The Contentious Ten 6.11.12: Top 10 WCW Great American Bash Matches

For the time being, I’m the Contentious Ten guy again. That may be two weeks, that may be a month, I may be here this time next year. I’m sure everybody has their preferences as to which of the above that is, but I’ll do my best to entertain no matter how long it is or isn’t. Seems like I’ve used that line with my girlfriend in the past. Anyway, here is my criteria for (Top 10 WCW Great American Bash Matches) so that we’re all on the same page:

-Only matches that took place under the WCW Banner
-Not NWA, and not the tour. Strictly WCW ppv’s.
-That also means not WWE’s Great American Bash.

-Matches will be judged on overall quality of ring work, crowd response, historical significance, and honestly, how much I liked them.

-In case you missed it the first three times, only WCW’s Great American Bash matches were eligible. .

WCW ran the Great American Bash pay per view in July in 1991 and 1992, then in June every year from 1995 through 2000. Even though they didn’t take place in June to begin with, I included the shows from 91 and 92 because they were WCW’s. The 1991 Great American Bash is widely considered the worst pay per view of all time, and it’s not likely that many matches on that show will qualify for this list. I’m including the July ’92 show because it’s my list and I want to – the show would historically be ran in June, and excluding one pay per view out of the bunch doesn’t seem warranted. You guys all got mad when I excluded Jericho from the Top 10 Canadians in Wrestling list on a technicality, and I sure wouldn’t want to make you angry again. While the shows that the NWA ran as a part of the Great American Bash tour were fantastic (I even got to see one of them in Charleston, WV when I was a kid), they’re not being considered here. Why? Because as the month goes on, I’m also going to be looking at King of the Ring/Bad Blood/One Night Stand/Great American Bash/Fatal 4 Way/Capitol Punishment and Slammiversary as well – the June PPV’s for WWE and TNA.

Matches that just missed the cut: Meng vs. Sting (’95), Brian Pillman vs. Alex Wright (’95), Rick Rude and Steve Austin vs. Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham (’92), Saturn vs. Kanyon (’98)

X color=red>size=8>
Steven Regal vs. Sting (Great American Bash ’96)size=6>

A matchup that just looks and feels out of place turns into something exceptional.
-Relatively pointless match
-Regal in phenomenal shape
-Sting would soon look like The Crow

Maybe it’s just me, but this match feels wrong. It seems like Regal and Sting just don’t fit in the same spot at the same time. The man who would become William Regal, though, is a master class in professional wrestling. A matchup that just looks and feels out of place turns into something exceptional. Regal’s style is so adaptable, and so realistic that he makes it work. There’s not a great deal of build here, other than Regal called out Sting because he felt overlooked by the mysterious WCW Championship committee. A contract signing turned into Regal slapping Sting, and here’s the match. You’ll be hard pressed to find footage of Regal in better shape than he’s in here, and even though Sting had been around for over 10 years at this point, you can tell that Regal is controlling things in the ring. His mannerisms are phenomenal, he makes Sting look like a star, and he looks great himself. I had personally forgotten about this match until I started researching this article, and I’m glad I found it again.

IX color=red>size=8>
Ricky Steamboat and Nikita Koloff vs. Brian Pillman and Jushin Liger (Great American Bash ’92)size=6>

Pillman and Liger would have been a fantastic regular tag team.
-Part of the NWA World Tag Team Title tournament
-Nikita Koloff = Beta Test Version of Goldberg
-Edouard Carpentier reference from Jesse Ventura

Going back and watching his matches from the early 90’s, it’s remarkable just how far ahead of his time Jushin Liger was. He was doing things seamlessly in 1992 that wouldn’t be incorporated in American wrestling for another half decade. While he and Pillman were natural opponents in the early WCW Light Heavyweight division, they also made sense as a tag team for this tournament. Koloff and Steamboat were veterans who could work together in the short term for this purpose. Pillman and Liger would have been a fantastic regular team. As much as I love Doc and Gordy, I wouldn’t have argued if Pillman and Liger had pulled the upset victory here. These two men drew oohs and ahhs from the crowd routinely with their fast paced offense, and Steamboat and Koloff knew how to slow them down without going heel. As thrown together tag teams go, these two put on one of the best matches you’ll see.

VIII color=red>size=8>
Ultimo Dragon vs. Psicosis (Great American Bash ’97)size=6>

WCW understood the value of cruiserweights as opening matches better than anyone.
-Japan vs. Mexico
-Cruiserweight opener
-Mike Tenay in “professor” mode

It took a while for me to adapt to Ultimo Dragon. For whatever reason, I just didn’t take to his style when he first came to WCW. I don’t know if it’s because he was such a unique hybrid of various styles, because he didn’t cut promos, or for no particular reason at all, but I just didn’t “get it”. On the other hand, I loved Psicosis. He’s probably my favorite luchador ever. Part of that is because I mark out for flying legdrops, part of it is because he was the other half of the match that resulted in Hector Garza’s torn scrotum. I’ve learned to appreciate what Ultimo Dragon brought to the table through the years, and his ability to work with literally anybody is a big plus. WCW understood the value of cruiserweights as opening matches better than anyone. Even guys that were struggling to get reactions normally – like Psicosis – could get the crowd going in a hurry with a fast paced, high risk style. This match is absolutely the high point of Bash ’97 and maybe Psicosis’ best match from WCW.

VII color=red>size=8>
Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Gerrero, Jr. (Great American Bash ’98)size=6>

Eddie Guerrero’s most underrated ability was making other people look like stars.
-Uncle vs. Nephew
-Best homemade wrestling t-shirt ever
-A little bit of everything in one match

Long before Chavo was having a Looney Tunes feud with Hornswoggle, and long before Eddie Guerrero emerged as a main event player, both men were stealing the show on WCW’s undercard. We often hear about Eddie’s in ring ability and his natural charisma. Eddie Guerrero’s most underrated ability was making other people look like stars. Throughout the course of this angle, Eddie not only gave Chavo a personality infusion, but put him over in more ways than one. Chavo embraced the insanity and actually built up some momentum, something that wasn’t easy to do in a very crowded promotion. In this match, we got a little bit of everything from both men. We got bits of comedy, we got submission wrestling, we got brawling, and we got some aerial stuff that is typically associated with Mexican wrestlers. This is one of my all-time favorite WCW angles, and both men played their parts beautifully.

VI color=red>size=8>
Dean Malenko vs. Chris Jericho (Great American Bash ’98)size=6>

2,004 holds in the ring and it ends like that?
-Cruiserweight Championship
-Conspiracy victim Jericho
-Breakthrough performance

Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko were perfect for each other. Jericho was at his best as an over the top young punk screaming about conspiracies, and Malenko is the ultimate straight man in wrestling. At this point in his career, Jericho was throwing stuff at the wall to find out what was going to stick, and was really hitting his stride. The match itself is fantastic. Malenko was dying to get his hands on Jericho and remove any excuses from him, and Jericho was fighting for his life and wanted to steal a title at any costs. The only thing that hampers this match is the ending. 2,004 holds in the ring and it ends like that? Jericho picks up the vacant title on a disqualification, and the feud quickly dissipates afterwards. Had they gone to a real conclusion here, this match probably would have leapfrogged a few more on the list.

V color=red>size=8>
Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage (Great American Bash ’95)size=6>

It’s not Wrestlemania, but it’s still pretty damn good.
-Main Event
– First one on one match after a three month build

-Two all time greats

It is accepted wisdom in wrestling that both Ric Flair and Randy Savage could carry any mere mortal to a decent match, if not a good one. It stands to reason, then, that putting Flair and Savage together should result in something special. These two together weren’t as good as Flair and Steamboat, but they were better than Flair and Luger by a sight. This match? It’s not Wrestlemania, but it’s still pretty damn good. Wrestlemania VIII’s showdown between the two is a modern, overlooked classic. This one doesn’t live up to that standard, but carries a little more intensity to make up for it. The feud had become more personal than Flair insinuating that he had banged Elizabeth, because this time Flair beat up Savage’s dad. Savage was at his brawling best, and Flair was on top of his game as a heel in retreat that slowed down the wildman. In a WCW rarity, we even got a little booking continuity as the history with Angelo Poffo paid off in the finish of the match.

IV color=red>size=8>
Booker T vs. Chris Benoit (Great American Bash ’98)size=6>

This idea was so good that WWE would steal it 7 years later.
-8th match in a Best of 7 series
-For #1 Contender to TV Title spot

As Great American Bashes go, the first half of the 1998 card is about as good as things get in terms of pure wrestling. Now, granted, things started to go downhill with WCW’s convoluted booking, but four of the first five matches came in at over three stars. This match was the culmination of a Best of 7 series that was partially about respect and mostly about getting a shot at Fit Finlay’s Television Title. The idea of two guys that are this good wrestling 7 times in a row is always a good one, because they can be counted on to keep things fresh night after night. This idea was so good that WWE would steal it 7 years later, when Benoit and Booker T feuded over the United States championship. Booker was still evolving as a singles wrestler here, but he kept up with Benoit very well throughout this series. With this match being the payoff to a fantastic series, both men delivered in spades.

III color=red>size=8>
Dean Malenkov s. Rey Mysterio, Jr. (Great American Bash ’96)size=6>
Dean Malenko vs Rey Mysterio Jr-Part 1 by TSteck160

Dean Malenko vs Rey Mysterio Jr-Part 2 by TSteck160

The greatest cruiserweight ever defends his title against a debuting Rey Misterio, Jr.
-Cruiserweight Title match
-Rey’s WCW debut
-Wrestling clinic

This is one of those matches that all young wrestlers should be required to watch. On one hand, it’s textbook stuff. The greatest cruiserweight ever defends his title against a debuting Rey Misterio, Jr. It’s a veteran against a 21 year old phenom. It’s a mat wrestler against a lucha high flyer. The recipe for the match pales to the execution, though. We start off with hold and counterhold, and get a tease of what Rey is capable of in terms of acrobatics. The match calms down with Malenko working various submission holds and neutralizing Rey. It’s not your typical chinlock or hammerlock variety rest holds, though. These are innovative submission holds and attacks to Rey’s arm. At one point, Malenko uses the same armbar that Brock Lesnar recently used on John Cena. Eventually, Rey makes his escape and the acrobatics begin again and the pace quickens. Several near falls ensue, and we get an abrupt ending with minor shenanigans that make sure that the debuting sensation saves face in the loss. Beautiful stuff.

II color=red>size=8>
Sting vs. Big Van Vader (Great American Bash ’92)size=6>

This match was the birth of a monster.
-Main event
-WCW World Heavyweight Championship
-Breakthrough Performance

Sting was, without a doubt, the franchise player of WCW. He carried the load as a babyface when Ric Flair was there, providing a perfect foil. He carried the load period when Ric Flair went to the WWF. He was believable in the main event, mid card, or tag teams. Without Sting, WCW would have died a quick death once Flair was gone. He had gone through Luger for the title, he had held off Rude and Vicious, and needed a new challenger. Enter Big Van Vader. Vader was a force of nature. 6’5″ and billed at 450 lbs., Vader wasn’t just another fat guy. Vader was solid, could move, and could fly. He was something entirely new to American wrestling. Great American Bash 1992 was Vader’s coming out party. This match was the birth of a monster. He didn’t just beat Sting, he beat Sting cleanly, in the middle of the ring, with his finisher. You don’t see a lot of heels winning titles that way, but it helped to establish Vader’s dominance very quickly. Sting and Vader would have several more classic matches through the years, but without this one, Vader just wouldn’t have had the same aura.

I color=red>size=8>
Kevin Sullivan vs. Chris Benoit (Great American Bash ’96)size=6>

This is what happens when real life animosity gets channeled into a match.
-Falls Count Anywhere
-Horsemen vs. Dungeon of Doom

There aren’t many people that will doubt the toughness of either Chris Benoit or Kevin Sullivan. It’s also no secret that Kevin Sullivan and Chris Benoit had a bit of a grudge against each other due to the fact that they were both competing for the affections of the then Nancy Sullivan and future Nancy Benoit, a real life feud that would last until the unfortunate demise of the Benoit family. Leading in to this match, the Dungeon of Doom and the Four Horsemen had been testing each other. It started with Pillman vs. Sullivan, and when Pillman jumped ship for WWE, Chris Benoit stepped in and assumed the role. All along the way, Arn Anderson was teasing a switch over to the Dungeon of Doom. Going into this match, it was still undecided which side of the fence that Arn would land on. Sure, it seems ludicrous that Arn would ever leave the Horsemen, but this is WCW we’re talking about. Benoit and Sullivan turned the intensity up to 11 for this one. This is what happens when real life animosity gets channeled into a match. They had a brutal match that looked like a mostly legitimate fight right up to the point that a superplex finished it. There were no titles on the line, it wasn’t a main event feud, and the end of Benoit’s life has caused people to willingly block out some of his accomplishments. This match, however, is for my money the best that ever happened at WCW’s Great American Bash.

So my comeback to the Contentious Ten was a lot faster than I expected. Did I miss something? Did I include the wrong stuff? What’d I screw up? What’d I get right? Feel free to let me know in the comment section below. Next week, we’ll look at the Top 10 Slammiversary matches of all time, and then we’ll cover the various WWE June ppv’s. You can find me on Twitter at @GavinNapier411, and feel free to check out my other stuff on 411wrestling.com, as I also do Handicapping the News on Fridays, and This Is The End(ing) over in the games section on Mondays. I’ll be back here in 7 days to tackle another top 10.