WHERE CHATTERS GO TO TALK ABOUT OFF TOPIC STUFF!
This is not a preview of next week's Summerslam PPV, I will do a preview thread for that next week...Instead, this is more of a celebration of some of the best moments and matches in Summerslam history.
The first Summerslam PPV completed the set of quarterly PPVs the then-WWF used to complete storylines. Wrestlemania debuted in 1985, Survivor Series debuted in 1987, and both the Royal Rumble and Summerslam made their debuts in 1988. And holy shit, the WWF set the stage for the next few years of storylines in that first event. First, let's talk about the Intercontinental Championship match. The Honky Tonk Man was scheduled to face off against Brutus the Barber Beefcake, but just a few days before the PPV, Beefcake was involved in a boating accident, that forced him to have reconstructive surgery on his face...he was OUT. So, Vince McMahon had to scramble to find an opponent for HTM in the days leading up...Time for the match, HTM comes out, issues an open challenge, and HOLY SHIT, out comes the ULTIMATE WARRIOR!!! 30 seconds later, Warrior is the IC Champ, and his rise to the top of the WWF card was etched into stone... But more importantly, it was the main event of this PPV that people remember, because back then, the WWF knew how to sell a freaking storyline, sometimes planting the seeds more than a year in advance...If you recall, before the events of Wrestlemania IV, we had the twin-referee storyline that saw Hulk Hogan stripped of the WWF title, thanks to the shenanigans caused by Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant...that led to Wrestlemania IV, which took place earlier in 1988, hosting a tournament for the vacated WWF belt, which was won by "The Macho Man" Randy Savage, with Hogan's assistance in the main event. This led to both the formation of the Mega Powers as a faction/tag team, but also the creation of the Mega Bucks (DiBiase/Andre). Those two teams would meet in the main event at Summerslam. The finish to that match involved the lovely Miss Elizabeth removing her skirt as the "perfect weapon" to distract the Mega Bucks...It was completely tame by today's standards, the "panties" she had on were like cheerleader briefs, but at the time, it was a OMG moment...However, the WWF did something very subtle...they had Hogan look at Elizabeth...maybe a little too long for Randy's liking. This was the first seed planted in using Elizabeth to break the Mega Powers up, to set the stage for Hogan and Savage's match at Wrestlemania V. Something so small, so subtle, and yet, brilliant. Summerslam 1991: TELL EM, HAWK! AWWWWWWWHAT A RUSH!!!!!!! When you think of the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom, you are already thinking about one of, if not the greatest tag team that ever was, but this was a truly historic match. The match itself wasn't anything to brag about, but by beating the Nasty Boys for the WWF Tag Team Championships that night, Animal and Hawk did what was once thought impossible. They became only tag team in history to have won the tag belts for the AWA, the NWA/WCW, and the WWF. The Triple Crown. Moving on to 1992...Wembley Stadium, London. IC champ Bret "The Hitman" Hart defending against his brother in law, "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. If you have never seen this match, find it on YouTube, Peacock, wherever. Watch it. Bret Hart and the Bulldog put on a freaking masterpiece. This is easily one of the best matches either man has ever had, and is one of the best matches ever performed in a WWF/WWE ring. Absolutely fantastic, and yet, it never gets talked about. Shame, because it demonstrated just how good Davey Boy was as a wrestler, and not just as a powerhouse. 1994: Another match involving Bret Hart, this time, facing off against his own baby brother, Owen Hart inside a cage with the WWF title on the line. Honestly? This match perfectly demonstrates exactly what pro wrestling can be. You know that Bret and Owen are going to do everything they can to protect each other in the ring, but at the same time, they made it look like they freaking hated each other. This match is both VIOLENT and yet, displayed a good deal of technical wrestling as well. If you want to understand how wrestling matches can simultaneously look like the people are trying to kill each other, yet, knowing it's all just performance, slight of hand, this is a good match to watch. Skipping to the next year, 1995: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon, in a Ladder rematch. HBK and Razor stole the show at Wrestlemania with their ladder match over the Intercontinental title...It was the first WWF ladder match, and they both tore the Wrestlemania house down with it...however, for as well praised as their Wrestlemania match is, in my opinion, their rematch at Summerslam, was even better. Summerslam 2000: Edge, Christian, the Hardy Boys, the Dudleys. First ever Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC) match. Nuff said. If you don't understand the work those three teams put in against each other, I don't have time to explain it... Summerslam 2002: It wasn't at Wrestlemania, but rather Summerslam that the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar, made his mark by completely dismantling the Rock en route to winning the belt for the first time. Watching it now, also serves as a reminder that before he suffered from diverticulitis while he was in UFC, Brock Lesnar was a terrifying Mofo. He was a beast in his post UFC return to WWE too, but that Brock Lesnar, as good as he was, was a mere shadow of his former self. If you started a joke with "Where does 2002 Brock Lesnar sit?" The punchline would absolutely be "Anywhere he damn well wants." The fact they gave us Lesnar's ascension at Summerslam instead of saving it for Wrestlemania, meant a lot. Summerslam 2003: While it gets its own PPV event now, once upon a time, The Elimination Chamber was just a match type. In the 2nd Elimination Chamber match ever, Triple H faced off against Chris Jericho, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels. The men in that match are all current, or future WWE Hall of Famers. The men in that match were all WCW and/or WWF/E World champions at some point in their careers, representing 48 separate WCW/WWF/E title reigns. If this match isn't the best Elimination Chamber match ever, it's damn close. There are lots of other memorable moments and matches from Summerslam, but, these are just a few of my favorites.
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February 2021
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