Bash at the Beach was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1994 through 2000. The series was held each July and replaced Beach Blast as WCW’s summer beach-themed pay-per-view.
The first Bash at the Beach took place on July 17, 1994, in Orlando, Florida. Hulk Hogan made his WCW in-ring debut in the main event and defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The card also included Ricky Steamboat challenging Steve Austin for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
The 1995 event was held outdoors in Huntington Beach, California. Hulk Hogan defended the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Vader in a Steel Cage Match, continuing their rivalry from earlier in the year.
Bash at the Beach 1996 featured one of the major turning points of WCW’s Monday Night War period. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash faced Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage while promising that a third man would join them. Hulk Hogan appeared during the match and attacked Savage, revealing himself as Hall and Nash’s partner. Hogan, Hall, and Nash then introduced the New World Order.
Celebrity involvement became a major part of the next two events. Dennis Rodman teamed with Hollywood Hogan against Lex Luger and The Giant in the main event of Bash at the Beach 1997. In 1998, Hogan and Rodman faced Diamond Dallas Page and NBA star Karl Malone in another heavily promoted tag team match.
The series continued through 1999 and 2000. Randy Savage won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Kevin Nash at the 1999 event after Savage and Sid Vicious faced Nash and Sting in a tag team match in which the wrestler scoring the fall would become champion.
The final Bash at the Beach took place on July 9, 2000, in Daytona Beach, Florida. A scheduled WCW World Heavyweight Championship match between Jeff Jarrett and Hulk Hogan ended when Jarrett laid down and allowed Hogan to pin him. Vince Russo later addressed the situation in the ring and continued with Jarrett as champion. Later that night, Booker T defeated Jarrett to win his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Bash at the Beach ended after seven annual events from 1994 through 2000. WCW closed the following year, and the Bash at the Beach name was not continued after WWE acquired WCW in 2001.
