Gimme Five: Summerslam Memories
ASPW News Bot
Written by NZPWI Columnists
Thursday, 03 August 2006
As we come to August, the time draws nigh for the yearly Summerslam
spectacular, and this week in Gimme Five the NZPWI team reminisce over
17 years worth of hot summer action from WWE/F.
In this special Summerslam edition, we consider the greatest matches and
MVP of almost 2 decades worth of PPV. There's shocking moments, hidden
gems, and of course the best Summerslam card of them all.
So put your memory hat on and join us for Five in a Row this week, as we
look at Summer memories in Gimme Five.
1) What's your greatest Summerslam match of all time?
Dion:
So many Summerslams! So many great matches! Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio
and Triple H vs. Michaels from 2002, Hart Foundation vs. Demolition in
1988 and 1990, and the childhood mark in me still looks back on the
Megapowers vs. Megabucks from 1988 very fondly.
Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect in Summerslam 91 probably gets the nod in
front of them all, for mine.
Leighton:
HHH vs Rock ladder match from Summerslam 98. The first ladder match I
ever saw and still my favourite. It wasn't as high-risk as ladder
matches would become in the future, but in terms of storytelling and
crowd heat it was off the charts.
Troy:
With SummerSlam being one of THE events of the pro wrestling year, it's
hard to sift through almost twenty years of history to pull out one
winner. For me, I've got to go with the ladder match between Triple H
and The Rock for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam '98.
I'll say it once, and I'll say it again: That match MADE those guys.
Kirsty:
Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith, IC Championship, Wembley Stadium, 1992.
One of my all-time favourite Bret Hart matches and hey - an IC match
that was the main event in front of an 80,000+, British crowd. Those
boys were legends that night.
However, Bret's cage match with Owen Hart in 1994 has to be mentioned
here. Fantastic match from two of the best, and for featuring, in my
opinion, the most perfectly executed super-plex of all time.
Simon:
Summerslam always brings out some great matches, unlike certain other
(ahem, Great American Bash, ppvs). I'm like Dion, in that SummerSlam 88
was probably my biggest mark-out moment. So I loved the MegaPowers vs
The MegaBucks. But I also thought last year's Hogan/Michaels feud was
great too. I mean Shawn Michaels bought out the best effort from Hogan
since that bloody McMahon/Hogan thing at WM19...
Amanda:
Wow, just a hard pick when you look back now. Hart Foundation were on a
stellar roll in 88, 89 and 90. How can you argue when facing great
opponents like the Brain Busters and Demolition. Then you have the
aforementioned ladder match between Triple H and The Rock - the
intensity, the broken nose. And hell Hogan and Brutus vs Savage and
Zeus!!!1onetyone!
But the one match I keep coming back to is the Razor/HBK Ladder Match
sequel from 95. Some may not remember it as fondly as the original 5
months earlier, but it proved these guys could go around again and tell
a great story in a very different way. I still rate it just as highly as
the more often watched Wrestlemania encounter.
2) Choose your greatest/most shocking Summerslam moment.
Dion:
OMG, totally when Sapphire turned on Dusty Rhodes and sided with Ted
DiBiase at Summerslam 1991!!!
...but seriously, Stone Cold's neck injury by far gets the nod. The
first Matt Hardy vs. Edge confrontation after "that Lita incident" in
2005 must rate highly as well.
Leighton:
Mankind winning the World Title at Summerslam 99 was certainly a
legitimate shock. Perhaps not the good kind of shock, but I was
surprised nonetheless. All the heat in the buildup had been on the
Austin vs HHH feud, and then Foley snuck in the back door to win it and
have his hand raised by Governor Ventura.
Troy:
The Megapowers' "Secret Weapon", way back at the inaugural event in
1988. Who'd have thought that a toned ass in a pair of yellow bikini
bottoms would cause such devastation?
Oh, I'm talking about Miss Elizabeth - not Savage or Hogan.
Kirsty:
I'm with Dion on this one - Steve Austin's broken neck courtesy of Owen
Hart's botched piledriver. Yowch.
Simon:
Gotta go with the Stone-Cold-neck-thing too. Never actually say that
Summerslam - only ever saw it on the Owen Hart doco...but man that was grim!
Amanda:
Shocking of course would go to the Stone Cold broken neck incident, but
for a "great" moment the fan-girl in me remembers fondly the uber
cheesey "wedding" of Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth.
It's god awful looking back at it now - wedding dresses never date well
- but when you're 16, that stuff really hits the right notes. Which
should be a reminder to all those who still have trouble figuring John
Cena out.
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3) Out of 'em all, what's your favourite Summerslam of all time?
Dion:
I'll say it until my deathbed. Summerslam 88, the very first. I look
back on the event and rememer it as being a total mark for the business.
I've never been as much of a "real fan" as I was during that event.
Leighton:
Tough call, but I'd have to go for Summerslam 98 for sentimental
reasons. But besides it being my first Summerslam, it still stands up as
a great card today. D'Lo vs Venis, X-Pac vs Jarrett, Shamrock vs Owen,
HHH vs Rock, Austin vs Undertaker were all good/great matches, topped
off with the hilarious Oddities vs Kaientai squash. Honorable mentions -
Summerslams 2000 and 2001.
Troy:
SummerSlam '98. You had the super hot Rock/HHH match, the destruction of
Mick Foley at the hands of the New Age Outlaws (and subsequently, Kane),
the PPV debut of Edge, and probably the best match that Val Venis or
D'Lo Brown ever had. All that, and then the Hair vs Hair match which
paved the way for Jeff Jarrett's character of today. Oh, how about a
ripsnorting Lion's Den match between Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock, plus
the WWE title match between Steve Austin and the Undertaker? Even the
Oddities' match with Kaientai was amusing. SummerSlam '98 had it all.
Kirsty:
For lots of reasons, I really liked last year's Summerslam, so much was
going on. Matt Hardy and Edge's first match since Lita-gate, Eddie
Guerrero and Rey Mysterio on the ladder, Benoit's lightening defeat of
Orlando Jordan and of course, HBK vs. Hogan. Actually one of my
favourite ppv's ever.
Simon:
Last year's Summerslam was great - one of my fav PPVs in a longtime
(apart from WM22). But as I said before, I gotta go with Summerslam '88.
Man, I still remember staying at a mate's place and watching that.
Sleeping bags on the lounge floor. Soooo many Burger Rings. Etc...
Amanda:
Simon, I think you channelled my watching of Summerslam 88 too. Except
it was two girls in pink flannellette jammies, squeeing over the Hart
Foundation.
4) Who would you call your Summerslam MVP of the last two decades?
Dion:
It would be ignorant to look past Hulk Hogan for MVP. His drawing power,
and in the first 4 events especially, being the driving force behind the
success of the shows simply can not be denied.
Bret Hart, Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels have, in terms of wrestling,
always pulled out great matches at the event - definitely MVP-worthy.
Leighton:
Has to be Bret Hart for me. His five-peat of great Summerslam matches,
with the Mr Perfect IC title victory in 91, followed by the classic
Wembley Stadium match with the Bulldog in 92, followed by his highly
entertaining segment with matches against Doink and Jerry Lawler in 93,
followed by the greatest cage match of all time with his brother Owen in
94, then a bit of a jump to 97 and his title victory over The Undertaker
in 97, combine to make one of the best Summerslam CV's out there.
Troy:
Shawn Michaels. He had a killer ladder match with Razor Ramon in 1995
and a brutal encounter with Triple H in 2002, and those matches are only
the tip of the iceberg.
Kirsty:
Hulk Hogan. 'Nuff said, really.
Simon:
So many great Summerslams. So many great MVPs. Gotta say Hogan - he
pulled one out of the bag last year, and he's coming back this year. But
gotta say Bret Hart too. And for that matter HBK. It's really a matter
of pick your favourite Hall-Of-Fame or Future-Hall-Of-Fame-Legend
really. I'll have to stick with Hogan...even though I never really was
that much of a mark for him.
Amanda:
Shawn Michaels. When I was still a teenager and drinking the Kool Aid of
the american teenage lifestyle, HBK represented all that was tanned,
blonde and toned of an American summer.
5) Describe a hidden gem of a Summerslam match or moment you feel is
over looked for greater intent.
Dion:
Maybe Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker from Summerslam 1997. In terms of
storytelling, that was a fantastic match and from history's point of
view, it was the beginning of a feud that ended Bret Hart's WWE career.
Although the event itself is remembered mostly for Stone Cold's
legitimate neck injury at the hands of Owen Hart.
Leighton:
Lance Storm vs Edge, the opening match from Summerslam 01. Not
underrated per se perhaps, but maybe not talked about as much as it
should be. It was about as good as wrestling can be in ten minutes, and
Storm himself regards it as one of his greatest ever matches, certainly
his greatest WWE match.
Troy:
I thought that the triple threat match between Steve Austin, Triple H
and Mankind from 1999 deserves a higher place in history than it has.
With then-Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura as the special referee, the
match told a solid story from start to finish. Props also to the triple
threat main event from the following year, when The Rock beat out a
white-hot Triple H and a heavily concussed Kurt Angle to retain the WWE
Championship.
Kirsty:
Diesel vs. Razor Ramon, Summerslam 1994. A solid match, not
earth-shaking, but it kicked off the Diesel/HBK feud which is one of my
favourites. There was a lot of intensity during that match, even with
Walter Payton lurking and trying to look steely.
Simon:
I'm prepared to get laughed off the site for this...but Ultimate Warrior
Vs Honky-Tonk Man at Summerslam '88. MY FIRST SQUASH MATCH! I was a huge
Warrior fan, and Honky Tonk Man was one of the ultimate heels. Seeing
Warrior crush him seemed so good. (I'd hate to re-watch it now but at
the time I was super-duper-impressed!) I'm sure - at the time - that was
the quickest match I'd ever seen. (Apart from Warrior beating jobbers on
WWF Superstars Of Wrestling on Thursdays at around 10.30pm each week).
To see the end of the long-running IC champ seemed just so
satisfying...I followed Warrior fanatically for the 18 months directly
following this match.
You gotta laugh - especially when you see what that clown's up to these
days.
Ah, memories...
Amanda:
The Boiler Room brawl at Summerslam 96 between The Undertaker and
Mankind. At that stage, I didn't know the backstory of Mick Foley, and
Mankind was doing an effective job of creeping me out.
While much maligned for being partially taped, I still think it was an
excellent brawl told completely in the context of their feud. The
characters of early evil Mankind and the dark Undertaker fitted well
together, especially in the creepy setting.
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