WCW Great American Bash - July 5th, 1986

WCW Great American Bash: July 5th, 1986

Charlotte, North Carolina - July 1986

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this supershow, Ric Flair was the NWA World Champion, his stablemate Arn Anderson was the TV Champion, and Mid-Atlantic Champion was Black Bart. Denny Brown was the Junior Heavyweight Champion, while the World Tag Team Champions were the Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey). Finally, the World Six Man Tag Team Champions were Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors.

COMMENTARY: None

The Great American Bash originated as an NWA tour (not an annual PPV like it would become in future years) and this edition, from early July 1986, is the first of the shows available to watch on the Network. 

After a showing from a precision skydiving team and an instrumental rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, Denny Brown defends his NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship against "Mr. Electricity" Steven Regal (not to be confused with Lord Steven "William" Regal). Brown and Regal have some good exchanges and there's a spattering of pro-Denny chants sprinkled into the match, but this wasn't too attention-grabbing. I like how these Brown and Regal actually work the headlocks that they build the match around, both guys really showing the struggle of maintaining/resisting the hold. The match picks up in intensity as it goes on, especially as the announcer (on the PA) starts counting down the minutes. Unfortunately, without color commentary, unless you are very familiar with these two guys, its hard to appreciate this one because neither guy is particularly colorful as a worker. I liked the post-match bit too, especially the elderly woman making her way as close as possible to Denny Brown to cheer him on. (2.5/5)

Next up - the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion Black Bart takes on the wildly popular Robert Gibson of the Rock n' Roll Express. I'm used to seeing Ricky Morton in singles action based on his heel run in the early 90s, but less familiar with what Robby would do in this context. The crowd, especially the high-pitched women, show their support for Gibson early and often, popping big for anytime he gets some offense in or dodges one of Bart's maneuvers. Its interesting to see Black Bart actually wrestle too, as the few matches of his I've seen have all been wild brawls. Gibson brings Bart down with a headlock takedown and they lie in it for awhile (a bit too long for my taste), but when Bart takes over, things pick up nicely. Gibson is a dramatic salesman and Bart's offense is high-impact and varied. Aside from uppercuts and chokes, he busts out a back body drop and a pair of "stungun" slams on the top rope and then the steel barricade. Bart hits a double leg-drop and then a big clothesline before shoving Gibson into the corner. Gibson fights back, though, with some big right hands that Bart sells expertly. Gibson catches him with a crossbody out of the corner and shocks the crowd with a big pin! I'm not sure if this was a title match, but the announcer does not announce him as the new Mid-Atlantic Champion so I'm guessing it was not. Good match. (3/5)

The unmistakable Minnesota Wrecking Crew make their way to the ring for the next bout. Their opponents in this "Special Challenge Match" are Sam Houston, who gets a big round of applause from the crowd, and Nelson Royal. I had to look up who Nelson Royal was because I'd never heard of him - which isn't too surprising because his prime years were a good decade or two before I was born. The match begins with Arn and Houston in the ring, Double A jawing at Royal after steamrolling Houston with a shoulder block. Houston eventually lands a hiptoss for a big pop. Ole comes in and Houston tags in Royal, the two "elder statesmen" in the match locking up. Royal was a junior heavyweight in his day, but he doesn't back down from the larger Ole. Arn comes in and sells beautifully for Royal - its the kind of performance that will instantly remind modern fans of The Revival at their best. The Andersons cut the ring in half, though, and get to work on Royal's arm. Royal escapes a wristlock and tags Houston back in, the youngster taking out both Andersons with his big right hands. I wasn't super impressed with Houston's work at Starrcade 85', but he's pretty solid here in a tag context. Granted, a major part of that might be based on how good Arn Anderson is - every little thing he does is magic. Notice the way he prevents Houston from making a hot tag by wrapping his legs around his knee at the last possible minute, or the way he feeds into Royal without just merely walking into the veteran's punches. This is one of the better Ole performances I've seen too - which isn't necessarily saying much as I haven't seen all that many Ole matches - but compared to other bouts, he's more animated, more active. The Andersons' focus on Royal's shoulder allows them to slow things down and heat them back up at will, which they do repeatedly without ever bringing things too far into a lull (though, things get close around the 10 minute mark). By this point, even just after 10 minutes, though, the match has already felt like a more intense war than practically anything the WWE offers, even if the high spots have been mostly hiptosses. Houston eventually comes in for the hot tag and the crowd explodes, the match devolving into a melee. Houston gets the blind pin, but Ole cracks him in the back of the skull when the ref's back is turned. I enjoyed the heck out of this. (3.5/5)

Here we go with another wild one - "The Ragin' Bull" Manny Fernandez vs. Baron Van Raschke (with Paul Jones at his side) in an Anything Goes Bunkhouse Match. The "bunkhouse" stipulation means that Fernandez and Raschke are both dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt - which isn't odd for Fernandez, but makes Raschke look even odder than he usually does. Who told him a yellow tee-shirt was a good idea? Fernandez is not afraid of getting bloody and Raschke was an established heel so the crowd is pretty hot for this. At Starrcade 85', the blood was flowing fast and thick from basically the second match on, so I was surprised to see them actually deliver some straight-up wrestling before the weapons came out - specifically some type of spike that Raschke uses to essentially stab Fernandez in the forehead. Raschke then uses a leather strap on the Bull, using it both to choke and whip him. Raschke's decision to use his own belt leads to him sagging like a gangsta rapper in 94'. Fernandez rallies and gets to whipping before delivering a very weak flying clothesline (that Raschke doesn't seem to know how to take). Fernandez pulls Raschke's shirt over his head, which lessens the serious and grisly nature of the contest just as much as seeing Raschke's pants practically fall down to his ankles. Fernandez goes for a flying forearm but Raschke dodges and the Bull ends up on the grass (yes, there were no pads around the ring because this show was held in an outdoor field). Raschke takes over, sending Manny into the barricade neck-first. Raschke attempts to bodyslam him back into the ring, but Fernandez rolls him up for a flash pin...in a death match? This was too weird for me - from Raschke's plumber-ish get-up to the comedic sight of the Baron's pants practically falling to his ankles to the inside cradle finish, it just didn't seem to find the right tone despite it being a violent, bloody match at its core. (2/5)

Jimmy "Jam" Garvin (with Precious) takes on Wahoo McDaniel in the next bout. This is a strap match, with Garvin and Precious stalling for the first few minutes by making out and doing all sorts of other nonsense. It gets plenty of heat from the Charlotte crowd. Eventually McDaniel grows tired of it and just starts whipping on Garvin. Garvin tries to put distance between himself and Wahoo, rolling out of the ring and jawing with the crowd. Eventually he gets back into the ring and locks Wahoo in a headlock, but McDaniel uses the strap to break the hold by putting it between Garvin's legs and lifting him up. He uses the strap to toss Garvin across the ring, but Jimmy Jam puts on a front headlock and then gets to stomping. Out of the ring they go for a tug-of-war sequence that ends in a total goof-up as McDaniel, backing up, accidentally trips through the barricade. Garvin jumps on it and beats him down in the grass. Well, it wasn't pretty but they do a nice job recovering and working it into the match as Wahoo ends up getting some serious color on his forehead. Garvin wraps the straps around Wahoo's hands and then drops two big knees onto his skull. With Wahoo's hands tied, Garvin tries to tag the four corners but Wahoo fights back and the two men get to trading blows. Wahoo takes over on offense and now its Garvin whose bloodied with his hands hogtied. McDaniel attempts to tag the corners, but Precious trips him and Garvin goes up top - only to get pulled right down! McDaniel hits a big elbow drop and hogties Garvin, pulling him to all four corners despite Precious screaming and slapping him in the face!  After the match, Garvin tries to get his heat back, but Wahoo barely sells for him, essentially no-selling the post-match attack. I'm not a huge Wahoo fan, but I did enjoy Garvin's efforts - he looks far better in this than he did in most of the Freebirds matches I remember him wrestling from when I was a kid. (2/5)

Tully Blanchard makes his way down the aisle next with JJ Dillon in tow. Blanchard was the NWA National Heavyweight Champion at the time and is sporting the gold. His opponent is "Rugged" Ron Garvin, who has Wahoo McDaniel in his corner, and was known as the Man With Hands of Steel. This match - a Taped Fist/Boxing match - has an absolutely terrific opening with Blanchard trying to sneak attack Garvin only to get back body dropped over the moon and then slugged right in the face. Instead of the match starting instantly, Blanchard really sells this unexpected beating, with Dillon needing to revive him by splashing water in his face. Garvin, meanwhile, needs to be held back from decking Blanchard's lights out. When the bell is rung, Garvin essentially knocks him out cold with a series of jabs, forcing Dillon to revive him with smelling salts. Blanchard gets back on his feet but it is all Garvin, with Tully dropping in the corner. Blanchard goes for a kick, but Garvin grabs him by the leg and knocks him back down with one punch. Blanchard stumbles out of the ring looking completely punch drunk. Blanchard goes to the corner and tries to cover up, eventually forcing Garvin to give him some space. With the ref's back turned, Blanchard goes for another sneak attack - but Garvin catches him with a big right hand and Blanchard is out cold. Dillon jumps into the ring to stop the count and ask for a timeout, buying time for his client. Blanchard uses the ropes to pull himself back up, but he's not on his feet long. At this point, Tully has a small cut on his forehead for Garvin to exploit. Garvin strikes with two big headbutts and Garvin continues his dominance. This match started out with lots of excitement and great bumping from Tully, but its gotten really repetitive at this point. On one hand, the fact that they start trading actual wrestling holds for a minute is a breath of fresh air - on the other hand, it doesn't really make much sense that Garvin would want to turn this into a wrestling match after how easily he's maintained control with simple strikes. For every shot Blanchard gets in, Garvin seems to hit 5 more. Blanchard wisely pulls Garvin by his tights and sends him headfirst into the post, the kind of transition this match needed 5 minutes earlier. Blanchard goes to the outside and sends him into the post again before dumping a bucket of water on his own head in an attempt to get back into this match. Garvin is bloodied now and its Blanchard whose getting the big strikes in. Wahoo comes in to try to revive Ronny during one of the round breaks, but Tully maintains control. Garvin "hulks up," but Tully stays on him, bodyslamming him to the mat and then hitting him with two big elbow drops and a knee to the skull. Garvin starts no-selling again, but unlike Hogan or the Road Warriors, he still lets Tully's offense register. Out of the ring they go and McDaniel hits Blanchard with an atomic drop into another Garvin right! Garvin is back in control, hitting Tully with a series of big shots right before another round break. During the break, Dillon re-tapes Tully's fist. Garvin continues striking him and Tully goes down face-first into the mat. Blanchard pulls himself back up and tries a headlock, only to get suplexed. Tully goes to the top rope and attempts a flying punch (I think?), but gets caught by Garvin and both men are down. Dillon springs into action, trying to revive his man with a towel. Wahoo grabs a bucket of water and throws it into Garvin's face and Garvin is up first, beating the count! This one is over. This was a bit of a mixed bag to me - I loved Blanchard's work and Garvin's strikes did look good, but it went long and, without the aid of commentary or being 100% clear on the rules of a Taped Fist match, there were times I was a tad confused as to what was legal and what wasn't. Blanchard went out of his way to make Garvin's strikes look devastating, but it borderlined on overselling at times - to the point that, even when Tully was "in control," I never felt like Garvin was in too much trouble. The post-match argument between Dillon and the ref is the kind of thing that I'm sure old school NWA fans will appreciate, but I found a bit tedious by this point. I can see some people really, really loving this match, but I wouldn't consider a true "must see" classic. (3/5)

The Road Warriors take on Nikita and Ivan Koloff in a Double Chain Match next. These WCW/NWA supercards were really loaded with gimmick matches, weren't they? The Koloffs go for some pin attempts early to no success as the Warriors end up dominating things early. Nikita is able to use the chain to get some offense in on Hawk while Animal works on Ivan, whose bleeding by minute 3. Animal hits a powerslam off the top rope for 2 as Hawk wails on Nikita with the chain. Animal choking a bloodied Ivan in the middle of the ring is a great visual, even if this match is definitely short on storytelling and psychology. I like that the Road Warriors actually sell for the Russians and let them get some heat on them for a stretch, even if its a pretty brief one. The ref takes a bump out of the ring and then ends up with Hawk on top of him and, oddly, this leads to a visual pin on Animal by Ivan - something you normally wouldn't see a heel team get. Paul Ellering gets involved and helps his team score the victory but the fighting doesn't stop there. The Koloffs double-team Hawk, clotheslining him off the ropes with the chain. Animal runs them out, though, and the babyfaces celebrate. Not bad stuff, but not great either. (2.5/5)

Pez "Shaska" Whatley takes on Jimmy Valiant next in a Hair vs. Hair Match. I had to look up the storyline of this match as I was unfamiliar with it. Whatley and Valiant were one-time partners but "Shaska" took offense to some comments Valiant made about him being only the best black athlete (not the best athlete period). Neither guy is a particularly great in-ring worker, but Valiant always came through with the energy and the crowd was undeniably behind him. Valiant ends up bloody from one of Whatley's punches (I suppose) and Shaska locks him in a headlock to try to drain him of even more energy. Valiant uses the crowd support to get back on his feet and the Boogie Woogie Man looks like he might turn things around. Whatley keeps the pressure on, cutting off Valiant's hope spots with relative ease. Whatley eventually sets him up in the Tree of Woe and puts the boots to him before distracting the ref and allowing Paul Jones to choke him with his baton. Like the Blanchard/Garvin match, no matter how much I personally like Valiant's bumping and selling, it gets a bit repetitive after awhile to see him get clobbered, start dancing and "revving up," only to get clobbered again. At one point, Whatley actually gets a clean 3-count because Valiant's kickout is so lazy or he simply zoned out for a minute. Its a noticeable gaffe and seems to inspire the boys to take it home, with Valiant "hulking up" and locking Whatley in a sleeper until Baron Von Raschke shows up to held out his stablemate. Fernandez shows up too, though, and we've got a Pier 6 brawl on our hands! Valiant grabs Raschke's loaded black glove and clocks Whatley in the face for the 3! With help from a whole cadre of babyfaces, Valiant uses clippers to shave Whatley's head much to the delight of the crowd. After doing the deed we get the classic moment of Whatley waking up to the indignity of being bald, a classic 'rasslin' trope if there ever was one. Speaking of shaving, if they had shaved a few minutes off this, I think it would've been an improvement as the "meat" of the match was pretty repetitive. Still, because of the heat they generated and the post-match, I'd nudge this into average territory. (2.5/5)

The next match is being fought in an old-fashioned cage: Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, and Baby Doll taking on Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey, aka The Midnight Express, and their manager, Jim Cornette. I'm always a little bothered with the idea of tag team cage matches that aren't wrestled with "tornado" rules as it just seems weird to see two teams in what is essentially a "no holds barred," brutal match still following the rules of a classic tag style match. Fortunately, Magnum TA kicks things off by sending Eaton into the cage wall twice in rapid succession and then brings Dusty in to deliver stereo punches and elbows. Eaton is bloodied early but manages to tag Condrey in. Dusty tags TA back in and he delivers a forearm from the top before sending Condrey into the mesh. Baby Doll comes in and drags Condrey's face along the mesh, bloodying him up as well. Credit where credit's due, the ref manages to get everyone back to their corners after some free-for-all brawling. Cornette comes in, misses a big elbow drop, and immediately goes to the corner, the match devolving into a melee again. Magnum TA plays the face-in-peril essentially as the heels cut the ring in half. Bobby Eaton climbs the cage and hits him with a big forearm smash from the top rope before tagging in Condrey. Condrey tosses a bleeding Magnum into the cage wall and then clobbers him. TA fights back, but can't maintain offense. Eaton is back in and he attempts another top-of-the-cage forearm, but TA catches him with a punch to the gut. Magnum is still out of it, though, unable to make the tag. Another hope spot from TA as he goes for a sunset flip for 2. Dusty comes in and takes out Condrey. Baby Doll is in the ring and she goes right after Cornette. He may not be the legal man, but she gets the pinfall on him! This one is over! The heels leave the ring, but TA is a crumpled mess in the ring. Meanwhile, Big Bubba Rogers taunts Dusty from the outside, begging him to come out and fight him. Dusty takes the bait and gets "Pearl Harbor'd" as Baby Doll tries to climb out of the cage. Rogers hits Dusty with a shocking number of straight hands to the head as the Express holds him back. Its a simple-but-effective visual, especially in that day and age when straight punches to the skull were still somewhat of an illegal move. Plus Dusty does a blade job, which is basically the extent of his work this evening. This wasn't a technical masterpiece and I wish we would've seen Cornette get more of a comeuppance, but this was plenty entertaining for what it was. Still not quite a "must see," but very close. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Ricky Morton (with a facemask) vs. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair for his NWA (WCW) World Heavyweight Championship in a cage match. Before the match, the camera actually follows Ric Flair's arrival via helicopter for several minutes - it is an absolutely incredible arrival, maybe more grandiose than anything I've ever seen, and an immediate +1 on the scoreboard. Despite being the heel, Flair is mega over in Charlotte (natch). The bell rings but Flair is in no rush, pacing the ring a bit and trying to avoid contact with the cage. They lock up and Morton immediately goes at Flair's face, then grabs him with a headlock. They work their way to the corner and Morton rains down with a series of big right hands and then one more that drops Flair to his back. Flair with a headlock takedown, but Morton counters and rubs his face in the mat. Flair attempts to escape the cage, but Morton pulls him back by his trunks, exposing his rear to the crowd. Flair flop already! Flair sends Morton to the ropes, but Ricky counters with a landslide for 2. Flair shoves the ref and the ref shoves him to the mat! Flair is really working through all his signature bits pretty quickly here. They lock up again and back to the quarter they go - Morton rabbit-punching Flair, which he sells like someone tossed acid into his face. Flair is on overdrive, but mounts a bit of a comeback with a big chest chop that sends Morton into the corner. Back to the corner they go for more rabbit-punches and a big headbutt from Morton. Morton almost steals the win with a roll-up, but Flair manages to kickout. Flair begs off in the corner and they lock up again. I dig the rhythm of this match, with rapid flurries of offense broken up by each man sizing the other up. It establishes just how dangerous they both can be - Flair not wanting to full prey to Morton's emotional attack and Morton not wanting to make a simple mistake against the masterful technician. As soon as Flair takes control, the arrogance shines through, but it almost costs him dearly as Morton hits a crossbody for 2. Flair with a hiptoss. Morton comes back with a clothesline - but Flair gets his foot on the rope at 2. Morton connects with a series of fists to the skull but misses an elbow drop. Flair eventually pulls Morton's facemask off, revealing his broken nose. Flair sends Morton to the cage wall and Morton is busted open. Flair pulls him by his broken nose and sends him into again, mocking the Rock n' Roller by putting on his facemask and then tossing it out of the cage. Brilliant little twist there. Morton is a bloody mess and Flair is a master, rubbing his face along the unforgiving top rope/cable. Of course, Morton's selling is the stuff of legend too, so this entire sequence is excellent. Flair grinds his face into the cage and Morton is in obvious agony. Flair tosses him face-first into the cage for the third or fourth time. Flair hits his signature knee drop on the challenger and then jaws at someone in the crowd. Flair hits another chop and runs Morton's face on the top rope again, then brings him to the mat with a snapmare for 2. Flair hits a back suplex for 2. Flair follows it up with a vertical suplex but instead f going for the cover, he locks Morton in the figure four. Morton sells it like absolute torture while Flair grabs the ropes for leverage when the ref's back is turned. Is that even illegal in a cage match? I don't think it is, but whatever. Flair lets him go and Morton hobbles around before falling back to the mat. Flair now goes after him with a serious of big right hands. Morton tries an inside cradle, but Flair kicks out. Usually when someone gets color early in the match, by this point, their sweat has essentially rinsed it away but Morton is just bloodier and bloodier by the minute. Morton finally rallies with some big right hands and sends Flair into the cage. Morton hits Flair with a number of fists in the corner and Flair counters with an atomic drop, but Morton no-sells it and strikes with another right hand! Flair is bloodied now, sporting his own classic crimson mask. Morton locks him in a sleeper, but Flair doesn't just drop, he really tries to fight his way out. Flair gets to the ropes and the ref threatens to disqualify Morton. Morton grinds Flair's face into the mesh and drops him with another right hand. Morton climbs up top again and gets 2 off a crossbody! Flair tries to escape the cage, but Morton is right behind him. Morton hits him with some big rights on the top of the cage and Flair drops to the mat. Morton connects with a forearm off the top rope for 2. They trade blows in the corner and Flair takes a big bump into the middle of the ring before getting tossed into the cage wall again. Flair begs off, but Morton isn't backing down. Morton goes to the top rope and hits a dropkick, but again Flair kicks out at 2! Both men are exhausted, but Flair manages to make the cover. Flair's got his feet on the ropes but the ref doesn't see it. Flair gets the W and leaves with the gold. Its a bit of a mild ending to the match, but so much of the action was top notch that I'd still consider this well above average and the match of the night over all. (4/5)


I'm not too knowledgeable about NWA history, but from reading up on it a bit, this show was absolutely a "supercard" - though, as this show in particular occurred toward the start of the Great American Bash tour, it was not designed to deliver blow-offs to any of the major feuds. This could explain why many matches feature some sort of post-match angle to propel the stories to their next chapters, but we do have at least one feel-good moment in the form of Pez "Shaska" Whatley getting his head shaved. With Gordon Solie and Jim Ross on commentary, this would've been considerably more watchable - but as a show to keep on in the background at a party or when you're drinking with buddies, the visuals are enough to make it consistently fun and interesting. It also helps that the setting has a considerably different look than the shows of today (I'd love to see AEW do something similar, though I doubt they'd be able to fill a venue like Memorial Stadium, which held an estimated 20,000 fans). The main event is the only must-watch match on the show, but there are a couple others that almost get there but don't quite reach that level due to one issue or another (repetitiveness, a poor finish, lack of structure). With a Kwang Rating of 2.85-out-of-5, I'm comfortable giving this a...

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote In Hand