The 411 Wrestling Top 5 6.24.09: Week 28 - Great American Bash Matches

Posted by Michael Bauer on 06.24.2009

From legendary battles between Ric Flair and Terry Funk in 1989 and Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair in 1986, to greatness of Jericho and Michaels last year and the War Games Match, 411's Wrestling Staffers rank their top Great America Bash Matches in the latest edition of the 411 Wrestling Top Five! See which moments made the lists by checking out the full article!

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling's Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these matches rank on people's list, we will create the 411 Wrestling Top 5 list. The scoring is very similar to the Wrestler of the Week as it looks like this:

#1 Choice – 5 points
#2 Choice – 4 points
#3 choice – 3 points
#4 Choice – 2 points
#5 Choice – 1 point
Honorable Mentions will break ties, but get no points.

Also, in the case of a tie, the most votes win, regardless of where it is listed in the individual Top 5. I will also use this rule in the event that one item is mentioned more often, but is one point behind. For example, one second place vote and two Honorable Mentions will defeat simply one first place vote.


So, on to this week's topic…

THE TOP 5 GREAT AMERICAN BASH MATCHES

With the WWE offically changing this weekend's Pay Per View to simply "The Bash", one of the greatest traditions in wrestling has offically been passed over. Started in 1985, Eight of the Seventeen shows took place in Baltimore, Maryland and all of them have created some memorable moments and matches. Orginally a concept of the NWA, it became a WCW event starting in 1991 until their demise. The WWE picked up the Pay Per View names in 2004 and have made it a summer event ever since. The 411 staff was asked to give us their Top 5 matches of the summer spectacular.

So what did our group of writers select? Let's find out…



Aaron Hubbard

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Undertaker Murders Paul Bearer (2004) - One of those bizarre moments that actually left me speechless.

Shawn Micahels Bleeds Buckets (2008) - Significant for being the last intentional blood loss in WWE, and for being the defining moment of what will likely be the last "Great American" Bash.

Rey Mysterio Debuts (1996) - Rey Mysterio made his "big time" debut here against Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko, and the Cruiserweight Wrestling would never be the same.

5.Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan (1996) - There's a LADY! There's a LADY in the men's bathroom. This was just insane to watch live, as it was the first time I'd seen something like that. Sullivan and Benoit beat the everloving crap out of each other in this very memorable match. It might be difficult to watch due to the circumstances surrounding the match and where it eventually led, but MAN. This was awesome.

4.Bobby Lashley vs. John Cena (2007) - For the record, I never thought Bobby Lashley had any amount of measurable talent. Ever. However, WWE was able to build this up as a big time match on a show that hasn't exactly been filled with big time matches, especially since the WWE started using it. Cena carried Lashley to a very good match, the atmosphere was electric, and we got a top rope FU. This would be the last major thing Bobby Lashley did for WWE, but it was sure memorable.

3.Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair (1989) - What a great, great feud. I think this match gets overshadowed by two things: 1) The amazing "I Quit" match these two had later, and 2) the fact that the PPV is always in "Best PPV Ever" talk. While I won't argue that this is better than the "I Quit" match, I definately prefer it. The storytelling is unbeliavable good in this, and twenty minutes fills like ten, in a good way. Try to see the whole show, but definately look for this match.

2.Wargames (1987) - Ah, Wargames. How I miss thee. While the match later became identified with Fall Brawl, the very first one was here and featured Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering vs. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and JJ Dillion. While later matches of this kind were better, this was still a spectacle itself. Plus, it's the debut of one of the best gimmick matches of all time, and one of WCW's great creations.

1.Dusty Rhodes wins WCW Title (1986) - It's tough to give the defining title match of all Wrestlemanias or all Summer Slams or all Starrcades. But as far as "The Bash" is concerned, this is it for me. Sting-Vader is definately in contention, but I don't think it was handled as well as this. This was a suitable epic blowoff to one of the best feuds (in terms of storyline) ever, Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes. Not only was this their best match together, but it gave Dusty Rhodes his third world title and sent everyone home happy. Plus, it was in a steel cage when steel cage matches actually meant something.



Julian Bond

HONORABLE MENTIONS

William Regal vs. Finlay (2006) - First of all, I just wanted to say that I'm not trying to front here by pretending that I've watched every single Bash (especially ones in the 80s/early 90s). BUT via DVDs, WWE.com Classics (underrated video library site despite subscription price), and my ordering of some PPVs in the late 90s and 2000s I think that I've seen a good chunk of matches here…at least from the post WWE Attitude era (so sorry Wargames and Dusty Rhodes...I sadly remember Undertaker "killing" Paul Bearer more clearer). So with that, I start with one of the most underrated Bashes I've ever seen with the 2006 edition (which is sadly mostly remembered for the dud that was Undertaker vs. Big Show… in a Punjabi Prison!!), in a horribly stiff technical match-up between then-stable mates Finlay and William Regal in an US title bout, which was originally planned to be a Triple Threat until the 3rd competitor Bobby Lashley couldn't compete that night. Thank goodness for that or we wouldn't have had this.

London/Kendrick vs. The Pitbulls (2006) - Another mention from 2006 is with this sick WWE Tag Team title opener with the up-and-coming champs in London and Kendrick versus the makeshift team of other known high-flyers, Kid Kash and Jamie Noble (the short-lived "Pitbulls"). This was one of the most exciting openers I've ever seen on PPV and definitely in Bash history.

Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (2005) - Sure this was part of the whole "Dominic Custody Battle" storyline that A LOT of people hated, but this match here between the two long-time rivals was arguably one of their best encounters ever.

5.Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga (2007) - When I was watching this match, I honestly didn't really expect too much out of it because despite the goodness of matches provided by both Umaga and Hardy. But this bout here honestly restored my faith, at least little bit at the time, about the Intercontinental Championship. This match here was short, sweet, and to the point, and was one of the best IC title defenses I've ever seen. To see Hardy try so hard to beat Umaga at every turn only to have Umaga give him one of the most devastating array of attacks I've ever seen in a finish of a match NOT involving weapons of any sort or any apparent DQs was a sight to behold.

4.Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (2008) - This match between the two bitter rivals here to me was kind of underrated in comparison to their other much better bouts at Unforgiven (Unsanctioned Match) and No Mercy (Ladder Match) that same year. As expected, the bout here contained some great trademark action from both Jericho and Michaels, but what pushed it over the edge and made it special was the conclusion. Jericho had turned heel "old school HBK-style" by throwing his former idol Michaels through the Jericho-tron 2000 TV screen…face first! So when it seemed that Michaels had maybe won the match here, Jericho started wailing on his "injured" eye UFC-style to stop the match via blood loss. Not a popular ending, but excellent storytelling all throughout.

3. Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (1989) - Honestly can't say that I saw this PPV live when I was like 7 (!), but watching it later on via the power of Ric Flair DVDs, I can say that it's one hell of match-up. I personally found that the mismatch of Flair's technical style paired with Funk's more rough-n-tough brawling was awesome to watch. Liked their "I Quit" bout a bit better, but this was definitely one of the best I've seen during any of the Bashs.

2. Randy Savage vs. DDP (1997) - I was just getting into my now "semi-religious" wrestling viewing around this time and was a year shy of viewing this live. But though the power of Internet and recently again on the new Macho Man DVD, I got to see this wild brawl that was almost picture perfect for the event. DDP and Savage (nWo period) were in a crazy long feud and this was another good chapter of it. DDP practically beat the living crap out of Savage for the majority of the match that was "Falls Count Anywhere" and as a result produced like crazy looking spots like DDP throwing coals from a BBQ in Savage's face to DDP bodyslamming Macho Man through a freakin' picnic table. Wasn't the greatest technical masterpiece, but was a great basic and very fun match with a good summertime feeling.

1. Booker T vs. Chris Benoit (1998) - Simply put, the Booker T vs. Chris Benoit "Best of 7" series is one of the key reasons why I watch and appreciate good wrestling so much today. Shortly after a basic match for the TV title between the two that resulted in a time-limit draw, Benoit and Booker decided to go at in a best of seven match series. For weeks, the two put on clinic after clinic of awesome to great matches that had me so addicted to the screen to watch the same two performers continue to fight one another over and over again. After the series tied, it was decided that the "final" match would be at that year's Bash. So at the same semi-weird PPV where the Giant (aka Big Show) walked to the ring for a match smoking a real cigarette and when the nWo's Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan strangely teamed up for a tag match, Benoit and Booker torn the house down, in my personal opinion, in one of the best PPV openers ever. Near perfect, hard-hitting match-up.



Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Jersey Triad (DDP & Kanyon) vs. Chris Benoit & Perry Saturn (1999) - I always loved the Jersey Triad and in the days when WCW was going downhill, they were one of the things still worth watching. This was the second to last match on the show and easily the best match as the two teams battled for almost twenty minutes before Kanyon pinned Benoit to retain the Tag Team Titles.

Londrick vs. Kid Kash & Jamie Noble (2006) - One of the forgotten matches, this was sort of lost in the recent annals of the Bash because Kash was released a few months later and tag team wrestling was pretty much dead in the 'E at the time. I really enjoyed it and it was one of many really good Londrick matches while they were champions.

Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (2005) - This match tends to get looked down upon for the crappy story that inspired the feud, that of who the father of Rey Rey's son Dominik really was. That certainly hurt things, but I still always thought this was an underrated match that deserved more love than it got.

5.Booker T vs. Chris Benoit (1998) - This was the eighth and final match of a best of seven series between Benoit and Booker to determine the number one contender to Fit Finley's TV Title (the seventh match was thrown out due to being a DQ win for Booker). This series was absolutely some of the best wrestling that took place that year. The two took each other on in the opening match of the show, showcasing some seriously impressive wrestling skills until Booker T won via a Missile Dropkick to win the series and go on to beat Finlay later in the show for the title. This is a match I'll always remember for being some fantastic work at a time when WCW was starting to fall apart.

4.Sting vs. Big Van Vader (1992) - This was the match that made Vader's name. Sting had just come off wins against Lex Luger and Cactus Jack and found himself face-to-face with the big man who had been alternating between WCW and NJPW before coming over to WCW full-time. Sting started off hot here before Vader took over with an avalanche. This match was done pretty much to establish a new major feud for the Stinger, and it succeeded in making the huge guy a major star. Sting lost after hitting his head on the ring post during a Stinger Splash and then eating the power bomb, making Vader the WCW World Heavyweight Champion and sealing his fame. Great stuff here.

3.Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (2008) - Was it the best match of the insanely good Jericho/Michaels feud of last year? Nope, not at all. But that's hardly a condemnation, and the story of the match was exceptional as HBK and Y2J went solidly back and forth for a while until Lance Cade down and distracted Shawn, allowing Jericho to try a comeback. Shawn held in there still until his eye got busted open, after which Jericho just went straight after the injury and Shawn refused to say die until the ref stopped the match and awarded it to Jericho. This would lead to bigger and better things of course, but that's far from saying there was anything bad about this.

2.Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair (1986) - It was tough for me to figure out which was getting the number one spot and which would be relegated to number two, and either of the two possibilities could have ended up in the number one spot. In the end, while I love this match, it just doesn't quite have the luster for me of the number one pick. Nonetheless the match in which Dusty got his big win over Flair to take the NWA Heavyweight Title was a fantastic affair which saw the two long-time enemies go mano e mano within the confines of a steel cage. Dusty getting the big win was a great moment and it's hard not to love this match.

1.Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair (1989) - I can't help it; I just love Funk vs. Flair, and could watch their matches together forever. Like Aaron said, this wasn't quite as good as their I Quit match four months later. It's still one of the classic matches on a card that is must-see in every sense of the word. The emotion these two sold was amazing, the brawling was unbelievable and this was an example of wrestling psychology at its finest. If you don't know this match folks, you need to because it's just absolutely fantastic.



Larry Csonka

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Booker T vs. Chris Benoit (1998) - I was a big fan of their series of matches, and this was the culmination.

WCW World Title: Sting vs. Big Van Vader (w/Harley Race) (1992) - Sting and Vader were to me, a perfect template of how to work the big man vs. little man formula. I can pop in almost any of their matches, and know I will enjoy what I watch.

NWA World Heavyweight Title: Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk (w/Gary Hart) (1989) - I am more partial to the I QUIT match, but this is also a damn fine match. Funk, like bruiser Brody, was one of the few guys that could get Flair out of his comfort zone, but still make it work.

5. World TV Title: Sting (w/Eddie Gilbert) vs. The Great Muta (w/Gary Hart) (1989) - Sting makes another appearance on the list for, as this is one of my favorite matches he has with Muta. I wish that people that do nothing but shit on Sting because he works for TNA and because he never worked for WWE would go back and look at his body of work, because this match is a great one. This is the second match from 1989 on my list, what a great show.

4. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (2008) - The Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels feud was such a great part of 2008, and they were a great par of last year's GREAT AMERICAN BASH PPV. I understand the WWE going PG, but I for one want some ruthless kick ass action with some blood, since, you know, blood feuds tend to require that. But hey, that's just me…

3. U.S. Title: Lex Luger vs. Ricky Steamboat (1989) - Most people will not believe it, but yes, Lex Luger had a better match on the 1989 card than Flair, Funk, Muta and or Sting. Not by much mind you, but right here is one of Lex Luger's very best matches, against a great man, Ricky Steamboat. For as much shit as Lex Luger takes for being a "Bad Worker", he did step up when in there with the great ones, and wasn't carried. Show Lex some love people, he wasn't that bad.

2. Wargames (1987) - Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, & JJ Dillon vs. Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, Road Warrior Hawk, Road Warrior Animal, & Paul Ellering waging FUCKING WAR on each other to an insane degree. War Games was such a part of my growing up an NWA fan. The Horsemen, the coolest bad guys against The Road Warriors and Precious Paul, my man back in the day Dusty Rhodes and the former nemesis Nikita Koloff. Besides this OWNING to an insane degree, the best part of this was the constant fear that Nikita would turn on the good guys, but then he got in there, and all was well, SHIT WAS ON! Dear God I miss War Games.

1. Dusty Rhodes Wins NWA Title (1986) - I grew up an NWA fan, as I watched that more than anything else. When I was a young lad, Dusty Rhodes was just the shit. He was a guy that sounded cool, would take the worst beat downs but some how, he would always come back and show that he could win. He battled the odds constantly, and as a young kid made me believe that anything was possible.



After all of the shit the Horsemen put him through, Dusty and Flair would battle on July 26th on 1986 in the steel cage. And this was the night that Dusty would win his third NWA World Title, live the American Dream, and hell, he was just the shit. Making lists like this make me miss the old days…



Ryan Byers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Rick Steiner & Missy Hyatt vs. Arn Anderson & Paul E. Dangerously in a Steel Cage Match (1991) - One of the things that I realized in preparing for this column is that, honestly, there AREN'T that many awesome Great American Bash matches . . . so I may as well give an HM nod to this one, which was memorable for being outright bizarre if nothing else, especially when you consider the fact that it go to go on last in 1991.

Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan in a Falls Count Anywhere Match (1996) - I couldn't put this in my Top 5 because it was a shorter, undercard match, but I will eat my hat if you can find me a mid-90's WCW fan who doesn't remember the brutal bouts that these two had at the time, including their regular trips in to the ladies' restroom.

Dean Malenko vs. Rey Misterio, Jr. for the WCW Cruiserweight Title (1996) - This has some historical significance because it was Rey Rey's debut with one of the "big two" in the United States, but, even if you brush that aside, it's a legitimate ****+ match. The scary thing is that they had a rematch the next night on Nitro which may have been even better.

5.Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page in a Falls Count Anywhere Match (1997) - Let's face it, the glory days of the Bash were in the 1980's, with the decades of the 90's and the 00's largely being skippable. However, this match is a notable exception. Despite the fact that it got a reputation as the company that never put new faces over, WCW during the height of its popularity legitimately turned Diamond Dallas Page in to one of the five most popular wrestlers in the country. People forget just how over DDP was at his peak because of how he was treated in the later years of his career. His popularity was in large part a result of his super-heated feud with Randy Savage, and the Great American Bash played host to the no holds barred rematch of their first encounter. Page more than proved his worth in this bout, and the Macho Man showed that he still remembered some tricks from the wild brawls that were commonplace in the Memphis wrestling territories where he first gained notoriety.

4.The Midnight Express vs. The Fantastics for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1988) - Everybody loves and raves about the feud between the Midnight Express and the Rock 'n' Roll Express, but most people forget that a close second to the work done by the Midnights and the Rock 'n' Rolls was the work done by the Midnights and the Fantastics. Their rivalry began in Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling, but it carried over to Jim Crockett Promotions, leading to their highest profile bout at Bash '88. It's a fifteen minute thrill ride that is not to be missed.

3.The Roadwarriors, Nikita Koloff, Dusty Rhodes, & Paul Ellering vs. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Tully Blanchard, & JJ Dillon in a War Games Match (1987) - Do you remember the first time that you fell in love? A lot of professional wrestling fans remember the 1987 Great American Bash as the first time that they fell in love . . . not with a member of the opposite sex but rather with a gimmick match. War Games made its debut at the Bash twenty-two years ago, and, though later versions of the match were probably better overall bouts, this one was still awesome and set the bar for subsequent contests quite high. When a match develops such a following that people are still clamoring for its return a decade after it was last seen, you know that you've got a significant match on your hands . . . and its first incarnation definitely deserves to be celebrated.

2.Ric Flair vs. Ricky Morton in a Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (1986) - I know some people who aren't too high on this match because they didn't think that Morton, as a "tag team guy," had a legitimate chance of walking out of the cage with the championship. It is true that, realistically, he might not have had that great of a chance. However, if you throw that aside and watch the match without the context of the men's positions on the roster, it . . . is . . . AWESOME. In the mid-1980's, Morton could do a better job of selling a beating than anybody on the planet. Meanwhile, Flair knew how to be an absolutely devious SOB, a man capable of making any opponent's life a living hell with his less than sporting tactics. Put the two men together and it was a combination for unbridled in-ring success. The only thing preventing it from being remembered as an all-time classic is the fact that it wasn't the culmination of a major championship program and was instead a one-off title shot for a man who did not normally compete in main events.

1.Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk for the NWA World Heavyweight Title (1989) - Flair/Funk '89 is a feud that should be the stuff of legend. However, it's often overlooked because it just happened to take place in the same year as the absolutely classic Flair/Steamboat feud. Fortunately, 411's Top 5 has managed to cast some light on this somewhat-forgotten classic series of the matches. The "I Quit" match between the two men got a lot of play when we counted down the top five gimmick matches and the top five free TV matches. Though it wasn't quite as good as the Clash rematch, the non-gimmicked Flair/Funk encounter from Bash '89 is still an awe inspiring battle the likes of which few cards have seen. If you haven't seen it yet because you've been too busy tracking down other matches from the same year, you owe it to yourself to change that immediately.