NWA Great American Bash '87

1. Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and J.J. Dillon vs. The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, and Paul Ellering – War Games Match – 8
2. Rick Steiner vs. Barry Windham (clipped) – 3
3. Lex Luger vs. Nikita Koloff – Steel Cage Match – 5
4. Dick Murdoch vs. Steve Williams – Texas Death Match (clipped) – 2
5.Fabulous Freebirds vs. Manny Fernandez, Paul Jones, and Ivan Koloff (clipped) – 2
6. Dusty Rhodes vs. Tully Blanchard – Barbed Wire Bunkhouse Ladder Match –
7. Ric Flair vs. Jimmy Garvin – Steel Cage Match (clipped) – 7
8. The Midnight Express vs. The Rock 'N Roll Express – 6
9. Ric Flair, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and War Machine vs. The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, and Paul Ellering – War Games Match – 7

The first of two War Games on the show is unquestionably a pinnacle of violence, mayhem, and dramatized hatred; and I’m digging it the most. The crowd’s absolutely ecstatic, and it’s easy to discern why – this is professional wrestling at its finest. The Windham versus Steiner match was surely fodder for many young males’ daydreams circa ‘87; unfortunately here we just get a clipped glimpse of what promised to be a stellar bout. I don’t like the majority of Lex or Nikita’s work, and even though this is arguably one of the best matches of Koloff’s career, I still can’t wholeheartedly recommend it. Murdoch and Williams are surly enough to beat each other’s asses into oblivion, and it looks like that’s exactly what they did in this Texas Death Match, although I’ll never really know, as the match was completely fucking clipped to pieces.

Freebirds were the upper echelon of tag team wrestling at this time – but even they couldn’t pull out a decent match out of the makeshift squad of deteriorated slobs they were paired off against. Rhodes and Blanchard break out the wire, but even that promising gimmick isn’t enough to warrant giving this match your time. Flair carries Jimmy Garvin to his best singles match ever, like a true professional, making both himself and his fervent opponent look like a proverbial million bucks. The Midnight and Rock ‘N Roll Express tag feud is legendary, and this match is the perfect example of why their series is so revered – just awesome near falls, psychology, teamwork, heat, etc. Lastly, the second War Games lacks a bit of the fire and immediacy of the prior one, but is still spectacular in its own right, and a fabulous ending to a relatively solid tape. Unfortunately, the War Machine featured wasn’t the one of Marvel Comics fame; although I would have loved to see Dusty sell his shoulder cannons.