Sage Cortez
Halloween Havoc looks like a good show, or rather I should say the truncated version looks like a good show. The matches on it appear to be interesting, with Doom against Arn Anderson & Ric Flair looking the most appealing. This show took place in Chicago, and as usual, it did not sell out. I’ll be sure to note when certain matches were skipped during this airing, and I believe this is the only PPV I’ll have to watch that is like this. Thankfully. Frankly, because of it, I haven’t been looking forward to watching this at all.
– October 27th, 1990, from UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois
Why is the canvas red? What a disgusting looking ring this is. The ropes and turnbuckles are orange, and the second rope is striped orange and black. Our commentators here are Jim Ross and Paul E. Dangerously, and these guys are sporting costumes. That’s a funny opening. Looks like Tony Schiavone is with Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich, who will be teaming up here. Biggest spot Rich has been in, I suppose, he never got a chance to talk on these PPV’s.
The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) Tommy Rich & Ricky Morton
Pre-Match Thoughts: Morton looks really funny with his hair in a pony tail. Already covered the promo, but I should also mention that Stan Lane was on his way out after this. That’s just sad, really. Eaton getting a chance to have a singles run was not sad, but I just loved the team so much. They were perfect. This was the real opener, which is surprising as Ole Anderson did not follow a format of putting on a hot opener before this point. If people didn’t read my last article, Robert Gibson hurt his knee and went out for months, hence the inclusion of Tommy Rich in this match.
Match Review: Eaton and Morton start the match off by locking up, and they break clean near the ropes. Eaton then throws Morton out of the corner with two hip tosses, and blocks a Morton charge after a reversed whip. Eaton heads up top, gets hit on the way down, and Morton takes him down with the shoulder. Morton and Eaton then go into a criss-cross, and Morton gives Eaton a backdrop. He follows that with a FRANKENSTEINER, and Rich nails Eaton to knock him out of the ring. When Eaton gets back in, the guys trade punches, and I’m pretty sure that was a clip. Lane makes a blind tag in, and they use a backdrop to powerslam type thing that was really cool looking. Lane chokes Morton with the rope, then flies back into the ring with a clothesline. The MX then dish out a drop toe-hold and elbow drop combination, which assures that this match was clipped. Eaton’s cover gets 2, then he moves out of the way when Morton charges to the corner. Eaton then knocks Morton off the apron, and heads up top for a flying nothing to the outside. That was a mistake. No big deal. Cornette drills Morton with the RACKET, that was a good touch. Eaton then clotheslines Morton, as they’re still on the floor. Morton gets sent back into the ring and takes some kicks, then Morton goes for a sunset flip, only for Cornette to distract the referee. Morton then gets dumped back out to the floor, and Lane slams him there. Morton is then brought to the ramp, Lane slams him, and Eaton and Lane follow with a ROCKET LAUNCHER ONTO THE RAMP. Lane tries to cover and gets 2, then goes for another slam. A blind tag is made, and when Morton cradles Lane up, he takes a DIAMOND CUTTER from Eaton. Eaton follows that with a backbreaker that gets 2, and Lane comes in for a distraction that allows Cornette to use the racket again. Lane then draws Rich in, which allows him to throw Morton over the top rope. Eaton then throws Morton into the post, misses a charge to that post, and Morton gives him a FRANKENSTEINER. Cornette then hits Morton with the racket again to keep him on the outside, but when Morton gets in, he tries a cradle that gets a 2 count. Eaton then slams Morton, and heads up top once more. What for? HE DROPS THE BIG LEG, and takes much too long to cover. Instead, he wants Morton counted out. Morton makes it to his feet, and Lane tags in, for his CARNY KICKS. Morton comes back with some turnbuckle shots and right hands, which leads to Lane having to grab his leg to stop him from tagging. Lane slams Eaton and tags out, and Eaton flies in from the top with a ROCKET LAUNCHER that eats knees. Can Morton make the tag now? Yes!
Rich comes in with punches in bunches, and follows with a bodyslam to Eaton. He takes Lane down with the THESZ PRESS, and Eaton breaks the count. Rich slams Lane and heads up top, and Cornette WHACKS HIM WITH THE RACKET. Rich appears to be out, but here comes the Southern Boys dressed up like Jim Cornette. They hit Cornette, Morton backdrops Eaton onto the ramp, and Rich sneaks in a LOADED RACKET SHOT on Lane for the victory! This was about 14 minutes on the clipped version, 20 in reality.
My Thoughts: This was such a corny NWA finish, I liked it very much as a result. The match was outstanding, one of the best I’ve seen with these guys. Granted, I did watch the clipped version that cut out all of Rich’s early involvement and the usual Cornette comedy spots. Amazing stuff though, the double teams, the Diamond Cutter, top rope leg drop, Rocket Launcher to the outside, it was just unbelievable. As already said, the finish was corny and didn’t make that much sense, but that’s part of the appeal. It was so much fun, I’d give this ***3/4, and I don’t care whether or not that’s overrating it. Fun matches deserve it, that’s the entire point of watching wrestling. If it isn’t fun, then watching it is a chore. Rich did absolutely nothing in the match, but that did make it more fun.
Now it’s time for Tony Schiavone to interview Sting! He’s talking about Sid and the Black Scorpion, but he’s facing Sid here, so he better focus on him. Silly promo, but he’s ready for his match. OH SHIT, HERE’S THE BLACK SCORPION. BLACK SCORPION GRABS A GIRL, and takes her behind a curtain for some reason. Sting then makes it to the curtain, some fireworks go off, and the Black Scorpion is gone. Then it’s to the other side of the stage, and Sting catches the girl, and that was extremely fucking stupid. Genuinely one of the worst wrestling segments I have seen.
So, here’s what was skipped.
Terry Taylor defeated Bill Irwin in a match that was supposedly pretty good.
Brad Armstrong pinned JW Storm, who had been squashing guys on their television. This was a surprise.
The Master Blasters beat the Southern Boys, thanks to a distraction from Jim Cornette.
The Renegade Warriors vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (w/Little Richard Marley)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Little Richard Marley is a repackaged Rocky King, and the Renegade Warriors are Mark and Chris Youngblood. Such a strange gimmick to have in there with the Freebirds. They were doing a full blown Native American deal. The Freebirds were just too funny. I know Garvin’s knee was messed up, so I bet he does nothing in this match. Marley is impersonating the injured Robert Gibson, that’s quite low.
Match Review: Hayes will start the match off against Mark Youngblood, and Hayes is given a backdrop after being rammed into the buckle. Chris Youngblood flies in with a double clothesline from the top, and that clears the ring. Once things settle down, Mark Youngblood gives Hayes a hip toss, and Garvin makes a tag in. So does Chris Youngblood. He gives Garvin a hip toss, then puts him in a headlock for a while. Chris goes for a cradle that gets 2, and he gets hit in the face when Garvin kicks out. Garvin follows that with a back suplex, and draws Mark in so that he can throw Chris over the top rope. Back in Chris goes, and Garvin puts him in a chinlock. Chris fights out and is given a knee to the gut, then Hayes tags in for a bodyslam. Hayes drops a fist, then to the chinlock he goes as well. Chris gets out and puts a sleeper on Hayes, but a blind tag was made and Garvin clobbers the poor guy from behind. Garvin follows with a bodyslam, and the crowd wants a DDT. I guess the Birds are babyfaces here. Hayes tags in, rams Chris into the buckle, then goes back to the chinlock. Chris gets out and puts his head down, so Hayes goes for the DDT, only for Chris to give him a backdrop. Garvin tags in, throws Chris out of the ring, and Hayes pops Chris with a left jab. This is so boring. Chris gets back in and Garvin slams him, then Hayes tags in for an elbow drop that gets 2. To the chinlock again, Chris gets out again, and this time he drops Hayes with a cross body that gets 2. Hayes goes back to the chinlock again, nearly putting me to sleep. This is terrible. Hayes, you guessed it, bodyslams Chris, then decides to head up top, only for Chris to grab him and slam him to the canvas. Chris finally makes a tag out to no reaction at all, and Mark gives both Birds a backdrop. He follows that with a noggin-knocker, then Chris gives the Birds a double clothesline. Marley gets on the apron and brought in the hard way, then Mark rolls Garvin up, but the referee is distracted. Hayes then drops Mark with a DDT that doesn’t even come close to the canvas, and Garvin pins him for the victory. The clipped version was nearly 13 minutes long.
My Thoughts: If the clipped version was bad, yet four minutes shorter than the non-clipped version, I can only imagine how bad this match actually was. What I saw was a certain DUD, it was just terrible. They were all going through the motions and it was boring. The NWA just didn’t know their audience, to trot out babyfaces like the Renegade Warriors was nothing short of stupid. I’m glad it’s over, and everything on the rest of this looks interesting. Can’t hate on that.
Now we have Sid Vicious, Arn Anderson, and Ric Flair with Tony Schiavone, talking about their title shots. So weird to see Ric Flair talking about winning tag gold rather than talking about singles glory. Sid was hilarious in his speaking role, it never fails.
The Nasty Boys vs. The Steiner Brothers for the NWA United States Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: Based on the performance of these guys headed into this show, we’re in for a hell of a brawl. This match does have quite the reputation as well. This was the Nasty Boys first chance to have a legitimately big match on television. Rick Steiner was wearing the belt backwards, and the match starts pretty much immediately as they walk down the aisle.
Match Review: All four tumble to the outside, so here we go. We have Knobbs with Rick Steiner, and Sags with Scott Steiner. Sags gets sent into the post, but rams Scotty into the rail in return. He then clobbers Scott in the back of the head with a chair, and they get in the ring. The other two are still fighting. Sags takes Scott to the corner for a SUPERPLEX, but Scott reverses and gives Sags a BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX FROM THE SECOND ROPE. Knobbs gets in to break up the cover, and Rick knocks him out of the ring. Sags then gives Scott a bulldog, and Scott rams Sags into the buckle. Finally this is a normal tag team match. Scott ducks under a clothesline and gives Sags a TIGER BOMB, and the Steiners signal for something big. It is…THE ELEVATED BULLDOG. Such a move is cool now much less 25 years ago. Knobbs runs in and hits Scott with a chair as the referee is making Rick Steiner exit the ring, and Knobbs covers for a close 2 count. Knobbs follows that with a sidewalk slam, then a powerslam for 2. Knobbs sends Scott to the outside, and Sags follows with a knee drop from the apron. Back in he goes, and Sags makes an illegal switch in that leads to a pumphandle slam. Sags follows that with a gutwrench suplex, and Rick Steiner breaks the cover. Knobbs heads in and drops some elbows on Scott, then puts him in an abdominal stretch. Rick breaks the hold, Sags switches in, and he drops an elbow on Scott too. He puts Scott in a bear hug, as the story being told centers around Scott’s back being injured after the bodyslam at the contract signing. Scott counters the bear hug with a belly to belly suplex, and when Knobbs cuts him off from tagging, Rick gets in there anyway for a STEINERLINE. He then charges at Knobbs, misses, and flies over the top rope. While the referee’s making sure Rick is okay, the Nasty Boys give Scott a SPIKE PILEDRIVER. The referee then goes to get Knobbs out of the ring, so Rick runs in and cracks Sags with a chair. So many chair shots! Scott then gives Sags a back suplex, but gets cut off once again. Knobbs puts Scott in a bear hug, as it appears Sags is bleeding from a chair shot. Too bad for him. Knobbs then puts Scott in a corner, and misses a charge to the opposite side. Sags tags in quickly, draws Rick into the ring, and puts a Boston crab on Scott. Sags looks hilarious with blood on his face while applying this hold. Scott powers out of the hold, but gets stopped short of the corner yet again. Knobbs puts a chinlock on Scott, but Scott picks Knobbs up on his shoulders, and falls backwards to the canvas. Sags tags back in, but Scott gives him an inverted atomic drop. Sags then tries to whip Knobbs into the corner for a splash, but the charge misses, and Scott finally makes the tag!
Rick heads in with STEINERLINES, which look awfully stiff too. A noggin-knocker follows, then a belly to belly on Knobbs gets 2. All four are in, and Sags dumps Scott over the top rope. The Nasties then toss Rick out of the ring and turn their back on him, but Rick climbs up top and gives them a DOUBLE STEINERLINE FROM THE TOP. Knobbs attacks Rick from behind, then they go after Scott on the outside. Scott is dropped with a double bodyslam, but he trips the Nasty Boys before a double clothesline. Sags is then sent into the post, and Rick gives Knobbs a STEINERLINE. Scott follows with the FRANKENSTEINER, and that gets the win at 15:21! Regardless of the win, the Nasties weren’t done. Sags and Knobbs attacked the Steiners from behind with their own titles, then beat them down. Even the referee took a tumble! Rick got thrown hard into the post twice, the second of which looked like a direct facial shot.
My Thoughts: Best match on the card, here. They almost lost me during the heat segment when Scott was continously stopped from tagging out, but the things the Nasty Boys were doing to stop him kept me in it. The psychology here was on point, everything they did was to work Scott Steiner’s back, so they told a good story. You wouldn’t really expect it from the Nasty Boys, but I’ve always thought they were an underrated team. They did a lot of cool things. The Steiners also did a lot of cool things, and because the Nasties were so big, it looked very impressive. I do strongly recommend watching this match, seeing as the psychology was right, and the huge spots got everyone’s attention. ****. The Nasty Boys were wise to leave the company later in the year, I’d say. They probably got paid far more.
After the Junkyard Dog beat Moondog Rex, Tony Schiavone was with Scott Steiner, who cut his version of a Road Warriors promo. He said the Nasty Boys bit off more than they could chew, then there’s a vendor behind Steiner. It turns out that the vendor hits Steiner with a tray, then that vendor and Brian Knobbs beat Steiner down with it. Awesome! The Nasty Boys said they weren’t scared and the war had just begun. If only they finished it. Jim Ross completely undersold that.
Ric Flair & Arn Anderson (NWA TV Champion) vs. Doom (w/Teddy Long) for the NWA Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: Not sure which of these teams is supposed to be the babyface team. Sounds like an awesome matchup, and it also seems like Ric Flair would default to a heel role in any case. Once again though, Arn Anderson was not defending the TV Championship on a big show, and once again he didn’t bring that belt to the ring with him. Both teams got a tepid reaction in terms of cheers.
Match Review: Simmons and Arn will begin the match by locking up, and Simmons immediately shoves him to the canvas. Arn gets knocked out of the ring as well, and tries to suplex Simmons to the outside, only to be suplexed back into the ring. Flair enters the ring, only to turn around when confronted by both guys, and things settle down. Flair knees Simmons from behind as he runs the ropes, then Arn gives Simmons a suplex. Simmons doesn’t really sell it, and he gives Arn a powerslam for 2. Flair runs in and grabs Simmons, but Simmons gives the two Horsemen a double clothesline to knock them to the outside. Flair then chases Long around the ring, and Long slaps him. After the stories told in Teddy Long’s shoots, I bet that felt good too. Reed makes his first tag in, and asks to face Ric Flair. So he gets that, and Flair struts around the ring. He hits Reed a few times, and after finally chopping Reed, Reed comes back with his own stuff. He takes Flair down with a press slam, and Simmons rushes in to do the same to Anderson. Reed then beats Flair up in the corner, and gives him a hip toss and clothesline. Flair goes to the eyes, then they exchange chops for a little bit. Reed then adopts a boxing stance and lands some jabs, and Flair flops down to the canvas. Reed then sends him upside down into the corner, and Simmons stomps on him as he walks the apron. They’re on the ramp now, and Simmons throws Flair back into the ring. Flair then rolls back out of it, and tags out. Reed hits Arn with a high knee, and tags in Simmons for a double clothesline that gets 2. Simmons puts his head down for a backdrop, so Arn hits him with an elbow and puts him in a Boston crab that leads to a knee drop by Flair. Nice double team. Arn then gives Simmons the SPINEBUSTER for 2, then Flair heads in. Flair goes for a shin-breaker, then tags back out, with Arn now going to work on the leg. Flair gets back in and does the same, we now have a pattern. Flair also gives Simmons a back suplex, then slaps the FIGURE-FOUR on him. The cheating by Flair draws Reed in, which leads to Arn stomping on Simmons as the hold was maintained. This hold was maintained for some time, but it was reversed and Flair tagged out. Arn comes in and continues to work the leg, then Simmons finally gets to do something, and tries a dropkick that misses. Arn tries to pin Simmons by holding his arms down, but Simmons hits him with knees to the crotch region, yet cannot make the tag. Flair tags in, and tries a shoulderblock only to be knocked down himself. Simmons gets cut off again, and Arn tags in to throw Simmons out of the ring. Simmons winds up throwing Flair into the rail, and comes in with a sunset flip only for Arn to make the tag in the middle of it. Flair rakes the eyes on his way in, but Simmons hits him with a clothesline. Arn gets in there anyway, has his face rammed into the mat, and Simmons finally makes the tag.
Reed comes in with BIG SOUPBONES for everyone, and knocks down Flair with a dropkick. That is followed with a flying shoulderblock to Flair for 2, then the guys pair off. Reed rams Flair into the railing, and Arn goes for a piledriver on Simmons. Instead, Reed flies up top, and comes down with a flying shoulderblock, only for Flair to break the cover. Simmons knocks Flair over the top with a right hand, and Arn gives Reed a DDT, only for Simmons to break the cover. Simmons then covers for the closest of 2 counts, and he rolls to the outside with Arn as Reed gives Flair a clothesline. Arn and Simmons take turns ramming each other into the rail outside the ring, now Reed and Flair join them. Unsurprisingly, both guys get counted out after 18:18.
My Thoughts: Really lame finish, but that was to be expected. I’ve read that these matches outside the top level hurt Flair’s star power, and I agree with that. To be in a tag team match he couldn’t even get a win in was pretty weak. The idea to have Doom by the babyfaces here was a bit misguided. Obviously they couldn’t have the Horsemen do it seeing as one of their guys was taking on Sting later in the show, but that shows the booking conundrum here. The false finishes here were fun, but the body of the match was lacking a little bit as well. The lack of heat also hurt, so I’d only give this ***1/4. It wasn’t as good as the other two tag matches on this, but it was still good. I also found that Doom worked pretty well as babyfaces even though the crowd wasn’t receptive to it. It’s also weird to see a guy as big as Simmons play face-in-peril, but the cheating by the Horsemen helped that out.
Stan Hansen vs. Lex Luger for the NWA United States Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: This match has been built up forever, and Lex Luger was the champion forever. I really dig the matchup, it’s different than anything Luger had been able to do during his title run. Luger hadn’t even been able to do anything good on TV. Hansen’s promo before the match was absolutely hilarious. Luger’s reactions have also gotten smaller. Weird trend.
Match Review: Hansen walks around the ring being crazy for a while, then attacks Luger. Luger comes back with punches and a back elbow, which sends Hansen to the outside. Hansen gets in and rakes the eyes, then takes Luger down for an elbow drop that gets 2. He then sends Luger to the outside, and elbows him after jumping off the apron. He sends Luger into the post after that, then they get back in and Luger slams Hansen. Hansen comes back with some knees, and puts a headlock on the champion. Luger gets up, dodges a charge to the corner, and Hansen tumbles over the top. Luger goes to the outside and rams Hansen into the ramp a few times, and it’s time for them to go back in. Luger takes Hansen down with a hip toss, then puts a few elbows on him for a 2 count. Hansen comes back with a snap suplex, then drops an elbow for 2. Hansen follows with a shoulderblock, and bodyslams Luger as well. He drops a knee for 2, then gives Luger a bulldog that also gets a 2 count. The time calls in this match are so wrong. This hasn’t been 10 minutes! Luger takes Hansen to the corner for some punches, but Hansen drops him with a spinebuster for 2. Hansen continues the attack with a bodyslam, then tries an elbow drop from the second rope that fails. Luger hits Hansen with a dropkick, and bodyslams Hansen for a 2 count. Luger then suplexes Hansen for 2, that was a close call. Hansen drills Luger with a clothesline in the corner, then he hits the referee. Gimmick at work. Hansen goes for the LARIAT, but Luger clotheslines him instead. Now Dan Spivey comes down to the ring, and has the cowbell. He tosses it in to Hansen, leaves, and Hansen tries to clock Luger with it…but Luger backdrops him. Luger takes Hansen down with a bulldog, and signals for THE TORTURE RACK. Instead, Hansen drills him with the LARIAT, and pins Luger for the win at 9:29!
My Thoughts: Now that is a meaningful title change. Luger had that belt since May 1989, and after this he didn’t. 523 days spent as champion, only for it to end completely clean to a clothesline. Weird as it gets. Besides that, this was an average match. Not a whole lot to write home about, and the way they used Spivey before his title challenge at WrestleWar ’91 made this seem a bit weird. It’s also a case of interfering without actually interfering, in my book. Don’t know what to make of all this, but the match was **1/2. The crowd was absolutely stunned that Luger lost, they couldn’t believe it.
Teddy Long is with Tony Schiavone, who’s still wearing his phantom costume. He looks like a joke. Long said that his team was better than Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, basically. He also said the Horsemen wouldn’t get another title shot. Why, how did that turn out?
Now Missy Hyatt is with the commentators for some reason. She looks completely wasted. I hope she doesn’t ruin this upcoming match with her presence.
Sid Vicious vs. Sting for the NWA Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’ve been looking forward to this one. It’s just so different, and Sid hadn’t been given the chance to work a real singles match yet. He did here, and I can’t wait. I bet it’s terrible. They’ve put no shine on Sting whatsoever since he won this title, so it’s hardly surprising they’d do this. Only 17 minutes remaining on the airing of this, that’s not many!
Match Review: This match is in many ways the antithesis of what an NWA Championship match should be, and that’s apparent when it starts. These guys stare at each other, until Sting turns his back and is attacked. Sting tries a cross body, but Sid catches him for a backbreaker. Sting doesn’t sell it, trips Sid, and goes for a figure-four, only for Sid to duck out of the ring. He gets back in, rakes the eyes, and misses a punch, which causes him to fly over the top. Sting rams him into the rail, but Sid goes back to the eyes. Sting then sends Sid into the post, and grabs hold of the arm when they get back in the ring. Sid tries a big charge at Sting, back to the arm it is when he misses. They sit in that hold for a little bit, then Sid tries a headlock takeover. Sting reverses, Sid kips up, and hits Sting with a clothesline. Sting tries a sunset flip, gets punched in the face, and still takes Sid down for 2. Sid gets up and clotheslines the champion for 2, then puts a nerve hold on him. Sting gets out of it with chops, but Sid powerslams him for 2. Sid continues to deaden the match with some choking, but Sting tries the STINGER SPLASH, and it misses. Sid then kicks Sting out to the apron, and just clobbers the guy with forearms. Sid starts posing, so Sting heads up top and comes down with a cross body that only gets 1. Sid gets back in control, and grinds Sting’s face into the mat. Very lovingly at that. Sting winds up on the apron, so Sid clotheslines him for another 2 count. Sid then puts a chinlock on Sting, if you can even call it that. Sid then lets go and tries an elbow drop, but it misses. Sting misses an elbow drop as well, but he smashes Sid’s face into the mat. Sting then charges at Sid, but Sid gets his boot up. He then clotheslines Sting on the ramp, and punches him all the ways down the aisle. He then slams Sting, and walks all the way back to the ring. Then Sting decides to run all the way back to the ring, and fly in with a cross body on Sid! He dropkicks Sid over the top, then hits him with a PLANCHA! Ric Flair and Arn Anderson are now at ringside, distracting the referee for whatever reason. Sid and Sting then leave down the other aisle, this is absurd. Now they come back, and OH SHIT. STING HAS GAINED ABOUT 50 POUNDS. STING TRIES TO SLAM SID, AND SID FALLS ON TOP FOR THE VICTORY! WHAT IS THIS MADNESS, SID IS THE NEW CHAMPION! They do an announcement, fireworks go off, and the fans cheer for their new champion. Wait a second. There’s Sting, and he has a rope tied around his wirst. He hits Sid with the title belt, gives him the STINGER SPLASH, and cradles up Sid for the REAL VICTORY at 12:36! That was something.
Sting is then interviewed by Jim Ross, and a replay is shown with both versions of Sting on camera. After that madness, the show is over!
My Thoughts: Who came up with this? It slides perfectly into so bad it’s good territory regardless of whose idea it was. It just wasn’t done correctly. The whole thing wasn’t explained to the live crowd, there was no official restart of the match, and worst of all, it was rushed. This was a tough spot for a booker. Sting couldn’t lose the match, and Sid definitely couldn’t lose clean as he was a heel they needed to keep strong. The match itself wasn’t any good, either. Sting’s big spots prior to Barry Windham showing up as Sting were the only real bright spots, and brought the match up to *1/4. One of the worst main events of the PPV era to that point. I just can’t believe that finish. It’s something that the Four Horsemen would mastermind, but in storyline they wouldn’t be dumb enough to mess it up. Instead, they messed it up, and that’s just goofy.
I can’t really rate the show as a whole because I didn’t watch the whole thing, but I do feel strongly about certain aspects. Constantly booking screwy main events just killed this company. Look at their competition. Was the outcome of Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan in question after the match was over? Of course not. Sting’s title reign was also obviously in bad straits, but I’ve said that ever since I watched the show that he got the title on. They gave him the torch to run with, but they never sparked the torch up. That makes sense to me at least. What I did watch here was pretty good. Lots of quality wrestling, outside of the main event and Freebirds match. I’m sure I would feel a bit less happy about the show if I had watched the whole thing. I find it hard to believe that Brian Pillman didn’t even make the show. I also find that Ole Anderson’s ideas for finishes and the like are beyond silly, and very hard to take seriously when watching them now. Next up will be WWF matches up to Survivor Series 1990.
Best: Steiner Brothers vs. Nasty Boys. This was great, hell of a match to view for the first time. Many spots in it to rewind and watch again.
Worst: Freebirds vs. Renegade Warriors. I bet that the JYD match was actually worse.
Card Rating: Incomplete. Didn’t watch the whole thing!
