A Collective Review of WCW Fall Brawl 1996 (WCW vs. NWO War Games!) by Lance Augustine
Welcome back to the TJRwrestling retro WCW reviews where we are reviewing all the WCW Pay-Per-Views during the “Monday Night War” era. I just covered WCW Hog Wild 1996, and while it was a pretty forgettable show overall, it had some nice undercard matches. The main event for the show featured “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan beating The Giant to capture the WCW Heavyweight Title. The match was terrible, but it was a memorable moment due to the fact it was Hogan winning the title for the first time as a heel. I am thrilled that they are back in an arena for this show as well since Hog Wild was held at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and was outside in front of people that couldn’t give a damn what they were watching. You can read all of the WCW shows we have covered on the site here. Will WCW bounce back after the subpar event that preceded this show? Let’s find out!
WCW Fall Brawl
September 15th, 1996
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
The show begins, and the commentary team of Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes welcome us to the show. They talk about the main event on the night which is Team WCW vs. Team NWO in the War Games cage match. They show packages of Sting turning his back on WCW and attacking Lex Luger, as well as The NWO attacking a car outside. They talk about who the fourth man for Team WCW will be before going down to the ring for the first match of the night.
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Page goes in for a clothesline early, but Chavo ducks under and hits a dropkick that sends him to the outside. Guerrero follows him to the outside with a splash over the top. He throws him into the guardrail and starts stomping away on the midsection of Page. Guerrero throws him into the stairs. He grabs a belt and starts whipping Page with it before he rolls him back in. He comes in with a plancha and covers Page for a two count. Guerrero with a crossbody, and slaps on an armbar. Page gets to his feet, but he can’t fight out and Guerrero keeps the armbar locked in. Page makes his way back to his feet and breaks the hold with an elbow to the back of the head. Page gets tied up in the ropes, but Guerrero misses a dropkick trying to capitalize. Page climbs to the top and hits a splash and continues to stomp away on Guerrero. He starts to chokes Guerrero with his boot and uses the ropes for leverage. Page goes for a suplex, but Guerrero counters it into a rollup for a two count. Page gets back up to his feet quickly and takes Guerrero down with a shoulder block. He throws Guerrero into the corner and covers him for a two count. Guerrero attempts to mounts a comeback, but Page takes him down again. Page taunts him which gives Guerrero the chance to punch him in the midsection. He hits a clothesline off the ropes and hits a springboard clothesline right after. Guerrero hits a missile dropkick but he only gets a two count. Flying Headscissors from Guerrero but Page kicks out again. He sends Page into the corner, but he gets the boot-up. Page throws him into the second ring, and he follows him into it. Page goes for a sidewalk slam, but Guerrero reverses it with a head scissors. He rolls Page up for another near fall. Page reverses a whip into the ropes with a Gutwrench Powerbomb, but Guerrero kicks out. I thought that was it. Page goes for a Diamond Cutter, but Guerrero fights out. Page comes back and hits The Diamond Cutter the second time to pick up the win in 13:07.
Winner: Diamond Dallas Page
Match Rating: 3.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a competitive match that was a lot better than it had any right to be. Guerrero was in the beginning stages of his career here, but he held his own against the veteran Page. There were some believable near falls and both men got plenty of time to shine. The near fall after the big powerbomb was a great kick out sequence, even though Page won shortly after. It was a good match and a solid way to start off the show.
There is a WCW special report with Mean Gene. He showcases how the NWO was formed, from Hall and Nash making their debuting, to Hogan winning the title last month at Hog Wild. He also talks about the events that lead up to the War Games match tonight.
Submission Match
Ice Train (w/Teddy Long) vs. Scott “Flash” Norton
These former tag team partners have been going at it the last couple of months, including a match at Hog Wild last month. Also, shoutout to Teddy Long making an appearance here, playa.
Both men lock up with Ice Train gaining an early advantage with an arm drag. He throws Norton into the ropes, but he gets knocked down with a shoulder block. Norton comes off the ropes again, but Ice Train takes him down with another arm drag. Ice Train goes for a splash, but Norton rolls out of the way. Norton hits Ice Train with a DDT and a belly to back suplex and starts to pound on the top of his head. Norton whips him into the ropes, but Ice Train reverses it and hits a big power slam. He follows that up with a snap suplex. He throws Norton into the corner and comes in with a splash. He throws him into the other corner and comes in, but Norton takes him down with a clothesline. Norton locks Ice Train in an armbar as the referee asking him if he gives up. Teddy Long gets on the apron and teases throwing in the towel, but decides against it. Norton lets go of the hold and drops an elbow on the injured arm. He follows that up with a backbreaker and continues to kick Ice Train. He picks him up and throws him into the corner only to have Ice Train reverse it and hit a scoop slam. He puts an armbar on Norton and follows that up with a clothesline to the head. Ice Train goes for a splash, but Norton gets the knees up. He throws Ice Train into the ropes and hits a big spinebuster. He puts Ice Train in a Boston Crab and sits deep into it. He gives up on that and goes back to the arm. Teddy Long distracts Norton enough to have him break the hold. Norton turns his attention back to Ice Train and puts him back in the armbar. Long gets in the ring and Norton grabs ahold of him which gives Ice Train the chance to grab him in a Full Nelson from behind. He works Norton in the move for a minute before Norton taps out and the match is over. It went 7:08.
Winner: Ice Train
Match Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That match, like the Hog Wild bout, was a hoss match with a lot of big-time moves. You couldn’t expect these two to go out and put on a clinic, but the match was better than the one last month. Ice Train had a lot more offense in this match, and making Norton tap out was a strong way to win the match. Both of these guys were built like houses and didn’t move much, so for what it was, the match was fine.
AAA Heavyweight Title Match
Konnan (c) (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Juventud Guerrera
Mike Tenay joins the booth for this international matchup. Konnan adopted a new attitude since he lost the United States Title to Ric Flair and has joined The Dungeon of Doom over the last couple of weeks.
The match begins with Konnan taking a cheap shot on Guerrera and starts hitting boots to the midsection. He hits a release German Suplex and picks Guerrera over his head and tosses him to the outside. Guerrera walks over to the other ring and springboards off those ropes, into the other ring, and hits a splash and picks up a near fall. He works on Konnan in the corner and sends him to the outside. Guerrera takes him out with a suicide dive and throws Konnan into the corner. He attempts to whip Konnan into the guardrail, but he reverses it and hits a powerbomb on the outside. He tosses Guerrera back in the ring and hits The Rolling Clothesline. Konnan follows that up with a dropkick to the knee and covers him for a two count. He puts Guerrera in a leg lock and stretches the arm as well. He whips Guerrera into the ropes and it sends him through the ropes into the second ring. Guerrera comes back with a springboard Hurricanrana that gets Konnan caught in the ropes. He throws him to the outside and hits a splash that hits him square on the head. Guerrera charges in, but Konnan tosses him to the other ring and he lands gut first on the ropes. He tosses Guerrera into the main ring and starts to stretch him out again. Konnan hits a powerbomb and takes him down to the mat with a dropkick to the knee. Konnan hits a series of German Suplexes that forces Guerrera to regroup on the outside. Guerrera comes back in the ring with some shots to the midsection and hits a missile dropkick from the outside. He chops Konnan and tries to hit a Sunset Flip to the outside, but Konnan fights him off. Konnan hits a dropkick from the apron before rolling Guerrera back into the ring. Konnan climbs up top, but Guerrera follows him up. Konnan knocks him off the top and comes off with a dropkick that nets him a two count. Both men exchange roll-ups and Guerrera hits a springboard spin kick that knocks him to the mat. Guerrera comes in for a move, but Konnan reverses it into a slam for a two count. Guerrera recovers and hits a dropkick followed by a flipping leg drop for a two count. Guerrera climbs to the top rope and hits The 450 Splash but Konnan kicks out at two. He climbs up again and hits a spinning splash for another near fall. Konnan hits a variation of The Alabama Slam and almost picks up the win. Konnan picks Guerrera up and hits a Muscle Buster but Guerrera kicks out again. He picks Guerrera back up top and hits The Power Drop to pick up the win at 13:45.
Winner and STILL AAA Heavyweight Champion: Konnan
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: Konnan hit so many moves and Guerrera did a great job taking a beating throughout the whole thing. It could have been over multiple times, but Guerrera showed the resilience and kept kicks out and coming back. He was only 20 years old at the time, and like Rey Mysterio, wasn’t even scratching the surface for the kind of matches he would put on down the line. Konnan looked good here too, and without his influence, the cruiserweight division might not have been as effective as it was.
Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit
This is Jericho’s WCW Pay-Per-View debut. Obviously, we know he will go down as one of the best to ever do it, but it is cool to take a step back and see him in the younger years here.
Both men square up in the ring and exchange slaps. Benoit grabs the early advantage and hits a big clothesline. He picks Jericho up and takes him down with a back body drop. Benoit hits a suplex and covers Jericho for a two count. He sends Jericho into the ropes and hits a Spinebuster and puts him in a Boston Crab. He goes for a Powerbomb but Jericho reverses it into a Sunset Flip for two. Jericho hits a Dragon Screw and continues to take the fight to Benoit. Jericho hits a dropkick to the head and it sends Benoit out to the apron. Jericho comes off the second rope with a dropkick that sends Benoit to the outside and follows it up with a plancha. Jericho rolls him back in the ring and comes off the top with a missile dropkick. He hits a powerbomb and covers Benoit for another near fall. Benoit starts to mount a comeback, but Jericho takes him out with a kick to the chest. Jericho tries to suplex Benoit to the outside but he lands on the apron and suplexes Jericho over the top to the outside. That was a cool spot. Benoit taunts Jericho and hits a knee to the midsection. Benoit hangs him on the top rope and continues to stomp away on Jericho. He hits an elbow and covers Jericho for a two count. Benoit sends him into the ropes and locks him in an abdominal stretch. Jericho fights out with an arm drag, but it’s short-lived and Benoit continues to maintain control. Benoit goes up top and hits the Diving Headbutt and covers Jericho but he kicks out at two. He tosses him to the outside and throws him into the apron of the ring. Back in the ring, and Jericho rolls him up in a small package for a two count. Benoit gets back to his feet quickly, but Jericho puts him in a backslide for two. Benoit puts him in a surfboard and Jericho is in a bad way. He puts him in the corner and lays into him with some stiff chops. Jericho fights back and hits a Nothern Lights Suplex for a two count. Jericho stays on the offensive and hits some shots to the head. He hits Benoit with a Tombstone Piledriver but can’t pick up the win. He comes off the ropes and hits a clothesline, but Benoit kicks out again. They go up top and Jericho hits a Frankensteiner. That looks beautiful. Jericho jumps up to the top, but Benoit pushes him down and he crotches the top. Benoit climbs up from behind him and hits a back Superplex to pick up the win at 14:36.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Match Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was a very competitive match between two great wrestlers. Jericho really held his own here and got a lot of great offense in. There were a lot of believable near falls and at times it looked like he was going to pick up the win. Benoit’s offense always looked great and it was no different here. This was a great way to showcase Jericho early on and he came out of the match looking like a million bucks. Entertaining match all around.
WCW Cruiserweight Title Match
Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs. Super Calo
The two men lock up with Mysterio sending Calo to the outside early on. Calo gets back in the ring and takes the advantage with a headlock and an armbar. Mysterio fights out, but it doesn’t last long and Calo takes him out with a power slam. He climbs up top and hits a big elbow and covers for a two count. Mysterio comes back with an arm drag and comes off the rope with a Hurricanrana that sends Calo to the outside. He gets back in the ring and quickly takes Mysterio out with a dropkick. He hits a powerbomb but only gets a near fall. Calo comes off the top with a big shoulder block and clothesline Mysterio to the outside. He climbs up top and hits a dropkick to the Mysterio on the outside. That looked scary as hell. He slams Mysterio on the floor and rolls back in the ring just to come out again with a senton over the top. Calo tosses Mysterio into the ropes and hits a big side slam. He throws him into the other ring and takes Mysterio off the top with a head scissors. He throws Mysterio into the corner shoulder first. He continues working on the shoulder before throwing Mysterio into the main ring again and takes him down to the mat. He continues to stretch Mysterio and covers him for a two count. Mysterio rolls to the outside and gets kicked in the head as he tries to get back in. Mysterio slides under the legs of Calo and hits a dropkick. He hits a crossbody that sends Calo over the top and to the floor. Mysterio follows him out with a somersault senton and rolls Calo back in the ring. Mysterio comes off the top, but Calo catches him with a dropkick. That was great timing. Calo throws him in the corner shoulder-first once again and tosses him into the opposing ring. Calo grabs him by the arm and comes off the top which pulls down on Mysterio’s arm. Both men go out to the apron and Mysterio hits a Hurricanrana off the apron to the floor. Unbelievable move. He kicks Calo and hits another splash to the outside. Mysterio hits a Sunset Flip, but Calo gets out at two. Calo comes off the ropes and goes for a dropkick but Mysterio moves out of the way and Calo hits nothing but air. Mysterio goes to the other ring and hits a double springboard Hurricanrana and covers him to pick up the win at 15:47.
Winner and STILL WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Rey Mysterio Jr.
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: Super Calo had a great outing here and was on offense for most of the match. He impressed with the way he moved around the ring and went toe to toe with Mysterio the whole match. Mysterio was so fluid here even with it being so early in his career. It was fast-paced and went back and forth with very little slowing down in between. This was the genesis of the Cruiserweight division and boy did they deliver here.
WCW Tag Team Title Match
Harlem Heat (Booker T. and Stevie Ray)(c)(w/Col. Robert Parker and Sister Sherri) vs. The Nasty Boys (Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs)
Stevie Ray and Sags are the first two in for their teams. Ray takes an early advantage and starts pounding on Sags in the corner. Sags comes back with an elbow and he knocks Ray down to the mat. He slides to the outside and all four men are facing off outside the ring. Sags hits a knee to the midsection as they get back in the ring and he makes the tag to Knobbs. He comes in and starts working on Ray, but he fights back and tags Booker into the match. Booker takes Knobbs down with some shots to the head, but Knobbs comes back with a clothesline that sends him down to the mat. Sags is back in and he hits a neck breaker and covers Booker for a two count. He tags Knobbs, who hits Booker with a clothesline. Knobbs signals for Pity City and walks Booker to their corner, but Sherri gets on the apron and causes the distraction. Harlem Heat double team Knobbs as the referee is talking to Sherri. Ray makes his way back into the match and works on Knobbs who is on the mat. Ray comes off the ropes and hits a big boot to the face of Knobbs. He covers him, but Sags breaks it up. Booker tags back in the match and he hits Knobbs with a flying clothesline. Sags tries to get in the ring, but the referee cuts him off which opens the door for more Harlem Heat double-teaming. They roll to the outside of the ring while Sags is in the ring chasing Sherri around. Booker rolls Knobbs back in the ring and continues to remain on the offensive. Ray makes the tag and comes in with a leg drop and holds him while Booker comes off the rope with a double ax handle. Booker goes for the Harlem Sidekick, but Knobbs rolls out of the way. Knobbs gets to his corner to tag in Sags and he starts to clean house. Sags slams Ray down to the mat and he brings Sherri into the ring. Sags rolls up Ray and almost pins him but he kicks out at two. Booker tags back in the match, but he is hit with a piledriver as he comes in. Sags climbs up to the top, but Parker uses his cane and knocks him off the top, and he flys to the outside. He rolls Sags back in the ring where Booker is waiting for him and he covers him for a two count. Booker hits a Scissors Kick and its sends Sags crashing to the outside once again. He tags Ray back in the match and he hits Sags with an elbow. Knobbs gets in the ring and starts beating on Ray but the referee sends him back out. Sags takes out both men with a facebuster and he climbs to his corner and he makes the tag to Knobbs. Knobbs cleans house and takes out both members of Harlem Heat. They hit Booker with a double-team splash, but Parker distracts the referee which allows Sherri to roll in the ring and she hits Knobbs with the cane. Booker rolls over to cover Knobbs and they pick up the win. The match went 15:31.
Winner(s) and STILL WCW Tag Team Champions: Harlem Heat
Match Rating: 2.75/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This was an average tag team match. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but also wasn’t anything heinous. Both members of the Nasty Boys were in the match for longer stretches and both made a hot tag at one point. Harlem Heat worked well as a team and hits all the usual spots. Booker T. would go on to big the biggest star of the four, but this was way before he split off on his own. Parker and Sherri getting involved wasn’t surprising and Harlem Heat retaining was the right call here.
They show a commercial for official Fall Brawl merchandise. I bet you would have been the coolest kid in school with one of those shirts.
Mike Tenay is joined backstage by “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Savage says he is a necessity to the success of WCW and that tonight he will take The Giant down. He said that next month at Halloween Havoc, he is going to rip Hogan’s heart out. Tenay says that Savage can’t overlook The Giant tonight, and he says he never would. Savage says it’s his time to defend WCW and that he will do just that.
The Giant vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
The Giant recently turned his back on WCW and joined the NWO.
The Giant charges to the ring but Savage cuts him off and sends him to the floor with a right hand. Savage comes outside the ring and the two go back and forth before The Giant takes him down. He picks Savage up over his head and tosses him in the ring. The Giant throws him into the corner and hits him with a chop to the chest. He throws Savage in to the ropes and picks him up and hits a delayed side slam. He puts Savage in a backbreaker and continues to wear him down. The Giant gets Savage in a Boston Crab, but Savage gets to the ropes to force the break. He picks Savage up in a bear hug and squeezes the life out of him. Savage grabs part of his face and escapes his grasp. He climbs up top and dives off, but The Giant catches him and slams him down. The Giant goes for a knee drop, but Savage rolls out of the way. Savage starts working the knees and tries to take The Giant down. He climbs up top and this time connects with a double ax that takes The Giant down. He covers him but the Giant kicks out with force. He picks The Giant up and drops him with a scoop slam. Savage tries to capitalize but Hollywood Hogan makes his way to the ring. He lures Savage up the aisle way and Savage is ambushed by Hall and Nash. The three gang up on Savage as Nick Patrick keeps his back turned and is scolded The Giant in the ring. They roll Savage back in the ring and The Giant picks up the win in 7:47.
Winner: The Giant
Match Rating: 1.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: That was more about the story between Savage and The NWO than it was about the match. Hogan coming out was predictable because he will be facing Savage for the title. There wasn’t much to the match as a whole, but The Giant got some impressive spots in. He was really athletic early in his career and moved well around the ring. Savage was a madman as always and it seemed like he was going 100 miles an hour in this match.
There is a commercial for WCW Halloween Havoc 1996. Yes, we will be covering it and it will be my second stab at the annual WCW October Extravaganza.
They start lowering the cage around the ring as they go to the back where Mike Tenay is joined by Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Woman, and Miss Elizabeth. Tenay asks which members of The Four Horsemen will be replacing Sting in War Games tonight. Flair says that the ambulance should be on standby for the outsiders. He also calls Tenay, Mean Gene. Anderson says that they are just going to do it by themselves, Sting or no Sting. Sting joins the fray and claims his innocence, but Luger says he knows it was Sting who attacked him Monday night and that he doesn’t believe him. Sting says he can’t make them believe him but tonight he will still be there for them.
War Games Match
Team WCW (“Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, and ?) vs. Team NWO (“Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and ?)(w/Ted Dibiase)
The War Games match rules are explained by Michael Buffer. Essentially two men start, and every 2 minutes there is a coin toss and the winner of that gets a 2 on 1 advantage. It keeps going until all the members are in and the only way to win is by surrender or submission.
Arn Anderson and Scott Hall are the first two men in the match. They will go at it for the first five minutes of the match. Hall gets some right hands in that sends Anderson into the corner. Anderson counters and hits some shots of his own. He throws Hall into the cage and continues to stomp away on him. Hall hits a clothesline on the way back up and knocks Anderson to the mat. He throws the back of Anderson’s head into the cage and kicks him in the head. Anderson gets back on the offensive and kicks out Hall’s leg and puts him in a leg lock. Hall escapes to the second ring, but Anderson is hot on his trail. Hall cuts him off and takes him down with a shot to the head. The two go back and forth before Anderson puts a sleeper hold on him. Hall counters with a belly to back suplex and comes off the ropes, but Anderson hits him with a Spinebuster. They announce the NWO won the coin toss which means the next man will be assisting Hall.
Kevin Nash Enters 3rd
Nash comes in and tries a clothesline, but Anderson ducks it and tries to take on both men. The numbers game catches up to him though and they start taking him out. Nash hits some Snake Eyes and Hall takes him out with a clothesline. Hall starts kicks Anderson as he is laying on the mat and throws him against the cage as the time expires.
Lex Luger Enters 4th
Luger hits the ring and takes out Hall and then decks Nash with a clothesline. Luger comes off the ropes with a forearm on Nash, and soon hits Hall with one as well. He throws Hall into the cage head first, but Nash takes him out from behind. Anderson saves Luger and he starts working on Nash. Luger and Anderson team up on Hall, but Nash quickly helps out. All four men continue beating on each other as the time expires.
Hulk Hogan Enters 5th
Hogan starts pounding on Luger and Anderson as soon as he gets in the ring. It doesn’t last long though and Luger and Anderson turn the tide and start taking him out. Hall and Nash come to assist and they take advantage of the numbers game. Anderson throws Hogan into the cage, but he is taken out by Hall from behind. Hall and Nash take turns working on Luger in the corner as Hogan hits Anderson with a leg drop. The time expires and it’s time for Flair
Ric Flair Enters 6th
Flair gets in the other ring and makes The NWO come to him. He challenges Hogan and Hogan makes his way over. The two men are going toe to toe and the crowd is losing their minds. Flair knocks Hogan down to the mat and Team WCW has full advantage. Luger with a slam on Hall and Flair puts The Figure Four on Hogan. Nash hits a Powerbomb on Luger as time expires.
NWO Sting Enters 7th
NWO Sting takes out Luger and works him into the corner. The NWO is in full control and continues the assault on Team WCW. Hogan works on Flair and slams his head against the cage. NWO Sting stomps away on Anderson as Hogan hits Flair with a leg drop. Sting hits a Stinger Splash on everyone and the time comes to a close.
Sting enters 8th
The two Sting’s go face to face and he takes NWO Sting out. He takes out every member of the NWO and hits Stinger Splashes on everyone in sight. The rest of the team is standing around as Sting takes everyone out. Luger tries to apologize to Sting, but he isn’t having it. Sting asks is that is good enough for them before he leaves the cage and walks up the aisle. Hogan takes Luger down and hits a leg drop and starts to bite his nose. Flair chops Hall in the corner, but Nash takes him out from behind. NWO Sting puts a Scorpian Death Lock on Luger and Hogan puts him in a front face lock. Nick Patrick says Luger gave up and the match ends after 18:15.
Winner(s): Team NWO
Match Rating: 2.25/5 Stars
Collective Thoughts: This was the genesis of the Sting we would come to know for the rest of his career. Rumor has it that Scott Hall came up with the idea of Sting changing his character and becoming a darker and more brooding version of himself. We will get into a lot of it as the months continue on, but this can be pointed at as the turning point for Sting. Speaking about this match in general, it had some good back and forth action that didn’t slow down thanks to the time limit between periods. It did have some repetitive spots with the fresh man coming in, cleaning house, and being taken out. Sting was the MVP of the match because he wasn’t in long but took everyone out before bailing on the team. The crowd was super into everything they were doing and I enjoyed it as the main event for the show.
After the match, The NWO continues to beat on everyone and they toss Luger to the outside of the ring. Luger crawls up the aisle and is calling out for Sting. Hogan is right behind him and is soon followed by the rest of the NWO. Flair and Anderson head outside and they all brawl up to the entrance. Savage comes out and has his sights set on Hogan. He takes Hogan back to the ring and goes to attack, but The Giant comes and hits him from behind. The Giant hits a chokeslam on Savage as The NWO celebrates in the ring. Elizabeth makes her way down to the ring, and she begs Hogan to stop. Hogan has the spray paint in hand. Elizabeth jumps on top of Savage and Hogan spray paints her instead of Savage. Hogan asks for a mic and continues to trash talk to Savage. Hogan taunts the crowd and says they these two losers made a sacred oath and that they would be together forever. Hogan says that courtesy of The NWO they are going to make that happen and he proceeds to spit on both of them. The NWO continues to celebrate in the ring and Hogan spits on the camera. The Giant hits another Chokeslam and Elizabeth is crying in the corner. The commentators talk about what may happen after this, but are but off when The NWO makes their way up and scares them away. They put on the headsets and talk about North Carolina being NWO country as Savage and Elizabeth are shown being helped to the back and the show goes off the air.
Collective Thoughts: A chaotic way to end the show, but also an effective way of putting The NWO over as a force. They really beat on Savage for a good bit and spray painting Elizabeth was a cool visual for making them seem like assholes. Savage, Hogan, and Elizabeth had a long history before this and it seems like WCW wanted to capitalize on that history. They put the thought of Savage being able to compete at Halloween Havoc in jeopardy and it just felt like a good way to end the show in uncertainty.
Overall Show Grade: 7.75 out of 10
The show had some really solid undercard matches and the main event that delivered. The opening match was way better than it has any right to be and Mysterio/Calo was surprisingly strong for guys who were early on in their careers. Benoit and Jericho had a standout match as well, and it was cool to see Jericho making his PPV debut on this show. There were some average matches on the show too with the weakest being The Submission Match. This was also a low-key important show due to it being the start of the crow portion of Sting’s career. It wasn’t the best show they ever produced, but it definitely was stronger compared to some of the shows we have reviews leading up to this and now it’s on to Halloween Havoc.
What did you think of WCW Fall Brawl 1996? Loved it? Hated it? Seen better? Either way, keep the conversation going over @collectiveheel on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. I also recently started podcasting and have a new network called The Heel Turn Collective. We have new content weekly, including an AEW recap show on Fridays, and I hope you all take a second and check it out. More importantly though, take care of each other, and yourselves. I will be back soon enough with some more Collective Thoughts.