Since its inception in 1988, WWE SummerSlam has been one of the best pay-per-views of the year and has provided the WWE Universe with great moments in wrestling history.
With the 26th annual SummerSlam set to emanate from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 17, Sports World News will take a look back at the greatest moment of each edition of the biggest show of the summer over the last 25 years, starting with Part 1 featuring 1988-99.
SummerSlam 1988: The Ultimate Warrior Ends The Reign Of Terror:
For 18 months, The Honky Tonk Man was the biggest jerk of a heel character the WWE ever had, finding sleazy ways to retain his Intercontinental Championship through under-handed tactics. He was slated to face Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake at the inaugural SummerSlam event, but he was left with a mystery opponent after "Outlaw" Ron Bass took Beefcake out. The Ultimate Warrior proved to be the mystery opponent, and ended HTM's reign in just 30 seconds, causing the Madison Square Garden crowd to explode as The Warrior emerged as the next up and coming star.
Honorable Mention: Liz's shocking wardrobe removal in the main event
SummerSlam 1989: Rude Awakening Courtesy Of The Warrior:
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and his Heenan Family earned some gold unfairly at WrestleMania V when Heenan held down The Ultimate Warrior's foot during a pin to give "Ravishing" Rick Rude the IC Title victory, and after months of feuding The Warrior looked to win the strap back at SummerSlam for the second consecutive year after being screwed out of the title at WrestleMania. Thanks in part to a distraction from "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, The Warrior got his revenge by pinning Rude to the mat and winning back his title.
SummerSlam 1990: The Hart Foundation Even Up The Odds:
The 1990 edition of the biggest party of the summer held a memorable tag team match with the heel Demolition defending the Tag Team Championships against the babyface Hart Foundation in a memorable two-out-of-three falls match. With each team winning a fall a piece, Demolition pulled a switcheroo when Axe hid under the ring and eventually entered the match when his partners Smash and Crush were the original participants. Not willing to sit idly by, the Legion of Doom eventually came to expose Demolition's three-on-two advantage, leading to the Hart Foundation winning the deciding third fall amid the confusion to earn the Tag Team Championships.
SummerSlam 1991: Golden Excellence Of Execution:
In perhaps the first great match in SummerSlam history, Bret "Hitman" Hart won his first title as a singles star after a fantastic bout with the late Mr. Perfect at Madison Square Garden. Both men pulled out all of the stops and it proved to be a stepping stone and crowning achievement for Hart, who would go on to have a great WWE career.
Honorable Mentions: Virgil winning the Million Dollar Championship, The Mountie going to jail.
SummerSlam 1992: Dog Day Afternoon:
The 1992 edition of the second biggest show of the year stands as the only time the WWE took the summer party outdoors at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The backdrop was not only aesthetically pleasing, but it made the family feud between Bret Hart and "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith even better. Hart and Bulldog put on a classic match that stands as one of the best matches in SummerSlam history, stealing a show that also included a solid bout between The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage. SWN voted this as the No. 1 main event in SS history in our column earlier this month. In the end, the English countryman Smith won his first singles title in the main event match that lives as one of the greatest matches in not only SummerSlam, but WWE history.
SummerSlam 1993: Million Dollar Career:
While the opening match of SummerSlam 1993 wasn't exactly a wrestling clinic, it proved to be Ted Dibiase's final match in the WWE as Razor Ramon pinned him following a Razor's Edge, shutting the door on the great in-ring career of Dibiase. Ramon would go on to compete at SummerSlams 1994 and 1995 before defecting to WCW.
Honorable Mention: Mr. Perfect vs. Shawn Michaels for IC Title, which was underwhelming and had a bad ending.
SummerSlam 1994: A Family Affair:
We've already established that the Undertaker vs. Undertaker main event was the worst in the events' history, but what really should have been the main event turned out to be the best part of this show. Owen Hart and Bret Hart continued their rivalry after having the greatest opening match in WrestleMania history by engaging in over a half hour of non-stop action inside the confines of a steel cage at SummerSlam 1994. The WWE sold the family divided story well by having Owen and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart turn on the entire Hart family sitting at ringside. In the end, Bret Hart retained his WWE Championship while Owen and Neidhart savagely attacked family members and got the last laugh, but not the title.
Honorable Mention: Razor Ramon vs. Diesel for the IC Title.
SummerSlam 1995: Climbing The Ladder To Save The Show:
This is easily the worst SummerSlam of all-time, but one match on the card saved it. After Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania X in 1994 in the "first ever" Ladder Match, both men came into SummerSlam 1995 as babyfaces, ready to reignite their rivalry in a rematch of their epic encounter from over a year prior. It was originally supposed to be Michaels vs. Sid in a singles match for the gold, but it was changed. What resulted was a back-and-forth classic which may not live up to the first one, but had great psychology with both men using their memories from the first bout to counter each other's moves throughout. In the end, Michaels stood tall and continued his ascent up the WWE ladder.
SummerSlam 1996: Paul Bearer's Betrayal:
While the Boiler Room Brawl isn't up to everyone's taste, it was a solid battle between The Undertaker and Mankind, who rescued 'Taker from a slew of bad feuds by finally providing an interesting foil for the dead man to go after. What makes the match more memorable was the fact that The Undertaker's long-time manager Paul Bearer turned his back on him, clocking 'Taker over the head with his urn and joining forces with Mankind, capping a six-year relationship with 'Taker.
Honorable Mention: Shawn Michaels vs. Vader despite the over-booked mess that it was.
SummerSlam 1997: The Final Reign For 'The Hitman':
Perhaps the most memorable moment coming out of this event was Owen Hart nearly paralyzing "Stone Cold" Steve Austin by dropping him on his head, but the main event provided a great milestone. Bret Hart, now portraying a villain who hated the United States but was the biggest babyface when the company traveled to Canada, took on The Undertaker for his WWE Championship with Shawn Michaels -- Bret's hated enemy -- as the special guest referee. Adding to the match was if Hart lost, he couldn't wrestle in America again while if Michaels favored 'Taker, he would be banned from wrestling in America as well. In the end, Bret goaded Michaels into swinging a chair at him after Hart spit on him, and Hart ducked, causing 'Taker to get hit. Hart climbed on top and Michaels had no choice but to count the fall, giving Hart his fifth and final WWE Championship reign. All of these events led into the Hell in a Cell match between Michaels and 'Taker -- and debut of the Kane character -- and then of course, the Montreal Screwjob.
SummerSlam 1998: A 'Stone Cold' Summer:
This fondly remembered show was headlined by two of the WWE's greatest icons going at it as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defended his WWE Championship against The Undertaker in a legendary and memorable main event. The big story coming into it was whether or not Kane would help 'Taker wrest the title away from Austin, but 'Taker ended up waving Kane off. The match was a solid back-and-forth encounter between two of the WWE's greatest legends, and Austin stood tall at Madison Square Garden, retaining his title much to Vince McMahon's chagrin.
Honorable Mention: Triple H defeating The Rock in a Ladder Match for the IC Title.
SummerSlam 1999: A Win For All Mankind:
Jesse "The Body" Ventura returned to the WWE to referee a match between Steve Austin, Triple H and Mankind for the WWE Championship. Most people expected Austin to retain or for Triple H to win the championship, but a surprise twist was thrown in when Triple H nailed Austin with the Pedigree, but Foley knocked Triple H out of the ring and hit a double-arm DDT on Austin to win the match and the belt in shocking fashion. There are multiple different views on this development, as there are rumors that Triple H was supposed to win, but Ventura didn't want to raise the hand of the heel in his home state of Minnesota while there are other rumors that Austin didn't want to drop the title to Triple H. Either way, Triple H ended up with the belt the next night on RAW, but not after a shocking win by Foley.
The first 12 SummerSlams provided many great moments and memories. Tune in next week for Part 2, when we focus on a new millennium in wrestling and SummerSlams 2000-13.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
