WCW Halloween Havoc 98'

WCW Halloween Havoc 98'

Las Vegas, Nevada - October 1998

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into Halloween Havoc, Goldberg wears the WCW World Championship, Bret Hart is the United States Champion, Chris Jericho is the Television Champion, and Billy Kidman holds the Cruiserweight Championship. The World Tag Team Champions are Scott Hall and The Giant. 

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay


Halloween Havoc begins with a rundown of tonight's major contests and, on paper at least, this sounds like a "can't miss" show - Goldberg vs. DDP, Hogan vs. Warrior in only their second clash ever, and an absolute 90's dream match in Sting vs. Bret Hart. Plus, the match months in the making - Steiner vs. Steiner -  and Disco Inferno, Jericho, and Raven in action too. What could possibly go wrong? 

To start, instead of going right into a match, "Mean" Gene welcomes Rick Steiner for an interview. He spews some unintelligible and counter-enticing garbage about this match being like any other because he's not looking at Scott Steiner like his brother, he's looking at him like any other opponent. Buff Bagwell shows up and, while the thousands in attendance aren't fooled, somehow convinces Rick Steiner to trust him at ringside. Considering Buff Bagwell faked a neck injury that "broke kayfabe" and stalled Fall Brawl for 10+ minutes just to sneak attack the Dog-Faced Gremlin, I'd consider Rick's willingness to accept him as an ally as one of the all-time dumbest things a babyface has ever, ever done in pro-wrestling history. 

To the ring we go for the evening's opening contest - Raven challenging Chris Jericho for the TV Title. Initially Raven states he's not interested in competing, but Jericho, now a borderline face (?), goads him into the match because he wants to impress all the Jerichoholics. From there we have the best Raven or Jericho match I've seen in months - stiff bumps, nifty spots, simple-but-effective transitions and storytelling. Konnan makes a guest appearance for the finish but unlike many Raven matches from this time, it isn't an overbooked mess. Great opening match. (3.5/5)

Before the next match we get another impromptu promo, this time from Hollywood Hogan. Hogan talks about his recent beatdown on Horace Hogan and runs down the Warrior too. The Hulkster was money on the mic at this point - too bad nobody in WCW had the balls or foresight to steer him into programs that would've been over (Hogan/Nash, Hogan/Hart, and Hogan/Goldberg) rather than in Hogan/Warrior II. (+1)


Wrath takes on Meng next. Wrath was on a winning streak coming into this match so the conclusion is foregone but the big question was whether he could lift Meng up for his Meltdown finisher. Spoiler alert: He could and did. I like the stiffness on display at certain points, but this wasn't PPV worthy. (1.5/5)

The winner of the next bout will go on to face Billy Kidman for Cruiserweight Championship later in the show as Disco Inferno goes up against Juventud Guerrera. I don't know what it is about Guerrera - his offense is often dazzling and in 96'-97' I found him to be consistently really good. Something has stopped clicking with him and me, though, as I often find his matches drama-less, his set-ups for his big spots too obvious, and his chemistry with certain guys (in the past, Jericho, but on this night, Inferno) to be lacking. He's not the smoothest worker, though I could overlook his minor flaws if his matches flowed better overall. This one had too many starts-and-stops and Inferno, a guilty pleasure worker for me, doesn't do enough fresh schtick to keep me engaged during the lulls. There are also more than a couple lazy pins from both guys. On the plus side, I love the definitive, decisive finish. (2/5)

Scott Steiner comes out, cuts a promo about Las Vegas, and we end up with a Tag Team Championship match later on involving only half of the championship duo. Sure. This show has been ups-and-downs because just seeing Steiner on the stick, like Hogan before him, puts a smile on my face. (+1)

Alex Wright vs. Finlay follows. I usually enjoy Finlay matches but this one is purposeless. Based on the commentary, there was something personal here and it involved Finlay beating up Alex Wright's dad years ago, but the match isn't wrestled like it at all and Wright is working heel so I'm not entirely sure. This has no place on a PPV card. (1.5/5)

...and either does the match that follows: Saturn vs. Lodi. Saturn comes out looking completely bizarre with a beret and what appears to be make-up. He's just a total mess. Lodi is kinda funny, I guess? What's weird about this match is that Saturn, having dissolved the Flock, almost seems like the heel here going after a chickenshit like Lodi who, without Raven's backing, has absolutely no chance. Lodi ends up being the sympathetic figure even if we're supposed to be annoyed by him. Another bad match. (1.5/5)

The Cruiserweight Championship is on the line next with Billy Kidman defending the strap against Disco Inferno. I like Inferno's mid-match taunting, though, its not enough to really draw the crowd in for the first part of the match. Once the Inferno locks in a headlock, the crowd wakes up a bit with a "Disco Sucks" chant and pops for Kidman's clothesline hope spot. Disco maintains control and draws the ire of the fans with his dancing until Kidman gets some momentum of his own and hits a series of slams. Kidman's flurry is cut off by a Disco Inferno piledriver, but Inferno wastes too much time before making the cover and only gets 2. Kidman attempts a bulldog, but Inferno turns it into a back suplex and then hits a front suplex for another two count. Inferno goes for another piledriver, but Kidman reverses it into a facebuster and then hits the 7 Year Itch to finish this one. I'm not sure what the point of having Inferno wrestle twice on this show was. This was better than the previous two matches, but I wouldn't call it good - too much Disco offense, too little Kidman showcasing, unremarkable finish. (2/5)

Here we go, the Tag Titles on the line with The Giant and Scott Steiner defending the straps against Rick Steiner and Buff Bagwell. Fairly typical WCW bait-and-switch here with this originally supposed to be Steiner vs. Steiner (though, I wasn't super excited about that pairing so I'm not disappointed we get this instead). Rick Steiner plays face-in-peril from the get-go, beaten down by both heels. When Rick does get some offense going, the crowd explodes, counting along with each punch in the corner. Bagwell begs to get tagged in and *surprise surprise* turns on Rick Steiner by kicking him square in the junk. For no explicable reason, Bagwell then runs out of the arena (I guess cuz he's a chickenshit even though they have a 3-on-1 advantage over a beaten man). Big Poppa Pump continues the beatdown as the crowd chants "Goldberg." The Giant gets tagged in and crushes Rick Steiner in the corner but doesn't take the guaranteed pinfall, opting instead to let Scott in to finish the jump. Rick Steiner wakes up, though, connecting with some big rights before Scott Steiner cuts him off with a low blow. On commentary, Tenay wonders aloud if Judy Bagwell was involved in her son's actions. The Giant goes to the top and attempts to dropkick Rick Steiner, but the Gremlin escapes and he hits Scott instead! Rick Steiner lands a clothesline and then hits a bulldog from the top to capture the WCW World Tag Team Championships on his own! Now, as JJ Dillon had telegraphed earlier, Rick gets his brother 1-on-1 in a follow-up match... (2.5/5)

Rick hunts down Scott in the aisleway, pulling him back into the ring as The Giant is sent to the back by the referee. The crowd is absolutely insane for Rick Steiner, popping for practically every single shot. Rick gets Scott up for a powerbomb but instead of dropping him to the mat, he sends him into the corner. Scott manages to land some offense of his own, though, hitting a big suplex and then a stiff clothesline. Rick wrests back control with a high angle suplex and a then a belly-to-belly, but before he can make the cover, a "crazed fan" in a Bill Clinton mask jumps the railing, causing a distraction on the outside. Wait a minute, that's no crazed fan - it's Buff Bagwell again! Bagwell uses Stevie Ray's slap jack to take out Rick and (in the best bump of the night so far) Charles Robinson too. The match is thrown out (the bell rings) but Bagwell uses Robinson's limp arm to make a count anyway - 1...2...and Rick Steiner kicks out! He kicks out again! Rick Steiner doesn't stay down and eventually hits another bulldog to snag his second win of the night (Nick Patrick runs dwon to make the count even though, moments earlier, the bell signaled that the match had been thrown out). (2.5/5)

Cool video package recapping the Outsiders' split as well as, to a lesser degree, Hall's alcoholic gimmick. Everything but the matches on this show is A+ material. 

Scott Hall makes his way down the aisle first with a drink in his hand. Kevin Nash comes in second but is almost immediately chopped down by Hall. The Bad Guy grabs a mic and then a wire, putting them to use to take out his former best friend. With Nash beaten down on the outside, Hall grabs a mic and tells him to hit the bricks. Nash gets back into the ring, though, only to receive some more big rights from Hall. Credit to Nash here - he takes a half dozen back bumps in short order and that can't be easy for someone his size. Fighting his way out of the corner, Nash rallies with a big side suplex. A few minutes later he tries for the Jacknife, but Hall evades it by heading outside. Back in the ring he goes, but Nash maintains control, dishing out some deserved punishment. Positioning Hall in the corner, Nah starts taunting him by asking him if he wants another drink before kneeing him straight to the kidneys. A more nuanced, more dramatic climax would've seen Nash actually take some pity on his best friend, maybe even tear up a little bit instead of continuing to mock his best friend for his alcoholism, but instead, Nash gives him a "double," Jacknifing him twice and then crotch-chopping him right in the face. Nash decides to take the countout loss, but he had proved his point. This isn't a great match, but I'd call it better than average thanks to a very hot opening, a crowd that was fully engaged, and the little flourishes that Hall and Nash threw in to tell a memorable story. (3/5)

90's dream match time - Bret Hart vs. Sting for the Hitman's United States Championship. Hart wanders on the outside drawing heat (someone even throw's a cup of coke at him) before Sting chases him and pulls him into the ring for the shine segment. Hart fights back, though, bringing Sting to the mat with a DDT. A "Bret Hart Sucks" chant breaks out as Hart continues his onslaught, eventually pulling him in for a headlock. Sting fights out but is cut-off quickly and choked on the second rope. Hart hits a bulldog and then stomps on the Stinger as Bobby Heenan gets the commentary wrong by calling it an evenly-matched contest thus far - it's not, it's been all Hitman. Hart hits the russian leg sweep, but Sting miraculously dodges a dropkick and nearly locks in the Scorpion Deathlock but Hart grabs the ropes. The Stinger takes over, but after leapfrogging Hart, the Hitman (obviously) feigns a knee injury and grabs a pair of brass knucks (though, they look like they're made of leather). Hart loses em' and the ref catches Sting with them instead. Hart utilizes the distraction to retake control and then hits his patented elbow from the second rope for two. Sting gets tossed to the outside and sent crashing into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Sting accidentally knocks out the ref with a back elbow, the match entering schmozz zone. Sting goes for the Stinger Splash but Hart counters with a big boot to the face and then hits Sting with a forearm to the back of the skull. Hart, inexplicably, goes to the top rope and gets superplexed for his efforts (what a dumb spot for the sake of just putting all three men out of commission). Sting hits the Stinger Splash, but Hart ducks just enough for Sting to hit his head on the post. Hart beats down Sting with some weak-looking bat shots. After hitting him with one last bat shot from the second rope, Hart wakes up the referee to see him apply the Sharpshooter. This match had moments that showed it could've been great - but its overbooked and didn't deliver enough of those moments to live up to what most fans would've loved to see. (2.5/5)

We've had our 90s Dream Match, so now its time for our 80s Dream Re-match - Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior. Hogan comes out first and we get a replay of Hogan's beat down on Horace Hogan. The Warrior comes out next as Mike Tenay reminds fans that this is only their second meeting after their legendary WrestleMania VI match 8 and a half years earlier. Warrior paces the ring as Hogan runs his mouth on the outside, the crowd chanting "Hogan Sucks." Their first sequence is actually pretty good, Hogan eventually needing to take to the outside to try to slow things down. Warrior is noticeably gassed though, breathing heavy as he challenges Hogan to a test of strength. Hogan is able to beat him down in the corner, eventually locking up with him in the center of the ring. Its a clever play on their WrestleMania moment, with Hogan not playing fair this time, but it also extends a few beats too long. They criss-cross the ring a couple times and Hogan hits a bodyslam, but Warrior no sells it and responds with a bodyslam of his own! At this point in the match, this is nowhere near the worst contest I've ever seen and the crowd is pretty into it too. A ref bump (for the second match in a row) allows for Hogan to take the advantage and call for reinforcements, specifically The Giant. Hogan sets him up for the big boot, but Warrior dodges and Hogan eats the size 20! Warrior takes out the rest of the nWo, clotheslining The Giant out of the ring for a big pop, and then gets the visual pin. Hogan is back up, though, and hits Warrior with a back suplex for two as Nick Patrick has recovered right on time. Hogan takes off his belt and beats down Warrior but Nick Patrick pulls him away. Hogan misses a series of elbows and then Warrior...log rolls into Hogan to take him out? Uh...? That was dumb. Warrior drops Hogan with a clothesline but misses his big splash. Hogan takes control back, but Warrior recovers, knocking the Hulkster down and taking the belt himself. Warrior uses the belt repeatedly and argues with the ref. Hogan, who seems to opened up, goes to the corner and tries to throw a fireball in Warrior's face but botches it and ends up nearly burning himself with what was clearly flash paper coming out of a ziploc bag. Warrior lands a pair of double axehandles, but Hogan hits him with a low blow and a clothesline. Hogan lands his patended leg drop as Horace Hogan makes his way down the aisle and distracts him. Hogan misses a second leg drop and Warrior "warriors up," no-selling Hogan's offense and delivering a series of big clotheslines. Bischoff grabs the ref and Horace Hogan enters the ring to hit Warrior with the chair to get the win! Horace is back in the nWo after all and Hogan has got his win back. Horace Hogan sprays Warrior with lighter fluid but Doug Dillinger stops him from lighting it using only his words? While this match has the reputation of being absolutely awful, I actually found it mildly amusing at first and then borderline "so bad-it's good" territory at other times. If you're a fan of Hogan, especially his heel work, he's no less infuriating and entertaining here than he was a year earlier. Even with its convoluted finish and ridiculous gaffes, its more enjoyable than Sting/Hogan at Starrcade 97' - which isn't saying much, but might help explain why I'm not going to call this an out-and-out dud. The strength of the personalities carry it to being something almost worth watching. (2/5)

Main event time - Diamond Dallas Page challenging Goldberg for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Crowd is pretty firmly behind Goldberg based on the chants, but its not like DDP gets any heel heat. Really smart match - DDP has been criticized for overbooking his matches, but like his classic series with the Macho Man, when DDP is at his best and keeps things strategic and simple, he can lay out a great match. I've heard some call this Goldberg's best match, but I haven't seen enough of his work to really make that sort of statement (though, I thoroughly enjoyed both his recent Lesnar matches from 2016 and 2017 for what they were). This ones goes 10 minutes (almost twice what those Lesnar bouts were combined), which wasn't necessarily the match length that had brought Goldberg to fame, but to his credit, he shows off some niftier power offense than usual (and an absolutely sick back handstand when DDP tries to sweep his legs from beneath). DDP, meanwhile, works the match the way one should work to beat Goldberg - keep him on the mat, use his speed and power against him, and try like hell to hit your ace move (the Diamond Cutter) whenever possible. The spear-to-the-post spot has been done to death since this match (and I'm not saying Goldberg and DDP invented it here) but the crowd explodes for it and, best of all, Goldberg sells the damage to his shoulder through the rest of the match, not just in the immediate aftermath. Solid, definitive finish that makes it clear who the dominant champion is, but doesn't completely castrate DDP in the process. (3.5/5)




On paper, there are few better cards for fans of 90s wrestling, but overbooking plagues both of the "dream" matches (Warrior/Hogan and Hart/Sting). Somewhat surprisingly, its WCW's relatively "homegrown" talent that put on the best work of the evening - Goldberg vs. DDP finally giving fans a worthy WCW World Championship match after two years of nWo-based gaga and Jericho/Raven opening up the card on a high point. The rest of the card is a mix of "almost good" and "not that terrible," a pretty good panoramic view of everything else WCW had going on in 1998 but never really rising above the level of your average episode of Thunder. With a Kwang score of 2.5-out-of-5, I'm calling this a...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver