The Great American Bash (1988)
Encyclopedia
The Great American Bash was the fourth annual Great American Bash
professional wrestling
event produced by Jim Crockett Promotions
(JCP) under the National Wrestling Alliance
banner and the first to be produced as a pay-per-view
event. It took place on July 10, 1988 at the Baltimore Arena
in Baltimore, Maryland
.
The main event was a standard wrestling match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
. Ric Flair
defeated Lex Luger
to retain the title when the match was stopped due to Luger's excessive bleeding.
Featured matches on the undercard were Barry Windham
versus Dusty Rhodes
for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
, Road Warriors
(Hawk
and Animal
), Steve Williams, Jimmy Garvin
and Ron Garvin
versus Kevin Sullivan
, Mike Rotunda
, Al Perez
, Russian Assassin and Ivan Koloff in a Tower of Doom match, The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton
and Tommy Rogers
) versus Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton
and Stan Lane
) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
and Arn Anderson
and
Tully Blanchard
versus Sting
and Nikita Koloff
for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
.
, plots and storylines
that were played out on World Wide Wrestling
, Pro
and World Championship Wrestling
–Jim Crockett Promotions
(JCP)'s television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a hero
, villain
or a tweener as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or a series of matches.
The main rivalry
heading into the event was between Ric Flair
and Lex Luger
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
. Luger was a member of Flair's group Four Horsemen
since 1987 but left the group in 1988 after he thought that he was being held back. Luger became the top fan favorite
of the company and Horsemen's top rival. On the inaugural edition of Clash of the Champions
on March 27, Luger and Barry Windham
defeated Horsemen members Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship
. On April 23 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Luger and Windham lost the title to Anderson and Blanchard when Windham turned on Luger and joined Horsemen. Luger continued his rivalry with the Horsemen, resulting in Luger becoming the #1 contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship held by Flair.
The main tag team
rivalry heading into the event was between The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton
and Tommy Rogers
) and Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton
and Stan Lane
) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
. On the inaugural edition of Clash of the Champions on March 27, Midnight Express defended the NWA United States Tag Team Championship against Fantastics. Fantastics initially won the titles but the decision was reversed as Fulton had threw the referee
before the pinfall, resulting in Eaton and Lane retaining the titles. On May 14 edition of World Wide Wrestling, Fantastics defeated Midnight Express to win the titles. On June 11 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Fantastics would defend the title against Midnight Express at The Great American Bash.
A secondary rivalry heading into the event was between Barry Windham
and Dusty Rhodes
for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
. On April 15, Rhodes was stripped of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship and suspended for 120 days due to attacking promoter Jim Crockett
. On May 13, a tournament occurred for the vacated title. Barry Windham defeated Nikita Koloff
in the finals of the tournament to win the title. On June 8 edition of Clash of the Champions called Miami Mayhem, Rhodes and Sting
competed against Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
. The match resulted in a double disqualification after the referee was attacked and Ric Flair
and Windham interfered in the match. Windham attacked Rhodes outside the ring. On June 11 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Rhodes would challenge Windham for the United States Championship at The Great American Bash.
Another secondary rivalry heading into the event was between Jimmy Garvin
and Kevin Sullivan
. On March 27 edition of Clash of the Champions, Sullivan's Varsity Club
teammate Mike Rotunda
defeated Garvin in a College Rules match
to retain the NWA World Television Championship
. At the 3rd Annual Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, Garvin defeated Sullivan in a Prince of Darkness match. On June 8 edition of Clash of the Champions called Miami Mayhem, Garvin and his brother Ronnie Garvin defeated Rick Steiner
and Rotunda in a tag team match. After the match, Sullivan, Steiner and Rotunda attacked the Garvins, resulting in Steve Williams making the save for Garvins. Williams became an ally of the Garvins against Sullivan and Rotunda. On the other side, Road Warriors
were scheduled to compete against Powers of Pain
in a series of Scaffold matches but Powers of Pain left the company and were replaced by Ivan Koloff and Russian Assassin
. On June 11 edition of World Championship Wrestling, a Tower of Doom match was announced to take place between a team of Jimmy Garvin and a team of Sullivan. Road Warriors were added to Garvin's team and Koloff and Assassin were added to Sullivan's team.
(PPV), Rick Steiner
and Dick Murdoch
defeated Tim Horner
and Kendall Windham
in a non-televised tag team
match.
. Arn Anderson
and
Tully Blanchard
defended the titles against Sting
and Nikita Koloff
. Sting and Koloff dominated the earlier action against Anderson and Blanchard. Sting and Koloff double-teamed Anderson and Blanchard for most of the match until Blanchard took the control of the match in his side by injuring Koloff and tagging in Anderson. Anderson and Blanchard controlled the match briefly until Sting and Koloff regained their momentum. Sting dominated Anderson and Blanchard throughout the end of the match and Sting applied a Scorpion Deathlock
on Blanchard but Blanchard held the ropes until the 20–minute time limit expired. As a result, Anderson and Blanchard retained the titles.
The next match was for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
. The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton
and Tommy Rogers
) defended the titles against Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton
and Stan Lane
). Midnight Express's manager
Jim Cornette
was locked and suspended high in a steel cage and fastened in a straight jacket. The match stipulated that if Fantastics won, they would get the opportunity to whip Cornette ten times with a belt. Cornette tried to involve himself into the match on several occasions but failed. The match went back and forth with the challengers double teaming Fulton. Rogers was tagged in and he battled Eaton and Lane. Lane handed Eaton a steel chain and Eaton wrapped it around his fist. Fulton was unaware of it which allowed Eaton to attack Fulton with the chain and pin him to win the titles.
The third match of the event was a Tower of Doom match pitting Road Warriors
(Hawk
and Animal
), Steve Williams, Jimmy Garvin
and Ron Garvin
against Kevin Sullivan
, Mike Rotunda
, Al Perez
, Russian Assassin and Ivan Koloff. Two wrestlers started the match out on top of the cage for a two minute period. After that period, a trap door in both the top-tier cages opened for fifteen seconds which allowed a locked wrestler to get down into the cage below with all the other wrestlers. The object of the match was to unlock the door and escape out to the floor. Jimmy Garvin's valet Precious held the key to the door. Ron Garvin and Ivan Koloff started the match. The match went back and forth with both teams exchanging blows. In the end of the match, Jimmy Garvin and Kevin Sullivan were in the ring. Sullivan grabbed Precious but Garvin rescued her by attacking him and performed a Brainbuster
, which he called Bombs Away, on Sullivan. Sullivan eventually shoved Garvin out of the cage. As a result, Garvin's team won. However, Sullivan locked the cage door to lock himself with Precious. Hawk made the rescue by performing a Flying Clothesline on Sullivan.
. Barry Windham
defended the title against Dusty Rhodes
. Rhodes dominated Windham in the beginning by performing a Shoulder Block. Rhodes continued to perform several moves on Windham until the action spilled to the outside of the ring where Windham tried to perform a Piledriver
on Rhodes but Rhodes countered it with a Clothesline. The action returned to the ring where Rhodes fought Windham until Windham's manager JJ Dillon
distracted Rhodes, allowing Windham to take advantage and attack Rhodes. Windham applied a Clawhold on Rhodes and started getting near-falls. Rhodes eventually fought out of the Clawhold and tried to apply a Figure Four Leglock but Windham countered and applied another Clawhold. Rhodes eventually climbed the corner to prevent Windham for getting the leverage and tried to perform a Superplex but Rhodes pushed him into the referee. Rhodes performed a Bionic Elbow on Windham and attempted to pin him but the referee was knocked out. Ron Garvin interfered in the match and attacked Rhodes with a Punch. Dillon woke up the referee and Windham pinned Rhodes to retain the title.
The main event was between Ric Flair
and Lex Luger
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
. Luger dominated Flair for much of the earlier part of the match by overpowering him by performing powerful moves. Flair eventually gained momentum by chasing Luger outside the ring where he smashed his head with the guard rail several times. The two returned to the ring where Flair started attacking Luger's ribs until Luger regained momentum. However, Flair took the control of the match on his side by attacking Luger's legs. Flair applied a Figure Four Leglock on Luger until Luger reversed the hold. Luger then performed a Clothesline on Flair, which sent Flair outside the ring. The two continued to battle outside the ring until the action returned to the ring. Flair tried to use a steel chair but the referee prevented Flair from using the chair. Luger took advantage of the situation by performing a Powerslam
and applied a Backbreaker Rack, which he called Torture Rack, on Flair to win the title. However, it was announced that the match was stopped due to Luger's excessive bleeding, citing Maryland State Athletic Commission guidelines. As a result, Flair retained the title.
was suffering a downfall and was losing the competition against World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In November 1988, the promotion was sold to media mogul Ted Turner
and was replaced with a new promotion World Championship Wrestling
(WCW).
Ric Flair
and Lex Luger
continued their rivalry
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
. Luger received a rematch for the title at Starrcade
, when Flair defeated Luger again to retain the title.
After defeating The Fantastics
for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
at The Great American Bash, Midnight Express became the #1 contenders for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
. On September 10, Midnight Express defeated Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
to win the World Tag Team title. As a result, they vacated the US Tag Team title. The US Tag Team title was decided in a tournament, with the finals taking place between Fantastics and the team of Ron Simmons
and Eddie Gilbert on the December 7 edition of Clash of the Champions
. Fantastics won the title for a second time. At Starrcade, Kevin Sullivan
and Steve Williams defeated Fantastics to win the title.
While in the tag team division, Road Warriors
turned on their NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship partner Dusty Rhodes
in October, resulting in the titles being vacated. On October 29, Road Warriors defeated Midnight Express to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship. Rhodes formed a tag team with Sting
and they became the #1 contenders for the World Tag Team title. They received an opportunity against Road Warriors at Starrcade, but the champions retained the title by disqualification.
Bam Bam Bigelow entered WCW in late 1988 and earned an opportunity for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
against Barry Windham
at Starrcade. Windham retained the title by count-out. Meanwhile, two villainous
wrestlers turned into fan favorites
. Ivan Koloff was the first one who left Paul Jones' Army
and formed a tag team with Junkyard Dog
to feud with Russian Assassins and competed against them in a losing effort at Starrcade. The second was Rick Steiner
, who left Varsity Club
and began feuding with his stablemate Mike Rotunda
for the NWA World Television Championship
. At Starrcade, Steiner defeated Rotunda for the TV title.
The Great American Bash
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...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
event produced by Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
(JCP) under the National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
banner and the first to be produced as a pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event. It took place on July 10, 1988 at the Baltimore Arena
1st Mariner Arena
1st Mariner Arena is an arena located in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2003, it was renamed by 1st Mariner Bank, which purchased naming rights to the arena for 10 years. It was reported that 1st Mariner Bank will need to pay the city $75,000 for the next ten years to keep the naming rights to the complex...
in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
The main event was a standard wrestling match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
. Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
defeated Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
to retain the title when the match was stopped due to Luger's excessive bleeding.
Featured matches on the undercard were Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
versus Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
, Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
(Hawk
Road Warrior Hawk
Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
and Animal
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
), Steve Williams, Jimmy Garvin
Jimmy Garvin
James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds....
and Ron Garvin
Ron Garvin
Ron Garvin is a Canadian former professional wrestler and referee most known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early career:...
versus Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
, Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
, Al Perez
Al Perez
Al Perez is a retired American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:Perez began wrestling as an amateur in high school and was one of the top athletes in his home state of Florida. He started professional wrestling in 1982.He formed a team in ICW with Joe Savoldi known as the "New...
, Russian Assassin and Ivan Koloff in a Tower of Doom match, The Fantastics
Fantastics
The Fantastics are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers.-History:While in the Mid-Southern area, Terry taylor was teamed with a budding young wrestler named Bobby Fulton, who at the time was a jobber on TV but showed promise...
(Bobby Fulton
James Hines
James Hines is a professional wrestler better known as Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics.-Career:James Hines started wrestling as a 16 year old in 1977 as Jimmy Hines....
and Tommy Rogers
Thomas Couch
Thomas R. Couch is a professional wrestler better known as Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics.-Career:Couch started wrestling in 1980 as Tommy Rogers in North Carolina...
) versus Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
and Stan Lane
Stan Lane
Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane is an American professional wrestler, trained by Ric Flair, who started wrestling in 1974 in Championship Wrestling from Florida. For a brief time in Florida, he was nicknamed Nature Boy...
) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
WCW United States Tag Team Championship
The WCW United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the United States-based National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , and World Championship Wrestling promotions. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag...
and Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
and
Brain Busters
The Brain Busters was the World Wrestling Federation name for the professional wrestling tag team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Anderson and Blanchard adopted this name after joining the WWF in 1988 from Jim Crockett Promotions, where the two men had wrestled as part of the Four Horsemen...
Tully Blanchard
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen....
versus Sting
Sting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
.
Background
The Great American Bash featured four professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers from pre-existing rivalriesFeud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
, plots and storylines
Narrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
that were played out on World Wide Wrestling
WCW WorldWide
WCW WorldWide was a syndicated TV show produced by World Championship Wrestling.-Wide World Wrestling:The show began in 1975 , a syndicated one-hour program produced by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions...
, Pro
WCW Pro
WCW Pro was a televised wrestling show presented by World Championship Wrestling. Along with WCW WorldWide, it was part of the WCW Disney tapings...
and World Championship Wrestling
WCW Saturday Night
WCW Saturday Night was a weekly Saturday night TV show on TBS produced by World Championship Wrestling. The program existed through various incarnations under different names before becoming WCW Saturday Night in 1992...
–Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
(JCP)'s television programs. Wrestlers portrayed a hero
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
, villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or a tweener as they followed a series of events that built tension, and culminated in a wrestling match or a series of matches.
The main rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
heading into the event was between Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
. Luger was a member of Flair's group Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
since 1987 but left the group in 1988 after he thought that he was being held back. Luger became the top fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
of the company and Horsemen's top rival. On the inaugural edition of Clash of the Champions
Clash of the Champions
The Clash of the Champions were a series of professional wrestling television specials aired by World Championship Wrestling. The specials were supercards intended to feature pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event.The first Clash of the...
on March 27, Luger and Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
defeated Horsemen members Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
Brain Busters
The Brain Busters was the World Wrestling Federation name for the professional wrestling tag team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Anderson and Blanchard adopted this name after joining the WWF in 1988 from Jim Crockett Promotions, where the two men had wrestled as part of the Four Horsemen...
to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
. On April 23 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Luger and Windham lost the title to Anderson and Blanchard when Windham turned on Luger and joined Horsemen. Luger continued his rivalry with the Horsemen, resulting in Luger becoming the #1 contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship held by Flair.
The main tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
rivalry heading into the event was between The Fantastics
Fantastics
The Fantastics are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers.-History:While in the Mid-Southern area, Terry taylor was teamed with a budding young wrestler named Bobby Fulton, who at the time was a jobber on TV but showed promise...
(Bobby Fulton
James Hines
James Hines is a professional wrestler better known as Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics.-Career:James Hines started wrestling as a 16 year old in 1977 as Jimmy Hines....
and Tommy Rogers
Thomas Couch
Thomas R. Couch is a professional wrestler better known as Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics.-Career:Couch started wrestling in 1980 as Tommy Rogers in North Carolina...
) and Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
and Stan Lane
Stan Lane
Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane is an American professional wrestler, trained by Ric Flair, who started wrestling in 1974 in Championship Wrestling from Florida. For a brief time in Florida, he was nicknamed Nature Boy...
) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
WCW United States Tag Team Championship
The WCW United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the United States-based National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , and World Championship Wrestling promotions. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag...
. On the inaugural edition of Clash of the Champions on March 27, Midnight Express defended the NWA United States Tag Team Championship against Fantastics. Fantastics initially won the titles but the decision was reversed as Fulton had threw the referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
before the pinfall, resulting in Eaton and Lane retaining the titles. On May 14 edition of World Wide Wrestling, Fantastics defeated Midnight Express to win the titles. On June 11 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Fantastics would defend the title against Midnight Express at The Great American Bash.
A secondary rivalry heading into the event was between Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
and Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
. On April 15, Rhodes was stripped of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship and suspended for 120 days due to attacking promoter Jim Crockett
Jim Crockett
James Allen Crockett was a professional wrestling promoter sometimes known as Jim Crockett, Sr. or to people within the business simply as "Big Jim".-Early life:...
. On May 13, a tournament occurred for the vacated title. Barry Windham defeated Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
in the finals of the tournament to win the title. On June 8 edition of Clash of the Champions called Miami Mayhem, Rhodes and Sting
Sting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
competed against Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
Brain Busters
The Brain Busters was the World Wrestling Federation name for the professional wrestling tag team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Anderson and Blanchard adopted this name after joining the WWF in 1988 from Jim Crockett Promotions, where the two men had wrestled as part of the Four Horsemen...
for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
. The match resulted in a double disqualification after the referee was attacked and Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Windham interfered in the match. Windham attacked Rhodes outside the ring. On June 11 edition of World Championship Wrestling, it was announced that Rhodes would challenge Windham for the United States Championship at The Great American Bash.
Another secondary rivalry heading into the event was between Jimmy Garvin
Jimmy Garvin
James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds....
and Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
. On March 27 edition of Clash of the Champions, Sullivan's Varsity Club
Varsity Club
The Varsity Club was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling. The stable was formed in 1987 and lasted until 1989...
teammate Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
defeated Garvin in a College Rules match
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
to retain the NWA World Television Championship
WCW World Television Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Championship Wrestling....
. At the 3rd Annual Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, Garvin defeated Sullivan in a Prince of Darkness match. On June 8 edition of Clash of the Champions called Miami Mayhem, Garvin and his brother Ronnie Garvin defeated Rick Steiner
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
and Rotunda in a tag team match. After the match, Sullivan, Steiner and Rotunda attacked the Garvins, resulting in Steve Williams making the save for Garvins. Williams became an ally of the Garvins against Sullivan and Rotunda. On the other side, Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
were scheduled to compete against Powers of Pain
Powers of Pain
The Powers of Pain are an on-and-off professional wrestling tag team. They are best known for their tenure in Jim Crockett Promotions and the World Wrestling Federation.-Jim Crockett Promotions:...
in a series of Scaffold matches but Powers of Pain left the company and were replaced by Ivan Koloff and Russian Assassin
Al Blake
Al Blake is a retired American professional wrestler, known by his ringname Vladimir Petrov, who wrestled in North American regional promotions including the Universal Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance, most notably as a member of...
. On June 11 edition of World Championship Wrestling, a Tower of Doom match was announced to take place between a team of Jimmy Garvin and a team of Sullivan. Road Warriors were added to Garvin's team and Koloff and Assassin were added to Sullivan's team.
Event
Before the event aired live on pay-per-viewPay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV), Rick Steiner
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
and Dick Murdoch
Dick Murdoch
Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers...
defeated Tim Horner
Tim Horner
Tim Horner is a professional wrestler best known for his "Lightning Express" tag team with Brad Armstrong.-Career:Tim Horner started wrestling in 1982 in the Alabama territory. He formed a tag team called the "Lightning Express" with Brad Armstrong and they had a lot of success. They won the...
and Kendall Windham
Kendall Windham
Kendall Windham is a former professional wrestler. He is the son of Blackjack Mulligan and the brother of Barry Windham.-Florida Championship Wrestling:...
in a non-televised tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match.
Preliminary matches
As the event concluded, the first match was a tag team match for the NWA World Tag Team ChampionshipWCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
. Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
and
Brain Busters
The Brain Busters was the World Wrestling Federation name for the professional wrestling tag team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Anderson and Blanchard adopted this name after joining the WWF in 1988 from Jim Crockett Promotions, where the two men had wrestled as part of the Four Horsemen...
Tully Blanchard
Tully Blanchard
Tully Arthur Blanchard is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen....
defended the titles against Sting
Sting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National...
. Sting and Koloff dominated the earlier action against Anderson and Blanchard. Sting and Koloff double-teamed Anderson and Blanchard for most of the match until Blanchard took the control of the match in his side by injuring Koloff and tagging in Anderson. Anderson and Blanchard controlled the match briefly until Sting and Koloff regained their momentum. Sting dominated Anderson and Blanchard throughout the end of the match and Sting applied a Scorpion Deathlock
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
on Blanchard but Blanchard held the ropes until the 20–minute time limit expired. As a result, Anderson and Blanchard retained the titles.
The next match was for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
WCW United States Tag Team Championship
The WCW United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the United States-based National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , and World Championship Wrestling promotions. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag...
. The Fantastics
Fantastics
The Fantastics are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers.-History:While in the Mid-Southern area, Terry taylor was teamed with a budding young wrestler named Bobby Fulton, who at the time was a jobber on TV but showed promise...
(Bobby Fulton
James Hines
James Hines is a professional wrestler better known as Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics.-Career:James Hines started wrestling as a 16 year old in 1977 as Jimmy Hines....
and Tommy Rogers
Thomas Couch
Thomas R. Couch is a professional wrestler better known as Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics.-Career:Couch started wrestling in 1980 as Tommy Rogers in North Carolina...
) defended the titles against Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton
Bobby Eaton
Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis...
and Stan Lane
Stan Lane
Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane is an American professional wrestler, trained by Ric Flair, who started wrestling in 1974 in Championship Wrestling from Florida. For a brief time in Florida, he was nicknamed Nature Boy...
). Midnight Express's manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
was locked and suspended high in a steel cage and fastened in a straight jacket. The match stipulated that if Fantastics won, they would get the opportunity to whip Cornette ten times with a belt. Cornette tried to involve himself into the match on several occasions but failed. The match went back and forth with the challengers double teaming Fulton. Rogers was tagged in and he battled Eaton and Lane. Lane handed Eaton a steel chain and Eaton wrapped it around his fist. Fulton was unaware of it which allowed Eaton to attack Fulton with the chain and pin him to win the titles.
The third match of the event was a Tower of Doom match pitting Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
(Hawk
Road Warrior Hawk
Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later...
and Animal
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
), Steve Williams, Jimmy Garvin
Jimmy Garvin
James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds....
and Ron Garvin
Ron Garvin
Ron Garvin is a Canadian former professional wrestler and referee most known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early career:...
against Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
, Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
, Al Perez
Al Perez
Al Perez is a retired American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:Perez began wrestling as an amateur in high school and was one of the top athletes in his home state of Florida. He started professional wrestling in 1982.He formed a team in ICW with Joe Savoldi known as the "New...
, Russian Assassin and Ivan Koloff. Two wrestlers started the match out on top of the cage for a two minute period. After that period, a trap door in both the top-tier cages opened for fifteen seconds which allowed a locked wrestler to get down into the cage below with all the other wrestlers. The object of the match was to unlock the door and escape out to the floor. Jimmy Garvin's valet Precious held the key to the door. Ron Garvin and Ivan Koloff started the match. The match went back and forth with both teams exchanging blows. In the end of the match, Jimmy Garvin and Kevin Sullivan were in the ring. Sullivan grabbed Precious but Garvin rescued her by attacking him and performed a Brainbuster
Brainbuster
A brainbuster is a professional wrestling throw in which a wrestler puts his/her opponent in a front facelock, hooks his/her pants, and lifts him/her up as if he/she was executing a vertical suplex. The wrestler then falls onto his/her back so that the opponent lands on his/her head while remaining...
, which he called Bombs Away, on Sullivan. Sullivan eventually shoved Garvin out of the cage. As a result, Garvin's team won. However, Sullivan locked the cage door to lock himself with Precious. Hawk made the rescue by performing a Flying Clothesline on Sullivan.
Main event matches
The final match on the undercard was for the NWA United States Heavyweight ChampionshipWWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
. Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
defended the title against Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
. Rhodes dominated Windham in the beginning by performing a Shoulder Block. Rhodes continued to perform several moves on Windham until the action spilled to the outside of the ring where Windham tried to perform a Piledriver
Piledriver (professional wrestling)
A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponent head-first into the mat. The most common piledrivers are the basic belly-to-back, or Texas piledriver, and the...
on Rhodes but Rhodes countered it with a Clothesline. The action returned to the ring where Rhodes fought Windham until Windham's manager JJ Dillon
James J. Dillon
James J. "J.J." Dillon is a retired American professional wrestler and manager.He is best known for being the strategic leader of the original Four Horsemen that consisted of Nature Boy Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn and Ole Anderson. He is most remembered as a manager in pro wrestling...
distracted Rhodes, allowing Windham to take advantage and attack Rhodes. Windham applied a Clawhold on Rhodes and started getting near-falls. Rhodes eventually fought out of the Clawhold and tried to apply a Figure Four Leglock but Windham countered and applied another Clawhold. Rhodes eventually climbed the corner to prevent Windham for getting the leverage and tried to perform a Superplex but Rhodes pushed him into the referee. Rhodes performed a Bionic Elbow on Windham and attempted to pin him but the referee was knocked out. Ron Garvin interfered in the match and attacked Rhodes with a Punch. Dillon woke up the referee and Windham pinned Rhodes to retain the title.
The main event was between Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
. Luger dominated Flair for much of the earlier part of the match by overpowering him by performing powerful moves. Flair eventually gained momentum by chasing Luger outside the ring where he smashed his head with the guard rail several times. The two returned to the ring where Flair started attacking Luger's ribs until Luger regained momentum. However, Flair took the control of the match on his side by attacking Luger's legs. Flair applied a Figure Four Leglock on Luger until Luger reversed the hold. Luger then performed a Clothesline on Flair, which sent Flair outside the ring. The two continued to battle outside the ring until the action returned to the ring. Flair tried to use a steel chair but the referee prevented Flair from using the chair. Luger took advantage of the situation by performing a Powerslam
Powerslam
A powerslam is a professional wrestling body slam move in which the wrestler performing the slam falls face-down on top of his/her opponent. The use of the term "powerslam" usually refers to the front powerslam and the scoop powerslam.-Emerald Flowsion:...
and applied a Backbreaker Rack, which he called Torture Rack, on Flair to win the title. However, it was announced that the match was stopped due to Luger's excessive bleeding, citing Maryland State Athletic Commission guidelines. As a result, Flair retained the title.
Aftermath
Jim Crockett PromotionsJim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
was suffering a downfall and was losing the competition against World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In November 1988, the promotion was sold to media mogul Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
and was replaced with a new promotion World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW).
Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
continued their rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
. Luger received a rematch for the title at Starrcade
Starrcade (1988)
Starrcade '88 was the sixth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced under the National Wrestling Alliance banner. It was the first Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling , and it took place on December 26, 1988 from the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia...
, when Flair defeated Luger again to retain the title.
After defeating The Fantastics
Fantastics
The Fantastics are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers.-History:While in the Mid-Southern area, Terry taylor was teamed with a budding young wrestler named Bobby Fulton, who at the time was a jobber on TV but showed promise...
for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship
WCW United States Tag Team Championship
The WCW United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the United States-based National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , and World Championship Wrestling promotions. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag...
at The Great American Bash, Midnight Express became the #1 contenders for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
. On September 10, Midnight Express defeated Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
Brain Busters
The Brain Busters was the World Wrestling Federation name for the professional wrestling tag team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Anderson and Blanchard adopted this name after joining the WWF in 1988 from Jim Crockett Promotions, where the two men had wrestled as part of the Four Horsemen...
to win the World Tag Team title. As a result, they vacated the US Tag Team title. The US Tag Team title was decided in a tournament, with the finals taking place between Fantastics and the team of Ron Simmons
Ron Simmons
Ronald "Ron" Simmons is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and retired American football player. He is recognised as being the first Black world heavyweight champion in professional wrestling and the first of only two African Americans to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship,...
and Eddie Gilbert on the December 7 edition of Clash of the Champions
Clash of the Champions
The Clash of the Champions were a series of professional wrestling television specials aired by World Championship Wrestling. The specials were supercards intended to feature pay-per-view caliber matches, similar to World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event.The first Clash of the...
. Fantastics won the title for a second time. At Starrcade, Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
and Steve Williams defeated Fantastics to win the title.
While in the tag team division, Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
turned on their NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship partner Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
in October, resulting in the titles being vacated. On October 29, Road Warriors defeated Midnight Express to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship. Rhodes formed a tag team with Sting
Sting (wrestler)
Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and they became the #1 contenders for the World Tag Team title. They received an opportunity against Road Warriors at Starrcade, but the champions retained the title by disqualification.
Bam Bam Bigelow entered WCW in late 1988 and earned an opportunity for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
against Barry Windham
Barry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
at Starrcade. Windham retained the title by count-out. Meanwhile, two villainous
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
wrestlers turned into fan favorites
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
. Ivan Koloff was the first one who left Paul Jones' Army
Paul Jones' Army
Paul Jones' Army was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions in the mid-1980s.-History:Paul Jones formed Paul Jones' Army in the early 1980s in Jim Crockett Promotions to help him battle "The Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant and his friends, Manny Fernandez, Wahoo...
and formed a tag team with Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter was an American professional wrestler and professional football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as The Junkyard Dog...
to feud with Russian Assassins and competed against them in a losing effort at Starrcade. The second was Rick Steiner
Rick Steiner
Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion...
, who left Varsity Club
Varsity Club
The Varsity Club was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling. The stable was formed in 1987 and lasted until 1989...
and began feuding with his stablemate Mike Rotunda
Mike Rotunda
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R...
for the NWA World Television Championship
WCW World Television Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Championship Wrestling....
. At Starrcade, Steiner defeated Rotunda for the TV title.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | Rick Steiner Rick Steiner Robert Rechsteiner is an American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling, where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion... and Dick Murdoch Dick Murdoch Hoyt Richard "Dick" Murdoch was an American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:A second-generation wrestler, the son of 1950s Texas wrestler Frankie Hill Murdoch, Dick Murdoch grew up with fellow second-generation wrestlers Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk, watching their fathers... defeated Tim Horner Tim Horner Tim Horner is a professional wrestler best known for his "Lightning Express" tag team with Brad Armstrong.-Career:Tim Horner started wrestling in 1982 in the Alabama territory. He formed a tag team called the "Lightning Express" with Brad Armstrong and they had a lot of success. They won the... and Kendall Windham Kendall Windham Kendall Windham is a former professional wrestler. He is the son of Blackjack Mulligan and the brother of Barry Windham.-Florida Championship Wrestling:... |
Tag team Tag team Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name... match |
N/A |
| 1 | Arn Anderson Arn Anderson Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW... and Brain Busters The Brain Busters was the World Wrestling Federation name for the professional wrestling tag team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Anderson and Blanchard adopted this name after joining the WWF in 1988 from Jim Crockett Promotions, where the two men had wrestled as part of the Four Horsemen... Tully Blanchard Tully Blanchard Tully Arthur Blanchard is a semi-retired second generation American professional wrestler. He is best known as an original member of the Four Horsemen.... (c) (with James J. Dillon James J. Dillon James J. "J.J." Dillon is a retired American professional wrestler and manager.He is best known for being the strategic leader of the original Four Horsemen that consisted of Nature Boy Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Arn and Ole Anderson. He is most remembered as a manager in pro wrestling... ) fought Sting Sting (wrestler) Steven James "Steve" Borden , better known by his ring name Sting, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... and Nikita Koloff Nikita Koloff Nikita Koloff is a retired American professional wrestler,. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff, which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes .Nikita was brought into the National... to a time-limit draw |
Tag team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship WCW World Tag Team Championship The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling... |
20:00 |
| 2 | Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton Bobby Eaton Robert Lee "Bobby" Eaton is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, who made his debut in 1976. Eaton is most famous for his work in tag teams, especially his days as one-half of the team the Midnight Express. Under the management of Jim Cornette, Eaton originally teamed with Dennis... and Stan Lane Stan Lane Wallace Stanfield "Stan" Lane is an American professional wrestler, trained by Ric Flair, who started wrestling in 1974 in Championship Wrestling from Florida. For a brief time in Florida, he was nicknamed Nature Boy... ) (with Jim Cornette Jim Cornette James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling... ) defeated The Fantastics Fantastics The Fantastics are a professional wrestling tag team composed of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers.-History:While in the Mid-Southern area, Terry taylor was teamed with a budding young wrestler named Bobby Fulton, who at the time was a jobber on TV but showed promise... (Bobby Fulton James Hines James Hines is a professional wrestler better known as Bobby Fulton of The Fantastics.-Career:James Hines started wrestling as a 16 year old in 1977 as Jimmy Hines.... and Tommy Rogers Thomas Couch Thomas R. Couch is a professional wrestler better known as Tommy Rogers of The Fantastics.-Career:Couch started wrestling in 1980 as Tommy Rogers in North Carolina... ) (c) |
Tag team match for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship WCW United States Tag Team Championship The WCW United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for in the United States-based National Wrestling Alliance , Jim Crockett Promotions , and World Championship Wrestling promotions. The title was only contestable by male tag teams and in tag... |
16:23 |
| 3 | Road Warriors Road Warriors The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion... (Hawk Road Warrior Hawk Michael James Hegstrand was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as the Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom , with Road Warrior Animal.-Early life:While living in Chicago, Hegstrand met Joe Lauranaitis, who would be later... and Animal Road Warrior Animal Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior... ), Steve Williams, Jimmy Garvin Jimmy Garvin James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds.... and Ron Garvin Ron Garvin Ron Garvin is a Canadian former professional wrestler and referee most known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance.-Early career:... (with Precious) defeated Kevin Sullivan Kevin Sullivan (wrestler) Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:... , Mike Rotunda Mike Rotunda Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda is a former American professional wrestler, perhaps best known under the name Irwin R. Schyster or I.R.S. for short. He is currently signed with WWE working as a road agent and making occasional appearances on WWE shows as Irwin R... , Al Perez Al Perez Al Perez is a retired American professional wrestler.-Professional wrestling career:Perez began wrestling as an amateur in high school and was one of the top athletes in his home state of Florida. He started professional wrestling in 1982.He formed a team in ICW with Joe Savoldi known as the "New... , Russian Assassin and Ivan Koloff (with Gary Hart Gary Hart (wrestler) Gary Richard Williams, was a former professional wrestling manager, as well as a professional wrestler in his early career, best known by his ring name Gary Hart... ) |
Tower of Doom match | 19:55 |
| 4 | Barry Windham Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling .... (c) (with James J. Dillon) defeated Dusty Rhodes Dusty Rhodes (wrestler) Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE... |
Singles match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand.... |
15:55 |
| 5 | Ric Flair Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world.... (c) (with James J. Dillon) defeated Lex Luger Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy... |
Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship NWA World Heavyweight Championship The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and... |
23:13 |