Rank Summerslam from 1988-2000

[HBKperfect23]

Ill be the first to throw it out there: This topic is (obviously) stolen from the WM thread. But these are fun so have at it.

1) 92 Bret/Bulldog-Best ever, Enviroment was awesome. Loved this ppv
2) 91
3) 88
4) 97 The build up to this ppv was so good
5) 98
6) 89
7) 2000
8) 90
9) 99
10) 95 Ladder Match saved the ppv. Lacked star power, hence Mabel in the main event
11) 94
12) 96
13) 93

This was a little depressing to do. Summerslam is my favorite ppv of the year. My memories of them all are good but after looking up the cards, some of them were pretty bad in the mid 90s. Although, Summerslam did always have a match to save the ppv.

 

[The Brain]

Sometimes I hate ranking things because as soon as I post a list I change my mind five times. This was a tough list for me. The first several years of SummerSlam were actually more consistent than mania in my opinion. By that I mean SummerSlam was always good. The best SummerSlams were not as good as the best manias but the worst SummerSlams were not as bad as the worst manias. While some were obviously better than others I don’t think there was a bad SummerSlam during these years. Here’s my first draft.

1997: This was a great show. Started off with a bang and didn’t slow down. WrestleMania XIV may be credited for launching the WWF into its most successful period but a turnaround couldn’t happen overnight. I think SummerSlam 97 was the beginning.

1991: I hated the main event but rank this number two. What does that tell you about the rest of the card? This was an exciting show and a big night for the good guys. IWC fans may not like how the heels didn’t win any big matches but damn it was fun to watch in 1991. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect is a true classic.

1989: I think this is one of WWE’s most overlooked events. It was strong from top to bottom. The roster was stacked in 1989 and the booking was great. I absolutely loved this event as a kid and I think it holds up over time.

2000: I’m normally not a big fan of so many gimmick matches on one ppv but I think they were all so well booked here that I didn’t really notice. There was a triple threat main event, mixed tag IC title match, TLC tag title match, two out of three falls, and a hardcore match. The difference between this event and most others from the attitude era is all of these gimmicks made sense and weren’t thrown in for the hell of it.

1998: This was a fun build. Austin vs. Undertaker was a blockbuster match and fitting to main event SummerSlam in MSG. Can’t mention this without bringing up the Triple H vs. Rock ladder match. It was the last great IC match for a long time.

1992: It was mostly a two match show but they were two outstanding matches. Savage vs. Warrior was big and made all the more interesting by the Mr. Perfect angle. Of course Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith is legendary. You think this match was about the Bulldog? Think again. Sure he was used to sell the tickets and excite the crowd but I’ve always felt this was an audition for Bret Hart to see if he could get it done in the main event. He won the world title less than two months latter so I’d say he passed the test.

1988: The one where it all began. The Mega Powers vs. The Mega Bucks was a colossal main event. I think to this day it may be the most anticipated main event in SummerSlam history. This was also the event that made the career of The Ultimate Warrior.

1993: This might be better remembered if Luger had actually won the title. It was still a solid show. I liked the tag and IC title matches and even though we didn’t get a Bret Hart classic his match with Lawler was entertaining.

1995: I’m one of the few people on this forum that enjoyed the WWF in 1995. I know it’s not popular but for some reason I’ve always liked this event. The main event was terrible and the first half of the card was a bit weak but I found the show entertaining. That’s all I can really ask for.

1990: The tag title match was the highlight of the night and one of my favorite tag matches ever. The IC match was a nice moment but would be better remembered had Kerry Von Erich been more successful in the WWF. Hogan vs. Earthquake was well hyped but the finish bothered me just a little. Why a count out? Main event was just kind of meh to me. Warrior vs. Rude had been done many times before so I wasn’t too excited for it.

1996: I really liked this show yet it is so far down on my list. That’s a credit to how good SummerSlam always was. I’m a Vader mark so I loved the main event. Taker vs. Mankind was different and will always be remembered for Paul Bearer turning Taker.

1994: I’m sorry to put this so low on the list. It will always be special to me as it was the first ppv I attended live. The steel cage match was phenomenal and the IC match was very good. Other than that this show didn’t have much to offer. I still had the time of my life watching it in the United Center that night.

1999: I’ve often said that 1999 was my least favorite year in wrestling. That’s why this is at the bottom of the list. I enjoyed Test vs. Shane McMahon and really like the tag title angle but other than that this show didn’t do much for me. It was easily the best ppv of the year yet it ranks last on my list.

I’ve probably put too much effort into this list considering I will change my mind a million times. Hell I changed my mind on a couple of these while I was typing this. I’m pretty set on my top three and the bottom one but after that it’s wide open. Number four and number twelve really aren’t that far off for me.

 

[DeathClutch]

I love Summer Slam; it was the first WWF PPV show I saw (1994) and since then I’ve always loved the show more so than Wrestle Mania around 2007/08 with the occasional exception here and there (17 and 18). Anyways ranking the first twelve Summer Slam’s is harder than I originally expected but here is my list from my own enjoyment.
1. Summer Slam 1996, It’s not many peoples lists as a top show but I always loved this one and probably my most watched Summer Slam event.
2. Summer Slam 2000, Just watch this event the card was epic for the time and was over all one of the best Summer Slam events WWE produced.
3. Summer Slam 1999, again just watch it and you’ll see some awesome matches.
4. Summer Slam 1994, this has to be up here more so due to the Cage Match.
5. Summer Slam 1992, no introduction needed, the biggest Summer Slam event WWE produced and Bulldogs best match he ever had.
6. Summer Slam 1998, the first of the Attitude Era Summer Slams, but felt like it was a two match card (Rock/HHH Ladder & Undertaker/Austin)
7. Summer Slam 1997, probably the most underrated Summer Slam event ever, most remember this due to Austins neck be broken but the card has Bret/Undertaker II, HHH/Mankind III in the cage, Austin/Owen, Bulldog/Shamrock, Pillman and Goldust.
8. Summer Slam 1990, I only remember the main event and the Hart Foundation and Demolition 2/3 falls match.
9. Summer Slam 1991, I only remember the Bret/Perfect match for the show.
10. Summer Slam 1993, the Summer Slam that could have been the biggest ever but backstage politics truly fucked this one over beyond belief.
11. Summer Slam 1988, Nothing spectacular happened apart from Warrior literally stealing the IC belt from Honky.
12. Summer Slam 1989? I honestly can’t remember one match from this card, I’ve seen the show but can’t remember anything from it.