Let’s check out WCW’s November PPV for 1997 in WCW World War 3 1997! On this PPV we have the massive 60-man World War 3 battle royal and a couple of bangers.
The Best of WCW World War 3 1997
Usually when we get a WCW PPV, things are started on a hot note with an exciting bout that will have you on the edge of your seat on the athleticism alone.
World War 3 1997 didn’t have that kind of opener but the tag bout between the teams of Glacier and Ernest Miller and The Faces of Fear was actually pretty good.
I remembered the match being fine but I actually liked it upon rewatching it for Into the Vault. It’s almost as if Glacier’s war should’ve been against the remnants of the Dungeon of Doom than James Vandenberg’s ghoul and golem combo of Kanyon and Wrath.
Perry Saturn defending his Television title against Disco Inferno was a solid match that was a good showcase for Saturn mostly. Disco definitely wasn’t awful but I wasn’t wowed or anything.
What wowed me in the early part of the show was the showdown between Ultimo Dragon and Yuji Nagata. Fans who had never seen World War 3 1997 would’ve probably expected more of a hard-hitting Japanese bout but since this was American PPV and the match was pretty much an exhibition with no stakes, the approach worked.
I mean, you do have to keep fans attention when they paid for the larger stars on the card, so a snappier match is the way to go, really. Honestly, I have no complaints about this match. It was one of my top two matches for the first half of the PPV.
Now, my top match of the first half is this hot tag team match between The Steiner Brothers and The Blue Bloods. There’s some physicality here that I really like and both teams are peak tag team machines with the team experience going to the Steiners.
Also, this match had stakes that added a little more intensity to what was going to be an intense match anyway. I feel it should’ve had a little more time since I wanted more.
Eddie Guerrero versus Rey Mysterio for Guerrero’s WCW Cruiserweight championship. All of that sounds good on paper and it was! Mind you, it wasn’t as good as their Halloween Havoc 1997 showdown and it had its share of botches but this was still a dope match. Actually, from an in-ring, unchained excitement point of view, this match was the best of the night.
Finally, we have Flair challenging for Curt Hennig’s U.S Championship in a strong albeit somewhat lengthy bout. The only reason I call out the match’s length is that it would make more sense if these two—this exact match—could’ve been a World title bout a year or two earlier if the conditions were right.
With that said, poking at the length doesn’t take away from the match as a whole. It just seems that the stakes could’ve been higher for both competitors. I will say that it has perfect placement on World War 3 1997 as the main was…something else for the most part.
The Rest
Of the matches in “The Rest” pile, the match between Raven and Scotty Riggs wasn’t bad and has a little story heading into it. I think it’s safe to say it’s a fine match with two guys who worked together very well. I actually dug Riggs as a singles competitor and he worked well with Raven.
McMichael and Wright are still a thing on WCW broadcasts. Skip without reason. Remember, you don’t need to watch all the scrub matches.
The main event is a messy version of a pretty stock battle royal. Some wrestlers were active throughout and the match while others did that downtime wander as if they need another opponent.
Things didn’t really pick up until the end—which is usually the case with the World War 3 battle royal. It’s meh for the bulk of it, it’s hard to follow because of the three rings, and the production just makes it a mess. The only benefit to the match is that it doesn’t run super long like the Royal Rumble with just 30 competitors and one ring. It’s a snappy battle royal.
Scott Hall winning was kind of expected with interference and shenanigans from the new World order.
WCW Wild War 3 1997 Verdict: Silver Medal (2.6/5)
This PPV had a number of matches worth watching, a few matches you could skip, and one match that you technically could skip but it’s the main event and the feature match of the show. The match of the PPV goes to the Cruiserweight title bout with Nagata-Ultimo Dragon and Flair-Hennig both being truly honorable mentions in the show.
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