It’s the spookiest time of the year, so, with that in mind, today’s WCW RetroView looks back at WCW Halloween Havoc 1990. This was the second-ever Halloween Havoc and is held under the National Wrestling Alliance.
The following year marked the first Halloween Havoc under the WCW banner. Beginning the show is a masterful, 80’s special effects-driven preview video before the camera cuts to inside the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.
Welcoming us to the show is the voice of a young Jim Ross, who is joined by Paul E Dangerously. Complete with an old-school Dracula costume. We quickly cut to the back for an interview; Tony Schiavone, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera, spoke with Ricky Morton and Tommy Rich. They use some Halloween-centric puns to threaten the Midnight Express.
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
Tommy Rich & Rick Morton vs. The Midnight Express w/ James Cornette
Ross and Dangerously, even then, have great chemistry together on commentary, and that is quickly established. Bobby Eaton and Rick Morton start the match, and Eaton delivers a pair of hip tosses to show how good he is.
Morton and Eaton pick up the tempo with a solid exchange of counters, flips, and jumps. Stan Lane gets in and Dangerously comments on his dangerous martial arts skills. The Midnight Express soon begins to wear down Morton, cutting the ring off from his partner at every turn.
Cornette’s shenanigans outside the ring are classic evil manager material. The Midnight Express does a bang-up job putting Morton through the ringer in and out of the ring. Such a smooth team in how they work the match.
Late in the match, Eaton hits a beautiful leg drop from the top rope but refuses to make the cover. When Tommy Rich finally gets the hot tag, the crowd erupts. Soon chaos sets in, and all four men are in the ring. This is when Cornette’s interference once again benefits his team.
But, the emergence of the Southern Boys, dressed as Cornette, is enough of a distraction for Rich and Morton to get the win. Cornette’s tennis racket being used against his team serves as the ultimate sense of irony.
Winners – Tommy Rich & Ricky Morton
Before the next match, we get a Schiavone interview with the current WCW World Champion, Sting. The two talk about Sid Vicious and the main event, along with the threat of the mysterious Black Scorpion.
Right on cue, the Black Scorpion’s voice comes from the arena speakers. The Black Scorpion, complete with a cartoon villain voice, threatens the champion. Meanwhile, a guy dressed in all black does a couple disappearance/reappearance tricks.
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
The Renegade Warriors vs. The Fabulous Freebirds w/ Little Richard Marley
Badsteet USA gets the crowd rocking before the start of this match. Jim Ross does a great job explaining how important of a match this is for the young Renegade Warriors. The Freebirds display their ability to control the crowd, using various tag team tactics to gain the advantage.
Dangerously makes it clear that the Freebirds are working their offense towards the eventual use of the devastating DDT. Renegade Chris Youngblood takes on most of the damage in this contest.
Mark Youngblood eventually gets the tag and unleashes a frenetic offense onto the Freebirds. Just when it looks like the Renegades are going to get the victory, a distraction from Marley allows Michael PS Hays to hit the vaunted DDT for the win.
Winners – The Fabulous Freebirds
We cut to Tony Schiavone, now interviewing Four Horsemen members Ric Flair, Sid Vicious, and Arn Anderson. Flair and Anderson talk about how they are going to defeat Doom for the WCW Tag Team Titles.
Sid Vicious yells his threats to Sting before ending the interview with “Four Horsemen Forever.”
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
NWA United States Tag Team Championship Match
The Steiner Brothers © vs. The Nasty Boys
Rick and Scott get a rousing ovation from the Chicago crowd. This one starts fast and furious, with all four men brawling before the bell even rings. A chair is quickly introduced by Jerry Sags.
This leads to Sags trying to superplex Scott Steiner from the top rope, only to be suplexed himself by the future Big Poppa Pump. In his athletic prime, Scott Steiner is an impressive sight every time.
The Steiner Brothers’ early momentum is halted by a chair shot from Brian Knobbs to the back of Scott Steiner. They soon isolate Scott in a game plan Dangerously calls sadistic. The Nasty Boys hit a devastating spike piledriver before Rick had seen enough and assaulted Sags with a steel chair.
Sags eventually gets busted open and has a cool moment putting Scott Steiner in the Boston Crab while blood streams down his face. When Rick finally does become the legal man, he shows off the intensity.
Rick hits a double Steiner Line from the top rope onto both Nasty Boys. Scott takes out Sags at ringside before hitting the vaunted Frankensteiner for the win. And the crowd absolutely loses their minds.
After the match, the Nasty Boys attack the Steiners with their own tag team titles.
Winners – The Steiner Brothers
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
Doom © w/ Theodore R Long vs Ric Flair & Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson and Ron Simmons start the match, and Jim Ross is quick to reference Simmons pedigree as a college football great. Simmons hits an early suplex on arm before hitting the two Horsemen with a double clothesline.
Not long after we get a Ric Flair Butch Reed showdown before the Horsemen’s methodical approach gains the advantage. The nefarious duo isolates Simmons, something Jim Ross states happens because of Simmons inexperience.
Eventually, the order breaks down, and all four men brawl to the outside, where we get a double count-out.
No Winners
Later in the night, Theodore Long proclaims his team as the meanest, toughest, and baddest team in the world and that they are done fighting the Horsemen.
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
WCW United States Championship Match
Lex Luger © vs Stan Hansen
Luger receives a rousing ovation from the Chicago crowd when he enters with the U.S. Title around his waist. This one is a good old-fashioned brawl that spills to the outside very quickly.
Jim Ross and Paul E Dangerously talk about the difference in styles. Hansen a brawling bada** while Luge is the more refined wrestler. These two hit each other with heavy moves and strikes throughout.
Eventually, Hansen gets the win with his devastating lariat to crown a new United States Champion.
Winner – Stan Hansen
WCW Halloween Havoc 1990
WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sting © vs. Sid Vicious
Sid comes out hailing from “Anywhere he darn well pleases”. Like Luger, Sting receives a boisterous ovation when he enters the arena. Ross and Dangerously continuously talk about Sid’s size advantage over the champ.
After Sting works over Sid’s arm early on, the big man uses his power to take the advantage. He hits the champ with various power moves and rest holds, but Sting will not stay down.
The fighting champion that he is, Sting begins his comeback with a high cross body from the top rope. Both men fight into the crowd as Flair and Anderson, Sid’s partners in the Horsemen, make their way out.
With all the chaos ringside after Sid and Sting return to the ring, Sid gets an out of nowhere three-count. Sting’s attempt at a body slam fails, and the seven-footer falls on top of him for the apparent win.
However, it’s soon revealed to be a Sting look-a-like sent by the Black Scorpion. The match resets, and Sting quickly gets a roll-up for the win to remain WCW World Champion.
Winner – Sting
After a brief interview with Sting where he proclaims the Black Scorpion cannot stop him from being champ, Jim Ross and a distraught Paul E Dangerously send us out with a plug for Starrcade.
