It’s June 1997 on Into the Vault and we’re looking at WCW Bash at the Beach 1997! The opponent for this month is WWE’s King of the Ring 1997 which got a 2.25/5 bronze medal rating on Into the Vault.
The Best of WCW Bash at the Beach 1997
There were some bangers on this card. Kicking things off is Ultimo Dragon vs. Psychosis in an exciting match-up. These two put on a bout that you’d expect from two of the Cruiserweight division’s best talents. If there was a flaw, I’d say it went a little long but not too long.
Into the Vault: WCW Great American Bash 1997
The thing is that it was the right match to kick things off for those watching at home, at least. I’m giving the nod to the Steiner Brothers taking on Harlem Heat. It basically had the length that the opener should’ve had to avoid that chance of dragging.
Akira Hokuto’s defense of the WCW Women’s title against Madusa was a rock-solid bout as well. The thing here is that it could’ve used more TV time to build the story as this was title versus career. I’d say don’t go in expecting something that rivals both wrestlers’ Japan work but you’re not getting a dry, lengthy match. It’s definitely easy to overlook this one but I’d say it’s pretty damn good.
The rematch “deathmatch” (street fight) between Benoit and Meng was fun to watch. Again, Benoit really showed off his brawling chops and Meng was good at brawling when taken outside of plodding tag team squash matches. I will say that again, a bit on the lengthy side especially for involving Meng. It’s double-sided in that it was an enjoyable match but late 90s Meng really shouldn’t be in singles bouts that run close to 15-minutes in length.
After a PPV break from their feud following their match at Spring Stampede 1997, Savage and DDP went at it again in a falls count anywhere match. It’s no secret that this was my WCW feud of 1997. These two were consistent in the build as well as the matches at PPV and this bout was no different.
This was a heated brawl with the right stipulation and served as one of those matches in a feud that contributed to the story and wasn’t merely a stopover.
The Rest
Konnan taking on Hugh Morrus was a pretty mid-match that was placed in the right part of the card but should’ve been the buffer between Ultimo vs. Psychosis and the Steiners vs. Harlem Heat. Then again, it was probably in the right place since the tag match wasn’t too wild and crazy. Overall, this was a match that if it was absent from the PPV, it wouldn’t be a surprise or anything.
I can’t even say that it was too long and Konnan won, so I’d say it was decent enough. It’s not going to wow you and it’s not a must-watch bout. A match that was too long was Glacier against Wrath which went didn’t really didn’t need the amount of time granted. There were times when the match dragged and just slowed the show to a crawl. It didn’t help that it was right after Konnan-Hugh Morrus and Madusa-Hokuto—which didn’t exactly lift the crowd.
Mongo taking on Kevin Greene was a match that looked interesting on paper and was one that could’ve been better if at least one of the guys didn’t come off as green. Obviously, Greene was greener than Mongo who had much more in-ring experience by this point. However, he was still a bit of a mess in the ring.
What originally sold me on this match was Greene’s enthusiasm and energy and the charisma and badass factor of Steve McMichael. Even years later and having revisited Mongo’s bad-to-mediocre showings, I was still thinking “Maybe I’ll be surprised after some time.” It’s decent enough is all I can really say on this one.
The semi-main event bout was a tag team match between WCW Tag Team Champions The Outsiders and the team of Flair and Piper. There’s been a lengthy build involved in the old heads versus the new World order chapter of WCW versus the nWo but I’ve just never been a fan of Piper and Flair as a team.
I understand how we got to this point and the booking was pretty good getting here. Plus, it builds up to a match between Flair and Piper at Bash at the Beach, so WCW was definitely going somewhere with this. Plus, Piper wasn’t coming cheaply in 1997 so you have to get him in where he’ll fit in.
As for the match itself, it was OK—not great but not bad. The action wasn’t the selling point here but the storytelling is what you’ll want to notice. Overall, it wasn’t essential viewing but it wasn’t a lengthy, meandering match that bogged down the flow of the show.
WCW Great American Bash 1997 Verdict: Bronze Medal (2.5/5)
The main thing that this show had over KOTR ‘97 is that there was a greater collection of above-average matches. WCW Great American Bash 1997 does suffer from several matches running longer than necessary. Just like KOTR ‘97, many of the matches could’ve been on the B-show prior to the PPV or in the Free for All. Match of the show honors goes to the Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Page falls count anywhere showdown.
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