Post by TheShowJordanRichards on Apr 8, 2016 13:09:37 GMT -5
WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 (MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on 10/26/1997)
◾Yuji Nagata (w/Sonny Onoo) vs. Ultimo Dragon ~ Winner ~ Yuji Nagata in 9:42 = ***3/4
This was a solid opener that Meltzer seemed fond of. He gave it nearly four stars, high praise for a "curtain jerker." These two had pretty good chemistry and worked a solid outing.
◾Chris Jericho vs. Gedo ~ Winner ~ Chris Jericho in 7:18 = ***
Jericho was still coming into himself at this point, but was a great worker nonetheless (ditto for Gedo). Chris was developing into a stellar heel and his workrate was pretty much spot on with any opponent. Three stars is fair for this one.
◾WCW World Cruiserweight Championship (Guerrero) vs. Mask (Mysterio): Rey Mysterio, Jr. vs. Eddy Guerrero (c) ~ Winner and NEW WCW World Cruiswerweight Champion ~ Rey Mysterio, Jr. in 13:51 = ****3/4
MOTN, MOTY, etc. This one had it all. If you watched this card looking forward to any other match, you would have been disappointed. This was one of the most obscene "show stealers" in PPV history. What I mean is that the match was far and away the best bout on the card that there was no argument as to what it was. There is no question about it. Everything after it paled in comparison. I remember watching it live and saying, "That was the best match I've seen this year." Eddy and Rey Rey had massive chemistry. They were both in their athletic prime. It's almost as if they were showing off, but they really weren't. They were THAT good. The fact that Mysterio's mask was on line gave the contest the sense of urgency that pushed it over the top. Guerrero nearly ripping the mask in half during the match was a nice touch. They packed so much into a thirteen-minute match, you felt like they went thirty. The 4.75 star rating was the only travesty. This was a five-star encounter if I've ever seen one. One of the greatest American Lucha matches ever. If you've never seen it, find it and watch it. Trust me.
◾Alex Wright (w/Debra) vs. Steve McMichael ~ Winner ~ Alex Wright in 6:31 = -*1/2
Awful. Deplorable. Abysmal. Anything else you can think of to call this one a "stinker," use it. Negative stars for any match is rough. A PPV match with a negative rating is driveling dog crap.
◾"Intergender" match: Jacqueline vs. Disco Inferno ~ Winner ~ Jacqueline in 9:39 = 1/4*
The problem with this match is not that it happened or that Jacqueline won. I can get on board with that decision because Disco was terrible. The problem was that the match went ten minutes. They could have accomplished more by cutting five minutes here and giving the extra time to Eddy-Rey. Jacqueline did all she could with the match. Disco clearly was pissed he wasn't going over and it showed in his horrible performance.
◾WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Curt Hennig (c) vs. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair ~ Winner and STILL WCW United States Champion ~ Curt Hennig by disqualification in 13:57 = *3/4 This was more of a 3-star match for me. I thought Flair and Hennig did exactly what they needed to here. What seems to be forgotten is the fact that Flair was coming off of a facial surgery that was necessitated when Hennig legitimately slammed a steel cage door on his face (the built-in stop broke and the door smashed Flair in the forehead). Flair had been medically cleared for the match, but you could tell that Hennig was leery of hurting his real-life friend again. Having Hennig in the "Tree of Woe," with Flair stomping the title belt into his face gave Curt the victory, but Flair a modicum of revenge and he looked insanely strong for the rematch the next month. I thought Meltzer was a little stingy with this particular rating.
◾Singles Match (Special Referee - Larry Zbyszko): "Total Package" Lex Luger vs. Scott Hall ~ Winner ~ Lex Luger in 13:02 = 3/4*
Luger's awful. Point blank. He screws up every match he's in. Bottom line. Scott Hall was too good a worker, even if he was trashed, to work one-star match with anyone...except Lex.
◾"Las Vegas Sudden Death" match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page ~ Winner ~ "Macho Man" Randy Savage in 18:02 = ***1/4
I was never a DDP fan. However, I'll admit he was at his best with Savage. They had a tremendous feud and some stellar matches. This was one of their hard-fought affairs. Great match.
◾Steel Cage match: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. "Hollywood" Hogan ~ Winner ~ "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in 15:37 = DUD
I loved Piper. I hated Hogan. There's not much else to say. This was not 1985. The chemistry they had then was never present in '96. They lost the "magic" somewhere along the way.
This show was booked as a "one-match" card. You know what? It was. It just wasn't the one match people thought it would be. Everything after match three was forgettable. Eddy and Rey saved the show, period. Phenomenal match-up.
