10. When Vince Met Undertaker – SummerSlam 1990
The Undertaker has become arguably the greatest character in wrestling history since his debut in 1990.
While the actual debut took place at Survivor Series in November, the first time ‘The Deadman’ met Vince McMahon came months earlier on the weekend of SummerSlam.
Bruce Prichard was high on ‘The Phenom’s work from WCW and took it upon himself to pick him up from the airport and drive him to McMahon’s house for a meeting.
Obviously, it went well or we might never have gotten to see the 30-year career of The Undertaker.
9. Kane’s First Televised WWE Match – SummerSlam 1995
Moving over to the other Brother of Destruction, Kane made his in-ring debut for WWE at SummerSlam 1995.
This was two years before he would take on the Kane character, instead wrestling as Jerry Lawler’s evil dentist, Isaac Yankem. Oh, the 90s.
He wrestled Bret Hart in a pretty average match before it ended in a disqualification. The character would not last long before he would be repackaged at Fake Diesel and then Kane.
Needless to say, the Kane character has been the most successful.
8. A Night of Firsts – SummerSlam 1993
SummerSlam 1993 holds a few interesting distinctions. First, it was the first WWE pay-per-view to not feature either of the Mega Powers in matches.
Hulk Hogan had left the company after King of the Ring months earlier and Savage had been given a reduced role in the company.
Savage did appear to introduce Aaron Neville before the main event but that isn’t a match now is it?
The other significant first? This was the first SummerSlam to not feature a title change. Lex Luger may have celebrated like he won the WWE Championship but nope, he won by count-out. T
he Intercontinental title match also had a count-out finish as Shawn Michaels bested Mr. Perfect while the Steiner Brothers defeated Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Prichard to retain the tag titles.
7. The Only SummerSlam With More PPV Buys than that Year’s WrestleMania – SummerSlam 1991
While pay-per-view buyrates aren’t as important to WWE business nowadays, they were once one of the most crucial metrics there was.
That is why it was so significant for SummerSlam 1991 to top WrestleMania VII in that department. The only time the summer classic has outdrawn the ‘Show of Shows’ on pay per view.
SummerSlam 1991 did 405,000 pay-per-view buys, a number that would be considered excellent in the years just prior to the launch of the WWE Network.
However, that number was significantly down from the prior two years. More alarming was the fact that WrestleMania VII only garnered 400,000 buys.
The Iraqi sympathizer angle and Hulk Hogan’s interview with Arsenio Hall took their toll on the business and resulted in these two significant buyrates.
6. Shawn Michaels Would Have Won the Intercontinental Championship if the Show was in USA – SummerSlam 1992
Everyone remembers the legendary match between Bret Hart and the British Bulldog from SummerSlam 1992.
Obviously, the location played a big factor with Bulldog’s country rallying behind him as he captured the Intercontinental Championship. However, this was not always the guaranteed plan.
The venue for the show was not decided upon particularly far in advance. As a result, backup plans were put in place.
Bret Hart has said if SummerSlam took place in the United States he would have dropped the title to Shawn Michaels rather than Bulldog.
Michaels would end up winning the title a few months later from the Bulldog anyway so no harm no foul for him.
5. The First SummerSlam with a WWE Title Change – SummerSlam 1997
World title changes seem to be the norm these days but back in the 90s, they were far more rare. In fact, it wasn’t until the tenth SummerSlam before the WWE Championship changed hands.
There had been six WWE Championship matches in the event’s history before Bret Hart challenged The Undertaker at SummerSlam 1997 but this was the first time the title changed hands.
There had been some screwy finishes in previous world title matches but the champion always left with the belt in hand. The Undertaker was not so lucky.
Special referee Shawn Michaels accidentally hit him with a chair and cost him the match. This led to both the first Hell in a Cell match and the Montreal Screwjob. Not a bad night for wrestling history, all things considered.
4. The Lowest SummerSlam Buyrate Ever – SummerSlam 1996
We spoke about buyrates earlier and how 405,000 buys was disappointing in 1991 given where the company had been. If that was disappointing then, SummerSlam 1996 was catastrophic.
The lowest bought SummerSlam in history, the event only managed to draw 157,000 buys. A number like that would be a disappointing B-level show 15 years later.
For reference, pay per views that drew more include Bragging Rights, Breaking Point, and Capital Punishment. Capital Punishment, people. Sheesh.
The mid-90s were the worst period for WWE in history and this show could be seen as one of the low points. Shawn Michaels and Vader was just about the only highlight of the show but the match wasn’t enough to draw in viewers.
3. The Highest SummerSlam Buyrate Ever – SummerSlam 1998
You want to know how fast WWE business turned around after the rise of Steve Austin? Look no further.
Just two years after posting the worst SummerSlam buyrate of all time in 1996, the 1998 edition of the show was up 345.8% in just two years.
Holy smokes that is a lot of dough. SummerSlam 1998 drew a whopping 700,000 buys, making it the most bought SummerSlam pay-per-view ever.
It isn’t super surprising as the show was built extremely well with Steve Austin and The Undertaker in the main event. The two were hotter than fire in 1998 and they captured the imagination of the fans.
It will go down as the second-most bought non-WrestleMania pay-per-view in WWE history. The only one ahead of it being Invasion in 2001.
2. Steve Austin got Knocked Out, Didn’t Like the Main Event – SummerSlam 1998
While the main event of SummerSlam 1998 certainly got people in the building and watching at home, the actual match could have been better.
Steve Austin bumped his chin early in the match, knocking himself out and derailing the early stages of the match as a result.
Austin has since said he is not a fan of the match, pointing to getting knocked out for throwing things off but also just not being able to hook the crowd as much as he would have liked.
This should not be considered a bad match by any means but the two would definitely go on to have better matches together down the road.
1. Bret Hart Tried the Sharpshooter Spot on his Wife – SummerSlam 1992
Bret Hart is the master of the Sharpshooter. That much is undeniable. He has had some of the best sequences getting into the move throughout his career with one of his best coming at SummerSlam 1992.
With both men down, Bret was able to wrap his legs around Bulldog’s, turn over, stand up, and truly lock in the hold. An excellent spot, but how did he come up with it.
Well, Bret tells the story that he came up with the idea at 3:00 am while in bed with his wife. He then woke her up and got her to help him through the sequence.
Not your typical foreplay but everyone is into different things.
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