Buy WCW Bash At The Beach 97 on VHS by Clicking Here
First we’ll go into the match review and then the results completely in a list.
Mortis and Wrath defeated Glacier and Ernest Miller
Not a bad opener, a bit short, but not bad overall. Mortis was the stand out here. Miller and Glacier were ok, but it was Mortis that stood out to me. You may remember that Mortis is just Kanyon with a mask on. He really was innovative and fluid in the ring during this one. Mortis and Wrath won this match up, and it was nice to see it, the crowd wasn’t into it as much though.
Chris Jericho defeated Ultimate Dragon
Jericho was the cruiser weight champion in this match up. This match was definitely a great one. Ultimate Dragon and Jericho were wrestling like a chess match. Every move was deliberate, every element was well timed and fluid. You will be surprised how great these two work together, and the move set put into place. Jericho was impressive, but it was Ultimate Dragon’s moonsault and reversals that will have you completely in awe. Why his WWE run didn’t go over so well is beyond me.
The Steiner Brothers defeated The Great Muta and Masahiro Chono
This was a hard hitting match. Chono and Muta are great to a botchy Steiner Brothers team. There were moments where the Steiners no sold the Japanese offense, which was stupid to me. Otherwise, this was a good match because of Chono and Muta putting on a showcase. Look for Muta’s huricanrana off the top rope on Scott Steiner, and Rick Steiner’s bulldog to make an appearance.
Juventud Guerrera, Hector Garza, and LIzmark Jr. defeated La Parka, Psychosis, and Villano IV
This took on a slow start, but it was the process of going through the spots that really made this one incredible. Guerrera was on point, Garza’s corkscrew plancha, and Lizmark’s athleticism were impressive. La Parka and Psychosis put on some great moments too. Villano switched with his partner Number 5 and that was interesting. Overall, this was a great lucha match, and no one botched, which made this one even more impressive. The crowd was not into this one, but that’s ok, I guess.
Buy WCW Bash At The Beach 97 on VHS by Clicking Here
Chris Benoit defeated The Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan
This was a retirement match for Sullivan. This match was the main reason why I wanted to watch this event. Benoit and Sullivan put on a brawl, a serious brawl that featured Jacqueline, and Jimmy Hart getting into the mix. Benoit was essentially fighting 3 different people here. Sullivan and Benoit even had some stiff shots, not usually seen in pro wrestling. Eventually, Jacqueline turned on Sullivan and Benoit got the pin. Sullivan of course would eventually drive Benoit and others to the WWE as he became full booking agent at WCW. But this match is good, well worth checking out. It’s not as good as their match at The Great American Bash 1996, but it’s certainly one of the best of their set.
Jeff Jarrett defeated Steve “Mongo” McMichael
This was for the US Title, and the crowd was so alive it was funny. The Jarrett Sucks chant was about as loud as any crowd you’ll ever hear in your life. Jeff Jarrett really got heat in this match. Mongo was good, the hard hitting style of his offense meshed well with Jarrett’s scared champion stick. However, it was Debra that really made this one, as she got involved and cost McMichael the match. A short one, but the crowd was way into it, so it was fun to watch.
Scott Hall and Randy Savage defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Curt Hennig
This was supposed to be a mystery partner match up for DDP. You may not know this, but DDP and Savage were going through a feud, and after Savage hurt page’s rib cage, DDP got his revenge dressed as La Parka on Nitro. Well, the secret partner was Curt Hennig, and that went well until a misunderstanding led Curt to walk out on his partner. DDP took a beating, a serious beating that was definitely something to see. Savage broke Page in half with the elbow after an Outsider’s edge, and that was that. If you want to see some hard hitting pro wrestling, this match has it for you, wow.
Roddy Piper defeated Ric Flair
This was entertaining, but you may have already seen this match over and over again. Flair is always entertaining to watch. Piper and the crowd were way into this one, and while it was mostly a brawl, it did have good action for 13 minutes’ worth of wrestling. It’s this type of wrestling that I sometimes miss from today’s landscape. If you like Piper and Flair, this is definitely a stand out match for the night.
Lex Luger and The Giant defeated Hollywood Hogan and Dennis Rodman
This was not a technical masterpiece at all. However, when you watch pro wrestling, you have to sometimes gauge things by crowd reaction. In this case, the crowd was going absolutely nuts for this one. The reason being, the psychology of the match. Rodman was teaming with Hogan, and he didn’t start the match. However, when he finally made his appearance, the timing and the suspense hit an all new level. Not only that, the expectations were that he didn’t know how to wrestle at all. When he first hip tosses Luger the crowd goes absolutely ballistic, and the announce team sells it so well, that you have nothing but respect for the guy. Now, when he does a shoulder block and Luger goes down rolling into the corner, things go insane again. Of course, he gets his, but this is the kind of reaction that WWE can’t seem to find in 2015, and why this is such a stellar match, even though it’s not a technical masterpiece. At the end, the Fake Sting (NWO) shows up, and hits The Giant with a baseball bat, the ref is bumped, and out comes Nick Patrick to get the submission off of Hogan in a torture rack. By the time the match is over, the trash from the crowd fills the ring, and the night is done. The crowd reaction makes this one, and that’s why you have to see it. Get the unedited version on vhs, it’s way better.
