Two things up front:
1. Hey, I watched this on my birthday! Yay to 36 to me!
2. I discussed it for Uncensored this same year, but this is another classic case of my parents insisting I pick which PPV I pick for the month and I force my way into getting to watch them both. Maybe my grandma helped out? I don’t remember.
Now that we’ve taken care of that, let’s get into it!
PAY PER VIEW NUMBER 141: WCW FALL BRAWL 1997
Written on 1/8/23
HOW WE START: The date 8/25/97 is shown and it’s Arn Anderson’s retirement. Ric Flair is emotional about it and Arn gives Curt Hennig his spot. It’s interspersed with the New World Order’s parody (that I thought was very funny). Roddy Piper made the War Games match? Okie dokie! We go live in Winston Salem and Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan are joined by Mike Tenay instead of Dusty Rhodes. Larry Zbyszko will be joining us later. Pretty standard stuff to start.
MATCH NUMBER ONE: CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH- Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Jericho (Champ)
BEFORE THE BELL: Eddie still has his preppy music, but a different attitude and he’s done ALL THE JUICE in his time off. It’s night and day with him and the charisma he exudes now. Basketball Highlights is gone for Jericho’s theme, but it’s not bootleg Evenflow. Instead, they dub the first version of Break the Walls Down. It’s fucking gross and wrong. He’s wearing some sick purple and green tights. Big “Eddie sucks” chants and he rolls out and covers his ears. He’s the first MVP and he’s done zero moves. Piper was named the interim commissioner and moved Lex Luger and DDP out of War Games for the Horsemen to slide in. Glad I got an answer so quickly.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Guerrero constantly complains about hair pulling and Jericho gets frustrated. Big strikes and chops forces a fire up and equally good chops and strikes from the champ.
-Eddie still has some fans and they are smart ones. Bobby has pretty straightforward thus far. Tenay brings out the best in him and doesn’t distract him like Dusty.
-Great alley-oop Stun Gun and Lionsault for a two count before Jericho goes back to a rest hold. Eddie soon takes over with punishing back submissions, mainly surfboard variations. Then, he applies an upside down Gory Special. Baller. Chris reverses into one of his own and a Gory Bomb.
-I don’t think I’ve ever seen Y2J do a springboard dropkick to the back when his opponent is sitting on the top rope. Add it to the list! Same for a powerbomb set up into an alley-oop on the apron. Eddie falls and collides with Jericho into the rail. It all feels very real.
-BIG release German for two by Jericho and they trade several near falls. Jericho hits the double powerbomb and sits Eddie on the top rope instead of a third. A superplex is countered with a cross body and Eddie climbs back up top for the climb title victory.
HOW DOES IT END:
Eddie Guerrero wins the title in 16:48 with the frog splash
FINAL WORD: Fuck yeah, give me young legends opening and stealing the show every time.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: After the replay, Larry joins the booth and gets chants while Jeff Jarrett is shown hurrying the guy asking questions for AOL. He talks like shit and doesn’t seem to know the camera is on him. LVP.
MATCH NUMBER TWO: Harlem Heat w/Jacquelyn vs The Steiner Brothers w/Ted DiBiase
BEFORE THE BELL: Booker is really trying to keep wearing this baseball hat. Jackie definitely gives them a grittier feel. DiBiase gives the Steiners the complete opposite. How many times are we going to get this match on PPV? It takes forever to get started, so the fans just bark to kill time.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Stevie and Scott start. This feels very old hat. I recognize spots (Scott running into the boot in the corner, a shitty sidewalk slam, the rotating belly-to-belly out of the corner into the bail). If it ain’t broke, I guess?
-Booker naturally picks it up and gets thrown around like crazy. Rick tags in for clotheslines and posing. The crowd is super into them (even more than usual), so Rick bites the bottom rope.
-Rick eats a spin kick and starts taking the heat. They’ve worked together so much that some moves have a good crispness and comfort to them. Book is laying his shit in and the Steiners sell it really well.
-This is an MVP worthy performance by Book thus far. You can see him develop into someone that needs to run singles here. Rick is still a hoss on his hot tag. He’s set up for and hit with the Doomsday Dropkick AKA Heatseeker. Scott is late to break it up, so Rick kicks out.
-That’s a new one for the faces and it sure will work!
HOW DOES IT END:
The Steiner Brothers win in 11:44 when Rick Steiner pins Stevie Ray after a German Suplex/Lariat combo
FINAL WORD: Sure, I’ve seen it a bunch. It’s still good and they all have great chemistry.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: The replay makes me notice Stevie always has his head up off the mat. Weird.
MATCH NUMBER THREE: TV TITLE MATCH- Ultimo Dragon vs. Alex Wright (Champ)
BEFORE THE BELL: Tenay is back. Wright as a heel means he touches himself while dancing a little bit. Larry has a good line questioning if that’s even dancing. Once again, there is a very loud homophobic slur chanted at Wright that the babyface eggs on. Hate it.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Wright dances and Dragon dropkicks him in the back in a funny moment. Dragon is consistently one step ahead early, hitting loud chops and great kicks.
-Zbyszko forgets that he was in more than one War Games as he analyzes the match. Alex ground Dragon with chinlocks. Every time Dragon gets up, he kicks and make him pay. Then, it settles back to a rest hold.
-This just lacks the oomph and intensity of the last two matches. It’s still mostly fine. Dragon is doing Dragon things. Not Dragon Dragon things, but he is agile (I’ve done a live Chikara show reference challenge, but I’ll do just a general one now).
-A dive and some other high spots keep the crowd with them. A sunset flip running powerbomb counter really should have been it.
-Some nearfalls for the sake of nearfalls take place as we near the end. Both men are winded. Dragon hits a top rope hurricanrana and applies his submission finish, but Wright is right into the ropes. After a jawbreaker in the second Dragon Sleep, the champ hits his finish.
HOW DOES IT END:
Alex Wright retains in 18:43 with a German Suplex
FINAL WORD: Fundamentally solid, but a step below the last two matches.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Mean Gene pimps the hotline backstage and the nWo War Games team storms by twice. Gene finds Curt Hennig taken out in the locker room.
MATCH NUMBER FOUR: #1 CONTENDER US TITLE MATCH- Jeff Jarrett w/Debra McMichael vs Dean Malenko
BEFORE THE BELL: I’m tired of that goddamn fiddle. A bunch of people have Debra posters. That’s pissing on money. Dean’s music still gets a great pop and he’s been missed. If looks could kill, Jarrett would have wasted nine lives. Jarrett sends Debra to the back because he wants no distractions.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Jesus, I hate Jarrett’s stalling and cocky BS. It just takes what Dean does well out of the picture. There’s naturally a “Jarrett sucks” chant.
-Malenko walks on Jeff’s back to prove a point five minutes into Jeff’s shitty rest holds and heel schtick.
-Random superplex by Dean. I just noticed Larry is still at the table, but there’s no Tenay. It’s okay, Larry hasn’t been bad. It’s just weird.
-The cloverleaf is applied, but Double J is right in the ropes. Debra returns and there’s a crossbody over the top right in front of her. A brawl on the floor is led by Dean and he works on the leg after.
-A bad straddling counter is Jarrett’s fault and things peter out. A Figure Four into a small package reversal gets a believable two count.
-The Iceman’s leg comes up lame and he gets locked in the Figure Four. He fights, but ultimately taps clean. FUCK THAT.
HOW DOES IT END:
Jeff Jarrett wins in 14:55 with the Figure Four
FINAL WORD: Get Dean away from all of this. Is this the start of the losing streak story with him coming up? Whatever.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: The nWo has purchased TV time and they can barely be heard due to the pop they get from the live crowd, then still can’t because of the loud music. Konnan is an LVP by overdoing the ghetto stuff. Nash is the coolest dude in the room. Syxx just copies Nash and Buff is there. What a foursome.
MATCH NUMBER FIVE: Mortis and Wrath w/James Vanderburg vs The Faces of Fear
BEFORE THE BELL: The Triangle of Terror are still cool as shit. The commentators talk about the main event over their whole entrance. The Faces of Fear are next for an odd heel vs heel lower card affair. Sweet, shiny red gear for Meng and Barbarian. Are they the de facto faces? No Jimmy Hart is pointed out.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Barbarian vs Mortis to start and it’s mostly Barbarian on top. Wrath versus Meng is mostly Wrath. Zbyszko tries to put over the Barbarian’s toughness by saying he headbutted a bus and won.
-Barb ANNIHILATES Mortis with a powerbomb and the place erupts. More pummeling and power moves on Mortis. Mark Curtis’ response to Meng’s chops are great.
-Vanderburg interferes, Meng chases and his partner pays for it with a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo.
-Barbarian’s kickouts are pretty lackluster. A great double team superplex gets a good pop, but it takes too much out of Mortis. Meng tags in and he goes NUTS.
-The pin after a top rope splash is broken up. Vanderburg gets Mortis’ stick and takes the Tongan Death Grip. Meng no sells Mortis and puts him in it as well for a huge reaction. Wrath breaks it up with his Rock Bottom finish.
HOW DOES IT END:
Mortis and Wrath win in 12:23 when Wrath pins Meng with the Death Penalty
FINAL WORD: Big, weird, sweaty men slapping and lifting meat! I unapologetically loved that. All that’s missing is Warlord and Glacier for a baller King of Trios match (and we have one more reference to go).
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Mean Gene interviews the Three Horsemen. Chris Benoit cuts his usual blah promo and reference Nash being a bunch of characters. Mongo says he’s bringing the apocalypse. Ric Flair is amped and puts his partners over so well, claiming they are really 4 Life.
MATCH NUMBER SIX: Scott Norton vs The Giant
BEFORE THE BELL: Norton, walking to the ring to the B-Team music, looks like a bouncer at a biker bar about to permanently close. The Giant still doesn’t have any music. Schiavone implores someone to step up for Curt Hennig. Yeah, duh!
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Look how fast and crisp the Giant is. What happened? He’s sent into the post after Norton counters a pick up. The first two minutes almost happen entirely on the floor.
-Norton deadlifts Giant into a Stun Gun impressively. He elbows the throat and punches away.
-Nice belly-to-back for a two count causes the Giant to wake up with the chokeslam signal and rope assisted kip up. He hits a dropkick, calls for it again to pop the crowd and it is good night for Flash.
HOW DOES IT END:
The Giant wins in 5:28 with the chokeslam
FINAL WORD: Short, simple and disposable.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Heenan makes a good penthouse analogy on the replay and we go straight into our semi-main event.
MATCH NUMBER SEVEN: Randy Savage and Scott Hall w/Elizabeth vs Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger
BEFORE THE BELL: Lex gets a slightly better pop than DDP for his entrance. When Macho and Liz enter, Larry thinks Liz is Hall and runs down his entire physique. Hall comes out separately from Randy despite the music never stopping.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Lex and Hall start. It’s typical pushing and flexing by Luger. Larry calls Hall the most overrated in the business as Lex handles both heels easily, pressing Macho over the top onto Scott.
-DDP continues the dominance of Hall with a pancake, then punches Macho and gets blindsided to turn the tide.
-Luger is beaten down until he’s between both rings. Liz rakes Page’s eyes. There’s dirty fighting all over. Dallas is thrown into the second ring. The ref is punched and told to suck it.
-The new ref is kicked and that’s enough for Zbyszko, who leaves the booth to a great ovation. I always forget how over he was in this era. He almost became Da Brune like he wanted to be. He stays on the apron jawing with Hall.
-Lex recovers as Hall mocks Larry’s karate. He gets pushed into a Lex school boy and Larry fast counts and the bell rings. What?!?!
HOW DOES IT END:
Lex Luger and DDP win in 10:21 when Luger pins Scott Hall with a roll up
FINAL WORD: Again…what?!?! That wasn’t much of a match; it was another bullshit angle match with some big names getting by without doing much. That’s what Nitro is for.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Tony and Bobby celebrate and claim they can make up the rules as well. Okerlund promotes a hotline interview with Arn Anderson and introduces a Halloween Havoc commercial. It features Macho Man hanging out with the fluorescent light gang from Batman and Robin.
MATCH NUMBER EIGHT: WAR GAMES- The New World Order (Kevin Nash, Syxx, Buff Bagwell and Konnan) vs The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, Chris Benoit and Steve McMichael)
BEFORE THE BELL: Michael Buffer does his same bullshit and tries a rhyming thing that pisses me off and somehow makes War Games seem lame. Can he steal LVP from Jarrett in 60 seconds of work? The cage is lowered with tons of pyro and some dizzying camera work. Buffer reads the match rules and calls the nWo team the “Wrecking Crew” and “Now Ready for Prime Time Players. Yep, he’s passed Jarrett. I appreciate that Syxx came dressed for a street fight. The Horsemen enter to the group theme and a good pop (I’m surprised it wasn’t bigger).
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Benoit and Bagwell start. It should have been Syxx. Buff just poses for 45 seconds to start until Chris finally punches and chops him and throws him into the cage. He suplexes him into it, too.
-The headbutt is tried and he has to lower the dive due to the roof and misses it. There’s a big “We Want Sting” chant. Benoit is backdropped into the cage.
-The heels win the coin toss and Konnan is next in. Benoit fights them both off until Konnan hits a DDT. Pedestrian action thus far.
-Mongo is next and I totally forgot he’s US Champ here. He hits some slams and tackles to even the odds. The action is just not very exciting in this one.
-Syxx is third in for the nWo and he’s immediately chopped and thrown into the cage. The Crippler is an MVP by carrying the Arn legacy strong. Mongo is also solid throwing Syxx into the roof. I guess it’s just Buff and K-Dogg not showing up here.
-Hennig makes it to ringside in a sling. You can see it coming a mile away. Flair is in next despite Curt’s objection. Chops, WOOs and all the usual stuff from him.
-Kevin Nash is last in for his team and immediately starts hitting sidewalk slams. The crowd really gets behind Benoit, but he’s slammed into the cage wall. Mongo’s face gets booted off. Nash is acting like an MVP final boss.
-Curt slowly makes his way in, pulls the sling off and reveals handcuffs to a big pop. Then, he hauls off and hits Mongo and goes nuts on Flair, revealing the ruse. The place explodes in anger and the commentators are disgusted. The final execution here is wonderful.
-Mongo and Benoit are cuffed to the top of the cage and the five heels pick Flair apart. Nash gets the mic as Curt rips his Horsemen shirt. Benoit spits instead of surrenders. Mongo refuses as well. The Nature Boy is Jackknifed and bloody. Chris is trying so damn hard to escape. Good stuff here.
-Flair’s head is set in the “guillotine” AKA cage door. Mongo says stop it. Curt does it anyway and it’s UNPROTECTED.
HOW DOES IT END:
The New World Order win in 19:38
FINAL WORD: The story was better than the match, but the ending made it something notable.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE: Nash claims it is “death of the Horsemen right in their backyard.” Tony agrees in a serious tone and says they have to go. The heels celebrate, people are stunned and Ric has a towel over his face. This is BDK before BDK (and the reference challenge is done).
THE LAST IMAGE: Ric Flair
THE WRAP UP
FINAL MVP of PPV: It’s good to have Eddie Guerrero back and he’s lean, mean and still the same wrestling machine.
FINAL LVP of PPV: It’s such a waste of money to have Michael Buffer if he’s not going to know what shit is actually called and seem out of place as all hell.
MY FAVORITE MATCH: Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Jericho
MY LEAST FAVORITE MATCH: DDP and Lex Luger vs Scott Hall and Randy Savage
FINAL THOUGHTS: This felt like a super-duper Nitro, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good show. There was a great sense of intensity throughout, the stories had a consistent throughline and almost all of the matches were solid at worst. It was a good birthday. MULLET RECOMMENDS
NEXT TIME: Shawn Michaels is a massive dick on another continent! It’s the first WWF UK-exclusive PPV, One Night Only. And your boy has never seen the whole thing!