SummerSlam Always Has Had Its Moments
SummerSlam 2006 is just around the corner, and this show is always the second biggest show of the year next to WrestleMania. Back before the days of monthly Pay-Per-Views, you had Mania, Summerslam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble - and that was it. It was a good mix of a big PPV every 4 months, and now with the watered down PPV monthly, those PPV's don't quite seem as important. Despite that, SummerSlam is usually pushed as the second biggest PPV of the year, and the PPV other than Mania that gets the most push and money spent for promotion and radio & TV.
SummerSlam has had some pretty amazing moments over the years, with many good matches and main events, and some not so good. I remember the build up to the first SummerSlam at MSG in 1998, with Hogan and Savage vs Andre and Ted Dibiase. The shock of that first SS was the surprise IC title win of the Ultimate Warrior as he came out for the injured Brutis Beefcake and beat the Honkey Tonk Man, who was the longest regining IC champ in the companys history.
My personal favorite SS was back just a few years ago, in 2000. We were at a time when The Rock was at his peak, and you also had guys like Benoit, Jericho, Edge & Christian and the Hardys fighting night after night in great matches. The main of the night was a really solid 3-way for the title between Rock, HHH and Kurt Angle. The storyline of the match was that Angle was in love with Stephanie, and it was driving a wedge between her and HHH. It was great drama, and the final TV before SS Angle and Steph kissed and it was like the season finale of your favorite TV show. Great stuff.
The match itself ended up being totally screwed up, as it started with Angle & HHH going back and forth, and within minutes you had Angle legit being knocked out with a pedigree that went wrong on the announcers table. That basically made the match HHH vs The Rock, which wasn't bad considering the two went back and forth all summer long. Angle returned at the end, and somehow made some spots in the last mintues of the match that eventually lead to the Rock pinning HHH and keeping the belt. Again, great drama in a day that seems well past.
This years card is shaping up to be a good one, and if Edge and Cena can pull of a showstopper type of match, this could be a card that rivals Mania. I have a feeling that Hogan-Orton will be a train wreck 6-8 minute match with Hogan's knee being as it is. The other match that could steal the show is the Foley-Flair "I Quit" match. I'd also like to see a strong showing between Batista and Booker, but am not going to be shocked if that match is a stinker.
I'll have more extensive thoughts on the card before Sunday, but just wanted to share some thoughts of the SS's gone with the hopes of this one living up to those days of the better ones of the past.
SummerSlam has had some pretty amazing moments over the years, with many good matches and main events, and some not so good. I remember the build up to the first SummerSlam at MSG in 1998, with Hogan and Savage vs Andre and Ted Dibiase. The shock of that first SS was the surprise IC title win of the Ultimate Warrior as he came out for the injured Brutis Beefcake and beat the Honkey Tonk Man, who was the longest regining IC champ in the companys history.
My personal favorite SS was back just a few years ago, in 2000. We were at a time when The Rock was at his peak, and you also had guys like Benoit, Jericho, Edge & Christian and the Hardys fighting night after night in great matches. The main of the night was a really solid 3-way for the title between Rock, HHH and Kurt Angle. The storyline of the match was that Angle was in love with Stephanie, and it was driving a wedge between her and HHH. It was great drama, and the final TV before SS Angle and Steph kissed and it was like the season finale of your favorite TV show. Great stuff.
The match itself ended up being totally screwed up, as it started with Angle & HHH going back and forth, and within minutes you had Angle legit being knocked out with a pedigree that went wrong on the announcers table. That basically made the match HHH vs The Rock, which wasn't bad considering the two went back and forth all summer long. Angle returned at the end, and somehow made some spots in the last mintues of the match that eventually lead to the Rock pinning HHH and keeping the belt. Again, great drama in a day that seems well past.
This years card is shaping up to be a good one, and if Edge and Cena can pull of a showstopper type of match, this could be a card that rivals Mania. I have a feeling that Hogan-Orton will be a train wreck 6-8 minute match with Hogan's knee being as it is. The other match that could steal the show is the Foley-Flair "I Quit" match. I'd also like to see a strong showing between Batista and Booker, but am not going to be shocked if that match is a stinker.
I'll have more extensive thoughts on the card before Sunday, but just wanted to share some thoughts of the SS's gone with the hopes of this one living up to those days of the better ones of the past.
