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October Classics: Cactus Jack vs. Vader - Halloween Havoc '93

Spin the Wheel! Make the Deal! It didn't land on Coal Miner's Glove Match this time, and it gave Foley and Vader the chance to beat the crap out of each other. The ending holds this back a little, but each guy had their working boots on for this. Sick bump from Foley when Vader falls back on him. Just an amazing brawl.




WCW Halloween Havoc 1993 - Cactus Jack Vs. Vader by Bluthor

Comments

  1. Great brawl, but ehhh, I always struggled loving this match. It's the amount of pinfalls.

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  2. Such a fantastic match, especially brutal, and need be in a time when WWF was doing whatever the hell it was they were doing in 93

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  3. Hey, bad as WWF was in '93, WCW was far, FAR worse. Lest we forget Lost in Cleveland, Beach Blast mini-movie, the Shockmaster, doing three months worth of tapings in one weekend, breaking up the Hollywood Blondes.....

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  4. Whatever the hell WWE was doing in 93?!?

    WCW 1993 is a strong contender for worst year ever. Everything Weyer said below me PLUS the old timers match at Slamboree and one of the worst Wargames ever. And I'm pretty sure someon can jump in and add more examples.

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  5. Exactly. The NFL is the worst case of this with everything pink all October, in their campaign to get the female demographic. Which I hope isn't successful whatsoever, I find it appalling.

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  6. By this time, Nitro was reaching its fourth month on the air and WCW's momentum seemed to be petering out. The Dungeon of Doom were becoming more and more of an embarrassment and Hogan was having a hard time not getting booed. Even Luger, Sting, and Savage seemed to be getting a little stale at the top of the card, to the point where they decided to give Ric Flair the belt at Starrcade just to freshen things up. And the WWF, after being caught flat footed with Nitro's debut in September and losing time with Bill Watts in October, was finally showing signs of life. The jobber matches were being phased way down and edgy angles like Diesel's post-Survivor Series "shoot" on Vince and HBK "passing out" in the ring were making RAW a very interesting watch. I think the ratings were pretty neck and neck at this point, and became a virtual tie by the end of the year. Vince would even go on the offensive with the Billionaire Ted skits in the new year, probably to counter the shots Bischoff kept taking at the WWF. It would be interesting, in an alternative universe sense, to see how the Monday Night Wars had gone if Bischoff hadn't raided Hall and Nash and the now had never reformed.

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  7. Yeah he definitely would've been cool to tag with Arn as the muscle of the team and had a good tag run. I never saw Benoit as a Horseman. Just didn't have the same charisma to me.

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  8. They don't affect the technical quality of matches or the quality of the booking but they do provide atmosphere, as well as some set pieces (no pun intended) for matches that spilled up the aisle.

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  9. Not an unrare thing in wrestling history. Great workers, atrocious booking.

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  10. Absolutely. I've never been a Sid fan, but I was at the Pittsburgh house show where he replaced the Warrior and wrestled Owen Hart, and when he came down the aisle, I marked the fuck out. He had that same kind of physical charisma that Brock has, where you can't take your eyes off him.

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  11. Hell, way back when Scott did a whole rant on the horrors of that year and how it put WCW in the deep financial hole that made Hogan's arrival look like salvation.

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  12. I pretty much stopped reading this half way through. Does anyone believe his version of events regarding the events of 1991 time? I don't think a single sentence of it matches syncs up with the actual chronology of events.

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  13. Well, I'm pretty sure late 96/early 97 was the absolute toilet for the WWF. That's when Russo got the book and started to turn things around. The Mania he headlined at that time was the worst drawing one ever. So I'm gonna say no. Not that it's neccessarily his fault, but I'm sure he has to be right down at the bottom with JBL and Big Daddy Cool.

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  14. No, he definitely did well for himself. Just seems like it could have been more.

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  15. I've never seen Bret superplex Sid off the top rope and can't see Bret pulling that move off at every house show since he usually saved it for big shows.

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  16. The perm was such a dealbreaker though.

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  17. I felt bad for Sid in a way because he always did interviews talking about how he had one big WWF run left in him, and even that he still wanted to headline a Wrestlemania. But when WWE finally did call him, it was just for a cameo squashing Heath Slater. And the crowd? The crowd didn't give a care. :(

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  18. Iron Sheik Bakery supplies it, I think.

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  19. "Yep Mode" ABeyAnce1©October 2, 2014 at 1:07 PM

    Yeah, it was a very original set.

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  20. What's not to love about it? It shot pyro out of its knuckles!

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  21. Ramen noodle hair doesn't look good on anyone.

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  22. If WCW had gotten it together creatively and administratively in 1993, Vince might have been in real trouble three years early. They had an awesome talent roster.

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  23. CruelConnectionNumber2October 2, 2014 at 1:40 PM

    No super heavyweight will ever come close to being as great as Vader. The ultimate heel.

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  24. Yes, I'm partial to WCW in 1993 because it was my first full year as a wrestling fan and I fully acknowledge that it had some horrible, horrible shit, but there was definitely good stuff, too.

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  25. CruelConnectionNumber2October 2, 2014 at 1:42 PM

    WCW in November 1993 was like TNA in August (to present) 2014. Bleeding money, losing TV (syndication, in WCW's case), deathly live event attendance and cancelled shows. It was strongly believed that WCW would be closing in 1994.

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  26. CruelConnectionNumber2October 2, 2014 at 1:43 PM

    As a kid, I enjoyed WCW Worldwide far more than the crap the WWF had on the weekends. All American Lex Luger? Yokozuna? Gimme Sting, Flair, Blonds, Windham, and Vader all day. Even Bulldog had his working boots on in WCW's main event scene.

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  27. CruelConnectionNumber2October 2, 2014 at 1:46 PM

    Rude and Dustin stunk it up in 1993, IMO. They were great in 91-92 and 94... but they had zero chemistry in their US Title program. Everyone else I'm down with.

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  28. CruelConnectionNumber2October 2, 2014 at 1:47 PM

    Yeah, they'd book week-long West Coast trips in areas where they had little to no syndication and have to fly the wrestlers around to arenas with 1,000 people. WWE bashes Turner but if TBS didnt buy them in November 1988 we'd never have a nWo, Attitude Era, etc most likely.

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  29. Sid Vicious and Sycho Sid are equally awesome ring names and the simple SID pyro above the ring was so perfect.

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  30. Vader should've been a bigger star. He looked scary and his move set looked like it would legitimately hurt.

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  31. The problem with going to a smaller set is that then WWE would have to sell more tickets to prevent the arenas from looking half-empty. The production team has figured out several ways to mask the fact that attendance isn't great even at some of the PPVs, and removing the giant screen that covers an entire arena wall won't help.

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  32. Nah, the huge monster is the penultimate heel. He's Goro, and Shang Tsung is the *ultimate* heel.

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  33. He always struck me as a guy that fit his gimmick and maybe he was just being himself, but actually turned down a little bit.

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  34. Gunther the Nasty LoserOctober 2, 2014 at 2:01 PM

    Part of Sid's appeal in his mid 90's WWF run was his awesome theme music.

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  35. Yeah, I don't recall that either. Not saying it didn't happen, but it doesn't ring a bell. He used the superplex in big matches, which made it feel more special.

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  36. I've always thought Nash's charts were partially a rib on Sid for all of his shoots where he claimed to be the biggest draw since Hogan.

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  37. That's because it did legitimately hurt, Vader worked stiff

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  38. I flicked through that book recently. First page I opened it to had a picture of Sting holding up some kind of trophy with the tagline under it saying "Sting defeats Kevin Nash for the WCW Title, April 13th 1998". I think it might be a stupid book. Not that I'm questioning the point you make, just reminded me of this.

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  39. Anything new would be as bad their new logo, new belts, etc. Save money, fine, but hire some decent designers.

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  40. That's why I never fully believe the stories of TNA's demise untill it happens. Don't get me wrong: It's probably going to happen, but you never know.

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  41. Is a good read, like how Backlund and Bret both take shots on Hogan and they don't hold back calling the ECW revival a total mess. Hell, they even mention Benoit's death.

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  42. Understood, but I'm not aware of an y TV show or sports broadcast where the TV camera men zoom in and out of the action like that...not in the UFC...not in boxing...nothing...they'll zoom in on a pertinent moment of a match, but not to try and recreate the "Whooooooa" cam from Wayne's World...

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  43. An underrated theme. Very creepy.

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  44. Didn't Rude have a really bad injury in 92? Not the injury that finished him off for good, but something happened that significantly reduced the quality of his performances.

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  45. I don't understand it at all either. My assumption is, since they fancy themselves more entertainment than sport they want to cut quickly to the big hard-hitting moments rather than sit in a wide shot (which works for sports in general). So what you get is ADD style bullshit that doesn't give you a clean shot of a lot of highspots.

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  46. Fair does. I might put it on my Christmas list. Looking it up on Amazon, I saw this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Titan-Sinking-The-decline-1995-ebook/dp/B00N23THB0/ref=pd_sim_kinc_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=06DHZX2QHG3C9CA1M74R

    Fits in with a lot of recent blog stuff. Looks pretty interesting. Hadn't heard of it before.

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  47. I think so too but my memory of the 2007ish time that must have happened is hazy.

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  48. The RAW set is now the default PPV set as well. Though there might have been minor differences, Summerslam looked like just another episode of RAW or Smackdown. Seeing the different stages and set designs was one of my favorite parts of watching a PPV, but these days it's just another disappointment... one of many.

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  49. I guess they can afford to be magnanimous now. I still remember the days when they wouldn't even acknowledge other companies by name.

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  50. I even like it when they have that dark mat cover down for certain interview segments and contract signings. Just the slightly different looking ring make things look fresher.

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  51. I would like to see the announce team moved from ringside and into some kind of fiery pit of eternal damnation.

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  52. Yeah, I realized that after I posted. Still, it was later referred to as the Downward Spiral, which still gives me pause.


    And yes, Flatliner is no better all things considered

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  53. He did, but it never seemed to translate into making money. Which is really weird if you think about it.

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  54. The Love-Matic Grampa!October 2, 2014 at 4:07 PM

    Well, that was unexpected. I never would have guessed him as a part of the soon-to-be new "inner circle".

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  55. Two guys I really like but this match doesn't do it for me. Never liked it.

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  56. The Love-Matic Grampa!October 2, 2014 at 4:24 PM

    The Lex Express drove me to WCW (pun intended).

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  57. The Love-Matic Grampa!October 2, 2014 at 4:25 PM

    In those days I had no idea who was doing what business or anything like that, I just knew I liked WCW better. Then Hogan showed up.

    Yeah.

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  58. What an absolute perfect match for Halloween Havoc. Two MONSTERS just destroying each other.

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  59. The Love-Matic Grampa!October 2, 2014 at 4:28 PM

    Too bad Brock couldn't have this kind of match as champion with someone like Bray or Ambrose, where they could lose and still come across as the toughest bastard alive.

    WWE's Rebuttal: But hey, look at Big Show's hands! They're like frying pans! Brock's in trouble now!

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  60. Also, WCW had no knowledge of how to work this match properly. The rules are confusing and kind of takes you out of the match.

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  61. WWE should totally bring back Halloween Havoc... what a fun show that could be.

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  62. Always been a huge Sid mark.

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  63. The Love-Matic Grampa!October 2, 2014 at 4:45 PM

    Pre-back surgery Andre in Japan was pretty awesome, but Vader was a much better athlete overall.

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  64. My Sid fandom has been well documented. Except for maybe Brock, there's never been the guy that fits the look of a professional wrestler more than Sid.

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  65. I could go for that, but instead of Sid traveling for three weeks... just wait until the house show circuit comes close to Sid. That way he could do two or three shows tops. Then when they go to wherever Vader is, have him do two or three shows. I'm sure there's enough guys that are out of the limelight that would be willing to give it a go.

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  66. Once he got the back cut short, he found the look. 1996 Sid is just amazing.

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  67. That would be a better concept show than most ideas they've been using.

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  68. That's an even better idea. They might even get a hometown sales push out of it (that is, if they still live in the same area). You know, "Come see West Memphis legend Sycho Sid!"

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  69. I think it might have also been to get more heat on Diesel as a heel.. problem with Diesel was that he was super likable as a heel and hard to like as a face, so they needed to do whatever they could to make sure people cheered Taker against him, would be my guess. Having him clobber his best-friend/most over baby face in the WWE at that time with a chair was a decent way to do it, though it's weird that it wasn't on Raw or something.

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  70. Like the truth matters. This and the ala challenge have been accused of being scams yet idiots all were proud to support the koney shit which was an actual scam. I blame idiots like alex jones and jesse ventura

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  71. Justin, I think you might not actually be able to tell the difference between "scumbag charities" and the real deal. Please do the research before following the herd. You won't look like as much of an idiot that way

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  72. A fair accusation of the ALS challenge was people were pouring the ice bucket over their head and not giving the money.


    I thought the point of the challenge was no one wants to pour an ice bucket of water over their head so they just donate the $100.

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  73. Hehehe... he said "whack Arn off"...

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  74. Always liked Sid, and I enjoyed this interview.


    I didn't even know that they were filming shoots in 98.

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  75. The first one was in 1996. I think it was New Jack

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  76. That's one of my favorite moments in wrestling ever. The look on Sid's face when he peeks through the curtain will never not crack me up. Would have been a thousand times more awesome if Sid power bombed Hogan after posing with him.

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  77. And the way he interacted with fans at ringside when he came down the aisle. No one was better at it.

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  78. Eh it did become trendy to do so, but they made a decent haul even with the theatrics. jones an his ilk accused them of being a scam charity when they are actually 4* on that site you linked.

    Some people will make any excuse they can not to donate, because they don't want to 'look bad'. It's typical of our society, "I didn't donate not because I'm poor but because the charity is billshit." Anything to keep the blame off themselves.

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  79. what was the mystery partner with Austin all about? don't remember that

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  80. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

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  81. This is a good point. It makes a HUGE difference too -- you lose all of the floor seats and sometimes the upper deck seats behind the screen too. Basically makes a 20k arena in 1995 a 16k-17k arena.

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  82. Yeah, why does the announce team always have to be ringside? I love how they used to mix that up a bit in the 1990s.

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  83. isn't every ppv besides WrestleMania pretty much "non-major" nowadays?

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  84. Threajack: Is the Highspotts documentary on the Crocketd worth the rental?

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  85. There is no humor. Here is a interesting question: In the way most people have a cynic worldview around here -- Is Sid Vicious, the punk singer any different than Chris Beniot?

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  86. And before anybody thinks I'm spamming - it is just a philosophical question that hit me a second ago. Remember that Sid "accidentally stabbed" his "girlfriend" Nancy to death and was in a hotel room giving one of his last interviews and telling the reporter that he was just there "to have fun" and the reporter asked him if he was having fun - he replied "no, I'm not." The reporter asked then where he wanted to be. Response: in the ground. A few weeks later he was dead of an overdose. Therefore, do we put him in the same category as Beniot?

    Personally, I see them as two suffering people needing God in their lives and believing the lies of Satan and succumbing to the evil that any of us could face if we chose to live for ourselves and not for God. To quote Chavo and Jericho - that could of been us that snapped.

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  87. In 1992 and 1993 Vader is the best wrestler on the planet.

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  88. Well... it kinda was really.

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  89. Spot on. Did Kerwin Silfies secretly quit or something? Because I don't recall the camerawork ever being so sloppy under his watch.

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  90. That said, I do miss TNA's awesome "heel ramp" from 2005-2008. That made them look like a major league promotion unlike that eyesore of a set they have today which makes them look more minor league than ROH.

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  91. CruelConnectionNumber2October 2, 2014 at 10:58 PM

    WCW 1993 blows WWE 2014 away. WWE 2014 has like two singles matches at ****.

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  92. TNA's current set looks a lot worse than their old sets too so it's not just WWE that has this problem.

    The set TNA had in the final year of the weekly PPV era and the 2005-2008 "heel ramp" set were both far better looking sets than the HD eyesore they have now which looks like they combined the worst parts of the WWE and ROH sets and the end result is the eyesore we see on Wednesday nights.

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  93. Yeah, he was born way too soon because he would otherwise be a main eventer today just for having a better look than 90% of the current WWE roster.

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  94. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryOctober 2, 2014 at 11:27 PM

    OvalTron > Giant Fist

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  95. davidbonzaisaldanamontgomeryOctober 2, 2014 at 11:27 PM

    I kinda miss when the Impact Zone looked like a redress of the American Gladiators arena.

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  96. Oh yeah, the 2004 Fox Sports Net Impact Zone set. That looked cool too although I still preferred the weekly PPV set.

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  97. Good stuff, thanks

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  98. Yeah, it sounds uniquely horrible. Why was this? Lots of younger guys coming through in big batches?


    What I find particularly interesting is all the talk about Benoit's locker room bully status - something we heard *nothing* about until 2007.

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  99. I dumped water on my head and made a donation.

    So there's that

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  100. He's saying fuck Susan G. Komen because here charity is notoriously awful, and borderline a scam

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  101. Oh right wasn't aware of that, thanks. Will look into it now but surely along with lining their own pockets (happens with all charities) they've also contributed to fighting cancer and saving lives

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  102. The thing about WCW between War Games '92 and mid 1994 was that there would always be a few amazing gems each show hidden behind the cheezy sets, half ass production, crappy stuff on the show etc.

    After Hogan came in, until around the mid 1996 period a lot of these shows were pretty horrendous top to bottom, ESPECIALLY late 1994 to early 1996. But, still a great match on most cards.

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  103. The end of this show in particular is leading right to Luger/Sting v Megapowers. Then you can have the horsemen come out and beat them all down and build to war games...

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