[1997-10-26-WCW-Halloween Havoc] Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Misterio Jr

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Good Lord! I have always liked this match, but I think I liked it more than ever this time. This is a near flawless match. Rey is awesome and I don't want to downplay his role in this, but Eddy gives one of the two or three best performances of the year. So much has been said about this match through the years that I don't feel the need to go on and on, but it's cool to see how the crowd comes unglued as this match goes on. They definitely won the people.

[MJH]

This is the perfect cruiserweight match. Nothing more needs to be said.

[Kevin Ridge]

Just awesome. As flawless as you can get with the execution of the high risk moves. The springboard/back flip into DDT was so fluid. They just weren’t the same in 05 when trying to hit that one. The senton flip to the outside into a headscissors was amazing. Just a match when both guys are competing at their best. The finish has become so oversued but at least they had a much better set up to it. Fantastic match.

[soup23]

Perfect cruiserweight match feels accurate. The spots, timing, and intensity from the competitors to win really put this over the top, It is an overall beautiful match that gets the crowd way into it and the announcers marking out. In a less loaded year, this would be a top five MOTY contender. In 1997, it can hope for a top 10 finish which is still freaking fantastic. I think this is probably the second best WCW match in the 1990's.

[El-P]

WCW MOTYC & MOTDC. If anything, this match shows that the quality of execution does matter, especially when you work that kind of style. Yeah, one of Eddie's greatest performance, and the picture perfect cruiserweight match, the apex of the style in the US.

[Superstar Sleeze]

WCW Crusierweight Champion Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio - WCW Halloween Havoc 1997 Title Vs Mask

 

When people talk about matches that you need to see before you die, this is near the top of the list. In fact, I think even non-wrestling fans could appreciate the athleticism and execution on display from these two high caliber wrestlers. From a pure execution standpoint, you will be hard-pressed to find a better match. It was two of the greatest wrestlers ever at their absolute peak just both having the night of their lives and coming together to make violent, yet graceful art. Rey was absolutely poetry in motion. Not one single flub in a performance that featured some of the most complicated moves you will ever see while not coming off as a forced spot. The springboard DDT counter and the somersault plancha into the hurricanrana are just mind-blowing. Then you have to remember, he had to do this having just taken a shit kicking from Eddy. Eddy was just at his violent best. Everything was just so crisp and nasty. His chops and strikes reverberated around the building. His backbreakers and whips into the steel were violent. His holds stretched Rey to his breaking point. Ripping at the mask, he was just adding insult to injury. The mask was attached to the bodysuit because of a previous incident where Eddy ripped off Rey's mask, which caused a Rey loss. The Las Vegas crowd was with them in lockstep. "Eddie Sucks!" filled the ring during every brutal hold on Rey's back. They bit on Rey's nearfalls desperately hoping he would win the title and keep the mask. Eddy never let the match get out of hand. For every breath-taking Rey counter, he literally had a breath-taking counter which would evacuate the air from Rey's lungs (wicked double leg whip or back suplex) or knock him senseless (violent dropkick to the back of the head and HOLY SHIT powerbomb). Rey, though he screamed in agony, never quit. At first his fancy footwork was his downfall because Eddy anticipated his movements and could counter at will, but slowly he was connecting with more and more. Finally as he pulled himself from the Tree of Woe and Eddy slid into post, Rey took control and the crowd was cheering him on with each incredible move, the hurricanrana out of the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker is one of the best false finishes of all time. Eddie still would get his when he turned a springboard hurricanarana into a backbreaker. Eddy was poised to win with a frogsplash, but Rey moved and Eddy rolled through. Eddy looked to polish him off with Splash Mountain and just when it looked like Rey ran out of escapes he pulled out his best the hurricanarana out of Splash Mountain. You know until I watched it this time with a critical eye, it was the first time I noticed with was sub-15 minutes. They pack so much action in there that feels like a 20 minute match, but it is still so well-paced that you never feel like it is tiring. I was going to say it felt abbreviated, but now reviewing it and remembering just how amazing it is, I am going all the way. Eddie is just the meanest man in this match. He may have the best sneer in wrestling history and to think he may also have the most charismatic smile makes me miss him all that much more. Rey is the ultimate underdog. That is it, he is the best underdog ever. You know how much the mask means to him and here is Eddy ripping it at and just being a total prick. They just could not fire a bad shot in this match. *****

[drew wardlaw]

There's a movie called Salo, Or The 120 Days Of Sodom. There's a scene where a torture victim gets his tongue cut out. Rey makes the same face when he's in the camel clutch post mask rip. And all you can really see are his eyes.

[PeteF3]

There's your WCW MOTY and a worldwide MOTYC, though it's still too early for me to think about where specifically it will place. I think what separates this from your typical WCW cruisers match is the personal grudge here, that you don't necessarily get in these matches--that adds an extra layer of intensity and velocity to everything each man does. Rey's flying, which has rarely been more spectacular than it is here, comes off as the strategy of a man trying to survive, rather than just a way to show off. I agree with Kevin's point about the setup to the finish also--it had almost become a cliche for Misterio by this point, but they actually find a way to get to the attempted crucifix power bomb organically.

[Zenjo]

Pretty much everyone seems to love this match. I've always found the level of praise quite mystifying. I've watched it several times over the years and always found it to be really good rather than great. Having said that it is the best WCW bout of '97, so I do like it quite a lot.

 

The mask vs title stipulation is insulting to Mexican wrestling. Guerrero was on offence the majority of the contest. Rey fought back in short, sharp bursts. Some nice moves with impressive execution. Really crisp, they nailed everything. Structurally sound as well. The US-Lucha fusion style doesn't always connect that well with me, but the appeal here is universal. There aren't any flaws I can pick out, I just don't think it has the scope to be a classic.

[JKWebb]

http://placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-100-51/

 

#100

 

This has been covered and summed up and described very accurately above -- TOTAL CLASSIC for me. A near perfect match and it doesn't get any better than this in the WCW cruiserweight division, or in WCW period after this match. The best WCW match of their most popular era. AMAZING.

[cactus]

The drip of Eddy Guerrero as he's walking down to the ring is unmatched. He never lets down as he's working down Rey. He's cool as fuck and he wants you to know about. Eddy is always entertaining while he's keep Mysterio down. He lands the most perfect tilt a whirl backbreaker I've ever seen. Rey finds his openings in short bursts. He's not as powerful as Eddy, but he's a lot quicker, so he gets himself out of trouble by finding a way to land a hurricanrana no matter what situation he finds himself in. These guys are at the top of their game, and their intensity and athleticism are top tier. 

★★★★½

[Microstatistics]

Misterio had to put his precious mask on the line for a shot at the cruiseweight title. The stipulation was particularly precarious since the champion Eddy had recently developed a bitter mean streak. Misterio was extremely agile, but Eddy seemed to have his every move scouted, allowing him to unleash a vicious assault on Misterio’s back. Eddy targeted the back with a variety of submissions and backbreakers, while maliciously ripping at the mask every chance he got. Misterio’s resilience and some breathtaking counters managed to keep him competitive. Eddy arrogantly went for an avalanche splash mountain, a move Misterio had proven adept at countering, and, unsurprisingly, it was reversed in mid-air for the title change. One of the best matches in WCW history. ****5/8