{"id":353171,"date":"2026-06-19T09:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T03:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=353171"},"modified":"2026-06-19T09:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T03:52:14","slug":"retro-3-things-we-hated-and-three-things-we-loved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/19\/retro-3-things-we-hated-and-three-things-we-loved\/","title":{"rendered":"Retro 3 Things We Hated And three Things We Loved"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n<\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n WWE<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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Relating to 1996 WCW PPVs, chances are high the primary one that may come to mind is Bash on the Beach 1996, where Hulk Hogan betrayed WCW and revealed himself because 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 pondering Sting had joined the nWo, resulting in considered one of WCW’s most successful angles ever (until it wasn’t). But for probably the most hardcore of WCW supporters, the very best PPV of that 12 months was the one which helped set the table for each Bash on the Beach and Fall Brawl, the 1996 Great American Bash.<\/p>\n

Going down just three weeks before Hogan’s famous Leg Drop, the ’96 Great American Bash has often gone forgotten based on the whole lot else that happened that 12 months. But when it comes to wrestling and storytelling, it’s arguably the very best front-to-back show WCW produced during this era, and an enormous step up from the Hogan vs. Dungeon of Doom PPVs from 1995 and early 1996. How good is that this show? This sentence right here will probably be the one 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 is how much this show has going for it \u2014 not to say one of the famous angles in WCW history that arrange the Bash on the Beach foremost event perfectly. So let’s not waste time; 30 years later, listed below are three things we hated and three things we loved from WCW Great American Bash 1996.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Hated: Konnan vs. El Gato<\/h2>\n
\n\"Konnan
\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n WCW<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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While Konnan was almost at all times a presence in WCW during his a few years there, early 1996 appeared to be the time they were most behind him as a singles star, putting the US Championship on him and giving him an prolonged reign. This was considered one of Konnan’s last defenses, and it’s … it is not great, Bob.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For one thing, WCW decided to El Grande Americano it up by sticking Pat Tanaka, a solid midcarder who was definitely not a luchador, right into a Tiger Mask style mask, presenting him because the luchador El Gato. It was weird then, and it stays weird now, especially because it added nothing to the match. Even when it did though, the chemistry between Konnan and Gato is just not there; you get a couple of cool moves and flashes here and there, but overall this seems like a parody of lucha, and never the “good” kind that WWE is seemingly presenting now. Fortunately, it is not the true black eye on this show.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Loved: Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan<\/h2>\n
\n\"Kevin
\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n WWE<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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It is a weird one to like, because, for individuals who do not know, it encompasses 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, after which killed himself. And oh yeah, that is not two different Nancys; it’s the identical one, as she left Sullivan for Benoit during this feud, yet one more tragic element of this whole ordeal. You higher imagine all of this hangs over this match like a dark cloud.<\/p>\n

But in case you can one way or the other ignore all that for a moment, that is the very best match on the show. It is a wild brawl complete with detour to the boys’s restroom, and features commentators Tony Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes arguably having more fun than they ever had of their careers. And its aftermath is even higher, with Arn Anderson reaffirming Benoit’s status within the Horseman with a post-match attack on Sullivan, and an incredible backstage promo that could be amongst Anderson’s best work. It’s terrific stuff, but it surely’s hard to enjoy it entirely knowing how the whole lot winds up in real life.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Hated: John Tenta vs. Big Bubba<\/h2>\n
\n\"John
\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n WCW<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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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 often called The Shark; he eventually left the group and began going by his real name, resulting in a feud with Big Bubba (aka Big Bossman), where Bubba shaved half of Tenta’s hair off, forcing him to walk around with this search for weeks. That they had several matches after this, including this one, and it is a testament to them that this is simply the second worst of the bunch.<\/p>\n

They do each try, and you may see a few of what made Bubba a talent that many consider considered one of the more underrated big men in history. But boy does this match feel lifeless, and it is not helped that the gang doesn’t care either. Oh, after which when it’s throughout, Tenta gets his revenge by shaving a few of Bubba’s beard! , cause Bubba shaved a few of his head? Easily the worst thing on this show and, spoiler alert, considered one of the worst things on Bash on the Beach as well.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Loved: Ric Flair and Arn Anderson vs. Kevin Greene and Steve McMichael<\/h2>\n
\n\"Steve
\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n WCW<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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Going down right before WCW got a bit too comfortable using celebrities and\/or athletes of their matches, this tag match stays arguably the gem of the bunch. It was definitely higher than whatever Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman were attempting to do two years later.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, this match works for 3 reasons. First, Mongo and particularly Kevin Greene, who is definitely considered one of the higher athletes-turned-wrestlers ever for individuals 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 on this). Second, Flair and Anderson are on the opposite side, and so they’re the precise pros you’d expect, leading Mongo and Greene throughout. And eventually, the finish to this match is great, with Mongo betraying Greene and joining the 4 Horseman. And this is not considered one of those swerves where Mongo was against the Horsemen all match, only to inexplicably turn at the tip. No, this is smart, because the Horsemen (via Woman and Miss Elizabeth) bribe Mongo’s wife, Debra, to their side, after which use extra money to bribe Mongo to betray Greene and join the Horsemen. Absolutely improbable stuff. It is not the very best match on the show, or possibly even the second or third best, however the angle combined with the match makes it my second favorite thing about it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Hated: Putting Lex Luger vs. The Giant within the foremost event<\/h2>\n
\n\"Lex
\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n WWE<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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Note that this is not a criticism of Giant vs. Luger; rewatching this match, I actually find it to be pretty good, largely because they waste no time (the match only lasts nine minutes). The issue is that WCW shouldn’t have put this match within the foremost event. There’s an enormous happening before this match that not only overshadows the match, but positively kills the gang for several minutes; only towards the tip of the match, when Luger attempts (and fails) to get Giant within the Torture Rack, does the gang come alive again.<\/p>\n

If WCW had made this the semi-main to the Horseman tag, and even to the massive angle that preceded it, I feel this match comes off so much higher than it appears. It’s still solid, but putting it here after the thing everyone got here to see proved to be a little bit of a booking mistake.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Loved: The nWo powerbombing Eric Bischoff off the stage<\/h2>\n
\n\"Scott
\n <\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n WWE\/YouTube<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
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There’s a couple of seminal moments throughout the starting stages of the nWo storyline that basically turned this whole deal into the monster it became. First is Scott Hall’s debut on “Nitro.” Third (or fourth, in case 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 midst of them is that this one, where Hall and Nash discover from Eric Bischoff that their challenge has been accepted by WCW, only Bischoff cannot tell Hall and Nash the three WCW stars they’ll face. It’s that mistake by Bischoff that results in Hall punching Bischoff within the gut, followed by Nash powerbombing him off the stage and thru a couple of tables, one way or the other not killing Bischoff in the method.<\/p>\n

As of late, that spot is nothing. Back then? It was massive, and it was sold as massive by each Bischoff and the announcers, with Schiavone and a surprisingly rattled Dusty Rhodes properly conveying the insanity of all of it. To borrow a phrase from the Brits, it’s an absolute cracker of an angle. And it’s all a prelude for what often is the biggest angle in wrestling history just three weeks later.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/article><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WWE Relating to 1996 WCW PPVs, chances are high the primary one that may come to mind is Bash on the Beach 1996, where Hulk Hogan betrayed WCW and revealed himself because the nWo’s third man. A much smaller circle may suggest WCW Fall Brawl, which featured a WCW vs. nWo WarGames match where fans […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":353172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21056],"tags":[12513,8818,6263],"class_list":["post-353171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe-and-more","tag-hated","tag-loved","tag-retro"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353171"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":353174,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353171\/revisions\/353174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}