10 Things WCW Fans Should Know About Halloween Havoc 1997

Halloween Havoc was a staple part of the WCW PPV calendar, with it even later influencing NXT to carry on its legacy in recent years. Over the years, WCW produced some fun events, and some which were up there with the very worst of all time.

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The 1997 edition of Halloween Havoc offered both the best and worst of WCW, which is perhaps one of the more perfect representations of WCW as a whole, from its glory years to its darker days. There are certainly things that fans should know about the PPV, with it being a notable event, though one which ended in a truly awful manner.

10 Jeff Jarrett Needed Replacing

In the build to Halloween Havoc, the recently ousted Four Horsemen member, Jeff Jarrett, had been feuding with Steve McMichael. They were set to clash at the PPV, but prior to the event, Jarrett’s WCW contract expired, and he chose to not re-sign, instead moving over to WWE.

This led to Alex Wright stepping in as Jarrett’s replacement, wrestling McMichael in the event instead. Wright filled the role pretty much exactly as Jarrett would have, though it did feel strange that a direct swap was made without much reasoning.

9 Goldberg Given A Super Bowl Ring

It is hard to imagine a time in which Goldberg wasn’t a super over babyface in WCW, but at Halloween Havoc, the company were still trying to find the right way to present him. He interfered in the Wright/McMichael match whilst Debra distracted the referee, laying out McMichael.

After the bell, Debra gifted Goldberg the Super Bowl XX ring which was owned by McMichael. It was a weird angle for sure.

8 Unadvertised Gedo Vs Chris Jericho Match

It isn’t overly common nowadays for a PPV to randomly book a match without advertising it, but WCW did so at this Halloween Havoc PPV. In what was billed as a “special unadvertised bonus match”, Chris Jericho took on Gedo.

It is odd that WCW didn’t announce a match like this prior, but it was still a welcome addition to the card. The pair worked well, though this match did feature some scary looking bumps and spots which thankfully didn’t end in any sort of catastrophe.

7 Classic Between Rey Mysterio And Eddie Guerrero

At Halloween Havoc 1997, one of WCW’s best ever matches took place when Eddie Guerrero defended the WCW Cruiserweight Title against his long-time friend and rival Rey Mysterio Jr.

The pair stole the show in an all-time classic. The storytelling was great, the stakes were high due to Mysterio’s mask being on the line, and it furthered the rise of WCW’s brilliant cruiserweight division.

6 Intergender Match

WCW never really put much effort into building a substantial women’s division, though Halloween Havoc did feature Jacqueline, who took on Disco Inferno in an intergender match.

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From the distracted commentary team talking about Hulk Hogan, to Inferno spending most of the match on the outside of the ring, this was in contention for the worst match of the night, as it was truly hard to watch. Jacqueline may have had her hand raised, but no one won here.

5 Referee Used A Replay

Larry Zybysko acted as the Special Guest Referee for the match between Lex Luger and Scott Hall, and he played a major part in the ending of the bout. In classic nWo fashion, Hall initially cheated his way to victory.

Zybysko decided that he wanted to see a replay of the finish, and upon seeing the shenanigans, he restarted the match. However, Syxx interfered for a second time, causing Zybysko to call for a DQ. It was an odd finish, and instances like this can make fans question as to why every referee doesn’t use an instant replay when it is available.

4 Curt Hennig Vs Ric Flair Ends In DQ

On paper, a feud between “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and Ric Flair sounds like it has potential to offer some classic matches. However, their clashes in WCW never quite managed to live up to the billing, and it was no different at Halloween Havoc.

After a fairly decent encounter, things were ruined with a lazy DQ finish, which is always underwhelming on a PPV card, especially with a title on the line, with Hennig defending the United States Championship.

3 Hollywood Hogan Dressed As Sting During DDP Vs Randy Savage

There is no one in professional wrestling who has had as many people dress up as them than Sting. Hollywood Hulk Hogan became the latest individual added to the list of those who mimicked his look at Halloween Havoc.

During the great DDP vs Randy Savage match, “Sting” came out to cost DDP the victory. It turned out to be Hogan under this disguise.

2 Roddy Piper Defeated Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper had been rivals for many years, with them both being a part of the very first WrestleMania main event. Over the years, Hogan had gotten the better of Piper on multiple occasions.

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In WCW, that wasn’t always the case. At Starrcade 1996, Piper scored a win, and the same happened at Halloween Havoc. Their Steel Cage match featured a lot of shenanigans and interference, making it one of the worst main events in wrestling history and up there among the worst Halloween Havoc matches, but Piper managed to escape with the victory.

1 Fan Climbed Into The Steel Cage

WCW tried to end the show with a strong angle, but with the disastrous main event, nothing could have salvaged it. A planted fan climbed over the Steel Cage to showcase anger at what had happened.

Savage and Hogan beat down the “fan” to end the show with the heels standing tall and looking dastardly, but the crowd couldn’t have cared less in truth, with them muted for most of the main event bout.