The Live Wire match of the week: WCW Halloween Havoc 1995: Hulk Hogan vs. The Giant

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes a match involving monster trucks, a young Big Show, a young(er) Hogan, people falling off a roof, and a yeti. Yes, a yeti.

00:00 Hogan asks for the rules. Hogan looks weird without his moustache.

00:15 The guy explaining the rules seems even less certain about said rules than anyone. Tony Schiavone explains them better, including “two randomly placed explosive charges” somewhere in the ring.

01:20 The trucks are being WELDED TOGETHER. Why? Why not. It’s WCW. It’s Monster Trucks.

01:50 WE’RE ALL GO! It’s… kinda weird. Bobby Heenan is amazed by the lack of helmets.

02:43 Closeup of Hogan trying not to laugh as he “concentrates”.

03:20 “We always expect Hogan to be slow and he never lets us down” says Bobby Heenan. SHOOOOOOOT!

03:46 Hogan is being pushed backwards, but laughing hysterically in his cab as he does. He’s not the only one…

04:15 “This is exciting” says Bobby Heenan, more hopefully than accurately.

04:55 SOMETHING EXPLODES! There’s no damage, kinda negating the point of the explosion, surely?

05:20 Heenan comments that history is being made. Not all history is good, Bobby…

05:55 There’s an inexplicably large cheer from inside the building as Hogan pushed The Giant’s truck out of the ring, and wins.

06:00 Hogan stares down the Giant, as they fight on the edge of a “five storey high” roof.

06:44 The Giant is choking Hogan! They step up on the ledge, and Hogan breaks the Giant’s grips. The Giant falls off the roof dramatically, and in slow motion, with added arm waving for good measure. Hogan, being the good guy, makes a dive to try and save The Giant.

07:23 We fade to black, and cut to a Hogan promo in the ring. Hogan apologises for the Giant falling off the roof. BUT HERE COMES THE GIANT! HE LIVES! HE LIVES!

08:14 It’s amazing how young and in shape Paul Wight looks here. Scary.

08:35 Hogan gets in the ring, rips the shirt, and the crowd cheers. GROW UP WCW FANS!!! We start the match proper.

09:10 Hogan has some weird Kevin Sullivan style eyebrow design drawn on his forehead. Hogan is pounding away on the Giant and tries to bodyslam him, like he did to Andre all those years ago, Brother.

10:00 Giant on the (slow) offensive with Khali style swinging punches and chops.

10:20 It’s the medium BOOT!

10:45 Giant is unleashing some serious chops. On a side note, He looks like that’s all she wrote stamina wise. Some things don’t change 🙂

11:20 The Giant steals Nash’s foot-in-the-corner choke!

11:40 RESTHOLD!

12:15 Said it before… Hogan looks damned weird without his moustache. He also looks kinda small here. Are we in between steroid cases at this point?

13:00 He’s HULKING UP BROTHER!

13:30 RESTHOLD!

13:48 a GIANT bodyslam from The Giant – ha! PUNS!

14:05 Hogan dodges a legdrop and goes into overacting overdrive.

14:45 Has to be said, the WCW fans are eating up the Hogan act as if it’s free popcorn…

15:00 BACKRAKES OF INTENSE DISCOMFORT from Hogan.

15:30 Hogan is clotheslining The Giant into this decade, and eventually sends him flying over the top rope. Kevin Sullivan is at ringside for the Giant, and they plot, until Hogan turns a noggin knocker into a chest-to-head knocker, given the height difference.

16:40 “Hogan with a head of steam” says Schiavone… and he’s still in slow motion.

17:00 Hogan off the ropes, and into a HUGE backbreaker across the knee. That looked damned impressive, it has to be said.

17:45 We’re into standard Hogan vs. Big Monster territory here as we hit the Bear Hug. Mark Henry would have made a fortune against Hogan in the 80s or 90s.

18:25 It’s the loosest looking bear hug ever, admittedly, as Schiavone shills “We’re number one, because of what goes on in the ring”

19:00 Hogan is bravely fighting his way out of the bear hug. He gets bodyslammed for his trouble. “OH GOD!” he exclaims (to camera, obviously)

19:50 Back to the bear hug! The Giant looks like he wants to eat Hogan, or go for a nap or something.

20:20 We’re into slow motion territory here. You wonder at some point if someone has hit pause. We’re into the classic “drop the arm” spot here now.

21:00 Hogan fights back! Off the ropes! Goozle! HUGE Chokeslam! Hogan is twitching like D-Von Dudley going through heroin withdrawal!

21:30 Hogan kicks out, natch. It’s shaking the head Hulk Up time! He’s wandering round the ring!

21:55 YOU! The finger point! One! Two! Three! BIG BOOT! Giant is wobbling.

22:20 Face rake! BODY SLAM! It’s like Wrestlemania 3 all over!

22:36 Leg drop! Ref bump!

22:50 Jimmy Hart turns on Hogan! Only Sting has had more people turn heel on him in wrestling.

23:00 Jimmy Hart attacks Hogan, the Giant goes for Hogan. Bear hug! Kevin Sullivan lays in some shots as well. Here comes Luger! Here comes Savage! Hart attacks Savage,

24:07 It’s a… Yeti. Dressed as a mummy, apparently. Really.

24:20 The Yeti is hugging Hogan and The Giant. It doesn’t look family friendly.

24:45 Meanwhile, Luger and Savage are going at it. Luger gets Hogan up in the torture rack. The Yeti is hugging The Giant and Randy Savage now for some reason. Again, doesn’t look family friendly.

25:25 “You will never see a pay per view like this again” says Heenan. Oh yes. Thankfully.

25:50 Hogan is down, broken and beaten. It’s only taken a heel turn from Jimmy Hart, The Giant, Lex Luger and a giant hugging Yeti to do it.

26:30 Hogan and Savage are left laying in the ring. I still have no idea why there was a Yeti dressed as a mummy. Knowing WCW, it’s best not to ask.