From 1989-2000 Halloween Havoc served as one of WCW’s biggest annual pay-per-views. But despite campaigning from fans, WWE opted to not revive the Halloween-themed event for nearly two full decades. That will finally change on Oct. 28 when NXT hosts a special Halloween Havoc episode, hosted by Shotzi Blackheart. Eric Bischoff, WCW’s former executive producer and president, addressed NXT‘s decision during a recent episode of the 83 Weeks podcast, saying he fully supports the idea.
“I think it’s great. Wrestling fans have a long memory and they love the legacy and the nostalgia and the history,” Bischoff said (h/t 411Mania) And I think the fact that WWE is bringing back Halloween Havoc in whatever version is number one, paying homage to a great pay-per-view series. Halloween Havoc went on to become, at least in my opinion, one of the more important pay-per-views of the year for WCW. So, I think it’s great, and hopefully, it’ll be a tradition that continues long into the future.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
NXT has made a habit out of reviving old WCW brands in recent years, including WarGames and The Great American Bash. Bischoff noted in the episode that Vince McMahon has a tendency to avoid using WCW’s legacy since its brands weren’t his creation.
“Historically, at least based on what we hear second and third hand and to a little bit of a degree my own experience from the brief period of time I was in WWE, there was a tendency to not want to really acknowledge the history of other brands,” he said. “ECW was a bit of an exception, but I think people forget Vince McMahon had a financial investment in ECW early on in ECW’s existence. WCW was a little bit different — we were real competitors and there was real animosity a real feeling of us versus them with regard to WCW and WWE. I think the tendency to want to embrace some of WCW’s legacy is just not something that happens very naturally or comfortably within WWE, and that’s just another reason why I think it’s great that it’s happening.”
WWE’s next pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell, takes place this Sunday inside the WWE ThunderDome at Orlando’s Amway Center. Check out the full card (so far) below:
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (Hell in a Cell I Quit Match)
- WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton (Hell in a Cell Match)
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell Match)
- Elias vs. Jeff Hardy
