|Date: July 6, 1985
|Venue: American Legion Memorial Stadium |City: Charlotte, North Carolina
|Attendance: 27,000
|tweet me: @BastionBlogger
It’s worth noting that all I have of this show is a highlights video. I can’t find the full version of this show anywhere!
A video package kicks us off with a montage of the superstars arriving.
Gordon Solie introduces us to the show, he’s in a studio and joined by Bill Apter.
We’re shown some footage with Ron Bass falling out with JJ Dillon and Buddy Landell. That led to Bass challenging Landell tonight.
Ron Bass vs. Buddy Landell
Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these two men.
Match: Buddy Landell takes the early advantage, he knocks Ron Bass out of the ring where JJ Dillon continues the assault. Buddy chokes Bass on the outside and then distracts the referee allowing Dillon to take more shots at his former client. A lot of this match happens on the outside. Ron Bass takes control and they finally get back in the ring. Ron Bass hits some big right hands a drops an elbow for a two count. Ron Bass calls for the claw but the ring bells. Bass and Landell continue the fight and I’m not actually sure what the decision is. Ron Bass locks on the claw on J.J. Dillon until Buddy saves him.
Result: Draw.
Review: This was ok. I doubt it was much of a classic in its full form. A lot of the match took place outside the ring.
Rating: N/A
Gordon Solie introduces the next match.
The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn & Ole Anderson) (c) vs. Buzz Sawyer & Dick Slater – National Tag Team Championship match
Previous PPV matches: This is a first time major event match.
Match: Buzz Sawyer and Dick Slater run out to the ring and this match gets underway before the bell. Dick Slater and Buzz Sawyer clear the ring. Finally the match gets underway officially with Arn Anderson and Buzz Sawyer. The Andersons take control against Slater. All four men get into it where Ole hits a spinebuster on Swayer. The Andersons double team Buzz Sawyer behind the referee’s back and then pin Swayer for the win.
Result: Ole and Arn Anderson retain the National Tag Team Championships by pinfall.
Review: This was such a short edit it was hard to tell how good it was. The Andersons were the right winners over a make-shift team tonight. I am not buying Dick Slater as a babyface either, he needs to turn.
Rating: N/A
Bill Apter introduces the next match, a six man tag.
Manny Fernandez, Sam Houston, and Buzz Tyler vs. Superstar Billy Graham,The Barbarian, and Abdullah the Butcher
Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match involving these six men.
Match: Buzz Tyler and The Barbarian kick off the match and all of the babyface team take shots at The Barbarian. Manny Fernandez gets involved but it isn’t long before the heels take control. Abdullah The Butcher knocks Sam Houston down with some big shoulder charges. The fight goes to the outside where the heels continue to dominate. All hell then breaks loose and Sam Houston pins Billy Graham out of nowhere for the victory!
Result: Manny Fernandez, Buzz Tyler and Sam Houston win by pinfall.
Review: This was ok. It was slow and a bit clunky. The babyfaces got the victory though over a pretty established stable of monsters.
Rating: N/A
Gordon Solie introduces some footage of Paul Jones attacking Jimmy Valiant, giving him a throat injury.
Jimmy Valiant vs. Paul Jones – Dog collar match
Previous PPV matches: This is actually a second match between these two men, Paul Jones beat Jimmy Valiant at Starrcade 1984.
Match: Jimmy Valiant has Buzz Tyler with him as Paul Jones as Abdullah The Butcher. We skip forward to Paul Jones having the upper hand. Jimmy Valiant is bleeding from the head. Valiant takes control, crotching his opponent. Jimmy pulls Jones into the ringpost and then lays into him with right hands. Valiant applies a sleeper but in comes Abdullah The Butcher. That distracts Valiant but Paul Jones runs right into his own man. Jimmy drops and elbow on Paul Jones and pins him for the three!
Result: Jimmy Valiant wins by pinfall.
Review: This was what you’d expect between these two men. Jimmy Valiant finally gets revenge for the loss he suffered at Starrcade.
Rating: N/A
Gordon Solie introduces the next match.
The Russians (Ivan Koloff & Krusher Kruschev) (c) vs. The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) – NWA World Tag Team Championship match
Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two teams.
Match: Obviously this is an edited match but it appears that The Road Warriors dominate for much of the match. Tony Schiavone commentates. Hawk lifts Ivan Koloff above his head, hitting a big military press. All hell breaks loose with all four men which allows The Russians to take control. Animal and Kruschev clothesline each other down and Animal makes the hot tag to Hawk. Schiavone keeps getting Hawk and Animal mixed up. Krusher hits Animal with a chair but the referee doesn’t see it. Hawk then uses the chair on both Russians the referee calls for the bell!
Result: Double disqualification.
Review: It’s hard to review a match that is so heavily edited but the match was a good one. It’s a match I’d like to see in full to be honest. I thought there may have been a title change tonight but hopefully we see more between these two teams.
Rating: N/A
Gordon Solie and Bill Apter introduce the next match, a United States Championship match.
Magnum T.A. (c) vs. Kamala – United States Championship match
Previous PPV matches: This show marks a major show debut for both men.
Match: Kamala attacks Magnum before the bell and after initially getting al the show in it’s Magnum that takes control. There’s an edit and Kamala is in control once more. Plenty of chokeholds and nerve holds from Kamala. Kamala hits a big splash for a near fall. Kamala hits a second splash but there’s an edit. Magnum is bleeding from the forehead now. Magnum avoids a splash in the corner and hits three dropkicks. But Kamala’s manager Skandor Akbar gets involved, causing a disqualification. Magnum wins the match and fights off both Kamala and Akbar after the match.
Result: Magnum T.A. wins by disqualification.
Review: Again, it’s hard to review this, a match that Kamala dominated. A second disqualification in as many matches though. Magnum retains his title though.
Rating: N/A
Ric Flair (c) vs. Nikita Koloff – NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship match
Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.
Match: Nikita out-powers Ric in the early going. David Crockett is the special guest referee in this match. Ric fires some chops in but Nikita just clotheslines him back down to the mat. Koloff applies a bearhug but Flair gets out of it with an atomic drop. Flair hits a side suplex and then applies the figure four but Nikita gets out of it with a rake to the eyes. There’s an edit and we come back to a scrappy back and forth but Flair is bleeding. Ivan Koloff then comes in off the top and takes out the referee. A fan then comes into the ring and tries to take out Nikita but security swarms him. Flair hits a cross body for a one count. Koloff looks for a slam but Flair falls on top of him and referee David Crockett counts the 3! After the match The Russians attack both David Crockett and Ric Flair until Sam Houston and others try to make the save and fail.
Result: Ric Flair retains the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship by pinfall.
Review: This looked like a fun match between two talented wrestlers. Ric Flair won and I wasn’t a big fan of the finish. It was neither here or there. Neither men come out of the match looking particularly good. A win for Flair and a match I’d like to see again down the road.
Rating: N/A
Tully Blanchard (c) vs. Dusty Rhodes – Cage match for the Television Championship and Babydoll
Previous PPV matches: This is a first time major event match between these two men.
Match: We appear to start this match half way through. Dusty is on top momentarily but Tully lays in some right hands as Babydoll screams from the outside. Rhodes is bleeding from around his eye. Dusty fights back with bionic elbows and throwing Blanchard into the cage. Dusty hits a clothesline for a near fall and then locks on a figure four. Tully pulls over the referee and then reverses the figure four but Dusty breaks it. Blanchard looks to exit the cage but Dusty goes up the cage with him before hammering him back into the ring. Tully avoids a flying elbow drop but Dusty hits a piledriver for the win!
Result: Dusty Rhodes wins by pinfall.
Review: This looked like a great match, it’s a real shame I can’t review this properly. I look forward to see how it goes with Dusty Rhodes “owning” Babydoll for 30 days.
Rating: N/A
And that was The Great American Bash 1985. I couldn’t review this show because it was just a highlights show. It was essentially a show of two halves. In the first half we saw Ron Bass and Buddy Landell wrestle to a draw, Ole and Arn Anderson defeat Dick Slater and Buzz Sawyer. It’s a shame to see Dick Slater drop down the card, he was such a strong heel but he’s just not the same as a babyface. Manny Fernandez, Buzz Tyler and Sam Houston then beat The Barbarian, Billy Graham and Abdullah The Butcher and to be honest I think this was the wrong result. I’d have preferred to have seen the heel team win this one. And then Jimmy Valiant beat Paul Jones in a dog collar match.
In the second half of the show we saw The Russians retain the tag team championships against The Road Warriors. I’d have liked to see the Road Warriors win the titles tonight, they are so good. The Russians are good too though, especially Nikita Koloff. Magnum T.A. then beat Kamala by disqualification and I think this one was a case of having both men walk out of the match looking strong. This was probably the best way to do it. Ric Flair beat Nikita Koloff and I hope we see this match again down the line. Nikita would make a great world’s champion. In the final match of the evening Dusty Rhodes beat Tully Blanchard to win both the Television Championship and and the services of Babydoll.
Overall Rating: N/A
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