Could SummerSlam be as big as WrestleMania??

[Ruthless-RKO]

Okay, recently I have been thinking, although it was the 3rd from the 4 main ppv's to be produced, it is considered the 2nd best isn't it??

Now they are exploring LA, but think about it, with the past SummerSlams and the matches we get, I think it could very well be as big as WrestleMania, the only thing is, VKM doesn't want anything to harm WM...

Also, its in the Summer, its like 4 months after WrestleMania, so during them 4 months we have minor ppv's such as Over the limit etc...Buy rates have also been good...

So what would you say?? If VKM let it, do you think SummerSlam could be as big as WrestleMania, with the feuds and matches??

Also name some SummerSlam ppv's where you think it could have sold out tickets to large stadiums say 40,000 to 60,000..
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So i'll name the SummerSlam ppv's that I think could have sold out stadiums...

1. SummerSlam 1988 - the very first ppv, it sold out MSG, It featured Warrior defeating Honky Tonk man for his IC title which he held for over a year, The Bulldogs vs The Fabulous Rougeaus and The Mega Powers vs The Mega Bucks...

(1992 was already in a big stadium, 80,000+ fans packed in the Wembley Stadium from the UK)

2. SummerSlam 1994 - Had the half an hour steel cage match between the Hart brothers, Taker vs Taker and Razor Ramon vs Diesel

3. SummerSlam 1997 - Included Bret vs Taker, Owen vs Austin, Mankind vs HHH in a steel cage, plus, most of the matches had stipulations..

4. SummerSlam 2002 - Easily sold out at least a 40,000+ stadium...matches on the card included Brock vs Rock, HBK vs HHH, RVD vd Benoit and other good mid card fights including Rey Mysterio's ppv debut...

5. SummerSlam 2009 - As much as I think the Staples Centre is good, this card was strong...had DX return, Rey vs Ziggler, WWE Championship match and the TLC match which had Taker return as well...

So what do you think??

 

[mrbrownstone]

I think it could be if Vince let it, sometimes Summerslam is a better PPV than WM (in terms of match quality) but dosent recieve the same amounts of hype. A couple of examples of where the summerslam is better than WM would be Summerlslam 2002 argubly the best SSlam of all time in my mind it is easily better than WM X8, also i would say last years Summerslam was better than WM 25. Summerslam usually provides us with some great matches and PPVs so i think it could be as big as wrestlemania in a few years time if Vince went all out and allowed it to be

 

[Da Big Champ]

IMO SSlam is better than WM because of the matches and the stoylines going into the PPV however VKM would never allow and ppv to be as big as WM. WM 25 was pathetic compared to SSlam 2009 with the matches that were on the card. A couple of years ago Cryme Time said that 'SSlam was better than WM' and I agree. SSlam has a better build on SD and RAW whereas WM build up is about the main event which makes the matches boring and usually the main event is disappointing.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Summerslam is the 2nd biggest show of the year, and that's something to be very proud of, but it will never be as big as Wrestlemania. Even if they pushed it to have a card on par with a Wrestlemania card, it still wouldn't be as big. Wrestlemania is numbered every year, Summerslam is not. Wrestlemania is "the super bowl of Wrestling" to the point where even people who dislike wrestling recognize it as such.... Summerslam is not.

See what I mean? Great topic, and an interesting idea.... It will never happen though because 20+ years of prestige has brought Wrestlemania to a level no other WWE PPV will ever reach.

 

[eljay7i]

^^^^I agree with you totally something simple as numbering which WM has just makes it "THE" PPV.. But I have to admit I have enjoyed SummerSlam more the WrestleMania in recent times because of the quality of matches..

 

[JJ15776]

I don't know where this idea that Vince can somehow let Summerslam become as big as Wrestlemania came from, but the implication - which is that he's somehow holding it back - is just silly. How did that start?

SummerSlam is the 2nd biggest PPV of the year. Look at the matches it's had recently...why didn't the OP mention HBK vs. Hogan? Or Cena vs. Batista for the first time ever?

Seriously, think about it for a second. Are you seriously suggesting Vince is holding back because he doesn't want Summerslam to be as big as Wrestlemania? News flash: EVERY PPV is his "baby"! As soon as Wrestlemania ends, they start building towards Summerslam. What, exactly, is he supposed to do to "let it" become bigger?

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

I think it could be if Vince let it, sometimes Summerslam is a better PPV than WM (in terms of match quality) but dosent recieve the same amounts of hype. A couple of examples of where the summerslam is better than WM would be Summerlslam 2002 argubly the best SSlam of all time in my mind is easily better than WM X8, also i would say last years Summerslam was better than WM 25

I couldn't agree more mate. SS '02 shits all over WM X8 as the card was immense. Rey/Angle, Jericho/Flair, Eddie/Edge, HHH/HBK and Lesnar/Rock were quality matches in their own respects. But back on topic, no, Summerslam can never equal Wrestlemania because if they were equals, it would take away from Wrestlemania. It would be like having two Champions League finals (British football fans will get what I mean... Hopefully).
Wrestlemania is the Champions League Final, whereas Summerslam is the UEFA cup/Europa League or whatever they call it now.

 

[The Insano Shiekh]

It can be in match quality, but not in promoting. Not many as near celebrities come to the Summerslam Pay-Per-View, because many people see it as just the most fun pay-per-view of the year, with it being summer. I'm personally a big fan of Summerslam, because it always has amazing cards, but it just doesn't amount to that of Wrestlemania in hype.

Picture it like this, in college football, the Rose Bowl and National Championship game are held at the same stadium, though one has bigger hype. Both games may have the matchups of a lifetime, with the Rose Bowl matchup having a slight edge, but the National Championship is always going to get more hype. Why? Because it's the biggest event in College Football...the East vs. the West, in most cases.

Summerslam has had some of the greatest cards of any Pay-Per-View that the WWE has ever booked, yet it'll still always be the runner up to Wrestlemania to the Creative Team, just a playoffs, because from Summerslam comes the fall feuds, which basically are carrying and/or setting up for the major pushes and feuds at Wrestlemania. No matter how good Summerslam is, it's not Wrestlemania, and it CAN'T be as big as Wrestlemania in terms of hype.

 

[1_2_3 Kid]

For me SS was always a bigger stage than any other PPV...... execpt WM.

Wrestlemania is, was and always will be WWE's biggest and best promoted show of the year. And for good reasons, none of which I should have to explain.

But SummerSlam is the 2nd biggest. As listed in the OP, there have been many memorable matches and many memorable moments. Its the biggest party of the summer, and who can deny that. Vince is definitly high on having SS be up there with WM and for good reason. He wants to make his pockets fat. Yeah sure it would benefit us to have 2 MEGA produced shows a year, but honestly, idk how you feel, VKM dosent give a shit about the WWE universe.

Now, that's not based on anything in particular, but if I was a billionaire that ran my own company I wouldn't care about the fans.

Basically, if Vince wants it bad enough it will happen, he will try to ram it down our throats untill we either, A. Accept it, or B. Watch TNA...... yeah, I know what I'm going to be doing...

But either way I wouldn't mind if the card was stacked right and the feuds leading in were decent. I just hate a sloppy build up to a PPV, especially if its going to be a MEGA PPV.

 

[mister_b1LL]

This is how I look at SummerSlam. Wrestlemania is specically made for the general public. Even the most casual of wrestling fans come to watch WM in the stadium or on TV because it's a globally popular event. SummerSlam however is made to cater specifically for the wrestling fans. The match quality every SS never fails and is a consistent PPV every year. But unfortunately it's not made for the general public simply cause they don't see their favorite celebrities attending or whatever reason.

Somebody mentioned that just by numbering WM, it already makes it the more awesome event. Although SummerSlam will never be numbered, you could easily make it just as big a deal as WrestleMania simply by putting it in a huge stadium. Think like when they did it at Wembley in 1992. Without all the signs you would have thought it was WrestleMania because of how big the stadium and the crowd was.

 

[The Crock]

Although Summerslam is some fans favorite it will never be bigger or as big as Wrestlemania. Summerslam has matches that are just as good and the build up is just as good but there are things that it doesn't have that Wrestlemania does. For example, the entire point of the Royal Rumble is to get a contender for one of the World Championships so that there can be a match at Wrestlemania. Summerslam doesn't have that. Also, people talk about the Undertaker being undefeated at 'Mania but they don't talk about undefeated streaks at SS. From the first ever Wrestlemania it was billed as "The Big One", Summerslam will never have that.

 

[CactusJack91]

I've always been a huge fan of SummerSlam, so much so that I own the complete anthology. In the early years it was already a big deal, they never really pulled any punches with the matches, usually just as good, if not a little better then WM. Here's some of my favorites:

Mega Powers v. Mega Bucks (1988)
Rick Rude v. JYD (1988)
Brainbusters v. Hart Foundation (1989)
Bret Hart v. Mr. Perfect w/Coach (1991)
Nasty Boys v. Legion of Doom (1991)
Bret Hart v. British Bulldog (1992)
and so on and so forth.

However, to me, SS took a huge shot in the whether or not I care department, when King of the Ring turned into a meaningless tournament and now it's gone completely. It used to be Royal Rumble sets up WM, KOTR sets up SS. So now, these days anyway, John Cena v. (Insert name here) for the WWE Championship.
But SummerSlam is still great, if WM is "The Super Bowl" of professional entertainment, the SummerSlam is the Conference Championship Game. And while we're talking PPVs that have hit the shitter, WTF happened to Survivor Series? I mean really?

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Sometimes a SummerSlam has been known to eclipse even Wrestlemania.

Case in point- SummerSlam 1998

I have never seen any PPV hyped like this and for its time it was the biggest PPV.
I remember the vigenette they did with Highway to Hell playing..PURE PURE EPIC!!!
The main event was something every wrestling fan wanted to see i.e
Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs The Undertaker. The venue was MSG and had a very unique entrance ramp and gate, a few marks can recall.
The intercontinental match was awesome, I believe Kane was against Mankind.
All in all a SummerSlam that was the jewel of WWF 1998

The fact is WWE should make SummerSlam( in hype and unique card) the Wrestlemania of the summer every year. I mean SummerSlam has a very rich heritage on its own and boasts a few never to be ever seen again matches too

Honorable mentions to SummerSlam 2002 -which had an absolutely brilliant card. The matches were just blitzing forward and as i recall this is the only match where RVD's hair opened ...EVERlmao

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I don't know where this idea that Vince can somehow let Summerslam become as big as Wrestlemania came from, but the implication - which is that he's somehow holding it back - is just silly. How did that start?

He kinda could be holding it back, he must know how good Summer Slam cards are every year, and if he promoted it like he promotes WM, it could very much be more succesful, VKM knows it could bring in some more money..

As soon as Wrestlemania ends, they start building towards Summerslam. What, exactly, is he supposed to do to "let it" become bigger?

Not true, they don't build Summer Slam up for like 3 months before it...As soon as the Royal Rumble is about to begin, they start the build up...and when it ends, its the atftermath of Wrestlemania..then when the last ppv before Summer Slam ends e.g. MitB ppv, then they start the build up...Promotion wise, they don't really do anything...If vince wanted a bigger stadium or celebs, he could damn get them and he knows it..

It can be in match quality, but not in promoting. Not many as near celebrities come to the Summerslam Pay-Per-View, because many people see it as just the most fun pay-per-view of the year, with it being summer. I'm personally a big fan of Summerslam, because it always has amazing cards, but it just doesn't amount to that of Wrestlemania in hype.

If they did promote it, it can very well be...its just the fact that Vince doesn't want celebs there because celebs is what makes WM unique..if he wanted celebs he can get them...

This is how I look at SummerSlam. Wrestlemania is specically made for the general public. Even the most casual of wrestling fans come to watch WM in the stadium or on TV because it's a globally popular event. SummerSlam however is made to cater specifically for the wrestling fans.

I do agree with you here, about catering for general public and wrestling fans, and also Summer Slam is the Smackdown of the 2, as we focus more on Wrestling, but this can be the same...Why can't Summer Slam be catered for the general public as well as the wrestling fans??