10 Awesome War Games Matches You Must Revisit
A deep dive through wrestling's most celebrated stipulation.
It's official: WarGames is back.
NXT General Manager William Regal made the announcement during last night's TV tapings, with the iconic WCW match stipulation set to return on November 18th, when Sanity, The Undisputed Era, and the Roderick Strong/Authors Of Pain combination face-off in a three-team, nine-man bout.
Fans have been pining for WarGames' return since WWE acquired WCW in 2001. Devised by Dusty Rhodes in 1987, the gimmick sees two rings placed side by side, with both enclosed by a giant steel cage. Entrants are staggered at two-minute intervals, but the bout can't be finished until every participant has joined the fray.
Dubbed 'The Match Beyond,' this period continues until somebody has submitted, surrendered, or been rendered unconscious. Pinfalls, count-outs, and disqualifications are all ineligible, which has led to some brutally violent encounters over the decades, particular in the early years.
It'll likely be many WWE fans' first exposure to the stipulation, but there's no better way to familiarise yourself with the gimmick than by exploring the best it has to offer, including WarGames' many spin-offs. The stipulation isn't perfect, but it has spawned plenty of classics over the years, many of which still stand out today...
10. The Four Horsemen Vs. Team NWO (WCW Fall Brawl '97)
The Fall Brawl '97 WarGames match falls way below the standards set by the stipulation's true classics, but it's still strong enough to hit the upper echelon, with two things standing out in-particular.
The first is Chris Benoit's performance. Teaming with Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, and Steve McMichael, the Canadian put forth one of the most impressive showings of his WCW run up to that point. He dominated Buff Bagwell throughout the opening stages, and was then forced to fight 2-on-1 as the New World Order's Konnan entered the cage, which only seemed to strengthen Benoit's grip on the match. It was laid out specifically to make Chris look good, and it did just that, with the future WCW Champion doing most of the heavy lifting throughout.
Despite this, Curt Hennig's turn was the story point around which the bout was built. A beatdown earlier in the evening prevented him from starting the match, but he eventually ran down, pulling off his sling to reveal two sets of handcuffs. The crowd popped, but he swerved everyone in attendance by attacking the Horsemen, cuffing McMichael and Benoit to the cage, before his new allies - the nWo - beat Flair down to the point McMichael was compelled to surrender.