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Where the Big Boys Play #83 - Halloween Havoc 92


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http://placetobenation.com/where-the-big-boys-play-83-halloween-havoc-92/
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In a loaded show, Chad and Parv welcome Robert (aka thebrainfollower) to discuss Halloween Havoc 92.

[0:02:36] Wrestling Observer Round-up: including, in-depth analysis of the state of the business across WWF and WCW in August 1992, assessing some more of Bill Watts's cost-cutting measures and booking decisions; a random excursion into how Lord Alfred Hayes finally quit the WWF and how Gordon Solie quit WCW in 1995; how on earth do Butch Reed, Damian Demento and Tony Atlas factor into WCW in October 1992?; Greg Valentine quits; Hercules's post-WCW New Japan run in 1993; and the news that long-time WTBBP fans have been waiting for for years ... Jimmy Jam Garvin finally released from his contract ... but given an insane $180,000 pay off! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

[1:42:04] Review of Halloween Havoc '92: the birth of smarky crowds; the ridiculousness of Arn, Eaton and Hayes vs. Zenk, Gunn, and Douglas "on paper"; a lot of analysis of the Jesse Ventura vs. Jim Ross pairing; the convoluted nature of Bill Watts's executive announcements; the tragedy that is the loss of Rick Rude's moustache; the mystery of Chono being a top guy; thoughts on the Barbarian as a world title contender; and is this the worst PPV we've reviewed so far?

[3:16:20] End of show awards

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Enjoyed the Garvin talk not sure if he would have stuck around and accepted a jobber role might be why they just told him to leave. I've heard the "lights out match" used to mean a match that is "unsanctioned" as in they turn the lights out and then turn them back on to symbolize the end of the show implying that the match after is not part of the promotion so they won't be held responsible for what happens, they tend to then just be no DQ or street fights.

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For Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal, Bill Watts cut a promo explaining the whole "lights out" concept that was so good that Loss transcribed it for a Yearbook thread:

 

"A Lights Out Match. Just what do we mean by that designation? How did it all get started? In the late 60s and early 70s, probably the most innovative and aggressive promoter in wrestling was Eddie Graham of Florida. He was one of the staunch supporters of the National Wrestling Alliance and a member of its Board of Directors. As the oldest and most prestigious organization, its members were very conservative in that era, and their events were considered as sanctioned by the NWA. As with every type of event that competed for the entertainment dollar, participants were always pushing the parameters to accelerate the excitement level. Athletic creativity and intense personal rivalries sought newer and more potentially dangerous concepts to culminate their showdowns. From cage matches, then in Texas was born the Texas Death Match, then Boris Malenko created the Russian Chain Match, then Dusty Rhodes invented the Bullrope Match. In Tennessee, someone invented the Coal Miners Glove Match, the Scaffold Match, and somewhere else, the First Blood Match -- each of these new events more exciting and more dangerous. The NWA as a body did not want to officially be a party to or to sanction these type of matches. Thus Eddie Graham devised the Lights Out Match, which very simply is this: No, the match is not wrestled in the dark. It was just a symbolic turning off -- momentarily -- of the arena lights at the end of the officially sanctioned card to signify the end of that card, and to immediately turn the lights back on and have the unofficial or unsanctioned bout. Thus the term, Lights Out Match. Now with Jake the Snake versus Sting, again we have new parameters -- all of the most dangerous of these types of bouts, plus one not even revealed called the Spinner's Choice, have been placed upon a wheel of chance and called Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal. Because of this, WCW has designated it a Lights Out Match, a match not sanctioned by WCW. Because of the Spinner's Choice possibility, we're going one step further. We're having Jake the Snake and Sting sign a waiver absolving WCW of any liability. They assume all responsibility. They spin the wheel and make the deal."

 

Coal Miner's Glove unpleasantness aside, I maintain that this was a gimmick that WCW should have kept. There's no reason why they couldn't have run it in '94 for Flair vs. Hogan.

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I'm only part way through this episode (perhaps I should move further from my work to give me a longer commute!) but I wanted to agree with Parv regarding the issue of weight classes. On this issue, I always think of WWF's In Your House DX PPV in December of 97. In the undercard you had Taka Michinoku wrestling Brian Christopher (who weighed about 220 lbs) for the new WWF Light Heavyweight title. In the main event, World Champion Shawn Michaels (who weighed about 220 lbs) is wrestling Ken Shamrock. It made no sense. I felt this situation hurt Michaels because why should a lightheavyweight be the world champion, but more so really hurt Christopher, who I think could have become a somebody. Instead he became a bit of a joke.

 

Regarding the 'lights out' match, the Sting-Vader match at Superbrawl 3 was announced as an 'unsanctioned, lights out leather strap match'. As an 11 year old I didn't really know what it all meant but it sounded brutal - and as it turned out, it was.

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I'm only part way through this episode (perhaps I should move further from my work to give me a longer commute!) but I wanted to agree with Parv regarding the issue of weight classes. On this issue, I always think of WWF's In Your House DX PPV in December of 97. In the undercard you had Taka Michinoku wrestling Brian Christopher (who weighed about 220 lbs) for the new WWF Light Heavyweight title. In the main event, World Champion Shawn Michaels (who weighed about 220 lbs) is wrestling Ken Shamrock. I felt this situation hurt Michaels because why should a lightheavyweight be the world champion but more so really hurt Christopher, who I think could have been a somebody. Instead he became a bit of a joke.

I don't know if I can completely buy into this but, I see the point. The problem isn't the weight classes but that fans haven't been educated properly to understand them well. When boxing was most popular people understood that lighter weight guys would move up weight classes based on their talent and yearning for more challenges. If Conor McGregor had came through on his promise to move up a weightclass and win a championship that may have helped to put the concept back in peoples mind as it would remind people that it is possible if not rare but he lose has the opposite effect. Part of what made or makes wrestling work is that it is worked so some that is rare in other sports can happen more often in wrestling causing a more entertaining product although when something seems to be impossible because it can't happen ever in other sports then it just makes wrestling look fake and unrealistic.

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Biggest waste of Turner/WCW money is still Lanny Poffo's contract to seemingly fornicate at home for many years. I think it runs from Savage's debut through the day they close the doors.

 

Also "Because Keith said it" is why I've never believed the idea that the "Blue Blazer" was booked to win the IC at OTE '99.

 

-The spot that killed Owen was planned to be a comedic beat where Blazer would slip on a banana peel to start the match.

 

-I'd much prefer to believe the angle was leading to Owen Hart coming out of kayfabed retirement (which is why the Blazer was running around) to defend the Blazer's honor either at Raw the next night, or challenge Godfather at the next PPV to win the belt then, as Owen Hart.

 

Neither here nor there for Halloween Havoc '92, but one of those "Scott Keith-isms" I've seen over the years that has been repeated by others.

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