Legacy Review
Great American Bash '89
July 23, 1989 from the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MDCommentary: Jim Ross and Bob Caudle
This show's tagline is "Glory Days", and they aren't kidding. This is the pinnacle of the incredible year WCW had in 1989. Once again I'm revisiting an old review, as I don't think I did the show justice the first time.
$50,000 Triple Crown King of the Hill Double Ring Battle Royal- (not much happening here so copy and paste my original review) Say that name three times fast. WCW was famous for coming up with matches that had horribly convoluted rules that not even the wrestlers fully understood. Think this one is bad, go check out Battlebowl or the GAB '88 Tower of Doom match. So, there's 14 guys in this match. All 14 had won a battle royal in the previous month to qualify. Everyone in this match starts in one ring. To be eliminated from ring one, you have to be thrown over the top into the second ring. Once there, you have to be thrown over the top to the floor to be fully eliminated from the match. The last man standing in ring one would wrestle a regular match with the last survivor of ring two to determine the winner. Most of the guys in this match will be pulling double duty later in the show. As the match starts, Teddy Long can be seen lurking around the stage. He's the manager of The Skyscrapers (Dangerous Dan Spivey and Sid Vicious), both of whom are in this match, so the finish is a bit telegraphed. For some fun, you can see a very young Scott Hall in this match, with curly blonde hair and a mustache. Despite the overcomplicated rules it's a fairly typical battle royal, lots of random brawling and guys flying out. Vicious wins ring one, Spivey wins ring two. Long then comes out and says that his guys won't fight each other and they're splitting the money. 1/2*
Flyin' Brian def Wild Bill Irwin in 10:18- This is Brian Pillman's PPV debut. Irwin attacks at the bell. Pillman turns the tide with his speed. JR is all over Pillman's NFL career with the Bengals, even calling him one of Boomer Esiason's "best friends". A rope assisted flying headscissors sends Irwin outside. Pillman teases a dive but goes with the baseball slide dropkick. Deep armdrags. Crossbody for 2. Irwin plants Pillman with a slam to turn things around, i.e. kill the match stone dead. Irwin shouts "You wanna fly?" and tosses Pillman outside. Lots of power offense from Irwin with running color commentary during most of it. Pillman dodges a dive in the ropes. He goes up top for a missile dropkick but Irwin dodges it. Gutwrench suplex for 2. He throws Pillman from ring 1 to ring 2. Pillman climbs the top rope in ring 2 and hits Irwin with a crossbody across the rings to win. Cool finish. Horrible layout. What should have been a Pillman showcase had Irwin on offense for 75% of the match. *1/4
The Skyscrapers (w/Teddy Long) def The Dynamic Dudes in 9:14- The Dudes are not over in Baltimore. Way too cheesy. Teddy Long spends a ton of time bragging about his guys co-winning the overly long name battle royale earlier. Spivey and Ace start. Spivey no sells a dropkick and pounds Ace. The Dudes try some blatant no tag double teaming way over the 5 count until Spivey kills Douglas with a big boot. "We want Sid" chant from the crowd. After a minute Spivey obliges to a decent pop. Sid hits a half assed .2 Flair chop then tags right out again. Ace dodges an elbow and tags, but Spivey plants Douglas with a Rock Bottom style slam. Another, louder "We want Sid" chant. Spivey ignores it. A big boot sends Douglas outside. Spivey still stays in. After Douglas gets back in Spivey finally tags in Sid to another pop. Sid seems surprised by the reaction and plays to the crowd a bit, but still does almost no actual wrestling. Spivey tags back in and gets booed. Another "We want Sid" chant while Spivey catches Douglas in midair trying a crossbody. Spivey misses a headbutt off the 2nd rope and Douglas gets the "hot" tag. Both heels barely sell. Ace hits a clothesline off the top but Sid makes the save. Donnybrook. Douglas dodges and the Scrapers hit (gently nudge) each other. Spivey badly fucks up a powerbomb on Douglas, barely picking him up off the mat and then almost dropping him on his head. Thankfully that was the finish. Spivey checks on Douglas after. Sid was the only guy in the match the crowd cared about and the heels completely phoned it in while controlling almost the whole match. 1/2*
Manager vs Manager Tuxedo Match: Jim Cornette def Paul E Dangerously in 6:22- This is the final blowoff to what started as the Original vs Current Midnight Express feud, and Paul E and Cornette worked so well together it made sense to keep it going. The first guy to strip the tuxedo off his opponent wins. Paul E has a stolen Cornette racket with him. It's still crazy to hear Cornette getting face pops. Paul E tries an ambush but Cornette catches him and gets his jacket off. Paul E throws powder in Cornette's face and goes to work with the phone on his stated prematch promo target: the knee that Cornette (legitimately) blew out falling off the scaffold at Starrcade '86. Great psychology and logical callback. Cornette's jacket is off. Cornette is selling really well. Paul E takes his cummerbund off and chokes Cornette with it. Cornette gets a shot in and returns the favor by choking Paul E with his own cummerbund. Paul E backs him into the corner to get free. Paul E taunts and spits. Cornette tries to attack but his knee gives out. He falls outside and they brawl on the floor for a bit. Cornette gets posted (again, guaranteed blood pre-Turner). Back in Paul E tries a diving elbow. Cornette dodges but can't capitalize. Cornette starts hulking up! Paul E with a
Texas Tornado Tag Team Match: The Steiner Brothers (w/Missy Hyatt) def The Varsity Club in 4:22- The Varsity Club is down to just Kevin Sullivan and Mike Rotunda. This is Scott Steiner's in-ring PPV debut. He's in trunks instead of a singlet. Early days. Tornado rules means all four guys fight with no tags. Not sure about the Texas part, but whatever. As a native Texan I can claim we invented it because we probably did. As soon as the Steiners hit the ring they're off. Scott and Rotunda wrestle on the inside, Rick and Sullivan crazy brawl on the outside. Rick no sells a chairshot to the head. Sullivan drops Rick crotch first across the guardrail. He gets a table out, but Rick picks it up and drops it on him. Rick gets posted. Rick and Sullivan finally get in the ring. Rick belly to belly on Sullivan. Scott slams Rotunda in the corner upside down and he ends up in the tree of woe. Rick powerslam for 2. As the ref's counting Scott gets a small package that's also a 2 count. Rick with mounted punches on Sullivan. Sullivan grabs his tights and dumps him over the top and down to the floor. Scott's double teamed. VC with simultaneous covers, each for 2. Sullivan tries a sunset flip but Rick headbutts his crotch. Steinerline! VC with a double backdrop on Scott. Sullivan picks Rick up to slam him, but Scott comes off the top rope with a crossbody and both Steiners pin Sullivan for the win. This was the Varsity Club's last gasp of semi-relevance, while the Steiners would rightly be getting the rocket ship treatment. The match was crazy nonstop action. I wish they'd gotten more time. **3/4
NWA World Television Championship: Sting (c) (w/Eddie Gilbert) and The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) go to a no contest in 8:40- Special entrance for Muta. Huge pop for Sting. They start in separate rings. Ref Nick Patrick tries to get Muta into ring 1. Sting says he's got this, and dives over the gap onto Muta in ring 2! Then he goes after Hart. Muta gets a overhand chop off the top rope. Throughout the match there's a small but noticeable constant "Muta" chant. Handspring elbow. He goes for the Mutohsault, but Sting rolls and he lands on his feet. Sting no sells a karate kick, but a second one catches him and he rolls out. Plancha! As he's getting back in Sting fights back, clotheslines Muta from the apron, then hits a clothesline off the top rope. A dropkick sends Muta out. Sting tries a dive but Muta is too far away, so he goes over the top rope and lands on his feet. Muta slips out of a suplex. Sleeper! Sting gets to the ropes. Press slam! Muta dodges a big diving elbow. Muta with an abdominal stretch with rope help. He turns it into a cradle for 2. He throws Sting out. Sting jumps right back in swinging haymakers. Muta with the eye poke. Sting dodges another handspring elbow. Rapid fire clotheslines and a face plant. Muta spits the red mist, but Sting ducks and it gets Patrick! Muta dodges the Stinger Splash! Mutohsault! Tommy Young runs in and counts but Sting kicks out! Sting dodges a kick, hits a belly to back suplex, and Young counts as it looks like all four shoulders are down. Sting is declared the winner. Hart and Muta disagree. They steal the belt and leave with it. The replay shows that both Sting and Muta got a shoulder up. This was as good as you can get in a sub-10 minute match, with two revolutionary young talents showing what the future would look like. ****
NWA United States Heavyweight Championship: "The Total Package" Lex Luger (c) def Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat by DQ in 10:26- Luger turned to the dark side to win the US title back from Michael Hayes, then attacked Steamboat at the most recent Clash with a chair to solidify the heel turn and set this up. Like with his Flair matches, Steamboat's family is with him on his entrance. But there's even more this time: Steamboat is carried out on a raised platform holding a live kimono dragon. Luger's on a turnstile for his entrance but it doesn't turn. Typical WCW. This match was signed as no DQ but Luger refuses to wrestle under those stipulations. He demands it be a regular match or he's walking. Steamboat agrees. Luger pushes Steamboat around on the lockups. Steamboat dodges a corner punch and goes into rapid fire covers, dropkicks and chops. Luger rolls out to recover but Steamboat follows. More chops. Luger catches him with a knee in the gut while getting back in. They fight outside again. Stamboat comes back with chops and a table shot. Steamboat off the top, but Luger catches him in the gut. Luger rolls through the power moves, mostly focused on the back. Steamboat fights out of covers. While Luger argues with Tommy Young Steamboat gets a roll up for 2. Luger murders him with clotheslines. Steamboat chops back. Rolling neckbreaker. Luger slips out of a slam. Luger goes for a clothesline but Steamboat doges and Luger tumbles outside. Steamboat tries to slam him but Luger falls on top for a long 2. Luger goes up top. Steamboat catches him and gives him the Flair throw. Steamboat charges. Luger backdrops him over the gap from ring 2 to ring 1! Luger goes out and gets a chair. Young tries to stop him. Steamboat fights him, gets him in slingshot position, and slingshots him into the corner while still holding the chair and Luger goes face first into the chair! Steamboat's enraged at Luger's previous attack and doesn't go for a pin, but instead lays into Luger with the chair. Young has no choice but to call for the DQ. Oh, the irony. A perfect trap set by Luger. After the bell Steamboat continues the attack and chases Luger all the way to the back. However, due to a contract dispute this feud would not continue. Steamboat would take time off to heal nagging injuries, then work some smaller promotions and in Japan before re-signing with the WWF in '91. This was 10 minutes of literal nonstop action. Not a rest hold or barely a breather to be had. ****1/4
War Games match: The Road Warriors, The Midnight Express and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams (w/Paul Ellering and Jim Cornette) def The Fabulous Freebirds and The Samoan SWAT Team (w/Paul E Dangerously) in 22:18- As part of the huge reshuffle going on in the tag division, we have the tag teams in War Games (a GAB tradition at this time) to settle scores that started during the tournament for the vacant world tag titles or even before. The newly reformed Freebirds won the tournament and are champs here. Badstreet USA is still awesome entrance music. The Road Warriors come out on motorcycles. Traditional War Games rules: two guys start for 5 minutes, coin toss (heels always win), winning team gets the advantage for the following 2 minute periods. Once everyone's in, the Match Beyond begins and it can only end in submission or surrender. All the managers have notepads out for strategizing.
P1. Jimmy Garvin & Bobby Eaton- Good back and forth to get the match rolling with no clear advantage. Eaton takes the first cage shot. He has Garvin in a Boston Crab as the period expires.
P2. Terry Gordy- Eaton in the cage again. The heels drape him across the ropes in between rings. Eaton ducks a punch and Gordy hits Garvin.
P3. Steve Williams- The heels jump Williams but he fights them off with a double clothesline. Williams picks Gordy up in a press slam, presses him into the roof multiple times, and finally slams him. These guys spend most of the match working on each other, which is ironic as they're about to form a long running tag team in both Japan and WCW with one of the coolest names ever: The Miracle Violence Connection. Eaton and Garvin fight in the gap between rings.
P4. Samu- The heels gang up on Williams. Double suplex on him. Eaton tries to fight back into it.
P5. Animal- He takes out the big guys. He and Samu isolate themselves in one ring, then when Samu goes back Animal dives through the ropes of BOTH rings onto him! The faces temporarily take over.
P6. Fatu- Goes right for Animal. The Samoans double team him. Gordy and Williams get in the other ring by themselves for a bit. Garvin and Eaton are still paired off.
P7. Stan Lane- Hot tag-like housecleaning. All the heels eat cage. Paul E is drawing up the playsheet. Hayes has been stalling all match and doesn't want to go in.
P8. Michael Hayes- DDTs for everyone. He gets in a ring by himself and struts. Hawk is dying to get in.
P9. Hawk- The Match Beyond begins. Hawk goes right to the top rope and double clotheslines the Samoans. Chopfest on Gordy. Snake eyes to Garvin. Eaton DDTs Hayes. Hawk with a HUGE dive over the top ropes of both rings! There's a hilarious moment where Paul E tries to squeeze his phone in through the cage, Tommy Young catches him and gives him the kind of look a dad gives to his son trying to sneak off with the car keys, and Paul E backs off. The Roadies signal they're going to try a Doomsday Device on Gordy. I don't think that'll work with the roof. It's a moot point because Garvin makes the save. Hawk thanks Garvin by clotheslining him off the top rope. Neckbreaker for Garvin, then Hawk gets Garvin up in a hangman's neckbreaker submission hold. Garvin gives up! The freshest guy makes the guy in the match the longest tap out. As the faces leave the heels slam the door on Animal and trap him in the cage. They beat up on him until Hawk forces the door open to make the save. This isn't an absolute top tier War Games match (a very high standard), but it's still a damn good one. ****
NWA World Heavyweight Championship: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (c) def Terry Funk (w/Gary Hart) in 17:23- This is Flair's first match back after Funk nearly "forced him into retirement" after his Wrestle War '89 attack injured his neck (very similar to Flair's last match as a pure babyface, the Starrcade '83 main event with Harley Race). Funk is flanked (as opposed to flunking flank, there's a Mel Brooks reference for you) by Goldberg level security on his entrance. Funk is looking to win the world title back 12 years after he lost it. Flair's got women and pyro. After Flair gets his robe off they start brawling on the floor without any cameras on them. Flair struts back in. Funk's pissed and won't get in. Flair hits him with a double ax handle off the apron and rolls him back in. Funk immediately rolls back out, grabs a chair and throws it in the ring. Finally he calms down enough for a lock up. Funk chops. Flair with one cannon shot chop. Funk goes over the top and out off a chop. Flair dives off the apron again. Funk recovers and posts Flair, then suplexes him back in. Funk starts working the neck. They end up outside again. As they're getting back in, Flair suplexes Funk from the inside down to the floor! Well, gets him up then drops him, there's not much room there. Chop exchange on the floor. Back in, Funk goes for the piledriver but Flair backdrops him over the top and out again. Flair gives Funk some neck snaps. Rolling knee on the back of the neck gets 2. Flair piledriver! Some incredible selling from Funk here. A second piledriver! Funk tumbles outside and crawls up the isle. Flair chases. Figure four! Hart slips Funk his branding iron, and while Young is distracted Funk waffles Flair with it. Flair doesn't give a damn about no blood policies, he's Ric Flair dammit! And he's gushing blood. Funk hits the piledriver! Flair just gets a foot under the bottom rope. Funk goes outside and pulls the mat up. He sets Flair up for a piledriver on the straight concrete floor. Flair powers out. Funk hits 3 spinning neckbreakers. He wants Flair to give up. The branding iron is in again. Flair manages to snatch it away and nail Funk with it. Funk's bleeding and, as Dusty would say, wobblelegged. Flair tries a running knee in the corner but Funk dodges. Funk locks in the spinning toe hold, which is what he won the title with back in '75. Flair counters it and starts to hook in the figure four. Funk counters it into a small package. Flair reverses into a Paul Smackage and gets the 3! Yet another Ric Flair 1989 masterpiece, and it's a completely different type of match than any of the Steamboat matches. And not to discount Funk, he held his end up as well. ****3/4
But we're not done. As soon as Flair gets his hand raised, Muta shows up and hits him with the green mist. The heels attack. Funk tries to piledrive Flair on a chair. Security head Doug Dillinger makes the save. Here comes Sting! He buys time. Flair recovers and jumps right in! Brawling all over. Eventually Flair and Sting stand tall in the ring. Muta tries to slide back in but retreats. Flair chases the heels up the isle and we're on again! JR and Caudle try to do an on camera wrap up, but Muta and Flair come into shot behind them fighting. Flair fights them both off with the branding iron. After a pause Funk attacks Flair with a chair and we're going AGAIN. Finally the heels have enough. Flair and Sting invade commentary. The visual of Flair with his face covered in both blood and green mist is phenomenal. Flair tells Sting "I haven't said thank you in 10 years. Thank you, pal!". He tells Funk that they're just getting started. They give us a WOOOOOOOOO and a Sting yell simultaneously. Oh, and JR says the TV title has been held up after the controversial finish.
OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- This is one of the greatest PPVs of the era. A large run of 4+ star matches is typical today, they happen all the time at NXT Takeovers and most major New Japan shows. But back then, this was mind blowing stuff. Even with a few duds on the undercard, I can't recommend this enough. Watch it.
OVERALL SHOW GRADE: A
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