WCW Great American Bash 95'

RATING LEVELS:

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

Great American Bash 95' - June 1995

Dayton, OH

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Hulk Hogan is the reigning WCW World Champion, Vader was stripped of the United States Championship prior to the show and will be rewarded to a new champion on this show, Arn Anderson is the TV Champion, and the Nasty Boys are the recognized WCW World Tag Team Champions.

Brian Pillman returns to PPV in the opening match, taking on Alex Wright. This is easily Wright's best match yet, in no small part due to the energy and pacing that Pillman brings. Whereas other workers seemed eager to keep things mat-based, Pillman keeps things moving, the restholds are short breathers between all sorts of high-impact spots. Wright botches a surfboard, so the two wisely move on to a series of pinfalls, Pillman leading the match back onto the tracks and trying his best to engage the tiring audience, jarring them to life through much-needed borderline heel schtick. Later, Wright connects with a snap suplex to the outside that looks nasty, but arguably isn't sold long enough by the veteran Pillman, and follows it up with a cross body over the top. Then its Pillman's time to fly, though, nobody's home as he ends up driving himself into the guardrail in a great-looking spot. What I really like about this match is how well Pillman toes the line between fan favorite and crafty veteran heel. Pillman doesn't cut corners, but he uses his experience to his advantage multiple times, showing more toughness than Wright. The finish is well-executed and comes after a series of good exchanges, including Pillman catching Wright with a dropkick that looks awesome, even if it is a bit of a downer for the "homestate" crowd. Excellent match. (4/5)

A Diamond Dallas Page video is next. At this point, DDP was running an Arm Wrestling Championship, where, if you could beat him, you would win a date with the Diamond Doll, Kimberly. Good video package.

Dave "Evad" Sullivan is backstage with his bunny, Ralph. He speaks with "Mean" Gene and 60 seconds of my life are gone, never to come back.

It's arm-wrestling time! Diamond Dallas Page makes his way to the ring with the Diamond Doll and his hired muscleman, Max Muscle. His opponent, Dave Sullivan, arrives next, sans the "I Want To Be A Hulkamaniac" theme song. Page grabs the mic and builds more heat, telling Sullivan to hit the showers before he embarrasses himself. Page's over-the-top antics are the saving grace of this entire segment. (2.5/5)

…because "John Czawlytko" was taken.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan is out next, replacing an injured Marcus Bagwell, to take on Craig "The Pitbull" Pittman, a wrestling drill sergeant. Pittman is a relative newcomer, but kudos to him for bringing a ton of confidence to his gimmick and in-ring work, even if it is unwarranted considering how limited he is as a worker and how many miscues and timing issues spring up in this match. Duggan, a master of overly theatrical facial expressions, matches Pittman's intensity, but it is not enough to carry a poorly executed match anywhere near "good" territory. There are a number of cartoonish and illogical pratfalls on display and, to make matters worse, the bout runs at least 2 minutes longer than it should've. Half-point for effort.  (.5/5)

Bunkhouse Buck and “Dirty” Dick Slater take on the former WCW Tag Team Champions, Harlem Heat, in the next match. This one is pretty boring, though, Sensational Sherri and Colonel Robert Parker’s interactions at least provide a nice backdrop and reason for the bout to even happen. The finish is one I could get behind on paper – but the execution is muddled and it is hard to believe that someone would be able to lock in an inside cradle for what amounts to 10-15 full seconds without a kick out. (1.5/5)

Ric Flair is in the back and he spends a few minutes hyping up his match with Randy Savage, as well as the next major WCW show, which will be headlined by Vader vs. Hogan in a steel cage.

The Television Championship is on the line next, as Arn Anderson defends against The Renegade. The concept of the Renegade has been ridiculed for years, and for good reason - it was a terrible idea. The man behind the Renegade lacked any of the Ultimate Warrior’s presence, not to mention his physique. To be sure, Renegade had more agility than Warrior ever did, but he wasn’t more technically sound despite his attempts to apply some actual wrestling maneuvers. Anderson tries to build heat throughout, but the fans have little interest in rallying behind the one-dimensional Warrior clone, popping huge only for a vintage Enforcer spinebuster. There are moments when Renegade is out of position and Anderson just wills his way through the proceedings. Unsurprisingly, the finish does elicit a positive response (its not uncommon for any title change to get cheered). After the match ends, we get another glimpse of a young Giant, towering over the rest of the audience in the crowd. (1/5)

The Blue Bloods vs. The Nasty Boys for the WCW World Tag Team Championships is next. Before the match, Tony Schiavone reviews the rivalry and the Nasty Boys get some words in backstage with “Mean” Gene. From the start, this one is a straight-up brawl. The babyfaces take control early and the heels bump and sell like mad until they take control and its Knobbs (and then Sags) in peril. As the match wears on, there are peaks and valleys, but the contest never really steps into a higher gear. The finish, with its somewhat confusing shenanigans (who exactly did Harlem Heat want to win this match?), doesn’t do much but add a little spice to an otherwise decent-but-not-great match. (2/5)

A video package provides us with a recap of the United States Championship Tournament. It is really mind-boggling to see how many talents were involved, with everyone from Flair to Pillman to Steve Austin to Randy Savage vying for a chance to win the gold. We then hear from Colonel Parker and Meng, who will be challenging Sting in the finals.

Before the finals, though, we get a fairly ridiculous Bash At The Beach video promo. If it were a few minutes longer, I’d rate it (and probably highly), but its too short to leave much of an impression, unlike the “mini-movies” of years past.

Sting speaks next and it is time for action – Sting vs. Meng for the vacant United States Championship. Coming into this match, Meng had been protected pretty well and his offense does look devastating, leveling Sting with chops and kicks. Meng also shows his considerable strength, dishing out a shoulderbreaker and a sit-out powerbomb. Sting’s comebacks are spirited, but it’s his selling that really carries this match through and gets the crowd engaged. The final moments are good, though, I would’ve preferred a victory coming from an actual finishing move. After a string of “nothing special” matches, this one’s at least in the average-to-good range. (3/5)

Before we get our main event, we get a video package hyping the grudge match that will be closing the show– Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair. Randy Savage shares some thoughts, and then we’re back ringside. Flair arrives first, followed by Savage and his very special guest – his old man, Angelo Poffo. Like their WrestleMania VIII classic, this one is a true grudge match, a highly personal and physical battle of two men that just want to annihilate each other. Savage is in control for the first half, but soon enough Flair gets the upperhand and goes to work on Mach’s knee. There are a handful of very good spots involving the barricade that draw legit groans from the audience. The finish was well executed and entices the audience to want to see the next chapter of the story. I know others may disagree, but I feel like a few more false finishes would’ve made this one even better – though, with a match this personal, I’m not sure it was ever Savage’s goal to actually defeat Flair, which explains why he doesn’t go for any real pinfalls in the match. An excellent main event with great performances from both men. (4/5)

With an average match/segment rating of 2.31-out-of-5, The Great American Bash is a show with significant peaks, multiple dips, and a few valleys. Bookended by two strong matches, the middle of the show is where the problems lie. Dave “Evad” Sullivan has no place on any PPV card ever and neither tag team match is anything special. Oh well, its still an improvement from some of the Hogan-headlined shows of the previous few months. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver