WCW Halloween Havoc 1993 Review (Texas Death)

October 24, 1993 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (Lakefront Arena) Announced attendance: 6,000 PPV buys: 100,000 (up 5.3% from Fall Brawl 1993’s 95,000 buys; down 60% from WWF SummerSlam 1993’s 250,000 buys)

Halloween Havoc is the fifth WCW pay-per-view of 1993. The main feud heading into the show is between WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader and Cactus Jack. The latter is looking for revenge after Vader brutally assaulted him back in early 1993 and took him off TV for months. They will spin the wheel and make the deal during the show to determine the stipulation. Plus, Rick Rude vs. Ric Flair for the International World Heavyweight Title, Sting vs. Sid Vicious and much more.

Here is the list of WCW champions heading into Halloween Havoc ’93:

• WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Big Van Vader [221st day of his 3rd reign] – previous champion: Sting

• WCW International World Heavyweight Champion: Rick Rude [37th day of his 1st reign] – previous champion: Ric Flair

• WCW United States Heavyweight Champion: Dustin Rhodes [54th day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Dustin Rhodes, before it was vacated

• WCW World Television Champion: Lord Steven Regal [35th day of his 1st reign] – previous champion: Ricky Steamboat

• WCW World Tag Team Champions: 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Alexander Bagwell [20th day of their 1st reign as a team (Scorpio’s 1st individual reign & Bagwell’s 1st individual reign] – previous champions: The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)

Note: in title matches, the defending champions are underlined

Enjoy the review!

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & Jesse Ventura

The broadcast begins with a weird mini-movie that lasts a couple of minutes. Four kids are Trick or Treating and go to a scary mansion. Tony Schiavone answers the door and scares the shit out of them by turning into a bat monster. When the kids finally open the door to leave the house, it turns into a shot of the arena. That was VERY odd, especially with the babyface announcer in that role. You have guys like Vader and Sid on the roster, WCW…

The Equalizer & Harlem Heat (Kane & Kole) vs. The Shockmaster, Ice Train & Charlie Norris

Six-Man Tag Team Match

Note about Harlem Heat: Kole is Booker T while Kane is Stevie Ray. I’ll just call them by their more famous names to make it easier for everyone.

What a weird choice for the opener. Booker and Ice Train start it off. Ice Train overpowers Booker with a shoulderblock. Booker with some shots but he can’t powerslam Ice Train, who slams Booker in return. Booker tags in Stevie Ray. Ice Train overpowers Stevie Ray as well before bringing in Tatank… I mean Charlie Norris. Booker returns to the ring and Norris applies a wristlock on him. Tag to Shockmaster who continues to work on Booker’s arm. The faces keep exchanging tags while Jesse buries Shockmaster on commentary.

The heels finally get something in as Stevie hits a cheap kick to Ice Train while he runs the ropes, allowing Booker to dropkick him. Double sideslam by Harlem Heat and Ice Train kicks out of Stevie’s pin with authority. Tag to The Equalizer, who grounds Ice Train. Train comes back with a faceplant and he brings in Norris. Norris isn’t strong enough to take Equalizer down, so he tags in Shockmaster. He knocks Equalizer down with a shoulderblock and a slam. Norris back in and Equalizer takes control again with a clothesline. Norris looks like a major chump here. Kneedrop by Booker gets two. Booker goes up top but Norris moves out of the way of a flying splash. Hot tag Shockmaster, who cleans house and hits Booker with a bearhug into a slam for the win in 9:45.

Winners: Shockmaster, Train & Norris

• Rating: Below average match to open the show. It wasn’t horrible, but it was quite pointless. *1/2

In the back, Eric Bischoff interviews Terry Taylor, who’s back from a forgettable WWF run. Taylor will be the second referee for Ric Flair vs. Rick Rude and he promises to call it down the middle.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Paul Orndorff (w/ The Assassin)

Orndorff jumps Steamboat from behind right from the get go. Backdrop by Orndorff as he takes it to Steamboat. Steamboat keeps fighting with chops all the time, which is why he’s such a terrific babyface wrestler. Steamboat nearly steals it with a quick O’Connor Roll for two, but Orndorff clotheslines him immediately. Steamboat regroups outside but Orndorff meets him there and the beating continues. Orndorff slams Steamboat on the ramp and even stops for some taunting back inside the ring. Steamboat takes his time getting up while the announcers mention his recent TV matches with Vader. Suddenly, Steamboat sprints for a dive, but he telegraphs it and Orndorff moves out of the way. Backdrop suplex by Orndorff gets two. Steamboat finally catches Orndorff going for a clothesline and takes him down to the mat. Orndorff escapes the hold but runs into a Steamboat crossbody for two. Steamboat proceeds to take Orndorff outside where he rams Paul’s arm into the post twice. He leaves the ring again and whips Orndorff into the railing. Then, Steamboat grabs the referee and threatens him. Back in the ring, Steamboat tries to break Orndorff’s fingers with some joint manipulation. I’ve never seen Steamboat so aggressive, not even during personal feuds.

Steamboat continues to bring it to Orndorff, who begs off in the corner. Orndorff leaves the ring and Steamboat rams his head into the stairs. Good lord, Steamboat. Orndorff with a cheapshot and he’s finally had enough. He rams Steamboat’s head into the apron over and over again before throwing him into the crowd. Orndorff throws Steamboat back inside the ring and comes off the top with an elbow smash for two. Orndorff blatantly uses the ropes for leverage in front of referee Nick Patrick, who finally kicks his hand and Steamboat (awkwardly) cradles him for two. Dragon throws Orndorff outside yet again and hits a flying double axehandle. Inverted atomic drop by Steamboat sends Orndorff back inside, and Steamboat goes up top yet again. Flying karate chop by Steamboat gets two. Steamboat fires away with his chops until Orndorff faceplants him to cut him off. Orndorff is thinking piledriver. Steamboat escapes with a backdrop and pins him for two. Orndorff bridges his way back up, then as Steamboat goes for a backslide, Orndorff rolls him backwards into piledriver position in a great spot. Unfortunately for Paul, Steamboat takes him down and catapults him into the post right into a roll-up for two. That was a great sequence. Backdrop suplex by Steamboat. He goes up top, hits the high crossbody but The Assassin distracts Nick Patrick.

Fun fact: The Assassin (Jody Hamilton) is actually Nick Patrick’s father!

When Patrick turns around, Steamboat only gets two. Orndorff jumps Steamboat from behind, but Steamboat hits a running shoulderblock for two. Another one gets two more. Steamboat chops away on the ropes, the referee forces the break and Steamboat shoves him away. Then, Orndorff pulls the ropes and Steamboat gets knocked over the top rope to the floor, which would’ve been a disqualification. Meanwhile, as Steamboat is getting back in the ring, The Assassin loads up his mask and headbutts Steamboat behind the referee’s back. The shot knocks out Steamboat and Nick Patrick counts him out at 18:35.

Winner by CO: Paul Orndorff

• Rating: This was a weird match. While I did like the intensity and aggression in this bout, they weren’t even feuding (Steamboat was going to wrestle Yoshi Kwan here but he got injured) and it was odd that he’d do it here. It was an enjoyable match overall, and with an actual story involved this could’ve been great. I really liked the sequence when Steamboat managed to avoid the piledriver twice in a matter of seconds, but other spots were a bit odd. However, at the end of the day it’s Steamboat and Orndorff, so of course it was still good. ***1/4

Schiavone explains the Big Gold Belt held by Rick Rude is indeed recognized as a World Heavyweight Championship internationally. This was done to explain the recent withdrawal of WCW from the NWA, as WCW needed to create a brand new championship lineage (now calling it the International World Heavyweight Championshp) since the NWA Championship couldn’t appear on the show anymore.

Lord Steven Regal (w/ Sir William) vs. Davey Boy Smith

WCW World Television Championship

Michael Buffer does the introductions for this championship match. There’s a 15 minute time limit.

When the match begins, Regal is disgusted and won’t even lock up with Bulldog due to the oil all over his body. Impressive how Regal’s character work was already perfect so early into his career. They fight over a wristlock. Bulldog uses his agility to flip out of Regal’s holds. Regal’s facial expressions are priceless! Regal then does a cartwheel to show off his agility, but Bulldog immediately monkey flips him. We get a stalemate as Regal goes back to the wristlock. They go to a great reversal sequence from there, until Regal hides on the ropes for another stalemate. Chinlock by Regal. They mess up another monkey flip spot as Gary Cappetta announces we’re five minutes in. Regal does his best to avoid a surfboard attempt, but Bulldog is way too strong. However, Sir William causes a distraction and Regal jumps him from behind. Bulldog gets a crossbody for two, but Regal cuts him off with a knee to the midsection. Regal Roll and he whips Bulldog into the turnbuckle for two. Regal throws some uppercuts and wrestles Davey Boy to the mat again. Bulldog with a sunset flip for two, only for Regal to cut him off yet again. There are five minutes left at this point.

Regal smartly works a hold to kill more time, which would allow him to retain the belt. Bulldog escapes the hold, hits a clothesline but Regal slows him down with another knee. Regal with more submission holds. Davey Boy muscles him and gets Regal on his shoulders, but Regal slips out of that predicament and covers Bulldog for two. Regal with another full nelson hold as Bulldog tries to fight out of it. Bulldog muscles him up again, but this time Regal lands on the apron and cheapshots him to remain in control. Bulldog finally escapes and starts making his comeback. Clothesline by Bulldog. Suplex and Regal tries to leave the ring at all costs. Bulldog brings him to the middle of the ring and sets up for the Running Powerslam. Sir William gets up on the apron with the umbrella, but Davey Boy knocks him off the apron using Regal’s feet. Bulldog delivers the Powerslam, but Regal kicks out! Bulldog immediately hits a powerslam with less than ten seconds on the clock, and the 15:00 time limit expires just before the three count.

Result: Time limit draw (Regal retains the title)

• Rating: As usual in every match with this gimmick, the last minute was very exciting. The story they told made all the sense in the world in terms of psychology and some of their reversals were incredible. With that said, seeing Regal constantly killing time with basic holds did feel repetitive after a while. They did the best they could even though everyone could see the finish coming a mile ahead. Good match. ***

And now, Vader & Harley Race come down to spin the wheel and make the deal for the main event. It will be a Texas Death Match.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Stunning Steve Austin

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship

These two had already wrestled at Halloween Havoc before. In 1991, Steve Austin successfully defended the WCW TV Title against Dustin Rhodes via… you guessed it… a time limit draw!

A fan has a sign at ringside that reads Steve Austin: the wrestler of the 90s. Play the lottery! Austin comes out wearing a Hollywood Blonds vest, but the announcers wonder where Brian Pillman is. This was the beginning of the (abrupt) end of that awesome tag team. Michael Buffer does the introductions for this match as well.

Dustin wants a lockup to start and Austin bitchslaps him in the face. Dustin finally gets him, Austin gets on the ropes, Dustin gives him the clean break and Austin slaps him in the face even harder. Dustin is pissed and Austin runs away. Austin gets back in and tries to apply a Boston Crab. Dustin powers out of the hold and we get a stalemate. Back elbow smash allows Austin to take over. Austin snapmares Dustin for two. Dustin counters with a snapmare of his own and slugs away. Austin cuts him off with a few cheapshots but Dustin answers with a dropkick. Austin hurts himself as Dustin moves out of the way of a knee into the turnbuckle. Dustin targets the injured knee like a shark smelling blood while Austin constantly runs away from him. Austin makes a mistake by getting too close to Dustin, who hits a kneebreaker and goes to work on the injury. A desperate Austin rakes the eyes and, while the referee admonishes him for it, kicks Dustin right in the balls.

Austin exposes his good knee, delivers a kneedrop to Dustin’s jaw and gets two. Slam by Austin, who hurts his own knee doing it. Dustin whips Austin into the corner, Austin blocks it and comes down with a big kneedrop for two. More bitchslaps from Austin result in a slugfest, with Dustin getting the better of that exchange before backdropping Austin. Rhodes goes for the Bulldog, but Austin picks him up and throws him into the top rope. Dustin blocks the Stungun and turns it into a Thesz Press for two. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence from there, and Austin steals the win with his feet on the ropes. Austin wants the belt, but referee Nick Patrick caught him cheating and the match continues. Austin celebrates anyway, and Dustin rolls him up from behind to retain at 14:23.

Winner & still champion: Dustin Rhodes

Austin attacks Dustin with the belt afterward. Dustin is bleeding after that attack and Austin leaves with Dustin’s title.

• Rating: This was a very good match that deserved a much better finish and a better crowd. They were just dead for it, as they’ve been for everything else. The finish was beyond ridiculous. Still, Austin and Dustin did a very good job here. ***1/4

Meanwhile, the announcers promote the next pay-per-view: WCW Battlebowl coming up on November 20. That concept didn’t need its own show at all, and there’s a reason why they only did it once. Well, at least it’s not on Starrcade anymore.

We see a recap of 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Alexander Bagwell’s shocking World Tag Team Title win over The Nasty Boys which aired the previous night on WCW Saturday Night.

2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Alexander Bagwell (w/ Theodore Long) vs. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) (w/ Missy Hyatt)

WCW World Tag Team Championship

Michael Buffer with the in-ring introductions for another title match. The Nasty Boys steal the belts before the bell and the babyfaces jump them from behind before hitting them with the belts. Bagwell forces a kiss on Missy Hyatt and the heels bail.

The bell finally rings with Sags vs. Bagwell officially starting. Sags gets the advantage and The Nasty Boys double-team him to take control. Bagwell blocks a double-team big boot, hits both men with a double dropkick and Scorpio comes off the top rope with a high crossbody to both heels. Bagwell & Scorpio clean house and finally wake up the crowd. The Nasty Boys try to regroup, but Scorpio takes them down with a dive. Back in the ring, Scorpio and Knobbs go at it. Scorpio nearly steals it with a quick victory roll, but only gets two. Double-team shoulderblock by the faces gets two for Bagwell. Thesz Press gets two. The faces stay in control with a double-team hiptoss immediately followed by a double-team elbowdrop for two. Scorpio slows down the action with some holds on the mat, which isn’t great strategy on his part. Jerry Sags does indeed turn things around rather easily, only for Scorpio to come back with a springboard crossbody. Scorpio nearly slipped, but it still looked fine. Scorpio with a dropkick and he goes back to the mat. Bagwell comes in, and The Nasty Boys dump him over the top rope to the floor behind the referee’s back. Missy Hyatt adds insult to injury with a MASSIVE slap to Bagwell’s face.

Bagwell eventually gets back in the ring, only for Knobbs to suplex him for two. The Nasty Boys smartly cut the ring in half. Sags slams Bagwell and a legdrop gets two. Tag to Knobbs who applies a camel clutch. Bagwell is playing the Ricky Morton role perfectly here. Sags getting in Scorpio’s face allows Bagwell to throw a few punches, but Knobbs cuts him off quickly. Knobbs with a legdrop to prevent Bagwell from getting to Scorpio. Bearhug by Knobbs as the crowd cheers Bagwell on. Bagwell breaks the hold, but is double-teamed again and Sags puts him down with a big clothesline. Bagwell manages to hit a russian legsweep on Knobbs and he finally makes the hot tag to Scorpio! The crowd is on fire as Scorpio makes the comeback… but the referee missed the tag! The Nasty Boys miss a double-team attack in the corner on Bagwell, who explodes out of the corner with a clothesline to Sags. HOT TAG SCORPIO! 2 Cold takes care of both members of The Nasty Boys by himself. Moonsault on Knobbs, Sags elbows his own partner by accident and the managers get into a fight on the apron as well. This match is insane. Bagwell with a double noggin knocker to Sags & Missy Hyatt! Scorpio with the 450 Splash on Knobbs… but Sags hits Scorpio in the back of the head with his boot. Knobbs puts one arm on Scorpio’s chest and The Nasty Boys regain the belts at 14:38.

Winners & new champions: The Nasty Boys

• Rating: A genuinely great match that exceeded all my expectations. Bagwell was the highlight of the bout, playing the face-in-peril role to perfection and finally getting the crowd to react. While the finish could’ve been better, the talent involved did a tremendous job and deserve all the praise for putting on such a good tag team match. ****

Eric Bischoff is in the back with Sid Vicious & Col. Robert Parker who cut a promo on Sting.

Sting vs. Sid Vicious (w/ Col. Robert Parker)

Sid attacks Sting from behind and chokes away. Tony Schiavone brings up their Halloween Havoc 1990 match during which Barry Windham ran in dressed as Sting and got pinned by Sid, only for the real Sting to return and retain the World Title. Ah, the Black Scorpion era, those were the days… Anyway, Sid wastes too much time which allows Sting to hit a slam and a couple of clotheslines. Sting brings Sid off the apron into the middle of the ring with a suplex. Sid bails, Sting chases him and they proceed to fight in the crowd. Sting throws Sid back inside the ring. Flying clothesline off the top rope by Sting and Sid kicks out at one. Meanwhile, Col. Robert Parker distracts Sting, allowing Sid to hit a chokeslam. Sid stops to pose on the top rope before ramming Sting into the turnbuckle a number of times. Parker adds some choking of his own with his handkerchief while Sid pounds away.

Sid hits Sting with a really weak chair shot to the back on the outside while Parker distracts the referee. Back in, Sid works a reverse chinlock as the crowd starts a ‘Sid’ chant. Jesse Ventura says the people are chanting for Sting, but it’s pretty clear they’re saying Sid’s name. Powerslam by Sid gets two and he applies a bearhug next. Sting escapes the hold and tries to make the comeback, but Sid catches him and applies it yet again. Sting escapes for good and takes Sid down with a faceplant. Stinger Splash connects. He hits a second one, but Parker gets up on the apron and Sting turns his attention to him. Sid gets up just a few seconds after taking two Stinger Splashes, goes after Sting by the ropes and Parker grabs Sid’s leg by mistake, nearly costing his man the match. After kicking out, Sid grabs his manager by the hair, but before he does anything, Sting rolls up Sid with a quick O’Connor Roll for the win at 10:41.

Winner: Sting

• Rating: Very basic match here. WCW promoted it as the “franchise match” with Tony Schiavone saying it over and over again on commentary, but this didn’t feel special at all. I get what they were going for with the finish, but it was underwhelming. Plus, Sid’s teased face turn went nowhere anyway, as WCW fired Sid Vicious later that month after the infamous stabbing incident with Arn Anderson in England. This match isn’t necessarily bad, but there’s nothing special about it either. *3/4

We see Big Van Vader & Cactus Jack getting ready for the main event in the back. Vader is having an intense workout with his manager Harley Race while Cactus is sitting on the floor yelling ‘you can’t hurt Cactus Jack’!

Rick Rude vs. Ric Flair (w/ Fifi)

WCW International World Heavyweight Championship

Michael Buffer does the introductions and Terry Taylor is the second referee. Hopefully this is better than their disappointing bout at Fall Brawl.

Rude talks trash to Fifi when the match begins so Flair chops away. Flair hits a delayed vertical suplex which gets a one count. Rude misses a kneedrop off the top rope and Flair immediately applies the Figure Four. Rude grabs the ropes to cause the break after about a minute in the hold. Flair continues to work on the leg by ramming it into the post. Back in the ring, Flair adds more punishment to Rude’s leg. Rude eventually grabs Flair by the hair and dumps him to the floor. Flair tries a slingshot sunset flip, Rude blocks it and lands on top of Flair for the pin. However, he grabs the ropes for leverage and Taylor gets physically involved, allowing Flair to reverse the pin for two. Flair hits a crossbody block that takes both men over the top to the floor, with Rude hitting a chair in the process. Flair continues to beat him up on the outside, even hitting a flying double axehandle off the top rope to the floor. Flair makes the mistake of trying it for a second time, which is blocked by Rude. The champion grabs a steel chair, but Taylor stops him from using it. Jesse Ventura is all worked up on commentary!

Back inside the ring, Rude takes Flair down with a backbreaker and applies a chinlock. However, he releases the hold and swivels at Fifi before coming off the top rope with a fist. Rude takes his time after landing on the injured leg, and Flair kicks out at two. Back to the rear chinlock goes Rude. Whip into the corner by Rude, Flair Flip takes out the cameraman and Rude catches Flair with a clothesline. Rude brings Flair back inside the ring the hard way with a suplex. Rude goes back up top and comes down with yet another flying fist for several two counts. Clothesline by Rude gets two as he locks in a bearhug. Flair tries to go for a sleeper, Rude overpowers him and rams Flair’s back into the buckle. Rude tries yet another flying fist, this time blocked by Flair who hits his own version of the Rude Awakening for a nearfall. Flair with a backslide for two. Suplex by Flair and he goes up top, but ends up eating Rude’s boot. They knock referee Randy Anderson down and Rude hits a clothesline, but there’s no one to count the pin as Terry Taylor is checking on Randy. However, Taylor also gets knocked down as soon as he enters the ring. Meanwhile, Rude grabs brass knuckles (which he used to win the title at Fall Brawl), but Flair avoids the punch and hits a backdrop suplex. Flair grabs the brass knuckles himself and knocks out Rude for the three count. However, original referee Randy Anderson saw it and reverses the decision at 19:22.

Afterward, Rude tries to take Fifi to the back, but Flair hits him with the belt and applies the Figure Four on the ramp so she can escape.

Winner by DQ & still champion: Rick Rude

• Rating: A solid match from a technical standpoint, but there’s something missing from their matches as they don’t have as much chemistry as one would expect. It started off hot and I think it was better than Fall Brawl, but it dragged in the last few minutes. Plus, it had yet another overcomplicated finish in a night full of them. I have to call this one a disappointment. **3/4

The announcers briefly promote next month’s Battlebowl PPV again before running down the rules for the Texas Death Match:

• There are no disqualifications

• Falls don’t count – they can pin each other, but it won’t end the match

• There is a 30 second rest period between each successful fall

• Falls count anywhere in the arena

• The match continues until one man can’t get up before a ten count – essentially, last man standing rules

Main Event

Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) vs. Cactus Jack

Texas Death Match

Vader’s WCW Title is not on the line here. They’re not wasting any time as Cactus immediately jumps Vader on the ramp. Vader takes the mask off right away and unloads on Cactus. He ends up punching the post by mistake, and Cactus hits Vader with a chair. Cactus bites Vader and grabs a fan’s camera to hit Vader in the head. Chair shot to the head by Foley. Cactus takes Vader back inside, but misses a blind charge and Vader takes him down with a huge clothesline. Vader pounds away on Cactus in the corner until the latter leaves the ring. Vader goes for a suplex off the apron, Cactus blocks it and hits a suplex of his own. Cactus with a backdrop suplex on the ramp. Harley Race tries to jump Cactus with a chair, but Foley sees him coming and takes the chair away so he can hit Vader in the head again. They keep fighting until they land on the graveyard that reads ‘RIP Vader’. Cactus crawls out first with blood on his face. Vader appears a few seconds later and he’s also bleeding. Before Vader can get back to his feet, Cactus clotheslines him on the floor and scores the pinfall win.

During the 30-second rest period, Cactus grabs a cactus(!) from the stage and uses it to hit Vader as soon as the break ends. Vader lands on the floor by the ramp, so of course Foley jumps off the ramp with the Cactus Elbow and pins him for a second time. Cactus slugs away as soon as the rest period ends, but Vader fights back and drags Foley to the floor. Cactus brings a table to the ring and they continue to fight inside the ring. Cactus rams Vader into the table (it doesn’t break) and covers him for a nearfall. Vader leaves the ring, Cactus tries a sunset flip off the apron, Vader tries to block it with a buttdrop splash but Cactus moves out of the way. Cactus proceeds to slam Vader onto the railing, but misses some kind of flip dive over the railing and lands hard on the floor. Vader dumps Cactus back to ringside and hits him with the chair to the back of the head. Meanwhile, the camera catches Harley Race with a stun gun in his hand. Vader throws Cactus back inside the ring, slams him and hits the Vadersault for his first pin. Vader whips Cactus onto the floor as soon as the 30-second rest period is over. Cactus applies a sleeper, but Vader simply falls backwards and crushes Foley on the ramp. Then, Vader grabs the steel chair and hits Foley in the head. Vader follows it up with a DDT on the chair as trainers come in to check on Cactus. Vader beats up some of them as he wants to finish this himself. Vader covers Cactus Jack for a second time. The wrestlers completely ignore the rest period this time, as Cactus returns the DDT on the chair. The match resumes with both men down, so the referee starts the 10 count. Cactus gets back up… but Harley zaps him with the stun gun. The referee was busy with Vader and totally missed the fact that Foley got back up, so he awards the win to Vader at 15:59.

Harley Race gets a double-arm DDT on the ramp from Foley, who closes out the show standing on his feet.

Winner: Big Van Vader

• Rating: A great brutal fight that deserved a much better ending. They tore each other apart from pillar to post, beating each other up in the ring, on the ramp, at ringside, through the crowd and even in the graveyard. After such a long feud, they deserved a better payoff than that. Plus, how in the hell did the referee miss Cactus getting back up? Shouldn’t he be checking on both men? The finish wasn’t well done at all. Still, this was a fantastic fight. ****

END OF THE SHOW

Final thoughts: This pay-per-view was carried by the wrestlers and their solid work inside the ring. There were no bad matches on the card – the worst was the opener, and even that was watchable. However, the finishes were beyond terrible and I wonder if the bookers actually put any effort whatsoever into this show. I have to consider it a good pay-per-view overall thanks to the talent, but it could’ve been even better. 7/10

POINT SYSTEM

Click here to find out how the point system works.

That’s all from me today. Thank you all for reading! Don’t miss my upcoming reviews of WCW Clash of the Champions, WWF Survivor Series as well as the weekly WWF RAW reviews.

Written by:

Tomás Cunha