A Collective Review of WCW Halloween Havoc 1995 by Lance Augustine
Welcome back to the Collective Review series where we are doing a deep dive into retro WCW and ECW Pay-Per-Views. We have discussed the Fall Brawl PPV, which included the War Games match and took place the month before this, and you can check that out here. How would they follow up Fall Brawl 1995? Let’s find out.
WCW Halloween Havoc
October 29th, 1995
Detroit, Michigan
The buildup to the show has been all about Hulk Hogan vs The Giant for the WCW title. At Fall Brawl, the War Games match was won by Team Hogan, but the celebration was short-lived with The Giant raining on their parade.
The show begins like most other WCW shows in this era, with a video package talking about the main event. Technology has really spoiled us because these do not age well. They talk about the Hogan and Giant monster trucks that will be going head to head on this show as well. This is 90’s WCW for you.
We are greeted by the announcers for the night, Tony Schiavone and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. They talk a little bit about the matches for the evening before sending it to a package for the first match.
Opening Notes: The monster truck thing is ridiculous. Going back and watching this I have a vague recollection of this show and thinking it was out of this world, and I was 7. This announce team was the voices of WCW and I think they had great chemistry that stands up today. Obviously, with Schiavone back in AEW, we are getting that nostalgic feeling again, but Tony and Bobby worked well off each other every week.
WCW Television Title Match
Diamond Dallas Page (w/The Diamond Doll and Max Muscle) vs. Johnny B. Badd
Page is out first with his entourage and a confetti gun in tow. At Fall Brawl, DDP and The Renegade had a match for the TV title in which DDP came out on top, winning the title in the process. Johnny B. Badd had a back and forth contest at Fall Brawl with Brian Pillman, which Badd won and this title match is a result of that win. The two have been going back and forth on WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Saturday Night, with tempers building up to the match.
Badd starts off the action quick by getting the ring in a hurry and hitting DDP with a flurry of offense. Both men spill to the outside where Badd takes turns hitting DDP and Max Muscle. They go out into the crowd with Badd throwing DDP into the guard rail. They roll back into the ring where Badd maintains the advantage with an armbar. The camera shows Diamond Doll concerned on the outside as Badd continues to work over the arm of DDP. Back to their feet, DDP reverses course and tries to get the upper hand but is cut off for his efforts. Badd continues working over the arm as Page returns to his feet and rebounds with some stiff shots. Badd with a dropkick that sends Page into the corner. As he comes in, DDP hits the snake eyes and takes the advantage back. DDP keeps hitting Badd with an offense that keeps him grounded. DDP pulls Badd back to his feet and starts to work him into his corner. Page with a stomp on the hand and covers Badd for a near fall. DDP whips him into the corner, followed by a belly to back suplex. He then hits Badd with a facebuster for a two count. DDP continues with the advantage with a chin lock in the middle of the ring. Badd attempts to make a comeback and the crowd is behind him. Badd gets back to his feet but is pulled down quickly by the hair for another near fall. DDP continues to work over Badd with a chin lock locked in again.
Both men are back up with Badd reversing and hitting a backslide for a two count. DDP is quickly back to his feet and hits a clothesline. Badd with a sunset flip but can’t get DDP over and Page gets a two count. DDP regains control and slaps on a chin lock a third time. Badd attempts to gain some traction but is quickly taken down again and DDP scores a two count. DDP starts unwrapping his fists and starts choking Badd with it as Max Muscle distracts the referee on the other side. DDP continues to work over the neck of Badd, using his weight advantage with success. Badd raises his arms and is quickly back to his feet, and he takes DDP down with a suplex. Both men are down on the mat as the crowd is firmly behind Badd. DDP is the first to his feet and walks over to Badd but is met with a blow to the midsection. DDP rebounds and hits Badd with a right hand before Badd reverses and hits a Manhattan Drop followed by the quick offense that takes DDP down to the mat. Badd with a missile dropkick off the top which the Diamond Doll holds up a 10 card for. Badd keeps the advantage and hits a series of near falls. Both men exchange blows before DDP attempts a Diamond Cutter, which Badd blocks by grabbing the ropes. DDP spills to the outside where Badd hits a splash on both him and Muscle. Back in the ring, Badd hits a plancha for a two count. Muscle is up on the apron and is almost hit by DDP before Badd dropkicks him into Muscle. Both men recover and get back in the ring as Muscle returns to the apron. DDP holds Badd for Muscle to clock him but Badd ducks and he hits DDP with a clothesline. Badd knocks Muscle off the apron and covers DDP for the three count and wins the title at 18:43.
Winner and NEW WCW Television Champion: Johnny B. Badd
Match Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Match Notes: The match was average, with Page getting the upper hand for most of it. Johnny B. Badd was ahead of his time as far as high flying goes and really shows some good athleticism here. Page was the bigger man of the two and used that to his advantage with a lot of rest holds and using his weight to maintain the pressure. You knew Max Muscle would be involved and the Diamond Doll giving props to Badd will be a point of contention moving forward. Badd definitely had a better showing again Pillman last month, but there wasn’t anything terrible about this match. The crowd was firmly behind Badd and he was over big as a babyface.
After the match, Badd celebrates in the ring with his newly won title as the Diamond Doll looks on with a smile. They show replays of the match and we are back with Tony and Bobby. They talk about the monster trucks we will see later in and night and also bring up this being The Giant’s first match. They talk about the main even a little bit more before handing it off to David Penzer to introduce the next match.
The Zodiac vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
The Zodiac is just Brutus Beefcake under some paint and has to be one of the worst gimmicks ever. It never hurts to be buddies with Hogan as proven by this being a thing. Macho Man is out second and obviously over with the crowd. This will be his first of two matches tonight. Both of these men were involved in the War Games match last month at Fall Brawl and this is a grudge match to keep the rivalry between The Dungeon of Doom and allies of Hogan alive.
Macho attacks first by hitting Zodiac in the back while he was posing on the second rope. Macho continues to work over Zodiac as a fan gets in the ring. The fan tries to do everything he can to get to both wrestlers, but the referee and security get him out of there. The Zodiac hits Macho with some offense before being taken down, hit with the Elbow Drop, and pinned at 1:30.
Winner: “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Match Rating: 0.5/5 Stars
Match Notes: Anyone watching this show knew this was going to be a squash. When the most exciting thing about the match is a fan jumping in the ring, you know there isn’t much going on. It’s always good seeing Macho Man do his thing in this time period, so I guess that’s always a plus. I couldn’t give it a zero just based on that fact alone. Other than that though, this was pretty much a dud.
After the match, they show the replays of the elbow drop and talk about Macho’s second match of the night against the winner of Meng vs. Lex Luger.
Mene Gene is backstage and puts over the WCW hotline for all the latest gossip with WCW. I will never forget the number 1-900-909-9900 for the rest of my days. He is then joined by the new TV Champion Johnny B. Badd. Badd talks about telling all the kids to believe in themselves and they can achieve anything. Gene asks about DDP in which Badd replies with never giving up and how he will “never quit” WCW. That’s hilarious because he is gone from the company a short time after this. Badd jokes a little bit more with Gene before going back to the ring.
“Road Warrior” Hawk vs. Kurasawa (w/Col. Robert Parker)
This match stems from the summer at Clash of the Champions when these two were on opposite sides and Kurasawa tried to break Hawk’s arm. This is a rare singles match for Hawk as normally he is one half of the Legion of Doom.
The match starts with Hawk hitting some offensive and getting a quick two count. Hawk continues to hit Kurasawa with chops and punches knocking him to the ground. Hawk pushes into the corner but misses with a shoulder block. He isn’t fazed though and hits Kurasawa with a backbreaker for a near fall. Powerbomb by Hawk followed by interference by Robert Parker, leading to Kurasawa taking the advantage. He misses an elbow drop from the top rope and Hawk knocks him to the outside. Kurasawa takes advantage of a distracted Hawk and rolls him in the ring. Kurasawa hits a series of moves, including a Samoan Drop, and as he covers Hawk, Parker pulls down on his foot to give him leverage and the win at 3:15.
Winner: Kurasawa
Match Rating: 1/5 stars
Match Notes: The match wasn’t very good. Obviously, with these two guys in the match, you don’t expect some technical masterpiece. Even with that particular knowledge, this was still below average. Hawk had the most offense and took on both Kurasawa and Robert Parker throughout various points in the match. That’s two short matches in a row.
After the match, Hawk immediately springs up and dispatches Kurasawa out of the ring. Parker and Kurasawa make their way back up the aisleway as Hawk poses in the ring.
Back with Mene Gene, who is with the Macho Man. Macho talks about his upcoming match with Luger. They were teammates last month at Fall Brawl, but a little dissension in the match and the weeks leading up to this has caused a rift. He says he is going to show Luger who the real man is. Gene brings up the monster truck battle later in the night. Macho says he in team Hogan all the way and that’s it for Gene and Savage.
Mr. J.L. vs. Sabu (w/The Sheik)
Count me in the minority that had no idea Sabu was actually in WCW. He is obviously known for being in ECW for most of his career but made appearances with other companies. He is out with his uncle, The “Original” Sheik. J.L. is making his WCW in-ring debut – it was Jerry Lynn.
Sabu runs into the ring, but is met quickly with a kick to the back of the head from J.L. Sabu with a moonsault to the outside that takes both J.L. and the Sheik out. J.L. recovers and hits a splash to the outside. Back in the ring, Sabu takes back the advantage with forearms before missing a moonsault. J.L. climbs to the top and hits a moonsault of his own, followed by a sit-out powerbomb for another near fall. I swear Sabu’s only offense for the first minute are those damn moonsaults. J.L. whips Sabu into the corner and misses with the shoulder block and hits the post. Sabu hits a top rope plancha and scores a two count. J.L. regains the advantage and hits a bridging German suplex for a near fall. Sabu goes back to the top, but is dropkicked and lands on the outside. Sabu gets back up on the apron and chokes J.L. on the rope, who hits the mat. Sabu capitalizes with yet another moonsault and picks up the win at 3:25. The Sheik also shot a fireball at J.L. after the match for some unknown reason.
Winner: Sabu
Match Rating: 0.75/5 Stars
Match Notes: I don’t think I have ever seen so many moonsaults in one match in my life. The match began with one and ended with one. That is three short matches in a row, but at least in this one both competitors got some stuff in. It’s hard to dissect a match this short, with so little moves being done. I gave it a quarter star higher than the Macho Man match due to this one being less lopsided. If there isn’t another moonsault on this entire show, I would be ecstatic.
After the match, Sabu and The Sheik celebrate as they show two replays from the match.
Tony and Bobby continue to hype up the main event. The first half of this show has been a real treat.
We get a Dungeon of Doom backstage promo with Kevin Sullivan and The Master. They talk about bringing down Hulkamania. The Master tells Kevin Sullivan that not only will they destroy it in WCW, but around the globe. Sullivan talks about the insurance policy that they have for Hogan later on tonight.
Back to Tony and Bobby who talk about The Yeti and how it will be making an appearance tonight after breaking out of its ice capsule on Monday. Wow. Heenan talks more about how dangerous Sullivan can be and tonight will prove it. They shoot backstage to where Mene Gene is with Hogan and his crew gearing up for their monster truck battle. Hogan is there to present a new Harley Davidson motorcycle which is won by a fan who entered the WCW contest for it. They are also joined by various members of Harley Davidson. Hogan gives the winner, Mike Hall, the keys and talks about his upcoming battle with The Giant later in the night. Gene talks to the people from Harley Davidson as they present a custom jacket and hat to Mike as well. Gene points out how this motorcycle means a lot to Hogan in particular. Hogan talks about The Giant some more as the segment ends.
There is a commercial for WCW World War 3 on November 26th and will be the next Collective Classic Review. For those who don’t know, World War 3 was WCW’s answer to the Royal Rumble except they have 3 rings and 60 men compete. I can’t wait and try to keep up with that one.
Meng (w/”The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan) vs. Lex Luger
The winner of this match will also have a second match against Savage. Both of these men were also on opposing sides of War Games with Luger being part of the Hulkimaniacs and Meng in the Dungeon of Doom.
Luger starts the match off and hits Meng with lefts and rights. Side headlock by Luger before hitting Meng with a boot. Luger Catapulted Meng into the corner for a two count. Meng takes over and puts Luger’s head into the turnbuckle. Meng with a small package for a near fall. Meng continues wearing Luger down with forearms to the back. Luger makes a comeback and clothesline’s Meng over the top. Sullivan comes over to pick Meng up as Luger jumps to the outside and hits Meng from behind. Back in the ring, Luger continues working over the arm. Meng with an elbow to the side of the head to regain the advantage. Another shot by Meng knocks Luger down to the mat. He continues working him over with stomps. Luger blocks a right hand and whips Meng into the corner. Luger misses charging in the corner and is slammed to the mat for a near fall. The referee is checking on Luger as Meng panders to the crowd. Meng jamming down on Luger’s thumb. Luger attempts to get back to his feet but is cut off and stomped into the corner.
Meng drops Luger with a piledriver for a near fall. Meng starts choking Luger, followed by a chinlock in the middle of the ring. He applies the pressure as Luger starts to fade away. Luger raises up to his feet before hitting Meng with some elbows and a cross-body block. Meng recovers and knocks Luger back into the corner. Meng with a belly to back suplex. He pulls Luger back up from the hair and tosses him outside. Sullivan is on the outside looking down on Luger. Meng continues to knock Luger to the outside. Luger rolls back in the ring but is cut off by Meng, who continues to stomp away at him. Forearm shots keep Luger down on the mat. Meng tries a dropkick but misses when Luger grabs the rope. Luger suplexes him back into the ring from the apron. Both men are back to their feet and traded blows in the ring. Luger with a forearm smash that knocks Meng to the mat. Back body drop sends Meng back to the mat, followed by a series of clotheslines. Powerslam by Luger as Sullivan rolls the golden spike into the ring for Meng, who hits Luger with it. As he goes for the pin, Sullivan gets in the ring and kicks Luger causing the referee to DQ him and give Luger the win at 13:18.
Winner via DQ: Lex Luger
Match Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Match Notes: There wasn’t much to the match as a whole. Both Luger and Meng won’t blow you away with their in ring ability, but both men got some stuff in. Luger showed his power in spots of the match, while Meng controlled most of it. This won’t be mistaken for a classic, but it did its job. Sullivan kicking Luger to cause the DQ was done so that Luger and Savage would have to wrestle each other after being teammates.
After the match, Meng confronts Sullivan as he tries to explain why he got involved in the match. They show replays of the match.
Standing backstage with Mene Gene is The Giant in a ridiculous jumpsuit. He grabs Gene’s hand with the mic. He talks about Hogan not being man enough to meet him at the top of Kobo Hall. He says that it’ll be machine vs. machine up there and there is no way Hogan can overpower him. He says he is going to push him off the roof and he will roll him back in the ring and win the title. Gene asks him about the title match in the main event. The Giant says if Hogan survives the truck battle, he will defeat him tonight for the title. The Giant walks away as Gene sends it back to the ring.
”Flyin’” Brian Pillman and Arn Anderson vs. Sting and “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair
Pillman and Anderson are members of the Four Horseman here. Last month at Fall Brawl, Anderson and Flair had an emotional grudge match with Anderson coming out on top. Sting is the U.S. Champion and longtime rival of Flair, so it’s interesting seeing them together here. Sting is out with no Flair in sight, making it a handicap match to start.
Sting and Anderson are the first two in and start feeling each other out. Hammerlock by Sting trying to keep Anderson grounded. Anderson comes back with some offense and a Full Nelson. Sting knocks both Pillman and Anderson to the floor. Pillman knocks the cameraman out of the way before Anderson rolls back in the ring. He knocks Sting down but he comes back and knocks both men back to the outside. The referee starts to make the ten count as Anderson jumps back in the ring. He tags in Pillman, who locks up with Sting and gets pushed to the outside. Sting chases him out and knocks both him and Anderson back to the ground. The crowd is behind Sting at this point and he press slams Pillman over his head and throws him to the mat. Pillman scurries to his corner to tag Anderson back in the match. Pillman and Anderson huddle in the corner before he walks out and kicks Sting in the midsection. He continues working gun over before Sting recovers and catapults Anderson into the corner. He kicks Pillman to the outside and he hits the guardrail. Anderson grabs the advantage when Pillman head butting Sting from the apron.
Flair comes down to the ring in street clothes. He chases Anderson around the ring before getting in the corner to wait for Sting’s tag. Anderson with a boot to the throat of Sting. Tag to Pillman to chops Sting in the corner before hitting some double team moves with Anderson. He locks Sting in a chinlock as the crowd cheers for Flair to get in the match. Flair tries to get in the ring but the referee cuts him off giving Anderson and Pillman to double team Sting. Pillman attempts a splash from the top but Sting gets the knees up. Flair is dancing in the corner begging for the tag. Sting goes into his corner but is taken out at the last second by an Anderson suplex. Anderson has a knee dropped blocked before catching Sting trying to make the tag. Pillman pulls Flair off the apron and is chases around the ring. Anderson with the abdominal stretch assisted by Pillman. Pillman makes the tag and continues beating him on the mat. He hits a snapmare and puts Sting in a half crab. Tag back to Anderson, who comes in stomping. Three near falls as the tension rises in the arena. This crowd is hot for Flair and Sting. Sting makes a comeback before being hit with a AA Spinebuster. That has to be one of the prettiest moves in wrestling. Pillman tags in and out before stomping on Sting a little bit more. A tag to Anderson, who puts him in a leg lock and tries to isolate him. Anderson with a bearhug as Sting gets his arm up at the second arm drop from the referee. Pillman back in and cuts Sting off again trying to make a tag. Sting fights off both opponents and Flair wants the tag. Sting and Pillman both make the tag at the same time. Flair comes in the ring and hits Sting right away. All three men start to beat on Sting as the referee throws the match out at 17:09.
Winner(s) via DQ: Sting and Ric Flair
Match Rating: 3/5 Stars
Match Notes: That’s two matches in a row with a DQ finish. This was the most entertaining match so far on the show, but that isn’t saying much. Sting was in the entire match and shows good fire throughout and never gave up. This was essentially a handicap match due to the fact that whenever Sting finally did make the tag, Flair hit him anyway. Anderson and Pillman worked well as a team and hit a lot of double team moves. I enjoyed the match for the most part.
Gene is waiting for the three men at the entranceway to get an interview. They continue to stomp on Sting in the ring, before heading up the aisle way. Gene pushes the hotline and shows Hawk backstage “on the phone”. Flair grabs the mic from Gene and starts talking about how good the Horseman are. He passes the mic to Pillman who gives him a woo, and Anderson talks about the fans getting what they deserve, before heading to the back. Sting is shown being carried out of the ring.
Mike Tenay is backstage with Lex Luger. He asks Luger about his match with the Macho Man coming up. Luger talks about forces in “The World Championship Wrestling” not wanting him to come out on top. He said people want this match to happen for reasons unknown to him. He says that when the bell rings, friendships won’t matter. He says he will beat The Macho Man, and then he will win the WCW Title from Hogan. He says he is going to take him apart piece by piece. They go back to the ring where we are shown a package where we see the history of Hogan and The Giant and what brought us here.
Cobo Hall Monster Truck Battle
This is the first of the two matches these two are scheduled to have tonight if you want to call it a match. The concept is is that Hogan and The Giant are going to drive their respective monster trucks and attempt to push the other out of the ring. I wish I was making this up. Eric Bischoff and Bob Chandler join Heenan on commentary for this. Chandler was the man that “designed” both trucks.
Both men are shown yelling back and forth as they are told the rules. The trucks are welded together and they start pushing each other back and forth. Hogan is shown inside his truck and he starts to push The Giant out of the ring. He keeps up the pushing as The Giant is shown inside his truck. Stalemate as both trucks is in the middle pushing each other back and forth. Hogan almost loses but only one set of tires were out of the ring. The trucks continue just pushing each other in the middle of the ring.
The Giant runs Hogan into a randomly placed firecracker on the ground. Hogan starts up with some momentum and pushes The Giant out of the ring to win this thing. Both men get out of their trucks, and The Giant lifts Hogan up by the neck. They both climb to the edge of the building where Hogan hits punches The Giant off of the building, presumably to this death. This is wrestling, though. Hogan is shocked and runs to get help.
Segment Notes: That was just as bad as I expected it to be. These are the kinds of things that make wrestling look phony. From the spectacle side, I guess it was something to see, but as a whole was completely ridiculous. The Giant getting pushed off the edge of the building was the icing on the cake.
Bischoff is shown back at the announce table trying to get answers from the back. He tells Heenan that he is leaving to find answers and has Schiavone back on commentary.
Lex Luger vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Luger is out first for this face vs. face match. This is to prove who the better man is of the two former teammates. Both men get a big reaction.
Both men face off in the ring while the commentators talk about The Giant falling off the roof. Luger reaches for a handshake but Savages decks him. Jimmy Hart is making his way down to the ring, dressed in all black. Luger continues stomping on Savage in the ring. Luger hits Savage with a kick to the chest and continues to choke him on the top rope. Savage makes his way back to his feet and hits Luger with some right hands. Luger takes back control and tosses Savage to the outside. Heenan is getting fired up about what happened outside and starts yelling at Schiavone to find some answers. Luger and Savage trade blows on the outside and Luger gets hit with the steps. He gets thrown into the guardrail, before going back in the ring. Savage comes off the top but is hit on the way down. Jimmy Hart is on the apron distracting the referee. Luger gets whipped into the ropes and hits Hart off the apron. Savage capitalizes with the elbow drop off the top rope for the win at 5:13.
Winner: “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Match Rating: 1.75/5 Stars
Match Notes: That wasn’t much of a match. Luger got the offense in early, but after spilling out to the floor it was all Savage. Jimmy Hart playing into the finish was something unexpected. He wasn’t managing either man so for him to be here was building to something down the line. Obviously, this match wasn’t going to go that long since both men had matches already. Savage picked up two wins in a span of about 7 minutes between the two.
After the match, Heenan is shown leaving the desk to find out what’s going on. He comes right back because he said there are two many people waiting around to find out. He yells at Schiavone a little bit more and said “you don’t know how far back me and that man’s father go” talking about the fact that they billed Andre as The Giant’s father. They show replays of The Giant and Hogan fighting outside. It’s time for the main event.
WCW World Heavyweight Title Match
Hulk Hogan (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The Giant (w/“The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan)
Michael Buffer is out for the introductions. He introduces The Giant first, but Hogan’s music plays and he is out first. Hogan is dressed in all black and has Jimmy Hart holding the WCW Title. Hogan grabs a mic and says that he didn’t mean to push The Giant off the building. Just as he says that The Dungeon of Doom music plays and The Giant walks down to the ring.
The Giant runs to grab Hogan, but he jumps out of the ring. Hogan walks around outside and tries to get in the ring but The Giant won’t allow it. The referee lets Hogan get in the ring to start the match. The two circle each other in the ring with Hogan getting the upper hand. Hogan takes off his bandanna and has the taskmaster paint on his forehead. Hogan tried to slam him, but The Giant clubs him in the back. The Giant continues to work on Hogan and whips him from corner to corner. Big chops on Hogan. The Giant continues to stalk Hogan around the ring and starts to choke him in the corner. He puts his foot into the throat of Hogan and chops him down again. Test of strength as Hogan tries to make a comeback with the fans behind him. The Giant maintains control and keeps Hogan grounded. Hogan gets to his feet but is kicked in the gut before he can mount any momentum. The Giant hits an elbow and scoop slam on Hogan. He attempts an elbow drop but Hogan moves. He climbs the ropes and starts the ten count punches in the corner.
Hogan with back rakes followed by a clothesline that doesn’t knock The Giant down. He hits two more before knocking The Giant over the top to the floor. Sullivan pulls The Giant to the ramp and tried to leave up the ramp. Hogan grabs him and throws him back in the ring. He hits shoulder blocks that have no effect. The Giant goes for the chokeslam but Hogan gets the eyes. Hogan hits the ropes but is hit with a backbreaker for a two count. The Giant stomps on Hogan and puts him in a bearhug. He continues to squeeze Hogan more as he tries to escape. Hogan tries to make a comeback but The Giant locks it in more. Hogan escapes but is quickly clubbed again and slammed to the mat. The Giant locks in the bearhug again, as Tony and Heenan bring up Hogan vs. Andre, which also took place in Detroit. Hogan is starting to fade but gets his arm up before the third dropped arm. Hogan hits a flurry of punches on The Giant but he recovers and hits the chokeslam but Hogan kicks out. Hogan starts to “Hulk up” again and circles the ring.
Hogan hits the big boot but The Giant stays up. He walks around the ring before slamming The Giant and hitting the leg drop. Before the referee can make the count, Jimmy Hart gets up and kicks him out. Hart gets in the ring and pushes the referee back down before hitting Hogan with the title belt. The Giant locks in the bearhug again, as Sullivan and Hart are in the ring cheering it on. Savage and Luger run down to the ring but Luger attacks savage before he could do anything. The YETI makes its way down to the ring and locks in a bearhug from behind Hogan. If you haven’t seen this yet, the visual is worth watching alone. Both men continue to lock on to Hogan, eventually, having Luger put him in the torture rack. He racks Savage too as the crowd boos at everyone in the ring. The referee comes to his senses and throws the match out at around 15:00.
Winner and STILL WCW Heavyweight Champion: Hulk Hogan
Match Rating: 2/5 Stars
Match Notes: That match was 15 minutes with probably 7 or 8 of it being a bearhug. The Yeti looked ridiculous and that double bearhug was something to behold. The crowd was into everything Hogan was doing which helped the rating a little bit. They told the story of Hogan and Andre multiple times throughout the match and duplicated some of the spots from that match here. Below average main event.
After the match, the Dungeon of Doom celebrates in the ring as Hogan and Savage are still down. Trainers come down to check on both men. Tony and Heenan close the show talking about what just happened with Heenan cheering the fact that Hogan and Savage are hurt in the ring. They talk about Nitro tomorrow night and the show is over with credits running on the screen at 2 hours and 39 minutes.
Overall Show Rating 3.5 out of 10
This show was not very good. There were multiple squash matches, with Randy Savage having two matches in about 7 minutes combined. Flair turning on Sting was a noteworthy angle, with that match being the best of the night. The monster truck thing was weak and The Giant falling off a building only to come back 25 minutes later is hard to explain. The Yeti made its debut here and this was one of the only times we saw it on TV. Jimmy Hart turning on Hogan was a big deal at the time and we will see where that leads us into the next PPV. This show was a good example of why WCW failed to generate any money before the big NWO angle. Overall, a below-average show.
What did you think of WCW Halloween Havoc 1995? Did you ever see it? Do you remember watching it? Does The Yeti still haunt your dreams? As always keep the conversation going over @collectiveheel on Twitter and let me know your thoughts. The next Collective Classic Review will be WCW World War 3, which I’m sure will have fallout from this show and the Nitro’s that follow. You can also catch me every week reviewing AEW Dark. Support the site and each other and I’ll be back soon.