Retro 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

All of us have some wrestling shows that, over time, we have gone back and watched over and once again. For me, no show suits the bill greater than WCW Bash on the Beach 1996, arguably probably the most famous non-WWE PPV to happen. It isn’t the most effective PPV ever; though it’s an awesome show, it is also one with only three matches I might say are good or above (and certainly one of them featured, someway, Disco Inferno). It’s frankly not even the most effective WCW PPV of that point; the Great American Bash just three weeks before is a more complete show by way of each matches and angles. But everyone knows in the long run what separates Bash on the Beach 1996 from almost the whole lot else: that final half an hour where Team WCW battles the Outsiders, resulting in Hulk Hogan returning and dropping the leg on Randy Savage in what stays the best heel turn within the history of professional wrestling.

To me, it’s an event that also appears like yesterday. Nevertheless it wasn’t yesterday; because it seems, today is the thirtieth anniversary of this iconic show, its iconic show closing angle, and the whole lot else that went together with it. So it only feel right on this glorious day to have a look back on it, see what holds up and what doesn’t. And here’s the thing; quite a bit doesn’t! Like I said, there’s really only three matches on this show (the principal event, the aforementioned Disco match, and a match we’ll speak about soon enough) which might be really price watching. In actual fact, among the matches are downright bad. Nevertheless it really doesn’t matter given this show is all about THAT angle. Thirty years later, listed below are three things we hated and three things we loved about WCW Bash on the Beach 1996.

Chances are you’ll 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 cardboard. Naturally, WCW decided that individuals needed more of this and booked a rematch for this show. And not only any match; a Carson City Silver Dollar match, where Bubba or Tenta needed to climb up a really skinny poll, grab a sock stuffed with silver dollars, and whack the opposite with it to get the win. I’m still unsure what Carson City has to do with this or why WCW thought that Tenta or Bubba (each enormous men) climbing a poll was a great idea, but nevertheless they probably had other things on their mind. The purpose is, this was a terrible idea, and it was then made worse by WCW deciding to offer these guys nearly ten minutes!

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

Is that this the best opening match within the history of professional wrestling? You’ll be able to make the strong argument that it’s, or at the least is a Top 5 contender. It’s made much more impressive because this was the most important 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 opposite was in the course 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 each to deliver here, and so they not only delivered, that they had what would’ve been the highlight of the show nine out of ten times.

This match is all of the dives and crazy stuff you might consider from these two, at a time where they were athletically on one other level than anyone else and had perfected their chemistry from their matches in Mexico, Japan, and ECW. Mysterio is even kind enough to tug the “Avalanche Powerbomb right into a Top Rope Hurricanrana” finish out here, one he’d repeat within the equally famous (and great) Eddie Guerrero match at Halloween Havoc 1997 one 12 months later. By way of wrestling, that is the most effective thing on the show, and you might argue it could just be the flat out smartest thing in case you want. You would be incorrect in my eyes, but you might argue it.

Let me state first that the whole lot I’ve seen from Hacksaw Jim Duggan over the previous couple of a long time suggests that he’s a swell guy who earned his Hall of Fame status. Nevertheless, there have been times in WCW where it gave the impression of he could possibly be difficult, just like the time he wrestled Alex Wright (as Berlyn) a couple of years after this show and did as little as possible to place Wright over. That is one other one where it looks like Duggan is being unprofessional. The match between him and Diamond Dallas Page itself is just a regular short match (with a taped fist gimmick because that is what Duggan was doing on the time) that may look like a nonstory once DDP puts him down with a Diamond Cutter for the win.

The issue is that Duggan, immediately after this, pops right back up like nothing is incorrect, knocks out DDP with one punch, and gets all his heat back. Frankly, Duggan was higher off just doing the job as a substitute of laying down if he was just going to do this immediately after. It’s an enormous eyeroll, and appears even worse if you keep in mind that DDP is within the midst of getting the massive push that may make him a star over the following 12 months. Thank goodness this ultimately had no effect on his momentum.

The large thing on this show could be the principal 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 within the back, snooping around attempting to determine who Scott Hall and Kevin Nash’s partner is. The announcers, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes are continuously on high alert. The video packages have perhaps not aged the most effective technology sensible, however the one at the beginning of the show and right before the principal event do their job. And by blissful accident, Eric Bischoff being too busy to announce the show led to a storyline regarding his absence, one that may eventually repay with the reveal that Bischoff himself was defecting to the nWo during this time. As such, Bash on the Beach 1996 may not only feature the best angle of all time, it may additionally feature the best little bit of show-long storytelling ever put to screen.

Like Tenta vs. Bubba, this isn’t the worst match on the show. It’s, nonetheless, easily probably the most disappointing. For some this match may mean little or no, but for many who know of Konnan’s history as certainly one of Mexico’s biggest stars, this match was an enormous deal, supposedly pitching certainly one of Mexico’s top draws against certainly one of America’s top draws.

As a substitute, the match appears like just one other bout on the cardboard, and winds up being a little bit of a large number. Konnan himself would probably admit he wasn’t the best employee ever, but he was ok that you just’d expect he and Flair would have a great match. As a substitute, Flair appears to be in coast mode, and any wrestling these two do is overshadowed by the constant interference from Miss Elizabeth and Woman. It is so overwhelming that one wonders if this served as Gedo’s inspiration for the House of Torture. Throw within the undeniable fact that this goes quarter-hour (at the least five minutes longer than it should’ve) and this match is an unlucky waste of time.

Is there really much I would like to say here? In case you’re wondering whether this whole thing is nearly as good as you remember, guess what? It’s! The Outsiders walking out by themselves and saying they do not need the third man right away? Sensible stuff to maintain people guessing. The match is easy, but it surely’s also higher than you remember it being, with Hall and Nash performing some terrific heel work and the Luger injury adding much more intrigue.

After which there’s the massive 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, trying to find answers. And the cherry top is Hogan, in his finest hour, giving Okerlund and people fans the answers with an all-time great promo. There’s not much I can stomach in relation to Hogan today, but this angle is the exception. All the pieces about it’s great. It is very rare you see something come together perfectly in wrestling, but this storyline on tonight, and the nights leading as much as it, someway nails it every step of the way in which. I suppose that is why it stays the best heel turn ever; it’s as strong in 2026 because it was in 1996.