[1997-10-26-WCW-Halloween Havoc] Randy Savage vs DDP (Las Vegas Street Fight)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I think this is the best of their series. I thought the extracurricular stuff with the referees was really well done, and Liz getting so involved before Kimberly chased her off was awesome, even if neither of them were capable of working a decent catfight. Page takes some big bumps and Savage has what is probably the last good match of his career. Dusty's "waitress tray" stuff is hilarious too.

[Kevin Ridge]

They battle into the crowd and some fan finds this to be the right moment to take his tshrit off. DDP slams Savage on some styrofoam tombstones much to Dusty’s delight. That’s pretty funny when Dusty was talking up waitress with the tray and it came into play later with Miss Elizabeth hitting the referee with one. Horrible cat fight with Kimberly. Elizabeth wasn't very physical except for Saturday Night Main event match with Two Towers when Savage landed on her. Another fake Sting but Tony isn’t sure. DDP can’t make the 10 count after the bat shot. As staged as they where in it, I probably preferred the Bash match more.

[Childs]

It was bizarre they chose to have Savage win the feud. What possible purpose did that serve? It was a very good match. I liked the way Savage targeted the injured ribs with everything he did, including the big elbows. Both guys sold really well, and it made sense to get the women involved, given their significant roles in the feud. Nick Patrick did a lousy job with the 10 counts, resetting them in completely inconsistent fashion. But that's a nitpick. With an ending that really felt like a blowoff to the feud, this might have been a legit great match. As is, I agree with Dylan's old talking point about these two guys never putting it all together in one match.

[soup23]

This was headed into great **** stuff for me until the flat finish with the fake Sting shit. Everything else was done well from the targets both guys had in the match to them spilling out into the crowd and then the entrance set. Felt like a predecessor to what was done at OVer the Edge 1998. The Liz/Kimberely segment was a good payback spot but holy crap is LIz a bad performer when it comes to physical stuff. Savage winning the feud felt really odd and something I had actually forgotten about. NWO seems to really have the momentum on this night overall.

[El-P]

Totally forgot about how good this one was. Dusty marking out when they thow each other into styrofoam tombstones is awesome too. I always love Liz getting physical, no matter how awkward she can look at times, plus Kimberly dragging her by her hair was much better and more realistic than a shitty looking catfight. Savage's selling was top notch here, and the sloppy elbow was a great touch. Too bad they had to do this stupid finish with yet another fake Sting (seriously ?). I don't mind Savage winning, as he's the big star and DDP has been elevated by this feud anyway at this point. Yeah, the last big time Savage match although he worked a few pretty good stuff with Bret in 98.

[Superstar Sleeze]

The last great Randy Savage match as he puts in one last great selling performance. After he got "Waffle-legged", he was on jelly legs and just did an excellent job staggering around. El-P was right on with the sloppy elbow drop just really putting it over the top. I still like Spring Stampede the match most with Savage's heeling and the crazy ending. I also thought the crowd was hotter for the Stampede match and the action was a bit hotter. Here, the action was a bit slower, but this match featured the best selling by far. I already discussed Macho Man's, but DDP was awesome milking those ribs and then tioming those wicked hot comebacks that finally whipped the Vegas crowd into a frenzy. The women getting involved was good, loved Liz knocking out the ref and then choking DDP with the cord that was some pretty serious shit. Kim got a good pop dragging her away and gave time for the guys to sell while having some action for the crowd. I consider them both **** class, but I have the Stampede match slightly ahead.

 

Randy Savage vs Diamond Dallas Page - WCW Halloween Havoc 1997

 

 

 

 

Liz is rocking sexy leather short shorts. HAVE MERCY!!! OOOOHHHH YEEEEEAAAAHHHH!! Savage’s promo before this is a thing of beauty. “Slim Jim’s Halloween Havoc. Snap Into It! Check it out! Party Time. Las Vegas. It’s a gamble. But we like to gamble, don’t we? YES WE DO!!!!” DDP is in jeans because this is not a wrestling match, scumbag (DDP had a real penchant for using the word scumbag). This is a FIGHT~! Savage is choosing instead to rep his Slim Jim’s deal on his jacket, well Savage is fuckin BATSHIT so he doesn’t need jeans to convey he is in for a FIGHT~! The infamous ribs are still taped. No Kimberly.

 

“Savage will drive you nuts” – The Brain, perfect.

 

They start outside, obviously, with Savage gaining the early advantage by working over the ribs. Page with nasty biel using Savage’s own shirt. Page hesitates allows Savage to hotshot DDP across the top rope. Macho Man is using combination of jabs and chokes to maintain control in the corner. Brief flurry of offense from DDP ends with both men colliding in a double clothesline. Dusty takes him to time define a double clothesline, which renders colleagues speechless that he spent time to explain something so self-explanatory. I LOVE BIG DUST! Failed Diamond Cutter attempt leads to Page performing his pescado onto Macho Man on the floor. Dusty wonders why they are not using the “Utensils and PLUNDAH~!” Savage clobbers DDP with a double axe-handle as he was draped across the guardrail. Savage then connects with a nasty axe-handle off the guardrail onto a prone Page in the crowd. Sick spot. When Savage shouts “Move out of the way!” you move the fuck out of the way because he will run your bitch-ass over. Dusty is excited as the prospect of PLUNDAH~! Instead of a BBQ picnic, there is a prop cemetery setup with prop tombstones that Page uses to regain advantage and then hits Savage with some sort of object, which prompts the Dream to go into hysterics just shouting “HE WAFFLE-LEGGED HIM!” His colleagues try to continue commentating, but Dusty has gone into a trance just repeating that. Say it with me, I love Big Dust. Dusty informed me it is a “waitress tray” and Tony basically says “What the fuck?”Savage’s continuous work on the ribs is affecting DDP’s ability to string together offense, good selling and psychology from Page. Savage finally breaks his momentum sending him ribs first into the steel guardrail, but DDP semi-blocks it. DDP is left to crawl away, while Savage regains his wits, I mean he did he just get WAFFLE-LEGGED. Most people don’t recover from getting WAFFLE-LEGGED!!! You know why Savage is able to? BECAUSE HE IS MACHO~! The Power of Slim Jims Compels!

 

 

 

Savage sends his ribs and then his “noggin” into steel ringsteps. But Page just keeps on coming because he has guts. Savage frustrated, smacks around a cameraman, steals camera. DDP blocks his close-up with two feet sending the camera right into the Macho Man’s face. As both men are out, Liz somehow has found Dusty’s phantom waitress, stolen her tray and proceeds to WAFFLE-LEG the referee. Immediately, Dusty is rubbing it in his colleagues faces that no one believed him about the waitress tray and for the second time, Dusty has rendered his partners silent. Holy Fuck, Liz is choking DDP with a cable, (“Extension Cord” according to Dusty). Kim comes out to put a stop that nonsense. She is all like “I am the only woman who can choke my husband for sexual pleasure, you vixen” Liz is all like “Why did Randy say I would do this spot. He doesn’t even invite me to his parties anymore.” Dusty is all like “CATFIGHT! CATFIGHT! CATFIGHT! CATFIGHT! CATFIGHT! “ Finally they get the waffle-legged referee out of there, Kimberly drags Liz to back by the hair. Savage is up and there is a new ref for him to deck. Page hulks-up gets his typical combination of atomic drop and pancake. Savage hooks the ropes to block the Diamon Cutter. Savage selling fatigue like a champ, nearly falls off the top and then delivers an exhausted big elbow that lands on the ribs. Savage is on spaghetti-legs barley can lift Page for a bodyslam. Savage struggles to hit a big elbow, which gets him a 9-count. Savage’s selling is amazing as he is struggling just to stand. Ref bump as DDP’s leg whacks the ref’s head, but DDP reverses into the DIAMOND CUTTER!!! All three men down. 7-Count.

 

Diamond cutter attempt reversed into a backslide with a low-blow kick by Savage on DDP. As Page rolls to the outside, Hogan dressed as Sting, WAFFLE-LEGS DDP in the ribs with a bat. The ref is forced to count out DDP. Savage celebrates his victory looking as if he lost, but to make him feel better he WAFFLE-LEGS a ref and takes a shot at DDP’s ribs. The commentators out over DDP’s hearts and guts and that it took two men and a woman to beat a man with busted ribs.

 

I think this is one of rare instances when a wrestler wins by losing. DDP is one of the very few wrestlers that made it out of the WCW mid-card mire because he was one of the few that was well-booked, but the big help came from Savage’s selflessness. Hogan and Nash are notorious for burying people to make themselves look good and to hold them down. Savage was not afraid to lose to DDP in Page’s first PPV main event. Savage was a true professional and sold like a champ for DDP. They should show this selling performance at the end of this match to every kid that wants to be a wrestler it was that good. The story of DDP is that he is a fighter. Like John McClane of Die Hard, just a everyday blue collar guy, not afraid to get his hands dirty and get his ass-kicked while standing up for what’s right. DDP actually won by losing and a true credit to Savage to put him over and the booking team.

This match and the Spring Stampede matches are toss-ups for me. I feel that both matches have long spells where the offense could be more varied. Basically it comes down to the character showcase for Savage’s Wildman persona at Spring Stampede vs. Savage’s incredible selling at Halloween Havoc. I give the edge to Stampede by a bit, but I call them both ****.

[PeteF3]

Yeah, I didn't like that ending either. Savage winning is one thing, but the fake Sting finish is an even bigger cliche at this point than trying to crucifix bomb Rey Misterio, Jr. How ironic that this is actually one of the more convincing Sting disguises but for once Schiavone sees right through it. The match? Well, up to that copout finish it was fucking awesome, and an improvement over GAB. It had all of Savage's cool escapes from the diamond cutter, some great violence at the entrance way, an awesome stretch with Liz and Kimberly, and awesome selling by DDP and Savage both. Not MOTN honors by any stretch but could have been on many other 1997 PPVs. In the end Savage still did more in beating Page than Hogan and all the members of the Clique have often done in losing to people.