The year was 1999. The World Wrestling Federation had taken control of the Monday Night Wars after a 1998 that was the biggest money year they had ever had. World Championship Wrestling had run out of ideas for the New World Order and was tripping over every hurdle in their way. Eric Bischoff had the reigns pulled away from him in September, and WCW needed a shot in the arm to get back in power. Their answer was Vince Russo.

Okay, stop laughing. In 1997 Vince Russo took over as head writer for Vince McMahon. At that time it was perfectly reasonable for an outside eye to see Vince Russo as a major reason the WWF had taken control of the Monday Night Wars. Obviously we now know that to be completely ludicrous, as McMahon still demands full control over his product, and Russo has had absolutely no success since leaving Stamford. Oh sorry, SPOILER ALERT.

Russo took control of WCW in October 1999, and Halloween Havoc would be his first PPV. His fingerprints are all over this show. He's (and his pal Ed Ferrara) are even referenced more than once. Strap in folks. We're going back to the night WCW suffered a fatal wound.

(Note from after I wrote this: This is an insanely long review. The reason being, all of these little angles ended up paying off at some point on the show. There was so much talking about what happened Monday on Nitro, and it was all important in it's own stupid way..)

WCW Halloween Havoc 1999

October 24th, 1999 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Disco Inferno (C) vs Lash Leroux

WCW's cruiserweight division was once seen as a large reason why the company was so successful. It might not have drawn big money, but the likes of Rey Misterio Jr and Psicosis tearing it up on the undercard of their PPV's woke the crowd up and got them hyped for the stars. This match was not one of those matches.

The Disco Inferno is one of my all time favorite gimmicks. He was good enough in the ring to work heel against just about anyone and was a mainstay on the WCW roster. Here he's paired up with rook Lash Leroux, who hadn't been out of WCW's "legendary" Power Plant for a year yet. The most memorable spot is Leroux trying a diving rana from the top rope and basically powerbombing himself while Disco takes a flip bump. Bobby Heenan drips with sarcasm as he talks up the match and the "new" WCW. Disco eventually gets the win with the Last Dance stunner.

And then the camera nearly misses Leroux hitting his Whiplash finish on top of the title after the match for no reason. The crowd boo's him. A real babyface.

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A clip from "earlier in the day:" Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko tell Perry Saturn that they're leaving The Revolution. Benoit tells Saturn to pass the news on to Shane Douglas.

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WCW Tag Team Championship: Harlem Heat vs Kidman and Konnan vs Brian Knobbs and Hugh Morrus w/ Jimmy Hart (Triple Threat Street Fight)

At the top of the show Schiavone notes that Rey Misterio Jr and Konnan have been stripped of the titles due to Misterio's legit knee injury. So Kidman and Konnan come out wearing the titles anyway. There will be two referees for this match, by the way. #Russo.

Match is a big garbage brawl Jimmy Hart brought weapons, so they all start smacking each other around with them. Eventually Harlem Heat doubleteam Knobbs and they head backstage while Kidman and Konnan struggle to handle the great Hugh Morrus in the ring. Morrus hits his No Laughing Matter moonsault through a table on Konnan, seperating K-Dawg's shoulder. Backstage, Stevie Ray hits Knobbs with a plastic mummy and Booker T covers him for the win. As they make their way back to the ring, Kidman pins Morrus (off camera.) The two refs discuss it, and award Harlem Heat the belts. Crowd is confused and therefore silent for the 10 time champions.

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Ric Flair and son David enter the arena. Ric has a crowbar. I have to recap these things because they... "pay off." Ugh.

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Diamond Dallas Page and his disgusting wife Kimberly come to the ring. Kimberly references that Ric Flair spanked her 14 times in a hotel room on Nitro last Monday. DDP explains she invited David to a hotel room ("an obvious swerve") and Ric showed up to get touchy with his wife. He constantly mentions "spanking it' and other masturbation terms. He books a strap match with Ric for tonight. On a show you paid for already. #Russo

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GOLDBERG IS LOOKING FOR SID VICIOUS BACKSTAGE

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Mike Tenay interviews Eddy Guerrero. Kidman mentions that Rey is taking Konnan to the hospital. Eddy stole Ric Flairs Rolex apparently. These are important facts.

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Eddy Guerrero vs Perry Saturn

Eddy gives the Rolex to Bobby Heenan at ringside for safe keeping. Eddy attacks Saturn early and fights him outside (second match in a row) until Saturn gorilla presses him onto the overturned stairs. They both work submissions, with Saturn in control. He powers out of Eddy's stuff. Back and forth match. Saturn hits a Super Northern Lights Suplex, and then puts Eddy up top but ends up taking a superplex back. While they're both down, Ric Flair calmly walks out and beats the crap out of Guerrero with the crowbar for the DQ. Kidman runs out for the save and gets waffled. Torrie Wilson tries to stop Flair and gets forcibly kissed for her efforts. But she smiles after so it's okay! Flair then leaves for a few minutes before running back to the announce table to get his watch. Apparently he forgot what this angle is about. Good sign.

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Backstage Goldberg is beating the hell out of a bloody Sid Vicious. Security pulls Goldberg off and Sid jumps up screaming "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?"

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Buff Bagwell comes out to the ring. He says he has a problem with "the two writers from up north." SHOOTING. He calls out Jeff Jarrett, who runs down with a guitar. They brawl around ringside (third time tonight) until Lex Luger comes down. The announcers tell us he wants revenge for Jarrett hitting Elizabeth with a guitar. Luger tries to hit Jarrett but ends up stiffing Bagwell with the guitar.

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Tenay tries to interview Sid who is getting stitches. Sid freaks out and yells "LET IT BLEED!"

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Eddy Guerrero lies on some stairs backstage selling his ribs. He calls Misterio on the phone and tells him to come back to the arena.

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Brad Armstrong vs Berlyn (w/ The Wall)

This match is so good that I took the time to notice Brad Armstrong looks a lot like Ken Anderson and therefore pisses me off. Berlyn tries a neckbreaker but Armstrong holds the ropes. Berlyn falls down and Armstrong... pins him? The Wall jumps Armstrong and the heels beat him down. This is the first time it was clear who the faces and heels were on this show. So thumbs up?

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Tenay interviews Ric Flair. Ric yells at The Filthy Animals for taking his watch. Tenay has to remind him he's facing Page tonight in the strap match. He basically says Torrie Wilson and Kimberly Page both love Space Mountain. Flair makes these dumb angles seem okay, but this is pretty much an episode of Nitro you have to pay for.

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WCW Television Championship: Chris Benoit (C) vs Rick Steiner

Crowd cheers Benoit when he comes out. Steiner works heel, avoiding Benoit early and kicking him while he's down. Steiner seems way out of shape, but Benoit works his ass off for him, of course. It's hard to tell if Steiner is a great heel or if he isn't trying at all. He kicks and slaps Benoit while he's down and just kinda stands around. After a ref bump, Steiner gets a chair. Benoit fights him off and goes for a diving headbutt onto the chair. In a spot that is HORRIFYING in hindsight, Steiner throws the chair into Benoits face on his way down. Dean Malenko runs down and grabs the chair, but hits Benoit and Steiner gets the win. Malenko hugs Perry Saturn on the stage. The Revolution is still alive, but Benoit has been kicked out. SWERVE. #Russo

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Bret Hart cuts a good promo on Lex Luger. The usual "excellently execute you" stuff. Video package replays Luger hitting Bret in the ankle with a bat.

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Bret Hart vs Lex Luger (w/ Elizabeth)

It's a total shock to me that Bret Hart flopped in WCW. He beats on Luger for about 5 minutes before both men tumble over the top rope. Bret sells his ankle. Luger works it for a minute. Luger slaps on a half-crab. Bret. Hart. Taps. Out. Incredibly stupid booking. This would be the worst thing on most PPV's. But this is a Russo show, so stay tuned.

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Tenay interviews Bill Goldberg. Bill points to the blood on the floor and rants about how he's going to kill Sid dead tonight. Crowd reacted to him, and he brought the heat. Good promo.

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Madusa comes out in a bikini. She's carrying WCW Nitro Cologne. This was a real product. Bobby Heenan IMMEDIATELY buries it for smelling horrible. Madusa grabs a mic and talks about "upper echelons from New York" calling them "superpowers" before Schiavone corrects her "Powers that Be." She screams that her role on this show is "BULLSHIT" and dumps the cologne all over Heenan. Because the product they are attempting to sell you smells bad.

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WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Sting (C) vs Hulk Hogan

This is it. The injection point. The beginning of the end of WCW. "American Made" plays first. Hogan doesn't come out. The announcers claim that the challenger always comes out first, even though every other title match tonight started with the champion making the first entrance. Sting's music plays. He comes out. Hogan's music plays again, and he comes out in street clothes. Schiavone way oversells this, making it obvious this is bullshit. Hogan talks to Sting, and then lays down. 1. 2. 3. They cut away "immediately" to a Goldberg video, but only after they air the "shoot." The crowd is pissed.

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WCW United States Championship: Sid Vicious (C) vs Goldberg

Incredibly, this might be the best match on the show. The thing before this killed the crowd, but they still had hope for Goldberg. It's cool to hate on Bill these days, but he was pretty much the only thing WCW fans had to like at this point. Sid bleeds like a stuck pig from start to finish. By the end his blood is all over his face, the ring, and Goldberg. Goldberg lays into Sid with punches to the head over and over. Sid tries to fight back, but before long he needs to ropes just to stand. He eventually collapses and the ref stops the match. The crowd understands the stoppage and cheers for it. Sid gets up and wants to continue, but falls into the corner again. Rick Steiner comes out to help Sid to the back. Maybe Sid's best performance of his career.

The match/angle was good enough that I forgot Hall and Nash randomly appeared to attack Goldberg at the beginning before disappearing.

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Replay from Nitro of Flair and Kimberly in the hotel room. Kimberly Page again looks TERRIBLE in lingerie. A hideous woman.

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Sting comes back out to the ring, issuing an open challenge later in the night.

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Ric Flair vs Diamond Dallas Page w/ Kimberly (Strap Match)

They immediately brawl into the crowd, and the fans go silent because they've seen crowd brawling a billion times tonight. Flair bleeds, because he's Flair, but the crowd refuses to care about this. Flair locks on a figure four with the strap around DDP's neck. Page sells it like a boss, but then there's a ropebreak. Finally Page chokes Flair and hits a Diamond Cutter. Referee Charles Robinson counts 1, 2... And calls for the bell. Apparently a botched finish. Page is pissed, so he hits a Diamond Cutter on Lil Naitch as well. Remember that kids. Page continues attacking The Nature Boy until David Flair runs out. Kim knees him in the balls and takes the crowbar from him. Page hits Ric with it a few times, then a Cutter on David. Moments later, David is at his fathers side no-selling. Ric does a stretcher job. David Flair pretends to cry, but Charles Robinson WEEPS. Because he is great. Remember this too.

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Paramedics are taking Flair's stretcher to an ambulance. The Filthy Animals jump them and beat the Flairs down. David is tossed aside and Ric is kidnapped in the ambulance.

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???: Sting vs Goldberg (????????????????)

So Sting comes out and is like "WHO'S IT GONNA BE!?" It's Goldberg, still covered in Sid's blood. Sting walks around ringside and says "We need a ref!" but his eyes say "Kill me now." Charles Robinson has apparently recovered from Ric Flairs murder and runs out to the ring to officiate this thing. Schiavone says he's been informed it's not a title bout. So the match thing begins, and they brawl around the ring. Of course, no one cares. Sting hits a spear, and the crowd pops, but Goldberg no sells it and kicks Sting in the mouth. Sting hits three consecutive Stinger Splashes, but Goldberg pops up soon after and hits a spear of his own. Then the Jackhammer. The crowd cheers their hero. Charles Robinson hands Bill the World Heavyweight Championship. David Penzer hesitates as he announced Goldberg the new champion. Bobby Heenan says "Don't look at me!" #Russo. Sting argues with Charles Robinson, and then gives him a Scorpion Death Drop before the show fades to black.

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So how does WCW answer for this disaster? They declare the match a non-title non-sanctioned fight and Goldberg is not the champion. Sting however is stripped of the title for attacking referee Charles Robinson after the fight. DDP went unpunished for his assault on Lil Naitch earlier in the show.

When I started watching this show, I tried to keep an open mind. I tried to push Russo's future failures out of my mind. I watched to see how many Russo moments I could see. They were everywhere. The disjointed angles, treating PPV's as an episode of television, women objectified, and a main event so overbooked no one knew what the hell was going on. This show was a disaster.

I'm now shocked WCW lasted into 2001.