Fall Brawl '95: War Games: Two Great Matches Carry a Lopsided Cage Fight

Johnny B. Badd and Brian Pillman turn a number-one-contender match into the clear in-ring highlight of the first half of Fall Brawl. The opening twenty-minute limit gives the match a natural structure, with both men trading increasingly ambitious counters while the clock becomes part of the story. Instead of accepting the draw, WCW allows sudden death, and the wrestlers respond with another energetic stretch rather than simply repeating the first act. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 7.52 and the Observer gave it four stars. Thomas Hall rated it A-. The nearly thirty-minute runtime is ambitious, but the closing ten minutes justify it.

Sgt. Craig Pittman against Cobra is more angle than match, and at one minute twenty-two seconds it barely has time to become anything else. Pittman sends a military messenger to ringside, descends from above and attacks before Cobra can establish much offense. The Code Red submission ends the bout almost immediately. The brevity prevents it from becoming tedious, but it also leaves nothing to evaluate beyond a gimmick entrance and a decisive finish. CAGEMATCH does not list it as matchguide-eligible because of the short runtime. As a television-style character beat it is harmless. As a pay-per-view match, it is essentially a squash.

Diamond Dallas Page against The Renegade is not good wrestling, but it is useful booking. Page is rapidly improving, and several of his transitions already look sharper than the opponent he is being asked to carry. Renegade still struggles with timing, spacing and convincing offense, while the crowd remains resistant to the gimmick. Maxx Muscle's interference creates the opening for the Diamond Cutter and the title change, allowing WCW to move the Television Championship onto someone with far more upside. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 3.84. Thomas Hall was more generous at C+, largely because Page is becoming visibly better. The result matters more than the eight minutes.

Harlem Heat against Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater is badly hurt by length. Booker T provides the best movement, but the match repeatedly settles into chinlocks, nerve holds and deliberate control segments that drain the crowd. The real storyline is happening around the teams, with Sister Sherri and Colonel Parker increasingly distracted by one another until their romantic angle becomes more important than the championships. The Nasty Boys interfere, Harlem Heat regain the belts and Parker keeps kissing Sherri while his own team loses. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 3.21, and Thomas Hall graded it D. The finish advances several stories. The wrestling feels like sixteen minutes of waiting for them.

Arn Anderson versus Ric Flair is the emotional center of Fall Brawl and the match that makes Asheville feel like Horsemen country. Anderson targets Flair's arm with the precision expected from him, while Flair gradually answers by attacking the leg and increasing the pace. The wrestlers do not need a complicated stipulation because the history between them supplies the stakes. Brian Pillman's late interference leads to Anderson's DDT and keeps the finish from being perfect, but it also launches the next Horsemen chapter. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 7.45 and the Observer gave it three-and-a-half stars. Thomas Hall rated it B+. The crowd investment makes every basic exchange feel larger.

The WarGames main event has the correct cage, the correct rules and almost none of the competitive tension that makes the concept special. Sting works hard in the opening period and the alternating-entry structure creates the expected temporary disadvantages, but the teams are hopelessly uneven on paper. Once Hogan enters last, the match turns into a straightforward rout and ends when Zodiac submits to the camel clutch. The real purpose comes afterward, when Hogan gets his promised five minutes with Kevin Sullivan and The Giant arrives to attack him. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 2.73. Thomas Hall graded it D, and TJR called the overall show average despite the WarGames story. The angle is more important than the cage match.