The Contentious Ten 8.17.09: The Top Ten SummerSlam Moments

Top Ten Comments

A few of these are from two weeks ago.

10. Dude, no offence at all, but that forumla is horrendous if it gives you 2008 as the number one. This is the top ten Summerslam shows, not your top ten favourites. 2008 shouldn’t even be in the top five, heck possibly not even the top 10 and the only real reason it’s there is because of the Main Event.
Posted By: SummerTwilight (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 04:37 AM

No offense taken; that is the precise reason why I retired the formula, people didn’t like it, and it gave me results I didn’t like. I know there are people that refuse to believe me, but I did not rank the SummerSlams in the order of which ones were my favorite. My five favorite SummerSlams are 1991, 1998, 2001, 1997, and 1993. I also never would have ranked 2008 as number one.

9. you had a great column till you rated Summerslam 2002 number 3 re you crazy universally regarded as the best, and its so stupid to put SS 08 over 02, cmon man get a life
Posted By: Guest#5212 (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 10:20 AM

There were a lot of comments like this. The truth is that I’ve tried to like it, but I still don’t love 2002. I found that the outcomes of the two big matches were too predictable, and the undercard, while really good, just didn’t do it for me. Van Dam vs. Benoit was another great SummerSlam Intercontinental Title match, but in my opinion I can think of at least five SummerSlam IC Title matches that I thought were better (91, 92, 95, 97, 98). Jericho vs. Flair wasn’t very good. The Tag Title match was alright, but it was nothing special. I didn’t see why there was so much fuss over Lesnar, he was just shoved down the fan’s throats, so it was obvious he would win the belt. Finally, they weren’t going to have Michaels lose his return match. Don’t get me wrong it was a great match, just too easy to predict. While all the matches were good, I just couldn’t, and still can’t really get into the event. I don’t get all of the love for it. It’s a very good show, but comparing it to WrestleMania 17, or the 89 Great American Bash, seems like overkill to me. That’s just my opinion; I’m not saying that your opinions are wrong. I guess we just have different opinions.

8. I’d put 2002, then 2000, then 2001 all above 2008 (and probably 2005).
That’s why it’s an opinion column though. Good read.
I’m just a huge HBK mark, so 2002 takes the cake for me. Not to mention I was REALLY behind Lesnar from day 1 (I felt like a badass because I bought the Wrestlemania X-8 “autograph book” from like, a grocery store or something, and it had everyone on the WWE roster as of January 2002 in it, and on the last page it had Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar, so I felt like I was “in on it” before he even debuted.
Posted By: Empire Of Ownage (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 12:59 AM

I think I bought that book too. It covered all of the WrestleManias up to that point. I remember seeing Lesnar and a guy that looked really similar, Ron Waterman, in some dark matches before a Raw in Milwaukee. Your comment made me think of that, that was a damn fun show.

Number seven is from two weeks ago.

7. If Summerslam 2002 doesn’t win, we riot.
Posted By: Tom (Guest) on August 03, 2009 at 04:22 PM

I hope you didn’t smash too many shop windows!

Number six is from two weeks ago.

6. Am i the only one who can count 21 Summerslams not 20?
88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,00,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08
Posted By: RM (Guest) on August 03, 2009 at 07:35 AM

This is in reference to the title of the first column being “The SummerSlams (Part 1 – #20 to #12). I’m not one to normally pass the buck, but I kind of need to here. At some point between when I submitted the article and when it was posted one of the editors decided to make the title a bit more descriptive, and instead of writing 21 through 12, wrote 20 – 12. Here I had all of this math, and then it looked like I couldn’t even count the number of SummerSlams properly. Usually I make enough mistakes on my own. I tell ya, people are out to get me.

Number five is from two weeks ago, and I’ve waiting two long weeks to respond…

5. “However, from the viewpoint of a fan, the Toronto crowd was filled with smart-marks and was as annoying as hell. I’m all for booing and cheering whoever you want, but I think the crowd reactions actually managed to drag town the quality of some of the matches, either because the wrestlers started to get irritated, or simply because it’s impossible to separate the audience’s role in the show from the overall performance.” [This poster was quoting me]
You can say this because you’re a better fan than the people who paid to see that show and got shafted with a terrible card, right? Outside of Eddie/Angle and Orton/Benoit, the rest of that show was god damn awful. I would’ve booed if I was there too.
Seriously, I hate this bullshit anti-smark rhetoric that gets tossed around because it makes absolutely no sense. If I pay to see a show, the company I’m paying to see owes it to me to entertain me. I owe them nothing because I’m already paying to watch their product. It’s not a privilege that I’m there. I’m the consumer paying for the product. I’m not obligated to cheer just because. If I’m delivered a sub-standard product, I’m going to be vocal. If I order a burger at McDonald’s and they forgot the fucking meat, I’m not gonna just grin and bear it. I’m gonna show the manager and complain. The only way to vent frustration with a shitty show is to jeer like the crowd did.
So basically fuck you and anyone who wants to complain about “smart” crowds. Entertain me or expect a negative response. That’s not me expecting too much — that how business works.
Posted By: Guest#1528 (Guest) on August 03, 2009 at 06:14 PM

I’m not going to direct the vulgarity of this comment at you, like you did to me. That said: Do you think you can criticize my opinion because you are a better fan than me? You talk about fans that paid to see the show, well I paid $40 to see that show from the comfort of my living room, and instead of being able to enjoy a decent, not great, but decent show (it certainly was not shitty) I had to listen to the Toronto crowd shit all over everything. Like I said in my initial comment, if you pay your money and go to a show you should be able to boo and cheer whoever you want, and if the show sucks you should be able to let them know that too. However, I certainly didn’t pay 40 bucks to listen to a bunch of whiny smart-marks try and hijack a show. To use your McDonald’s analogy, If I order a burger and some asshole comes and sits next to me and starts yelling at me about how awful the food is, or how bad it is for me, or spits on my food, I’m probably going to have a pretty miserable lunch. So I reserve the right to tell him to shut up and get out of my face. I was merely commenting on how the Toronto crowd that night dragged the whole show down with their negativity. The wrestling audience, because they are an integral part of the show/performance has the ability to do that. Furthermore, I’m sure they ruined the experience for thousands of other fans in attendance that just wanted to have a good time but were subjected to the mean-spirited Rocky Horror Picture Show like atmosphere created by the smart-marks. But I guess to you, the enjoyment of those fans’ is secondary to your own oh-so-in-the-know smart-mark fandom. It’s the fans’ prerogatives and their right as paying customers to act like douche-bags if they want to, but I, and anyone else that wants to, certainly have the right to call them on it and tell them to shut the fuck up.

4. Couple of things there Mr Peters. Firstly, though many complained, you ABSOLUTELY should have shown your work on this part. You have a controversial number one, and without that ranking formula shown, you can’t back up your argument. I don’t care if people bitched, you should have followed through and then scrapped the formula thing for furure columns. Trying to please the commenters ended up pissing off everyone. Also, please don’t apologise for being a Bret Hart mark. Fuck whoever doesn’t love Bret Hart. The man is one of the greatest in ring performers of all-time, and the Hart haters can suck a dick. Even though you are a columnist, you are still a fan first. You are going to have favorties, and having one of the best as a favorite only legitimizes your credentials as a columnist. Film critics have favorite films, and I’m more likely to appreciate the opinion of a critic who’s favorite film is The Deer Hunter or Citizen Kane than I am a critic who thinks Titanic is the greatest movie of all time. Don’t apologize about Brett Hart love, he’s the fucking Deer Hunter.
Posted By: Jay Smith (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 07:29 PM

First, if you really want to see my numbers shoot me an email and I’ll send you the Excel file. You maybe right that I should have included my work last week, but the truth is, I wanted to scrap the system almost as badly as most of the readers wanted me to scrap it. Also, I don’t think I was apologizing for being a Bret Hart mark, I was just letting everyone know, just how big of a Bret Hart mark I am (a pretty damn big one). However, I really loved your last line “he’s the fucking Deer Hunter,” and I felt strangely empowered after reading your comment, so thanks!

3. John, the last thing these idiots need is another person dumbing things down for them. They’re uneducated and don’t have an original thought in their collective heads. They only believe what guys like Meltzer and Scherer say (which is why so many people falsely believe that the WMIII true figure of 93,173 was inflated).
Your math wasn’t difficult to understand if you took all of 30 seconds to read the formula. It made a ton of sense and lent credence to your ranking systems.
The country is in the state it is because of coddling. You shouldn’t be part of the problem by removing them because big bad numbers scare the widdle itty bitty IWC.
Yuck.
Posted By: IWC=Douches (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 09:47 AM

In some ways I liked this comment, because I had been feeling a little beat up on, but then I really read the comment for what it was. I didn’t drop the system because I felt the need to dumb things down. I dropped the system because people didn’t like it, and honestly, because one of the editors suggested that it made for a less interesting read. If people don’t like my column, they stop reading it, and if they stop reading it then I get removed from 411mania. It’s not that they are uneducated, or that they are over coddled, it’s that no one wants be subjected to a boring yet still (as many people pointed out) largely arbitrary system, when my opinion will suffice. In addition, even if your assessment of the people you are talking about were correct (it’s not, I’ve done extensive studies on wrestling fans, and in particular the IWC, and the bulk of wrestling fans are perfectly intelligent), I don’t think my wrestling column is going to be the thing that makes or breaks our country.

The next comment is a response to the previous comment.

2. My friend, you are the dumb one without an original thought for simply accepting a made up system as valid and reliable. I understand his system. My problem with it is that it is still an opinionated process when one is determining that this match is more important than that match, etc.
The system is not hard to understand, just flawed. If I made a top 10 list with no explanation, that is no more biased than determining match one to be more important that match two, etc.
You are blinded by numbers. Oooh, he uses “math” so he must be smart and everyone that does not like the system is an uneducated wrestling fan.
I agree with the “PhD student” earlier. This writer acts like his system is so smart we cant get it.
Newsflash, everyone here is not an uneducated WWE-loving hillbilly! Some of us were smart enough to realize that there is always going to be OPINION and BIAS involved in an OPINION COLUMN. Nothing wrong with that!
Writers should not portray themselves otherwise with a nonsensical system. It kills me how you all rush to defend a writer who implicitly calls you stupid.
Posted By: Guest#9980 (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 09:21 PM

If I thought the readers were too stupid to get the system, why did I post it in the first place? Oh, that’s right because I need an ego boost. Seriously, I write a fucking wrestling column. It’s barely a real column because it’s a weekly top 10 list. If I wanted an ego boost, I’d speak at a conference, I’d publish an academic article, or I would read a self-help book. I certainly wouldn’t subject myself to people complaining about my intentions (which, by the way, how do you know what my intentions are?) on a weekly basis. I write the column because I have fun doing it. I got rid of the system because it detracted from the fun of reading the column, the fun of writing the column, and because (as many of the readers who were able to see through my “pretending to be smart” pointed out) it was significantly flawed. I’m sorry you didn’t like the system, I’m sorry that through it you were somehow tricked into believing that I was trying to pass it off as flawless, unbiased, or both, and I’m especially sorry that you thought I was calling all of the readers too stupid to get my system. That was certainly not my intention, but I guess you have some kind of extra sensory perception that allows you to read people’s intentions through their writing (you must be a blast to email or text). By the way you are the one calling some of the readers ignorant in your comment, by claiming they are “blinded by numbers,” or that they are too stupid to know I am “calling them stupid.”

1. I explained why I did not like the system last week. Using a system that YOU create does not make the article more scientific. It was completely arbitrary to determine that match 1 was this important and match 2 was not, etc.
I am glad it was dropped, but in explaining why you still attempt to present yourself as a super smart dude whose system was just misunderstood or out of place here. Ranking matches and events is always going to involve bias. You are not being unbiased with a self-created system.
Do you think announcing that you are a college teacher and need to separate that from wrestling writer makes you smarter than everyone else here? That aside you delivered oozed of pretension.
I am a PhD student with multiple degrees under my belt, am on track to be a college prof as well, and understand that your system was a flawed attempt to add a system to your column that would make many think there was some real academic processes involved. There is no real, peer evaluated way to determine a wrestling match’s importance. Your system does not fill this lacuna. Sorry.
I am not bashing. You are an opinion writer. I want you to express your opinion without attempting to blind the masses by pretending it is something other than opinion.
Posted By: Guest#1744 (Guest) on August 10, 2009 at 01:34 AM

This is an example of not being able to please a person no matter what you do. Guest#1744 didn’t like my ranking system. I got rid of my system and Guest#1744 didn’t like my reasoning for getting rid of the ranking system. I think you, Guest#1744, have some serious inadequacy issues, because you are way too concerned about me presenting my self as a “super smart dude,” and being a college teacher. Then, in practically the same breath you spout off how super smart you are, with all of your degrees and your PhD program. Additionally, to imply that I’m a megalomaniac that has a desire to fool all of my readers is absurd. You claim I’m pretentious, but you act like if it wasn’t for you the readers of 411mania would all fall under my spell! Thank God they have you to protect their feeble little minds from my dastardly attempt to get them to think I’m a super-genius!

All I wanted to do was create a system to rank the events as opposed to just saying “I like SummerSlam 1991 the best. Then I like SummerSlam 1998. Then I like…” I never claimed the system was perfect, I never claimed that it wasn’t arbitrary or didn’t bend to some of my biases. However, in my defense, you would have to be naive to think that, for example, at SummerSlam 2000, the Terri vs. The Kat “Stinkface” match is of equal importance to the event as the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. As a result, I tried to come up with a system that helped reflect that importance. I get that the system is arbitrary; I even said that it was! Nevertheless, the system yielded results that didn’t match my personal rankings and opinions of each event, so I found that to me it was less, or at least differently biased then if I just listed the events in the order that I liked them (maybe my thought that it was somehow less biased was a mistake in my perception of my system). You don’t have to believe me, but that’s the truth.

The fact of the matter is (and I’m sorry to offend you by bringing it up again), that as a college teacher, every month, I have to take hundreds of highly subjective papers and apply an objective formula to them in the form of a rubric. So it is very easy to apply objective reasoning to subjective material, if you have the right system. I’ll say that my formula wasn’t the right system, but you act like I produced the entire thing as some kind of ego boost to make everyone think I’m smart (in which case I clearly failed, because I didn’t fool you). I put a lot of thought into each of my columns, because I want to give the readers something with some substance and justification, as opposed to just a half-assed list. If you disagree with my method that’s fine, but you are smart enough to know that you shouldn’t be reading into a subtext that isn’t there, or one that you have to imply yourself. The system is dead and buried, and I’m not, nor was I ever trying to be subversive, I just wanted to provide a different perspective.

On to this week’s list…

This was a much harder list to come up with than I thought it would be. I didn’t want these to be matches, and I didn’t want to rehash my commentary from the last two weeks, but in some cases it was inevitable. I’ve got to say after these last three columns I am completely burnt out when it comes to SummerSlam. The thing that may have been the most difficult about this particular column was actually ranking the moments, as a number of them could have easily been number one. I’m not even sure I’m happy with the order I put them in, but it’s a top ten list, they have to go in some order. Regardless, these really are my favorite moments, and I’m sure you all have your own.

Honorable Mentions

Sapphire Realizes the “True” American Dream (1990)

It was painfully obvious to everyone, except for Dusty Rhodes and the announce team, that Ted DiBiase was the one buying Sweet Sapphire all of those gifts. However, that didn’t stop me from laughing my ass off when Sapphire showed up on stage with The Million Dollar Man. The look on Dusty’s face was priceless. Everybody may have a price, but that doesn’t mean everyone is a good investment.

Miss Elizabeth Shows Us The Goods (1988)

As a kid I always wondered why the announcers considered Elizabeth to be such a good manager. She rarely got involved, and she was more of a distraction to Randy Savage than she was helpful. However, the whole world got to see why she was a valuable member of the Mega Powers when she tore off her skirt and distracted the Mega Bucks and Jesse Ventura with her sex appeal. This added another layer to the otherwise virginal Elizabeth character. It is just too bad that this didn’t mark a complete character change.

The Eyes of the Deadmen (1994)

I know the match sucked, but as youngster I thought it was pretty damn cool seeing the two Undertakers stare each other down. After that, it all went, or should I say plummeted, down hill. But for that one moment it was pretty cool.

Hart’s Perfect Victory (1991)

I proclaimed my love for the Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect Intercontinental Title match last week, but, like I said in the intro, I didn’t want the list to be matches. The real moment here is Hart’s victory and the accomplishment of winning his first singles title. It is a great moment to be sure; Mr. Perfect submits immediately to the Sharpshooter, and Hart takes not only his title, but also metaphorically strips him of his wrestling career (as it would be Hennig’s last match for over a year) when he strips off his singlet. As a moment it’s great, but it’s probably not top ten material.

The Top Ten SummerSlam Moments

X

A Royal Ass Kicking (1993)

Sometimes in the wrestling world getting revenge is more important than getting a victory. This is true for both the wrestlers and for the fans, and heading into SummerSlam 1993 there was no match more emotionally charged than Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler. The self-professed “King of Wrestling,” Jerry Lawler attacked Bret Hart during his coronation at the first ever King of the Ring pay per view. Hart had had a grueling night having wrestled and defeated Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigalow, so when Lawler attacked him from behind he was in no condition to defend himself. Naturally Hart wanted revenge, but Lawler did his best to avoid the “Hitman,” and instead verbally assaulted Hart’s parents Stu and Helen, and picked a fight with his younger, less experienced, brother Owen. It looked as though Lawler was digging his own grave, as the normally calm and tactical Hart, was becoming hell-bent on revenge, and it looked like he would get it too, because it was announced that the pair would face off at SummerSlam.

Hart made his entrance first, and his brothers Owen and Bruce sat in the front row to lend their support. As Mussorgsky’s “The Great Gate of Kiev” started to play Lawler was slow to come out, and finally limped out on crutches with an ice pack on his knee. He claimed he had been in a horrible multi-car pile up crash and injured his knee and would be unable to compete. Hart was hardly able to keep his composure, but before he could act Lawler named Doink the Clown as his replacement. Doink gave Hart a bit of trouble but after a few minutes of wrestling, and Hart’s counter to Doink’s top rope vertical-splash (the Whoopee Cushion), the evil clown found himself locked in the Sharpshooter. Lawler seized the moment to assault Hart with his crutches, revealing that his knee was fine (Bobby Heenan called it a miracle). Lawler helped Doink to the back when WWF President Jack Tunney came out and informed Lawler, and the audience that if “The King” did not return to wrestle Bret Hart he would be banned from the WWF for life. Hart wasted no time in going after Lawler. While “The King” got his licks in on him, including several shots with his crutches, Hart ultimately beat the hell out of him. Giving Lawler a taste of his own medicine Hart executed a piledriver, and then locked Lawler in the Sharpshooter. Lawler tried to fight the pain, but eventually submitted. Hart wasn’t done punishing the man who had tormented him and his family for several months though, and he refused to let go of the hold. The referee called for the bell a second and third time, but Hart wouldn’t let go. Then several other officials came out and, to no avail, tried to convince Hart to release the hold. Then the guys in suits showed up, but Hart still wouldn’t let go, all the while Lawler writhed in pain. Finally, after several minutes, the “Hitman” felt gratified and finally dropped Lawler’s legs. However, it was too late, the referee had decided to reverse his decision and award the match and the title of “King” to Jerry Lawler, due to Hart’s unwillingness to comply. This incensed Hart and his two brothers at ringside who then assaulted Lawler as he was being rolled out on a stretcher. Lawler may have technically won the match, but Bret Hart looked like the winner. The image of Lawler trapped in the Sharpshooter has since become an iconic SummerSlam moment.

IX

Rebecca Gets Her Lips Enlarged (2008)

SummerSlam 2008 played host to several memorable moments but the one that stuck with me didn’t happen during the course of a match. In the late spring of 2008, Chris Jericho interjected himself in a feud between Batista and Shawn Michaels. However, it had become clear that Jericho had grown jealous of Michaels, and on an episode of Jericho’s Highlight real Michaels called him on it. Jericho responded by smashing Michaels’s face into a large television monitor (the Jeritron 5000 if I remember correctly) he had in the ring for his segment. Michaels sustained a severe eye injury, but a month later the two met at The Great American Bash. There, Jericho re-injured Michaels’s eye and pounded his face repeatedly causing the referee to stop the match and award the victory to Jericho. Jericho bragged about ending Shawn’s career for several weeks leading up to SummerSlam, but it was announced that Michaels would make an announcement about his future at the event.

After the second match the announcers reviewed the Jericho and Michaels feud and Michaels made his way to the ring with his wife Rebecca. The fact that his wife accompanied him seemed to indicate that the writing of Michaels’s career was on the wall. Michaels took the microphone and explained how the doctors had advised him that due to his numerous injuries it was time for him to hang it up, and that for the first time in his life he was going to follow their advice. With that Chris Jericho made his entrance, and told Michaels that he wasn’t going to let him go out on his own terms. He then demanded that he tell all of the fans, and more importantly his kids that the reason he’s retiring is because he made him retire. Michaels responded that he would do that so long as Jericho went home and told his wife and kids that he would “never be Shawn Michaels.” The two stared at each other as Rebecca persuaded her husband to leave, but the moment he took his eyes off of him, Jericho grabbed him by the arm and threw a devastating punch. Michaels saw the attack coming and ducked out of the way. Rebecca, however, wasn’t prepared and took the full brunt of the blow on her jaw. Jericho quickly slid out of the ring and Shawn tended to his fallen wife who was sporting a visibly swollen lip. The attack prompted Michaels to return at Unforgiven, and eventually resulted in a battle between the two at No Mercy in a brutal ladder match. While it’s by no means the greatest SummerSlam moment ever, it was a very memorable one.

VIII

Shane McMahon and Steve Blackman Take Flight (2000)

In January of 2000, Crash Holly managed to win the WWF Hardcore championship and declared that he would defend the belt twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. His new rule was adopted by the WWF and over the years resulted in hundreds of meaningless title changes. However, certain wrestlers managed to stabilize the belt for periods of time, and in the Summer of 2000 Steve Blackman was the dominant Hardcore Champion. As a result, one night WWF Commissioner Mick Foley was looking to punish the McMahon-Helmsley faction and he put Shane McMahon in a match against Steve Blackman. With the help of Test, Albert, Edge and Christian, Shane McMahon managed to take the Hardcore Title from Blackman after hitting him on the head with a kendo stick. Foley, annoyed that his plan had backfired, suspended the 24/7 rule and booked a rematch between the two at SummerSlam.

Despite being the owner’s son, Shane has never shied away from putting his body on the line during a match. In 1999 he managed to put on one of the better matches at WrestleMania with X-Pac, and at SummerSlam that same year he took a daring leap from the top turnbuckle onto an announce table. Of course I can only speculate on what motivates McMahon as a performer, but perhaps McMahon always wanted to be a stuntman, or maybe he just elected to do crazy spots to earn the respect of the other wrestlers. Regardless, the climax of the Shane McMahon vs. Steve Blackman match at SummerSlam 2000 was a SummerSlam moment if there ever was one. During the match Test and Albert came out to interfere on McMahon’s behalf and it looked as though he would sneak away with his Hardcore Title reign intact. Soon the melee spread up the isle and the trio continued their beat down on Blackman, but Blackman was able to regain control, causing Shane McMahon to flee up the scaffolding of the SummerSlam Titan-Tron. I’m not sure what Shane thought would happen as he climbed to the top of the screen, but Blackman followed him up, kendo stick in tow. Once Shane was at the top Blackman blasted him several times with the stick, and in a stunning moment McMahon fell off the scaffolding crashing onto an equipment storage area. Blackman, who wasn’t quite as crazy as McMahon stepped down a few rungs and then leaped on to Shane with an elbow drop, securing the three count and the Hardcore Championship. Sure the fall zone was heavily padded, but the visual of Shane McMahon plummeting at least twenty feet is one of the most memorable moments in the event’s history.

VII

Virgil Bankrupts The Million Dollar Man (1991)

This might seem like a silly entry to some, but wrestling is all about the payoffs, and watching Virgil finally put Ted DiBiase in his place was one of the best payoffs (in my opinion at least) of 1991. For those of you unfamiliar with the storyline, Virgil was “The Million Dollar Man’s” hired bodyguard for several years, and for several years the relationship was mutually beneficial. Virgil got paid for his services, and DiBiase got someone who would help him cheat. However, late in 1990 things changed, and DiBiase took to humiliating Virgil. The mistreatment had gotten so bad that when Virgil was ordered by DiBiase to put the Million Dollar Belt around his waist at the 1991 Royal Rumble Virgil hit him with it instead. Roddy Piper then took Virgil under his wing and guided him to a countout victory over DiBiase at WrestleMania VII. DiBiase wanted to get revenge for the embarrassing loss, so he agreed to put the Million Dollar Belt on the line.

One of the things that made the moment so great is that the WWF teased another dissatisfying victory for Virgil when he won the SummerSlam match by disqualification when Sherri smacked Virgil with her loaded purse. However, the referee ejected Sherri from ringside and threatened to award Virgil the Million Dollar Belt if DiBiase didn’t agree to restart the match. Virgil was of course dazed, and DiBiase tried to cheat again, this time by exposing the turnbuckle. However, Virgil reversed it, smashing DiBiase’s head into the buckle instead, after which Virgil pinned him and won the Million Dollar Belt. Finally, after months of hard work Virgil had avenged his abuse and truly embarrassed Ted DiBiase. While DiBiase would regain the belt a short while later, and Virgil would soon after be relegated to jobber status, the victory was probably the highest profile victory of Mike Jones’s (Virgil’s) career, and was a great, but often overlooked SummerSlam moment.

VI

The Next Big Thing Arrives (2002)

I know that in the comments section I said that I never really got into Brock Lesnar, but there is no denying that his debut and rise to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment was unprecedented and almost flawlessly booked. Lesnar made his WWF (it hadn’t quite become WWE yet) debut the night after WrestleMania X8 and obliterated Al Snow, Spike Dudley and Maven. The next week, the night of the inaugural draft that would start the brand extension, he interfered in another match and was ultimately drafted to Raw. Lesnar was unstoppable and defeated everyone in his path, including the Hardy Boyz. At he 2002 King of the Ring Lesnar went through Test and Rob Van Dam to win the tournament and a guaranteed WWE Undisputed Title shot at SummerSlam. He suffered his first loss (by disqualification) to Rob Van Dam at Vengeance. At the same event The Rock pinned Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat Match to win the Undisputed Title from The Undertaker. The next day Lesnar left Raw and joined SmackDown. While the showdown between Rock and Brock was set, Lesnar maimed Hulk Hogan on his path to SummerSlam. After beating Hogan, he cinched in a bear hug and squeezed him until he passed out, causing bloody internal injuries. After the match Lesnar iconically smeared Hogan’s blood on his chest.

Up until his match with The Rock, Lesnar had pretty much dominated everyone he got in the ring with, but the match between the two went back and forth. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the match was that the crowd turned on The Rock and started cheering Lesnar. The reasons were most likely because The Rock was choosing movie roles over wrestling matches, or because they liked Lesnar more, or a combination of the two. Nevertheless, The Rock (being the incredible performer that he is) went with it and played more of a cocky heel role, allowing Lesnar to remain the dominant badass. To make sure Lesnar won the match on his own The Rock Rock Bottomed Paul Heyman, Lesnar’s agent, through an announce table. In the end both men hit a Rock Bottom on each other, but neither man could score the fall. Then as The Rock was going for the People’s Elbow, Lesnar countered with a clothesline. He then set up the F5 but The Rock countered, starting a chain of counters that ended in Lesnar hitting the F5, and winning the Undisputed Title. The crowd roared in approval as “The Next Big Thing” had officially become just “The Big Thing.” Just imagine how important this moment would have been if Lesnar had stuck with wrestling.

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V

Dude Love Emulates “The Superfly” (1997)

In the summer of 1997 Mick Foley’s alter ego, Mankind, was transitioning from being the twisted tormenter of the Undertaker to more of a fan favorite, thanks in large part to a number of sit-down interviews with Jim Ross. Among other things the interviews focused on Foley’s lighter side and the wrestling character he made up before he went professional: Dude Love. Foley also talked about how, while in college he hitchhiked his way to Madison Square Garden to see his idol Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka battle Don Muraco in a steel cage match. At the climax of the match Snuka climbed to the top of the cage and leaped off onto Muraco. Foley stated that his witnessing of that match is what convinced him to pursue a wrestling career. The interviews helped humanize the monstrous character of Mankind and by the 1997 King of the Ring he was the fan favorite in the tournament final against Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Due to a significant amount of interference from Chyna, Helmsley one the match and beat down Mankind in the process. Mankind wanted revenge, and began feuding with the reigning King, and had a rematch against him that ended in a double countout and a wild backstage brawl at In Your House: Canadian Stampede.

Around the same time the WWF Tag Team Title scene was in complete disarray. Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, who hated each other, teamed up to defeat Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith for the belts, but Michaels got injured. As a result Mankind volunteered several times to be Austin’s new partner, but Austin didn’t want anything to do with him. Hart and Smith won a tournament to challenge Austin and his new partner for the vacant titles, but Austin decided to go it alone. However, by the middle of the match Austin was struggling under the handicap rules but managed to clear the ring, when suddenly a drum beat started and Foley’s familiar face, decked out in tie-dye appeared on the Titan-Tron. He said he didn’t blame Austin for not wanting to tag with a freak, but that he hadn’t said anything about not teaming with Dude Love.

Austin and Dude Love managed to win the Tag Team Titles, but Mankind was still embroiled in a feud with Helmsley, and the two were set to clash inside a steel cage at SummerSlam. The match opened the show and was pretty good, but was nothing incredible. Nevertheless the end of the match seemed to bring Foley’s career (up to that point) full circle. Mankind had incapacitated Helmsley and had climbed over the top off the cage and was almost on the floor when he paused, and ripped off his mask. He looked at his prone opponent and then started climbing back up, as the fans started chanting “Superfly.” Once on top Mankind tore open his shirt to reveal a painted on heart, and then unleashed a furious elbow drop from the top of the cage on to Helmsley, emulating the moment that inspired him to become a wrestler in the first place. Mankind won the match, but in the end it was Dude Love’s music that signified his victory.

IV

Michaels Makes His Comeback (2002)

In January of 1998 Shawn Michaels suffered a severe back injury during a Casket Match with The Undertaker. He sat out most of the next two months, and in a courageous effort, lost the WWF Title to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV. Four years later Michaels was feeling well enough to have one final match and the positive sendoff that was deprived of him in 1998. Being that they were good friends in real life, Michaels chose his former D-generation X running buddy Triple H for his opponent for his farewell match. Shawn Michaels was reintroduced as top member of the New World Order, which fit due to his ties to Kevin Nash and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. The nWo looked to be finally gaining traction in WWE when Nash, who had just returned from an injury, tore his quadriceps in tag team match. Prior to Nash’s injury Michaels had been trying to persuade Triple H to leave SmackDown for Raw and to join the nWo. By the time Triple H agreed to jump to Raw the nWo had been permanently disbanded by Vince McMahon. Triple H suggested that the pair reform DX, and the same night the duo came down to the ring to the DX theme song dressed in DX shirts to an incredible fan response. The two started the regular DX stuff, but in the middle of his Michael Buffer impression Triple H kicked Shawn in the gut and Pedigreed him. Triple H continued his assault the following week when he smashed Michaels’s face through a car window. Michaels then challenged Triple H to a fight at SummerSlam. Then General Manager Eric Bischoff refused to sanction the fight, essentially making it a street fight.

Michaels entered the arena in street clothes, Triple H, in his typical wrestling gear, and the match almost immediately broke down to a brawl. Both men introduced a number of weapons; including trashcans, chairs, ladders, tables, Shawn’s leather belt, and Triple H’s sledgehammer. Despite all of the plunder the match was filled with psychology as Triple H zeroed in on Michaels’s injured back and Michaels kept trying to up the ante and return to his Showstopper ways. The biggest moment of the match came when Michaels incapacitated Helmsley on top of a table on the outside of the ring, scaled the turnbuckles and splashed him through the table. However, the brawl continued and after some close calls for both men Michaels had Triple H right where he wanted him and began to tune up the band. As he unleashed his superkick Triple H was able to catch his foot and spin him around into a Pedigree, but before he could execute it Michaels grabbed him by the legs and flipped him to the mat, jackknifed over him and scored the three count. Michaels’s celebration was cut short when a vengeful Triple H struck him in the back with a sledgehammer. Nevertheless Michaels proved to the world that he could still perform at an incredible level and by the end of the year Michaels had made a (thus far) permanent return to WWE. The match was a fitting renaissance for Shawn Michaels, and his victory at SummerSlam 2002 is a moment to remember, it just too bad that he didn’t get more of a celebration before he was taken out.

III

A Hart Breaking Choice (1997)

I spent some time on this moment two weeks ago, but I kind of glossed over it so that I could write more about it here. At some point in 1997 the on screen rivalry between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels developed into real backstage animosity. Many sources cite Hart’s belief that Michaels forfeited the WWF Title to avoid returning the job to him at WrestleMania 13. The WWF tried to capitalize on the rivalry between the two several times, but injuries and a backstage scuffle continuously derailed the plans. By the time SummerSlam rolled around Bret Hart was back in action and was the number one contender to The Undertaker’s WWF Title. The Undertaker was still having his own problems with his former manager Paul Bearer, and the revelation that The Undertaker had killed his family in a fire. Because of Bearer’s threats and the Hart Foundation’s constant interference in matches it was decided that there would be a special guest referee for the WWF Title match. The referee would be Shawn Michaels. This of course incensed Hart who had promised that if he didn’t win the title he would never wrestle in the United States again, so a provision was made that if Michaels showed any bias against Hart he would be banned from wrestling in the United States.

During the match both Bearer and members of the Hart Foundation attempted to interfere, but Michaels made sure it didn’t happen and ejected them from ringside. While he was busy with them Undertaker hit a chokeslam and could have had the victory, so he got in Michaels’s face, allowing Hart the time to recover. Later in the match Hart locked in the Sharpshooter after a superplex, but the Undertaker was actually able to power his way out of the hold, sending Hart to the outside. After escaping from the Tombstone, Hart applied a version of the Sharpshooter around the ringpost and as the Undertaker powered out he sent Hart crashing into Michaels on the floor, causing Michaels to twist his knee. Seizing the opportunity Hart grabbed a chair a whacked the Undertaker with it, but he was still able to kick out of the pin. At that point Michaels noticed the chair in the ring and grabbed it and began to question Hart about it. Hart responded by spitting in his face which cause Michaels to take a swing at the “Hitman,” who ducked out of the way, resulting in the chair striking The Undertaker in the head. At that moment Michaels realized what he had done, but was bound by the stipulation to count the pinfall. The fact that Michaels looked Hart dead in the eyes every time his hand went up signified the strife going on inside him, and the disgust he had in the fact that he had essentially handed his enemy the WWF Title.

This SummerSlam moment would have several important repercussions, including Michaels’s full fledge heel turn, the creation of D-Generation X, the introduction of the Hell in a Cell match which resulted in the debut of Kane, and of course the infamous showdown between Hart and Michaels at the Survivor Series in Montreal.

II

80,000 Fans Witness History (1992)

The title of this entry would seemingly make this moment a bit hard to pin down, but the biggest moment of SummerSlam 1992 is undoubtedly the match that drew the massive crowd: the Intercontinental Title showdown between champion Bret Hart and the challenger and the crowd’s fellow countryman “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith. As I mentioned last week, the match between the two was incredible, and many people consider it the greatest match in the history of SummerSlam. As great as the match, and the divided family storyline were, the real moment comes during the aftermath of the match. Bret Hart was obviously dejected at having lost his Intercontinental Title to his brother-in-law, especially after losing such a hard fought match as the result of a reversed sunset flip, as opposed to something truly decisive. Smith was handed the title but his celebration didn’t begin right away. The physical battle was over but the question of the emotional battle remained. With a glare of contempt in his eyes, the “Hitman” sat in the middle of the ring as Smith waited to see what would happen next. Would Hart let bygones be bygones, storm off, or even attack the new champion? Smith extended a hand to his opponent, but Hart rolled away and refused the handshake and began to leave to a chorus of boos from the gigantic audience. Smith, however made one last attempt to reach out to his brother-in-law and Hart ultimately went with his heart and shook hands and hugged his rival as Smith’s music blared over the speakers and Dianna joined her husband and brother, raising both of their hands in victory. The trio hugged as pyrotechnics lit up the ring. It was, without a doubt a great SummerSlam moment. However, what makes it one of the greatest isn’t just the match and the family reunion but the crowd itself. The moment’s impact is significantly magnified by the atmosphere of the night sky, the outdoor stadium and the 80,000 cheering fans. Additionally, the match solidified Bret Hart as a main event level talent, and he went on to capture the WWF Title from Ric Flair less than two months later.

I

Warrior Destroys the Honky Tonk Man (1988)

Although I wrote about it in my SummerSlam countdown, it would be impossible not to include this on a list of top SummerSlam moments. In fact, I’d call this the original SummerSlam moment! Just a few months after his epic victory over Randy Savage at WrestleMania III, Ricky Steamboat found himself defending the Intercontinental Title against a largely undeserving challenger, The Honky Tonk Man. Even the announcers were trashing Honky, but he shocked the world by scoring an upset victory. People were surprised by his win, but no one expected him to hold onto the belt for any significant amount of time. Well, as we all know, Honky held on to the belt month after month, racking up the longest Intercontinental Title reign of all time. The fact that Honky had such a ridiculous gimmick, was a total chicken-shit, and was a pretty lousy wrestler fueled the audience’s hate toward him, and every day he managed to hang onto that title the fans hated him just a little bit more.

Heading into the first SummerSlam The Honky Tonk Man was supposed to have a WrestleMania rematch with Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, but “The Outlaw” Ron Bass attacked Beefcake with his spurs, injuring him to the point where he was no longer able to compete. As a result Honky was left without an opponent, and in a pre-match interview demanded that the WWF produce him a challenger. Perhaps his fourteen-month title reign made him feel invincible, because after he entered the ring for his match he again called for a replacement challenger, and said he didn’t care who they sent out. After a few minutes of waiting the familiar, driving guitar riff of The Ultimate Warrior ripped through the arena, and the Warrior charged down the isle. Honky tried to get the jump on him, but Warrior blocked the punch and unleashed one of his own. Warrior then bodyslammed the champion, hit the flying shoulder block, one more clothesline, and the big splash for the three count and the Intercontinental Title. The Honky Tonk Man’s record setting title reign had come to an end in about thirty seconds. It was an awesome SummerSlam moment, and the one that set the bar for all of the other future moments to aspire to.

After all of this SummerSlam stuff I’m looking forward to doing something a bit different next week. I hope everyone enjoys this year’s edition of SummerSlam.