WCW World War 3 (1995)

World War 3 – November 1995

Norfolk, Virginia

COMMENTATORS: Bobby Heenan and Tony Schiavone

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight’s show, the WCW World Heavyweight Champion was vacant after the controversial ending to Halloween Havoc, where The Giant somehow won the match by disqualification (and presumably the title somehow) even though Jimmy Hart attacked Hogan (meaning the Hulkster should’ve won by DQ retained kept the title). 10 days before this event, Kensuki Sasaki captured the United States Championship from Sting. Johnny B. Badd held the Television Championship and Harlem Heat were the WCW World Tag Team Champions.

The first ever World War 3 kicks off with Hulk Hogan, joined by Randy Savage and Sting, burning Hogan’s all-black outfit in favor of the yellow-and-red. While there’s not much else to make this segment notable, Hogan does make a really funny comment about the nascent Internet as he burns a copy of the Wrestling Observer as well.

This segment is followed by a recap of the tension between Diamond Dallas Page and the “Diamond Doll” Kimberly. Kimberly has decided to put herself on the line in DDP’s TV title rematch against Johnny B. Badd tonight. I praised these two for their match at the previous show, and while I wouldn’t quite put this on the same level as previous bout, it's still a very good match with lots of action. DDP’s offense looks very good, while Johnny B sells well and gets the crowd behind him.  (3.5/5)

In the aisleway, “Mean” Gene announces that tonight on his hotline he’ll be talking about the WWE’s steroid scandal in an anything-but-subtle jab at the competition. Johnny B. Badd and Kimberly join him and Badd offers her the chance to be his manager.

A special “Taped Fist” Challenge is next between Big Bubba Rogers and Jim Duggan. The idea here is that the tape adds weight and power to the competitors' punches, though I’m not sure I understand the logic there. What does help this match is the way Duggan and Bubba find their way around all three of the rings that will be utilized in the main event, a move that brings the crowd in and differentiates this match from any fans had seen before. There’s an interesting twist when Bubba tapes Duggan to the ropes, but the creativity from there is lacking as Bubba ends up running into a raised Duggan fist and then sprinting into a back body drop over the top rope – the two most predictable spots that could come from having Duggan in that position. Also, while both men work hard and keep the audience generally engaged, the match (as well as the run-in by Michael “VK” Wallstreet) are all so reminiscent of the WWE product of a few years prior that it is hard to get excited about this match. Additionally, the finish, a technical knockout, was not built-up on commentary adequately, making it anti-climactic and somewhat confusing. I mean, how many other matches that aren’t fought under Texas Death Match rules end when one guy can’t answer a 10 count? Not a terrible match and probably one of Duggan’s best in recent months, but not necessarily great either. (2.5/5)

As far as I know, the next match is one of the first womens’ matches in WCW PPV history as I certainly don’t recall reviewing many. We have the babyface team of Mayumi Ozaki and Cutie Suzuki (what a name) taking on Bull Nakano and Akira Hokuto. Mike Tenay joins the announce team to lend some credibility to this, but the fact is, the girls are so physical and different that no should need any more reason to be engaged here. Early on, Hokuto prevents Ozaki from making a tag in a pretty clever way, something I certainly haven’t seen in many American tag matches, male or female. Nakano, meanwhile, gets unconventional herself by biting her opponent's arm. Nakano’s no-selling and physicality helps explain why the WWE brought her in at one point, but this match’s greatest strength might be just how different it is from anything else WCW had going on prior to this. Suzuki’s offense is pretty weak and the incessant screaming of the competitors is hard to listen to for 10 straight minutes, but when you have Bobby Heenan marking out, you know that the small flaws are being overshadowed by the remarkable high spots. Bonus points for Ozaki and Suzuki connecting with four, four, four, four double foot stomps from the top rope eons before I’m aware of anyone in the US even attempting the spot and Hokuto busting out some of the sickest suplexes I’ve seen in a long time. At the end, Heenan calls this the greatest womens’ match he’s ever seen and I’m not sure I could name a better one. (4/5)

Lex Luger and the newly villainous Jimmy Hart join “Mean” Gene to share their thoughts. Luger seems to be reading from a script at the bottom of the floor, though, I’m not sure why – this is the same promo he's cut dozens of times before and after.

Chris Benoit of the Four Horsemen arrives to challenge the newly crowned Kensuki Sasaki for the US Championship, which he'd won from Sting in Japan a week or so earlier. This one starts out very technical, a nice change of pace from the flash and brawling of the first three matches. Though the pace of this match is not as lightning fast as the one that precedes it, the work is just as good – nuanced, high impact, well-executed, and meaningful. Sasaki shows off some powerful slams, including a one-arm powerbomb, while Benoit is equally exciting with his varied offense of high-flying maneuvers, submissions, and suplexes. The clotheslines in this match are remarkably stiff, making the finish very credible – literally any of the big moves in this match could’ve led to a pinfall because they were just that hard-hitting. An extra 5-10 minutes would’ve made this one a true gem, but the ten minutes we do get are pretty great. (3.5/5)

Kevin Sullivan and The Giant (also with Jimmy Hart) join “Mean” Gene to hype up their involvement in tonight’s 60-man battle royal. Sullivan calls The Giant the uncrowned champion. The interview is followed by a video recap of the Lex Luger/Randy Savage feud, which I’ve enjoyed keeping track of. Then, before we get back to the ring, Savage shares his thoughts.

In what is touted as a grudge match, Randy Savage takes on Lex Luger next. I was disappointed with their match at Halloween Havoc, and this one, while somewhat better, is still underwhelming, mostly due to just how quickly it wraps up. Luger’s win is decisive and I like how Sting runs in after the match to convince Lex into releasing the armbar he has applied on Savage (Savage came into the match with an injured wing), but this is still not the definitive clash of two mega-stars that it could’ve been. While disappointing, from a storyline perspective, this match works fine. (2/5)

Before our next match, we get a recap of Sting and Ric Flair’s recent feud, as Flair turned on the Stinger at Halloween Havoc in order to reunite the Four Horsemen. I really enjoyed that match, so the blowoff bout here has me pretty interested in whether or not Sting will get revenge or if the Horsemen will once again prove their dominance.

Ric Flair and Sting both come into this match with plenty of energy and a good amount of classic tropes to utilize. The crowd is red hot as Flair and Sting pull out their “greatest hits” – press slams from the Stinger, Flair begging off only to use dirty tactics to get the upperhand, chest chops galore, Sting no-selling (and doing some excellent kip-ups), even Flair getting into it with the referee…it’s all here and the crowd eats it up. For some reason, Sensational Sherri and Colonel Parker arrive too, arm-in-arm, to watch the match from the interview area. Flair works on Sting’s knee quite a bit, which Sting sells well, but unfortunately, after a failed figure four, the story of the match changes as Sting stops limping and Flair stops trying to capitalize on Sting’s damaged leg. While the crowd goes crazy and I even like the clean, definitive finish, it doesn’t make much sense to me – why weren’t the Horsemen out to help their leader? How was Sting able to brush off the damage to his knee so quickly? Why did Flair run out of steam after dominating the match for a healthy stretch? What started as something special truly fell apart in the end as all logic went out the window. (1.5/5)

The next video clears up the confusion about the vacated WCW World Championship – essentially, Jimmy Hart cheated Hogan out of the title by adding a stipulation to the contract for the Halloween Havoc main event that allowed the title to change hands on a disqualification. As The Giant had won the match by disqualification, he was declared champion on Nitro…only for WCW’s Championship Committee to reverse the decision and vacate the belt. For the second time, Hulk Hogan cuts a promo building tonight’s main event.

Main event time – and, thanks to Dave Penzer, we get a rundown of tonight’s 60 participants, including “Jumpin” Joey Maggs, Pez Whatley, Mark Starr, Fall Brawl 95' co-MVP Cobra, Chris Kanyon, “Hard Working” Bobby Walker, The Yeti (who comes out dressed as a ninja), Super Assassin #2, Scotty Riggs, Mike Winner, and Super Assassin #1. There are actual contenders thrown in too – Hogan, The Giant, Flair, Savage, Sting, and Luger are all present and accounted for. With the screen split into three cameras, each covering one ring, the 60-Man Battle Royal also requires extra commentators in the form of Dusty Rhodes, Eric Bischoff, Chris Cruise, and Larry Zybysko. For some reason, The Yeti (again, dressed as a NINJA) is eliminated within the first two minutes despite being one of the wrestlers heavily promoted as being a “favorite” in the match. Lex Luger also gets eliminated early, but goes back into the ring because a referee doesn’t see his elimination. Elsewhere, guys just wander around, selling and not selling, the cameras missing various eliminations. Halfway through, the 30-or-so remaining participants are moved into one ring, but, as per usual, Savage's performance stands out as he spends a good amount of time brawling with Luger in the two "off limit" rings. As things begin to wind down, more and more entrants get tossed out – including Meng, Benoit, Sgt. Pittman, and the Zodiac. Surprisingly, Eddie Guerrero goes pretty far, outlasting Brian Pillman, Road Warrior Hawk, and Sasaki before a Stinger Splash almost knocks him out of the ring in one of the cooler spots in the match. Unfortunately, after such a solid showing (including cool moments where he squares off against Anderson and Flair), Guerrero’s elimination isn’t captured on camera.  The final 8 include Double A, Savage, Sting, One Man Gang, The Giant, Hogan, Flair, and Luger – "6 former World Champions" Heenan inaccurately points out. When the Horsemen get eliminated, the crowd pops loudly, with the MegaPowers reforming to try to take out the One Man Gang. Meanwhile, Luger and Sting team up to eliminate The Giant, but when Hogan provides the assist, all four men end up eliminated. As the referee did not see Hogan go under the top rope, he rewards the victory to Savage. Personally, I like the drama that this finish adds even if it taints Savage’s victory. Seeing Hogan bitch and moan and then smirk in disbelief really makes him come off as a crybaby, which is something you would never have seen in the WWE. The post-match interview with Savage is excellent too, adding more controversy to the finish and potentially building to a Savage/Hogan clash. While I went into this battle royal thinking it would be a bore to sit through, I have to give credit to WCW for pulling out an ending that threw a curveball at the viewers and kept everyone – from Hogan to Savage to Giant to Luger to Sting looking strong and deserving of a future title shot. (3.5/5)

In the 90s, "The Yeti" also referred to tall mummies and ninja.

With an overall match rating of 2.93-out-of-5, the first World War 3 is one of the most shockingly enjoyable pay-per-views to come out of WCW in 1995. In fact, aside from Fall Brawl 95’, which I mostly enjoyed thanks to some highly entertaining matches (Pillman/Badd, Renegade/DDP, Flair/Anderson, Cobra/Pittman), this is the best WCW pay-per-view I’ve watched since Bash At The Beach 94’. What makes this one so good? For starters, the main event delivers an intriguing finish that shows how loaded the WCW main event scene was, as Savage, Hogan, Luger, and The Giant are all able to lay claim to being the rightful World Champion or Number One Contender. Elsewhere, DDP and Badd put on a match that is almost as great as their Halloween Havoc bout, four unknown women from Japan put on one of the best womens’ matches that had ever been wrestled in an American ring, and Benoit/Sasaki deliver a strong 10 minute battle. Even Duggan and Bossman tell a decent story that keeps the audience engaged. Luger/Savage and Sting/Flair are underwhelming, but only because the participants were capable of so much better.

FINAL RATING – Watch It…With Remote in Hand

WCW Halloween Havoc 95'

RATING LEVELS:

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

Halloween Havoc 95' - October 1995

Detroit, Michigan

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Hulk Hogan is the reigning WCW World Champion, Sting is the United States Champion, Diamond Dallas Page is the TV Champion, and Harlem Heat were the recognized WCW World Tag Team Champions at the time, though they do not compete on this show.

Halloween Havoc 95's opening contest is for the TV Championship - recently crowned champ Diamond Dallas Page defending against Johnny B. Badd. Before the match, we get a recap video highlighting the build for this match, a nice bonus that gives needed context. The match itself is damn good too. Page really gives his 1000% best, bumping like crazy and throwing character work into every second of the match. There are some hiccups, the finish is sloppy, and after the whooping that Badd takes I was never really convinced by his comeback, but these things don't detract too much from a highly engaging and action-packed contest. (4/5)

Macho Man vs. The Zodiac is next. Within the first minute, a deranged fan (?) tries to get into the ring and needs to be taken out by security. The crowd goes bonkers watching the unscripted action while Zodiac performs the worst second-rope something I've ever seen. Savage makes quick work of his opponent, arguably the worst performer of that decade, which is a real blessing. I'm going to give this one a point for being fast and featuring a run-in no one expected. (1/5)

Next up is a "revenge match" pitting Road Warrior Hawk against Kurosawa based on Kurosawa "breaking" the arm of Hawk at Great American Bash (I think?). This is a "nothing match" in that nothing interesting happens, but nothing atrocious happens either. Its completely forgettable. Not recommended viewing for anyone, even the biggest Road Warriors fan, though I will give this one a half-point for its finish, which at least establishes that Kurosawa is a heel worth fearing. (0.5/5)

Randy Savage is in the back and he shares his thoughts on a variety of topics, including Lex Luger and the Monster Truck match coming up later in tonight's show. Wacky.

Next up is the PPV debuts of the masked J.L (aka Jerry Lynn) taking on Sabu, who is accompanied to the ring by the legendary, original Sheik. The match starts off with a sloppy spot, but to make up for it, Sabu nails a wild springboard moonsault. From there, this is a total spotfest, both guys pulling out high-impact offense that wasn't typical for WCW in 1995. Still, what comes across most in this match is the sloppiness: the way Sabu haphazardly hits a somersault legdrop but crushes J.L's head with his backside, the way J.L constantly has to position himself for each spot instead of organically finding himself there, the botched victory roll from the top rope, even the lack of build or reasoning behind the Sheik throwing a fireball at a beaten opponent. While I still found this entertaining as a showcase for Sabu, it is a match devoid of logic, pacing, or a real story. (2.5/5)

We get two pretty silly segments next - first, some ominous words out of The Taskmaster, followed by Hulk Hogan rewarding the winner of the Halloween Havoc Harley contest. The winner and his unimpressed fiancee look anything but excited - I'm almost wondering if they were told, prior to this, that they actually hadn't won anything because they do not smile at any point. Network nugget of awkwardness!

Lex Luger vs. Meng is our next contest. Schiavone reminds fans that Meng holds a victory over Luger early on so I guess we're supposed to care. Pretty rudimentary action to start, with Luger attacking Meng's arm on the outside. At one point, Meng "hits" an elbow to Luger's face that comes up short by a good 5-6 inches but is still sold by the Total Package. Meng's offense is decent, a shoulderbreaker here and a piledriver there, but the audience just isn't biting, staying quiet the whole match. The "heat" segment of the match is fairly prolonged, which keeps Meng looking strong but doesn't make the match better as much as it makes the match longer. After Luger calls for the Torture Rack, Meng puts his golden thumb-cover on and connects with his patented Asiatic Spike. Before Meng can get the victory, though, Sullivan breaks the count and causes a DQ, giving Luger the win. This was part of of the "Is Luger in the Dungeon or not?" storyline which, while admittedly absurd, at least added intrigue to the Luger character and kept his name hovering around the main event. (1.5/5)

The Giant is backstage with "Mean" Gene and even back in 95' it is surprising how confident and articulate he was. While it is not a great promo or anything, it is still much clearer and better-delivered than one might expect from a rookie.

Brian Pillman and Arn Anderson arrive next to take on Ric Flair and Sting. Flair doesn't show at first, though, which leads to some loud "We Want Flair" chants. Sting holds his own for a little while, including a cool spot where he hoists Pillman up in a press slam while staring down The Enforcer outside the ring. When Anderson takes the upperhand, Flair arrives in street clothes looking to get involved while Sting gets tossed out of the ring. The crowd goes wild for the Nature Boy, but Flair can't seem to make it into the match as every time Sting tries to make the tag, he gets cut off by the heels. This goes on for almost a painful amount of time - all the while, Flair never does get his hands on Anderson or Pillman. The "milking" of the hot tag is so flawless that it makes the Flair heel turn even better than it might have been if Flair had rushed into the ring and turned on the Stinger immediately. In terms of wrestling action, there are plenty of matches just as good or better than this one - but when it comes to drama, it is hard to envision a more dramatic one than this. After the match, Flair cuts a classic promo with help from Anderson who tells the fans to "be careful what they wish for" because the Horsemen are back. Great storyline execution here and definitely one of the better matches/segments on this entire show. (4.5/5)

Lex Luger is in the back and I'll admit to being a bit of a mark for 90s-era Lex Luger promos. They are just insane. This is followed by a recap of the Giant/Hogan feud. Throughout the night, these segments have really helped the "watchability" of this show. (3/5)

The Monster Truck Battle is next. This is pure, 100% Wrestlecrap and is deserving of its reputation as one of the worst ideas WCW ever had - but it's also kind of too boring to enjoy even as "so bad - it's good" level garbage. The twist ending, where the Giant ends up stumbling off the roof, is the only reason to watch this segment and the only reason I’m going to give it a point. (1/5)

Lex Luger arrives next for his grudge match against Randy Savage. On commentary, Tony announces that he's not sure we'll even have a World Championship match due to what has happened to the Giant. Luger extends a hand in friendship to start the match, which Macho does not accept.  Jimmy Hart shows up dressed in black, presumably to make sure this match between Hulkamaniacs does not fly off the rails. In classic 90s WCW fashion, the announce team spends just as much time talking about what is happening in the ring as whatever Hogan is up to. The finish and lead-up to the finish make little sense (Why would Luger try to cheat? Why is Hart there again?). This is a disappointment of a match considering just how much bigger the first clash of these two genuine main event talents should have been. (2/5)

Tony Schiavone announces that Michael Buffer is going to go ahead and make the ring announcements, even though it is unclear whether The Giant will actually be competing (or is even alive).

Hulk Hogan's promo before the match is a thing of beauty and comes off as arguably more sincere than any of his roles on film. Equally great is his facial expressions as The Giant shows up, completely unscathed from falling off the roof of Cobo Hall. When Hogan's bandana comes off, it is revealed that he is sporting face-paint similar to Kevin Sullivan, a nice and bizarre touch. Unfortunately, all these smoke and mirrors are not enough to help the boring, one-dimensional in-ring action. The Giant is green as goose shit, at one point Hogan has to take the big man's hand and place it on his own neck to get a chokehold going. After Hogan clotheslines the big man over the top rope, there's a noticeable stretch of minutes before anything else interesting happens (a backbreaker from the Giant ends the lull). At least in the Vader matches, you had some stiff offense out of the heel - this match is a G-rated "brawl" featuring that devolves into one of the most homoerotic bearhugs I've seen in 25 years of wrestling viewing. The "Hulk Up" segment is predictable, but Jimmy Hart's heel turn (done off camera) that makes the finish special and also one of the most convoluted endings one could imagine. Savage and Luger turn up to help Hogan, but Luger ends up attacking Savage and turning heel too. This is followed by the arrival of the Yeti, who, along with The Giant, lock in a "double bear hug" that looks more like a weird clothed sex act. Luger then applies the Torture Rack on Hogan, solidifying his transformation into villainy. The clusterfuck ending makes absolutely no sense, leaving me to question whether to give this a 5 for its Wrestlecrappiness or a 0 for its actual crappiness. I’ll go with a 3.5 just because this is unlike any other match I’ve ever seen. (3.5/5)

With an average match/segment score of 2.4-out-of-5, Halloween Havoc 95’ is a watchable car crash. Parts of it actually very, very good – the Badd/DDP and Horsemen reunion are exceptional. Unfortunately, there is also a lot of “fat” on this card – Hawk/Kurosawa, Zodiac/Savage, and Luger/Meng are subpar, in one case by design but in the other two by execution. Savage/Luger is also underwhelming, a potential “dream match” that is never achieved. Still, there is something charming about the “high points” of this show, even the ridiculous main event and its absurdly overbooked finish.  

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WCW Fall Brawl 95'

RATING LEVELS:
Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible
Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety
Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings
High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches
DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

Fall Brawl 95' - September 1995

Asheville, North Carolina

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WCW World Champion is Hulk Hogan, the United States Champion is Sting, Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater hold the WCW World Tag Team Championships, and The Renegade is the Television Champion.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

Kicking things off, we have Johnny B. Badd taking on fellow babyface Brian Pillman. I really enjoyed Pillman's match with Alex Wright at June's Great American Bash and Badd, with the right opponent, can hold his own. Michael Buffer announces that the winner of this match will be granted a US Title shot against reigning champion Sting giving some extra heft to the contest. Pillman gets a bit of a mixed reaction from the crowd, which makes sense as Badd was the "purer" babyface coming into this one while Pillman had been teasing some shadiness leading up to this. When the match kicks off, Pillman extends a hand in friendship and follows it up with some straight wrestling moves and absolutely no cheap shots - marks of a play-by-the-rules competitor. As this bout goes on, though, Pillman slowly starts to work in some heel mannerisms out of desperation as Badd just won't stay down, even after getting busted open. After a dozen or so minutes of action, I wasn't in love with this match, but the longer these two go, the better things get. Pillman is especially captivating here, the amount of character he puts into his performance is something to behold. After 20 minutes, you have a near-classic on your hands and when it finally comes time for the finish, it makes absolute sense that things would boil down to yet another "mirror" spot where both guys try to hit the same move. (4/5)

Ric Flair is in the back to share some thoughts with "Mean" Gene.

Shit. Cobra vs. Sgt. Pittman is next. Cobra arrives first, but when Pittman is announced, instead of coming down the aisle, Pittman sends a decoy soldier down to distract his opponent while the Sarge descends from the top of the arena. Cobra must've been awful in combat (which might explain how he ended up in WCW). Pittman proceeds to destroy him in relatively quick fashion. This match is absolutely ridiculous and kinda awesome and, thankfully, kept short. Overall, this is a better-than-average match/segment just due to its execution, which is flawlessly stupid. (3.5/5)

No, seriously, these two guys absolutely nailed it.

Next we get some bona fide Wrestlecrap: the notorious Mr. Wonderful and Gary Spivey video. Bizarre, unreal, and so shittily 90s that it actually looks like it was recorded in 1986. (5/5)

Diamond Dallas Page challenges The Renegade for his TV Championship next. DDP has a ton of energy in this match, which is the same compliment I've paid him in a bunch of his prior  bouts. DDP does some over-the-top selling at the start that destroys any kayfabe WCW had left over from the NWA days, but Page's willingness to make Renegade look like the most powerful force on Earth actually works to keep the match entertaining. Several times the Yoga Master blatantly (and in defiance of physical law) positions himself for a spot and takes a ridiculous bump, single-handedly forcing the match into "good territory." When Page is on offense, he's solid, but it's his fighting spirit that enables a dramatic story to take shape (and eventually leads to some of the crowd actually rooting for him). The finish is an obvious attempt to keep Renegade at least somewhat credible. The best "Page vs. a broom" match I've probably ever seen and easily the best "Renegade is a broom" match too. (3.5/5)

WCW World Tag Team Champions, Bunkhouse Buck and "Dirty" Dick Slater vs. Harlem Heat is next. Prior to the match, it is posited that Sherri and Colonel Parker may be an item, which adds extra drama to this match. While I could see some people digging this one, I found it mostly boring, with only a few moments here-and-there of good offense out of Booker T and Bunkhouse (who have absolutely carried their teams for months now). The finish continues the Sherri/Parker love story, but I'm not too intrigued in seeing it continue if these are the kind of matches we're going to get out of it. (2/5)

A video package and some words from Arn Anderson bring us to "The Match We Never Thought We'd See" - Arn Anderson vs. Ric Flair. When the match starts, Anderson gets to working on Flair's arm, but Naitch stays cocky and arrogant, not letting Anderson get the mental edge. As the match wears on, the fact that these guys know eachother so well comes across quite well as they cut each other off and increase the physicality. With tempers finally flaring, it becomes apparent that this is more than just a battle between two old friends at odds over a petty dispute - they are actually trying to prove who was the real cornerstone of the Horsemen. In terms of action, there's a nice mix of brawling and classic Flair spots, but I would have preferred a more dramatic finish. Its nice to see Brian Pillman get put back into a place of prominence on the roster, but a more definitive finish could've made this one a true classic. I've seen many critics fault this match for being "too typical" of Flair, but I find there are enough twists to the formula that it works. (3.5/5)

As the ring is set up for War Games, we get a series of video packages highlighting Hulk Hogan's feud with the Dungeon of Doom, including a recap of Hogan's motorcycle getting crushed by a monster truck (ostensibly driven by The Giant). The third video sequence also covers how Vader, who has gone "AWOL," has been replaced by returning WCW superstar, Lex Luger. We then go backstage to hear from the good guys, all of whom are rocking full face paint, including Jimmy Hart.

War Games Time - Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger vs. The Dungeon of Doom, comprised of The Shark, The Zodiac, Meng, and Kamala. This is Luger's return to WCW pay-per-view after a lengthy jaunt in the WWE. After a lengthy run through the rules and the teams, The Shark and Sting kick things off. These two had solid chemistry together, so it was a wise decision to let them kick things off. They deliver what they need to also, as Sting soars over the top rope to deliver a flying clothesline across the two rings and follows it up with a big bodyslam to the massive Tenta. There are plenty of goofy spots thrown in - anyone expecting a bloodbath like the War Games of yore is barking up the wrong tree by looking here. The Zodiac is next and he too ends up suffering at the hands of Sting who inexplicably tries to lock in a Scorpion Deathlock when the match can not be ended until all members of both teams have entered. Savage enters next, but the Dungeon of Doom remains in control, maintaining the upperhand when Kamala enters. As one might have predicted, Luger comes in next and things are fairly even at this point, but Luger and Savage inadvertently hit eachother, and this leads to the two of them brawling for a bit until the Dungeon of Doom recovers. Meng steps in and the stage is set for the arrival of Hulk Hogan, who comes in tossing salt (like a heel would). In one of the worst spots I've ever seen, Hogan rocks Zodiac with a series of fists as he flops between the two rings, bouncing into the attack comically. Heenan calls the Hulkster a "one man platoon" and that is not far from the truth as he levels everybody with back rakes. The finish comes when Hogan locks in a camel clutch and, as per the stipulation, this means Kevin Sullivan is to be stuck in the cage with Hulk Hogan. Sullivan tries to escape but Head of Security Doug Dillinger forces him back into the ring. Heenan tries to talk Sullivan up, but he's no match for the Hulkster, bumping for him left and right until The Giant enters the picture. The Giant proceeds to "snap" the Hulkster's neck, escaping the cage before the Hulkamanaics return to the scene. All in all, the match is garbage, but there is something kind of enjoyable about seeing Hogan get laid out at the end of a pay-per-view. Entertaining if you have the stomach for this kind of cartoonish, craptastic, lowest common denominator brand of sports-entertainment. (3/5)

With a shocking average match/segment rating of 3.42-out-of-5, Fall Brawl 95' is a surprisingly entertaining show (earning the highest rating since Bash At The Beach 94'). Granted, much of that entertainment value comes with the sheer hokeyness of it - the  Pittman/Cobra, Mr. Wonderful video, and TV Title match are not "good" good, they're "bad" good. Meanwhile, Badd/Pillman and Anderson/Flair are actually pretty good, or at least good enough to satisfy wrestling fans between the more cartoonish stretches of this show. As for the main event, there's not much to recommend about it, but its not unwatchable - in fact, the Giant's attack on Hogan is a refreshing change to how most of the shows from this era ended.

FINAL RATING - Watch It All