Backstage: ‘Mean’ Gene gets a word with the WCW World Tag Team Champions The Nasty Boys. Everyone wants their gold, but they are afraid of no one. It’s the Great American Bash, and tonight, The Blue Bloods will have their brains bashed in. No one walks into the United States and takes whatever they want to. It’s Father’s Day, and tonight’smatch is dedicated to Knobs’ Nasty Dad.

Match #6 for the WCW World Tag Team Championships: The Blue Bloods (Lord Steven Regal & Earl Robert Eaton) vs. WCW World Tag Team Champions The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs & Jerry Sags)
The champs immediately sock the challengers and clear the ring, but they want a fight on the floor. Regal is whipped with Sags’ jacket and Eaton is beaten down in the entryway. Sags drives Regal into the steel and then the ring post as the ref attempts to gain order. Eaton is sent into the apron . Back in the ring, Regal gets an Irish whip and a big clothesline. Eaton gets a double team clothesline, and Regal is clubbed in the corner. A whip to the corner and Regal is lifted for a back drop.

Knobs holds him in place for a pit stop. Irish whip and an assisted splash to Eaton and he also gets a pit stop. Regal slows it down, gets in the ring but can’ get any offense going slugging it out and we still have no conventional action. More floor brawling and Sags takes on both Blue Bloods. They work toward the Nasty Boys’ corner and Knobs surprises Regal with an ax handle off the apron. Sags grabs a weapon and beats Regal over the head. Eaton gets dropped on a chair. Finally in the ring, Sags hooks the arm for a pump handle slam, Regal barely kicks out. Tag is made to Knobs and he beats on the ribs. Regal goes head first into the turnbuckle.

Lord Steven kicks the ribs and gets his first real offense in with forearms to the head. Tag is made to Eaton and they double team Knobs. Eaton rakes the eyes but Knobs fights out. Hip toss and a back drop to Eaton. Knobs charges, Eaton ducks and the champ goes flying over the top. Regal takes his head off with an elbow from the apron. Eaton won’t let Knobs back into the ring without a fight, kicking him back down at first attempt. Tag is made to Regal, they exchange forearms and uppercuts. Knobs is held in the corner, and Sags has seen enough. Regal catches Knobs’ boot, drops him on his back and lands with an elbow.

Knee lifts to Knobs and a tag is made back to Eaton. Irish whip, Eaton charges but Knobs moves. Tag is made to Sags, he lifts Eaton for a big power slam. Sags drives the knee in and throws a right, knocking Earl Robert outside. Regal helps out and dumps Sags. Jerry is double teamed and ran into the apron. Sags is whipped into the steel rail and Knobs runs the Blue Bloods away. In the ring, Eaton drives a knee and we almost have new champions. Reverse chin lock on the mat by Eaton. Tag is made to Regal, knee lifts and a European uppercut, and Sags is forced to get the shoulder up. Quick tag back to Eaton who takes Sags out behind the knee.

More quick tag work, Regal tries a somersault but Sags moves. Knobs and Regal collide with shoulder tackles and both men are down. Stevie Ray and Sister Sherri come running from the back. They pop up on the apron and start pointing and yelling at Sags. Booker T uses the distraction to slip into the other side. He hits the Harlem Hangover on Knobs, but knocks Eaton off the top rope on his way out. Sags hits a double ax handle from the top rope, rolls Knobs on top and they retain their gold.
Winners and STILL WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Nasty Boys (Knobs/Top Rope Double Axe)

• EA’s Take: Man oh man. I thought to myself: “Regal and Eaton, we’re going to see some good, traditional tag team work”. This was easily one of the most confusing tag matches I’ve seen in a while and it was compounded by Harlem Heat’s interference. Bobby Heenan’s line of the night regarding some Dusty Rhodes terminology: “He would. You eat 2 pounds of hay and try to talk”.

Video: We relive the tournament for the vacant WCW United States Championship. The two finalists, Sting and Meng, will do battle tonight.

Backstage: Standing by with ‘Mean’ Gene is Meng & Col. Robert Parker. It’s hot, but they’re ready to turn up the heat. Parker didn’t come here to leave empty handed. It’s time for Sting to call all the medical friends he has, because he’s going to need them when Meng is done with him. Parker guarantees Sting the fight of his life.

Backstage: After a video package for Bash at the Beach, it’s Sting’s turn to talk with ‘Mean’ Gene. He traveled a long way too, and he’s spent years in WCW paying dues against some of the best wrestlers in the world. He’s been a champion on multiple occasions, so he knows exactly what he needs to do in a spot like this.

Match #7 – WCW United States Championship Tournament Finals: Sting vs. Meng w/Col. Robert Parker
They measure each other, Sting backs away from Meng’s martial arts in the corner. They go nose to nose and Meng takes a cheap shot. Body blows and a headbutt in the corner followed by clubbing forearms and stomps. Blatant choke by Meng and the ref calls for a break, Meng is disinterested in that. Kicks to the ribs and a big chop. Sting finally fights back, Meng won’t go down off a drop kick and Parker is up on the apron to talk with his client. He convinces Meng is regroup on the outside. A variety of chops from Meng and he hits a double ax handle across the back. Roundhouse kick by Meng as well as some back hand chops. Sting rakes the eyes to turn the tide. A drop kick lays Meng across the top rope. Sting misses with a cross body and lands on the apron.

Parker distracts him, allowing Meng to score with a back elbow. Meng stalks him on the outside with rib kicks before being whipped into the rail. Sting is rolled back into the ring and choked. Sitout powerbomb by Meng and Sting barely gets the shoulder up. Shoulder breaker by Meng and Stinger is forced to kick once again. A nerve hold from behind is applied. Sting is dumped out to the floor where Col. Parker takes some cheap shots. Sting rolls in and Meng hits a head butt. To the ropes, Sting leaps over Meng for a sunset flip, but he can’t get the Tongan monster over. Nerve submission on the mat by Meng. He breaks it off and gives a stomp to the chest.

Forearm shots, a head of steam and both men collide. Sting charges, Meng blocks a hiptoss and they fight for position with a backslide. Sting backflips over his back, climbs the 2nd turnbuckle and hits a reverse body shot. Meng is up first and he climbs to the 2nd rope and hits a flying headbutt. He makes a cover and Sting kicks. He tries again, same result. Forearm and chop, Meng tries a belly to back suplex but Sting turns it on him. Sting can’t move Meng on two clothesline attempts, he screams in Meng’s face and hits a diving one, finally taking the big man down. Foot to the chest and a bulldog by Sting. Inverted atomic drop and a clothesline by Sting takes both men over the top and out to the floor.

The ref checks on Meng as Sting takes an opportunity to clock Parker. Meng stalks from behind, he charges, Sting moves and Meng hits the ring post. Back in the ring, Sting locks in the Scorpion Deathlock, Meng powers up and out of it. Sting takes him out behind the knees and heads for the top rope, scoring with a flying clothesline. He heads back for the top and lands a big splash and Meng kicks out. Sting kicks the gut, hits the ropes and jumps in the air for a DDT and we finally have a new champion.
Winner and NEW WCW United States Champion: Sting (DDT)

• EA’s Take: Definitely the match of the night so far in terms of both work, story telling and making sense. Sting picks up the crowd pleasing win, but Meng walks away still looking tough as nails. I thought Meng was legitimately injured when he hit the apron, and figured Sting was improvising by turning his attention to Parker to get the camera off of him. Turns out it was just some good selling.

Backstage: Standing by with ‘Mean’ Gene is the ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. Savage congratulates Renegade and Sting, and he’s not jealous because the momentum is positive. But it isn’t going to compare to the fire brought by the Macho Man. He’s looking for revenge for Angelo Poffo on Father’s Day. Too hot to handle, too cold to hold, Ooooh yea!

Match #8: ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage w/Angelo Poffo vs. ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair
Savage chases Flair around the ring, Flair baits him and chops him. Irish whip but Savage comes back with a furious elbow. Whip to the ropes, back drop, clothesline and another clothesline to the floor by Savage. He’s not slowing down as he climbs to the top and leaps to the floor with a double ax handle. Flair with a desperation eye gouge, he rushes toward Macho Man, but he’s back dropped on the floor. The Nature Boy baits Savage into the ring post and both men are down. Flair breaks the ref’s count, grabs Savage and drives him into the rail. Big Flair chop and a short right. From the apron, Flair pounds him from behind.

Flair stomps a hole in Savage and rolls him back into the ring. Savage fires from his knees, Flair sets him up in the corner and chops him down. Snapmare by Flair and he comes in with a trademarked knee drop. Savage rolls out to the apron, Flair pulls him back in, and Savage tries some offense. He responds to a chop with a furious rage. Short lefts and rights and Flair goes down, Savage steps on his neck until the ref breaks it. Whip to the turnbuckle by Savage and a right drops Flair on his back. Savage with more brawling and Flair rolls out. Savage relentlessly follows him and pounds him into the steel. Flair with a rib shot and he rolls Savage back in.

He goes for the top rope, Savage catches him with a gorilla press. Irish whip and Flair flies up and over the top. He goes after Poffo which baits Savage down to the floor, and The Dirtiest Player in the Game cheap shots the knee. Flair lifts Savage up and drapes Macho knee first on the railing. Back in the ring, Savage blocks a right, but Flair dives at the bad knee. He uses the turnbuckle for leverage as he somersaults over Savage to pull on the leg. Savage desperately fights from his back, pulling Flair to the apron and punching away. Flair drags him out to the floor, Savage reverses a whip back to the railing. Flair follows the still injured Savage back into the ring, grabs the legs and locks in the Figure Four.

He uses the ropes for leverage when he can. Savage finally turns it on Flair and the hold is broken. From one leg, Savage dives on Flair to pound him. Nature Boy is crafty and goes right back to the knee. He heads for the top rope, Savage moves away from the double ax handle. Savage absorbs Flair chops and comes back with short rights. Irish whip, Flair tumbles to the apron, races over to the other turnbuckles, he leaps but Savage catches him in mid air with a clothesline. Scoop slam by Savage and he limps to the top rope, he calls for the elbow and lands it. He appears to have a 3 count locked, but he pulls Flair up by the hair.

He wants to do more damage. He rolls outside and reaches underneath the ring for a bell. The ref takes it away from him, so he returns to the top rope. Flair rolls out of the ring, so Savage turns his body. He leaps, Flair moves and Savage hits the railing. Flair beats on Savage’s head and he breaks the ref’s count. He chokes Macho Man on the floor and turns his attention to Poffo. Angelo clocks him and chokes him with the cane, but Flair fires back with an elbow. Flair has the cane and clocks Savage in the middle of the ring.
Winner: ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair (Foreign Object)

• EA’s Take: High energy, emotionally charged match. A rare swerve for an era where it should be obvious that Savage gets his revenge on Father’s Day. Macho Man walks away with the fans knowing he had Flair beat, but unwisely chose to keep going. The show as a whole was rather “meh”, but I liked this main event.

EA’s Finisher: I hate to harp on him so much, but after the TV Title being in the hands of guys like ‘Stunning’ Steve Austin, ‘The Natural’ Dustin Rhodes and ‘The Enforcer’ Arn Anderson for so long on top of how their matches could save an otherwise questionable mid-card, Renegade’s win puts a negative light on the show. There was an Arm Wrestling Match and Pittman/Duggan was a slop-fest. The tag team match was confusing to call, but I guess it held some entertainment value? There were bright spots like Pillman and Wright, and I’ve always liked the dynamic of Savage/Flair, but overall this show didn’t really do it for me. The final two matches were strong, but I’d be dishonest if I said this was much to write home about.

Top Three To Watch
1 – Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage
2 – Sting vs. Meng
3 – Alex Wright vs. Brian Pillman

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