WCW Great American Bash 1989
(Chosen by Matthew Roberts)
One big bonus of the WWE Network is the sheer amount of WCW footage that is available, much of which was never commercially available in the United Kingdom. To pick out a handful of pay-per-view events from fifteen years or so of action is never an easy task but I’ve tried to pick four that are a mix of era’s, well worth watching in terms of storylines AND in-ring action and ones that might appeal to fans who never got to see them at the time.
For long term WCW fans the GAB 89 is arguably the Turner version of WrestleMania 17. It probably doesn’t have the all-round excellence that that show had but it is still a stunning night of action. The undercard isn’t the greatest wresting you’ll ever see but it is huge fun in parts. A two ring “King of The Hill” Battle Royale is entertaining enough, seeing Sid Vicious in ass-kicking mode (and keep your eyes peeled for a young Scott Hall) and this leads in to Sid and his Skyscrapers partner Dan Spivey tackling the Dynamic Dudes pairing of Johnny “Ace” Laurinitas and Shane Douglas which will be amusing for newer fans or those that only ever really saw Douglas in ECW. Rick and Scott Steiner team up for one of the very first times to take on the Varsity Club of Mike Rotunda (father of current WWE star Bray Wyatt) and Kevin Sullivan and we also see one of the greatest “non-wrestler” wrestling matches of all time as Jim Cornette and Paul E. Dangerously go head to head in a Tuxedo match.
But it’s the big matches that really sell this show. Sting and The Great Muta aren’t really given the time that the pairing deserves but they still put on one hell of a match. Ricky Steamboat tackles Lex Luger in another great match, proving that Steamboat is one of the greatest of all-time but also proving that Lex Luger was very good in the ring when motivated. That might surprise people who only saw him the WWF or in his later WCW run. The War Games match including the likes of The Road Warriors, The Midnight Express, The Fabulous Freebirds and Steve Williams is not the absolute best match of it’s type but it’s still a bloody and intense affair well worth watching. That alongside all of this great action we get two of the genuine all-time greats in Terry Funk and Ric Flair going one-on-one is just the juicy cherry on top of an already mouthwatering cake.
1989 is regarded as one of the greatest in-ring years WCW ever had. This is a great place for the uninitiated to dip their toe into.