WCW Bash At The Beach 1996: Retro 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

We all have some wrestling shows that, over the years, we've gone back and watched over and over again. For me, no show fits the bill more than WCW Bash at the Beach 1996, arguably the most famous non-WWE PPV to take place. It is not the best PPV ever; though it's a great show, it's also one with only three matches I would say are good or above (and one of them featured, somehow, Disco Inferno). It's frankly not even the best WCW PPV of that time; the Great American Bash just three weeks before is a more complete show in terms of both matches and angles. But we all know in the end what separates Bash at the Beach 1996 from almost everything else: that final half an hour where Team WCW battles the Outsiders, leading to Hulk Hogan returning and dropping the leg on Randy Savage in what remains the greatest heel turn in the history of pro wrestling.

To me, it's an event that still feels like yesterday. But it wasn't yesterday; as it turns out, today is the 30th anniversary of this iconic show, its iconic show closing angle, and everything else that went along with it. So it only feel right on this glorious day to take a look back on it, see what holds up and what doesn't. And here's the thing; a lot doesn't! Like I said, there's really only three matches on this show (the main event, the aforementioned Disco match, and a match we'll talk about soon enough) that are really worth watching. In fact, some of the matches are downright bad. But it really doesn't matter given this show is all about THAT angle. Thirty years later, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about WCW Bash at the Beach 1996.

You may recall that the Great American Bash featured a match between Big Bubba and John Tenta, a match that was, to be blunt, the worst match on the card. Naturally, WCW decided that people needed more of this and booked a rematch for this show. And not just any match; a Carson City Silver Dollar match, where Bubba or Tenta had to climb up a very skinny poll, grab a sock full of silver dollars, and whack the other with it to get the win. I'm still not sure what Carson City has to do with this or why WCW thought that Tenta or Bubba (both enormous men) climbing a poll was a good idea, but then again they probably had other things on their mind. The point is, this was a terrible idea, and it was then made worse by WCW deciding to give these guys nearly ten minutes!

The result is a lot of really, REALLY poor wrestling, Jimmy Hart climbing up the pole to get the silver dollars (at least WCW was smart enough to have him do it instead of one of the others), and then dropping them right to Tenta by accident so he could brain Bubba and get the win. Quite frankly, this may not have been the worst match on the show as Steve McMichael vs. Joe Gomez has a strong argument. But given this is a rematch of an already bad match, I have to say this one leaves me a tad more offended.

Is this the greatest opening match in the history of pro wrestling? You can make the strong argument that it is, or at least is a Top 5 contender. It's made even more impressive because this was the biggest spot either man had been in since joining WCW. Sure, Mysterio had had two high profile matches with Dean Malenko already, but one was on TV and the other was in the middle of a loaded Great American Bash card. Meanwhile, Psicosis had only made one prior WCW appearance to this one, which occurred several months ago when he fought Konnan at a Clash of the Champions special. So there was some big pressure for both to deliver here, and they not only delivered, they had what would've been the highlight of the show nine out of ten times.

This match is all the dives and crazy stuff you could think of from these two, at a time where they were athletically on another level than anyone else and had perfected their chemistry from their matches in Mexico, Japan, and ECW. Mysterio is even kind enough to pull the "Avalanche Powerbomb into a Top Rope Hurricanrana" finish out here, one he'd repeat in the equally famous (and great) Eddie Guerrero match at Halloween Havoc 1997 one year later. In terms of wrestling, this is the best thing on the show, and you could argue it may just be the flat out best thing if you want. You'd be wrong in my eyes, but you could argue it.

Let me state first that everything I've seen from Hacksaw Jim Duggan over the last few decades suggests that he's a swell guy who earned his Hall of Fame reputation. However, there were times in WCW where it seemed like he could be difficult, like the time he wrestled Alex Wright (as Berlyn) a few years after this show and did as little as possible to put Wright over. This is another one where it seems like Duggan is being unprofessional. The match between him and Diamond Dallas Page itself is just a standard short match (with a taped fist gimmick because that's what Duggan was doing at the time) that would seem like a nonstory once DDP puts him down with a Diamond Cutter for the win.

The problem is that Duggan, immediately after this, pops right back up like nothing is wrong, knocks out DDP with one punch, and gets all his heat back. Frankly, Duggan was better off just doing the job instead of laying down if he was just going to do that immediately after. It's a massive eyeroll, and looks even worse when you remember that DDP is in the midst of getting the big push that would make him a star over the next year. Thank goodness this ultimately had no effect on his momentum.

The big thing on this show may be the main event, but what's often forgotten is just how good a job WCW did milking every last drop of speculation on who the third man was all throughout the show.

Several times throughout the show, "Mean" Gene Okerlund is in the back, snooping around trying to figure out who Scott Hall and Kevin Nash's partner is. The announcers, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes are constantly on high alert. The video packages have perhaps not aged the best technology wise, but the one at the start of the show and right before the main event do their job. And by happy accident, Eric Bischoff being too busy to announce the show led to a storyline regarding his absence, one that would eventually pay off with the reveal that Bischoff himself was defecting to the nWo during this time. As such, Bash at the Beach 1996 may not just feature the greatest angle of all time, it may also feature the greatest bit of show-long storytelling ever put to screen.

Like Tenta vs. Bubba, this is not the worst match on the show. It is, however, easily the most disappointing. For some this match may mean very little, but for those who know of Konnan's history as one of Mexico's biggest stars, this match was a huge deal, supposedly pitching one of Mexico's top draws against one of America's top draws.

Instead, the match feels like just another bout on the card, and winds up being a bit of a mess. Konnan himself would probably admit he wasn't the greatest worker ever, but he was good enough that you'd expect he and Flair would have a good match. Instead, Flair seems to be in coast mode, and any wrestling these two do is overshadowed by the constant interference from Miss Elizabeth and Woman. It's so overwhelming that one wonders if this served as Gedo's inspiration for the House of Torture. Throw in the fact that this goes 15 minutes (at least five minutes longer than it should've) and this match is an unfortunate waste of time.

Is there really much I need to say here? If you're wondering whether this whole thing is as good as you remember, guess what? It is! The Outsiders walking out by themselves and saying they don't need the third man right now? Brilliant stuff to keep people guessing. The match is simple, but it's also better than you remember it being, with Hall and Nash doing some terrific heel work and the Luger injury adding even more intrigue.

And then there's the big stuff. Heenan screaming "WHO'S SIDE IS HE ON?!" as Hogan walks down. Hogan dropping the leg on Savage. The trash being thrown into the ring. Schiavone's commentary. Okerlund, looking like a broken-hearted lover, searching for answers. And the cherry top is Hogan, in his finest hour, giving Okerlund and those fans the answers with an all-time great promo. There's not much I can stomach when it comes to Hogan these days, but this angle is the exception. Everything about it is great. It's very rare you see something come together perfectly in wrestling, but this storyline on this night, and the nights leading up to it, somehow nails it every step of the way. I guess that's why it remains the greatest heel turn ever; it's as strong in 2026 as it was in 1996.