Bash at the Beach 1995: Great Scenery, Rough Wrestling, and the End of One WCW Era

Sting versus Meng is a rematch from the Great American Bash and works best when the champion is fighting from underneath. Meng's size and no-selling create an obvious obstacle, while Sting uses quick bursts to make the comeback feel possible. The match loses focus whenever it settles into extended holds, and the body-part work never develops into a coherent strategy. Sting eventually steals the win with a roll-up after Meng misses a kick, which protects the challenger more than it rewards the champion. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 5.40, while Scott Keith rated it two stars. It is competent, too long and carried by Sting's crowd connection.

The Renegade versus Paul Orndorff is the clearest evidence that WCW's attempt to manufacture an Ultimate Warrior substitute is already failing. Orndorff controls the rhythm, supplies most of the credible offense and even gets sympathy from the crowd despite being positioned as the heel. Renegade's dropkicks and timing remain rough, and the audience openly prefers Orndorff. The finish makes everything worse: Orndorff gets a shoulder up during a back suplex, but referee Nick Patrick misses it and counts three. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 2.16 and the Observer called it a dud. The title survives. The champion's credibility does not.

Kamala against Jim Duggan is six minutes of broad character wrestling that already feels years out of date in 1995. Duggan punches, bites and tries to knock Kamala down, while Kamala responds with chops, a bearhug and the kind of deliberate pacing that makes the match feel longer than the clock suggests. The Dungeon of Doom storyline provides the finish when Zodiac interferes with Kamala's mask and allows the pin. CAGEMATCH currently scores the match at 1.32, one of the lowest marks on the entire event, and Scott Keith called it a dud. The booking advances Hogan's cartoon feud. The wrestling gives viewers no reason to care.

Diamond Dallas Page against Dave Sullivan is valuable only because Page's personality is beginning to outgrow the material around him. The storyline revolves around Sullivan's affection for the Diamond Doll and Page's controlling behavior, which gives the match a reason to exist without giving it much wrestling value. Sullivan gets basic power offense, DDP stalls and Max Muscle creates the distraction that leads to the Diamond Cutter. The crowd barely reacts to the finish. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 1.53, and Scott Keith rated it a dud. Page is clearly becoming something. This particular program is not helping anyone discover what that something is.

The three-way tag-title match is busy from the opening bell and rarely becomes clearer. WCW uses a tagging structure instead of pure tornado rules, which should create order, but constant blind tags and team changes make the match difficult to follow. Booker T gives Harlem Heat athletic bursts, Regal and Eaton provide the best technical structure, and the Nasty Boys keep dragging the pace toward brawling. The finish is especially clumsy, with Stevie Ray buried in a pile while Booker ends up positioned over Regal for the deciding pin. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 4.50. Scott Keith gave it one-and-a-half stars. There is talent here. The layout wastes most of it.

Randy Savage versus Ric Flair is the event's best match because the wrestlers are too experienced to let the beach gimmick control them. The lifeguards function as lumberjacks, but most of the important work stays between Savage and Flair. Flair attacks the leg and uses the figure four, Savage answers with the familiar bursts of violence, and Arn Anderson's interference creates a believable late obstacle without hijacking the finish. Savage eventually lands the flying elbow and wins cleanly. CAGEMATCH currently has the match at 6.63, while KB rated it B-minus and the Observer gave it two-and-three-quarter stars. It is not a classic version of their rivalry, but it is comfortably the show's high point.

Hulk Hogan versus Vader should feel like the final escalation of their feud, but the steel cage mostly turns the match into another Hogan survival formula. Vader gets enough offense to look physically imposing, including heavy strikes and corner attacks, while Hogan uses the cage, Vader's mask and the usual comeback sequence. Dennis Rodman gets involved on the outside to stop Dungeon of Doom interference, giving the celebrity crossover more attention than the championship jeopardy. Hogan eventually escapes after knocking Vader from the ropes. CAGEMATCH currently rates the match 4.32, while KB gave it C-minus. It is watchable spectacle, but a disappointing end to Vader's WCW pay-per-view run.