[1995-11-26-WCW-World War III] Battle Royal

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Just last month, Luger aligned himself with Giant and now he's teaming with Sting to take him out of the ring, which makes no sense. Hogan of course has to get screwed in the finish and make Savage winning the title all about him, but you can say that for almost every world title win Savage ever had. The crowd seemed to be with him until he started this crap, then they turned on him. It's amazing that he couldn't figure out how the overbearing act worked against him even when he was playing to a crowd that was predisposed to be friendly to him (a rarity for Hogan in this area of the country during this time).

[Ditch]

I was 14 at the time and tended towards being a Hogan fan (though I preferred Giant) but man was he a jackass here. Really soured me on him.

[flyonthewall2983]

I always thought this was a good concept for WCW at the time because it showed the depth of their roster. It's a little flawed because there is so much going on, it's asking way too much of your average wrestling fan's attention span. Having the three broadcast teams was helpful in this regard, although the execution of it was akin to putting a Band-Aid over a gutshot stomach.

[Tim Evans]

It's not wonder Savage hated Hogan. Just ridiculous all around. Mean Gene trying to make Savage look like the bad guy.

[El-P]

Unwatchable up until the last 5 minutes when only 10 guys are remaining. Just way too many bodies and way too long to be anything but a bore, I never enjoyed the WWIII gimmick.

 

The post-match wasn't as annoying as I remembered it to be, Hogan did look like a whiner, but he did get screwed here (unlike during the Royal Rumble 92). Well, of course the whole idea of Savage only getting the belt because Hogan has to get screwed was usual Hogan bullshit, and it seems like Savage could never get the full credit of getting to the top except at WM 8.

[Dooley]

I like this but I'm one of those guys who likes battle royals. There is just too much going on to follow though. And the end is more Hogan BS, but I did get a kick out of the crowd turning on him the more he tried to play to them in the aftermath.

 

This was an audible on Hogan's part right? I wonder what Savage was thinking in the post-match interview.

[flyonthewall2983]

The look of horror on Regal's face just before the match starts is classic.

[Zenjo]

You could've put Hogan with a group of three year olds and he'd have been the most selfish person in the room. Even by his epic standards of egomania this was a standout moment. He can't even bring himself to job in a Battle Royal and has to cut a promo immediately afterwards to reassure himself that it's all still about the Hulkster.

[PeteF3]

Yeah, I don't know what the fuck that Luger turn at Havoc was about. He was already a compelling enough figure without that, it was a pointless move and an indication that WCW, as compelling as a lot of Nitros had become, was still winging it week to week.

 

Pretty bad action. God knows why or how the One Man Gang lasted this long. Eddy Guerrero is also one of the final 10, which brings to mind an amusing story I just read in the '95 Observers of Guerrero somehow becoming the most over guy to work Center Stage, to the point where instead of having Sting wrestle the final match to keep the crowd there, they moved Eddy to that slot. Maybe that's why he lasted so long here. Hey, don't bother ringing the bell or anything at the finish, guys. Hogan has a far more legitimate beef here than he did at the '92 Royal Rumble, but here we just have a really shitty, cheap finish that makes the referees look stupid and incompetent, which doesn't improve the viewers' mood any. I wish Bobby were quicker to jump on Hogan for dumping Sting and Luger. We close out with a shameless plug to continue this story on Nitro.

[DMJ]

I just saw this for the first time today and would definitely agree with what others have posted but, and I can't really explain 100% why (I'll try below), I still found this kind of enjoyable.

 

First, I like how, despite this featuring 60 guys, it is shorter than every Royal Rumble (I think). If this match went anywhere close to 60 minutes, I'd be searching for cyanide, but instead, the whole thing runs under 30 minutes. Now, that doesn't make the match remotely credible or realistic or anything, but it certainly helps the watchability.

 

Second, while the first 30 or so eliminations go by like nothing, once everyone moves into just one ring, there are occasional bright spots. As per usual, Savage finds a way to stand out even in this setting, brawling with Luger in the unused rings and on the floor. Then, there's Eddie Guerrero, who is marvelous once he actually gets a chance to shine - first by surviving a cool-looking Stinger Splash that looks like it should eliminate him and then, minutes later, getting into it with Arn Anderson and Flair. Unfortunately, Guerrero's actual elimination isn't shown, but whatever, at least we get to see him do *something* in this match.

 

Third, the ending. It is definite Hogan backstage bullshit not to lose clean, but from a storytelling point of view, I think it works. Does it taint Savage's victory? For sure…but it also adds yet another level of intrigue into the WCW main event scene. At this point, you have Hogan who deserves a shot, Lex Luger who deserves a shot (he beat Savage earlier in the night), and The Giant still being presented as dominant and unbeatable. Throw in the never-ending rivalry between Savage and Flair and you've got a title picture that is full of baby faces and heels that all could lay claim to being next in line (you could even add Sting as he beat Flair decisively on the show and was also involved in the Luger/Savage feud). In another thread someone pointed out that too often, in WWE, the champion only seems to focus on that month's Challenger, as if, for those 30-60 days, there are only two people vying for the belt. in this scenario, you actually had a variety of guys in that position and it made storyline sense. At least its something different.

 

Lastly, I'm going to give credit where its due to Hulk Hogan's post-match performance. He comes off as a total crybaby, but unlike the countless times in the WWF where Hogan's anger about getting screwed was almost always justifiable, in this instance, the way he smirks and the way he mocks Savage, it comes off as borderline heelish. Whether or not that was the intention, it breathes some life into his character as, instead of congratulating Savage and simply asking for a title shot and taking the loss like a man, Hogan outright calls the championship "his belt" and pouts like a toddler. If WCW had bothered, they could've referenced this event as foreshadowing of his actual heel turn 9 months later, but I don't remember them doing so.

 

All in all, not great, but certainly not as terrible as it should be. Plus, hearing Penzer introduce The Yeti, who comes out dressed as a giant ninja (can someone explain that to me?), is the kind of ridiculousness that I find entertaining enough to sell me on the match just from the entrances alone (bonus point for Mike Winner wrestling in a PPV main event).

[Mrzfn]

Unwatchable is the best word. This format never worked, it's just a god awful mess until the very, very end.

[ajtroma]

What if they did 60 men, 2 Rings but Royal Rumble style entrances every minute?

I'd heard that once it got down to the last ten guys, Hogan himself called the whole thing in the ring.

[PhilTLL]

God bless Ric Flair and his Starrcade 95 title win, but how in the world do you not transition this finish into a Hogan/Savage face(?) vs face(?) main event the next month? It seems like a no-brainer.