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The Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero match from Halloween Havoc 1997, Mask vs.
Cruiserweight Title, is regularly held up (alongside the Bret Hart-Chris Benoit
Owen Hart tribute match) as one of the best bouts to be produced by latter-day
WCW. In what is a common irony when it comes to truly great matches, it was far
from being the focus of the promotion at the time and was not expected to become
the most remembered bout of the evening. It was the third bout on a nine match
card, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 26,
1997. The feud of the day was NWO vs. WCW, and dominated all the headline bouts
(Piper vs. Hogan, Page vs. Savage, Flair vs. Hennig, Luger vs. Hall). Hell, even
the horrid Jacquelyn vs. Disco Inferno feud was given more attention in the
weeks preceding Havoc than Rey vs. Guerrero. Still, there was a storyline behind
the match, and when given the chance, it stole the show out from under everyone
else.
History
Eddie Guerrero was a babyface in WCW, floating in the mid-card/semi main event
slots, until he lost the WCW United States Title to Dean Malenko. Guerrero then
began a slow heel turn, eventually feuding with nephew Chavo to cement his
position by "alienating his family". WCW even brought in Hector
Guerrero for an angle where he had to pull Eddie off of Chavo as he beat him
unmercifully. During this time, Eddie was moved into the Cruiserweight division,
and defeated Chris Jericho for the title at Fall Brawl on September 14, 1997.
With Eddie as heel champion, it was only logical that Rey Mysterio Jr., the
darling of the division, would challenge him.
The night after Guerrero won the title, he successfully defended it against
Ultimo Dragon with a frog splash. Earlier on the same show, Mysterio defeated
longtime rival Juventud Guerrera with a hurricanrana. The following week, on the
September 22nd edition of Nitro, the Mysterio-Guerrero feud would officially
begin, as Eddie Guerrero came to ringside as Mysterio was facing Silver King
(presumably to "scout" future challengers). Mysterio won the match,
and also knocked Guerrero off the ring apron when he tried to sneak attack Rey.
The following week, Mysterio was again featured on Nitro, against a new masked
opponent ... El Caliente.
Caliente, of course, was Guerrero in disguise, which was obvious to everyone but
the announcers, as the crowd chanted "Eddie Sucks" at him. Mysterio
scored the win with a springboard into a hurricanrana (later to be called the
"West Coast Pop") and then unmasked Caliente, revealing that Mysterio
had just pinned the Cruiserweight Champion. Guerrero was enraged and
embarrassed, and now had to defend the title against someone who had proven he
could beat him in the ring. On the October 6th edition of Nitro, Guerrero would
get another win over Ultimo Dragon with the frog splash, while WCW would begin a
series of segments that would end up adding emphasis to the Halloween Havoc
match.
WCW produced a series of vignettes, hosted by Mike Tenay, to explain Lucha Libre
and the tradition of the mask in Mexican wrestling to the Nitro audience. These
vignettes would tell WCW fans how important the mask was, and help in creating
the stipulation of Mysterio-Guerrero. On the October 13th Nitro, Eddie Guerrero
defeated Psychosis after a frog splash, then tried to pull off his mask, showing
disrespect to the tradition of the mask. Later that night, as Mysterio was
wrestling Dean Malenko and was set to pin him following a hurricanrana, when
Guerrero interfered, pulling the mask off of Mysterio. As Rey tried to cover his
face, Malenko put Rey in the Texas Cloverleaf, forcing him to tap out. As
Guerrero walked out, he held the mask up to the camera and mocked Rey, asking
"Did you lose this?"
October 20, 1997 was the final Nitro before Halloween Havoc, with Eddie Guerrero
pinning Chris Benoit with a frog splash to retain the WCW World Cruiserweight
title. Another piece on Lucha Libre and the importance of the mask was shown,
this time concentrating on Rey Mysterio Jr. and how the mask had been handed
down to him from his uncle. Rey wrestled Disco Inferno for the Television title,
but Guerrero ran in and attacked Mysterio, giving him the disqualification win,
but not the title. The two slugged it out, as the stage was now set for their
Pay-per-view match. WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
Jr., with the added stipulation that if Rey were to lose, he would have to
unmask in the ring.
The Match
Halloween Havoc announcers Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan were
joined for this match by Mike Tenay, who tossed out tons of relevant
biographical information, like the fact that Rey had wrestled eight times in
matches with his mask on the line, and had won them all. He also mentioned that
Guerrero had voluntarily unmasked when he was Mascara Magica, showing no respect
for the "tradition" of the mask. Mysterio came to the ring wearing a
full body outfit with his mask attached to it that was styled after comic
character The Phantom. He also had the mask Guerrero had ripped off him on
October 13th hanging around his neck.
The crowd chanted "Eddie sucks" at the bell. Guerrero began trash
talking Mysterio in center ring, saying he was going to rip the mask "right
off his head". Eddie went for a slap, but Mysterio ducked it, hit a punch,
and grabbed a side headlock, which Guerrero immediately shoved off. Rey
rebounded off the ropes, went over Guerrero and went for a Quebrada moonsault.
Eddie caught the move, but Rey flipped out of Guerrero's grasp. Guerrero
charged, and Rey leapfrogged him. Mysterio hit a monkey flip, then launched into
a cross bodyblock, sending Guerrero over the top rope to the floor, while
Mysterio landed on the apron and rolled back into the ring. Mysterio teased a
dive, but instead flipped over the top rope to the apron. Guerrero was a step
ahead of him, and grabbed Mysterio by the legs and yanked him off the apron to
the floor. Guerrero tossed Mysterio head first into the ringsteps, then back
into the ring, so he could hit him with a slingshot senton to the back. Guerrero
incited the crowd, bragging about what he had done to Rey.
Guerrero delivered a chop and slugged Rey to the mat, but Mysterio reversed a
whip and delivered a perfect dropkick. Rey built up a head of steam and went for
a handspring, but Guerrero caught him and delivered a high back suplex. Guerrero
hit a brain buster for a two count, then immediately hit a tilt-a-whirl
backbreaker for another two. Guerrero began pulling at one of the eye holes on
Rey's mask, then applied an abdominal stretch. Guerrero occasionally pulled on
the mask while maintaining the hold, but the referee would make Guerrero release
the mask. Guerrero turned the stretch into a pumphandle backbreaker. Eddie
covered Rey, who got his shoulder up at two. Eddie forced Rey's shoulders back
down twice more while in a test of strength, but Rey kept bridging up. After a
fourth two count, Eddie went to drop his weight on Rey, but Mysterio kicked
Guerrero to his feet and in one fluid motion, maintaining the test of strength,
Rey also jumped to his feet, then to the middle of the top rope, releasing one
of Guerrero's hands. Mysterio sprung off the top rope into a backflip and drove
Guerrero down to the mat with a DDT.
Both men struggled to their feet, and Rey dropkicked Guerrero from the ring. Rey
attempted to springboard from the middle rope inside the ring to the floor.
Guerrero though, had slid back into the ring, so Rey caught himself and landed
on the ring apron. Guerrero dropkicked Mysterio off the apron to the floor.
Eddie went to the outside and whipped Rey chest first into the guardrail, then
tossed him back into the ring. Guerrero applied a camel clutch, and again ripped
at the mask. Guerrero added a crossface to his camel clutch, eventually
releasing the hold and applying the Gory Special. Rey broke free and took Eddie
down with a reverse armdrag as he came down off Guerrero's back. Rey went for a
dropkick, but Eddie sidestepped it, and dropkicked a seated Mysterio right in
the back of the head. Guerrero put Rey in an over the shoulder backbreaker, then
dropped to his knees, bouncing Rey back first over his shoulder. Guerrero
applied a variation of a bow and arrow on the mat, driving his knee into Rey's
back while locking up the right arm and leg. Eddie sent Rey into motion, and hit
a side bodyblock as Rey rebounded off the ropes. Eddie went for a cover, but his
foot was on the ropes, and Rey also reached out and grabbed the ropes to stop
the count.
Pushing Rey into the turnbuckles, Eddie went for forearms and chops in the
corner, but Rey responded with forearms. Rey chopped Guerrero, and went for a
whip, but Eddie stopped it and kneed Mysterio in the midsection. Guerrero tossed
Rey into the opposite corner, flipping him, and Mysterio ended up hung in the
Tree of Woe. Eddie dropkicked Rey in the chest, then backed up, smirking, for
another kick. This time, Rey sat up, and Guerrero slid across the mat and
crotched himself on the ringpost. Eddie regrouped on the floor, and Mysterio
dove off the top rope over the ringpost to hit Guerrero with a cross bodyblock,
sending Guerrero crashing into the guardrails. Mysterio tossed Eddie into the
ring and went for a whip, but Eddie reversed it. Eddie went for a tilt-a-whirl
backbreaker, but Rey flipped out of it, and from a standing position, Rey hit a
hurricanrana and hooked Guerrero's legs for a two count. Eddie charged Rey and
decked him with a lariat.
Guerrero whipped Rey across the ring, and Mysterio springboarded into a backflip
off the middle rope, over Guerrero. Rey charged and Eddie sidestepped him, and
Mysterio spun inbetween the top and middle rope (what would later be part of the
619) and grabbed Eddie in a headscissors, doing a complete revolution before
pulling Guerrero over the top rope and to the floor. Mysterio landed on the
apron and launched himself into a somersault flip over the top rope, then
grabbed Guerrero into a rana on the floor. Rey tossed Guerrero back in, and went
to the top rope. Rey went into a corkscrew moonsault, hitting a standing
Guerrero with his back. Rey got a two count, then slammed Eddie to the mat.
Mysterio went for an Arabian Press, but Guerrero got his knees up. Guerrero then
delivered a powerbomb, but Rey kicked out at two. Guerrero grabbed Rey in a
Fireman's carry, then rammed him back first into the corner. Eddie charged Rey,
who moved, sending Guerrero into the buckles, and Rey hit a back kick. Rey set
up for the springboard rana, but Eddie caught it and sent Mysterio crashing to
the mat with a backbreaker.
Eddie went to the top rope for a frog splash, but Rey moved as Eddie was in
mid-dive. Eddie turned into a somersault on the mat to avoid crashing. Rey went
for a rana, Eddie pushed him over the top of his head, and Rey landed on the top
rope behind Eddie. Guerrero turned around and shoved Mysterio's legs, crotching
him on the top. Eddie went for a back superplex, with Rey punching to avoid it.
Rey finally elbowed Guerrero, who was standing on the middle rope, and got him
to release his waistlock. However, Guerrero stayed on the ropes and elbowed Rey
back down into a seated position on the connecting cable between the turnbuckle
and the ringpost. Eddie then positioned Rey for a second rope crucifix powerbomb,
but Rey turned it into a rana in mid move, and hooked Guerrero's legs to win the
Cruiserweight Title and keep his mask.
The Aftermath
The night after Halloween Havoc, Mysterio successfully defended the
Cruiserweight Title by pinning Dean Malenko with a small package as Malenko went
for the Texas Cloverleaf, avenging his loss to Malenko that Guerrero had caused
on October 13th. Guerrero also scored a victory, beating Chris Jericho with a
frog splash. The next week, on the November 3rd edition of Nitro, an unusual tag
match was held, as Guerrero was paired up with Malenko to face Mysterio and
Steven (William) Regal. After a bout that saw little trust and a lot of
"tagging yourself in while your partner doesn't know", Malenko forced
Mysterio to tap out to the Texas Cloverleaf.
You would think that Malenko's victory would line him up for a title shot, but
the following week WCW gave Guerrero a rematch with Mysterio, and on that
November 10th Nitro. Eddie regained the WCW World Cruiserweight title, ending
Mysterio's reign after only two weeks. Guerrero would then start a feud with
Malenko, who felt he should have had the title shot that night. Mysterio would
go back to floating around, having great matches and waiting to be pushed again.
Feedback can be sent to Buck Woodward at BuckWrestling@aol.com
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