|Date: October 27, 1991
|Venue: UTC Arena |City: Chattanooga, Tennessee
|Attendance: 8,900

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

The show kicks off with an animation of a haunted house with ghosts of the top wcw superstars. 

Jim Ross welcomes us to the show, he’s joined by Tony Schiavone. We’re told that Barry Windham was attacked earlier, which means he isn’t cleared for the chamber of horrors match where he was oddly on the heel team. We’re then shown how this happened. Eric Bischoff outside the arena when Cactus Jack and Abdullah The Butcher show up followed by Diamond Studd and Diamond Dallas Page. Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes are next but Windham gets attacked by Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko. Dustin takes Barry to the hospital. 

Sting, The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) & El Gigante vs. Abdullah The Butcher, Cactus Jack, Diamond Studd & Big Van Vader – Chamber Of Horrors match

Background: This match was originally announced as Sting, The Steiner Brothers and El Gigante against Abdullah The Butcher, Diamond Studd, Oz and Barry Windham. Barry Windham would get taken attacked by The Enforcers and unable to compete in this match so replaced by Big Van Vader. Cactus Jack and Oz would swap places on the card too. Cactus Jack made more sense as he has a long standing rivalry with Sting.

Previous PPV matches: This ia a first match involving these eight men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Sting is 2-0, The Steiner Brothers are 1-1, everyone else in the match wrestles at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Well it seems as though Barry Windham and Oz have been replaced by Vader and Cactus Jack. All eight men go right at it. The referee has a camera on his head! A random masked man appears from a casket. After about five minutes a cage is lowered from the ceiling with an electric chair in. The match ends when someone is electrocuted. Vader throws Rick Steiner into the chair but Steiner fights his way out. Men in white bring out a stretcher. This match is chaos. Cactus Jack is bleeding all over the place. Diamond Studd is the odd man out on his team, what is he doing in this match? All eight men go at it all over the ring. Abdullah gets Rick Steiner in the chair but Steiner hits a belly to belly and Abdullah lands in the chair. Cactus Jack pulls the lever thinking Steiner is in the chair but instead cooks his mate. 

Result: Sting, The Steiner Brothers and El Gigante win. 

Review: The action in this match wasn’t terrible. It was fun for the most part and it was bloody and violent. The concept of the match was ridiculous though. It was cartoonish and I’d rather just have seen an eight man cage match. The baby face team win which makes sense really. Abdullah The Butcher is the man who can sell being electrocuted. 

Rating: 5/10

After the match Abdullah gets into it with Cactus Jack. 

Eric Bischoff is backstage with The Young Pistols who are throwing out a challenge to The Patriots for the US Tag Team Championships. I’m not sure if this was a heel turn.

P. N. News & Big Josh vs. The Creatures

Previous PPV matches: This is a first.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: All four men make their Halloween Havoc debut tonight.

Match: Big Josh kicks off the match and although The Creatures have a bit of success, it’s mostly all Big Josh. PN News tags in and continues the momentum for his team. The Creatures get a little offence in but Josh and News make quick tags and dominate much of the match. In the end Big Josh hits his splash and PN News hits his for the three.

Result: P. N. News & Big Josh win by pinfall.

Review: Well this was a glorified squash match. We knew who was going to win and it might have taken a but longer than it should have but in the end News and Josh win the match. I doubt they’ll become a regular team off the back of this.

Rating: 3.75/10

Beautiful Bobby vs. Terrence Taylor

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Bobby Eaton is 0-2, Terrence Taylor is 1-0.

Match: This is very much a back and forth match. Bobby Eaton brings a faster pace to the match but they are both good technical wrestlers. The fight goes outside the ring where they battle on the ramp and Eaton hits a big elbow drop and the back into the ring where Taylor dominates. Eaton gets his knees up as Taylor attempts a splash which allows Eaton to start his big come back. Bobby hits a spinning neckbreaker and heads to the top but Terrence crotches him. Eaton fights him off and hits the Alabama Jam for the three!

Result: Bobby Eaton wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a really good match between two talented technical wrestlers. They were given a lot of time and they wrestled like they were main eventing the show. These two men have a lot of chemistry and they should to be honest, they’ve been wrestling for months. It feels like this is the last match between these two men though.

Rating: 7.5/10

Jimmy Garvin vs. Johnny B. Badd

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Jimmy Garvin is 2-0, Johnny B. Badd makes his Halloween Havoc debut tonight.

Match: The Freebirds are very popular with the crowd. Michael Hayes is banged up with his arm in a sling. It’s a back and forth match for the most part. Michael Hayes hits Johnny with a cheap shot on the outside. Theodore Long distracts the referee which allows Johnny B. Badd to choke Garvin with some cloth. Badd attempts a sunset flip off the top and it’s a little sloppy. Johnny then hits a top rope elbow drop for a near fall. Johnny attempts a running elbow in the corner but Garvin ducks and Johnny B. Badd goes flying over the top. The two men collide in the middle of the ring, they get up and Garvin hits a DDT but Theodore Long distracts the referee again. Garvin goes after long but Johnny nails him with a left hand. Longeven shoves Garvins foot off the bottom rope to give Johnny B. Badd the victory.

Result: Johnny B. Badd wins by pinfall.

Review: This wasn’t a bad match to be honest. It was a little sloppy in parts but as a lower card match designed to showcase Johnny B. Badd, I didn’t mind it. Johnny was the right man to get the win as he ascends up the card.

Rating: 5.75/10

Missy Hyatt is backstage looking for the WCW Phantom. Bobby Eaton walks past with a pumpkin, saying he’s off to celebrate.

Stunning Steve Austin (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes – Television Championship match

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Both men wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Stunning Steve has Lady Blossom in his corner. It’s a back and forth start to the match with Steve being the more powerful of the two and Rhodes being the quicker. There’s plenty of chain wrestling between the two men. Lots of counters and reversals. Rhodes clotheslines Austin over the top but it’s not a disqualification for some reason. Austin counters a bulldog attempt but gets caught with a right hand. As quickly as Dustin picks up the pace, he slows it down with headlocks. Austin lays into Rhodes with right hands on the outside, busting his challenger wide open. We’ve had regular updates of the 25 minute time limit in this one so I have a feeling it may go the distance. The two men exchange clotheslines and near falls. Dustin hits a bionic elbow and still can’t finish the match as we go into the last minute. Rhodes hits a clothesline off the top but Austin is saved by the bell.

Result: Time limit draw.

Review: This was a really good match. I thought it had a good pace to it and showcased both men really well. There was some good chain wrestling and back and forth action between the two men. A draw keeps it open and I wouldn’t he surprised to see a rematch between the two men at Starrcade.

Rating: 7.5/10

There’s an ad for Starrcade, Battlebowl, Lethal Lottery.

Bill Kazmaier vs. Oz

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Both men wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: These are two big men in this one. Kazmaier gets the first knockdown with a big clothesline and then powerslam. Kazmaier dominates for a few minutes and then applies Lex Luger’s finisher, the rack for the win.

Result: Bill Kazmaier wins by submission.

Review: This wasn’t a great match. Especially compared to the last one. It slowed down the pace. Kazmaier got the big win anyway and things do not look good for Oz.

Rating: 2.5/10

Van Hammer vs. Doug Somers

Previous PPV matches: This match marks PPV debuts for both men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Neither men have wrestled at a Halloween Havoc event before.

Match: This should be a squash. Van Hammer dominates early on, throwing Somers around the ring and hitting him with legdrops. Hammer hits a slingshot suplex for the win. Somers actually kicks out but we’ll call it a three.

Result: Van Hammer wins by pinfall.

Review: This was the squash I thought it would be. Vam Hammer wins against an enhancement talent. It was what it was.

Rating: 2.25/10

There’s a promo from Brian Pillman.

Brian Pillman vs. Richard Morton – Light-Heavyweight Championship match

Background: This is the finals of a tournament to determine the first ever WCW Light Heavyweight Champion. Brian Pillman beat BadStreet to get to the final whilst Richard Morton defeated Johnny Rich and Mike Graham.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Brian Pillman is 0-1, Richard Morton is 1-0.

Match: This is the tournament final for the vacant Light-Heavyweight Championship. The referee has the camera on his head again for this one. It’s a back and forth start to the match and again, lots of chain wrestling. The pace goes up and down much like it did in the Austin/Rhodes match. The two men collide at one point and both men go flying out of the ring where they continue to go at it. Morton shoves Pillman into the ringpost but as they get into the ring, Brian comes off the top with a cross body and gets the three!

Result: Brian Pillman wins the Light-Heavyweight Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a decent match between these two men. The pace as up and down but these are two very talented wrestlers who can go up a gear whenever they decide to. Brian Pillman gets the win and a title win for Pillman has been a long time coming. A decent match.

Rating: 6/10

Z-Man vs. The WCW Halloween Phantom

Background: There is a lot of mystery surrounding the WCW Halloween Phantom and tonight the mystery man takes on Z-Man.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Z-Man is 1-0, The Phantom makes his Halloween Havoc debut tonight.

Match: The Halloween Phantom is a masked man who attacks Z-Man as soon as he gets into the ring. The Phantom is a big guy and he wrestles quickly, not giving Z-Man a chance in the early going. He has a moustache. Z-Man fires back with a dropkick but the Phantom hits a neckbreaker for the victory! I think I know who it is.

Result: The WCW Phantom wins by pinfall.

Review: I don’t want to build my hopes up too much but that looked a lot like Rick Rude. The Phantom picked up the big win and it has to be someone decent to come in and beat Z-Man like that. It was essentially a squash. A big win for the Phantom.

Rating: 2.75/10

The Enforcers (Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko) (c) vs. The Patriots (Firebreaker Chip & Todd Champion) – WCW Tag Team Championship match

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two tag teams.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Arn Anderson drew his previous Halloween Havoc match, the other three men make their Halloween Havoc debut tonight.

Match: Firebreaker Chip and Larry Zbyszko kick off the match and Chip frustrates Larry in the early going. Arn Anderson tags in and also gets frustrated, mostly by Chip’s oiled up body. Todd Champion tags in, he’s a big unit. The Enforcers take control with classic heel tactics and keep Todd Champion away from his corner using quick tags. Firebreaker Chip eventually gets the hot tag and picks up the pace for his team. All four men then go at it resulting in Anderson hitting Chip with a spinebuster for the victory.

Result: The Enforcers win by pinfall.

Review: This match was ok. The tag team division is pretty weak at the moment so this was an easy defence for the champions. Not a classic but Arn in particular is solid and has so much laid back charisma. The Patriots never stood a chance.

Rating: 4/10

Eric Bischoff is joined by Paul E. Dangerously and Madusa. Dangerously says that because he is too outspoken he has been taken off commentary. Dangerously says that to bankrupt this company, he is going to take away the heroes like Sting. Dangerously hired Madusa to help him bring in the man to end Sting before introducing the WCW Halloween Phantom and unmasking him, Ravishing Rick Rude. Rick Rude says that he likes women and money and he’s here to take out low-life scumbags like Sting.

There’s a video package next for Lex Luger and Ron Simmons.

Lex Luger (c) vs. Ron Simmons – Two out of three falls match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship

Background: Ron Simmons was declared number one contender to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and is the receiver of the first PPV title defence for Lex Luger. Luger continued to antagonise Simmons, telling him that he could come and work for the champion as a driver.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time singles PPV match between these two men.

Halloween Havoc PPV Record: Lex Luger is 1-1, Ron Simmons has won 1 and drawn 1.

Match: The match starts with a slow pace. Lex Luger dictates the pace but it’s not long at all until Ron Simmons hits a spinebuster and pins Luger for the three! Ron Simmons gets the first fall!

There’s a rest period where Luger sells his back and when the match restarts Simmons goes right for the champions back. It’s back and forth between these two men for the next portion of the match. Luger hits a big powerslam but can’t keep Simmons down. Harley Race soon gets involved, grabbing Simmons ankle to Dusty Rhodes takes out Harley! There’s a sloppy sequence with Luger flying at Simmons, Luger going over the top and Harley Race somewhat hanging on to Ron to stop him from going over the top too so the referee calls a disqualification, disqualifying Simmons for tossing Luger over the top.

It comes down to the final fall. Luger starts the match with a cheap shot but Simmons gets back into it. Ron hits a spinebuster and a superplex for a near fall. Ron hits a powerslam and then a shoulderblock off the middle rope causing Lex to roll outside the ring. The two men battle outside the ring where Simmons misses with a shoulder charge and hits the ringpost. Back in the ring and Lex hits a piledriver for the victory.

Result: Lex Luger retains the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 2 falls to 1.

Review: This was a really good match. The crowd were really into it and Ron looked like he could win it at times. I never doubted Lex though, he will go on to Starrcade as champion but who will he face? Sting? Barry Windham? A bg win for Luger tonight but Ron Simmons comes out of it looking like a main eventer.

Rating: 8/10

And that was Halloween Havoc 1991. There was some really good stuff on this show but on the flipside, some bad stuff too. The Chamber Of Horrors match was every bit as mad as I thought it would be and really just a bizarre way to win the match. Electrocution? I’m not sure if this will lead to a rivalry between Abdullah The Butcher and Cactus Jack but Jack electrocuting his own partner seems to be the big story coming out of this. I’ll skip over The Creatures. Beautiful Bobby and Terrence Taylor put on a really good match despite me feeling like I’ve seen matches between the two a hundred times before. Johnny B. Badd beat Jimmy Garvin predictably. Steve Austin and Dustin Rhodes put on a really good match. These two have a lot of chemistry but it ends in a time limit draw which suggests that this rivalry will continue.

Next up were a couple of terrible matches with Bill Kazmaier beating Oz and Van Hammer defeating Doug Somers. Brian Pillman beat Richard Morton in a decent match, this was definitely the right result. There just isn’t much of a division for this weight category. The WCW Halloween Phantom beat Z-Man and the hints were definitely there that the Phantom is Rick Rude which is a huge signing for WCW. The match was short and wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Later on we would find out that it is indeed Rick Rude and he’s coming for Sting. I can’t wait for that one. The Enforcers beat The Patriots in a straight forward enough match. Nothing special there but a good defence for the champions. In the main event Lex Luger retained against Ron Simmons, 2 falls to 1. This was a really good main event. It felt like a main event and it really elevated Ron Simmons to the top of the card. This feels like the beginning of Lex Lugers reign though and I look forward to seeing who his next challenger is.

Overall Rating: 50/100 (ranked 17th out of 26 WCW PPV’s reviewed so far)

Match Of The Night: Lex Luger vs. Ron Simmons
Worst Match Of The Night: Van Hammer vs. Doug Somers
Surprise Of The Night: The debut of Rick Rude
Worst Booking Of The Night: N/A
Superstar Of The Night: Lex Luger
Halloween Havoc 91 Will Be Remembered For: The main event and debut of Rick Rude