• Home
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV
  • Video Games
  • Wrestling
  • Topics
  • Latest Comments on Cult of Whatever
Search
Cult of Whatever logo
  • Movies
    Featured
    • The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton as James Bond

      The Living Daylights is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 28, 2022
      Movie Blogs
    Recent
    • The Muppet Christmas Carol: Michael Caine as Scrooge

      The Muppet’s Christmas Carol remains the gold standard for the book

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 20, 2022
    • Nightmare Before Christmas 1993 1

      2022’s Christmas Movie Watchlist!

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 18, 2022
    • Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Poster

      REVIEW: GDT’s Pinocchio is my favorite film of the year!

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 14, 2022
    • Troll: Ine Marie Wilmann as Nora

      REVIEWS: TROLL and TROLL HUNTER -A giant creature double feature!

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 5, 2022
    • Harry with The Hendersons

      Harry and the Hendersons is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 1, 2022
    • Fantastic Four Poster

      The five best “rogues galleries” in superherodom! (part 3)

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 28, 2022
  • Music
    Random
    • Queen 2 Album Cover

      QUEEN's catalogue, from bottom to top

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 1, 2018
      Music
    Recent
    • The Beatles: Get Back

      What GET BACK reveals about the Beatles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 15, 2021
    • Simon And Garfunkel at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam1982

      The Boxer is a song about being conned

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 4, 2021
    • Lady Gaga: Chromatica Album Cover

      Lady Gaga’s discography is totally out of order

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 3, 2021
    • Michael Jackson Thriller Album Cover

      Thirty years ago music fans said “Nevermind” to Michael Jackson

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 21, 2021
    • Queen II Album Cover

      On Queen’s The Miracle, and the importance of track ordering

      By Matthew Martin
      | February 16, 2021
    • Linda Paul Mccartney 1976

      50 years ago, McCartney dropped “Lennon” and went solo…

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 5, 2020
  • TV
    Featured
    • Big Sky S03e05: Kylie Bunbury, J. Anthony Pena and Katheryn Winnick as Cassie Dewell, Mo Poppernak and Jenny Hoyt

      Big Sky S03E05 Review: Flesh and Blood - Glamping!

      By Salome G
      | October 22, 2022
      TV Blogs
    Recent
    • Big Sky S03e10: Gang

      Big Sky S03E10 Review: A Thin Layer of Rock – Break time…

      By Salome G
      | December 11, 2022
    • Rick And Morty: S01e03

      Is Beth from Rick and Morty a bigger sociopath than Rick?

      By Jason Collins
      | December 7, 2022
    • Big Sky S03e09: Dedee Pfeiffer and Cree as Denise and Emily

      Big Sky S03E09: Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire – Stalling

      By Salome G
      | December 1, 2022
    • The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff as Drax and Mantis

      REVIEW: The GOTG Holiday Special is a sweet prelude to next year’s finale

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 27, 2022
    • The Midnight Club S01: The Gang

      The Midnight Club S1 Review – A series of unfortunate events

      By Salome G
      | November 24, 2022
    • Big Sky S03e08: Reba McEntire as Sunny Barnes

      Big Sky S03E08 Review: Duck Hunting – I love a weirdo.

      By Salome G
      | November 19, 2022
  • Video Games
    Featured
    • Arkham Knight

      Batman: Arkham Knight - A fitting end to a trilogy

      By Tom Farr
      | July 18, 2015
      Video Game Reviews
    Recent
    • Splatoon 3 Screenshot

      A trio of Nintendo Switch reviews!

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 28, 2022
    • Nintendo Switch Logo

      Looking ahead to the Switch 2: Predictions and Wants

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 15, 2022
    • Legend Of Zelda

      Can a Legend of Zelda movie work?

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 6, 2022
    • Super Mario 64

      Which system had the better launch: A battle of four Nintendo consoles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 1, 2021
    • Luigi's Mansion

      Happy twentieth to Nintendo’s underrated gem, the Gamecube

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 18, 2021
    • Metroid Dread

      Metroid Dread – Post Game analysis and sequel needs

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 29, 2021
  • Wrestling
    Featured
    • AEW All Out 2022: Keith Lee. Anthony Bowens, Max Caster and Billy Gunn

      AEW All Out 2022 - Review and (wild) Speculation!

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 5, 2022
      AEW
    Recent
    • WWE WrestleMania 38: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

      Was 2022 the wildest year in wrestling history?

      By Matthew Martin
      | January 4, 2023
    • AEW Full Gear 2022: Young Bucks and Kenny Omega Elite Entrance

      AEW Full Gear 2022 – A needed reset at the end of a tough year

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 22, 2022
    • WWE Survivor Series 1997: Bret Hart

      The Montreal Screwjob – Twenty Five Years Later

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 8, 2022
    • AEW Grand Slam 2022: Jungle Boy and Rey Fenix

      AEW GRANDSLAM 2022 showcased the present and future of the promotion

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 25, 2022
    • AEW All Out 2022: CM Punk

      AEW All Out Fall Out: All the CM Punk drama that’s fit to print!

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 5, 2022
    • AEW Dark: Ricky Starks (22/09/20)

      The future of the AEW World Championship

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 14, 2022
  • Topics
    • site logo
    Latest
    • Was 2022 the wildest year in wrestling history?
    • The Muppet's Christmas Carol remains the gold standard for the book
    • 2022's Christmas Movie Watchlist!
    • REVIEW: GDT's Pinocchio is my favorite film of the year!
    • Big Sky S03E10 Review: A Thin Layer of Rock - Break time...
    • Is Beth from Rick and Morty a bigger sociopath than Rick?

    WWE SummerSlam 2008 DVD Review

    By Henry Higgins
    | January 26, 2009
    WWE DVD Reviews
    This page contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more

    Summerslam, one of the original “Big Four” pay-per-view events, has always been one of the more anticipated shows on the WWE calendar. Unlike the Royal Rumble or Survivor Series, it never had an only-once-per-year gimmick match to sell it, or the aura of Wrestlemania to lure the public into buying the show. Summerslam sold itself on usually having fantastic matches that were, arguably, highlights of the year.

    Wwe Summerslam 2008 Dvd Cover 0

    Certificate: 15

    Running Time: 162mins (excluding extras)

    Discs: 1

    Chapters

    • Jeff Hardy v MVP
    • Maria Interviews Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix
    • Winner Takes All Match: Kofi Kingston & Mickie James v Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
    • Shawn Michaels’ Announcement
    • ECW Championship Match: Mark Henry w/ Tony Atlas v Matt Hardy
    • World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk v JBL
    • WWE Championship Match: Triple H v The Great Khali
    • John Cena v Batista
    • Hell in a Cell: Undertaker v Edge

    Extras

    • WWE Summerfest
    • Post-Summerslam Interview from RAW 18/08/08: Michael Cole interviews Shawn Michaels and wife Rebecca
    • ECW Championship Match from ECW 19/08/08: Mark Henry w/ Tony Atlas v Matt Hardy

    Summerslam ’88 had the first real teaming of Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan and the first title win of the Ultimate Warrior, Summerslam ’89 had a brilliant tag match between The Brain Busters and The Hart Foundation as well as an IC Title clash between Rick Rude and The Ultimate Warrior, Summerslam ’91 had Bret v Mr. Perfect and the Jailhouse Match between The Mountie and The Big Boss Man, , ’92 was the only worldwide PPV to take place outside America. Summerslam ’94 had the best blue-barred cage match, a barnstormer between Bret and Owen Hart, not to mention the Undertaker v Undertaker clash that I actually enjoyed.

    Austin v Undertaker at 1998’s event was a great encounter, Hakushi v 1-2-3 Kid from 1995 was an unexpected classic (similar to Blitzkrieg v Juventud from WCW Spring Stampede 1999), Michaels v Vader from the following year was also a stunning bout (with added HBK hissy-fit), Bret v Undertaker (refereed by Michaels) at Summerslam ’97 was, perhaps, the most heated match in the event’s history while Summerslam was also the birthplace of one of WWE’s favourite matches, ‘Tables, Ladders and Chairs’ as The Dudleys, The Hardys and Edge & Christian all raised the bar for all ladder matches to follow.

    In addition to all of that, Summerslam was where Brock Lesnar climbed to the top of the mountain to become the youngest ever holder of the WWE Championship (a record that still stands),  while the 2004 edition is when Randy Orton became the youngest ever World Champion in WWE history (a record that also still stands). Summerslam is also the  event where Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels faced off in a singles match; one of the last true dream matches that were left in pro-wrestling. The following year (2006) Hogan faced off against Randy Orton.

    You can easily see (through my long-winded opening) that Summerslam has a long tradition and a high standard to maintain through the years. The August event has, more often that not, given us at least one MOTY contender, so would 2008’s edition live up to that expectation or would it sink without trace like 1993, 1995 and 1999’s efforts? That was the $1million question.

    The show opens with a great hype video that sets the tone for the PPV as well as give a brief overview of the show’s legacy. The lead up to the HIAC match dominates (which isn’t a bad thing) and Edge’s brutal destruction of Mick Foley is still a glorious sight to behold.

    The pyro goes off and the first thing to hit you is how blooming awesome the Summerslam set is. WWE usually do a good job of making their PPV’s seem special, but this set is something else and really shows the gulf between WWE and every other wrestling (sports?) brand in the world today.

    Another Summerslam tradition is kept alive, that of having a (potentially) fast-paced, action-packed opener to get the fans into things. Jeff Hardy & MVP (this was before the current angle where Porter couldn’t get a win if Barry Horowitz laid down for him) have a great match with some fantastic wrestling psychology on behalf of the latter and some nice high-spots from the former.

    It doesn’t hurt that Jeff Hardy is the most over guy on the roster, but the fans in attendance are really into things and add an extra dimension to the entire evening. A really good opener that sets the tone for the rest of the PPV.

    Maria (one of my favourite Divas – I like redheads) interviewing Santino was always going to be interesting due to their past, ahem, relationship, but it is even funnier than I anticipated with Marella (in my opinion, the greatest comedy wrestler I have ever seen) just cracking me up with his dialect and mangling of the language.

    As funny as the interview was, I wish that the promo Santino cut on RAW, where he debated with himself about being the WWE Women’s Champion had been included as an extra. I digress; the next match on the card is the first ever Intergender Winner Takes All tag-match where Mickie James and Kofi Kingston put their WWE Women’s and Intercontinental titles on the line.

    Kingston, one of a raft of newcomers who debuted last year, is someone I enjoy watching, as are the two ladies in the match (it doesn’t hurt that they are both good looking), so I knew that the bout would be, at least, passable. Santino, as I said earlier, is one of the best comedy performers in history, especially as he isn’t afraid to make an idiot of himself and because he keeps the comedy coming throughout his matches.

    That being said, the match is too short, even if the action is very good (with Kofi’s last bump looking very brutal). To be honest, it doesn’t matter how good the match is; it led to the Honk-a-Meter, and for that alone, it deserves to be heralded.

    After the comedy comes the serious; Shawn Michaels announcing whether he is going to retire due to the injured eye he suffered at the hands of Chris Jericho at the previous month’s Great American Bash. The promo video preceding HBK’s entrance is brilliantly done and, once again, shows why the WWE are the pinnacle of television production.

    The angle had been building beautifully before Summerslam, with good matches and killer promos from both men. This just pushed it over the edge with a stunningly worked situation that had everyone in attendance on their feet, gasping in shock at what they were seeing.

    From a killer angle, we come to an abomination of one that, for lack of a better term, takes the piss. Matt Hardy v Mark Henry had been built well over the previous few weeks on ECW television, so to throw all of that down the toilet with a THIRTY SECOND screwjob is an insult to every fan who was looking forward to a championship match. The fact that they had the rematch on the ECW show and gave it the time it deserved is a second slap in the face. At least the follow-up bout is included in the extras.

    Of the remaining matches, CM Punk v JBL is a pleasant surprise (with a nasty clash of heads), while Triple H v The Great Khali is a bona fide miracle. John Cena v Batista, a match I feel should have been kept for Wrestlemania, is also a much better encounter than many predicted (which also has a brilliant hype video and a great voice-over promo from Cena). Each of these three matches were hard-hitting and worthy of their semi-main event status. Although all the matches were playing second fiddle to the last match on the card and the real reason that this year’s Summerslam will be remembered.

    ‘Hell in a Cell’, the crowning glory of WWE’s gimmick matches and the structure most synonymous with Undertaker, would close the show as the hottest rivalry of 2008 (just eclipsing HBK/Jericho) continued apace when Edge would try and take out “The Deadman” in the same match he cost Undertaker the World Heavyweight Championship at the previous year’s Survivor Series.

    The rivalry between the two really started in May of 2007 when Edge jumped from RAW to Smackdown and cashed in his ‘Money in the Bank’ briefcase (which he had won from Mr. Kennedy on that week’s RAW) on Undertaker after a gruelling cage match between him and Batista.

    Unfortunately the two didn’t get to continue things as Undertaker healed some injuries and then Edge got injured a few months later. At Survivor Series 2007, Edge returned and cost ‘Taker the title against Batista, kick-starting the feud once again.

    They locked up at Wrestlemania XXIV (in my match of the year), followed by a rematch at Backlash, another bout at Judgment Day and a TLC match at One Night Stand. The last match had a stipulation that, if he lost, Undertaker would have to leave WWE for good (and we all know they last forever). Of course, he did lose and Vickie Guerrero did indeed banish him… until Edge cheated on her with the wedding planner and she lost it mentally. Wishing to punish Edge, she re-instated Undertaker and booked Edge into the most sadistic match of his career.

    The pre-hype video is another belter, with the mental breakdown of Edge after Mick Foley talked some sense into him, then getting hammered for his trouble, is an astounding piece of work from the Canadian. It’s no exaggeration to say that this was the most anticipated match of the night, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it lived up to said hype.

    The fans in attendance were buzzing for the match and both men worked their backsides off to give them something memorable. From brutal shots and near falls to Undertaker giving Edge a receipt for every single weapon shot that had been inflicted on him over the entire feud, this contest is a fitting close to the best feud of the last twelve months and ends the show on a high.

    Extras

    There are three extras, with the first of them being a sub-1min highlight package of the pre-Summerslam party. The other two have more meat to their bones though; the second extra being an interview with HBK from the RAW following Summerslam that deals with the aftermath of his and Jericho’s interaction the previous night.

    The final extra is the ECW Championship rematch between Mark Henry and Matt Hardy and is a good match. That this wasn’t the bout booked for Summerslam is a travesty.

    Overview

    Summerslam was one of the better PPV events in 2008. The opener is a great bout, all the championship matches (outside of the ECW one) are better than anticipated, John Cena and Batista, considering the general consensus is that they are limited workers, put on a great brawl and ‘Hell in a Cell’ delivered all it promised and so much more.

    With only one duffer on a seven match card, this is value for money, but even if all the undercard sucked, this is worth buying simply for the main-event alone.

    The extras are decent, but it’s always nice to get a match among them.

    Points: 8/10 (with a point deducted due to the, frankly insulting, second extra).

    Buy It:

    UK:DVD

    USA: DVD

    Share this article:

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit

    Tags

    WWE SummerSlamwwe summerslam 2008

    COMMENTS

    Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

    Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

    Subscribe
    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    Notify of
    guest

    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    guest

    0 Comments
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments

    You might also like

    • The ten most memorable WWE SummerSlam moments

      By Steve Sky
      | August 12, 2011
    • WWE SummerSlam 2012: An Outsiders View Inside The Staples Center – Part One

      By John Hancock
      | August 31, 2012
    • WWE Summerslam 2006 DVD Review

      By Stephen Lyon
      | December 4, 2006

    FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

    Wrestling Topics

    Recommended for you

    • Was 2022 the wildest year in wrestling history?

      By Matthew Martin
      | January 4, 2023
    • The future of the AEW World Championship

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 14, 2022
    • Vince McMahon is out as WWE chief. First reactions here…

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 22, 2022
    • Getting AEW to the next level…

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 29, 2022
    • Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
    • The Curse of the WWE Royal Rumble

      By John Hancock
      | January 27, 2012
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy and Settings
    • Terms of Use
    • Photo Credits
    • RSS
    All Cult of Whatever articles, logos, illustrations and graphics are copyright CultOfWhatever.com. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2021 CultOfWhatever. All Rights Reserved.
    • facebook
    • twitter
    wpDiscuz
    x
    x