In Texas Death, Vader Takes The Easy Way Out
There's a visceral simplicity to the dynamic between Vader and Cactus Jack. The World Heavyweight Champion is one of pro wrestling's greatest big men ever, and he has used that domineering size and strength to mow through challengers of all sorts in WCW. Vader's something of a far cry from the NWA World Championship mold of the 80s, eschewing the more sporting techniques that Flair brought to the role for sheer power instead. Cactus is similarly not quite in the mold of a Dusty, Steamboat, or even Garvin. He's this rough around the edges brawler that goes in head first with violence with no real care for finesse or even self-preservation.
The result of crashing these two together are World Title matches that feel way more like a fight than a competition. If you haven't, I highly recommend their two matches from WCW Saturday Night that precede this match to help provide some context. Not only do those matches have some truly grotesque punches, but the finish to the second one informs much of the ill feeling in this bout. In that match, Vader closes things out by powerbombing Cactus right onto the concrete floor, taking him out of action. In retaliation, Cactus chooses to spin the wheel, make the deal, and we get a non-title Texas Death match at Halloween Havoc.
Something of note here for a more recent wrestling fan is that this is a Texas Death match in the traditional sense. Where AEW has appropriated the term to describe a Last Man Standing match with submissions, the classic version sees the two wrestlers attempting to get falls on each other that are followed by a 30 second rest period, and then the count of ten.
My fellow EGG writer Colette has already talked a bit of this artifact of the match type, and she points to it as the main problem with the match. It's certainly not not a problem here, as the match necessarily takes an imposed break just as its meant to be ramping to its most heated moments in the back half. That said, it doesn't take away too much from me. I don't find its addition all that different from how modern Last Man Standing matches go (and I have a higher tolerance for that than many on the net), or even from rounds breaks in other types of matches. It helps that Vader and Cactus do a good job of creating a fair amount of variety around each fall, each one escalating in stakes and the champion being worn down in interesting ways that give the crowd some hope in Cactus' potential victory.
And really, man, it's so easy to ignore that shit because it's Cactus Jack vs. Vader!
Cactus Jack seems to have made a pact with everyone involved that he's to be hit as hard as possible at every single turn. Vader's not exactly a wrestler that needs that prompting, but he feels especially unleashed against Jack even in comparison to other popular opponents of the time like Sting. Vader's just landing potatoes like they're going out of style, genuinely cracking Jack open over the eye, and landing some meaty blows right around that already crooked-looking nose.
And that's not even getting into how cleverly this plays on the ground set in their previous matches. With two count out finishes behind them, it's satisfying to see Cactus really able to apply the pressure on the floor. We get the natural progression of things like Vader constantly costing himself by crashing into dangerous hazards. In Center Stage, that meant Vader crashing into ringside barricades, here we see him do so against a table in the ring, and even punching a ringpost early in the match. But it also forces another level of malice and danger from the champion here. Vader feels backed into a corner against this nearly unkillable freak, going the distance to really thrash Cactus around in ways both reckless and mean. I especially love how he drags Cactus off the ramp to the floor with him while punching him right in the face, just this sudden vengeful bout of violence befitting of a monster that had just crawled out of his own grave.
It's a beautiful escalation of the feud, not all that hampered by the rule set in place. For me, at least, a much bigger problem is how fumbly that finish is. It's not impossible to smoothly work a taser into a wrestling match--we saw Jon Moxley and Darby Allin do it very recently--but poor ole Harley Race and Mick Foley can't quite get the timing right. The dead air between the crackle of electricity and the bump from Cactus rings infinitely more hollow than any of the 30 second rest periods. As sensible as it is as a finish--Vader being forced into deep waters, showing his mettle, and still needing the coward's way out--it's the kind of thing that keeps a fantastic brawl out of the highest echelons of greatness.
But great it still is, a Halloween treat like only WCW could deliver.
Rating: ****