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