Halloween Havoc a howling bad PPV
By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM!
Wrestling
General Rection won the WCW Canadian - U.S. Title from Lance Storm at Halloween Havoc.
|
Stevie Ray said it best when he exclaimed..."I can't believe what I am
seeing!" WCW's Halloween Havoc 2000 was one of the worst in pro wrestling
history. It is not enough to chalk it up to the confusion and turmoil in
the company since it was announced that Time Warner is looking to remove
the promotion from its books before its merger with America Online at the
end of this year. That excuse is not good enough. Not good enough to the
loyal fans paying to watch the spectacle. Not good enough to the WCW
employees who've worked so hard to turn things around.
When the most exciting thing on the show is a crazed fan jumping Mike
Awesome in the stands, you know you are in a world of hurt. Last night WCW
did not look like a company trying to put on the best face to a potential
buyer -- which despite overzealous reports in the online press will prove not to be the WWF at all. Barring a few exceptions, what we saw was a
promotion throwing in the towel. How else can anyone explain the severe
drop in quality from the last pay-per-view?
Halloween Havoc was an outright embarrassment that flies in the face of the
federation's rich and illustrious history. WCW couldn't even get the
play-by-play right. The announcing team of Stevie Ray, Mark Madden and Tony
Schiavonie should be ashamed of the atrocious performance they put in.
Talking over each other time and time again, it was hard to even make out
what the heck they were gabbing on about. Too busy topping themselves they
distracted attention from the matches rather than supporting them. Madden's
stupid comment about Vampiro and Awesome not being able to get it together
in their match is proof of why he doesn't belong behind the
microphone...now or ever. Where's Mike Tenay when you need him? Same place as
the silver-tongued Bobby Hennan one would hazard to guess -- WCW limbo where
continuity and fresh ideas are sent to die.
Sting Death Drops one of the bogus Stings.
|
Right on down the line, the matches were deplorably booked and wrestled as
if the show was slapped together minutes before the broadcast. Excluding
the opening tag team title bout, everything went by in a chaotic,
mind-numbing blur of mediocrity. Stacking the card with underdeveloped
talent the fans aren't made to care about (The Natural Born Thrillers, MIA)
didn't help matters either. Even the efforts of first class talent like
Vampiro, Jeff Jarrett, Mike Awesome, Lance Storm and Sting, who can usually
save a show, got waylaid by awful booking and disordered pacing. Not even
these superior superstars could get things back on track.
The final nails in Halloween Havoc's coffin were two throw-away main events
in Goldberg battling both members of Kronik and Booker T's title defence
against Scott Steiner. The handicap bout saw the booking return to the
predictable Goldberg matches we've endured before. You know the ones.
Goldberg takes a few hits. He bounces back and Jack Hammers his foe(s) to
the mat in like three minutes flat. Which is what he did to Kronik. No
surprise there. Booker T against Steiner had some potential until for some
inane reason Steiner was scripted to wail on everyone with a lead pipe and
get himself disqualified thereby flushing his WCW World Title shot down the
drain. A confusing and contemptuous finish to what could have been the
standout bout.
Scott Steiner surf boards Booker T.
|
Halloween Havoc should be the last straw. WCW has the talent. They have the
resources at their disposal. The time for excuses is over. Either work
towards getting back to a competitive level or pull the plug already.
Watching something that used to be truly great die a slow, painful death is
pure agony.
Editor's Note: The shoddy workmanship also extended to WCW's Web
site too. At approximately 11:30 p.m. last night, the spotlight on their
home page promoted the WCW Mayhem CD hyping a November 1999 release date.
What's up with that? (7:30 am ET addendum: WCW.com has re-launched with a new look, which may have explained it.)
The next WCW pay-per-view is Mayhem on November 26th
WCW Halloween Havoc 2000 Results
Boogie Knights (challengers) Vs Kidman, Mysterio (challengers) Vs Jindrak,
O'Haire (champions) (WCW World Tag Team Title Match)
Hats off to these three teams for charging out of the gate. Too bad it
was all for nothing. Jindrak with the Swanton Dive keeps the belts around
the champs' waists. Everyone attacks Kidman and Mysterio. A-WALL clears the
ring as trash cans are hung around the ring in preparation for the Hardcore
Title bout.
Winners: ...and still WCW World Tag Team Champions...Jindrak and
O'Haire at 10:42.
Match Rating: 6 / 10.
Reno (champion) Vs A-WALL (challenger) (WCW Hardcore Title Match)
A waste of air time showcasing two people fans have heard nothing from
and could care less about. Laughs are numerous as A-WALL uses a brightly
lit computer monitor on Reno's head...even after it is unplugged. Can you
say prop? A-WALL clocks Fit Finley for the heck of it. Reno (the evil
Highlander villain) puts A-WALL through a table to hang on to the gold. The
Natural Born Thrillers punk A-WALL. MIA comes to his rescue.
Winner: ...and still WCW Hardcore Champion...Reno at 10:43.
Match Rating: 1 / 10.
Douglas is shown taking over Kevin Nash's duties with The Thrillers.
Kronik tries to convince members of the local "Athletics Commission" that
Goldberg is too injured to fight them.
The Perfect Event Vs MIA
Match was set-up due to the previous run-in by The Thrillers and MIA's
response to it. On the spot booking, you gotta love it. Guerrero does a
Tornado DDT for the pinfall.
Winners: MIA at 9 minutes and 25 seconds.
Match Rating: 3 / 10.
Torrie Wilson, Shane Douglas Vs Konnan, Tygress
Wilson is dressed like Wonder Woman. Konnan is injured so Tygress will
go it alone. At a minute in, Konnan arrives to fight. Wilson plants Konnan
with a Stunner and he sells it? Douglas almost gets pinned by Tygress
following a DDT? Huh? What gives. Konnan and Tygress come out on top.
Winners: Konnan, Tygress at 8 minutes and 32 seconds.
Match Rating: 1 / 10.
Buff Bagwell Vs David Flair (First Blood - DNA Match)
Flair brings a DNA kit with him to the ring. Yeah, okay. Flair bleeds
and the ref declares Bagwell the winner. Lex Luger congratulates Bagwell
holding his hand up in victory then clotheslines him and hurls him into a
steel post. Buff is bleeding from his mouth. Flair, who has hidden medical
talents we don't know about, takes blood from Bagwell and delivers it to a
pair of eggheads in the back. They promise results of a paternity test
tonight on Nitro. I know I am on the edge of my seat. Yawn.
Winner: Buff Bagwell at 5 minutes and 38 seconds.
Match Rating: 0 / 10.
Mike Sanders Vs The Cat (Kick Boxing Match)
Your typical inferior wrestling-boxing match with much stalling and
dubious knock downs. Douglas interferes and punches The Cat with a steel
chain wrapped around his fist. The Cat is down but gets back up. The Cat
brawls with Douglas outside the ring and is counted out. Who was the booker
behind this roof-raiser? Mr. T?
Winner: Mike Sanders via countout at 7 minutes and 38 seconds.
Match Rating: 0 / 10.
Mike Awesome Vs Vampiro
Mike Awesome puts up his WCW World Title shot on Nitro. Vampiro has
raided Saturn's locker and is decked out like Marilyn Manson. Awesome and
Vampiro fight in the crowd. Vampiro clobbers Awesome with a microphone and
then beats That 70's Guy with a crutch he has taken from a fan. One fan
jumps on Awesome trying to get him in a headlock or DDT him. Vampiro throws
the fan to the ground and Awesome punches the guy four or five times (Video Clip: 947 K) in the
face. The attack ruins both wrestlers' concentration. They miss moves and
their timing is all off. Vampiro goes from one side to the other searching
for something under the ring and can't find whatever it was supposed to be.
He is visibly upset to whoever goofed placing the object. Mike Awesome
Bombs Vamp from the top rope to notch the win. Vampiro's head bounced off
the canvas hard and needs some medical assistance to make it to the
back.
Winner: Mike Awesome at 9 minutes and 49 seconds.
Match Rating: 3 / 10.
Lance Storm (champion) and Hacksaw Jim Duggan (challenger) Vs General
Rection (challenger) (U.S. - Canadian Title Match)
The ref takes away Duggan's 2x4 and what's left of his gimmick. Elix
attempts a run-in. Major Gunns gingerly bats him off the ring apron with
the Canadian flag. As Storm debates the finer points of flag swinging with
Gunns, Rection gets the 1-2-3 over Duggan. Major Gunns and the MIA whoop it
up with Rection.
Winner: ...and new WCW Canadian - U.S. Heavyweight
Champion...General Rection at 10 minutes and 1 second.
Match Rating: 4 / 10.
Sting Vs Jeff Jarrett
Every so often during the match, an impostor Stings get involved.
There's about seven of them all portraying Sting at different points of his
career. One even pops up from under the ring. There's the day-glo Sting.
The Crow Sting. The Wolf Pack Sting. You get the picture. The Sting clones
are no match for The Dark Warrior. He takes them out one by one without
breaking a sweat. Sting no-sells a guitar shot from a fake Sting and Death
Drops him. Jarrett cracks him with another for the win. Sting bleeds from a
cut in his forehead.
Winner: At 14 minutes and 40 seconds, Jeff Jarrett.
Match Rating: 3 / 10.
Booker T (champion) Vs Scott Steiner (challenger) (WCW World
Heavyweight Title Match)
Winner: ...and still WCW World Heavyweight Champion...Booker T at
13 minutes and 32 seconds.
Match Rating: 2 / 10.
Goldberg Vs Kronik
Kronik believes Goldberg won't show. Da Man gets medical clearance and
dashes their hopes of an easy win. Goldberg pins Brian Adams at 2:25 by
spearing him through a table and Clark at 3:42 with the Jack Hammer.
Winner: Goldberg at 5 minutes and 7 seconds.
Match Rating: 0 / 10.
Total Event Time: 2 hours and 50 minutes
Overall Event Rating: 2 / 10.
