10 Best Halloween Havoc Matches

A staple of World Championship Wrestling and later WWE NXT, Halloween Havoc has featured several excellent bouts over the years.

Not every match was the treat we'd hope for, but we've got a few that are far from tricks. Hopefully reading about 10 certified bangers from Halloween Havocs of the past will whet the appetite for the night of spooky festivities that is to come.

10. Ric Flair & Sting Vs. Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman (1995)

WWE.com

It's been said time and time again, but Sting really was too trusting, wasn't he?

Flair had been bickering with Anderson leading up to this and, after Pillman interfered in their match at Fall Brawl, the Nature Boy asked Sting for help and Sting, being the sweet, gullible man that he is, agreed.

However, earlier in the night, viewers were informed that Slick Ric had been attacked backstage and that his participation was in jeopardy.

And so what we basically got was a glorified handicap match, with Sting taking on both Double-A and the Loose Cannon, until Flair came out in slacks and with a huge bandage on his head.

They built and built the hot tag beautifully and, when Ric finally tagged in, the crowd went nuts...

...only to turn silent mere moments later, as Naitch instantly (and hilariously) turned on his partner.

The bulk of the match was just dandy, as you'd expect, but the reveal and post-match beatdown and promos were exceptional as the Horsemen were finally back up and running.

9. Steve Austin Vs. Dustin Rhodes (1991)

WWE.com

Years before they were Stone Cold or Bizarre Ones, Steve Austin and Dustin Rhodes were two hot, young up-and-comers looking to break through the WCW glass ceiling (good luck with that one).

The two were technically savvy and knew how to draw people into their matches, as evidenced by their United States Title match at Halloween Havoc 1991.

'Stunning' Steve was defending and tried to ground The Natural, to no avail. Rhodes kept coming back like the working class, fiery babyface he was, as the match ebbed and flowed nicely.

The early mat-based exchanges were quick and crisp and, eventually, Austin gained control when Dustin got busted open.

Eventually, he came back and there was a really hot closing stretch that saw ol' Chilly McFreeze get cut as well. There was a true sense of desperation as they approached the fifteen minute mark, as Dustin threw everything he had at his opponent.

Unfortunately for him, he ran out of time and Austin retained due to the draw. Regardless of the result, this was an excellent showing for both.

8. Ric Flair Vs. Hulk Hogan (1994)

WWE.com

The arrival of Hulk Hogan in WCW brought with it a lot of gaga that had characterised his run in WWE.

So for his WCW Title defense against Ric Flair at Halloween Havoc, not only was it a cage match, but both of their careers were also on the line and Mr. T was enlisted as the special guest referee.

Despite all of those distractions, the work in the main body of the match was very good, as Flair did all of his usual theatrical bumping before the Hulkster decided to sell.

Inevitably, B.A. Baracus got bumped and the match turned into pure sports entertainment thereafter.

Sensuous Sherri tried to scale the cage and interfere, only for Jimmy Hart to pull her dress off. Sting came out to help, only to get clobbered by a mysterious masked man. Sherri finally got into the cage and handcuffed Mr. T to the ropes.

Naturally, Hogan overcame all of the odds and got the W with the big boot and leg drop, brother, but it was good, chaotic fun. Even the post-match angle, with the masked man reveal and beatdown of Hogan, is good value.

And Ric Flair never wrestled again.

7. Lex Luger Vs. Flyin' Brian (1989)

WWE.com

There has long been a belief among some sections of the wrestling world that Lex Luger wasn't a very good worker.

While the Total Package could certainly dog it if he wanted to, the man also had many good-to-great matches and was much better than most people remember.

Take his US Title defense against Flyin' Brian Pillman at Halloween Havoc '89, for example.

Luger had a great year that year, having some excellent matches with the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Sting. Brian Pillman was also starting to make some noise and was wowing audiences with his cutting-edge style.

The two were a great combination and the match told the classic story of power and size versus speed and heart. They worked together to craft an engaging and competitive match that had the (very hot) crowd guessing right up until the finish.

In the end, Luger was too much for Pillman on the night, but Flyin' Brian's performance certainly helped raise his stock.

6. The Steiner Brothers Vs. The Nasty Boys (1990)

WWE Network

The Steiner Brothers are big, hard-nosed bruisers who like to beat people up. So too are the Nasty Boys.

Putting them together in a US Tag Team Title match and letting them batter each other wasn't exactly a genius idea, but I'm very glad someone rubber-stamped it, because the end result was spectacular.

This was the case of four guys throwing it all out there, hurling bombs at each other for fifteen super stiff minutes. I believe the term 'slobberknocker' is an accurate descriptor.

The pace started off frantic and really never let up,  but the closing stretch was something else and the crowd were molten for it.

Rick and Scott managed to emerge victorious, but Sags and Knobs put themselves on the map with their showing here.

A post-match angle hinted at a rematch, which would have been great. But, WCW being WCW, hadn't actually signed the Nasties to a deal. That allowed Vince McMahon to swoop in and offer them a contract not too long after, and so they headed to WWE instead.

5. Rey Mysterio Vs. Dean Malenko (1996)

WWE

Rey Mysterio burst onto the WCW scene in the summer of '96 and quickly established himself at the top of the cruiserweight division after beating Dean Malenko for Cruiserweight Title.

He and the Iceman had fantastic chemistry together, as their blend of styles matched perfectly.

The matches were all different from one another and they kept upping the ante by fusing lucha libre with Japanese 'strong style' and more traditional American wrestling.

The Man of a Thousand Holds showed off a fair few of his favourites here, while Mysterio continued to innovate in stunning style by busting out all sorts of arm drags, hurricanranas and dives that the crowd had never seen before.

This Halloween Havoc outing wasn't perfect and there were a couple of minor hiccups along the way, but they made great use of their eighteen minutes and kicked off the show in some style.

There were some cracking near falls and the finish is a beauty, with Dean hitting a second-rope Doctor Bomb to regain the strap.

4. Cactus Jack Vs. Vader

WWE.com

The series of matches between Cactus Jack and Vade in 1993 were painful to watch. I can't even imagine what it was like for the participants.

Vader spun the wheel and made the deal, landing on a Texas Death Match for Halloween Havoc 1993. The Mastadon had long been reigning as WCW Champion by this point, but this was non-title.

The title not being on the line didn't hinder the drama one iota, as this personal feud was about more than gold.

Positioned in the main event slot, both men went all out to deliver a brutal and ultra-physical brawl that was a fair bit ahead of its time and foreshadowed the type of anarchy that would characterise ECW and then WWE years later.

Mick Foley's penchant for pain was on full display as he got roughed up and took some hellacious bumps. Vader, for his part, was just as happy to receive it as he was to give it.

The Texas Death Rules (opponent must stay down for a ten count after being pinned) were a little clunky, but the match is excellent. Even the bizarre finish - Vader's manager Harley Race hitting Cactus with an actual taser - couldn't take too much away from this war.

3. Sting & Ric Flair Vs. Terry Funk & The Great Muta (1989)

WWE Network

Look, Ric Flair, Sting, Terry Funk and The Great Muta don't need anything else other than the four of them and a wrestling ring to have a great match.

WCW, in their infinite wisdom, felt that the tag match needed to take place inside the Thunderdome. And no, I'm not talking about WWE's sterile pandemic-era home, but a giant 'electrified' cage that had spooky set dressing and a Tarzan rope for added fun.

Oh, and the only way to win was if Gary Hart (representing the heels) or Ole Anderson (representing the babyfaces) threw in the towel for their team.

Oh, and local hero Bruno Sammartino was the guest referee. Because if you're going to get the Living Legend in, you might as well put him in an electrified cage with a Tarzan rope.

Despite the absolute absurdity of it all, the foursome had a very exciting match that delved into complete chaos.

Highlights included the cage catching on fire and Muta having to use the green mist to put it out and Bruno later on decking the Japanese sensation, who sold it wonderfully.

It's very gimmicky and something tells me a standard tag match would have been much better, but this is a lot of fun and the guys involved are so talented that they were able to overcome their surroundings.

2. Diamond Dallas Page Vs. Goldberg (1998)

WWE.com

After Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior had stunk out the joint (and Bret Hart and Sting mildly disappointed), it was up to Diamond Dallas Page and Goldberg to save Halloween Havoc '98.

A tall order for two performers who had their obvious strengths and weakness, but DDP and Da Man managed to pull it out of the bag and put on a thriller.

Goldberg's inexperience was countered by Page's attention to detail and need to pre-plan every part of his bouts, but even though it was intricately mapped out beforehand, they executed it perfectly.

The match told a great story and put paid to the myth that the WCW Champion either couldn't sell or work a longer match, as he did both here.

DDP got a very dramatic near fall at the end with the Diamond Cutter, but Goldberg shook it off and retaliated with a Jackhammer to retain.

Probably both men's best WCW match wasn't seen by many who ordered the show, as the even overran and pay-per-view providers cut the feed right as they were about to lock up.

The company broadcast the bout in full on Nitro the next night in order to make up for the gaffe.

1. Eddie Guerrero Vs. Rey Mysterio (1997)

WWE.com

WCW's best match of 1997 was Rey Mysterio challenging for Eddie Guerrero's WCW Title, with Mysterio's mask also on the line.

The cruiserweights had proven their worth time and time again over the course of the past couple of years and, credit to Eric Bischoff and WCW, were usually given a platform to showcase their talents on pay-per-view.

There were many long, good matches featuring the high fliers, but none come close to touching this Halloween Havoc classic.

Mysterio had some jitters going into the bout, as Bischoff had informed him that he would be losing his mask on the night. Rey didn't want to go through with it and considered not showing up, but he did and the result was changed just before the two men were due to go out.

His fears allayed, Mysterio put in a breathtaking performance in a match that was held together by cocky heel Eddie.

They packed a lot into the fourteen minutes they had to play with, but never did too much. Some of the moves and sequences they busted out - like the sprinboard backflip DDT and flipping plancha hurricanrana - were either one-time deals or things that they weren't able to replicate in future showings.

It wasn't all moves, moves, moves either, as the match told a great story and had real stakes, allowing the crowd to get properly invested.

Cited by both Rey and Eddie as their favourite matches ever, it still holds up today and lends itself to repeat viewings.