In this WCW Great American Bash 1996 review, The Giant defends the WCW title against Lex Luger, Eric Bischoff confronts Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: WCW Great American Bash 1996
- Date: June 16, 1996
- Location: Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD
*Blake’s Match Rating Guide: I’m using a new match rating system, which focuses on three simple categories and ignores the need to rate every single match since different matches have different goals. This makes it easier to suggest the best matches rather than compare every match on the card:
- Recommended: ***1/2 to **** stars
- Must-See: **** to ****1/2 stars
- Legendary: ****3/4 to ***** stars
RINGSIDE: Tony Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes hype the top matches, plus WCW potentially addressing the “war” with the invaders. Tony and Dusty also pay tribute to Dick Murdoch.
Fire and Ice vs. The Steiner Brothers
Scott is jacked, and it’s wild to think he’d become even more jacked. Fire and Ice was an interesting tag team, though I can’t exactly remember anything notable with them. I’ve always enjoyed Scott Norton, and his power is on full display. However, Scott (Steiner, that is) nearly breaks Norton’s neck on a suplex attempt. A brutal spot there. This is a solid tag match that goes back and forth, and it’s Scott hitting a botched Frankensteiner on Norton for the win. The chemistry wasn’t there between those two, and Norton seemed pissed after both of those moves.
BACKSTAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund with Kevin Sullivan and Jimmy Hart. Sullivan hypes his issues with the Four Horsemen.
El Gato vs. (c) Konnan – US Heavyweight Title
So, I just realized I reviewed this show a few years ago. The problem? I have no clue where the review is. Encore! From what I recall, this was a quality affair. Gato is Pat Tanaka, so you’ve got two good workers. Some unintentional comedy with Tony and Dusty trying to figure out several technical maneuvers. Another competitive match with a variety of offensive moves both men, and that keeps the crowd in it. Konnan uses the sunset slip for the pin to retain the title. This was enjoyable.
BACKSTAGE: Gene with Sting. They both taunt Steven Regal and suggest he’s prissy.
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Marcus Bagwell – Lord of the Ring
DDP is the reigning BattleBowl champion, so they play that up. They’re pushing the Lord of the Ring concept, which was another forgotten WCW theme. Bagwell won a coin toss between the American Males to earn this match. It’s all Bagwell in the early going, and he even flies over the top with a cross body. DDP’s selling mannerisms are pretty hilarious. He’s a good heel. The crowd is fully behind DDP in this match, and they cheer when he hits the Diamond Cutter for the victory. A fine showcase for DDP but not much more than that.
BACKSTAGE: Gene with The Giant and Jimmy Hart. Every time Giant cuts a backstage promo in this era, all I think about is The Waterboy. He’s gonna destroy Luger.
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. (c) Dean Malenko – WCW Cruiserweight Title
This is Rey’s debut and another reason why I remember reviewing this show previously. The chemistry between these two was always great, and this match is no different. Mike Tenay, as per usual, does a terrific job detailing the action and the motivation behind the moves. It adds so much to these cruiserweight matches. Right from the start, it’s obvious that Rey is a special talent. By the way, he’s only 21 here. 21! Tenay notes during the match that Eddy Guerrero defeated Jushin Thunder Liger to win the Super J Cup, so that’s another nice touch. The theme throughout this one is Malenko being unable to put Rey away, despite repeatedly working over his arm on the mat.
The big spot is Rey hitting a somersault off the top onto Malenko on the outside, and the crowd loves it. This what Eric Bischoff meant by creating something different than everything else on the show. The finishing sequence is just tremendous, with a variety of reversals and near falls in Rey’s favor. But he just can’t pin Malenko, and the champion finally gets the opening he needs to hit a power bomb in the corner and uses the ropes for leverage for the pin to retain the title. A fantastic match that 100 percent deserves the standing ovation it receives from the crowd. (****1/4, Must-See)
BACKSTAGE: Gene with Lex Luger, who wants no part of the interview. He says his mind is on the Giant and puts over his dominance. Luger wants the title.
Big Bubba (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. John Tenta
This is a HOSS FIGHT with Big Boss Man vs. Earthquake. Neither were in their prime at this point, but there’s no denying how good they were at their best. Lots of heel tactics from Bubba and Hart, which is the story of the match. So is Tenta only having half his hair intact, as it was shaved by Bubba on a recent show. Love both guys, but this was the exact opposite of the previous match, and the crowd struggled to get into it. Tenta catches Bubba with a power slam for the win. After the match, Tenta trims a little of Bubba’s beard.
BACKSTAGE: Gene with Steve and Debra McMichael, along with Kevin and Terry Greene and his wife. Mongo doesn’t care about the gameplan, and Greene plans to come hard and come heavy. Randy Savage joins the mix and uses some football puns to take aim at Ric Flair and Arn Anderson.
Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan (w/Jimmy Hart) – Falls County Anywhere Match
Another match that I remember from the aforementioned review a few years ago. What a brawl that certainly played into the stipulation. They fought into the crowd, bathroom (which included Dusty Rhodes losing his mind over a woman in the “men’s john”), and arena concourse before making their way back to the ring. Benoit hits a huge superplex off the top with both men standing on a table to pick up the victory. As always, if you can still watch Benoit matches, this is an elite brawl. (***3/4, Recommended)
IN THE RING: After the match, here comes Arn Anderson, and Hart thinks he’s coming to help Sullivan. No chance of that, as Arn takes it to Sullivan before the Dungeon of Doom run off Arn and Benoit.
BACKSTAGE: Gene with Woman and Elizabeth. Arn, Flair, and Heenan make their way in, and Arn takes aim at Sullivan and company. Flair and Heenan do their thing to push the Horsemen’s dominance.
Lord Steven Regal (w/Jeeves) vs. Sting
Here’s one of those interesting WCW pairings that seemed strange on paper but featured two eventual Hall of Famers. Regal’s heel tactics are tremendous as usual, with his facial expressions adding so much to the match. A pretty lengthy contest with Regal using a variety of holds to wear down Sting, who loses all his face paint. That’s when you know it’s a long match. Regal works the crowd to keep them as engaged as he can given the different styles on display. The fans are fully invested for the finish, with Sting reversing the momentum and locking in the Scorpion Deathlock for the win.
VIDEO: A totally 1996 video package promotes Bash at the Beach in July. That would be kind of a big deal, folks.
Ric Flair and Arn Anderson (w/Bobby Heenan, Miss Elizabeth, and Woman) vs. Steve McMichael and Kevin Greene (w/Randy Savage)
Schiavone says Savage has been reinstated to wrestle after going through counseling. I vaguely remember the storyline, but it leads to a Savage vs. Flair match on Nitro. Mongo and Greene do quite a pump-up routine to get ready for the match. On the surface, you would think this match would have no chance with two-non wrestlers teaming up against two of the best to do it. But this is one of those matches that’s a perfect example of why wrestling is about more than moves. Arn and Flair are awesome at selling the story, including their confidence in taking care of business against two NFL stars.
Of course, that thinking changes as Mongo and Greene prove their worth, which forces the heels to backtrack. Everyone plays their role to perfection, and the crowd eats it up with a spoon. Mongo and Greene putting Arn and Flair in the Figure Four is an excellent spot, and there are many others that make this match what it is. The payoff is Debra going to the back with Liz and Woman, changing her clothes, then coming back with a briefcase with cash in it. That leads to Mongo hitting Greene with the briefcase and Flair pinning him for the victory. And that’s how Mongo joins the Horsemen. (***3/4, Recommended)
ON THE STAGE: Eric Bischoff welcomes Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, and he sets up the eventual Bash at the Beach match. Hall and Nash make it clear they don’t work for the WWF, then question the opponents that them and their “surprise buddy” will face. Hall hits Bischoff in the midsection, and Nash powerbombs Bischoff off the stage. Schiavone leaves the announcer’s area, and Dusty is pissed off about this turn of events. Luger then makes his way to the ring for the main event and stops to check on Bischoff. Again, the nWo storyline (in its early days) was quite a piece of business where they did a terrific job connecting all the dots.
Lex Luger vs. (c) The Giant (w/Jimmy Hart) – WCW World Heavyweight Title
Schiavone and Dusty play up Luger being affected by Hall and Nash’s antics, which is another great point of continuity. Luger quickly clotheslines Giant over the top, but it doesn’t exactly get much of a reaction from the crowd. Hart tries to get involved early, and it’s Sting who makes the save to run him to the back. Dusty continues to push the Bischoff situation, and both he and the fans are seemingly on the same page. They simply don’t care about the match, so it’s fair to question whether that was the right spot for it. Even when Luger mounts his comeback, the crowd is indifferent until he takes Giant off his feet. Luger picks Giant up for the Torture Rack but can’t hold on. Giant chokeslams him and that’ll do it for the win.
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WCW GREAT AMERICAN BASH 1996
Overall Rating: 7.0/10
Thoughts: An above average pay-per-view that featured one must-see match, one wild match, and one match that wildly exceeded expectations. Most of the matches got a lot of time, except for the main event which was largely forgettable. But this was the last show before WCW would change the game forever, so consider it the calm before the storm that was Bash at the Beach.
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