Coliseum hosts WWE's The Great American Bash

Ahh, summer on Long Island. Lazy afternoons at Jones Beach. Barbecues in the backyard. And "New York City Parking Lot Brawls" in Uniondale?

Sunday night, World Wrestling Entertainment brings one of pro wrestling's oldest summer traditions to Long Island as the Nassau Coliseum hosts The Great American Bash. The sold-out event is airing live on pay per view starting at 8 p.m.

Whether you've forked over $300 for a ringside seat, or $40 to watch it from the comfort of your home, here are some liner notes of sorts to help guide you through three hours of "sports entertainment" action.

The 16,000-seat Coliseum sold out in less than an hour when tickets went on sale for the Bash in May. For their $300, ringside fans get to keep their commemorative chair.

Despite Nassau Coliseum having hosted some 177 WWE events since it opened in 1972, Sunday night's is only the third pay-per-view from the arena. In 1986, the first third of WrestleMania 2, which took place in three separate cities, was held there. Then in 2002, the Coliseum hosted "SummerSlam."

The first card held by the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation at the Coliseum was in February 1974. It featured WWWF world heavyweight champion Bruno Sammartino taking on Stan Stasiak. Although WWE has scaled back visits to the Coliseum, it was a near-monthly stop for the company throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

The Great American Bash began in 1985 under the National Wrestling Alliance banner and promoted by WWE rival Jim Crockett promotions. It later became an annual pay-per-view held by the Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling, which promoted the show until 2000. In 2004, WWE renamed its annual July pay-per-view to cash in on the event's name value.

Former NWA star Dusty Rhodes headlined the first Great American Bash 23 years ago, and is credited with coming up with the event's name. Sunday, Rhodes' son Cody is one half of WWE's world tag team champions.

Early Bashes included such memorable moments as Ric Flair landing in a helicopter during his entrance for a match against Nikita Koloff in 1985 and the first double steel cage "War Games" match in 1987.

Three Long Islanders will be part of -- or at least calling -- the action for WWE Sunday night. East Setauket's Mick Foley and Massapequa's Tazz will both be doing color commentary from ringside, while "Y2J" Chris Jericho, who was born in Manhasset, takes on Shawn Michaels in a grudge match.

The Bash features two world title main event matches. In one, newly crowned world heavyweight champion, the tattooed and pierced "Straight Edge Superstar" C.M. Punk defends against "The Animal" Batista. In the other, six-time world champion -- and son-in-law of WWE chairman Vince McMahon -- Triple H defends his WWE title against "The Rated R Superstar" Edge.

WWE's top star, John Cena, will also battle wrestler/Fox News Channel financial commentator John Bradshaw Layfield in a New York City parking lot brawl, in which both men will fight surrounded by automobiles.

Long Island wrestling fans' reputation for being tough to satisfy may have something to do with WWE's sporadic visits to the Coliseum for big shows. At a live televised event in 2001, then-WWE color commentator Paul Heyman left the announcer table during a commercial and broke character while ripping into L.I. fans for sitting on their hands. "The Madison Square Garden crowd demands historic moments. The Long Island crowd demands value for their dollar," Heyman told Newsday last week.

Source: newsday.com