It’s still 1997, I’m still visiting Florida with my family as we look for a new home and I am still relying on scrambled PPV audio to keep up with everything. The King of the Ring was a dud, but WCW is number one. That should translate just via audio, right?
PAY PER VIEW NUMBER 134: WCW GREAT AMERICAN BASH 1997
Written on 11/10/22
HOW WE START: America shit! I swear the voiceover guy actually says “Murica.” DDP is the American Dream and he’s gotten the ire of the New World Order and Randy Savage. Their rematch gets all the shine. We go live in Mobile and the stage has all of the American flags. Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan (in a sweet all-white suit). They discuss the double main event (the tag titles with the Outsiders versus Flair and Piper being the other one) and mention the added stipulation of Falls Count Anywhere for Page and Macho.
MATCH NUMBER ONE: RESPECT MATCH- Psychosis w/Sonny Onoo vs Ultimo Dragon
BEFORE THE BELL: Despite the match type, it’s just a regular bout based on Onoo hiring Psychosis to teach his former charge some respect. Mike Tenay joins the team and explains the story. It’s great to see Dragon as a full-blown face now (almost out of necessity).
WHAT STANDS OUT
-There’s some solid bunting on the rail all around ringside. It won’t stay up long as Psychosis is arm dragged to the floor and ruffles some of it. It’s good to see Dragon popular in everything he does.
-Some Lawler and Zbyszko levels of stalling by the heel. Neat punch in a mid-air leapfrog and decent personality by Psychosis. Ultimo’s headstand and kick series gets a loud ovation.
-Dragon is the first MVP by making everything looks cool and different. He misses a dive, hurts his knee and Sonny gets some kicks in. Psycho hits a top rope legdrop on a hung-up Dragon. I like his added flavor. It’s a rare case of Onoo adding to a talent.
-Sonny is caught on the floor and a suplex is attempted, but it gets stopped by his man. Nice rolling cradle, spin kick and brainbuster only for two for Dragon. A tombstone only gets a two also. Psychosis hits a great top rope spin kick and Plancha over the top in response.
-Dragon catches Psychosis trying a moonsault with a mid-air dropkick that lands right in the knees and dick. He hits a great Dragonrana up top and Sonny distracts on what seemed like the finish. He hits an errant kick on his man and tapping has made it to WCW.
HOW DOES IT END:
Ultimo Dragon wins in 14:26 with the Dragon Sleeper
FINAL WORD: WCW openers are like crack- give me more (I’ve never done crack).
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Dragon stalks Onoo after the bell, but still hasn’t gotten him. The crowd is shown and they are pretty ugly and have bad signs like “Nash is God.” Chris Benoit boringly answers questions on AOL about his return death match later on.
MATCH NUMBER TWO: NUMBER ONE CONTENDER FOR TAG TITLES- Harlem Heat w/Sister Sherri vs The Steiner Brothers
BEFORE THE BELL: Sherri seems a little bigger and more disheveled than usual. This match up seems a little stale. Listen to those dogs barking in the crowd, though.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Stevie Ray and Scott Steiner start with a good back and forth. Scott is particularly rough with the elbows and he gets a receipt on a rebound elbow and running boot. Working stiff early!
-Some suplexes and help from Rick cause the patented heel double bail and Steiner pose. Rick is really acting more like a dog and stupider than usual.
-Booker T and Scott work some flexing, test of strength and full nelson spots to perfection until a huge Tiger Bomb for a one count. Scott is too far for a second rope attack, but it’s covered well by a Book Spinaroonie and Tony’s commentary. The tag rope rule is also discussed.
-It wouldn’t be Stevie without a bad kick and a dangerous slam on the floor. Rick takes the heat including the “Big Apple” double team.
-Scott gets the tag and Ray delivers the worst leg drop ever to break up the pin. I gave him an initial benefit of the doubt, but he’s an LVP. Scott hits the Frankensteiner off the top and Vincent runs out. He immediately hits the ropes in the wrong direction and hits a god-awful elbow to end this match.
HOW DOES IT END:
Harlem Heat win by DQ in 12:02
FINAL WORD: That was a very good tag match ruined by fucking Virgil
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Vincent continues his LVP tour de force with some Black Power arm motion and fist bump trying to explain himself after the bell. He gets cornered by the Steiners and whipped into the ropes so hard he can’t run the ropes properly again. His shirt can’t come off. He eventually eats a Doomsday bulldog. Totally deserves it.
MATCH NUMBER THREE: Konnan vs Hugh Morrus
BEFORE THE BELL: Konnan’s name is still spelled wrong. He’s in his full Mexican street thug look now. Morrus wears a fringe-filled jacket and says “shucky ducky” while entering. Leave that to Booker T! Or Def Comedy Jam! There’s our reference challenge. Jimmy Hart isn’t with Hugh. This is still heel versus heel.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Morrus is the de facto face with a dropkick and a little playing to the crowd. Konnan throws him into the steps and hits a rolling lariat to take over.
-Konnan thinks he’s Zack Sabre Jr with some kind of STF/single leg crab combo. Stick with the chin locks, dude.
-Does everyone do a spin kick nowadays? Even Morrus has one. The crowd is mostly silent for this even though Hugh is busting his ass.
-Nice Asics, K-Dawg. He applies the Stump Puller and hits a bad lariat. There are a lot of empty seats on the hard cam. Concessions are killing it right now. The boo birds are rising.
-Konnan is working at half speed, having blown up at the nine-minute mark. Bobby calls it exhaustion based on the match. I call it being an LVP. The No Laughing Matter moonsault is eventually countered by a leg trip and his face hitting the buckle. A KO shot and submission mercifully ends this one.
HOW DOES IT END:
Konnan wins in 10:34 with the Tequila Sunrise
FINAL WORD: Thunder isn’t around yet to hold this match, but that was a doldrums of Thunder match if I’ve ever seen one.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Nothing is worthy to replay, so we go straight to Mean Gene pimping rumors of a Chicago debut for the hotline and lamely introducing Public Enemy for a promo. Seriously? Rocco Rock sits Gene on a table they set up and says a ton of nonsense including that Gene looks like a friend named “Johnny Pots and Pans.” This is an SNL skit that ends at the end of the night. No wonder they didn’t make it any further. Johnny Grunge is much better just by reciting their theme song. Rocco is an LVP threat, too. WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? Did someone need to take a five-minute dump and this was devised to stretch? The fans just want to wave their hands. They go slap said hands in the crowd to end this waste of time.
MATCH NUMBER FOUR: Wrath w/James Vandenberg and Mortis vs Glacier
BEFORE THE BELL: Mike Tenay joins the team again for the WRATH match. Rip Camillucci just got hard wherever he is right now. The group is now dubbed the Trio of Terror. They have a great ambiance. Vandenberg isn’t a manager, but a “collector of oddities.” Mortis will be handcuffed to the buckle. The crowd noise is way off as Glacier enters. Tenay talks about his martial arts background as opposed to following in his family’s law enforcement line of work.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Good agility by Wrath early and good strikes by Glacier. This is definitely the weakest crowd for this story so far. A brawl on the floor leads to Wrath taking a dangerous whip into the steel steps almost on his head.
-Mortis helps Wrath out of the corner and a powerbomb is turned into a Stun Gun. No wonder Rip liked him! Vandenberg keeps pounding the mat while Glacier is in rest holds. The crowd chants “let’s go Wrath” so they didn’t get it.
-Flipping senton off the apron by Wrath! Is he a fucking MVP?!?! Great top rope clothesline and crowd work, too!!!
-Glacier’s comeback is met with apathy and a quick cut off. Back up top and Glacier lazily bumps the ref and causes a crotching. After a superplex, Mortis distracts and gets hit. He overthrows a chain and Glacier uses it. The finisher is missed while James gets a key out of Nick Patrick’s pocket.
HOW DOES IT END:
Glacier wins in 12:01 with the Cryonic Kick
FINAL WORD: The bloom is starting to fully come off the rose, but Wrath is a good dose of energy.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Mortis is free and cuffs Glacier to the top rope. Refs try to break up the gang up attack. No Ernest Miller? There’s a replay and I guess not.
MATCH NUMBER FIVE: WOMENS TITLE VERSUS CAREER MATCH- Madusa vs Akira Hokuto w/Sonny Onoo (Champ)
BEFORE THE BELL: Lee Marshall joins the team and the champ enters with her manager first. Madusa gets a ton of fanfare. I just noticed that Dusty has been off the team for every guest commentator. Probably for the best.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Hair throws and rapid attacks by Akira to start with “USA” chants ringing out. Lee is good for once by talking about Madusa’s history and her PWI Rookie of the Year award. The champ hits a dangerous piledriver.
-Trio of dropkicks on the face comeback. The crowd is really into this. There’s still some hesitation on a few moves, but it’s still been good thus far. Madusa injures her knee on a top rope axe handle and it becomes Akira’s focus. It’s highlighted by a surfboard.
-Great near fall off a head scissors and powerbomb by the challenger. This was just a hope spot because Hokuto hits a snap superplex and Madusa somehow kicks out at one. She sells a kneebar very well and gets to the ropes after a struggle.
-Sonny puts his lady’s food on the rope in a German suplex. The crowd gets restless during constant punches to the knee. Bobby is so surprised that a woman has such fight. She can’t pick Akira up for an atomic drop and the air is totally let out of the building for the ending.
HOW DOES IT END:
Akira Hokuto retains in 11:42 with the Snow Plow
FINAL WORD: Of course, the best match of this whole division is the last one.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Bobby says right away “now what does she do?” Hokuto bites the bad knee after the bell and the audience is stunned. There’s such an odd tone to all of this. Madusa cries in the ring and Bobby mocks her after giving kudos this whole time. After a replay, the refs and trainer help her out and there’s not even a moment for the crowd to give her respect. Gene runs out to ask the trainer question and basically rubs her loss in. What a dick! He’s shrugged off and the audience chants “leave her alone.” Finally, a decent swell of support. That said…boy, what an awkward situation.
MATCH NUMBER SIX: RETURN DEATH MATCH- Meng w/Jimmy Hart vs Chris Benoit
BEFORE THE BELL: This is an odd palette cleanser. Benoit never looks sure where he’s going. As the heels enter, Benoit hits a FLUSH dive through the rope to start this one and make Jimmy run to the back.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-The diving headbutt is almost block by some sign about Jeremy Borash in 1997. The Crossface is powered out and he’s tossed off the second rope. Chris is rabid in every action and hold. Bobby mentions him as a wolverine.
-Benoit suplexes Meng over the top and Stun Guns him on the way out. That looked like a big ouch, but Meng seems fine. He might get a Bernie Mac eye out of it (one more reference to go).
-Meng hits a killer spinebuster and mocks the Four Horsemen symbol. He hits a top rope splash and tries a pin like an idiot. Benoit gets up at nine and eats a superkick right away.
-This is treated more like a modern Last Man Standing match than last time. The Tongan Death Grip is applied, but fought off. Dusty says Benoit is “literally hanging with that thing” and I shudder/think he can see the future.
-The pace slows/dulls with Meng attacks, but a second splash misses and the Crossface is applied. It’s broken, but applied again after a fight and he still survives. The Death Grip is ducked and the Crossface is locked in a third time after a leg screw. The crowd is mostly sitting on their hands. Meng can’t get to the ropes and he slowly fades. I mean slowly. He barely taps. That’s at least a nice touch.
HOW DOES IT END:
Chris Benoit wins in 14:57 with the Crippler Crossface
FINAL WORD: That wasn’t as good as last time, but it was still as solid as Meng and Benoit themselves.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Dusty puts over their efforts very well. More refs and trainers come down to help both guys. Benoit gets a neck brace and is stretchered out. WHY?!?! He won and seemed fine! Meng is barely coming to. They are waiting for the stretcher to come back to take him out. Cheap ass Eric Bischoff giving away guaranteed money, but he can’t afford to have a second gurney in the building. They finally do it and the crowd is a little receptive to him. Gene is on camera, but Meng falls off the stretcher off-camera. Not sure if that is a shoot or a work. The brutal fight is put over and Gene wishes everyone a Happy Father’s Day and just promotes the hotline again before a Bash at the Beach commercial. Gene and Heenan fake surf and Dennis Rodman is heavily advertised.
MATCH NUMBER SEVEN: Steve McMichael w/Debra McMichael vs Kevin Greene
BEFORE THE BELL: How about this one year running feud? Mongo rocks the Horsemen music. Greene makes a beeline for the ring and hits a slingshot dropkick and forearm right away. This is already better than Reggie White’s whole match last PPV.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Mongo bails, trips Kevin and beats him up in front of his mom and family. Mom hits Mongo with her purse and the commentators are up in arms about it. The crowd really doesn’t care sadly and they are mostly cheering Mongo.
-A decent neckbreaker keeps the face down as does an equally decent tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a MONGO DROPKICK. Why am I so invested in this?
-Kevin hits a big, top rope shoulder tackle and clothesline over the top rope. Debra feigns tripping on the steps and Greene doesn’t fall for it.
-Jeff Jarrett runs down in all white and “errantly” hits his partner with the briefcase, gets pulled in by Greene and that’s all she wrote.
HOW DOES IT END:
Kevin Greene wins in 9:22 with the Halliburton shot from Jeff Jarrett
FINAL WORD: Totally okay! That’s a massive win! Flip this time with the amount Reggie White got!
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Debra is mad that Jarrett didn’t help and hogs the camera as usual. The replay shows how good Greene’s clothesline is and confirms he pulled Mongo into the briefcase shot. The trainer is shown still working on Madusa in the back.
MATCH NUMBER EIGHT: TAG TITLE MATCH- Roddy Piper and Ric Flair vs The Outsiders w/Syxx (Champs)
BEFORE THE BELL: The champs enter first once again. Nash sneaks a Suck It motion to a fan at ringside. Big pyro for the Nature Boy and he waits in the aisle for his partner. This has a big fight feel. Piper has recently been absent because he was filming a movie.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-Scott Hall and Ric Flair start. The toothpick is thrown, but blown away. Chops and epic sells by Hall before he bolts. Flair thrusts, but he ends up doing the corner flip and eating a big boot on the apron.
-Nash tags in and blatantly tells Piper to suck it. He hits a big sidewalk slam for two. A low blow turns the tide and Roddy is finally tagged in. His eye poke offense is embarrassing. He gets the sleeper on Hall, but getting crotched on top breaks it.
-Syxx hits a reverse kick when Ric stupidly grabs the ref. The two men brawl up the ramp and Piper is still down from just one bump.
-There’s no one to tag, but Hot Rod is still fighting. Nash definitely puts some extra stuff on some of his shots. Scott is the same with some head slaps. Roddy keeps fighting them off two on one and it’s pretty ridiculous. He’s finally overwhelmed past the point of no return.
HOW DOES IT END:
The Outsiders retain in 10:02 when Scott Hall pins Roddy Piper with the Outsider’s Edge
FINAL WORD: That felt like the greatest compromise of a match. That made as many people happy as possible…except for the people that had to watch the match.
THE STUFF IN-BETWEEN: Hall and Nash are all cool and non-plussed after the match. Piper is left wondering where Flair went after the replay.
MATCH NUMBER NINE: LIGHTS OUT FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE MATCH- Randy Savage w/Elizabeth vs Diamond Dallas Page w/Kimberly
BEFORE THE BELL: Michael Buffer in a white ass suit looks like Bill Bellamy trying to get a deal (and the reference challenge is done). Mickey Jay is pointed out as a special referee. Isn’t he always a ref? A big deal is made of the Lights Out element with tons of pyro. Buffer does the rest of his spiel in pitch black. As a kid, I thought they were really going to wrestle in darkness. Liz leads Randy out. Kimberly, in a WONDERFUL pink outfit, appears to lead Dallas out, but it’s just a distraction so he can attack Savage from behind in a good moment. Buffer’s comments about Kim are LVP levels of creepy.
WHAT STANDS OUT
-It’s all DDP until he hits a dive and hurts his already injured ribs. He fights through it and lands a great clothesline and shoulder tackle. He’s always an MVP busting his ass.
-A brawl goes through the crowd and Macho is sent into a wall and door and gets a crutch broken over his back. They really struggle getting through the fans to get back to ringside. Powder in the face of DDP and an UNPROTECTED shot of something shatters over his head to turn the tide.
-Page is beaten down and a “We Want Sting” chant starts. He helped him on Nitro and brought him up to the rafters, so that makes sense. Randy spits on, punches and piledrives the ref. I think his version might be one of the best.
-Mark Curtis comes out and gets thrown to the floor. That gives Dallas time to recoup, but a boot in the corner snuffs it out. Savage grabs Kim and Nick Patrick stops him from punching her. Macho ends up thrown through a VIP BBQ pit. Page lands two UNPROTECTED shots with a tray and flower pot, then a slam through a picnic table. An UNPROTECTED grill goes upside Savage’s head, too.
-DDP hits the Flapjack and throws up the Cutter symbol, but a jawbreaker blocks him. Macho tries a piledriver on the floor, Patrick stops it and gets beaten up as well. Then, he goes after a cameraman and ends up taking another UNPROTECTED chair shot.
-A suplex is countered into the Diamond Cutter. Scott Hall runs out as Patrick starts to count and he stomps his head. DDP tries to fight him off, but takes a title belt to the back of the head. One Outsider’s Edge after a struggle, a drag to the middle and Macho hits his finish from the top. Patrick is pulled right on top to count.
HOW DOES IT END:
Randy Savage wins in 16:56 with the top rope elbow drop
FINAL WORD: What a wild brawl. Believe it or not, they were able to top their first bout.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE: Maybe not because Tony says we are out of time! Is this Nitro? Roll credits.
THE LAST IMAGE: Randy Savage, DDP, Scott Hall and Elizabeth
THE WRAP UP
FINAL MVP of PPV: You always feel the fire of Diamond Dallas Page and he sold the main event like the fight of his life. He’s the most over guy on the show almost every time.
FINAL LVP of PPV: In just 60 seconds, Vincent fucked up like three things and portrayed a total fall guy that’s not needed in the company.
MY FAVORITE MATCH: Randy Savage vs Diamond Dallas Page
MY LEAST FAVORITE MATCH: Konnan vs Hugh Morrus
FINAL THOUGHTS: That was a totally okay show. I don’t have much else to add. It was a physical show and felt draining, but not in a bad way. Some stuff was merely passable or had a bad side, but the aura of the Great American Bash gave the air a certain feeling I dug. It’s a close call just because there’s not much outstanding, but it’s still a decent time. MULLET RECOMMENDS
NEXT TIME: I’m home in Ohio finally and Bret Hart is home for the Canadian Stampede. I have a shocking confession next week.