Tower of Doom - Great American Bash 1988

[saintsfan138]

wow, is that Jim Ross commentating?



[kanemotokoji2]

@Metal74X Yeah, WCCW came up with the "Triple Dome of Terror" first.

[WRESTLINGNUTT1]

I wish the NWA was still around now...



[MrWrestlman]

they should bring this match back,or at least put it in the next wwe game

[spyguybuy]

this tower is a idea of kevin sullivan.

[STEELCITYFAN75]

This match was better suited for an outdoor stadium like World Class had.

[63RaySS]

No comparising to the NWA WCW and Ga.Championship wrestling.South rule

[belyiv]

кличко на вас нет. придурки

[belyiv]

кличко на вас нет придурки

[mortminoch]

"and there is a logjam in the top cage!!!!" That ref really didn't want to be there.

[Zaxxon2008]

great post... thanks for the momeries!

[TheEvilPirate666]

i remember this match... it was the most inovative match at that time love to see it done again...

[90038jhon]

well, I will say it was different...but the guys fighting in such a tight space is ridiculous. plus, the crowd couldn't see a thing. so Vince updated and greatly improved this. forgive the word, but what a cluster****

[dariusdynamite]

Tommy Young was a referee's referee!! He made it cool to be a referee, and more often than not, was involved in making one monumental decision or another!

[Guardians3000]

I've been wanting to see this match forever!!!

[32rodrick]

The Tower of Doom from the movie Ready to Rumble.

[3sumforme]

@32rodrick This match was long before Ready to Rumble.

[shaheed79]

Just look at that Death Trap! 80's Pro Wrestling was for REAL men and they played for KEEPS!

[Chawman]

@sammys70 I'm an American and I would much rather watch this awesome stuff than any WWE crap, so meh

[JonathanVonErich]

Another fucked up idea by Dusty Rhodes. It's a good match, I respect all the wrestlers in the match....but still, very fucked up idea.

[Inediblehulk]

You know what would have ruined this? Tony Schiavone.

[familyguybro78]

I've been looking for this video since Al Gore created the internet! The angle leading up to the match was very believable for a 10yr old kid.

[quincyhughes]

And yes, referee Tommy Young was, if you'll pardon my French, shitting a brick being up there so high on that tiny space he had available.

[quincyhughes]

This was a match that was much better in theory than in execution...I used to ring announce indy pro wrestling and Kevin Sullivan was at a show. We spent some time talking about this match. Everyone involved wasn't too happy with hanging on those ladders. The post-match angle (not shown) went on too long because of the logistics of the cage as well. This just didn't work, but it was a definite spectacle of a match that many remember today, just not necessarily for the best of reasons.

[elyeagels32]

does anybody know where u can watch this whole match?

[HISTORYBUFFPA]

So, who won??

[matt41bw]

I remember watching this when i was like 3 years old, great memories. I love how there damn near in the lights.

[matt41bw]

I remember watching this when i was like 3 years old, great memories. I love how there damn near in the lights.

[Cavillier1970]

Is it just me or this seem very dangerous? I mean I can only imagine with all that metal and men in those cages on top it had to be in excess of 1000-1500 lbs easy. I'd hate think all that come crashing down into the ring. As dangerous as the Sky Walkers and War Games were this might have been riskier.

[satyran]

was that blue demon jr. at 5:13 ? lol

[RMilvae]

i'm falling asleep trying to finish watching this...i'm not trying to be an a-hole,if you like the match that's fine...but i don't understand the need for basically a 3 part cage...there are differant versions of cages that are better...wargames for example

[CombatSportFan]

@RMilvae You just guess and test with gimmick matches. War games looks confusing on paper too, but it comes out a lot better in execution. Someone probably thought the same here and it just didn't turn out so well. (Thus why Russo fell in love with the stupid gimmick.)

[tonoslim]

the nwa/wcw BELIEVED in some cage matches! that's what made them so great.

[fotographique]

wow! I remember my grandma taking me to this as a kid. i was there for this great american bash. i couldn't believe what i was seeing as it was happening in front of me, but this was a memorable childhood experience as i was a huge wrestling fan back then. big ups to posting this. RIP Grandma

[batmanjwo]

What boggles my freakin' mind is how the blue hell did Dusty get the book in WCW in the early 90s? It is well-known that he ran JCP into the ground with his Dusty finishes during house shows. What did he do in WCW, the exact same thing! They went from sold out shows to barely 100 people in huge arenas.

[Cavillier1970]

@batmanjwo JCP's going into the ground wasn't Dusty's fault, it was Crockett's primaraly. Alot came from bad mismangament, spending too much on luxuries (corperate jets), spreading themselves too thin at times, and not listening to those who knew better. Dusty was a helluva storyteller, and the problem in the 90's was letting men like Jim Herd and Bill Watts have control and power, they were the main reasons WCW did a nose dive into the ground.

[goodlookin41]

if the ref didnt want to do it why did they need in in there anyway.

[danteras23]

The NWA was so innovative and where Vince Mcmahon stole many of his ideas from. They were the first to consistently have cage matches and scaffold matches and I Quit matches and barbed wire matches and Loser Leave Town matches way before the WWF ever did. It was the best. NWA/WCW 4-EVER!!!!

[truepowerbombking]

this was an innovative but potentially dangerous match ! the wrestlers who were involved with this match were tough AND brave

[daddymak9]

An hour or so later, Ronnie Garvin turned on Dusty Rhodes and helped Barry Windham retain the US title.

[bpsmith1979]

Absolutely Right! The Great American Bash was like Christmas in the summer for me when I was growing up.

[uwarren81]

Wrestling in the 80"s is the best ever!!!

[TheVertabreaker123]

yep:)

[ericou812]

@uwarren81 i agree

[MrSamjones41]

@uwarren81 4 real

[BiscuitsMcGillicuddy]

Screamingdean...you're an idiot. Owen Hart did not die from something like this. He died from an accident that was nowhere near the same of this Tower of Doom match. Do your homework you fucking idiot.

[screamingdean5]

This is dangerous! Didn't Owen Hart die doing something like this?

[muncheweed]

8:37 are they having sex? lol jk

[StarSaber7]

We need more of these matches, this is friggin' awesome!

[mkl62]

Ron Garvin would do a heel turn later on the card, knocking Dusty out in his match against Barry Windham. In a recent interview in Inside Wrestling, Garvin said that fans cheered when he knocked out Dusty. I wonder why.

[ccie12933]

@mkl62

I was at the show - the fans did cheer like crazy when Garvin KOd Dusty. I was one of 'em. :)

[mkl62]

@ccie12933 I think that most fans had tired of Dusty. He had pulled a John Wayne during the winter with the Bunkhouse Stampede, which angered Tully Blanchard. Also, JCP was on the verge of bankruptcy at this point. A lot of people have blamed Dusty for it. Jim Crockett should have stood up to him. Ric Flair warned Jim of what was going on. The final straw was Tully and Arn Anderson leaving for the WWE.

[truepowerbombking]

@mkl62 you just made an OUTSTANDING & TOTALLY ACCURATE comment. dusty DEFINITELY threw jcp under the bus

[hundoe100]

wow this is so much like war games.... it makes me wish when they used that "2000 David Arquette debacle" for wargames 2000 they did it like this, and not the stupid ass way they did it....

[JerRudo]

Like that Tommy Young can't open the first door and Garvin opened up it for them

[sonny4425]

Saw a live one of these in DC the next year w/ The Road Warriors/Dusty/Windham & Luger vs the 4 Horesman & Sullivan..good stuff! Russina Assassin beat The mighty Wilbur, Tim Horner beat Rick Steiner, the new evil Ron Garvin beat Kendall Windham, Dick Murdoch beat Rip Morgan, Doc Death & Rotundo were both counted out, Zybisco and Bugsy McGraw wretled to a draw and I believe The Fantastics beat the Sheepherders..god that was a sweet night!

[Diane567]

anyway to see the end?

[TBirdSCIL]

One of the biggest markout moments of my life was when Hawk came down from the top of the cage and clotheslined Kevin Sullivan from the top ropes to rescue Precious. I remember my little brother going batshit and rewinding the recording to watch it over and over again. R.I.P. Road Warrior Hawk.

[deevo619]

Am I the only one that finds the ref scared to death funny? The poor thing is holding on for his life.

[hundoe100]

Id be scared as hell too.... its obvious the entire structure is shaking... unlikethat "2000 David Arquette debacle" the cage on the bottom is clearly not even touching the floor.... the entire structure is being supported from the cieling

[Freebleeper]

The Tower of DOOM!!!!! gotta love it.

[JsunPWMemories]

Only real complaint is wishin they get the cameras in they're closer......Alot of action you cant even see.

I guess it beats seeing live how fake a WWE show is, when you have a camera trying to creep, or have some ass pole with the camera on the end.

Always thought it was funny, wrestlers gonna act like they dont this crane with a camera on the end of it lol

[Tregames]

chyna ?

that looked like lita 2 me

[brandensimmons1987]

this was a unique & dangerous match.

[kyledugger]

sounds like tony schiavonne and jim ross are on the announce team

[paddieo101]

Is that Chyna at 2:17

[assassinm69]

no it was precious

[DefLeppardVanHalen]

Precious was a fox.

[BIGJUISEENIPPLES]

lol this match looks sooooooo shit

[JsunPWMemories]

Your name is Juiseenipples kid lol....so your opinions means that little

[WiLLEHM]

need to bring it back

[Medianightmare]

This event is when my knowledge of Pro Wrestling really started. My uncle recorded it for my sister and I. Before this, I didn't understand that there were different promotions from around the country. Around this time, there were at least four different wrestling promotions being syndicated on TV in South West Michigan. I wish I could remember what they were.

[Hitman27100]

where in SW Michigan you from? I lived all over Van Buren Co. and Kalamazoo

[ants84]

Does anyone know if the Flair/Luger match from this show can be found on YouTube? Thanks.

[shakezula29]

I have been looking for it too, I cannot find it

[ashleybound]

This match ,along with the War Games, were so innovative for the time. Where do you think Vince got the idea for the elimination chamber? Right here. Crockett may have sold out to Turner larer on, but for this time period, Crockett owned Vince and titan sports

[Koolazzmike]

You are so correct. I always tell people Vince got rich at the expense of Crockett and Verne Gagne.

[ashleybound]

Of course, I mean Vince may have had the money, but Crockett always had the more innovative ideas.

[txrenegade]

yea around that time also if not mistaken a li lbefore this wccw in texas did a match like this also at texas stadium it was awesome

[brendan909]

@ashleybound WWE admitted they got the idea for the elimination chamber from the war games. They said it was a combination of war games, royal rumble and survivor series. Eric Bischoff said this in the middle of the ring when he announced the match. Granted WWE should try to be creative, but I'm just saying don't be surprised that they aren't.

[SadoKaden]

@ashleybound Eric Bishoff actually came up with the idea for the elimination chamber, FYI.

[danteras23]

@ashleybound The best wrestling ever was in Jim Crockett Promotions and it was responsible for many of the ideas that brought the WWF so much success. Vince Mcmahon didn't invent wrestling.

[GMak220]

@ashleybound Bischoff came up with the Elimination Chamber when he was the GM of Raw

[bakonman12]

@GMak220 actually he just sold it

[Zaxxon2008]

@ashleybound Crockett never "owned" Vince

you're nuts

Crockett couldn't book an event outside of the southeast

[Neenockamockawok]

@Zaxxon2008 Well, that's why the NWA had multiple territories, plus Texas run by the Von Erichs, Verne with the Great Plains made it hard for the Crocketts to do anything. And I didn't realize that Baltimore, where this match happened, was in the southeast. And Chicago, I didn't know when Chicago moved into the southeast

[jassonbender]

so good n that douche arquette hadto tarnish this match idea along wit the wcw title . man i miss seeing hart perez n paul joones n ellering n hawk n animal . this match needs be on a game screw the gay inferno match we need this

[themaniac105]

why oh why havn't they done another match like this?

It'd be cool if they did... they'd have Edge spere someone from one floor to another o_O wow

[metallistxace]

I love how back in the day, powder was like encouraged.

[metallistxace]

I love this match.

I would love for this concept to be used for a Survivor Series match.

Have the two teams do that instead. It would be like a dream match.

[Frank15982]

That cage looks unstable.

Now thats entertaining.

[Thumper17]

Yea, it's shaking a good half a foot either way. I'm sure with current cage technology, we could get a fairly stable one.

[rhaarh90]

The referee looks like a sissy LOL!

[Fnoel98356]

If my memory is correct, Ronnie Garvin also was in the AWA in between the NWA and WWF where he was supposed to be a heel there. I say supposed to be because he was feuding with Greg Gange when he was there. And I cheered for Garvin when he was in the AWA at this time.

[gangstaOGgangsta]

As good as Dustys ideas were, he had some pretty awful ones aswell

[NestorV]

Well, they can't all be winners.

[drailcomics]

people need to remember when this match took place, back in the day it was a hell of a concept, and if WWE or some other comany used this idea, and updated it with the newer better built cages it would still be a hell of a concept.

[darksorceressknight7]

i cant see shit lol

[666DevilDarkSide999]

what the hell is this match

[nycgentleness]

I still have the vhs tape of this match the great american bash 88. But I never knew one thing. when this match started they used some patriot song for the varsity team but what entrance theme they used for garvin theme?

[051919671]

that match was poopy gay

[joe231965]

I miss the NWA. WWE sucks

[Antikrazy]

u can watch nwa if u have a digital box

[LoneWolfBebo]

the cage match you are all referring to is the triple cage match! you no pretty much the only match wwe idiots have never used(seriously if WCW had not gone bankrupt then WWE would be dead)

[danishhald]

This is what you could call a "cluster fuck".

[BlistardPussy]

Ron Garvin was also managed by Gary Hart during his heel run.

[EHWF1]

that was old

[WALTERP7]

haha XD i love it

[xxWintersEmbracexx]

wcw held a match similar to this in 1996 at uncensored with 3 stacked cages im sure somebody already said that but i havent read all the comments. i enjoyed this much better though lol

[WWEfan62]

yea.............but that match was retarded.......it was hogan and randy savage vs. about 20 guys

[roncarl9]

great concept but might have been a little bit too advanced for the WCW creative team back then

[roncarl9]

isnt this the start of Ron Garvin's heel turn? he left Dr Death hanging and then right after the match he leaves to the back , which setups when he punched out Dusty rhodes in the rhodes vs windham match

[DXSuperkick]

This Is A Dangerous Match Why Dont They

Use It Anymore

[theSonicYouth]

I think you just answered your own question.

[lukemccarthy65]

the fans necks were probably hurting soooooo badly when it was over

[Minitaker91]

thanks a lot for posting this, but you could have put it in parts instead of editing it.

[sukebechan36]

Never did buy the whole Dr Death feuding with the Varsity Club in early 88 and then joining them in late 88 and then feuding with them in 89. That was crap.

[jcrossney]

Did referee Tommy Young get hazard pay for this?!?

[xtrememan4]

wow how tall is that!

[galifray]

thats about a 40ft structure posibly 50 i remember when a guy got thrown off it and went through the ramp

[geoffsmellsbad]

That was Kanyon

[JuanKong1]

WTF?!

[plaiddrummer]

crazy

[FireitupBedford]

Thats what I was thinking

[CMWuff]

wow very high the cages very impresiv

[blazerr]

Around the same time that NWA/WCW was doing this type of stacked-cage match, I think World Class Wrestling had a stacked-cage match where the object was to get from the bottom to the top (I think it was a free-for-all with several guys all out for themselves)...anyone remember this?

[takerkanefan108]

did wwe stole this ppv?

[innsaane]

More like they inherited the PPV when they bought WCW.

[mtbrx]

i remember watching this match all those years ago. if the whole match was on here you can see just how good it was.

[run3scap31994]

damn!!! they could really turn the matches into something, they should have one of these sometime this year =P

[xxdeadendollxx]

isnt that the 3 storey cage match they used in the film Ready To Rumble and later used on a few WCW ppv. One angle where Mike Awesome threw Kanyon off from the top of the first cage to the entrance ramp?

[innsaane]

Not quite, i just looked it up for the first time. That match was complete shit, compared to this one, which is just partial shit.

[dcfromcc]

ive wanted to see this for years...thank you.

[Cashmaster21]

This match is weird.

Is that JR on Commentery.

[cswkeeper]

yea its JR and tony shivani who was one of the commentators in WCW.

[54spiritedwill54]

very unsual but good match

[MysticArksRevenge]

The NWA was before the WCW.

[miggy25]

this is when i really loved Jim Ross on the mic...he just gets u so amped up!

[Lannis32]

This video load is shitty because the great pre-match banter and meeting outside the cage with the wrestlers it cut off, and then the best part, when Sullivan pushes Garvin out of the cage and attacks Precious, and Garvin and the guys climb back up the latter and climb back down the cage in a race against time is cut off, and that was the payoff for the cage! So this is a shitty upload.

[innsaane]

I can't upload footage I don't have.

[joeymcnew]

Thanks for the upload!

[joeymcnew]

If you can do better then upload it! If you can't shut up about the upload that was added for you, me an other to view.

[Puhmpkin]

cool video

[spider1974]

WCW stole this idea from World Class. WCCW had the Triple Dome of Terror.

[Lannis32]

This contest wasn't put on by WCW dumbass it was the NWA, a completely different organization.

[biloretard]

not completly different

[DaRealJSlim]

This match looks fantastic. The WWE's ratings would BOOM if they renew this match because it would something new and very interesting for the fans to see.

[seakc87]

i hope no one does renew this match. it's fuckin stupid

[Lannis32]

This idea was great.

[johnnymoustache87]

Was this the cage match that was in the movie Ready To Rumble?

[JonDoe70]

Yes it was.

[johnnymoustache87]

k, thanks for replying man!

[bigfootiscool]

no but its similar

[nizark]

what a clusterfuck of a match

[Puhmpkin]

uhu...

[Awfking]

WWE or TNA should renew this Match.

[SORA5184]

very poor quality

[smoothpants]

They did a Tower Of Doom match at the Capital Centre in Landover, MD in September '88 that was much better than this. I think that was because Dusty, Nikita, The Road Warriors and The Horsemen were involved.

[ConE500]

You can hardley see whats going on!

[PIGPEN1979]

I remember watching this, I was 9 years old when it was on tv. I have been looking for this video for awhile.

[RunescapeWrestling]

it sounds like jr announcing

[tuwan130]

he was

[happYydudEe]

19 yrs ago...wow

[Idol1983]

Remember the thunderdome cage.

[miggy25]

WOW...I haven't seen the name "Tower of Doom" since I watched this PPV back in '88 when I was 6 or 7...This is when the Bash, Starrcade and Wrestlemania were the must watch shows for any wrestling fan

[tiagolaranjeira]

very cool...

[Whoo69]

I see... the cage becomes easier to see once the match happens a bit. They actually zoom out and show it, even though it looks like pure crap and is the wrong color.

[innsaane]

Interesting observations. The part that gets me is the ref having a bitch of a time trying to get the trapdoors open.

[Whoo69]

is it just me, or does it look like they're on some hollywood movie set from this angle? did it look this bad to the audience?? It looks pretty boring to me. Not much action goin on, and I can't even see a fucking cage! And what's with all the lights? And are there actually technicians up there w/ the wrestlers still trying to set it up right while fighting's goin on??

[TimeBotProductions]

looks like WWF "Borrowed" this with the "Hell of Cell" if u ask me!!

[StarSaber7]

Oh my god that was fucking awesome!!!

[y0ucantcme]

they should have more tower of dooms

[StarSaber7]

AGREED!

[Jeffhardy2theextreem]

iz this wcw

[HarveyFoFi]

I don't remember this. This is a huge mess.

[innsaane]

It is, half the entertainment value is seeing how they deal with the trap doors.