Shining a Spotlight 8.23.12: 25 Years of SummerSlam

1988: The first show, emanating from Madison Square Garden, was huge for the Megapowers vs Megabucks main event and a good card. But what makes it notable was the IC title match as Brutus Beefcake was to challenge the Honky Tonk Man but Beefcake was taken out by Ron Bass. With no one coming out, HTM made the mistake of getting on the mic and basically saying anyone could come out and face him for the belt. We then get one of the greatest moments in WWF history as a loud rock tune hit, the Ultimate Warrior charged into the ring and completely obliterated Honky Tonk in thirty seconds to win the title. It’s still my favorite mark-out moment, watching HTM’s far too long reign end in record time and the pop from the crowd was completely insane, helping put this show on the map.

1989: Not as big as the first show, with the IC title match once more the highlight. After months of chasing, the Warrior got his chance to regain the belt from Rick Rude, a great match up with Rude the heel champ taking advantage of a ref bump to take down the Warrior. But then Roddy Piper came out to moon Rude, distracting him enough for the Warrior to make the comeback and smash Rude to win the belt back. A huge pop from the crowd over that and helped push the Warrior’s star power.

1990: It’s the tag title match that was the highlight for this year. The Hart Foundation versus Demolition in a two-out-of-three-falls match, two great teams mixing it up. Crush was on the rise with the team as the Harts seemed fired up big time for this in front of a hot Philly crowd. The back and forth was terrific with various flows in momentum, each team tying it up with the Demos trying to switch places to cheat a win. But then the Legion of Doom came down to interfere, allowing the Foundation to win the titles once more. A great matchup with an ending to please all the fans and set up the long-awaited LOD-Demolition feud.

1991: One of the best SummerSlams ever with so many amazing bouts and memories. Most will go for the classic Bret-Perfect IC match or the Virgil/DiBiase battle or the great comedy of the Mountie taken to jail. For me, I remember the LOD finally getting the tag team titles from the Nasty Boys. It wasn’t a good match, just a messy brawl and true, the LOD’s high had passed. But as a long-time Road Warriors mark, it was big for me. I always thought Crockett made a big mistake keeping the belts off them for so long, and seeing them add the WWF titles to their legacy still makes me happy as a fan of the tag team that changed so much for wrestling as we know it.

1992: I just covered this last week and most would expect me to say the IC title match that closed the show. But what I remember best is the Warrior-Savage encounter. While not as fantastic as their Wrestlemania VII battle, it was still brilliantly laid out by Savage. We got great flow between the two men, each hitting power moves, Savage frantic and the psychology of it was wonderful as on commentary Vince McMahon pointed out that keeping the title wasn’t what mattered to Savage, he had to prove he could beat the Warrior. The question of whether each man had “sold out” to Ric Flair was hanging overhead, giving heat when Flair and Perfect interfered. Reportedly, it was supposed to be Warrior winning the belt and turning heel but changed to him winning by count out as Savage fought Flair. It was still a classic battle, one of the Warrior’s best ever and had it closed the show, it would have still been a great main event to send the crowd home happy.

1993: Well, I didn’t say there were all going to be good memories. This show sadly is notable for one of the single greatest creative missteps of Vince McMahon’s tenure. After spending months building up Lex Luger as the All-American hero to face evil champion Yokozuna, things seemed set for Luger to get the belt, complete with the old “you lose, no rematch” clause in the contract. The heat of the crowd was huge, totally on Luger’s side as he fought against the massive sumo wrestler, avoiding the Banzai splash and hitting his forearm shot, everyone ready to make the pin. Instead, Luger allowed Yoko to roll out of the ring and get counted out so he won, complete with balloons and celebration, but didn’t get the belt. For WWF to give such a gut punch to fans after all that was a big blow that soured a lot of folks at the time and Luger’s career never fully recovered from what should have been his high point turning into a low one for all watching.

1994: I’m partial to this card as it was the first major event from Chicago’s newly opened United Center aka The House That Jordan Built. Yes, it boasts the worst main event in the show’s history with the Undertaker vs Underfaker battle but the Bret-Owen cage match was pretty good. Memorable to me was the IC title match. Believe it or not, I was a pretty big Razor Ramon mark when he started out, really was behind the guy and so was rooting for him against Diesel. Ramon got more points by coming to the ring with the greatest Chicago Bear of all time, Walter Payton for a pretty good battle that ended with Shawn Michaels accidentally kicking Diesel, Payton dragging Michaels out and the ref making the count to let Ramon regain the belt. A good moment with Ramon regaining that also set up the star turn of Diesel down the road.

1995: Another bad main event (Diesel vs King Mabel) that highlighted a poor year for WWF. I lean toward the Bret-Lawler battle with the great image of Lawler forced to kiss his own dirty foot. But again, the IC match stole the show totally as WWF wisely changed a planned Michaels-Sid match to a ladder bout with HBK and Ramon. In my opinion, this one was better than their Wrestlemania X classic, the two men going all out with great bits like re-working spots from that first match (Shawn trying to slide the ladder at Ramon only for the latter to dodge it and punch Shawn) as well as a great bit of Shawn’s leg injured to make climbing harder. The crowd was hot for both guys and they fed off that to deliver a fine match with Shawn managing to retain, evening the odds with Ramon and proving his stardom.

1996: It’s so funny to look back at this time and how many sane, rational people honestly believed WCW was going to put WWF out of business with the New World Order taking off. WWF was trying to fight back with HBK as champion and his main event with Vader was a big deal. However, the undercard was what set the tone as Mankind and the Undertaker faced off in a Boiler Room Brawl match. It was the first real case of “extreme” wrestling on a WWF PPV and Mick Foley did his best to make it shine with stuff like dousing Taker in hot coffee and dropping an elbow on him off a ladder backstage. You hadn’t seen stuff like this before, it really did stand out and the ending with Mankind beating Taker after Paul Bearer betrayed him, was truly stunning. It made Mankind a real force in WWF for fans and led to a more intense Undertaker while also introducing a rough new style WWF would need to survive.

1997: The mind boggles to consider how vastly different the wrestling world today might be if Owen Hart had just pulled that piledriver off right. In one single instant, the course of WWF, Bret Hart, Vince McMahon and, of course, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was changed forever. The plan was for Austin to take a few piledrivers but pop up with a Stunner to win the IC belt from Owen. This would have led to the obvious plan for Austin and Bret to face each other down the road for the WWF championship. When Austin came down on his neck and lay limp, you could feel the hearts of thousands fall along with Vince McMahon’s gut. Fifteen years later and I still have absolutely no idea where the hell Austin found the strength to roll Owen up for the pin and the belt. It speaks volumes for the man’s pure guts and drive and remains memorable not just for the moment itself but the long-range consequences and how in so many ways, that errant piledriver led the way for WWF’s dominance over the industry as we know it.

1998 HHH and the Rock. Two men who started off okay in WWF but not too spectacular. They’d risen with each having an IC title run but still seen as nothing major. That changed in 1998 as HHH became the leader of DX, mocking the conventions of the time and helping forge the “Attitude” Era. After a heel turn, the Rock finally was blossoming as a star with his great promos and ring work. But this match was what truly made both men superstars as their ladder bout for the IC belt allowed each to show off moves and spots fans had never expected from either of them. Yes, we had massive bumps but also a chemistry and flow that let each man take it to the other with the fan heat growing more and more. For once, there were no “Rocky Sucks” chants as even the jaded New York crowd got behind Rock going through all this. HHH won the match, although it would be short-lived as he legimtately injured his leg in the fight and had to give the title up. But what mattered is that the match elevated both men to major status, especially Rock and paved the way for each to become the box office draws that would give WWF a major rise in the next few years.

1999: A poor show overall as Vince Russo’s writing style was getting out of control. But there was a big highlight with the Test vs Shane McMahon battle, Shane trying to win to “defend” his sister Stephanie from Test’s advances. At the time, most rolled their eyes at the boss’ kid getting a big spot on the PPV. But Shane shut them all up by stealing the show with a wild brawl against Test. It was the first showcase of how great Shane was at these things, taking bumps and shots that would make an ECW fan wince and while Test won the bout, Shane won a lot of respect, showing someone in the McMahon tree certainly inherited the wrestling gene well.

2000: Most will cite the best memory as the TLC match where the Hardyz, the Dudleyz and Edge & Christian set a new bar for ladder action that resonates to this day. But that ignores the great main event, a triple threat for the WWF title with Kurt Angle and HHH challenging the Rock. The storyline was great as Angle and HHH were supposedly allies but Angle had put the moves on Stephanie, kissing her a week before. Angle started out on the mic doing a pormo on how he was a better man than HHH could ever be, bringing a pissed off HHH to charge the ring, the two doing battle outside, HHH about to use the sledgehammer when the Rock came out to start the match. Good flow with Angle sent on a stretcher but encouraged by Stephanie to come back to the ring, Rock taking advantage of the two fighting and HHH trying to hit Angle but accidentally punching Stephanie, setting up the Rock getting the pin. A great match that helped push Angle further as the three gave the fans a wild main event, a highlight of a good year for WWF.

2001: The Invasion was a major disappointment as we all know and cast a shadow over this SummerSlam. Kane and Undertaker won one of the most lopsided matches ever for the tag titles and the Angle/Austin match was more pushing their feud. But WWF did manage to get good stuff from one of the few dream encounters available to them: Rock vs Booker T. After seeing Booker pushed to be like the Rock in 2000, it was good for fans to see them face to face and each was able to make it work with their astounding charisma and skill. While Rock’s victory wasn’t really in doubt, still fun to see him jump up from a Spinaroonie to hit a Rock Bottom and win the WCW title. Just goes to show you never can top the original in a fight.

2002: This one’s a toughie. On the one hand, you have the title match where Brock Lesnar became the major star of the company. Having him beat the Rock cleanly to win the WWF title was a huge vote of confidence and the fact the crowd were on his side (thanks to reports of Rock leaving for Hollywood) made it all the better as Brock instantly became the face of the company in that moment. But far more memorable (and important) was the HHH/Shawn Michaels match. Most thought HHH would have to carry this, with Shawn having been out of the ring for four years and a poor back to boot. What no one expected was for Shawn to explode like a worker ten years younger, pulling off amazing moves with ladders, trash cans, a dive through a table and more. No one had expected this at all as Shawn suddenly proved he still had it in spades and was reborn as a huge star once more.

2003: I’m hoping the upcoming Lesnar DVD doesn’t shy away from just how damn awesome his 2003 war with Kurt Angle was. It seemed over before it began with Angle having to take time off from a bad neck after their Wrestlemania match but then Angle came back far sooner than anyone expected and they restarted it nicely. This was a great battle between them as for twenty minutes, they went at it full tilt, Angle managing to eke out a victory to retain but still showing how he and Brock could work wonders together. It’s a fine example of chemistry between two stars that gave WWE a major boost when needed.

2004: We’ve concentrated so much on how WWE blew Randy Orton’s first World championship reign that it’s easy to forget the major achievement of him winning it. This was a huge risk for WWE, taking a chance on the then-youngest guy to hold the belt even with the heat going for him. They just added to it by having Orton go over Benoit clean, no interference or cheap tactics and in Benoit’s home town of Toronto to boot. It was a great match and Orton was pushed over big-time by Benoit, the former champ shaking his hand afterward as Orton celebrated to a roaring crowd. While WWE would blow it all big-time the very next night, for one show, it seemed a true star had been made for a long haul and in fine fashion to boot.

2005: Hogan vs Michaels. The biggest star of the ‘80’s vs the biggest of the ‘90’s, both men notorious for their tempers and backstage politics. No one expected a five-star classic to be sure but there was still heat for this and the idea of the two going at it for the first time was highly anticipated. Shawn made it better with his ruthless mockery of Hogan in the weeks leading up to the match and Hogan ready to respond. The bout itself was harsher than expected with Hogan doing a pretty decent blade job as Michaels kept pounding at him. Hogan won, of course, although you can see Shawn mocking that by overselling stuff like the big boot to a ridiculous degree. One of the remaining “dream matches” left for wrestling and both men did their best to make it meaningful.

2006: Ric Flair vs Mick Foley. A feud that began years ago with both men taking shots at the other in their respective biographies so it was hardly a thrown-together thing. Such a fascinating contrast in styles, the hefty brawler vs the master technician but that just made this so memorable. Flair had never been known for doing many of these matches but got into it with a barbed-wire baseball bat and a trash can, surprising many by actually taking the Hardcore Legend to the brink. The ending was a bit cheap, with Flair threatening to hit Melina so Foley quit but still intriguing to see “the Nature Boy” get truly down and dirty and prove to everyone he still had what it took to get a great match together.

2007: It’s not really a match that stands out to me from this card but the mood. The wrestling world was still reeling from the Benoit tragedy of two months earlier, the media shadow casting long over WWE. You can tell it was still affecting people, trying to go on after being put through such a wringer. They did their best but some ugly matches like Great Khali vs Batista and yet another Cena-Orton battle for the title. It was a mostly forgettable show but the aura of a company moving on after the worst tragedy in the history of the business was more notable than any match the show could put on.

2008: Most remember the bit of Jericho punching Shawn’s wife to set up their great feud but the Edge/Undertaker match stands out to me. Hell in a Cell brings out the best in Taker and he proved that here as he and Edge went about beating the unholy hell out of each other with multiple weapons and plenty of horrifying blows into the cage. This was the brutal, unforgiving Undertaker we all love as he smashed Edge through the Cell wall, chokeslammed him through two tables, speared him, hit a one-man con-chair-to and a Tombstone to win. Then, he went about beating Edge up more, chokeslamming him off a ladder and through the canvas. For an all-around ass-kicking and a heel getting his well-deserved comeuppance, hard to beat this as he reminded everyone of the power Undertaker is in WWE.

2009: Mock his personal life and style but if he gets motivated enough, Jeff Hardy can turn in a good match. That’s especially true with a ladder, the daredevil completely at home. So when he and CM Punk went at it in a TLC bout for the World title, we were in for a wild time and they delivered. Massive spots with the flow bouncing back and forth, both guys taking serious bumps and bits like Hardy stretchered off after a fall through the table but insisting on continuing. Punk won the belt in the end but another twist as he stood over Hardy’s body only for the gong to go off, the arena going black and when the lights came back on, the Undertaker was lying underneath to chokeslam Punk. A fantastic main event with the crowd going nuts for Taker’s return, one o the better SummerSlam closings.

2010: For the most part, a poor show salvaged by its main event. The Nexus was a cool angle when it began, these seven rookies out to make their name by taking on everyone in the WWE. This led to the great idea of a WWE team consisting of guys who pretty much hated each other like Cena, Edge, Jericho, R-Truth, Morrison and Bret Hart. It was set for a big elimination match but then WWE pulled off a truly brilliant surprise as Daniel Bryan, supposedly let go months before when the Nexus angle started, came back as part of WWE’s team. It was a true shocker for everyone, the marks of the IWC going nuts and gave new energy to the match, which had a pretty good flow of the Nexus guys hitting hard while WWE tried to work together with stuff like the Miz hitting Bryan with his MITB briefcase to eliminate him. The result was never in doubt as Cena got the win but still intriguing to see WWE give these new guys a push in a fun battle.

2011: The Christian World title saga of 2011 has been well detailed already and easy for fans to complain about Orton getting the belt so much, ignoring the tiny little fact that the fan heat was clearly on Orton’s side. Christian going heel as champ gave a bit more push to things leading to their rematch. What made it fun for me was when Christian brought out Edge in a surprise appearance only for Edge to beautifully run Christian down on being a lame heel. “Yes, I cheated and was sneaky but I did it with style!” I’d long contended that as good as Christian was, he was just in Edge’s shadow and this pretty much confirms it as even in retirement, the Rated-R Superstar shines better than most anyone in WWE today and still fun to see him back for more.

2012: And so we finally come to this year and hard to say what will stand the test of time for fans of the future as the best moment of the show. However, seeing HHH losing to Brock was a major highlight. It was the perfect bookend for Brock, to go on top again ten years after his big Slam title win and also good of HHH to see the right thing to do for business was to put Brock over. They had a great match to do it and even in loss, HHH won some respect while validating Brock’s return and letting fans enjoy a fine ending to the show.

I’m sure others will have differing memories but these are the ones for me and highlights just how big a deal SummerSlam has become in the last quarter of a century and I’m sure it’ll continue to bring the heat for a while yet.

For this week, the spotlight is off.