There’s a reason our parents would like to tell us “go outside and play,” and it went beyond that they just wanted peace and quiet. The outside air and Vitamin D is good for us all. It’s also great for superstars to try and put on a wrestling show, as the outside arenas lend a different feel than putting on matches indoors.
The look and feel of an outdoor show is great to witness, as it's a different setting than a dark or dimly lit arena. While the acoustics might not properly portray the excitement, outdoor venues are always a treat for fans and wrestlers alike. Here are a few hidden gems that you may have forgotten about.
8 Super Show-Down 2018
The unique atmosphere of an outdoor show gets even more so when over 70,000 scream Aussie fans jam packed Melbourne’s Cricket Field for the first ever Super Show-Down. Most overseas shows are really just over-inflated House Shows, but down under a lot of things happened at the event.
The Shield reunited, Daniel Bryan earned his Survivor Series title shot, The Undertaker fought Triple H for the last time, and Buddy Murphy got to capture the Cruiserweight title in front of his countrymen.
7 Bash At The Beach 1995
Thanks to Eric Bischoff daring to do a lot of things differently in WCW, many events not only took place outside, and they all had vastly different feels. One of the first up was the 1995 Bash At The Beach event. In an era before the nWo, this event had several great gems to watch, and the sunny Huntington Beach setting made for an authentic beach feel to the bash.
The card opened with Sting Vs. Meng, there was also a brutal tag team triangle match with Harlem Heat defending against the Blue Bloods and The Nasty Boys. The main event was Hulk Hogan defending the WCW title against Vader in a cage match.
6 The Big Event
One of the WWE’s first ever grand scale house show was The Big Event. The show took place in Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium. As far as early WWE events go, you’re not going to find a lot of better shows or matches than seeing Ricky Steamboat against Jake Roberts in a Snake Pit match.
Bobby Heenan and Lou Albano were able to mix it up when they teamed up with their respective clients - King Kong Bundy and John Studd against The Machines. Haku even fought as a babyface on the card as King Tonga taking on Don Muraco in a grudge match.
5 Hog/Road Wild 1996 - 1999
A lot has been said over the years about Eric Bischoff’s passion project that became Hog Wild and later Road Wild. But his daredevil philosophy brought WCW right into the middle of the largest motorcycle rally in the world.
For four years, the Black Hills in Sturgis, South Dakota served as a backdrop for a plethora of moments. The two most memorable would both involve Hollywood Hogan, who first spray painted the WCW title with “nWo” after defeating The Giant at the first event. Two years later, he’d find himself in the clutches of a deadly vice grip from Jay Leno.
4 SummerSlam 1992
It’s not that the WWE Universe could ever forget such a classic match between Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith happened. It more that there was also an entire event that happened before The Bulldog won the IC title in his home country.
SummerSlam 1992 featured one of the first grand Undertaker entrances - riding atop a hearse! The event was co-main evented by the anticipated rematch between Randy Savage, defending the WWE title against The Ultimate Warrior; the first time the two superstars met since Warrior ended Savage’s career at WrestleMania VII.
3 Monday Nitro - 03.16.1998
It’s Spring Break, and you know what that means - Monday Nitro live from Club La Vela in Panama City Beach, Florida. It also means a lot of fun absurdity. With the ring literally and uniquely set up in the middle of the club’s pool, several wrestlers wound up getting wet throughout the evening, including Kevin Nash who voluntarily jumped in to escape the clutches of The Giant. The show is most memorable for one of the best Sting entrances of all time - the WCW champion descended to the ring from a helicopter!
2 WrestleMania IX
Now that WWE regularly takes place outside in sunny cities, it's easy to forget that the world’s largest toga party also served as the first-ever outdoor show in WrestleMania history. Aside from the debacle of Hogan absconding with the WWE title and The Phenom entering on the death chariot, this is an easy event to forget.
But it’s also one to watch just to see how NOT to put on a WrestleMania show. The only two matches worth watching are Shawn Michaels and Tatanka and the Steiner Brothers taking on The Headshrinkers.
1 The Greatest Royal Rumble - 2018
When your opening match is John Cena vs. Triple H, chances are you’re in for a tremendous card. The first ever WWE Saudi show featured every title on the line which meant huge rematches from WrestleMania 34 between AJ and Nakamura and a steel cage match between Brock and Roman.
In the main event, Braun Strowman might have won The Greatest Royal Rumble, but it really was the Daniel Bryan show. The recently un-retired Bryan put on an hour-plus clinic for the fans.