7 Reasons why WWE Should bring back Halloween Havoc
Before the advent of Starrcade and WrestleMania, the idea of a yearly wrestling pay-per-view was mostly scoffed at. While there were some pay-per-view events, such as the Wrestling Classic, a tournament format presentation by the WWE, until WrestleMania and Starrcade became established brands it was considered a risky investment. But, WrestleMania proved to be a smash hit, which led to WWE experimenting with more pay-per-views.
In order to capitalize on the biggest audience possible, promoters often chose particular holidays to center their pay-per-view around. Starrcade, for example, took place around Christmas, with the idea that children off from school for the holiday will demand entertainment from their parents. Likewise, Survivor Series was meant to be associated with Thanksgiving, again hoping to cash in on a captive audience.
Soon there were multiple pay-per-view in competition with each other. During the summer months WWE presented SummerSlam while NWA put on The Great American Bash. In order to capitalize on a holiday which WWE wasn't already encroaching upon, the NWA chose Halloween. The holiday loosely descends from All Hollow's Eve, a European tradition in which children dress up as witches and demons to blend in with the monsters who are allowed free reign upon the Earth for that one night a year.
It has become a ritual involving elaborate costumes and candy, and even adults get in on the act. NWA presented its first Halloween Havoc on October 28, 1989, from the Philadelphia Civic Center. The main event was a first of its kind, a Thunderdome match which included a thirty-foot high domed cage with electrified wire.
Sting and the Nature Boy Ric Flair battled against the Great Muta and Terry Funk in the main event. The event marked a departure for the NWA who normally eschewed gimmick matches except in rare circumstances. After the success of the first Halloween Havoc, NWA would return with the event next year. The tradition continued even after Ted Turner purchased JCP and turned the promotion into WCW.
Unfortunately, the Halloween Havoc franchise died with a whimper in 2000, when the main event featured Kronik vs. Goldberg in a handicap match. Now that the WWE owns the rights to the Halloween Havoc name, should they bring it back to the modern era? Here are ten reasons why WWE should resurrect the Halloween Havoc pay per view.
#7 A holiday-themed event lends a festival like atmosphere
Holidays are a special time meant for celebration. Many wrestling fans in North America will watch numerous Christmas themed movies or attend pageants, so extending this mentality to Halloween should be a safe bet.
Halloween in the United States has suffered something of a stigma because of fears that children will be abducted or poisoned during the trick or treating ritual. Why not keep those children safely at home and watching Halloween Havoc instead?