WCW Halloween Havoc ‘91

1. Stieners, Sing, and El Gigante vs. Abdullah the Butcher, Cactus Jack, Vader, and Diamond Studd – Chamber of Horrors – 5
2. Johnny B. Badd vs. Jimmy Garvin – 6
3. Dustin Rhodes vs. Steve Austin – 7
4. Tom Zenk vs. Halloween Phantom – 2
5. Enforcers (Arn Anderson and Larry Zybszko) vs. Patriots – 3
6. Ron Simmons vs. Lex Luger – 2 out of 3 Falls Match – 7

This bootleg DVD only featured 6 of a total of 11 matches, which thoroughly disappointed me. If anyone’s got the full show, and be willing to dub it for me, than feel free to holler at your boy. The opening featured an iniquitous angle that I recalled fondly from childhood, where Barry Windham was attacked as he pulled up in car, having his hand brutally smashed in his car door. I miss these types of skits.

The opening match is infamous, as it features the unlikely gimmick of having to put one of your opponents in an electric chair inside a steel cage, and shocking the holy shit out of them. It’s a pretty sloppy brawl, but features a few inspired shots, and lots of blood from the hodgepodge collection of combatants. Not good in the classical sense, it is morbidly entertaining at least once through, and gets a little bonus credit for its originality, even if its an absolutely ridiculous concept.

I was really impressed by Johnny B. Badd’s willingness to put forth the extra effort, and make his match with Garvin go from easily forgettable to definitely memorable. The pacing and Badd’s performance are top-notch, and the finish, a knockout punch, is enough for me to grant this match a positive score. Next up, Rhodes and Austin go to a time-limit draw in another solid bout. These guys bang it out for 15 minutes, working well together and totally selling us on wanting to see a rematch.

The absurd Halloween Phantom is actually none other than Rick Rude, who makes very short work out of Zenk in an absolute squash. I’m a tag team wrestling fan, and although I didn’t mind watching the following tag match, I couldn’t rightfully give it a decent score. The veterans led the Patriots through a match that was reminiscent of a WCW Saturday Night main event; but, not without their share of miscommunications and misfires.

The main event was totally awesome, and I’d highly recommend seeking it out; especially to those like me, who don’t believe Luger is often capable of quality work. The back-story and booking are exceptional, building up Simmons as all-American athlete, and Luger as a deplorable and dastardly douchebag. Simmons gets the first fall surprisingly quickly, and Luger later evens up things as his manager Harley Race helps him score a dirty victory of his own right. Luger later scored the final and deciding fall with a piledriver that was ugly as Liz’s body after Lex killed her. Far from a perfect match, it’s a great finale for the pay-per-view; a good back-and-forth bout, with a first-rate build and lots of audience interest.