Customer Reviews

Great American Bash 89:Glory Days [VHS]

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4 star:		(2)
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Aw, another classic VHS tape I found recently. Alot of people regard the 1989 year of the NWA to be one of the best years the company had in it's recent years due to the high caliber of wrestling matches featuring the likes of Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and others while the WWF was still on the "Hulk Hogan" train riding on sports entertainment more than the professional wrestling work ethic that made the NWA a true alternative & competition with Vince McMahon at the time.

The problem with most of these home videos from this era is that most of the "card filler" matches are edited down so the PPV would only go around 2 hours long. Still, it's classic footage & unique to see how characters still active today like Ric Flair, Big Poppa Pump, Paul Heyman, Theodore R. Long, Sting, Scott Hall, Ron Simmons, and others were appearance & career wise almost 20 years ago.

"King Of The Hill" Battle Royal - This was a two ring battle royal in which the rules were that if you were eliminated from ring one, you would move over to ring two & get a second chance but if you were eliminated from ring two, you were officially out. The winner of ring one (the only man who was not eliminated at all) would face off against the winner of ring two. However, this was just a match for the team of Sid Vicious & Dan Spivey a.k.a. "The Skyscrapers" to dominate & ended up splitting the win in the end.
This match is edited.

Brian Pillman vs. Bill Irwin - Early Pillman here as he shows off his aerial offence and wins after he dove from the top rope of ring two over to Irwin in ring one.
This match is edited.

Dynamic Dudes vs. Skyscrapers - Boy, who would have know from his match that one of the Dudes would later go on to be the head of WWE talent relations & the other would go on to be a "Franchise." But in this match, they were just bodies for the Skyscrapers do dominate over.
This match is edited.

Tuxedo Match: Jim Cornette vs. Paul E. Dangerously - This was a managers match & it was here for comedic sake which it did achieve.
This is also available on the WWE's "Worlds Greatest Wrestling Managers" DVD.

Texas Tornado Match: Steiner Brothers vs. Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotunda - For those who don't know, this was Scott Steiner's PPV debut and almost 10 years before the Big Poppa Pump gimmick while Mike Rotunda would go on to greatest success under the name I.R.S. Just a wild brawl between these two teams that was very entertaining & enjoyable to look at.

Television Champion Sting vs. Great Muta - This was a good match as Muta's japanese quick style meshed will with Sting style as well. There wasn't a slow or dull moment here and I remember it had a very controversial ending but it didn't take away from the match itself. However, this match was here more to help set up what would happen later in the night.

United States Champion Lex Luger vs. Ricky Steamboat - Although Luger had a bad reputation for being one of the most overpushed & worse wrestlers in history...this was when Luger was in his prime & could carry his own weight. The match is a step down for the Steamboat/Flair classics that dominated the NWA for the first half of the year but each wrestler held their own & again, the cheap ending didn't take away from the match itself.

War Games Match: Road Warriors, Midnight Express, Steve Williams vs. Fabulous Freebirds & Samoan Swat Team - Ah, the classic War Games match. For those who never seen this, it's a two ringed cage match with a caged top on it & the first two wrestlers go in for 5 minute period. A coin toss is held (which the heels always seem to win) to determine who goes in next and the teams alternate wrestlers entering the match. When the final wrestler enters the cage, the only way to win is by submission or surrender. However to the Maryland state athletic commission not allowing blood during the time, this match isn't as violent as previous & future War Games matches were.

NWA Champion Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk - This was Flair's first match back after winning the NWA Title back from Ricky Steamboat in which Terry Funk attacked him afterwards. Terry Funk is one of the original wrestlers who knew how to make their matches entertaining. Funk would inject some humor every now & then but you would still take him seriously. This match was good as they did good storytelling surrounding Flair's injured neck along with them trying to "out heel" each other by using the branding iron behind the referee's back. Flair won the match with a rollup but attacked by Muta which set up Sting for the save looking for revenge for earlier in the night. This one match helped set up feuds for not only the rest of the year but for the year after involving Flair & Sting.

Overall, this was a classic PPV from the later days of the National Wrestling Alliance & if you can get your hands on it, you won't be sorry.

Before the WCW era, the NWA (on a business level) was failing. In the ring, however, the action was as good or better than what was going on in the WWF/WWE at that time in 1989! While I am not sure this vintage card is worth $[...], it is worth getting your hands on! I will warn that while every match is on the tape, some of them are edited! I will mark the edited matches with a star.

*King Of The Mountain Battle Royal - This was a two ring affair and the two rings would come into play several times during this card. This featured a young Ron Simmons, Sid Vicious, Dan Spivey, The Steiner Brothers, the late Brian Pillman, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, the late "Freebird" Terry Gordy and others. Ends when manager Teddy Long declares a draw between Dan Spivey and Sid Vicious when they are the last two in the ring!

*Brian Pillman Vs. "Wild" Bill Irwin - Not much here except more of a display of Pillman's high flying skills. Ends when Pillman performs a flying bodypress on Irwin.....from the other ring!

*The Dynamic Dudes Vs. The Skyscrapers - Basically a one-sided whoopin' of Shane Douglas and Johnny Ace as Sid and Danny pretty much handed them their a**es! Ends with a very sloppy powerbomb from Spivey on Ace.

*Jim Cornette Vs. Paul E. Dangerously (Tuxedo Match) - A prelude to the bra and panties match we saw during the WWE Attitude era, the loser is the one that is totally stripped of his tuxedo. Cornette wins after Dangerously's powder trick backfires on him!

The Steiners Vs. Kevin Sullivan/Mike Rotunda (Texas Tornado Match) - This was LONG before Scott Steiner became "Big Poppa Pump." A wild affair that was very ECW like. Ends when both Steiners pinned Sullivan!

Sting Vs. The Great Muta (NWA World TV Title Match) - An amazing bout which saw Muta in trouble for the first time since he arrived in the NWA at that time! A double pin at the end (though Sting's shoulders were clearly off the mat before 3) causes the match to end in a draw and the NWA TV title to be held up.

Lex Luger Vs. Ricky Steamboat (NWA United States Title Match) - This was originally scheduled to be "No DQ" bout but Luger demanded that the stipulation be removed or Steamboat wouldn't get a shot (another "brilliant" WCW angle/since when does a champion dictate a stipulation before a match?)! Steamboat agreed and pretty much carried Luger to one of his better matches. Ends when Steamboat is DQ'ed for using a steel chair on Luger after Luger introduced it into the match.

The Midnight Express, The Road Warriors & "Dr. Death" Steve Williams Vs. The Fabulous Freebirds & The Samoan Swat Team (WarGames Match) - While not as brutal as the original WarGames, it may have been the most athletic of the bunch as these big men were doing some amazing things, especially The Road Warriors! Ends when the late Road Warrior Hawk makes "Freebird" Jim Garvin submit to a neckhold.

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair Vs. Terry Funk (NWA Title Match) - I personally like this one better than their more famous "I Quit" match that took place months later. This one was wild to say the least with wrestling and fighting all rolled into one. The match ends when Flair catches Funk in a roll up but then things really heat up as a four way fight between Sting, The Great Muta, Terry Funk and Ric Flair happens, capping off a great night of wrestling!

As I said, I don't know about the $[...] price tag but you won't regret it if you decide to pay that for it! Even with the first few matches edited, its still worth the price.

I'm excited to do this review of WCW's Great American Bash 1989. This is an all time classic. This was when The NWA-WCW was at it's best to be honest I like it more than The NWO era stuff although I did like The NWO. So what went on after Wrestle War. Well Flair was put out of action by Terry Funk & started targeting everybody he could. He wanted to be in The Top 10 List of contenders so when he finally cracked The Top 10 it was decided that he would face NO 1 contender Ricky Steamboat at Clash Of Champions V II to decide The Number 1 Contender. Lex Luger cut a mean promo after Wrestle War where he was sick of pleasing everyone. He defeated Michael Hayes to win back The NWA United States Champioship. On The June 10th episode of World Championship Wrestling Jim Ross was going over The Clash that was coming up Luger came in & yelled for them to cut the video off so he could cut 1 of his best promos "Back in January Ric Flair said I get no more title shots. Then Ricky Steamboat came in when I had I had The Nature Boy on the verge of defeat. He came through the back door & beat a wounded warrior & Terry Funk who have you beat. Flair either wrestle or give up the belt. I know I messed up that promo I wish he could've continued how he was in 88, 89, 90 & 91 instead of what he did in The mid to late 90's. He did a better job here turning heel than how Batista did "You were suppose to be my friend!. Look that up. So at Clash Of Champions VII Terry Funk & Ricky Steamboat had a decent match Funk hit Steamboat with a mic. He was going to hurt him Luger came down to make the save it looked like but he clotheslined him used a chair on him put him in The Tourture Rack. He said there's your NO 1Contender. Also at The Clash Of Champions Jim Ross had a special interview with Ric Flair where he's announce his plans on July 1st so then on that episode of World Championship Wrestling he annouced he was coming back for The Great Americn Bash. Since Mike Rotundo & Dr Death Steve Williams were stripped of The NWA World Tag Team title there was a tournament announced. Paul E Dangerously declared war on The Road Warriors & Paul Ellering. Jim Cornette & The Midnight Express came back to WCW & entered the tournament. So The Somoan Swat Team & Paul E Dangerously cost The Road Warriors a spot in the tournament. At Clash Of Champions VII The Road Warriors retutnded the favor by costing them their spot in the tournament. The Tournament came down to The Midnight Express & The Freebirds Jimmy "Jam" Garvin returned & joined The Freebirds. Paul E Dangerously attacked Jim Cornette with a loaded tennis racket that had chains horse shoes & other blunt objects. The Freebirs won The NWA World Tag Team Championship. Kevin Sullivan paid Freebird Terry Gordy to hurt former Varsity Club member Steve Williams. The Freebirds & Somoans massacred The Road Warriors which lead up to a War Games match for this event. Jim Cornette wanted to end all the problems he had with Pau E Dangerously so they agreed to a Tuxedo Match for this event. Gary Hart laid the challenge down for Sting to put up his TV tile against The Great Muta. Sting was wrecking shop as The NWA World Television Champion. So he accepted also around this time The Great Muta sprayed mist in Missy Hyatt's face see WWE this is how you do PG programming. Where adults can enjoy it. Unfortantly at Clash Of Champions VII The Ding Dongs debuted & it was instantly nuked by the crowd so Herd killled that gimmick off quickly. Brian Pillman debuted. Scott Steiner joined his brother you were also introduced to Rick's secret admirer Robin Green Kevin Sullivan taunted her for weeks which lead to the final encounter between The Steiner's vs Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotundo. Thedore Long brought in Norman The Lunitic & his video packages were s h i t t y as well he brought in his Skyscrapers that had a debuting Sid Vicous & former Varsity Club member Dan Spivey. Scott Hall also came to WCW. So the buyrate for this show was 1.70 down from the 2.20 from last years Bash. Let's go over the matches.

DateJuly 23, 1989
Attendance12,500
VenueBaltimore Arena
CityBaltimore, Maryland

$50,000 triple crown battle royale
Sid Vicous & Dan Spivey split the money. **
Also including Mike Rotundo, Kevin Sullivan, Scott Hall, Ranger Ross, Flyin Brian, Ron Simmons, Eddie Gillbert, Rick & Scott Steiner, Steve Williams & Wild Bill Irwin.
Thedore Long came in & said he let Sid Vicous & Dan Spivey tear each other up so they would split the money.
Promo by Terry Funk the video messed up not going good for him he said that he had a surprise for The Nature Boy.
Flyin Brian Def Wild Bill Irwin **
they were given an ok amount of time it was pretty good for Brian Pillman's 1st Pay Per View.
Gordon Solie interviews Paul E Dangerously who said he's not here to win but to put Jim Cornette out of Professional Wrestling. He said that he is still hurt from falling off The Scaffold at Starrcade 86.

The Skyscrapers Sid Vicous & Dan Spivey with Thedore Long Def The Dynamic Dudes Johnny & Shane * & a half stars
Jason Hervey did the ring introductions for no reason The Dudes music sounds like The Beach Boys mixed with The Beastie Boys. The Sky Scrapers got a decent pop.
Good interview where Gordon Solie interviews Jim Cornette
Tuxedo Match
Jim Cornette Def Paul E Dangerously * & a quarter star
Gordon Solie interviewed Gary Hart
Texas Tornado tag team match no disqualification
The Steiner Brothers Rick & Scott Def Mike Rotundo & Kevin Sullivan ** & a half stars
Very good interview in the back with Sting

NWA Televison Championship
Sting with Eddie Gillbert vs The Great Muta with Gary Hart *** It looked as if Sting won The Referee was blinded by Muta's mist therefor the title was held up as the fans yelled bulls h i t.
Gordon Solie interviewed The US Champion Lex Luger which he said tonights match better be under regular rules.
NWA United States Championship
Ricky Steamboat Def Champion Lex Luger by Disqualification Luger retained the title though *** & a quarter stars
Luger told Gary Juster before the match that if it's not under regular rules he won't defent the title. So he got his way this was a good match Luger was given the right oppent again he did a good job.

War Games Match
The Road Warriors
The Midnight Express
& Dr Death Steve Williams with Paul Ellering & Jim Cornette

Def

Michael Hayes Jimmy Garvin Terry Gordy
& The Somoan Swat Team
The Freebirds won the coin toss so they got the advantage
Jimmy Garvin started out for The Freebirds
Boby Eaton started out for The LOD & Express team
The Feebirds sent Terry Gordy in for their 2nd man
The LOD Express team sent Steve Williams in to even it up.
The Freebired team sent in Samu for their 3rd guy
Animal went in for The LOD Express team
Fatu went in for The Freebirds 4th man
Stan Lane went in for The LOD Express teams 4th guy
Michael Hayes went in for The Freebirds final guy
Hawk was the last guy for The LOD Express team
Hawk made Garvin submit **** & quarter stars

Gordon Solie interview Ric Flair where he says he knows what he's getting into but he came back for the hatered that he has for Terry Funk
NWA World Heavyweight Champinship
Champion Ric Flair Def Terry Funk with Gary Hart ****
After the match Gary Hart tried to attack Flair which Flair knocked him on his a s s. The Great Muta came in he sprayed mist into Flair's face Funk tried to finish off Flair's neck Doug Dillinger tried to stop it but Muta beat him up Jim Ross said "Hey Doug Dillinger is a civilain!" Then Sting came down Flair & Sting chased them off then it went all the way up the ramp. Big street fight. Then Flair cuts an epic promo he tells Sting to come over here "I haven't said thank you in 10 years pal but Thank You!" This is the differance between Dusty's booking or Russo or Nash's booking This was an awesome show the under card wasn't bad the upper card matches were all good & they set up the main storyline that would go into next year with Sting & Flair.

even at the high price this event is worth every penny.The opening matches are all very entertaining but the event realy heats up when sting and the great muta colid.The war games one of the best war games in wcw history an and the main event is in my view the best match ever in the terry funk vs ric flair war.

From start to finish this was a pretty decent pay per view, as were most of the NWA's PPV's from this time period. Here are the match listing:

"King of the Ring" battle royal: There were two rings set up so the first match was a two ring battle royal. In ring one Sid won and in ring two Dan Spivey won. They were tag partners at the time and known as the Skyscrappers. When one man was left in both rings they were supposed to come together and fight it out for top honors but instead they decided not to do that and split the $50,000 prize money. Not a bad match but cud have been better. I give this match a 5/10.

Brian Pillman vs Bill Irwin: This was just an ok match for me, nothing really special about it. The match did go a little long though and because of that it was hard to sit through. I give this match a 4/10.

Skyscrappers vs Dynamic Dudes: Again just an average match and nothing really special. I give this match a 4/10.

Jim Cornette vs Paul E Dangerously in a Tuxedo Street Fight: This match was entertaining for what it was. When u see two managers like this go at it u can't expect too much. Still, pretty entertaining. I give this match a 5/10.

Steiners vs. Mike Rotundo and Kevin Sullivan: Pretty good match. It was scheduled as a tornado match which means that all participants can be in the ring at once. The only problem I have is that the match is a little short, otherwise a really good match. I give this match a 5/10.

Sting vs Great Muta for the NWA TV title: Fantastic match between these two face painted heroes. This match was a fast paced back and forth show down between two of the best in the NWA at the time. My only problem with this match is that there is not a clear cut victor as both men's shoulders were down and therefore it was ruled a no decision. I give this match a 9/10.

Lex Luger vs Ricky Steamboat for the NWA US title: This was a good match. I mean, Steamboat can make anybody look good in the ring. It was a little short clocking in at just over 10:00, but it was still a good back and forth match. I give this match a 7/10.

The Somoan Swat Team and the Freebirds vs The Road Warriors, The Midnight Express and Steve Williams in a War Games match: This match was just ok to me. It was a little tame compared to the other war games matches in the past. Standouts for me was the Midnight's and the Somoan's. Both teams were a treat to watch in the double ring double cage match. I give this match a 7/10.

Main Event: Ric Flair vs Terry Funk for the NWA World title: This was an intense match. It was good but not as good as their "I Quit" match. There was some blood involved in the match and at the end of the match we have Muta coming out to help Funk and then Sting comes out to help Flair, leading some to believe at that time that he was going to become a Horseman. All in all this match was a real treat to watch as were most of Flair's matches at the time. I give this match a 8/10.

All in all it was a good PPV but could have been little better. I think the Sting match should have had a definate winner. I think Luger and Steamboat should have went at least 15:00. I do think the Wargames match should have been more violent then what it was. And, the Main Event could have been just a little more fast paced. Other then that, this was a good PPV. I give this PPV as a whole 7/10.

This is one of my favorite wrestling events that I still own on tape & eventually transfered onto DVD as this was really just a classic event from the awesome NWA/WCW era from 1989. Now one thing to mention about this tape is that all of these old NWA events (for some reason) were edited down to fit a 3 hour card onto a 2 hour tape, however I have the entire event on tape so I am not sure which matches are edited. On a personal note, despite WWF being the top money company at the time, most fans can agree that the NWA '89 era featured the better wrestling matches.

"King of the Hill" Battle Royal. This was a two ring battle royal in which the rules were that if you were eliminated from ring one, you would move over to ring two & get a second chance but if you were eliminated from ring two, you were officially out. The winner of ring one would face off against the winner of ring two. One thing to look out for is that you will see familiar faces like Scott Hall, Ron Simmons, Brian Pillman & others but this match was more about the Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious & Dan Spivey) dominating the entire match before both men decide to split the winner's money along with Theodore R. Long (their manager).

Brian Pillman vs Bill Irwin. This match was more of a showcase for Pillman as he was able to use his speed & quickness to overcome the bigger Irwin. I feel this is worth watching for those that only got to see Pillman after he crushed his angle in early '96 that limited his wrestling ability.

The Skyscrapers vs Dynamic Dudes. It's interesting to point out that one of the dudes is actually Shane Douglas while the other guy ended up being the head of WWE talent relations but besides that historical factor, this match was dominated by the Skyscrapers as they made quick work of this team.

Tuxedo Match: Jim Cornette vs Paul E. Dangerously. This was a comedy match that delivered as the rules to this match was that the winner is the manager that rips his opponent's tuxedo off.

Texas Tornado Match: The Steiner Brothers vs Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotunda. This didn't last long but this was just a wild encounter between both teams with even some stiff moments of each member using a steel chair & slamming each other on the concrete floor.

Television Champion Sting vs The Great Muta. Out of all their series of matches, this was my favorite encounter as their unique styles meshed well in what was an action packed contest that had the intensity & fire that made this feud really stand out during this point in wrestling. There was some controversy to the ending of the match but it didn't take away from what was a great match & again the best Sting/Muta encounter.

United States Champion Lex Luger vs Ricky Steamboat. It should be noted that this was supposed to be a No DQ match but Luger stated that if it was not changed to a regular match, then he would not wrestle. Steamboat showed here that he was one of the best wrestlers to ever grace a ring as he carried Luger to one of his best matches in his whole career but to be fair, Luger did a great job in keeping up with Steamboat with his power offense while Steamboat used his technique & speed to combat the bigger man. This one ended by disqualification but it was a good match regardless & again one of Luger's best matches.

War Games: The Road Warriors, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Midnight Express vs The Fabulous Freebirds & Samoan Swat Team. This was a two ringed cage match with a caged top on it & the first two wrestlers go in for a 5 minute period. A coin toss is held to determine who goes in next and the teams alternate wrestlers entering the match. When the final wrestler enters the cage, the only way to win is by submission or surrender. This was not as bloody or brutal as the other War Games matches have been but this was one of the more athletic matches in the War Games history as everyone was given a chance to shine & not be topped by the other.

NWA Champion Ric Flair vs Terry Funk. This match gets overshadowed by their more famous I-Quit match or even the later Thunderdome clash but this was actually my favorite encounter between these two as both men started this match wild & kept it that way throughout the match along with both trying to out heel the other by doing dirty tricks like bloodying each other with the branding iron & even brawling around ringside. There was storytelling here as Funk worked on Flair's injured neck that Funk caused at WrestleWar. The aftermath featured Sting & Great Muta getting involved that lead to a wild brawl all over the arena that lead the Thunderdome cage match.

Overall, this was a classic NWA event & my personal favorite Great American Bash show that I would recommend if you can get a copy of this event.

Event: NWA The Great American Bash 1989
Date: July 10, 1988
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Arena: Baltimore Arena
Attendence: 12,500

Two-Ring King of the Hill Battle Royal: Sid Vicious and Danny Spivey won a "two-ring king of the hill battle royal." Also in the match were: Eddie Gilbert, Terry Gordy, Scott Hall, Bill Irwin, Brian Pillman, Ranger Ross, Mike Rotunda, Ron Simmons, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, and Kevin Sullivan....***

Brian Pillman pinned Bill Irwin (10:18)....***

The Skyscrapers (Dan Spivey and SidVicious) defeated The Dynamic Dudes (Johnny Ace and Shane Douglas) (9:14) when Spivey pinned Ace....***

Tuxedo Match: Jim Cornette defeated Paul E Dangerously (6:22) in a "tuxedo" match....*

Texas Tornado Match: Rick and Scott Steiner defeated Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan (4:22) in a "Texas tornado" match when both Steiners pinned Sullivan....***

World Television Title Match: Sting pinned The Great Muta (8:40) to retain the title....*****

United States Heavyweight Title Match: Lex Luger defeated Ricky Steamboat (10:26) by Disqualification to retain the title....*****

WarGames: The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal), The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane), and Steve Williams defeated The Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin, Michael Hayes, and Terry Gordy) and The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu and Samu) (22:18) in a "wargames" match when Hawk forced Jimmy Garvin to submit....*****

World Heavyweight Title Match: Ric Flair pinned Terry Funk (17:23) to retain the title.*****

I happened to attend this event in Baltimore, MD in 1989. The atmosphere was very high for the afternoon. (PPV back then was done in the afternoons.) Anticipation was running high for the Main Event: Flair vs Funk. Some brief points before I touch on the Main Event. The Wargames Match: Very dissapointing. Compare this match with the original Wargames Matches from 1987 Great American Bash and the 1989 Wargames match doesn't even compare or match up to the 1987 event. More heat back in 1987 and intensity. 1989's went through the motions, very little action, and no blood! Wow, when is there a Wargames match in the NWA with no blood? You'll find it here.

Luger vs Steamboat: Could have been better. Luger being the U.S. Champion at the time and cocky as ever changed the stipulations in the match prior to it taking place. The Baltimore fans weren't too pleased with this. Again, big build up for the hopes of Steamboat dethroning Luger, but this was not meant to be.

Sting vs Muta: I've always had respect for Sting and enjoyed watching him live. I was there in Baltimore in 1990 when he defeated Ric Flair for the World Title at the Bash. Talk about a loud pop in the crowd!!!! Muta vs Sting feud will go down in history as on of the most hyped up feuds in its time. Muta would eventually dissapear and Sting would go back to feuding with Flair, which in my mind is one of the best NWA/WCW feuds around. Compared to Magnum TA vs Tully Blanchard, Sting vs Flair ranks up there with the all time greatest feuds in wrestling history. Muta vs Sting could have been much better during this event.

MAIN EVENT: Flair vs Funk. Now with the "No Blood" ruling in Baltimore, MD, which was based upon the Medical Commissioner at the time, he sat a majority of the time at ringside with the bell ringer. When this match was ready to take place, the medical commissioner left and didn't return. Let me tell you, with him out of the picture, Flair and Funk put on the match of their lives. Double blood and it didn't stop there. Flair and Funk gave the crowd its money's worth and thensome. After Flair had won the match, a fight broke out afterwards. I believe this is captured on the video, if not, I have it in my Video Collection. Muta came out and charged the ring. Flair was being attacked. Sting came to his aid and helped Flair. Muta and Funk were leaving the ring and words were said. Muta throws a chair at Flair and Sting in the ring. Flair jumps out of the ring and charges after Muta. All hell broke lose. Sting took off after Funk and the fight went up onto the staging area. It was wild! Baltimore Arena was so loud and wild you would have thought you were watching a hockey game.

NWA during this time really showed the talent that they had and it's a shame to see what wrestling has become today under the hand of Vince McMahon. I highly recommend this video for any true wrestling fan who has never experienced the "Glory Days" when "Wrestling" was wrestling, and the "Soap Opera" antics were left to the actual daytime drama shows.

Hlywood3@bellsouth.net

There is very little that can be said about the 1989 Great American Bash, other than it is one of the best pay per views the NWA/WCW ever put on. There is not one match on this card that is disappointing. It starts off with the Finals of the Triple Crown Battle Royal Challenge. Basically two battle royals going on at the same time and is a great opener. After a Brian Pillman match which is quick and entertaining, you get into the meat of the ppv. The Steiners take on The Varsity Club in a no dq tag match which is a great 10 minute plus brawl. After this you get to see Sting and the Great Muta, who were both rising stars at the time go at it for the TV strap. This is followed by Lex Luger vs Ricky Steamboat for the U.S title. Most wrestling fans know Steamboat is just flat out awesome, but at this time in his career Luger put on decent matches as well, and this was a fantastic match up. This is then followed by The War Games match where you get to see The Freebirds, L.O.D, Dr. Death and the Midnight Express all in the same match. That could easily been the main event of this show but after all this great action you get Terry Funk vs Ric Flair for the World title in a 5 star affair which sets up the Funk/Muta vs Sting/Flair matches that stretch over the next few months.The title of this G.A.B "Glory Days" sums it up perfectly as this was definitely a great time to be a wrestling fan. As I always state, if you see a copy that is in the price range comfortable for you, I strongly suggest you pick up this tape.

GAB89 is widely considered to be the best PPV ever produced by any promotion. This is a rare case of great angles setting up a great matches. Too often the blowoff to a great angle is disappointing. Not here.

I'll skip some of the preliminary stuff for this review and start when it gets good.

Varsity Club vs. Steiners - This is the Steiner debut as a team, I think. It's also very ECW-ish 5 years before that style became popular.

Sting vs. Muta - Sting was in his second year with Crockett Promotions after being the Ultimate Warrior's partner in UWF. Muta was a phenomenon here much like the Undertaker when he debuted. The difference is Muta is one of the best wrestlers in the world. In fact, Muta (Keiji Mutoh) was voted Wrestler of the Year for 2001. This match rules and sets up an even better match for the held-up TV Title ****

Steamboat vs. Luger - This was before Luger went south so it's very, very good. Steamboat was 2nd only to Flair in terms of ability at this point. He is easily the most underrated wrestler in the last 20 years. ****3/4

Wargames - This is very Royal Rumble-like. For those who don't know Wargames is a 5-on-5 match with two guys from each team starting and one guy coming in every couple of minutes. Once everyone is in they go until a member of one of the teams submits.***1/2 Check out the first Wargames at Bash '87 instead.

NWA Title - Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk - Funk was a judge for Flair vs. Steamboat at Wrestlewar (Greatest Match Ever!). After about 40 minutes of action Ric Flair pinned Steamboat to regain the title. Funk (who had been retired) took the opportunity to congratulate and challenge Flair for the title. Flair pointed out that there is a ranking system and Funk would just have to climb the ladder until he was #1. Funk was enraged and gave Ric a piledriver on a table (not the weak Dudley kind either!). Flair's neck was broken and he gave Funk a title shot in order to get his hands on him. Great angle and a great match. 1988-89 really showed what Flair could do - classic wrestling with Steamboat, making the careers of Sting/Luger, and two all out brawls with Terry Funk. ****1/2 Find Clash of the Champions for their "I Quit" match. It's even better.

Awesome PPV which deserves all the hype. It's too bad you can barely find it anymore.