Often billed as the “Biggest Party of the Summer,” SummerSlam has traditionally been the final big event young wrestling fans would look forward to before school started. As WrestleMania often kicks off when the weather breaks, SummerSlam was the show that lets you know fall was right around the corner. At least, that’s how it was before WWE put this premium live event on at the top of August instead of its usual late-August spot. For 35 years, SummerSlam has often been filled with climaxes to summerlong story lines, surprise returns, and even sequels to that year’s biggest WrestleMania matches.
Like WrestleMania season, I get hype for SummerSlam by going back and watching a few shows from years past. And just like I did for WrestleMania, I will share some great SummerSlam matches you may have forgotten about. WWE loads events like SummerSlam with all of its current story lines, so it’s easy to forget a real SummerSlam gem when you have Brock Lesnar lifting the ring using a tractor, or any other shocking or exciting moments that fill up this event. Ahead of SummerSlam bringing the heat to Ford Field in Detroit this weekend, here are 10 hidden SummerSlam gems.
Virgil Vs. Ted DiBiase
August 26, 1991
One of the best things about pro wrestling is the feuds in which you want to see a jerk get what’s coming to them. That was the story between Virgil and his former employer “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. DiBiase verbally abused and embarrassed Virgil, who worked as DiBiase’s bodyguard for years. (To add insult to injury, before this match they even showed replays of Virgil giving DiBiase a foot massage.) Virgil was also fighting for the Million Dollar Championship—a.k.a. the title that DiBiase purchased because he could not successfully win (or buy) the World Wrestling Federation title.
DiBiase was one of the main heels in the company at the time, which automatically helped the fans root for Virgil. This match was the ultimate feel-good story, featuring a mistreated worker who finally gets to stand up for themselves and possibly take one of their boss’s most valuable possessions. Even though the match had to be restarted due to interference from DiBiase’s manager, Sensational Sherri, the bout was still entertaining, with Virgil showing off his in-ring skills before leaving Madison Square Garden as the new Million Dollar champion, complete with a massive post-match pop from the fans.
Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect
August 26, 1991
In 1991, Bret Hart had phased out of his long-standing tag team with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, the Hart Foundation, and was working exclusively as a singles competitor. What better opponent for Hart on what became the path toward his 1992 run as WWF champion than one of the best wrestlers in the company, Mr. Perfect, in a match for the Intercontinental title?
If you read Hart’s book, you know that Perfect entered this match with a bad back, although that didn’t stop these two from putting on a classic. Their match isn’t just a technical masterpiece, though; there’s even some classic “sports entertainment”—especially when referee Earl Hebner gets animated while going back and forth with Perfect, who didn’t think the veteran ref was counting pinfalls fast enough. When you think about Bret Hart and the Intercontinental Championship, you often think of his match the following year with Davey Boy Smith, but before Hart could sniff the main event, he needed to be seen as a bona fide superstar. His ’91 banger with Perfect did just that.
Ultimate Warrior Vs. Randy Savage
August 29, 1992
While the WWF Championship match between Warrior and Savage was the first of two main events during SummerSlam that year, two matches often historically overshadow this particular bout. The first is that evening’s second main event: Davey Boy Smith and Bret Hart’s classic Intercontinental title bout. The second is Warrior and Savage’s retirement match from one year prior at WrestleMania VII. This title bout was an important match for both Savage and Warrior, as they were both vying to be the WWF’s top babyface while Hulk Hogan wasn’t actively competing.
The wild card to this match was “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. The buildup featured Flair and Mr. Perfect teasing that both Savage and Warrior had obtained Mr. Perfect’s managerial services ringside, which meant that one of them was planning on turning heel. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was hilarious on commentary, first shouting that he knew Savage had hired Perfect when the Warrior entered the ring first; his confusion about Savage later entering the ring by himself is classic Heenan comedy. (In the end, Warrior ran Flair and Perfect out of the arena after they brutally attacked Savage’s leg.)
Although, if I had to nitpick, I have one question: Why was Ultimate Warrior wearing a singlet instead of his usual gear?
The Steiner Brothers Vs. the Heavenly Bodies
August 30, 1993
Rick and Scott Steiner were among their heyday’s most memorable tag teams. They spent only a little over a year in WWE, and surprisingly, their lone SummerSlam appearance happened to take place at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan, a home game for the Michigan-born duo. The Steiners, defending their WWF Tag Team titles against the Heavenly Bodies, enter the arena to a loud ovation while sporting their University of Michigan letterman jackets.
Scott showed off his athleticism in this match, and you can see how smooth the two brothers were as a tag team. Also, pay close attention to how funny Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Prichard of the Bodies were (along with manager Jim Cornette ringside). The Steiners vs. the Bodies didn’t make for a long match, but it’s still an exciting tag team bout that features a hometown win!
Alundra Blayze Vs. Bull Nakano
August 29, 1994
The WWE women’s division in 1994 was nowhere near what it would become almost 30 years later. Honestly, it wasn’t even what it would become during the Attitude Era. At this time, you would see only Alundra Blayze and her archnemesis. When Blayze defended her women’s title at WrestleMania X, it was the first time women on the roster had a singles match at WrestleMania since WrestleMania 2.
After defeating Luna Vachon multiple times, Blayze faced Bull Nakano from Japan. Despite interference from Vachon (and Nakano having the size advantage), Blayze still retained her championship in a bout that got almost as much time as the Undertaker vs. “Undertaker” match in the main event.
Shawn Michaels Vs. Razor Ramon
August 30, 1995
During the summer of 1995, fans were getting a new Shawn Michaels. He was a babyface! After falling short at WrestleMania XI in his world title match against Diesel, Michaels turned babyface the next night after being attacked by his bodyguard, Sycho Sid. As Michaels’s popularity rose, he gained momentum, eventually winning the Intercontinental championship.
On the other hand, Razor Ramon was looking to regain the Intercontinental title he’d lost at the Royal Rumble. What’s great about this feud is that they didn’t hold back despite Razor and Michaels being babyfaces on-screen (and best friends behind the scenes). After all, Ramon defeated Michaels in what many consider a top-10 WrestleMania match, the predecessor to their SummerSlam ’95 match. And while it’s difficult to top such a stellar performance, sequels do have a way of surprising you, especially with two talented performers pushing each other to deliver.
Ken Shamrock Vs. Owen Hart
August 30, 1998
The 1998 edition of SummerSlam, billed as the “Highway to Hell,” featured one of the best buildups to the summer extravaganza ever, with nearly every match feeling personal and vital. The card featured the top guys at the time (WWF champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the Undertaker), and the semi-main event featured future top guys Triple H and the Rock. However, Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock may have had the most personal feud of the night. The two had squared off a month earlier at the Fully Loaded pay-per-view in a Dungeon match where Hart was successful. (The “Dungeon” referred to the Hart family’s legendary basement gym, where Canadian wrestling icon Stu Hart trained Owen, Bret, and the rest of his family.)
Their SummerSlam match took place on Shamrock’s proverbial home court in the first-ever Lion’s Den match. Shamrock’s background was in MMA, and he was advertised as the “World’s Most Dangerous Man,” giving the Lion’s Den a more intense feel. For a bonus, the match took place in a separate theater inside Madison Square Garden, and you could hear how into the match the fans were. And if you enjoy this match, definitely give Shamrock’s Lion’s Den bout against Steve Blackman from SummerSlam 1999 a watch.
Test Vs. Shane McMahon
August 22, 1999
In 1999, Stephanie McMahon made her pro wrestling debut. After learning that her brother, Shane, and her father, Vince, conspired to have her kidnapped by the Undertaker in a plot against Austin, she started to rebel. For Steph, part of being a rebel was dating wrestlers, and Test was who Stephanie wanted to date. Shane wasn’t a fan of Test; he even tried to set Stephanie up on a date with Mean Street Posse member Joey Abs, but the heart wants what the heart wants, right? And that is how you build a “Love Her or Leave Her” Greenwich Street Fight.
That’s good, as their match was more soap opera than a five-star wrestling extravaganza. Just make sure to pay attention to Stephanie’s reactions to Test’s victory and her sympathy for her older brother.
Rob Van Dam Vs. Jeff Hardy
August 19, 2001
When it comes to 2001 and the WCW/ECW invasion, people love to have something negative to say. (It doesn’t help that the top stars from WCW, like Hollywood Hogan, Sting, and Goldberg, were not part of the story line.) However, fans got some incredible dream matches out of it; that’s how we got Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy in a ladder match at SummerSlam 2001.
Both men are known for their hard-core high-flying abilities and have become icons in their unique ways. The theme song of the show was “Bodies” by Drowning Pool (you know, the “let the bodies hit the floor” song), which was perfect for this ladder match for the Hardcore Championship. Considering that this SummerSlam card also featured everything from the Rock vs. Booker T to Stone Cold vs. Kurt Angles, it’s easy to understand why you might forget this title match. It’s also a different style of ladder match than what Michaels and Razor Ramon were doing in the mid-’90s; RVD and Hardy flew higher and did more damage than the previous era, showcasing the evolution of the hard-core style and modern American pro wrestling in general.
Mark Henry Vs. Sheamus
August 14, 2011
The summer of 2011 was known primarily as the summer of CM Punk, the year he dropped the “pipe bomb” that rocked the wrestling world. That summer also featured Punk taking on John Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. The secondary main event featured Christian taking on Randy Orton; this was one dope match in their fantastic feud. Don’t sleep on Mark Henry and Sheamus’s collision on this card, though.
This match was during Mark Henry’s “Hall of Pain” era, when he took his “World’s Strongest Man” persona to another level, bashing his opponents with no remorse. Sheamus, a former world champion, was the perfect opponent to solidify Henry’s status before his own world title run. If you want a SummerSlam match featuring a pair of hosses destroying each other, this is the fight for you!
