• Home
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV
  • Video Games
  • Wrestling
  • Topics
  • Latest Comments
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
    • Elvis: Austin Butler

      REVIEW: ELVIS beautifully mythologizes the King of Rock and Roll

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 25, 2022
    • The Black Phone: Ethan Hawke as The Grabber

      REVIEW: THE BLACK PHONE is a flat, dull, rushed non-horror movie

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 25, 2022
    • Jurassic World Dominion Logo

      REVIEW: Jurassic World Dominion – Here we go again…again

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 12, 2022
    • Three Men and a Baby: Tom Selleck and Ted Danson

      Three Men and a Baby is still awesome thirty five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 31, 2022
    • The Bob's Burgers Movie Poster

      REVIEW: Bob’s Burgers The Movie is Bob’s Burgers The Show, which means it’s great

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 28, 2022
    • Top Gun Maverick: Tom Cruise

      REVIEW: Top Gun Maverick is a sequel that soars!

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 27, 2022
  • Music
    Random
    • Johnny Cash Folsom Prison Cover

      Fifty Years ago Johnny Cash did Folsom Prison...

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 11, 2018
      Music Blogs
    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
    • Nancy Drew S03e01: Kennedy McMann as Nancy

      Nancy Drew S03E01 Review: The Warning of the Frozen Heart - Uh-oh!

      By Salome G
      | October 10, 2021
      TV Blogs
    Recent
    • Riverdale S06e18: Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge

      Riverdale S06E18 Review: Biblical – Spooky chaos!

      By Salome G
      | June 29, 2022
    • Roswell, New Mexico S04e04: Heather Hemmens and Sherri Saum as Maria and Mimi DeLuca

      Roswell, New Mexico S04E04 Review: Dear Mama – Emotional?

      By Salome G
      | June 29, 2022
    • Evil S03e03: Katja Herbers and Aasif Mandvi as Kristen Bouchard and Ben Shakir

      Evil S03E03 Review: The Demon of Sex – Contrived?

      By Salome G
      | June 29, 2022
    • Dark Winds S01e03: kinaaldá Ceremony

      Dark Winds S01E03 Review: K’e – Swoon!

      By Salome G
      | June 29, 2022
    • Roswell, New Mexico S04e03: Sibongile Mlambo, Lily Cowles and Michael Trevino as Anatsa, Isobel and Kyle

      Roswell, New Mexico S04E03 Review: Subterranean Homesick Alien – Treading water?

      By Salome G
      | June 23, 2022
    • Obi-Wan Kenobi Series: Ewan McGregor and Vivien Lyra Blair as Obi-Wan and Leia

      REVIEW: Obi-Wan Kenobi had a good season and little else

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 22, 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
    • 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
    • Mario Headphones

      The SNES Turns 30: A look at some of the system’s best soundtracks

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 22, 2021
    • Metroid Dread Poster

      REVIEW: Metroid Dread reawakens the old gamer in me

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 11, 2021
  • Wrestling
    Featured
    • Wwe Payback 2017 Poster 2

      Your SO OF COURSE preview of WWE Payback 2017

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 30, 2017
      WWE Blogs
    Recent
    • AEW Double or Nothing 2022: CM Punk vs Adam Page

      REVIEW: AEW Double or Nothing 2022 delivered an up-and-down show

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 30, 2022
    • MJF on AEW Dynamite 17th November 2021

      Getting AEW to the next level…

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 29, 2022
    • Raw 210501: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

      May 21, 2001 – A (forgotten) date that will live in WWE infamy

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 20, 2022
    • WWE WrestleMania 39 Logo

      Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
    • WWE WrestleMania 38 Poster

      Your SO OF COURSE preview of WWE WRESTLEMANIA 38!

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 30, 2022
    • Wrestlemania 31 Paige Aj Lee 2

      BOOK REVIEW: The Women of WrestleMania is a balanced take on an under-valued slice of history

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 16, 2022
  • Topics
    • site logo
    Latest
    • Riverdale S06E18 Review: Biblical - Spooky chaos!
    • Roswell, New Mexico S04E04 Review: Dear Mama - Emotional?
    • Evil S03E03 Review: The Demon of Sex - Contrived?
    • Dark Winds S01E03 Review: K'e - Swoon!
    • REVIEW: ELVIS beautifully mythologizes the King of Rock and Roll
    • REVIEW: THE BLACK PHONE is a flat, dull, rushed non-horror movie
    • Latest Comments

    The ten most memorable WWE SummerSlam moments

    By Steve Sky
    | August 12, 2011
    WWE Blogs

    With the biggest event of the summer simmering slowly with its lack of matches and questionable build-up, it’s easy to forget that Summerslam used to be one of the most anticipated shows in the wrestling calendar.

    To that end, it’s worth looking back at some of the memorable moments that have made the summer spectacular so revered by fans all over the world. Rather than try to place these in any ranking, since it’s too subjective a topic, I’m just going to review them in order of when they happened, starting with…

    A match made in heaven – the Randy Savage/Miss Elizabeth wedding reception (WWE SummerSlam 1991)

    Summerslam 1991 Elizabeth Randy Savage Undertaker

    Wrestling weddings are almost always, with few exceptions, entertaining affairs that end with something going horribly wrong. One of the first weddings that laid the foundation for the Teddy Long and Edge weddings of latter years came in 1991 when Randy Savage married his real-life wife Miss Elizabeth. The highlight came during the reception, which chronicled the cake cutting, first dance and opening of presents, one of which just so happened to be a snake. With everyone screaming for their lives, The Undertaker burst in and hit Savage in the head with an urn, whilst Jake threatened Elizabeth with the snake.

    Doing that kind of stunt today would just lead to a restraining order. Believe me, I’ve tried. Then again, watching the video back, I notice Jake’s snake had two eyes. Maybe that’s where I went wrong.

    British Bulldog flies the flag of the United Kingdom in Wembley Stadium (WWE SummerSlam 1992)

    Summerslam 1992 Bret Hart British Bulldog

    The UK rarely gets big wrestling events beyond the occasional Raw and SmackDown taping, but 1992 saw WWE bring its second-biggest pay-per-view of the year across the shores, filling the famous Wembley Stadium to its brim and showcasing its talent in front of one of the largest audiences in wrestling history.

    Although the fans were excited to see The Ultimate Warrior and the Legion of Doom, London lit up when our own Davey Boy Smith – accompanied by boxing great Lennox Lewis – defeated his brother-in-law Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart to win the Intercontinental Championship in a classic contest with, of all things, a sunset flip reversal.

    The next time Smith would compete for a title in the UK on PPV would be five years later, where he was defeated by Shawn Michaels for the then-coveted European title. The match was dedicated to his cancer-stricken sister, who died thereafter, shortly followed by the Bulldog’s career, followed by the Bulldog himself. We shouldn’t blame Shawn Michaels for that, but it’s more fun to do so.

    The Undertaker returns to face… The Undertaker? (WWE SummerSlam 1994)

    Summerslam 1994 The Undertaker vs The Undertaker

    After Yokozuna locked The Undertaker in a casket at the Royal Rumble, Ted Dibiase began parading around with a new Undertaker, played by Brian Lee (later Chainz of the Disciples of Apocalypse). Leslie Nielson of Naked Gun fame was sent on a mission to find the real phenom, and eventually, his search led him to Summerslam, which set up the big meeting between Taker and the Faker.

    Sadly, the match was garbage. After boring the crowd for what seemed like an eternity, the real Undertaker finally put everyone out of their misery by Tombstone piledriving the imposter, locking him inside a casket and wheeling it away, never for Lee to be seen again… until three years later, when he returned with Crush and two Nazi-supporters to fight against some Mexican midgets. He probably should have just stayed in the casket, really.

    Paul Bearer turns his back on The Undertaker (WWE SummerSlam 1996)

    Summerslam 1996 Paul Bearer Undertaker

    Long before Mick Foley became a best-selling sack of self-important ego and flatulence, he was actually a pretty great worker. Not only was he willing to sacrifice his body, but he also made other wrestlers look like a million bucks. Never was that more apparent than in his series of matches, as Mankind, with The Undertaker. Used to slow-paced snoozefests with lumbering giants, Taker was allowed to up his pace and show that he was in fact capable of some really great matches.

    The Boiler Room Brawl from Summerslam 1996 will go down as one of their best showdowns. The aim was to escape the boiler room beneath the arena, make their way to the ring and collect the urn from The Undertaker’s manager, Paul Bearer. You’d think that Taker would have had the advantage, but alas it was not to be; as the dead man motioned for the urn, Bearer turned his back on his charge, and gave the urn to Mankind. The match ended with Bearer hitting The Undertaker with the urn, and kicked off a long-standing feud between the two, which led to the debut of Kane over a year later.

    Owen Hart breaks Stone Cold Steve Austin’s neck (WWE SummerSlam 1997)

    Summerslam 1997 Steve Austin

    An otherwise uneventful Summerslam in 1997 took a turn for the better when Owen Hart defended the Intercontinental title against Steve Austin with the stipulation that Stone Cold would kiss Hart’s ass should he fail to win the title.

    As the match gathered pace, Owen reversed a Tombstone Piledriver attempt into one of his own and turned it into a modified Tombstone whereby he dropped as you would with a normal Piledriver. Unfortunately, Austin was a little too low and his neck broke instantly. Unable to move, and seemingly unwilling to come up with a different finish on the fly, the conclusion was rushed forward; Owen waited for Austin to drag himself over towards him, fell backwards, and then kicked his feet around like an upturned turtle as the ref counted to three. Austin had won the title, but had to be carried out by officials. He later vacated the belt but won it back at Survivor Series, and went on to become the biggest name in professional wrestling. Hart went on to become a nugget. And then he died.

    Edge and Christian win first-ever Tables, Ladders & Chairs match (WWE SummerSlam 2000)

    Summerslam 2000 Tlc Jeff Hardy Bubba Dudley

    Some of you may be too young to know what I’m talking about, but WWE used to be inundated with something called “tag-teams”. This is where two wrestlers work together to fight two other wrestlers, sometimes with a tag team title on the line.

    Three of the biggest tag teams at the turn of the millennium were Edge and Christian, Bubba Ray and D-von Dudley, and Matt and Jeff Hardy. Each had their own little gimmick to go along with – E&C had chairs to sit on, the Dudleys had tables to eat from, and the Hardys used ladders to try and spot local meth dealers – and it was eventually decided to put these elements together to form a brand new contest: the TLC match.

    As you’d expect, the match was a complete success. All six men put their lives at risk to put over the brutality of the weapons, and the match still holds up today as one of the greatest ladder-based matches in wrestling history. Jeff Hardy, in particular, shone as the wrestler most willing to dive from the highest ladder possible through as many tables as God would allow. In the end, it was Edge and Christian who emerged victorious, and history would repeat itself in the rematch at Wrestlemania X7 the following year.

    Shawn Michaels returns after four-year retirement (WWE SummerSlam 2002)

    Summerslam 1998 Triple H Shawn Michaels

    When Shawn Michaels retired in 1998, everyone expected his career to be over. His back was destroyed and his drug problems were spiralling out of control. That was until 2002, when the Heartbreak Kid decided to return for one more match against his best friend, Kevin Nash. Wait, no, I meant Scott Hall. No, sorry, I meant The 123 Kid.

    Actually, I meant that lowly Clique bag carrier, Triple H. No longer the baggage handler for the stars, Hunter was now the top dog and Michaels returned to face him one on one for the first time since their pre-Fingerpoke of Doom mockery on Raw over the European title in 1997. Unlike that match, this one was full of action and emotion, ending with a clean Michaels win to solidify his place back in the company. Post-match, Hunter turned on his friend, hitting him in the back with a sledgehammer and kicking off a feud that’d draw in the World heavyweight title and become the start of an incredible career resurrection for HBK.

    Brock Lesnar beats The Rock to win his first WWE championship (WWE SummerSlam 2002)

    Summerslam 2002 Brock Lesnar The Rock Shark

    Brock Lesnar is a former UFC heavyweight champion, but was carrying the undisputed WWE crown long before. In 2002, after winning the King of the Ring, Lesnar was given a title shot against The Rock and duly delivered the goods. Even the audience in attendance rooted for the challenger, disillusioned by the rising Hollywood fame of the champion and wanting to see a title change. Sure enough, Lesnar picked Rocky up for the F5, slammed him to the mat and won his first of many heavyweight titles to come. Could he top this first glorious moment, though?

    Of course, he could; in 2003, he F5’ed a shark. No further argument, your honour.

    Shawn Michaels: The Pinball Wizard (WWE SummerSlam 2005)

    Summerslam 2005 Hulk Hogan Shawn Michaels

    It should have been the return of Hulk Hogan. It should have been the night for “one more match.” It should have been the glorious resurrection of the one name synonymous with professional wrestling, in a first-ever face off against the one opponent who had alluded him for so many years. It should have been all of those things, and it was. But more than all of those, it was the night that Shawn Michaels stole the show.

    Turning the hype into a one-man show, Michaels dusted off the old heel routine and provided a masterclass in turning audiences against you with one flick of the switch and a couple of perfectly timed “brother brother” catchphrases. Come match time, the crowd was super-hot for the Hulkster but watched with amazement as HBK bounced around the ring, taking every punch, kick and bandana throw as if a bomb had exploded at his feet. At certain points, it looked like he was starting to take the proverbial mick, jumping across the ring and to the floor if Hulk even stared at him. But at other times, he made the immortal immobile look like a superhero. Once the match ended in typical Hogan victory, all eyes were firmly on Michaels. The showstopper had stolen the show, annoyed a couple of Hogan fans, and probably even Hogan himself, and made a mockery of the whole situation. But the match was memorable, the buyrate was strong, the audience was electric, and Michaels had made sure that it was he, and not Hogan, who was given all of the credit for it.

    Nexus destroyed in one night (WWE SummerSlam 2010)

    Summerslam 2010 John Cena Nexus

    What do you get if you kick start a super-hot angle with a group of disenfranchised heels who want to make a name for themselves, add a flurry of interruptions and attacks to make them look like killers, and put them in front of John Cena? The answer was decisive: the utter destruction of the hottest act of the year in one single match, at the hands of Superman himself.

    I’m not Cena hater by any means. In fact, I’m the polar opposite. However, WWE took a stable that was picking up steam and encouraging growing interest in the product, and destroyed them one by one. Where the rumours before the match focused on which Team WWE member would turn on their teammates, or how Nexus leader Wade Barrett would manage to defeat Cena and co, the result was flat and outright disappointing. With two members of Nexus left against the lone Cena, both men were disposed of in rapid succession. No fight, no close call, just two finishers and Cena’s hand raised in victory as Nexus was vanquished. What should have been the turnaround for the product and a long-awaited surge of new stars being created turned into a mercy killing without any mercy.

    Nexus never fully recovered from that match. Eventually, the stable split across Raw and SmackDown. The SmackDown collective, The Corre, disbanded relatively quickly. Nexus was taken over by CM Punk but is no longer active. And John Cena? Still WWE champion, still in the main event, and still the Superman we all know and love. The more things change, the more they’ll forever stay the same.

    Are there any other Summerslam moments that you think should have been listed? Share them in the comments section below.

    Share this article:

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

    Tags

    WWE CartoonsWWE SummerSlamWWE Top 10 Lists

    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
    4 Comments
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    RickySpanish
    RickySpanish
    9 years ago

    Summerslam 88.   The Ultimate Warrior storms the ring to destroy the Honky Tonk Man for the IC title. One of the biggest pops you will ever see and was at a time when the IC title had tremendous prestige. 

    0
    Reply
    Danielle
    Danielle
    10 years ago

    Bret Hart-Mr. Perfect ’91 could have really rounded out this list well. Really surprised it was left out.

    LOVE the illustrations, though!

    0
    Reply
    Steven
    Steven
    10 years ago

    Well I’ve seen all summerslams, the best one for me was 92 at wembley, great crowd (not matched anything like it before or since), some of the best characters in wwe at the time (was disappointed ric flair didn’t wrestle officially but he was there) and of course the legendary I.c. Title match

    0
    Reply
    Brandon Davis
    Brandon Davis
    10 years ago

    Nothing against the late 80’s and 90’s.. but I was born in 1991. I watched SummerSlam in 2002, and it was a FIVE STAR PPV. Mysterio-Angle. Storm,Christian-Booker,Goldust. HBK-HHH. Rock-Brock. RVD-Benoit. just a CLASSIC night.

    0
    Reply

    You might also like

    • Is SummerSlam still WWE’s #2 show?

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 7, 2017
    • SUMMERSLAM 2017 (et al) In Review

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 30, 2017
    • WWE SummerSlam 2012: An Outsiders View Inside The Staples Center – Part One

      By John Hancock
      | August 31, 2012
    • The Redman Report: WWE Summerslam 2011

      By Jimmy Redman
      | August 15, 2011
    • WWE SummerSlam 2010 DVD Review

      By Henry Higgins
      | February 6, 2011

    FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

    Wrestling Topics

    Recommended for you

    • REVIEW: AEW Double or Nothing 2022 delivered an up-and-down show

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 30, 2022
    • Getting AEW to the next level…

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 29, 2022
    • May 21, 2001 – A (forgotten) date that will live in WWE infamy

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 20, 2022
    • Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
    • Money in the Bank and making a main-eventer

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 31, 2017
    • What we want from an AEW video game

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 31, 2021
    • 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