossbody off the top! That gets the pin and the title! Really disappointing, especially after Pillman and Brad Armstrong as Badstreet put on a great match in the semifinals the last Clash that showed what this division could do. As I've mentioned so many times before, Morton never being comfortable in a heel role was certainly a part of it. To quote the great golf announcer David Feherty, Morton's heel turn was poor planning, poor execution, poor everything. Other than that it was perfect. *
The WCW Halloween Phantom def "The Z Man" Tom Zenk in 1:27- Gee, this Phantom guy looks kind of familiar......Wait, that neckbreaker he just used to finish off Zenk, I know that, I just can't quite put it together......Then Tony Schiavone ruins all the fun by saying point blank that was the Rude Awakening. Spoilers, Tony. Next thing you know he'll be telling us when Mick Foley wins a world title before he actually does it. 1/2*
WCW World Tag Team Championship: The Enforcers (c) def WCW United States Tag Team Champions The Patriots in 9:51- The Patriots are from the "WCW Special Forces" but I can't for the life of me remember if anyone else was supposed to be in that group or not. Maybe Ranger Ross in his occasional appearances. Zbyszko and Chip start. Zbyszko goes for an early abdominal stretch. Chip reverses it and Zbyszko hiptosses out. Chip backslide for 2. Zbyszko is pissed at being outwrestled. Arn tags in to a bit of a pop, and in a non-smarky town to boot. He gets a waistlock takedown but Chip rolls him around to the point Arn falls to the floor. The faces work Arn's arm for a bit. Arn grabs Champion's tights to back him to the ropes and gets some shots in. Arn tries for a piledriver on the floor but Champion backdrops out. Champion hooks Arn in a bear hug. Zbyszko gets him out but Champion double clotheslines both heels. They roll out to regroup. Zbyszko slaps Champion and runs. While getting back in he tags Arn in and he hits Champion from behind. Champion is thrown to the floor and takes a rail shot, going patriot in peril. Zbyszko swinging neckbreaker for 2. Champion ducks an Arn punch and lifts him up for an atomic drop, but as he does Arn tags Zbyszko! Genius. Zbyszko nails Champion from behind again. Watching the veteran Enforcers constantly outsmart these guys is really hilarious. Champion reverses a Zbyszko suplex and tags. Chip has slams and dropkicks for everyone. I think he was supposed to powerslam Arn but can't swing him over and settles for gradually working him over. Donnybrook! Arn hits the World's Greatest Spinebuster and it's over. Arn and Zbyszko did the best they could with who they were working with. *3/4
Bischoff interviews Paul E Dangerously. Paul E says that WCW fired him as an announcer because he was "too controversial", but they forgot he also has a manager's license. He vows to "take away your heroes" and use the power he gains to take control of WCW and fire everyone who's ever crossed him, and he's going to start right at the top with Sting. He's hired Madusa, and Madusa went and found the one man that can do the job: the WCW Phantom. The Phantom comes out, unmasks, and it's GASP SHOCK Rick Rude! Paul Heyman was born to cut wrestling promos. This was the opening shot in what would become the red hot Dangerous Alliance angle.
2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: "The Total Package" Lex Luger (c) (w/Harley Race) def "The All American" Ron Simmons (w/Dusty Rhodes) in 18:59- Mr. Hughes also comes out with Luger but Nick Patrick sends him back to the locker room. Dusty is with Simmons to try to keep Race from interfering.
FIRST FALL: Cautious start. JR gets through all the football history, including that these guys were teammates at one point on the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits. Exchange of basics. Slowly, with a lot of Luger stalling. He dodges a Simmons dropkick and does some high impact clubbing blows. Simmons counters a backdrop with a faceplant. Powerslam. Big Simmons spinebuster, and that gets a quick pin!
SECOND FALL: 60 second interval between falls in this match. Luger's back is still hurting as they resume. Simmons blocks Luger's suplex and hits his own. Backdrop and Luger begs off. The ol' eye poke turns things around, until Simmons gets a back elbow and faceplant for 2. Simmons small package for 2. Luger grabs Simmons' tights and tosses him to the floor. Simmons comes back in with a sunset flip for 2. Luger sidesteps a charge and Simmons flies out to the floor. Typical slow 1991 Luger offense follows. Powerslam on Simmons for 2. Simmons reverses a corner whip but Luger gets a boot up and hits a clothesline for 2. Tony says Luger is slow because he's "winded". Nah, just completely unmotivated. Luger plays the rope leverage game with a chinlock. Simmons powers out, dodges a corner charge and rolls Luger up for 2. Simmons backslide for 2. Race grabs Simmons foot. Dusty tries to take care of bidness but Race fights him off. Luger goes for a crossbody near the ropes. He falls over to the floor, but Race grabs Simmons' tights to keep him in the ring. To Patrick it looks like Simmons threw Luger over the top, and Luger gets the fall by DQ.
THIRD FALL: Luger's gotten cut open under his eye on the crossbody fall. He gets a cheap shot on Simmons over the ref. Simmons hulks up and no sells. Luger backs off quick. Simmons mounted punches. He blocks an inverted atomic drop and clotheslines Luger for 2. Simmons with an inverted atomic drop. Superplex! Luger kicks out! A tackle off the second rope sends Luger to the floor. Luger dodges a charge and Simmons runs right into the post. Luger hits the piledriver and it's over. Simmons' inexperience at the main event singles level plus Luger's completely broken give a shit is not a pretty combination. In a lot of ways this match is the epitome of Luger's lackluster first world title run. *1/4
OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS: Two good matches in the middle and the Chamber of Horrors being hugely entertaining crap means this isn't the worst show of the Jim Herd era. The pairing of Rick Rude and Paul E would be a creative spark that would turn into a wildfire, but not until after Herd was long gone.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C-
OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS: Two good matches in the middle and the Chamber of Horrors being hugely entertaining crap means this isn't the worst show of the Jim Herd era. The pairing of Rick Rude and Paul E would be a creative spark that would turn into a wildfire, but not until after Herd was long gone.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C-
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