WCW Great American Bash 1992

WCW Great American Bash 1992
Albany, GA
Civic Center
July 12, 1992

This is definitely one of the strangest PPVs in the history of WCW. It feels like something out of the 70s or possibly Japan. I’m not really sure if I consider this card bad or good. It’s one of the most wrestling-heavy PPVs you’ll ever see, but as the card drags on, the boredom really sets in. Every match is a near twenty minute grueling battle, and really epitomizes what we used to find so boring about WCW.

Bash 92 is an entire PPV, with the exception of one match, built around the NWA tag title tournament. Seriously, what kind of a selling point was a third string set of tag titles?? Maybe if it was for the vacant World title it might have been a more exciting card, but that was being contested in Japan for some insane reason.

Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura are on commentary for this event, emanating from beautiful Albany, Georgia. Wait a minute… where the F is Albany, GA?? It’s truly in the middle of nowhere in rural Georgia! Why in the world is a PPV being held there? The Civic Center is predictably small and dark – just the way Bill Watts likes it – and the crowd of rural folk start out hot but get bored as this event lumbers along.

1) NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Ricky Steamboat & Nikita Koloff (USA) defeated Brian Pillman & Jushin Liger (USA) at 19:25 when Steamboat pinned Pillman when the momentum of a crossbody off the top by Pillman put Steamboat on top for the win

Things start out exciting with this thrilling opening tag team battle. It’s another internet fan’s wet dream to see Steamboat in there with Pillman and Liger. And it’s actually a damn great match. The one perplexing element is Nikita Koloff, who’s heavyweight presence doesn’t quite match as well with the lightheavyweights. The action doesn’t really slow down, and I was really impressed with Pillman and Liger as a tag team, and it was awesome to see Steamboat lock up with Liger. I was shocked at how long this match went, finishing just shy of twenty minutes. I expected a more dominating win for Steamboat and Koloff since they were established main eventers. The more over good guys end up winning with the classic crossbody roll through. Really great action from all four wrestlers!

Next up is an INTERVIEW with the Steiner Brothers. Two of the most friggin’ popular wrestlers in the company are in a lame interview! Why not have them in this tournament? Makes zero f’n sense. Oh yeah, and one other small thing – they lost the WCW tag team titles on a house show to Gordy and Williams. Yes, the belts with the actual company name on them change hands on a house show, while a whole tournament takes place on PPV for a third set of tag titles. Welcome to WCW.

2) NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Hiroshi Hase & Shinya Hashimoto (sub. for Akira Nogami) (Japan) defeated Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin (USA) at 9:16 when Hase pinned Garvin with a northern lights suplex after Hashimoto kicked Garvin in the face behind the referee’s back

Okay… so Akira Nogami is out with some gross eye injury. They show footage of him getting surgery in Japan. He’s replaced by a name I’m familiar with because of PWI – Shinya Hashimoto. Hashimoto doesn’t look impressive, with a big fat gut and bizarre ring attire, but actually is pretty damn great in the ring. Another question – why the F did WCW push all these Japanese wrestlers on cards in rural Georgia? Did any of these simple folk even know who the fuck these guys were? I’m guessing not. They just came to see rasslin’. This is the end of the line for one of the most enduring tag teams of the 80s and early 90s. Shortly after this the Freebirds call it a day. Makes sense, because their matches in 92 were really starting to suck. They looked pretty terrible here, and surprisingly do the clean job to the Japanese team.

3) NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarter Finals: Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham (USA) defeated WCW US Champion Ravishing Rick Rude & WCW TV Champion Stunning Steve Austin (USA) at 19:16 when Rhodes pinned Austin with a clothesline off the top as Austin attempted a piledriver on Windham

Here’s a match I was really looking forward to seeing, and it definitely delivered. Four of the best wrestlers in WCW competing against each other. Austin and Rude I think were still technically in the Dangerous Alliance, but that stable was definitely near dead at this point. I don’t even think Paul E. was still in the company. Austin and Rude are a sick tag team. They just beat the shit out of their opponents and work so well together, making crisp tags and really working over Rhodes and Windham. I love watching Rude’s WCW work. He was just a nasty, gritty heel during this era; always in great matches. Sadly, the good guy Texans pick up the big win to advance. I should also point out just how good Ventura and Ross were on commentary. They managed to make these long ass matches very interesting, even during the slower moments.

In the big laugh of the night, Bill Watts is interviewed next. He has the infamous NWA World Title (the belt Flair took to the WWF) and furthers his announcement about the tournament taking place in Japan to decide the new champ. He mentions Ric Flair by name on the show! Shocking for 92. Watts takes Flair’s nameplate off the belt and hands it over to the “legendary” Hiro Matsuda to take to Japan for the tournament.

4) NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi Finals: WCW Tag Team Champions Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (Japan) defeated Ricky Steamboat & Nikita Koloff (USA) at 21:39 when Williams pinned Steamboat with a running powerslam after ramming Steamboat into the corner

Here’s where the PPV was starting to wear on me. We now have our third 20 minute long tag team match. They really could have shortened some of these matches and added a couple singles bouts to mix thing up. Williams and Gordy are still being pushed as Watts’ monster heels, and are extremely stiff and rugged against Koloff and Steamboat. There’s definitely some great wrestling action here, but man, the length of these matches was really starting to make me restless. Williams scores the surprisingly clean pin on Steamboat, as if there was much doubt in anyone’s mind.

5) NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Semi Finals: Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham (USA) defeated Hirhosi Hase & Shinya Hashimoto (Japan) at 14:55 when Windham pinned Hase with a lariat

The Texans against the Japanese. This was a really good match, with lots of unique moves and situations. I was surprised at how dominant Hase and Hashimoto were in this match, wearing down Windham and Rhodes for a long portion of it. The good guys thankfully go over, and survive yet another long, gruelling tag team war.

The event hosts (having all of these commentators was actually a unique approach, and made WCW feel more like a legit sports events), Tony Schiavone and Magnum TA interviewed Ron Simmons regarding his quest for the world title. It’s funny how hard Watts was pushing Simmons at this time. I remember getting on the Simmons bandwagon when I started watching WCW that summer, and bought into all of their hype about his toughness and football background.

6) Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) pinned WCW World Champion Sting to win the title at 17:17 with the powerbomb after Sting struck his head on the steel ringpost while attempting a Stinger splash in the corner

Here’s a match I’ve been wanting to see for over 20 years. I remember this feud so well from when I started watching WCW again, and of course have read about it in the Apter mags for years. You know what though, I just don’t get the hype and the love for Van Vader. To me, he’s one of the most overrated wrestlers of all time. To quote the man himself, he’s just a “fat piece of shit”. Vader is so clumsy and awkward in the ring. His moves just aren’t very impressive. His brawling and barrage style offensive is okay, but he’s made to look vulnerable when Sting easily slams and suplexes him all over the ring. I was very underwhelmed with this match. In my mind, I imagined Vader looking unstoppable, battering Sting relentlessly, but really it’s a back and forth battle with Vader stumbling and bumbling all over the place. The ending is super cheap too, as Sting goes for some reverse Stinger Splash, but “overshoots” Vader and goes head first into the top of the ring post, busting himself wide open. Vader does use a really strong looking powerbomb to beat Sting and stun the crowd. Overall, a disappointing match. I just don’t get the internet and PWI love for Vader.

7) NWA Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: WCW Tag Team Champions Steve Williams & Terry Gordy (Japan) defeated Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham (USA) to win the titles at 21:01 when Williams pinned Rhodes with a clothesline; prior to the bout, Rick & Scott Steiner came out to confront Williams & Gordy but were sent backstage by Ole Anderson and Doug Dillinger

For the second PPV in a row, Gordy and Williams are in the main event. I’m starting to understand why so many people dislike the Bill Watts era, as he simply does things his way, regardless of what the fans think or what’s good for business (boy does that sound familiar in today’s times.) As you likely have guessed, this was YET ANOTHER 20 minute gruelling tag team battle. By this point me, and from the looks of it, the fans in the building were tired of these types of matches. Independently viewed, this is a solid power battle between two tough teams. There’s lots of back and forth, and give and take in this one. But I had just lost all interest by this point. “Shockingly” Gordy and Williams win the damn tournament and a second set of tag team titles. I can’t recall any other PPV where two heels won the last two matches. Talk about killing your crowd.

We move from here into the fall 92 era, which for me is one of the biggest memory periods of wrestling in my life. A major debut is on the horizon, and soon, one of the biggest memory PPVs for me in WCW’s entire history.