WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING PRESENTS
GREAT AMERICAN BASH 1995 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1995
FROM THE THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA IN KNOXVILLE, TN
LIVE ON TBS!TONY SCHIAVONE,
DUSTY RHODES and
TERRY TAYLOR are at ringside.
TONY: “Fans, welcome to Knoxville, Tennessee, we’re glad you could join us for the return of the GREAT AMERICAN BASH here on TBS! We’ve got a great show lined up tonight. We’re going to kick things off with one of the hottest country stars around right now, TOBY KEITH, singing “America the Beautiful”.”
TOBY KEITH performs America the Beautiful to open the show. As he ends the song, red, white and blue streamers fall from the rafters.TONY SCHIAVONE interviews
TOBY KEITH at ringside after he’s done singing. Toby says he’s been a wrestling fan for years, and it’s an honour to be able to perform on a WCW show, in front of these great fans.
WCW INTERNATIONAL TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
DEMOLITION (Champs) vs. THE ORIENT EXPRESS (Yuji Nagata & Satoshi Kojima)The smaller challengers use a hit-and-run strategy to start, and it works well for them, as they control the early going, but Demolition fight back and cut the youngster Nagata off from his corner. Smash and Crush work over Nagata, but a low blow on Crush turns the tables. Nagata tags Kojima in, and the two Japanese challengers double-team Crush. Crush is able to fight his way back to his corner, and makes the tag. Smash cleans house, sending both challengers to the floor. Nagata comes back in, and gets double-teamed by Smash and Crush. They set him up for the Demolition Decapitation, but Kojima climbs up onto the ring apron from the floor, and shoves Smash off the top rope. Crush throws Nagata aside and pulls Kojima into the ring, but just as he does, the bell rings. The 10-minute time limit has expired, and the match is declared a DRAW.
TONY, TERRY and DUSTY talk about the match we just saw, and Tony says that he’s looking forward to a rematch between the two teams.
DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE (w/ the Diamond Doll) vs. THE MASKED OUTLAWPage goes on the offensive as soon as the bell rings, and makes short work of the masked man, putting him away with the Diamond Cutter.
After the match, TONY, TERRY and DUSTY talk about a newcomer to World Championship Wrestling, a former amateur standout, and US Marine, Sgt. Craig “Pitbull” Pittman.
We see footage of Pittman in an amateur match while in the Marine Corps. He makes short work of a bigger opponent. From there, we see Pittman training in various martial arts. The video then cuts to footage of Pittman running a team of Marines through a training exercise at Parris Island in South Carolina, barking orders at them. It ends with Pittman addressing the camera, saying that he’ll be at the Great American Bash to face Mike Awesome. He says that Awesome may be big, but he believes in the old saying, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.TONY, TERRY and DUSTY talk about the footage we just saw. Tony says that the fans here in WCW have their very own real-life G.I. Joe, a man that has dedicated his life to keeping America safe.
Prior to the start of the match, PITTMAN is led to the ring by a small Marines marching band.
SGT. CRAIG “PITBULL” PITTMAN vs. MIKE AWESOMEAwesome tries to overpower Pittman to start, using his size to his advantage, but Pittman shocks Awesome by fighting back. Pittman incorporates some of his martial arts into the match, and takes control of the bout. The match moves to the floor, and Awesome turns the tables, raking Pittman’s eyes, then slamming his head into the ringpost and even slamming Pittman on the floor.
They move back into the ring, but Pittman is dazed from the attack on the floor, and Awesome hits him with the Awesome Bomb! Awesome isn’t finished, though, he goes to the top rope and hits a Splash for good measure. Awesome covers his opponent, and gets the 1, 2, 3.
As Pittman is leaving the ring, he notices someone by the entranceway, a man in fatigues, but wearing a black mask.
TONY, TERRY and DUSTY talk about the match, and say that, even though he lost, Pittman was very impressive. Dusty wonders who the masked guy watching from the ramp was.
TONY then talks about the Steiner brothers, and Col. Parker’s new team, who he refers to as the Super Models, Rick “the Model” and “Beautiful” Bobby.
The footage that first aired a few weeks ago on WCW Saturday Night is shown again, where Scott Steiner was jumped by the Super Models while working out at a local gym. They battered Scott’s ribs, causing Scott to have them heavily taped on Saturday Night.DUSTY says that Scott is wrestling against doctor’s orders tonight.
WCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
RICK & SCOTT STEINER (Champs) vs. RICK MARTEL & BOBBY EATON (w/ Col. Rob Parker)The Steiners dominate the early going, suplexing their opponents around the ring like rag dolls. Scott’s ribs are still heavily taped, and it’s obvious that they’re bothering him, as Rick wrestles most of the match.
Late in the match, the fight moves to the floor, where Scott gets the upper hand on Martel after slamming his head into the ring the steel guardrail around ringside. Scott is the first one back into the ring, and as Martel climbs up on the ring apron, Scott hits him with some stiff forearms to the jaw. From there, Scott hooks Martel, and sets him up to suplex him from the apron back into the ring.
As Scott gets Martel up, Col. Parker hands a chair to Bobby Eaton, who comes over and drives the edge of the chair right into Scott’s injured ribs.
Scott falls to the mat, with Martel landing on top of him. Rick goes after Eaton and Parker on the floor, and doesn’t notice that Martel has Scott in a pinning predicament.
Referee Nick Patrick gets into position, and starts the count. Scott can’t kick out, and Martel gets the pinfall!
We’ve got new WCW World Tag Team Champions.Col. Parker celebrates with his team while Rick checks on his brothers. Nick Patrick checks on Scott as well, and he and Rick end up having to help Scott from the ring.
TONY, TERRY and DUSTY talk about the matches that have taken place so far, and then hype the three main matches coming up, Sting facing Hugh Morrus in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Curt Hennig defending the World Title against Ric Flair in a 2 out of 3 Falls match, and Lex Luger facing US Champ Scott Norton inside a Steel Cage!
We see footage of Lex Luger training for his Cage match with Norton. Then footage of Luger talking with a group of fans, saying that he’s going to beat Norton so that the American people have a United States Champion that they can be proud of.KEVIN KELLY is standing by backstage with
STING. Kelly talks about the match coming up next with Morrus. Sting says that they could end up right back here during the match, they could end up in the crowd, they could end up down the street, he really doesn’t know, but the one thing that he does know is that he’s not going to let Flair win, he knows it was Ric who paid Sullivan and Morrus to try to eliminate him, but that’s not going to happen. He’s going to beat Morrus here today, and then he’s going to take care of the Nature Boy, once and for all.
FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE MATCH
STING vs. HUGH MORRUS (w/ Kevin Sullivan)The match starts out in the ring, but they waste no time in moving to the arena floor, where Sting batters Morrus, and slams his head into the ringpost. A moment later, they brawl down the aisle. Morrus gets the upper hand after a thumb to the eye, and sets Sting up for what looks to be a Powerbomb on the floor, but Sting counters it by backdropping Morrus instead. Sting goes for the cover, but only gets 2.
Eventually, they make their way backstage, where they hit each other with everything that’s not nailed down. Sting gets the upper hand, and busts Morrus open after repeatedly slamming Hugh’s head into the wall.
At that point, Kevin Sullivan, who’s been lurking nearby the whole time, makes his presence felt. He grabs a garbage can, and bashes Sting over the head with it, knocking the Stinger to the floor.
Morrus recovers, he pulls Sting up off the floor . . . AND DDT’S HIM!!
Hugh Morrus just DDT’d Sting on the cement floor!
Sting is out cold, and Morrus gets the 3-count. Morrus doesn’t care that the match is over, he starts kicking Sting, with Sullivan joining in, until a group of wrestlers, led by Lex Luger and Curt Hennig, arrive on the scene and chase Morrus and Sullivan off.
Sting is starting to stir, he’s been busted open, his red, white and blue facepaint is now just red.
TONY, TERRY and DUSTY talk about what we just saw, with Tony saying that it’s not often that we see Sting left laying like that. He thinks there’s going to be hell to pay for Hugh Morrus! Terry doesn’t think so, he thinks Sting has finally met his match, and that Hugh Morrus is going to do exactly what he’s been paid to do, and that’s end the career of the Stinger.
BEST 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS
WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
CURT HENNIG (Champ) vs. RIC FLAIRFALL #1: The two men tear into each other to start the match, both know what’s at stake, and both know how important winning the first fall is. As the match progresses, Flair takes control, and focuses on the knee of the World Champion. Hennig turns the tables, as Flair attempts to cinch him up for a suplex, Hennig blocks it, then goes for one of his own, but as he does, Hennig hooks Flair’s leg, and hits Flair with the Fisherman’s Suplex into a bridge! Flair can’t kick out, and Hennig wins the first fall at 14:43.
FALL #2: Flair was caught by surprise at the end of the first fall, and he doesn’t take it very well. To start the second fall, Flair attacks Hennig from behind and pummels him. Flair rolls out of the ring, and grabs Hennig’s leg. He drags Hennig over to the ringpost, and proceeds to slam Hennig’s knee into the ringpost. Flair does this several times, then climbs back into the ring. At the 16-minute mark, Flair locks on the Figure-Four Leglock. Hennig tries desperately to break the hold, but it’s no use, and he ends up submitting. We’re tied at one fall apiece heading into the third and deciding fall.
FALL #3: Flair goes back to the knee to start the final fall, looking to put Hennig away quickly and become World’s Champion. Hennig fights back, but he can barely put any weight on his knee. Flair turns the tables again, kicking Hennig’s leg out from under him, putting Hennig back on the mat. Flair works over the knee for a few more minutes, and as we near the 22-minute mark, Flair goes for the Figure-Four again, right in the middle of the ring . . . but Hennig reaches up and grabs Flair by the hair, rolling him up in a small package!!!
The referee is in position, and makes the count . . . ONE . . . TWO . . . . . . THREE!
Curt Hennig comes away with a victory, 2 falls to 1, and retains the World Heavyweight Title!
TONY, TERRY and DUSTY talk about the match we just saw, then they hype the final match of the evening, as Lex Luger faces US Champion Scott Norton in a Steel Cage match.
We see a video package highlighting what led up to the Steel Cage match. We see Norton and Luger as tag team partners at Bash at the Beach back in June, with Norton showing a vicious streak in that match that we haven’t seen from him in a long time, as he ended up injuring the Giant. Luger faced Ric Flair in a #1 contenders match that was signed before the World Title was held up. Norton felt that as the reigning US Champ, he should have been the automatic #1 contender, and feeling like he was being overlooked yet again, he attacked Luger after Lex beat Flair in the match. We then see footage of the two meeting in the ring at World War 3, with Norton getting disqualified to retain the US title.STEEL CAGE MATCH FOR THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
SCOTT NORTON (Champ) vs. LEX LUGERNorton attacks Luger before the bell sounds, and has the upper hand when the match begins. Lex spends the first few minutes being pounded into the mat. Norton repeatedly sends Luger into the Cage, even going so far as to grind Luger’s face into the metal. It doesn’t take long for Luger to start bleeding, but he won’t stay down, he keeps battling back. Norton throws everything but the kitchen sink at Lex, but he just can’t put him away.
Late in the match, Norton whips Luger into the corner, then charges at him. Luger, thinking quickly, uses the turnbuckles to hold himself, and kicks both feet up, catching Norton right in the face. Norton staggers backwards, and Luger comes out of the corner with a forearm smash that puts Norton flat on his back. As Norton slowly gets to his feet, but he’s met with another running forearm smash from Luger, putting him back down on the mat.
Luger picks Norton up, and standing near the ropes, he lifts Norton up for a suplex, sending the Champion crashing back-first into the Cage.
From there, Luger pulls Norton up again . . . AND LIFTS HIM UP INTO THE TORTURE RACK!!!
Luger’s got Norton up, and the Champion has no choice but to submit.
LEX LUGER HAS WON, LUGER IS ONCE AGAIN THE UNITED STATES CHAMPION!!!TONY SCHIAVONE, DUSTY RHODES and TERRY TAYLOR wrap things up as the Cage is lifted and Luger celebrates in the ring with the belt.
TONY reminds everyone to join him and Taylor on Saturday for WCW Saturday Night.
SCHIAVONE gives a quick plug for the next big event from WCW,
FALL BRAWL featuring the return of WAR GAMES!
CLOSING CREDITS
