The Great American Bash

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The Great American Bash was an annual summer professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions and then by World Championship Wrestling. It is now produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. According to Ric Flair in his autobiography, To Be the Man, Dusty Rhodes invented the concept of The Great American Bash.

After the final Great American Bash was held by World Championship Wrestling on June 11, 2000, the event would not be held again due to the acquisition of the WCW by World Wrestling Entertainment. However, after a four year hiatus, the event was revived by WWE in June 2004. The Great American Bash is the only former WCW pay-per-view event now held by WWE.

[edit] The Great American Bash dates and venues

Event Date City Venue
National Wrestling Alliance
The Great American Bash (1985) July 6, 1985 Charlotte, North Carolina American Legion Memorial Stadium
The Great American Bash (1986) 1986 A tour of several shows around the country
The Great American Bash (1987) 1987 Three locations
The Great American Bash (1988) July 10, 1988 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena
The Great American Bash (1989) July 23, 1989 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena
The Great American Bash (1990) July 7, 1990 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena
World Championship Wrestling
The Great American Bash (1991) July 14, 1991 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena
The Great American Bash (1992) July 12, 1992 Albany, Georgia Gray Civic Center
The Great American Bash (1995) June 18, 1995 Dayton, Ohio Hara Arena
The Great American Bash (1996) June 16, 1996 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena
The Great American Bash (1997) June 15, 1997 Moline, Illinois The MARK of the Quad Cities
The Great American Bash (1998) June 14, 1998 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena
The Great American Bash (1999) June 13, 1999 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena
The Great American Bash (2000) June 11, 2000 Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Arena

[edit] Results

[edit] National Wrestling Alliance (Jim Crockett Promotions)

[edit] 1985

The Great American Bash (1985) took place on July 6, 1985 at the American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.


[edit] 1986

Jim Crockett Promotions used "The Great American Bash" as the name for a tour that had several PPV caliber shows around the country. In 1986, there were 13 Great American Bashes and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defended his title at each one against Ricky Morton, Road Warrior Hawk, Ron Garvin, Nikita Koloff, Robert Gibson, Road Warrior Animal, Magnum T.A., Wahoo McDaniel and Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes defeated him for the title at the July 26 Bash. Flair challenged for it on the last Bash on August 2. The cities toured in 1986 were in order as follows: July 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 3 in Washington, D.C., July 4 in Memphis, Tennessee, July 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina, July 9 in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 10 in Charleston, West Virginia, July 12 in Jacksonville, Florida, July 18 in Richmond, Virginia, July 21 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, July 23 in Johnson City, Tennessee, July 25 in Norfolk, Virginia, July 26 in Greensboro, North Carolina and August 2 in Atlanta, Georgia.

July 5, 1986 in Charlotte, NC (Memorial Stadium)

July 26, 1986 in Greensboro, NC (Greensboro Coliseum)


[edit] 1987

The Great American Bash 1987
Details
Promotion Jim Crockett Promotions
Date 1987
Venue The Omni, Memorial Stadium and Orange Bowl
City Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, North Carolina and Miami, Florida

This was the first use of the WarGames: The Match Beyond match conceived by Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes was on the winning side in both events along with the Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff and Paul Ellering.

July 4, 1987 in Atlanta, GA (The Omni)

July 18, 1987 in Charlotte, NC (Memorial Stadium)

July 31, 1987 in Miami, Florida (Orange Bowl)

[edit] 1988

The Great American Bash 1988
Details
Promotion National Wrestling Alliance
Date July 10, 1988
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 14,000
Pay-per-view chronology
Bunkhouse Stampede The Great American Bash 1988 Starrcade 1988

The Great American Bash (1988): The Price of Freedom took place on July 10, 1988 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] National Wrestling Alliance (World Championship Wrestling)

[edit] 1989

The Great American Bash 1989
Details
Promotion National Wrestling Alliance
Date July 23, 1989
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 12,500
Pay-per-view chronology
Wrestle War 1989 The Great American Bash 1989 Halloween Havoc 1989

The Great American Bash (1989): The Glory Days took place on July 23, 1989 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] 1990

The Great American Bash 1990
Details
Promotion National Wrestling Alliance
Date July 7, 1990
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 10,000
Pay-per-view chronology
Capital Combat The Great American Bash 1990 Halloween Havoc 1990

The Great American Bash (1990): New Revolution took place on July 7, 1990 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] World Championship Wrestling

[edit] 1991

The Great American Bash (1991)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date July 14, 1991
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 7,000
Pay-per-view chronology
SuperBrawl I The Great American Bash (1991) Halloween Havoc (1991)

The Great American Bash (1991) took place on July 14, 1991 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

The card was originally to be highlighted by a Steel cage match between Ric Flair and Lex Luger for the WCW World Championship, and this match was heavily promoted on WCW TV. However, just a few days before the show, then-WCW Executive Vice President Jim Herd fired Flair over a contract dispute, stripping him of the title in the process. Since Flair owned the physical title belt, he took it with him to the (then) World Wrestling Federation, so WCW had to make a new WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt; however, the new belt could not be readied in time for the event, so an old belt (Dusty Rhodes' Florida Heavyweight Championship belt) was used as a temporary replacement, with a makeshift "WCW World Heavyweight Championship" plate affixed to the front.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] 1992

The Great American Bash (1992)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date July 12, 1992
Venue Gray Civic Center
City Albany, Georgia
Attendance 8,000
Pay-per-view chronology
Beach Blast (1992) The Great American Bash (1992) Halloween Havoc (1992)

The Great American Bash (1992) took place on July 12, 1992 at the Gray Civic Center in Albany, Georgia.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.


[edit] 1995

The Great American Bash (1995)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date June 18, 1995
Venue Hara Arena
City Dayton, Ohio
Attendance 6,000
Pay-per-view chronology
Slamboree (1995) The Great American Bash (1995) Bash at the Beach (1995)

The Great American Bash (1995) took place on June 18, 1995 at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.


[edit] 1996

The Great American Bash (1996)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date June 16, 1996
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 9,000
Pay-per-view chronology
Slamboree (1996) The Great American Bash (1996) Bash at the Beach (1996)

The Great American Bash (1996) took place on June 16, 1996 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.


[edit] 1997

The Great American Bash (1997)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date June 15, 1997
Venue The MARK of the Quad Cities
City Moline, Illinois
Attendance 9,613
Pay-per-view chronology
Slamboree (1997) The Great American Bash (1997) Bash at the Beach (1997)

The Great American Bash (1997): Savage/Page II took place on June 15, 1997 at The MARK of the Quad Cities in Moline, Illinois.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.


[edit] 1998

The Great American Bash (1998)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date June 14, 1998
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 12,810
Pay-per-view chronology
Slamboree (1998) The Great American Bash (1998) Bash at the Beach (1998)

The Great American Bash (1998) took place on June 14, 1998 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.[1]

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] 1999

The Great American Bash (1999)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date June 13, 1999
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 11,672
Pay-per-view chronology
Slamboree (1999) The Great American Bash (1999) Bash at the Beach (1999)

The Great American Bash (1999) took place on June 13, 1999 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] 2000

The Great American Bash (2000)
Details
Promotion World Championship Wrestling
Date June 11, 2000
Venue Baltimore Arena
City Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance 7,031
Pay-per-view chronology
Slamboree (2000) The Great American Bash (2000) Bash at the Beach (2000)

The Great American Bash (2000) took place on June 11, 2000 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the final Great American Bash produced by World Championship Wrestling due to the acquisition of the WCW by the World Wrestling Federation the following March.

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Martin, Finn. "Power Slam Magazine, issue 49", Down and Out (Great American Bash 1998), SW Publishing, 1998-07-21, pp. 19-21. 

[edit] See also