WCW Great American Bash 1996: Retro 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

When it comes to 1996 WCW PPVs, chances are the first one that will come to mind is Bash at the Beach 1996, where Hulk Hogan betrayed WCW and revealed himself as the nWo's third man. A much smaller circle may suggest WCW Fall Brawl, which featured a WCW vs. nWo WarGames match where fans were briefly fooled into thinking Sting had joined the nWo, leading to one of WCW's most successful angles ever (until it wasn't). But for the most hardcore of WCW supporters, the best PPV of that year was the one that helped set the table for both Bash at the Beach and Fall Brawl, the 1996 Great American Bash.

Taking place just three weeks before Hogan's famous Leg Drop, the '96 Great American Bash has often gone forgotten based on everything else that happened that year. But in terms of wrestling and storytelling, it is arguably the best front-to-back show WCW produced during this era, and a massive step up from the Hogan vs. Dungeon of Doom PPVs from 1995 and early 1996. How good is this show? This sentence right here will be the only mention of a Rey Mysterio vs. Dean Malenko match that was awesome, a Sting vs. Steven Regal match that was delightful, and a swell opening hoss battle between the Steiners and Fire and Ice (Ice Train and Scott Norton). That's how much this show has going for it — not to mention one of the most famous angles in WCW history that set up the Bash at the Beach main event perfectly. So let's not waste time; 30 years later, here are three things we hated and three things we loved from WCW Great American Bash 1996.

While Konnan was almost always a presence in WCW during his many years there, early 1996 seemed to be the time they were most behind him as a singles star, putting the US Championship on him and giving him an extended reign. This was one of Konnan's last defenses, and it's ... it's not great, Bob. 

For one thing, WCW decided to El Grande Americano it up by sticking Pat Tanaka, a solid midcarder who was definitely not a luchador, into a Tiger Mask style mask, presenting him as the luchador El Gato. It was weird then, and it remains weird now, especially since it added nothing to the match. Even if it did though, the chemistry between Konnan and Gato is just not there; you get a few cool moves and flashes here and there, but overall this feels like a parody of lucha, and not the "good" kind that WWE is apparently presenting now. Fortunately, it's not the true black eye on this show.

This is a weird one to love, because, for those who don't know, it features a man in Kevin Sullivan who was accused of domestic abuse against his ex-wife, Nancy, in his life, while his opponent is Chris Benoit, who murdered his wife, Nancy, his son, Daniel, and then killed himself. And oh yeah, that's not two different Nancys; it's the same one, as she left Sullivan for Benoit during this feud, yet another tragic element of this whole ordeal. You better believe all of this hangs over this match like a dark cloud.

But if you can somehow forget about all that for a moment, this is the best match on the show. It's a wild brawl complete with detour to the men's restroom, and features commentators Tony Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes arguably having more fun than they ever had in their careers. And its aftermath is even better, with Arn Anderson reaffirming Benoit's status in the Horseman with a post-match attack on Sullivan, and an incredible backstage promo that may be among Anderson's best work. It's terrific stuff, but it's hard to enjoy it entirely knowing how everything winds up in real life.

Even with WCW on the upswing, they couldn't help but still produce turds like this match. The backstory to this one is that John Tenta had been a member of the Dungeon of Doom known as The Shark; he eventually left the group and started going by his real name, leading to a feud with Big Bubba (aka Big Bossman), where Bubba shaved half of Tenta's hair off, forcing him to walk around with this look for weeks. They had several matches after this, including this one, and it's a testament to them that this is only the second worst of the bunch.

They do both try, and you can see some of what made Bubba a talent that many consider one of the more underrated big men in history. But boy does this match feel lifeless, and it's not helped that the crowd doesn't care either. Oh, and then when it's all over, Tenta gets his revenge by shaving some of Bubba's beard! You know, cause Bubba shaved some of his head? Easily the worst thing on this show and, spoiler alert, one of the worst things on Bash at the Beach as well.

Taking place right before WCW got a bit too happy using celebrities and/or athletes in their matches, this tag match remains arguably the gem of the bunch. It was certainly better than whatever Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman were trying to do two years later.

Ultimately, this match works for three reasons. First, Mongo and especially Kevin Greene, who is actually one of the better athletes-turned-wrestlers ever for those who remember his work, are game, and what they lack in polish they make up for in intensity and explosiveness (Greene, particularly, looks like a mack truck in this). Second, Flair and Anderson are on the other side, and they're the exact pros you'd expect, leading Mongo and Greene all the way through. And finally, the finish to this match is great, with Mongo betraying Greene and joining the Four Horseman. And this isn't one of those swerves where Mongo was against the Horsemen all match, only to inexplicably turn at the end. No, this makes sense, as the Horsemen (via Woman and Miss Elizabeth) bribe Mongo's wife, Debra, to their side, and then use more money to bribe Mongo to betray Greene and join the Horsemen. Absolutely fantastic stuff. It's not the best match on the show, or maybe even the second or third best, but the angle combined with the match makes it my second favorite thing about it.

Note that this isn't a criticism of Giant vs. Luger; rewatching this match, I actually find it to be pretty good, in large part because they waste no time (the match only lasts nine minutes). The problem is that WCW shouldn't have put this match in the main event. There's a big happening before this match that not only overshadows the match, but positively kills the crowd for several minutes; only towards the end of the match, when Luger attempts (and fails) to get Giant in the Torture Rack, does the crowd come alive again.

If WCW had made this the semi-main to the Horseman tag, or even to the big angle that preceded it, I think this match comes off a lot better than it appears. It's still solid, but putting it here after the thing everyone came to see proved to be a bit of a booking mistake.

There's a few seminal moments during the beginning stages of the nWo storyline that really turned this whole deal into the monster it became. First is Scott Hall's debut on "Nitro." Third (or fourth, if you count the angle where Hall and Nash invade with baseball bats and are fended off by security) is the Hogan reveal. And smack dab in the middle of them is this one, where Hall and Nash find out from Eric Bischoff that their challenge has been accepted by WCW, only Bischoff can't tell Hall and Nash the three WCW stars they'll face. It's that mistake by Bischoff that leads to Hall punching Bischoff in the gut, followed by Nash powerbombing him off the stage and through a few tables, somehow not killing Bischoff in the process.

These days, that spot is nothing. Back then? It was massive, and it was sold as massive by both Bischoff and the announcers, with Schiavone and a shockingly rattled Dusty Rhodes properly conveying the insanity of it all. To borrow a phrase from the Brits, it's an absolute cracker of an angle. And it's all a prelude for what may be the biggest angle in wrestling history just three weeks later.