On July 26, 1986, Dusty Rhodes faced Ric Flair at the Great American Bash for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to make This Day in Wrestling History moment.
To add more umph to the match, they faced off in a steel cage in what ended up being Dusty Rhodes’ third and final NWA championship reign.
Unfortunately, Flair would defeat him two weeks later but this match stuck around in the minds of fans since for various reasons, but the fact it was two of the most charismatic wrestlers ever is the main one.
This is one for the ages as it had some of the best back and forth moments in any match and was a clinic on ring psychology.
Paying it forward
What’s really cool about reading other’s accounts is we get a peak into the mindset of the performers, and Ric Flair talks about how this was Rhodes’ turn to experience his win in that city like he did three years earlier.
Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
“During the 1986 Bash series, Dusty managed to squeeze in a brief title run. We met in a cage in Greensboro. Early in the match, I went into my strut, and Dusty amused the fans by running his fingers through his hair and strutting, too. He knocked me down with two stylish right jabs, followed by two elbows, then entertained the people even more by sticking out his big ass in satisfaction.
“Every test of strength and wrist-lock reversal seemed to hit a nerve with the audience. When I pointed at a fan and screamed, ‘You keep your mouth shut!’ an entire section stood up to berate me.
“Another time I waved Dusty forward, shouting, ‘You come here, dammit!’ But when he advanced, I backed up, fell into the corner, and begged for mercy. We were both bleeding when Dusty tried dropping an elbow on me and I rolled out of the way. But when I bent down to give him a body slam, he cradled me and got the win. Three years earlier, in the same town, in another cage match, the fans had reveled in my title win over Harley. Now it was Dusty’s turn.
“Magnum T. A., Ronnie Garvin, Sam Houston, the Rock N’ Roll Express, and others piled into the cage to honor The American Dream while the fans danced and screamed with joy.” – Ric Flair, To Be The Man book.
There’s nothing like hearing the bond wrestlers can form with fans, and it’s even more evident today as crowds are returning to live events to witness more This Day in Wrestling History moments.
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