Chairshot Classics: WCW Halloween Havoc ’91 – Chamber Of Horrors!

The fallout of Ric Flair’s departure less than six months prior is still being felt tonight as WCW hits the UTC Arena in Chattanooga, Tennessee for Halloween Havoc ’91! The original plan to have Mr. Hughes challenge Lex Luger for the World Title is switches as Hughes is now managing Lex, but the new challenger is Ron Simmons! This could only be a better decision right? Let’s find out!

Open: Eric Bischoff welcomes various wrestlers to Halloween Havoc. Barry Windham is attacked by Arn Anderson & Larry Zybszko in the parking lot and will be unable to compete tonight.

Match #1 – Chamber Of Horrors: WCW United States Champion Sting, El Gigante & The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) vs. Abdullah The Butcher, The Diamond Studd, Cactus Jack & Big Van Vader
A complete melee starts in and outside the ring. Rick beats the Butcher down to the entrance ramp and Jack is sent into the cage. Gigante and Vader square off in the ring as all participants are directed inside. Sting cleans house with the kendo stick and Vader takes the brunt. An unidentified participant comes out of a standing casket on the outside and Scott scoop slams him. Studd works over Sting and Vader helps out. Gigante pulls Studd away and powers him in the corner. Sting fights back against Vader and sends him over the top rope with a clothesline.

Sting is up and over the top with a cross body on Vader. The chair of torture is being lowered from the ceiling as the Steiners double team Jack for an elevated DDT. Gigante catches Studd and lifts him by the neck. Vader sits Rick Steiner down in the chair, but he is up with a Steinerline over the top rope. Sting and Cactus fight on the outside and Sting drops the top of the coffin on his head. A team of men are out with a stretcher, ready for whoever falls victim to the chair. Rick is on the outside and runs Jack into the steel. Scott works Vader over with the kendo stick. He breaks the stick over Jack’s head and he’s bleeding.

Vader grabs the sharp end of the broken stick and strikes Gigante. Jack and Sting climb and brawl on the side of the cage while the unidentified masked man now appears handcuffed to it. Jack’s face is crimson as Sting pulls him into the ring, only to throw him over the top. Sting turns his attention to Studd but DDP’s client fights back. He sits Sting in the chair but Scott Steiner is there for the save. Gigante wraps his fist with a chain and there’s a bloody brawl outside. Scoop slam by Vader on Steiner who then beats Gigante with the broken stick. Abdullah uses the cage to choke Sting, and stays right on the airway with a foreign object.

Rick and Studd roll into the ring and Rick is armed. Scott chokes Jack from inside the ring and Rick beats Abdullah on the head with what’s left of the stick. Jack climbs for the switch as Scott is sat down, but a low blow on Studd allows him to escape. Sting pulls Jack away from the switch. Gigante with a reverse chinlock on Studd. Studd and butcher manage to sit Rick down in the chair but brother Scott makes another save. Gigante comes back to hammer on Abdullah. The Butcher fights back with some headbutts and Rick is held onto the chair.

Cactus Jack is ready at the switch. Rick lifts Abdullah with a belly to belly suplex into the chair and he’s strapped in. Jack hits the switch without knowing his partner is now the one in the chair, and Sting’s team wins.
Winners: Sting, El Gigante & The Steiner Brothers

• EA’s Take: This is one of the most infamous finishes in WCW history, as it’s hilariously awful. I knew the ending was corny, but as far as brawling cage matches go, the rest of it was fine. It’s just the little details that WCW can ever seem to get right. There was an unidentified masked man in the match that JR pointed out twice, but no payoff to it. I’m positive that wasn’t the Halloween Phantom, so what was that all about? Lots of changes were made to this match with a number of participants being swapped for various reasons. The original match was slated to be Barry Windham, Oz, The Diamond Studd and One Man Gang. Of course the angle with Windham was run to explain a broken hand, Oz and Cactus Jack will completely trade matches with one another and One Man Gang had left the company right before the show.

Backstage: Eric Bischoff & Missy Hyatt are all dressed up for Halloween, The Young Pistols come in and Bischoff asks if they know who the Halloween Phantom is. The team isn’t worried about that, they’re worried about the WCW United States Tag Team Championships.

Match #2: Big Josh & P.N. News vs. The Creatures (#1 & #2)
Josh and #1 get us started and Josh immediately throws him to the mat. Collar and elbow tie up and Creature fights it off. A tag is made to 2 and he delivers forearms and shots to the midsection. Irish whip by 2. Josh gets a boot up but Creature stays in control. Josh reverses another Irish whip and tags in News. He whips his 400 pound partner into 2 and gives an atomic drop to the charging #1. News knocks him down with a chest bump and the big man actually gets up for a drop kick.

#1 reverses a back body drop with a boot and #2 is tagged back in. Quick work and quick tags by the big men. #1 can’t send News for the ride, and he gets another chest bump. A tag is made to Josh who leaps over News to take out an interfering Creature. German suplex by Big Josh and chops in the corner to #1. He gets his eyes raked and goes on defense. He turns it around on #1, beats him in the corner, sends him for an Irish whip and back body drops him. Tag is made to News who enters with a headbutt. Fallaway slam by News who sends him for a whip.

Creature moves and News collides with the turnbuckle. Tags are made to Josh and #2. Belly to belly suplex by Josh but he can’t make the pin. Creature #1 is tagged back in and gives some right hands. Josh fights back with a powerbomb. He chops Creature #1 and knocks him down with a double ax handle. He lands a Northern Exposure (formerly the Whoopie Cushion) on #1. Tag is made to PN News. Josh fights off a charging #2 and News heads to the top rope for a Rap Master Splash. 1-2-3.
Winners: Big Josh & P.N. News (P.N./Rap Master Splash)

• EA’s Take: If you had any question about whether or not it was 1991, check out PN News’ pre-match “Rap”. The commentary team was overselling Big Josh’s improvements and I will admit, this was a much better match than I’ve seen him have so far. What is up with some of these #1 and #2 tag teams in WCW? At least Doom consisted of two legit wrestlers, they removed the masks and became an impactful team. Just more chicanery from WCW, which they seem to annually ramp up for Halloween Havoc. You know….because it’s SPOOKY, oohhh!

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