5 Best Halloween Havoc Matches
Photo Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport
Halloween Havoc was one of WCW’s most significant PPVs. The company was one of the first to develop a Halloween-themed PPV. While we’ve seen WWE do several great and memorable Halloween skits through the years, none of them matches the level that WCW reached in the month of October.
Halloween Havoc has seen career-altering matches and moments and many career-defining ones as well. It became a platform where several WCW superstars stole the show and made a name for themselves. As you’re about to see, some of the all-time great moments took place at Halloween Havoc and even some of the spookiest matches too.
Here are the five greatest Halloween Havoc matches.
(Photo By Russell Turiak/Getty Images)
#5.) Lex Luger vs Brian Pillman – Halloween Havoc 1989
Lex Luger may not have set the world on fire with his WWE run but in WCW, it was a whole different story. While he may not hold the reputation of being the finest in-ring worker, his match against Brian Pillman may alter your perception. Luger was a strong, cocky heel who defended his NWA United States Championship against the young upstart Brian Pillman.
Pillman was an incredible underdog who Luger refused to take seriously. They would be given time and the match brought the best out of both superstars. Luger did retain his title but Pillman looked incredible even in defeat. The match shows a side of Luger that many people either haven’t seen or simply have forgotten.
(Photo by Heather Kennedy/Getty Images for SXSW)
#4.) Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair – Halloween Havoc 1994
Hulk Hogan had arrived in WCW in 1994, won the WCW World title from Ric Flair and the two would go to war for months together. Their feud culminated at Halloween Havoc, inside a steel cage with Mr. T as the special guest referee.
If the stakes weren’t high enough, it also happened to be a Career vs Career match. Hulk Hogan looked like the most motivated he had been in many years and put on an outstanding performance, easily both their best in years. With the high stakes, both put it all on the line in an epic performance.
As you would imagine, Hulk Hogan beat Ric Flair to end his career, though that would last all but a month. Despite that, the story of the match was excellent and everything was played to perfection.
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#3.) Cactus Jack vs Vader – Halloween Havoc – 1993
Cactus Jack and Vader had a blood feud that saw the two do everything in their power to destroy and end each other’s careers. Months of brutalization led to an epic collision at Halloween Havoc in a Texas Death match. They saved the best for last in the culmination of an outstanding feud.
Cactus Jack had to fight the odds as Vader’s manager Harley Race tried getting in on the action. The two competitors gave everything they had and thankfully the match played more to their strengths. After a bloody war, Vader would emerge victorious, thanks in part to Harley Race for tasering Jack.
#2.) Diamond Dallas Page vs Randy Savage – Halloween Havoc 1997
In a Las Vegas Sudden Death Match (basically, Last Man Standing), DDP and Randy Savage had the best match of their feud to culminate their outstanding rivalry. While Hulk Hogan and Sting may have been the primary characters in the NWO vs WCW feud, DDP and Savage were having a low-key outstanding one too.
There was even a match that saw DDP beat Savage clean. Many believe Savage’s feud with DDP was the last great one of his career and it’s hard to argue. The Halloween Havoc match saw chaos and in-ring excellence. DDP should have won after hitting the Diamond Cutter but didn’t because of a referee bump earlier.
Savage took advantage and assaulted his ribs with a baseball bat and then the iconic elbow drop to the same area. The recovered referee counted to ten and it was a victory for Savage and the NWO.
#1.) Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero – Halloween Havoc 1997
The greatest match in Halloween Havoc belongs to Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. The two would face off in a Mask vs title match. With huge stakes on the line, the two put on a breathtaking performance that saw them steal the show, bar-none. Not only is it the best Halloween Havoc match ever, but it ranks among the greatest WCW matches ever.
If you’ve never seen it, press play on the video above. What you’ll witness is 14 minutes of fast-paced and incredible cruiserweight magic from the two legends.