Fall Brawl '97: War Games

Fall Brawl '97: War Games was the fifth Fall Brawl professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It took place on September 14, 1997, from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As of 2014 the event is available on the WWE Network.[1]

Fall Brawl '97: War Games
Promotional poster featuring The Giant and Scott Hall
PromotionWorld Championship Wrestling
DateSeptember 14, 1997
CityWinston-Salem, North Carolina
VenueLawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Attendance11,939
Tagline(s)The Rage in the Cage
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous
Road Wild
Next →
Halloween Havoc
Fall Brawl chronology
← Previous
1996
Next →
1998

Production

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Background

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The WarGames match was created when Dusty Rhodes was inspired by a viewing of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.[2] It was originally used as a specialty match for the Four Horsemen. The first WarGames match took place at The Omni in Atlanta during the NWA's Great American Bash '87 tour, where it was known as War Games: The Match Beyond. It became a traditional Fall Brawl event from 1993 to 1998.

Storylines

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The event featured professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Professional wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.[3]

Event

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Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
Commentators Tony Schiavone
Bobby Heenan
Mike Tenay
Larry Zbyszko
Interviewer Gene Okerlund
Ring announcers Michael Buffer
David Penzer
Referees Randy Anderson
Mark Curtis
Scott Dickinson
Mickie Jay
Nick Patrick

During the WarGames Match, Curt Hennig entered the match for the Horsemen last due to an apparent shoulder injury. Moments later Hennig revealed his injury to be a ruse and that he was on the nWo's side all along. The New World Order then handcuffed Chris Benoit and Steve McMichael to the cage and began assaulting Ric Flair. Kevin Nash took the microphone and repeatedly asked the helpless Horsemen if they wanted to give up, but McMichael refused and Benoit repeatedly spat in Nash's face. The Horsemen finally surrendered after Nash threatened to slam Flair's head into the cage structure with the door. McMichael, not wanting to see Flair beat up any worse than he already was, made the call for his team. After the surrender, Hennig slammed the door onto Flair's head anyways.

A Steve McMichael vs. Konnan match had been advertised on WCW.com and in the event program, though never on television. Both participated in the War Games main event, but a singles match between the two did not take place.

Results

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No.Results[4]StipulationsTimes
1Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Jericho (c)Singles match for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship17:19
2The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) (with Ted DiBiase) defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray) (with Miss Jacqueline)Tag Team match11:44
3Alex Wright (c) defeated Último DragónSingles match for the WCW World Television Championship18:43
4Jeff Jarrett (with Debra) defeated Dean MalenkoSingles match14:53
5Wrath and Mortis (with James Vandenberg) defeated The Faces of Fear (Meng and The Barbarian)Tag team match12:22
6The Giant defeated Scott NortonSingles match05:27
7Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger defeated nWo (Randy Savage and Scott Hall) (with Miss Elizabeth)No Disqualification match10:19
8The nWo (Buff Bagwell, Kevin Nash, Konnan and Syxx) defeated The Four Horsemen (Chris Benoit, Curt Hennig, Ric Flair and Steve McMichael)WarGames match19:38
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

References

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  1. ^ "Every pay-per-view available on WWE Network". WWE. February 4, 2014. Archived from the original on February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  2. ^ WCW War Games: WCW’s Most Notorious Matches 2013. WWE.
  3. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (13 January 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
  4. ^ "Fall Brawl". thehistoryofwwe.com. 16 January 2023.