WCW Great American Bash Matches You Need To Watch 

The 1990 Great American Bash didn’t feature a whole lot of quality, but this match stood out as the best of the night, making the show worth watching. The Midnight Express duo of Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane defeated Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers of the Southern Boys to successfully defend the NWA United States Tag Team Titles.

The four men had a steady start with a classic tag team structure, and as the action heated up, so did the audience. There was some great heel work, nice fluid offense, and even a karate stand-off between Lane and Smothers.

Dean Malenko Vs. Rey Mysterio

WCW Great American Bash 1996

No matter how bad or good the booking got in WCW, the cruiserweight division could always be relied upon to put on a good match and deliver. At the 1996 Great American Bash, Dean Malenko and Rey Mysterio competed in an enjoyable cruiserweight showcase, ending with Malenko defending his title.

Notably, this served as Mysterio’s WCW debut, and he really shone with his incredible high-flying ability, quickness, and ability to connect with the crowd. Not only that, but the match featured plenty of psychology and limb work too. Mysterio looked great even in defeat, with the audience loving everything he did. For fans of Mysterio, this is a must-see to go back and look at how he first made a big impression.

Randy Savage Vs. Ric Flair

WCW Great American Bash 1995

It is always worth going back to watch a match between Ric Flair and Randy Savage. They wrestled one-on-one in the headliner at Great American Bash 1995 in what was one of their most heated matches due to Savage being fueled with revenge. Savage’s relentless attacks eventually proved to be his downfall, as his recklessness cost him the match.

This match is an underrated one that deserves more plaudits, and fans should go back and watch it for sure.

Dusty Rhodes Vs. Tully Blanchard

NWA Great American Bash 1985

The lengthy history of the Great American Bash event started all the way back in 1985, and the first ever event was headlined by Dusty Rhodes and Tully Blanchard, who went toe-to-toe inside a Steel Cage.

Rhodes would walk out as the new NWA United States Champion in a classic babyface vs. heel fight, which managed to pack in a lot of story, bloodshed, and psychology into just over ten minutes of action.

Diamond Dallas Page Vs. Randy Savage

WCW Great American Bash 1997

Diamond Dallas Page and Randy Savage had more than one strong match during their WCW feud, showcasing good chemistry in their “walk-and-brawl” type bouts. At Great American Bash 1997, they fought in a Falls Count Anywhere match in the main event of the card that fans should go back and see.

They brawled around the arena in a fun match that notably saw two referees take wild bumps. As always, the NWO made their presence known in the final stretch to help Savage win, but this questionable ending came after a very fun and chaotic matchup.

Rick Steiner Vs. Sting

WCW Great American Bash 1999

Contrary to the other matches mentioned here, this was not good… at all. However, this match is so bad that it needs to be seen to be believed, and fans must go back and watch to see the absolute worst of WCW’s often unhinged booking during this era, because it is comical at times.

Sting and Rick Steiner were two fantastic workers, but they couldn’t do much at Great American Bash 1999 in a match that had real dogs ordered to attack Sting… sort of, as they were clearly only biting areas of Sting that wouldn’t harm him. The match itself was a disaster anyway, with some odd spots, botches, and even a baffling rope break - even though it was Falls Count Anywhere!

Sting Vs. Big Van Vader

WCW Great American Bash 1992

Due to Great American Bash 1992 being dominated by a tag team tournament and headlined with the finals of said tournament, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship match between Sting and Big Van Vader served as the precursor to the main event.

However, it was still the best match of the night and worth revisiting for fans. Vader overcame Sting, using his power and dominance to defeat the babyface, taking the world title. Their styles complimented each other nicely here, bringing out the best in one another.

Ric Flair Vs. Terry Funk

WCW/NWA Great American Bash 1989

The main event of Great American Bash 1989 continued the iconic blood feud between Ric Flair and Terry Funk as they battled over the NWA World Heavyweight Title. This match, and any others from their rivalry in fact, are must-watch to see how two men can deliver an authentic feeling of hatred in a match.

Their brawling felt as though they wanted to take chunks out of one another, hitting moves with the intent to do damage rather than to simply win a match. They fought around the ring, targeted each other’s necks with brutal piledrivers, and submission moves. Flair managed to escape with his title thanks to a roll-up.