NWA (JCP) Great American Bash Tour 1986

After the success of Starrcade, the NWA introduced a second supercard to their lineup for the summer of 1985: The Great American Bash. The first show drew well, packing some thirty thousand into Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, so for 1986, they took the concept ‘on tour’ – with events across  Jim Crockett’s territory billed as the ‘Great American Bash’ throughout the month of July.

Because there were over a dozen local ‘Bashes’ that year, the NWA released a compilation of the event on home video, promising highlights from the tour – mostly focusing on two separate stops in North Carolina, one of which saw Dusty Rhodes finally win the NWA World Title from nemesis Ric Flair.

Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and David Crockett.


NWA World Title Match: Ric Flair v Hawk: From the first day of the tour, in Philadelphia. The Road Warriors were still newcomers (to the NWA) at that point, but the crowd bought them as monsters so quickly, that Hawk was already getting World Title shots. Flair struts around, trying to psyche Hawk out, but ends up getting thrown across the ring for his troubles, and bails to the floor to regroup. Inside, Flair tries the chops, and hits a hanging vertical suplex for two - Hawk shrugging him off. The champ cowers in the corner, but Hawk shows no mercy - hammering away, and press slamming him. Standing side-headlock slows things down, but Flair breaks up the cuddling, and gets press slammed again. 2^nd rope shoulderblock, but Flair sidesteps the flying Hawk, and the challenger goes crashing to the floor. Flair capitalizes with a shindrop for two, and a side suplex sets up the Figure Four - Flair grabbing the ropes for leverage, until he gets caught, and the referee forces a break. Sleeper, but Hawk railroads him into the corner to break, and slams Flair off of the top rope. Another press slam sets up a fistdrop, and a clothesline gets two. Powerslam (variety!), but a diving shoulderblock takes the referee out, and Flair Flips into an overhead backbreaker. Hawk covers for the pin, but the referee rolls in to disqualify him for the bump at 11:43 - nearly sending the crowd into a riot. Match was strictly paint-by-numbers, and quite repetitive - but it worked for what they were going for. ½*

Hair v Hair Match: Jimmy Valiant v Shaska Whatley: From the Charlotte show, in the early leg of the tour, this is part of Valliant's endless feud with Paul Jones. Shaska jumps him on the way in, unloading with right hands, and goes to a chinlock early - but Valiant's having a seizure, so he lets off. Headbutt, but Valiant grabs a handful of hair to block, so Paul Jones fires off a cheap shot from the floor to take the pep out of his step. Series of headbutts for two (busting Valiant open), so Whatley hooks another chinlock to really kick it up a notch. Punch gets two, and a backelbow for two. Tree of woe sets up the loosest series of kicks I have ever seen (it looked like he was dusting off an antique lamp with his boot), and a kneedrop essentially gets three (Valiant forgot to kick out), but the referee stops counting since that isn't the booked finish. Kayfabe! It doesn't matter (none of it matters!) 'cause Valiant goes into full seizure mode again, and Whatley goes down at 8:53. This was a highlight? All kick-punch, and not even particularly energetic about it. -*

Hair v Hair Match: Jimmy Valiant v Paul Jones: From the Greensboro show, towards the end of the tour. Joined in progress with Valiant unloading right hands, and busting Jones open with a shiv. That draws Shaska Whatley in (still completely bald, and not loving it), and a chair shot gives Jones the cheap pin at 1:30 shown. Too much clipping to rate, though I've seen a lot of full matches between the two, and none were any good. If anything, this was mercifully clipped to under two minutes.

NWA National Heavyweight Title Taped Fist Match: Tully Blanchard v Ron Garvin: Also from the Greensboro stop, this is essentially a boxing match, broken up into three minute rounds.
ROUND ONE: Tully tries to charge before the bell, but ends up getting his ass knocked out - leading to the perfect visual of him sprawled out on the mat in his robe, title belt fastened around his waist. Bell sounds as Tully gets to his feet, and Garvin fires off a couple more shots - Tully not even able to get the title belt off first. He tries to use it as a weapon, but he's too punch drunk to aim, and Garvin keeps jabbing - busting Blanchard open, as the round ends.
ROUND TWO: Tully is still flat on his back as the round starts, and the referee starts the count, so manager JJ Dillon slides in with some smelling salts to get him going. Hey, to be fair, they only gave the guy, like, ten seconds between rounds - he wouldn't even have had time to unscrew the top. Garvin continues to destroy him, Tully so punch drunk he tries to swing at the referee a couple of times, and the round ends with Tully cowering in the corner.
ROUND THREE: Dillon tapes the hand up a bit more (oooh, he dead now) to give Tully the advantage, and they spill to the outside as the round ends.
ROUND FOUR: Tully's still on the floor as the bell sounds, but he beats the count back in - running into another barrage of right hands. Dillon manages to pass Tully a pair of knux, though, and he bops Garvin for the knockout win at 11:00. The match type doesn't lend itself to many spots beyond punching (not even kicking!), but they weren't really going for much else anyway – though Tully sold it all brilliantly. DUD

Russian Chain Match: Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff v The Road Warriors: From Charlotte, all four guys are connected (Ivan to Animal, Nikita to Hawk), and the Warriors win the initial tug of war - blasting them with chain. Both teams trade shots with the chain for a while, until the Russians manage to get the advantage with some double-teaming, and Ivan Sickle's Animal for two. To the top rope, but Warriors manager Paul Ellering crotches Ivan up there, and Animal scores the pinfall at 5:00 This would have fit right in ten years later an ECW show - and while it sounded exciting, it got dull pretty quickly - just a lot of chain shots being exchanged. DUD

#1 Contender's Match: The Rock 'n' Roll Express v Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson: From Greensboro. Robert Gibson starts with Ole, and Robert sticks and moves, so Ole tags Arn to properly kill him with a shoulderblock, but that quickly triggers a four way brawl - the Express cleaning house. The dust settles on Arn and Ricky Morton, and Morton runs circles around him, then plants him with a DDT to send Anderson scurrying to the floor. Tag back to Ole, but Morton just won't let them corner him. Clipped to Ricky unloading on both Anderson's with bodyslams, but getting nailed by Ole - allowing them to cut the ring in half with their usual flair. Morton tries to build momentum with a flying bodypress, but more double-teaming nips that in the bud, and it takes Arn missing a blind charge to allow the tag back to Gibson. He's a house of arson, and gets Arn in a sleeper during the four-way brawl, but time expires at 20:00 (13:00 shown) for a draw. The R'n'R's would end up winning the titles from the Midnight Express the next month, and settle things with the Anderson's in a great cage match at Starrcade. I won't rate it due to clipping, but these teams had chemistry, though it was definitely not as good Starrcade.

Magnum TA v Nikita Koloff: From Greensboro. This was the fourth match in a Best of Seven series between the two for the vacant NWA United States Title. Big staredown to start, Koloff shoving three fingers in Magnum's face, as he had won the first three bouts in the series. Big criss cross ends in Magnum nailing a forearm to send Koloff to the floor, and he regroups with Ivan out there. Back in, Nikita hooks a headlock, but after much battling, Magnum manages to counter into a hammerlock. Koloff steers him into the corner to break (adding a couple rams with his shoulder for good measure), and a backbreaker gets two. Bodyslam gets two, so he dumps Magnum to the outside to try for a countout win - but Magnum won't stay down, so Ivan fires off a cheap shot behind the referee's back. Still, TA beats the count, so Koloff just casually dumps him again - determined to finish this series, and take the title. He tries to pull that stunt again, but Magnum catches him with a sunset flip, and gets the pin at 7:28 - leaving their standings at Koloff 3, Magnum 1. Well worked, if dull. *

Mixed Tag Team Cage Match: Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express v Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, and Baby Doll: From the Charlotte Bash. Bobby Eaton tries to charge Baby Doll at the bell, but she catches him with an armdrag, and a terrified Jim Cornette tries to climb out of the cage altogether in response. They settle on Eaton starting with Magnum, and Bobby fires off right hands, but gets slammed - turning it into a standoff with Dusty and Dennis Condrey. A brawl quickly breaks out, the Midnight's double-teaming to take TA down, and Bobby blasts him with a flying axehandle off of the top of the cage for two. They cut the ring in half on him, but Magnum decks Eaton during another flying axehandle attempt, and catches him with a sunset flip to trigger another brawl - Baby Doll getting hold of Cornette, and walloping him with a right hand for the pin at 6:30. Not a great match, but not dull, and didn't overstay its welcome. ½*

NWA World Title Cage Match: Ric Flair v Dusty Rhodes: The main event of the Greensboro Bash. Big staredown to start, and Flair plays mind games with the challenger - avoiding a lockup – so Dusty shrugs it off by shaking his booty. Problem solving! Series of jabs do a better job of staggering the champ, but Flair blocks a ram into the cage - only to lose a test-of-strength, and gets hooked in an armbar on the mat. Chops to break, but Rhodes returns fire, and Flair cowers in the corner. Press slam by the challenger, and a sleeper, but Flair makes the ropes - actually forcing a break in a cage match. Elbowdrop gets two, but Flair catches him with a fist to the gut out of a criss cross (surprised he felt it), and tosses him into the cage a couple of times to get things going! Shindrop gets two, and Flair starts targeting the ankle (which he and the Horsemen had previously injured) - dropping knees, and tearing at it. Figure Four in the middle of the ring, but Rhodes won't quit, and Flair eventually lets off - though he keeps right after the leg. Series of chops echo, but Dusty catches him with a desperation lariat for two, and starts shooting off elbowsmashes. Flair tries to bail, but Dusty catches him at the top of the cage - pulling him back in by his tights, and throwing him into the mesh. Flair tries to escape again, but this time gets crotched on the top rope for his efforts, and grated across the mesh for good measure. Rhodes with a figure four of his own, and Dusty gives him a taste of his own chop medicine when he makes the ropes - flopping the champ. Backslide for one, and an elbowdrop gets two, so Flair climbs again, and hits a flying bodypress gets two. Bodyslam, but Dusty counters into a cradle, and wins the title at 21:04. Well booked, and certainly not too long in terms of giving the fans their money's worth, but a bit too long for what they ended up doing out there. Rhodes would drop the title back to Flair two weeks later, after the tour concluded. * ¼

BUExperience: The Bash tour was essentially a months worth of glorified house shows, but the neat atmosphere presented (all three of the events featured on the tape took place in outdoor ball parks) made for a fun change of pace. While the wrestling itself wasn’t top notch, it certainly highlighted what the fans wanted to see – though a lot of that magic has since worn off. *