2. Great American Bash ’89
In a fantastic year of NWA PPVs, The Great American Bash was probably the apex. While the first hour was a tad cluttered, the last four matches all delivered huge, with the company’s three top stars all defending singles gold.
Sting vs. Muta was an innovative, fast-paced TV Title match, Lex Luger vs. Ricky Steamboat turned up the ferocity and featured non-stop action (I wish these two had gotten some rematches later on), and the first-ever PPV edition of WarGames was a wild melee featuring The Road Warriors, The Midnight Express and Steve Williams vs. The Freebirds and the Samoan Swat Team.
But once again it was Ric Flair who stole the show in a chaotic, bloody war against Terry Funk for the World Title. They’d top themselves that November in an infamous I Quit match, but this was still one helluva main event.
In retrospect I wish the Sting and Luger matches had gotten more time, but there’s no denying that GAB ’89 was an excitement-filled and tremendously satisfying PPV.
