Wrestling Matches That Didn’t Meet the Hype

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No. 5: WCW Bash at the Beach 1996: The Outsiders & Mystery Partner vs. Team WCW – Lex Luger, Macho Man, and Sting.

For weeks WCW was teased with the possibility of the WWE actually invading WCW. It wasn’t until The Great American Bash 1996 that Eric Bischoff asked the big question “Are you guys from the WWF(E)?” Of course the answer was no. The question probably wouldn’t have been asked if not for a lawsuit that Vince McMahon and WCW were in the midst of.

With that question answered, WCW decided they would have the Outsiders start to tease about a loyal member of WCW was going to jump ship and join them in the Bash at the Beach match. WCW had a drawing on Nitro to determine who would represent WCW in this match. Lex Luger, “The Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Sting were drawn. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash refused to announce who their third member was – this lead to more speculation on who would be the new member.

There were speculation that it was going to be Sting and that was hinted a few times on Nitro in the weeks leading up to the event. Sting denied that he was the person and continued to remain loyal to his company. Some started to question Lex Luger and his past of flipping on his friends in the past. Luger denied that it was going to be him as well.

The buildup was awesome as WCW back in those days were good at the actual promotion of the match, but when it came to the actual match, they would fail a lot more often than not.

The match wasn’t anything great. Considering you had Hall, Sting, and Savage in the match – it should have been better. There was some back and forth that you find in a typical tag match – nothing spectacular considering the stakes that were “on the line” for this match.

Having Lex Luger taken out early in the match made the speculation of his turning more likely, but again WCW was playing with the crowd.

The end result is what saved this match from being higher on the list for me. The flip of Hulk Hogan turning heel was excellent. It gave Hulk Hogan new life in his character, but the match itself was well below average.

Next: No.4: WrestleMania 14