The Great American Bash: Freedom Challenge took place on July 6, 1985 at the American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The main event was a steel cage match for the NWA World Television Championship with Tully Blanchard defending the title against Dusty Rhodes. Nikita Koloff challenged for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Ric Flair with David Crockett as the special guest referee. Magnum T.A. defended the NWA United States Championship against Kamala, while the NWA World Tag Team Champions Krusher Khrushchev and Ivan Koloff fought the AWA World Tag Team Champions, The Road Warriors. 4 other matches took place on the undercard.

The Great American Bash '88 was the fourth annual Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by Jim Crockett Promotions under the NWA banner and the first to be produced as a pay-per-view event. It took place on July 10, 1988 at The Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The main event was a standard wrestling match for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship between Ric Flair and Lex Luger for the title. Featured matches were Barry Windham versus Dusty Rhodes for the NWA US Heavyweight Championship, The Road Warriors, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin & Ron Garvin versus Kevin Sullivan, Mike Rotunda, Al Perez, The Russian Assassin & Ivan Koloff in a Tower of Doom match, The Fantastics versus The Midnight Express for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship and Horsemen Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard versus Sting & Nikita Koloff for the NWA Tag Team Championship.

The Great American Bash (1989) was the fifth annual The Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by WCW under the NWA banner and the second to be produced as a PPV event. It took place on July 23, 1989 at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The main event was a standard wrestling match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Ric Flair defended the title against Terry Funk. Featured matches on the undercard were Road Warriors, Midnight Express and Steve Williams versus Fabulous Freebirds and Samoan Swat Teamin a WarGames match, Lex Luger versus Ricky Steamboat for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, Sting versus The Great Muta for the NWA World Television Championship, Steiner Brothers versus Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Kevin Sullivan) in a Texas Tornado match, Jim Cornette versus Paul E. Dangerously in a Tuxedo match, The Skyscrapers versus Dynamic Dudes and a Two-Ring King of the Hill Battle Royal.

This was the first use of the WarGames: The Match Beyond match conceived by Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes was on the winning side in both events along with the Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff and Paul Ellering. Koloff, Rhodes and J.J. Dillon sustained serious injuries in the first encounter. The Bash series took place in numerous venues all July long, starting in Landover, Maryland at the Capital Centre on July 2.

Jim Crockett Promotions used "The Great American Bash" as the name for a tour that had several PPV caliber shows around the country. In 1986, there were 13 Great American Bashes and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defended his title at each one against Ricky Morton, Road Warrior Hawk, Ron Garvin, Nikita Koloff, Robert Gibson, Road Warrior Animal, Magnum T.A., Wahoo McDaniel and Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes defeated him for the title at the July 26 Bash. Flair challenged for it on the last Bash on August 2. Nikita Koloff and Magnum T.A. were involved in a best of seven title match series throughout the Bash for the U.S. Title.