World Championship Wrestling is running scared. Throttled in the Monday night ratings since the WWF’s broadcast of WrestleMania in March, it is clear that WCW is willing to do everything and anything to regain their place in the Nielson rankings. This evidently includes sacrificing a major pay-per-view event. The Great American Bash held tonight in Maryland’s Baltimore Arena sadly ranks as the worst WCW pay-per-view next to last year’s nWo Souled Out show.
Traditionally, pay-per-view events serve as the climax of central storylines. Grudges are settled, championships decided and plot twists are revealed. Not so with 1998’s Great American Bash which was presented as a tease for tonight’s Monday Night Nitro television show. The burning questions wrestling fans had, namely whether Dean Malenko or Chris Jericho is the REAL Cruiserweight champ and who Sting would choose as his WCW Tag Team Championship partner (The Ultimate Warrior?) weren’t addressed. Left twisting in the wind, frustrated and disappointed fans have no choice but to tune into Nitro where all will be revealed.
No bang for its buck, The Bash could not sustain the momentum generated by another epic Benoit and Booker T. wrestling clinic. The surprise was there weren’t any surprises at all. As predicted Curt Hennig and Rick Rude showed their true nWo colors swarming Wolf Pack member Konnan and Sting triple Death Dropped The Giant to victory in a battle over which New World Order faction (nWo Hollywood or nWo Wolf Pack) would hold the tag team straps.
Complementing Sting’s comments about his training schedule earlier this week, The Giant stomped on down to the ring smoking a cigarette. As Sting stood tentatively in his corner, The Giant blew smoke into his scarlet-painted face. Sting snapped slapping his former tag team championship partner in the face and Stinger Splashing him. However, The Giant was ready for the second Splash thrusting his Goliath-like boot into Sting’s chops.
Undaunted, Sting got to his feet Death Dropping The Giant. The nWo’s answer to Godzilla kicked out once again. The Giant attempted a Choke Slam but Sting kicked at his knee buckling it. The Giant came crashing down. Another Death Drop and another kick out. Using the ropes for added power, Sting cinched in a headlock on The Giant from the top rope and Death Dropped him once more. The third time was the charm as Sting claimed the three count and both tag belts.
The next WCW / nWo pay-per-view is Bash At The Beach on July 12th.
WCW / nWo Great American Bash ’98 Results
Chris Benoit Vs Booker T.
: Winner will face Fit Finley for the Television title.
: Outstanding work by both wrestlers catapult this, the final match in their “series” to a Match Of The Year contender.
: Booker catches Benoit with a Harlem Sidekick and a Top Rope Missile Dropkick for the win.
Winner: Booker T. at an enthralling 16 minutes and 14 seconds.
Match Rating: 10 / 10.
Saturn Vs Kanyon
: A person dressed as Mortis enters to the old Mortis theme music. The real Kanyon (without his mask or Mortis attire), dressed in black sneaks into the ring. Kanyon’s name is spelt in bones on his trunks. On the back of >them is written Flatliner as per his finishing move.
: Kidman does a run-in but Kanyon clotheslines him out of the ring. Boulder, Riggs Kidman and Lodi surround the ring.
: At 13:17, two people dressed as Mortis jump into the ring and pound on each other. Kanyon wins with a Reverse Russian Leg Sweep then he is DDT’d on the concrete floor by one of the Mortis’ who is revealed to be Raven. Raven chews out Saturn for losing. The Flock punks Saturn while Raven takes a hike.
Winner: Kanyon at 14 minutes and 12 seconds.
Match Rating: 5 / 10.
: A confused fan holds a sign which reads…”Jericho, Man Of 1004 Excuses”.
: Jericho showboats more than usual during the match.
: Malenko bleeds from his mouth in the corner. Jericho says..”You’re nothin’. Just like your dead father!”. Malenko goes psycho ramming Jericho into a steel fence, hitting with a steel chair, dragging him to an intersection outside the arena and smacking his head into a mailbox. Jericho runs across the street into another building.
: Though Malenko is DQ’d for using the chair it is not known whether Jericho won the belt or not.
Winner: Chris Jericho at 13 minutes and 52 seconds.
Match Rating: 3 / 10.
Juvetud Guerrera Vs Reese
: Lodi holds a sign which reads…”Reese is tall – Juvie is small”.
: Hammer chair shots Reese from behind giving the win to Juvie.
Winner: Juvetud Guerrera at 8 minutes and 45 seconds.
Match Rating: 0 / 10.
Chavo Guerrero Vs Eddie Guerrero
: The fans start the Boooring chant. Eddie eggs them on then bends over and slaps his butt.
: Fans chant We want Flair! We want Flair! The outburst is ignored by the announce team.
: Chavo crunches Eddie with the Tornado DDT.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero at 14 minutes and 44 seconds.
Match Rating: 3 / 10.
Booker T. (challenger) Vs Fit Finley (champion) (Television Title Match)
: No heat until the conclusion when Booker T. Spike Piledrives Finley.
Winner: …and new Television Champion…Booker T. at 13 minutes and 15 seconds.
Match Rating: 2 / 10.
Konnan (challenger) Vs Goldberg (champion) (U.S. Title Match)
: Hennig and Rude accompany Konnan. Hennig limps but doesn’t carry a crutch.
: Typical, boring, expeditious Goldberg match. Spear. Jackhammer. It’s over in the blink of an eye. Hennig and Rude help Konnan up and attack him. Hennig pulls off his red and black nWo Wolf Pack shirt to reveal a black and white nWo Hollywood shirt.
: Nash, Luger and Macho rush to aid Konnan.
Winner: …and still U.S. Champion…Bill Goldberg at 1 minute and 57 seconds .
Match Rating: 0 / 10.
Roddy Piper / Macho Man Vs Bret Hart / Hollywood Hogan
: The Disciple is at ringside.
: A cameraman focuses in on a fan sign which states “Roddy Piper / Macho Man Vs Bret Hart / Hollywood Hogan: Welcome To Jurassic Park”. Someone’s going to be standing in the unemployment line this morning.
: Hart holds Macho. Hogan does a running clothesline. Macho ducks. Hogan hits Hart. Hart doesn’t get the slightest bit irrated with Hogan for the mistake.
: The Disciple, Hogan and Piper brawl outside. Hart slaps the Sharp Shooter on Macho’s injured knee for the submission.
Winners: Bret Hart and Hollywood Hogan at 11 minutes and 42 seconds .
Match Rating: 4 / 10.
Roddy Piper Vs Macho Man
: Macho lays on the canvass holding his knee. Geesh, see a doctor already, Randy.
:Piper won’t fight Savage and assists him to his feet. Savage clotheslines Piper. Hot Rod locks Savage in the Figure Four.
Winners: At 1 minute and 35 seconds, Roddy Piper .
Match Rating: 0 / 10.
Sting (challenger) Vs The Giant (challenger) (WCW Tag Team Title Match)
Winner: …and new WCW Tag Team Champion in search of a partner…Sting at 6 minutes and 37 seconds .
Match Rating: 4 / 10.
Total Event Time: 2 hours and 48 minutes.
Overall Event Rating: 2 / 10.