An Event So Hot, They Had To Put It On The Beach!
It’s not going to be just another day at the beach!
It’s going to be the Bash At The Beach!
These are the results from WCW Bash At The Beach, being held by World Championship Wrestling. It is being held in front of 42,219 people at Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. It’s July 17, 1994, and it’s the biggest event in WCW history.
Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Eric Bischoff.
It’s a Clash of Rasslin’ ideals. Ric Flair is “The Man” and “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan is everything that Ric Flair isn’t.
“Since the beginning of time, people have dreamt of the unfathomable. The dreamers have turned into champions. And the champions to immortals. Tonight, WCW brings you the unimaginable. Two champions: 12-time WCW champion Ric Flair and five-time WWF champion Hulk Hogan. When these two worlds collide, a new universe will emerge, with only one ruler. One champion.”
It’s the Match of the Century!
Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair
Tony Schiavone says that he has heard that Hogan is running five miles a day.
Bobby Heenan quickly counters with, “If he’s jogging. He’s wasting time, he’s wasting energy. He’s not conserving his energy or his time”.
Interview w/ Johnny B. Badd
“Mean” Gene Okerlund had an interview with Johnny B. Badd hyping his upcoming singles match with “Lord” Steven Regal.
Johnny B. Badd is the meanest, baddest man on the planet and he wants the WCW World Television Title.
Rating: 84 B+
WCW World Television Championship
Johnny B. Badd vs. Steven Regal
Here comes Johnny B Badd! You don’t want to make him mad. He’s as pretty as a picture. He looks just like Little Richard! Johnny B. Badd makes his entrance with his Badd Blaster. The crowd goes wild when Badd shoots confetti all over the place. “U-S-A!” chants leads the match. Badd is fired up tonight and Regal can’t keep him down and begs off in the corner. Regal tries to wear him down with technical wrestling. In the end, the skilled technician Regal manages to trap Badd into a Regal Stretch. In a bout that had good wrestling and a decent reaction from the crowd, Steven Regal defeated Johnny B. Badd in 7:47 by submission with a Regal Stretch. Steven Regal makes defence number 3 of his WCW World Television Championship title.
Rating: 73 B-
The camera man is filming the audience. The camera zoom in and looks over at Hogan’s “Thunder in Paradise” co-star Chris Lemmon who happens to be sitting beside the beautiful Linda Hogan. She’s all smiles tonight and shows off her curves in skin-tight dress and of course a lot of cleavage.
And look over here…
It’s Hulk’s friends and actor colleagues Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wesley Snipes. Hulk Hogan has a strong support here tonight.
Bobby Heenan says everyone all over the States is talking about WCW. Tony Schiavone says, “Well as they say, wrestling is cool again.”
Antonio Inoki Is Awarded For A Lifetime Of Contributions To Wrestling
We get a mini-Slamboree-type presentation on Inoki’s career and a standing ovation. “Mean Gene” welcomes Japanese wrestling Icon, Antonio Inoki out and they honor him and award him a plaque for a lifetime of contributions to pro wrestling.
“Lord” Steven Regal comes back out and is disgusted by an outsider to WCW being honored when they have a true English dignitary here who gets no respect.
Regal asks why he hasn’t received an award. He’s in the House of Lords, you know! “I’m sick of these so-called bloody legends!” Regal calls himself far superior to Inoki.
Inoki takes off his jacket ready to fight.
Regal says him beating Muhammad Ali and Andre the Giant doesn’t hold up with him, it means nothing, infact, and if he wasn’t such a proper gentleman, he’d throw the first punch and give Inoki a good flogging. The crowd is all about Inoki giving Regal what’s for.
Inoki punches Regal in the face which leads to a Impromptu Match…
Rating: 82 B
Impromptu Match
Antonio Inoki vs. Steven Regal
In a bout that had great technical and hard-hitting wrestling; and a decent reaction from the crowd, Antonio Inoki defeated Steven Regal in an Impromptu match in 7:45 by submission with a Manji Hold. Regal looks utterly disgusted and is complaining to the referee to change the match outcome.
Rating: 73 B-
Tony Schiavone asks Bobby “The Brain” Heenan who he favors in the Hogan vs. Flair match. He quickly responds with an annoyed, “I’ve already made my pick – “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.”
Recap Of The Sting vs. The Great Muta Feud
Here’s a recap of the Sting vs. The Great Muta feud, with Muta spraying green mist in Sting’s eyes.
Muta has returned to WCW, ready to conquer America just as he did Japan. Sting is the former WCW International World Heavyweight Champion and was quickly targeted by Muta.
Rating: 95 A*
Sting vs. The Great Muta
In a bout that had sensational wrestling and fantastic heat, Sting defeated The Great Muta in 30:29 by disqualification after spraying Sting with green mist.
Rating: 76 B-
Recap Of The Dustin Rhodes vs. Stud Stable Feud
Here’s a recap of the Stud Stable vs. Dustin Rhodes feud, including “Double A” Arn Anderson’s involvement.
Col. Parker has a surprise for Dustin Rhodes. what could it be?
Rating: 83 B+
Dustin Rhodes & Arn Anderson vs. Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk w/ Col. Parker
In a bout that had great wrestling and good heat, “Double A” Arn Anderson and Bunkhouse Buck shrugs off a couple collar-and-elbow tie-ups to start. Until “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes comes in and starts hammering away on Buck with Bionic Elbows. Terry Funk tags, but Dustin won’t let him into the ring and lands a haymaker to send him out to the floor. Funk goes crazy on the floor and swings at Meng and Col. Robert Parker. Back in the ring, he backs Rhodes into the ropes and fires away with punches. The whole time Funk is mouthing off and belittling Dustin for being a Rhodes.
Rhodes fights back with Bionic Elbows! He hits a stiff Lariat on Terry Funk and crotches Bunkhouse Buck up on the top rope. Dustin throws Buck on top of Funk and finally makes a tag to Arn Anderson! With Dustin physically exhausted, Double A makes the tag resulting that Arn turns on Dustin and drops him with a perfectly-executed DDT! Meanwhile, the referee is with Meng. Double A puts Funk on top as the referee counts three.
Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk defeated Dustin Rhodes and Arn Anderson in 15:40 when Terry Funk defeated Dustin Rhodes by pinfall following a turn by Arn Anderson.
Rating: 81 B
After The Match, Arn Anderson Tries To Break Dustin’s Arm
Post-match, Arn Anderson, Terry Funk, Bunkhouse Buck and Meng quadruple team Dustin Rhodes to break his right arm. Col. Parker has the ref covered up to stop him. “The Enforcer” Arn
Anderson that we all know is back and as bad as ever.
WCW Security eventually comes out to stop them. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan remarks that having security have to be the ones to come down and stop you from getting beat up is like having no friends to back you up in a fight in high school and the principal has to be the one to stop it.
“Mean Gene” tries interviewing Arn Anderson on the aisleway, but Arn says if Gene wants to get a word, come backstage and party with them. Gene refuses and is appalled!
Rating: 90 A
Ringside, businessman and former baseball player Hank Aaron is with Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan. Hank Aaron is pulling for both Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. He just wants to see some good stuff tonight.
Anyway, word has filtered from the ring to these two that Dustin Rhodes may have a broken arm.
Still to come, WCW United States Title Match! WCW World Tag Team Title Match! “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan vs. “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair!
Interview w/ Ric Flair and Elizabeth
Let’s go to “The Nature Boy! Ric Flair and “Mean Gene”. Elizabeth looks great tonight.
Ric Flair makes fun of Dustin Rhodes and puts over “Double A” Arn Anderson, congratulating him on making the smart move.
“How ’bout Double A?! How ’bout it? Is he back? I guess he is!” So Flair isn’t hangin’ with Arn, but he puts him over anyway. See? They’re friends. They have no other true friends.
Unfortunately the crowd is still cheering Flair, it would appear. “You, Hulk Hogan, are the challenger. You, Hulk Hogan, are the one who has a failing career. Ric Flair is The Man!”
Rating: 93 A
In The Back, Gene Okerlund Crashes The Stud Stable’s Party
In the back, Gene Okerlund crashes the Stud Stable party. Apparently, “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson double-crossed “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes for the chicks and the money. He’s sitting on the couch with a handful of ladies and a briefcase full of cash.
Terry Funk and Bunkhouse Buck are getting hammered. Funk is on his knees babbling on about hating Dusty Rhodes. Funk says on their way back, some kid asks them why they did that to Dustin; because he is a great wrestler and a great person. Funk says so was his daddy and finds that hilarious. Bunkhouse Buck sprays and then spits champagne all over the place.
Col. Parker leads his boys in a toast for the most honorable man he knows, “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson. That sets up a great promo from Arn. He told Dustin he would get the old Arn Anderson, and that’s exactly what he got, and then Funk and Buck pour champagne on Arn’s head while he’s talking. Arn badass no-sells it even though the champagne got in his eyes.
Rating: 89 A
Bobby Heenan chuckles and says he heard that The Stud Stable have broken into Hulk Hogan’s locker room and stolen all the champagne he was saving for if he won the WCW World Heavyweight title and drank it.
Interview w/ Vader And Harley Race
“It’s time! It’s time! It’s! Vader! Time!”
He Fears No Man and He Feels No Pain!
Violent
Vile
Volatile
Vicious
Victorious
He has held three different world titles from three different promotions on three continent making him the closest thing professional wrestling has ever had to a true world champion.
Vader is one of the toughest and most hard hitting wrestlers in the history of the industry.
At Bash At The Beach, Vader will destroy The Guardian Angel.
The Guardian Angel interrupts the interview. He is ready to go right now. Gimme Vader and Harley Race right now!
WCW Security Team finally swarms the arena and manage to separate the two powerhouse wrestlers.
Rating: 100 A*
Taped Fist Match
The Guardian Angel vs. Vader w/ Harley Race
These two big brutes had a kickass match at Spring Stampede. Once again it’s a brutal display of power when these two collide. It’s all about clubbering blows and stiff power moves.
Vader eats a right, then they go back in, as Angel suplexes him in from the apron. Then Guardian Angel shoulderblocks Vader into the referee that gets knocked over. Meanwhile, Harley Race has a “Telescopic Night Stick” and hits the Angel in the head. Vader finish Angel with a brutal Triple Powerbomb. Race quickly hides the “telescopic night stick” before the referee wakes up.
In an exceptional stiff slugfest, Vader defeated The Guardian Angel in a Taped Fist match in 13:33 by pinfall with a Triple Powerbomb after Harley Race interfered and hit The Guardian Angel with a “Telescopic Night Stick” while Vader distracted the referee.
Rating: 82 B
Hank Aaron, Antonio Inoki and Ted Turner are seated together in the crowd.
WCW World Tag Team Title Match
Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan w/ Dave Sullivan vs. Harlem Heat
In a bout that had good wrestling and a decent reaction from the crowd, Harlem Heat defeated Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan in 14:03 when Stevie Ray defeated Kevin Sullivan by pinfall with a Heat Seeker following botched interference by Dave Sullivan. Harlem Heat win the WCW World Tag Team Championship titles. Dave tried to hit Stevie Ray with the crotch, but accidently breaks the crutch on his brother Kevin.
Rating: 78 B
An Argument Breaks Out Between Cactus Jack And The Sullivans
Cactus Jack, Kevin Sullivan and Dave Sullivan are in the ring, and are squaring off, unhappy about losing the match. Eventually a number of officials and other wrestlers have to hit the ring and pull them apart before the argument soon turns physical.
Rating: 88B+
Interview w/ Steve Austin And Jeannie
Gene Okerlund had an interview with Steve Austin hyping his upcoming singles match with Ricky Steamboat. Austin has his awesome “Dragon Slayer” tights on. He mocks and taunts his opponent. He calls Steamboat an relic. Tonight Austin will show the World that he is “The Dragon Slayer”.
“Today, I will slay the dragon!”
Rating: 92 A
WCW United States Title Match
Ricky Steamboat vs. Steve Austin w/ Jeannie
Steve Austin goes full Pearl Harbor on Ricky Steamboat and goes after the knee, but Steamboat counters with Old School wrestling. In a bout that had sensational wrestling and great heat, Steve Austin defeated Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in 30:08 by pinfall with a Stun Gun after a distraction from Jeannie. Steve Austin makes defence number 18 of his WCW United States Championship title.
Rating: 93 A
Bobby Heenan is discussing his dislike of Hogan. He’s not irate about Hogan, he just truly doesn’t like him, and he can’t figure out how nobody else can see how full of crap, how phony Hogan is, what a fake he is, what an overrated turd he is.
Heel colour commentator Bobby “The Brain” Heenan hypes Ric Flair and keeps bashing Hogan on commentary with anti-Hogan remarks. Heenan also calls Jimmy hart a little runt and Ed Leslie a shmuck. Heenan says “The big guy doesn’t always win, sometimes the small smart guy beats the big stupid slow guy.”
Ring announcer Michael Buffer is announcing the main event of the evening.
“Let’s get ready to rumble!”
Hulk’s WCW Debut
Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel is introduced, and so is Ted Turner. NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal comes out and is the guest time keeper. It’s cool because we’re in Orlando back when he was “Magic”. He’ll award the winner with the title belt.
Huge heat for Ric Flair; and a huge pop for Hulk Hogan. The crowd is split right down the middle; Maybe 60 Hogan and 40 Flair at best.
Rating: 100 A*
WCW World Heavyweight Title Match
Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair
Crowd’s hot and the match has a ton of energy. “The Dirtiest Player in the Game” is controlling the match and tries everything to defeat Hogan. Nothing Flair tries seems to work to finish Hogan. In an unbelievable “Once In A Lifetime” match, Elizabeth gets on the apron with a foreign object, but Mr. T grabs her and takes her to the back. She manages to toss Flair the object during this. The ref yells at Jimmy Hart to get off the apron and Hogan goes to finish the job but Flair decks him with the object and Hogan falls back like a sack of potatos! Flair goes for a pin. 1, 2, Hulk-Up. “Damn it!” Bobby Heenan exclaims.
Flair lays into him with rights and Hogan is shaking it all off. Hogan really no-sells Flair’s offense. Hulk Hogan looks to the right. Hulk Hogan looks to the left. The Hulkamaniacs start to cheer. Hulk Up Time! Hogan, shaking his fists, looks deep within himself and remembers what A Real American Hero is. The finger wag and the crowd goes nuts and he makes his big comeback! Punch, Punch, Punch, Irish Whip, Big Boot and Leg Drop and it’s over.
Hulk Hogan defeated Ric Flair in 44:40 by pinfall with a Leg Drop. Hulk Hogan wins the WCW World Heavyweight Championship title.
Rating: 96 A*
Hogan Celebrates Winning The WCW World Heavyweight Title
Spectacular fireworks go off!
Listen to that epic crowd reaction!
“Ladies and gentlemen!” “We’ve got a NEW WCW World Heavyweight Champion, Hulk Hogan!”
Having picked up the victory, Hulk Hogan celebrates in the ring, with his two black friends Shaq and Mr. T, before posing for several more minutes with Jimmy Hart jumping around like an idiot.
As Hogan goes to the back for a post-match interview, he runs into his buddies Ed Leslie and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Hogan is flanked by Ed Leslie, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Shaq, Jimmy Hart
and Mr T. “It’s all about the thousands of Hulkamaniacs that will be running wild in Orlando brother! Hulkamania will live forever!” Hulks thanks the thousands of Hulkamaniacs that came to the Bash At The Beach
and helped him to Hulk Up and defeat “The Nature Boy”.
What a legend!
Larger than Life!
“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan!
Rating: 85 B+
After the match and the celebration, Bobby Heenan is so distraught he won’t call the replay or even look at it.
“It’s the greatest pay-per-view I’ve ever been associated with. But I’ll tell you, the sad thing is standing there right now: That man holding the title.”
Show Rating: 97 A*
Comments: Really happy with most of the match ratings and the show rating. Flair vs. Hogan; and Steamboat vs. Austin both scored great ratings. I’m pretty satisfied with the match ratings from Arn Anderson & Dustin Rhodes vs. Bunkhouse Buck & Terry Funk; The Guardian Angel vs. Vader; and Cactus Jack & Kevin Sullivan vs. Harlem Heat. The only match that was a disappointment is Sting vs. The Great Muta, since both of these two wrestlers have great performance skills.
