|Date: July 23, 1989
|Venue: Baltimore Arena |City: Baltimore, Maryland
|Attendance: 14,500

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

The show opens with a cheesy 80’s video package before Jim Ross and Bob Caudle welcome us to the show.

Kevin Sullivan vs. Mike Rotunda vs. Bill Irwin vs. Ron Simmons vs. Brian Pillman vs. Scott Hall vs. Ranger Ross vs. Sid Vicious vs. Rick Steiner vs. Dr Death Steve Williams vs. Dan Spivey vs. Terry Gordy vs. Scott Steiner vs. Eddie Gilbert – Triple Crown King Of The Hill Battle Royal Final

Background: On June 14 edition of Clash of the Champions VI, it was announced that a Two-Ring King of the Hill Battle Royal would take place at The Great American Bash. Qualifying battle royals were held throughout the next one month to determine the participants of the final at the event.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Kevin Sullivan is 1-1, Mike Rotunda is 1-1, Rick Steiner is 0-1, Dr Death is 3-0, Terry Gordy is 2-0, Eddie Gilbert is 0-1 and everybody else wrestles at The Great American Bash for the first time tonight.

Match: All fourteen men start in one battle royal and when somebody is eliminated they go into the second ring where a second battle royal begins. The winner of the two battle royals then face off. All fourteen men go at it before the bell even rings. Ranger Ross is the first man eliminated so he goes into the second ring. Ron Simmons soon follows. Ron Simmons is the first man eliminated from the second ring. The second ring soon fills up as a lof of the field get eliminated from the first ring. Only two men remain in the original ring, Sid Vicious and Brian Pillman. The Steiner Brothers, Eddie Gilbert, Bill Irwin, Ranger Ross and Terry Gordy are all eliminated. Sid Vicious eliminates Brian Pillman to win the first ring battle royal. The second ring is down to Dr Death, Mike Rotunda and Dan Spivey. All three are former members of the Varsity Club. Williams eliminates Rotunda. Terry Gordy is still at ringside. Rotunda trips Dr Death from the outside and Dan Spivey then eliminates Williams to win the second ring battle royal.

Teddy Long, the manager of Sid and Spivey gets on the mic and says that he isn’t going to let his two clients go at it. Instead they will split the money between them.

Result: Sid Vicious and Dan Spivey win the match.

Review: I enjoyed this match. I really like the concept of a second chance battle royal. The match between the two winners would have made more sense but I guess this gets them out of a hole. It was hard to keep up with at times and you couldn’t really hear the announcer who called the eliminations but still a good match.

Rating: 6/10

Gordon Solie interviews Theodore Long backstage and Teddy says that his team will take on anyone.

Flyin’ Brian Pillman vs. Wild Bill Irwin

Background: There was no real background between these two men going into this match.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Both men are 0-1 following the previous match.

Match: Bill Irwin starts the match with a cheap shot but Flyin’ Brian picks up the pace and hits a couple of headlock takedowns. Both men pulling double duty tonight. Pillman dominates the opening stages of the match, using his speed to takedown Irwin. Wild Bill makes a comeback using his strength and he screams at Pillman as he throws him out of the ring. Bill Irwin dominates for a while with power strikes and holds. Irwin misses with a guillotine and Pillman picks up the pace again. Flyin’ Brian goes to the top but misses with a dropkick. Irwin throws Pillman into the other ring and the referee stops Bill from following. Pillman then comes off the top from the second ring and hits a big cross body for the three!

Result: Brian Pillman wins by pinfall.

Review: This was an ok match. It felt like a showcase for Brian Pillman who seems to be the flavour of the week. He was impressive though and Bill Irwin was a good opponent for him. With little background I’m not sure it was necessary to have the match on the card but really it was a showcase for Pillman.

Rating: 5.5/10

Gordon Solie is backstage with Paul E. Dangerously who says he isn’t out to win tonight, he’s out to hurn Jim Cornette.

The Dynamic Dudes (Johnny Ace & Shane Douglas) vs. The Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious & Dan Spivey)

Background: On April 2 Clash of the Champions VI, NWA referee Teddy Long favored Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) during their NWA World Tag Team Championship opportunity against Road Warriors and gave a fast count pinfall to Varsity Club. As a result, Long was fired of his referee duties. He became a manager and the newcomer Norman the Lunatic was his first client. Long continued to expand his roster by putting former Varsity Club member Dan Spivey with newcomer Sid Vicious in a tag team called The Skyscrapers. On July 1 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Skyscrapers made its debut by defeating two local competitors. On July 15 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Dynamic Dudes would wrestle Skyscrapers in a tag team match at The Great American Bash.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two teams.

Great American Bash PPV Record: The Skyscrapers are now 1-0 at this event following their win earlier. The Dynamic Dudes wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Johnny and Spivey kick off the match. Johnny Ace tries to dictate a quick pace for Dangerous Dan overpowers him. The Dynamic Dudes instead cheat and double team Spivey but the Skyscraper fights them off. Sid Vicious tags in to a huge pop. The Skyscrapers dominate for a while, making quick tags against Johnny Ace. Shane Douglas tags in but meets the same fate. A “we want Sid” chant breaks out. Teddy Long takes a few cheap shots on the outside to Douglas. Johnny makes a hot tag and takes control against Spivey. All four men go at it until Sid disposes of Douglas. Sid and Spivey then accidentally clothesline one another. The Skyscrapers double team Johnny behind the referees back and Spivey hits a powerbomb for the three. A big pop for the heel team.

Result: The Skyscrapers win by pinfall.

Review: This was. asolid tag team match. The crowd were really into Sid which brought an extra energy to the match. The Skyscrapers clotheslining each other was an interesting touch, could their relationship be on the rocks already? They’re getting a good push at the moment and if they’re not forced into a babyface turn then I’d love to see them against the Road Warriors.

Rating: 6.5/10

Gordon Solie is with Jim Cornette who says that Paul E has tried to take his place but he won’t be doing that until he’s six feet under.

Jim Cornette vs. Paul E. Dangerously – Tuxedo Match

Background: This rivalry dates back to Paul E. Dangerously attacking Jim Cornette on his debut in the NWA. Since then the two men have pitted tag teams against each other and have even been involved in six men matches but tonight they go one on one for the first time.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time singles match on PPV between these two men.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Jim Cornette is 0-2, Dangerously wrestles on this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Jim Cornette starts the match well, stripping Dangerously of his jacket. Dangerously then throws powder in the face of Cornette and attacks him with his phone before stripping Cornette of his jacket. The two men choke one another with cumberbands before taking the fight to the outside. Cornette avoids an elbow drop and then fires up with right hands. Dangerously’s shirt comes off next but the “psycho yuppy” pulls out some more powder only for Cornette to kick it into his face. Cornette then pulls off Paul’s trousers to win the match!

Result: Jim Cornette wins.

Review: This could have been a lot worse. It was pretty entertaining really and both managers had a good outing. Cornette is a great bumper and seller whilst Dangerously is more of a showman. Cornette wins this one tonight.

Rating: 3.5/10

Gordon Solie is backstage with Gary Hart who says that The Great Muta is undefeated and is currently meditating.

The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) vs. Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotunda – Texas Tornado match

Background: At WrestleWar, Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner defeated Sullivan and Dan Spivey to retain the NWA United States Tag Team Championship. Following the event, Steve Williams and Dan Spivey left the group and it was reduced to Sullivan and Rotunda. Rick suffered a shoulder injury and his brother Scott was placed in a rivalry with Sullivan. A female fan of Rick was shown in the crowd during Scott’s matches, resulting in Sullivan confronting her on June 3 edition of World Championship Wrestling. On June 14 edition of Clash of the Champions, Varsity Club defeated Steiner Brothers. Rick’s fan Robin Green’s flowers were torn up by Varsity Club during Steiner Brothers’ match on June 24 edition of World Championship Wrestling. On July 22 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Steiner Brothers would compete against Varsity Club in a Texas Tornado match at The Great American Bash.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time tag team match between these two teams on PPV.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Rick Steiner is 0-2, Scott Steiner is 0-1, Kevin Sullivan is 1-2, Mike Rotunda is 1-2.

Match: The Steiners go right to work against Sullivan and Rotunda before the bell even rings. Rick and Sullivan spill to the outside where Sullivan attempts to uses a chair but Rick no-sells. Inside the ring Mike Rotunda and Scott Steiner go at it. All four men go at. itin the ring where both Steiners get near falls. It’s a back and forth match this one with neither team keeping the advantage for too long. Sullivan disposes of Rick Steiner and then he and Rotunda double team Scott. Sullivan looks to slam Rick Steiner but Scott comes off the top with a cross body and both Steiners pin Sullivan for the three!

Result: The Steiner Brothers win by pinfall.

Review: This was a fun match but should have been longer. There were some good spots in what was a chaotic match. A big win for Rick and Scott who may be involved in the title picture sooner rather than later.

Rating: 5.5/10

Gordon Solie is backstage with Sting and Eddie Gilbert who give a low-enery interview. Sting is in the zone but seems worried.

Sting (c) vs. The Great Muta – World Television Championship match

Background: At WrestleWar, Sting retained the Television Championship against The Iron Sheik and Muta defeated Doug Gilbert. On May 13 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Muta and his manager Gary Hart challenged Sting to a Dragon Shi match. On May 20 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Sting challenged Muta to an immediate match but Hart claimed that he and Muta were not ready. On May 27 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Eddie Gilbert had accepted Muta’s open challenge for a Dragon Shi match. On June 14 edition of Clash of the Champions VII, an in-ring presentation of Dragon Shi was held, during which Gilbert accidentally struck a fireball into Trent Knight’s face. On July 1 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Sting would defend the World Television Championship against Muta at The Great American Bash.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Sting has won one and drawn one, Muta wrestles at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: As the bell rings both men are stood in different rings but Sting flies over into the second ring and hits Muta with a cross body. Sting chases off Gary Hart which allows The Great Muta to take control. Sting avoids a moonsault but Muta lands on his feet. Muta kicks Sting out of the ring and then dives out at him. It’s back and forth from here as the two men put on an impressive display. Both men are so athletic and agile, they have a lot of chemistry. Muta looks to spray red mist but Sting ducks and Muta sprays the referee! The Great Muta hits a moonsault but the referee is down. Another referee slides in but Sting kicks out at 2. Sting hits a side suplex and gets the three! There’s some controversy though as both mens shoulders appeared to be down. Gary Hart and The Great Muta take off with the title. The replay shows that Muta did get his shoulder up.

Result: Sting retains the TV Championship by pinfall.

Review: This was a fantastic match with a shady finish. It looked like neither mens shoulders were down at the end. Sting is announced as the winner though and I hope we get a rematch.

Rating: 8/10

Gordon Solie is backstage with Lex Luger who says that his upcoming match will be a straight up wrestling match.

Lex Luger (c) vs. Ricky Steamboat – United States Championship match

Background: At WrestleWar, Steamboat lost the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to Ric Flair and Luger lost the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship to Michael Hayes. On May 22, Luger regained the title by defeating Hayes at a live event. On June 10 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Luger gave negative remarks on being held back and claimed to be worthy of getting a title shot for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship instead of Ricky Steamboat or Terry Funk. On June 14 Clash of the Champions VII, Funk got disqualified during his match against Steamboat by hitting him with a microphone. Luger made the save and ran off Funk but then attacked Steamboat himself, becoming a villain. On June 24 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Luger announced in an interview that he attacked Steamboat because he was tired of making fans happy and wanted to prove himself better than Steamboat. On July 1 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Luger would defend the United States Heavyweight Championship against Steamboat at The Great American Bash.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Lex Luger is 1-3 at this event, Ricky Steamboat wrestles at the bash for the first time tonight.

Match: Lex Luger gets on the mic before the match and tells Steamboat to wave the no disqualification stipulation or there will be no match tonight. Steamboat agrees to drop the stipulation. The match starts with a quick pace. It’s all Steamboat early on as they battle in and around the ring. Lex Luger takes control and hits power moves on his challenger. Steamboat fires back with strikes and then heads to the top and hits a big chop for a two count. Lex grabs a chair but Ricky slingshots him into the corner and Lex goes head first into the chair. Steamboat then lays into Luger with the chair! This one is a disqualification!

Result: Lex Luger wins by disqualification.

Review: This was a good match verging on a great one. The psychology was spot on. Ricky Steamboat is so good, he brings the best out of Luger. I like Lex as a heel, it was the freshening up he needed. I can’t see this rivalry being over yet, it could run all the way to Starrcade.

Rating: 7.5/10

Backstage to The Fabulous Freebirds and The Samoan Swat Team. Jimmy Garvin isn’t worried about War Games tonight. Michael Hayes reminds us that they are the champions and they have the Samoans with them. Terry Gordy says that they will stop the war when they drop the bomb tonight.

The Midnight Express, Dr Death and The Road Warriors give a backstage promo. Dr Death says that he has the back of the Road Warriors. Animal and Hawk give an intense promo.

The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk), The Midnight Express (Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton) & Dr Death Steve Williams vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Jimmy Garvin & Terry Gordy) & The Samoan Swat Team (Samu & Fatu) – War Games

Background: At WrestleWar, The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams) retained the NWA World Tag Team Championship against The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) by disqualification when Kevin Sullivan and Dan Spivey attacked the referee Nikita Koloff. This caused the titles to be vacated by the WCW Executive Vice President Jim Herd. A tournament occurred to determine the new champions. In the final round, Fabulous Freebirds defeated Midnight Express to win the vacant titles. The interferences of Road Warriors and Samoan Swat Team in each other’s matches throughout the tournament began a rivalry between the two teams as well as beginning a new rivalry between Fabulous Freebirds and Midnight Express. On June 17 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Williams became a fan favorite when Jim Cornette made him, the newest ally of Midnight Express against Fabulous Freebirds. Later that night, Terry Gordy defeated Williams, with the help of Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin, which resulted in a brawl between several teams. On July 1 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that a WarGames match would take place at The Great American Bash pitting Road Warriors, Midnight Express and Steve Williams against Fabulous Freebirds and Samoan Swat Team.

Previous PPV matches: This ia a first War Games match between these ten men.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Animal has won 6 and drawn 1, Hawk has won 5, drawn 1 and lost 1, Dr Death is 3-1, Bobby Eaton is 1-5, Stan Lane is 1-3, Michael Hayes is 2-0, Jimmy Garvin has won 2, lost 2 and drawn. 1, Terry Gordy is 2-0 and the Samoans wrestle at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: Bobby Eaton and Jimmy Garvin kick off the match. It’s back and forth between the two men in the early going. Bobby Eaton applies a Boston crab as the timer runs down and Terry Gordy enters the match. There’s a miscommunication between Gordy and Garvin just before Dr Death enters the match to even the odds. Williams and Gordy go at it as the rivalry between the two big men continues. Samu enters the match next and takes Dr Death down with a nice karate kick. Williams is pulling double duty tonight, he was in the battle royal earlier. Animal is next in to a huge pop and goes right for Samu. In comes Fatu who helps Samu out, double-teaming Animal. Stan Lane is the 4th man to enter for his team. Michael Hayes joins the fray and hits DDT’s to anybody standing.

Hawk finally enters the match and now we can decide a winner. All ten men go at it with Hawk the freshest man in there. Hawk hits Jimmy Garvin with a big clothesline and then a neckbreaker. Hawk applies a hangman neckbreaker and Jimmy Garvin gives up!

Result: The Road Warriors, Midnight Express and Dr Death Steve Williams win by submission.

Review: This was a fun match but not one of my favourite War Games matches. It was a fairly straight forward and expected victory for the babyface team. It followed the same formula a lot of these matches have had in the past but without the star power. The Road Warriors were over as hell obviously and picked up the win for their team.

Rating: 7/10

After the match the winner leaves except for Animal who the losing team beat down. Jimmy Garvin and Samu hold the door shut until eventually Hawk gets in to make the save.

Gordon Solie is backstage with Ric Flair and says that Terry Funk will have the fight of his wrestling career tonight.

Ric Flair (c) vs. Terry Funk – World Heavyweight Championship match

Background: At WrestleWar, Flair defeated Ricky Steamboat to win the title. After the match, Funk challenged Flair for the title but Flair refused to defend it because Funk was not ranked in the Top 10 contender’s list for the title. Funk proceeded to attack Flair and perform a Piledriver on him through the table, thus making Flair a fan favorite. This resulted in Funk winning matches usually against local competitors and improving himself to be ranked in the Top 10. He would make mentions of injuring Flair. On July 1 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Flair requested the WCW Executive Vice President Jim Herd to allow him to defend the title against Funk at The Great American Bash, which Herd accepted.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first PPV match between these two men.

Great American Bash PPV Record: Ric Flair is 4-3, Terry Funk wrestles at this event for the first time tonight.

Match: The match starts outside the ring where the two men go at it in the entrance ramp. There’s a high intensity as they go at inside the ring. There’s a clumsy spot as Flair attempts a suplex from the apron down to the floor and both men land awkwardly. Back in the ring and Flair hits two piledrivers. Funk crawls up the entrance ramp but Flair goes after him and tosses him back into the ring. The world heavyweight champion then applies the figure four but as Gary Hart distracts the referee, Terry hits Ric in the face with a branding iron, busting him wide open. Terry Funk hits a piledriver in the ring and then looks for another on the concrete floor but Flair counters with a backdrop. Gary Hart gets up on the apron again and this time Flair nails Funk with the branding iron.

Flair misses with a running knee in the corner so Terry looks for a spinning toe hold but Flair counters. Funk then rolls Flair up in a small package but Flair counters. androlls Funk up for the three! After the match The Great Muta comes out and sprays green mist in Flair’s eyes. Muta and Funk then double team Flair, beating him down. A “we want Sting” chant breaks out and out he comes to make the save.

Result: Ric Flair wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a really solid main event. Flair and Terry have a lot of chemistry and Flair just continues to have awesome matches in 1989. This was very different to Flair’s matches with Steamboat but still a lot of fun. Terry Funk is a great heel to oppose Flair but I do wonder whether Flair and Sting will swap opponents come Starrcade and we’ll see Ric and Muta, and Sting and Funk.

Rating: 7.5/10

Ric Flair cuts a promo after the bell thanks Sting and then telling Terry Funk that they are just getting started.

And that was The Great American Bash 1989. It was a really fun show from top to bottom. All of the big matches delivered with the final four matches probably the best run of four matches on any WCW/NWA PPV. War Games was good (but not the best War Games match), Luger and Steamboat was really good, as was Ric Flair and Terry Funk but for me the best match of the night was between Sting and The Great Muta. It had an excellent pace to it and in a lot of ways is the future of the industry. Everything else was fairly average, the Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman match wasn’t great but wasn’t expected to be. The Battle Royal was decent but the other match that stood out to me was The Skyscrapers against The Dynamic Dudes. Sid Vicious was so over, the crowd were begging for him to be involved.

Overall Rating: 63.3/100

Overall Ranking: 4th out of 14 WCW PPV’s reviewed so far
Great American Bash Ranking: 2nd out of 5 Great American Bash reviewed so far

Match Of The Night: Sting vs. The Great Muta
Worst Match Of The Night: Jim Cornette vs. Paul Heyman
Surprise Of The Night: The Skyscrapers both win the battle royal
Worst Booking Of The Night: The Sting/Muta controversial finish
Superstar Of The Night: Ric Flair
The Great American Bash 1989 Will Be Remembered For: Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk, and Sting vs. The Great Muta