Summerslam 1991: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This summer I'll be looking back on each of the previous Summerslam events, one by one. Every few days I will submit a new topic until we reach 2014's edition of the 2nd biggest brand in WWE.

This thread will be for discussing.... Summerslam 1991!

Summerslam 1991 took place on August 26, 1991. It was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. Here are the results of the matches from this show:



0. Koko B. Ware defeated Kato in a singles match in the dark match (06:03)

1. The British Bulldog, Ricky Steamboat, and The Texas Tornado defeated The Warlord and Power and Glory (Paul Roma and Hercules) (with Slick) in a six-man tag team match (10:43)

2. Bret Hart defeated Mr. Perfect (c) (with The Coach) in a singles match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship (18:04)

3. The Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) (with Jimmy Hart) defeated The Bushwhackers (Butch and Luke) (with André the Giant) in a tag team match (06:27)

4. Virgil defeated Ted DiBiase (c) (with Sensational Sherri) in a singles match for the Million Dollar Championship (13:11)

5. The Big Boss Man defeated The Mountie (with Jimmy Hart) in a "Jailhouse Match", where the loser had to spend 24 hours in a New York City jail (09:38)

6. The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) defeated The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) (c) (with Jimmy Hart) in a street Fight for the WWF Tag Team Championship (07:45)

7. Irwin R. Schyster defeated Greg Valentine in a singles match (07:07)

8. Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior defeated Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa, and General Adnan in a handicap match with Sid Justice as the special guest referee (12:40)




Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change a few things about Summerslam 1991, what would it be and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in August 1991. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Summerslam 1991 in this thread. The remaining Summerslam events will be getting their own retrospective threads, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[The Brain]

SummerSlam 91 is probably a top five SummerSlam for me. Maybe even top three. Despite what a thought was a bad main event this was a fantastic show. It should come as no surprise that my favorite match was Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect. This was a classic and would be on my list of all time favorite matches. Outstanding. My least favorite match was the main event. I'll explain why as I'm explaining my changes.

I would remove Slaughter, Adnan, and Mustafa off the card all together. The Hogan/Slaughter feud had more than run its course by SummerSlam and the handicapped match just felt like overkill. The Ultimate Warrior had long since moved on from Slaughter so it didn't really make sense putting him back in this story. Warrior had a big feud going on with Undertaker and was also recently betrayed by Jake Roberts. Taker was being setup as Hogan's next challenger. I would have done Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior vs. Jake Roberts & The Undertaker. This would have been a much better story and match and would have begun the setup for Hogan vs. Taker. Given what was going on with Jake and Taker at the time I found it odd they were left off SummerSlam. Jake and Taker could have still crashed Savage's wedding reception out of anger and bitterness after losing in the main event. Does anyone disagree when I say Hogan & Warrior would be much more intriguing than the lame main event we got?

 

[ccotreau1]

As I was 5 when Summerslam 91 came around, and just recently bought the anthologies for Summerslam, and saw this one, it jumped out to me with the storylines leading to each match. I enjoyed the PPV as a whole. I wouldn't have changed much with it, except I would have included Undertaker and Jake Roberts, like The Brain said. I was always wondering why those 2 weren't on the show at all, where I knew they were involved in rivalries during that time with Hogan and Warrior

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

This was easily one of my favorite SummerSlams.

The Main Event was a low point, and I think if the cards had played out differently, a Hogan Vs. Warrior rematch would've blown the roof off of the place. As that wasn't the case, let's look at the rest.

Opening 6 Man Tag Match: Solid opener with an absolutely stellar face team trouncing Slick's team. I liked the match...it was something to get the juices flowing and there was no doubt who'd win.

IC Title Match: Hart Vs. Perfect - This was my favorite match of the night, and it was simply brilliant. You sensed Hart would walk away with the title that night, but up til then, Hart had been a guy who you've seen cheated out of singles wins before. You didn't really know if the WWE would commit to him as a singles performer. After this match, we knew.

Disasters Vs. Bushwackers - It was what it was. A squash, and not much to be said. Sad to see Andre in this final state.

Virgil Vs. Dibiase - Okay, I had no expectations of Virgil winning this match. So with that said, I loved this match. It caught me off guard, and it brought a smile to my face.

Boss Man Vs. Mountie - Fun match, but the vignettes afterwards of The Mountie going to jail afterwards really helped sell this thing.

LOD vs. Nasty Boys - An okay match, but it was nice to see the LOD reign supreme in the WWE. I was an unabashed Road Warriors fan, and this match did my heart good.

IRS vs. Valentine - Utterly forgettable.

That leaves the Main Event which was horrible, and probably prevented this from being the best SummerSlam hands down.

 

[Pedigree1]

The IC title match alone made the Summerslam card! By the time Summerslam hit,the ME match slaughter,adnan,mustafa had all been played out.. This was the time that undertaker and Jake roberts betrayed the Ultimate Warrior.. The warrior was no longer champion,so a match between him and the Undertaker would have been a great match..

They could have done a Hogan vs Sid match having psycho sid,that would have been a great match,much better than,that miss at WM! Just switching those matches,around would have made this Summerslam card probably the top of the heap!

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

This ppv will always have a special place in my heart, as it was the first ppv to happen as I was fully watching wrestling (I started watching full time shortly after Wrestlemania VII).

But taking my nostalgia, and love for the show out of the equations, this is still one of the best booked Summerslam events of all-time. With the exception of the opening 6 man tag and the IRS/Greg Valentine match, every match was a blow-off or starting for a particular feud, so every match made sense. There wasn't much filler on this show.

My favorite match on the show is of course Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect which is still one of the best matches in WWE history, particularly at Summerslam. It also a big moment as it was the official arrival of one of the top singles stars of the 90's in Bret Hart. Sadly it was also the swan song for Mr. Perfect in his prime, but he certainly went out with a bang.

The LOD and Nasty Boys tag team match was pretty historical in that LOD not only became the first team in wrestling history to win the NWA, AWA, and WWF/E tag team titles, it was also, from what I remember the first no-DQ match in the modern era of WWE, which would pave the way for dozens of match types in the future (Last Man Standing, I Quit, Falls Count Anywhere, even ladder/TLC, Hell in a Cell, etc.)

Virgil and Ted Dibiase was definitely a feel good moment, as fans had waited for years to finally see Virgil get revenge on Ted Dibiase for treating him like crap for so many years. To modern fans this match might seem like filler, and Virgil these days is a punchline for many wrestling fans, but back then that was a big storyline and this match had a big-time feel.

The Mountie and the Big Boss Man had one of the most entertaining mid-card feuds in the company at the time, and the Mountie going to jail segments are still among the most hilarious segments ever filmed for the WWE. This was also among the first times that WWE actually filmed segments for a show that weren't taking place at the arena which would pave the way for much of the segments that would come in the Attitude Era in outside locations (APA brawls in bar, many of the hardcore title matches, Austin and Rock fighting at the bridge, Austin and Pillman's gun segment, etc.)

The Bushwhackers/Natural Disasters tag team match might seem like filler too, but it also had a story going in as it was against the Bushwhackers on Superstars that "Tugboat" turned on them and joined Earthquake and Jimmy Hart to become Typhoon and form the Natural Disasters team. So this match had a purpose too. It was also the final WWE appearance from Andre the Giant, so that's important too.

IRS/Greg Valentine was a short match, but a good introduction for the IRS character.

The opening 6 man tag was really the only match that had no storyline purpose for the match. But it was still cool to see three of your best (if not most pushed) babyfaces at the time in Steamboat/Von Erich/Bulldog teaming up. Good match to open the show.

Main eventing with a wedding/segment and not a wrestling match might seem bad, but everyone was dying to see Randy and Liz get married, it was definitely appropriate.

The one kind of bad/confusing/messy part of the show was the other main event, the "Match Made in Hell." Having Hogan and Warrior team was definitely good. But I have to agree with the Brain that teaming them up against Slaughter/Mustafa/Adnan wasn't the best move as the Hogan/Slaughter and definitely the Warrior/Slaughter feuds were largely done with at that point, although this was definitely the final blow-off match for those feuds. But the Taker/Roberts/Warrior feud was definitely one of the hottest things going in WWE, so I agree with the Brain that a Hogan/Warrior vs. Taker/Roberts tag match would've been far more interesting and entertaining and logical. From a historical standpoint, that tag match would be a dream match. From a logical booking standpoint for the time, it would've made perfect sense. You also could've still debuted Sid at the event and do the same story where he teases at getting bought off by the heels, (or in this case brainwashed with Roberts and Taker being more psychologically manipulative characters), only to end up siding with Hogan and Warrior and posing with Hogan after the match. Sid also ended up having some house show matches with Taker that fall and was about to get in a feud with Roberts before he was injured (which led to the Savage/Roberts feud officially happening), so that also would've made sense.

And the commentary was top notch and hilarious with Monsoon/Heenan/Piper.

And it being in Madison Square Garden made for a great atmosphere as it always does.

Even with the disappointing tag main event, this is still one of the best Summerslams ever, and definitely worth a view on the WWE Network if you haven't ever seen it or haven't watched it in awhile.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Hmmm the thing with this show... well it's complicated.

This was perhaps the nadir of Hogan and Warrior's "power" and general backstage crap that simply led to a show that didn't even come close to it's predecessors and pretty much killed the streak of great PPV that had begun in 1985...

Everyone apart from Warrior gave their best, the booking wasn't "terrible" but it just didn't work as a card cos of some blatant politicking from various people and poor booking choices.

What was good - The debut of the Natural Disasters as a team was well handled and WWE learned from the mistakes with Power and Glory the prior year. They looked strong and even if it took some time for them to win the belts, they looked like threats from the moment this match was over.

Bret and Perfect doesn't need explaining, other than it is the gutsiest ring performance of all time from Curt Hennig... Forget Trips letting Jericho put the Walls on a torn quad, Hennig had no business lacing his boots that night the state his back was in...not only did he not miss a step but made a concerted effort to put Bret over as strongly as possible, even taking a move that could have done irreparable damage to that back in the sharpshooter... however light Bret worked it, it was gonna do damage.

The Bossman/Mountie fued was too rushed for me, this match could have been a win for the Mountie, with the Jailhouse side coming at Mania. It kinda killed both guys momentum as Bossman didn't really do anything after this win and it really damaged Jacques career as he was dismissed as a comedy act rather than the talent he actually was. That being said his selling of the jail time was top notch and the match itself was easily both guys best singles outing in the WWF.

Virgil's win was very much a shocker although in hindsight it shouldn't have been. It had more to do with de-pushing DiBiase than it did pushing Virgil though and while Ted ended up in a team with the debuting IRS just months later, this was perhaps my favourite DiBiase moment, seeing his face when he finally lost... Can't help feeling someone else should have gotten that moment however. IRS's debut was serviceable enough and Valentine was a strong guy to go over as he leaves, he helped IRS a lot in that match, more than Tito, Koko or the other jobber to the stars would have done at that time and I don't think many give Greg credit for how good he still actually was, he was just old.

One issue this card faced was it was the early phase of the biggest shift in roster for years, starting right after Mania. Several guys had literally vanished from TV like Dino Bravo, Demoliton, Jim Neidhart, Haku, The Barbarian, Andre and Rick Martel and others were not active at the time like Piper, Jake, Savage. Many of the recognisable WWE talents who had shouldered that era were not there so it made it hard for guys like Mountie, Davey Boy and IRS as the "new guys" to step up and meet the same level of impact. Fans were used to seeing Jake in the ring, they wanted to see Savage wrestle and even "hot talents" like Taker didn't wrestle at Summerslam, yet won the title at the next PPV.

Add to this 3 major signing incoming from WCW... The Dragon, Ric Flair and Sid Justice and you have for the first time a roster that was top loaded with main event level talent not actually main eventing. On paper the 6 man tag match was a great opportunity for Davey, teaming with 2 former WCW world champions and it did that job well, but their choice of opponents let it down immensely. Sure Flair's deal was not done in time for him to debut but it could have been... A 6 man of Davey, Ricky and Kerry v Flair, Undertaker and Jake would have done far more for all involved and Savage could have shown up as the special guest referee to keep that feud going.

The biggest reason was Warrior and Hogan both being ego-maniacs and Vince being stubborn in trying to flog a dead horse angle and not fulfilling what he said he'd do... Warrior refused to drop to Rude the year before and it let the awful Slaughter angle happen, then he started having issues with Vince but stupidly advertising a tag match... He could have EASILY switched Warrior to a singles match with Jake, except he was having issues with Jake too because he had promised him a booking role and Jake was pissed he didn't get it. Vince could easily have substituted Sid to be Warrior's partner and let him no-show or even just job to Undertaker, a far better move if he was to beat Hogan just 3 months later.

This period had some great angles brewing and they all got blown, Savage v Jake, Taker v Warrior, Flair v Piper... they all got wasted in the malaise of Vince isisting we wanted to see Hogan take on Slaughter for the umpteenth time... A new roster is great if you're showcasing them, but neither Ricky Steamboat, Undertaker, Sid or Davey got properly showcased at Summerslam 91 and it damaged them all in the short term.


Even singles matches would have had better impact... Kerry vs Flair would have been an amazing opener. Steamboat and Davey v Power and Glory would have worked well and Sid could have beaten the Warlord. I guess they needed time for the "wedding" of people who'd been married for over 5 years already. :/

 

[Makaveli31]

I have no problem with the booking here.

1) Warrior/Hogan were still the two most popular wrestlers during that time. It would only make sense to pair them up to get the most "bang" for your buck. Especially since Warrior was done with his feud with Savage and he could get some kind of retribution vs Slaughter.

2) Slaughter was still the top heel at the time. No doubt Jake and 'Taker were coming on strong but the "hot air was still filling the balloon" so to speak. They could get WAY more heat after a few more months which they did. I think WM 8 was shaping up to look like this Flair v. Hogan in Hogan's "retirement" match; 'Taker v. Warrior for the strap and Jake vs Savage of course all those plans changed once Warrior "held up" Vince.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

That's kind of the issue though, the plans DIDN'T change cos of Warrior, he paid him and fired him after which was acutally worse.

Rebooking the show would have cost Vince some dough on refunds but could have been done in such a way as to not detriment the show... He could have easily said to Warrior, "I take your points but that you've said this means I now have to re-think Summerslam... you'll get your money but you're putting Taker over for it. and Sid is going into the main event If you refuse so be it."

Warrior had bombed as champ and was seriously damaged goods by that point, it's why he brought Sid in to replace him. Slaughter was a hot heel but Adnan and Sheiky Baby were not... that match could easily have been Slaughter and Taker or Slaughter and Jake and had more "bang for the bucks" than what was in effect a handicap match the other way round. Warrior had balked at putting Taker over on TV and ditto for Jake, just as he had for Rude... Vince would have been well within his rights to simply ditch him before Summerslam. Had he brought Flair in a month or two earlier it might have cost a bit more short term, but the interest levels would have been better than had he stuck with the plan.

 

[Makaveli31]

He wasn't fired, he was suspended. I believe Vince had every intention of bringing Warrior back down the line. Putting over 'Taker in the middle of the ring would've killed the character and any chance of repairing the relationship. I think the fact that Vince suspended him instead of firing him proves Warrior's value at the time. Vince would've fired 99% of the wrestlers who tried a stunt like that but Warrior was much too valuable.

He "bombed" compared to Hogan but who wouldn't have? You could make the case that every champion until Austin in 1998 "bombed." Warrior was over as ever in 1991. Look at the crowd at Rumble '91 and WM 7 there was no slowing in Warrior's popularity and his look and in-ring work was only getting better by 1991. I think Vince had every intention of putting the title back on Warrior in 1992.

I believe Sid was brought in to "replace" Hogan but that's neither here nor there.

There was no history between Slaughter and 'Taker or Slaughter and Jake. It would've been strange to have them suddenly team up. I agree that Sheik and Adnan were not but this was essentially a vehicle to get Hogan and Warrior to team up and introduce Sid. The heels were just there to do the job. Nothing more.

 

[LODemolition]

I completely agree with Brain about the main event. I remember watching the buildup to this when I was about 10 years old and thinking to myself, "This is an awful main event, but the rest of the card looks great." And that's exactly how it played out, other than the IRS vs. Valentine match.

My favorite match by far was Hart vs. Hennig. Just a great wrestling match and it was great to see Bret get pushed as a singles star. I was also extremely happy to see LOD win the tag team title. I thought the opening match was put together well, and the Jailhouse Match and Million Dollar Championship match had interesting stories to hold your attention. Like Brain, I would've absolutely put Taker and Jake Roberts up against Hogan and Warrior for the main event. Or even possibly put Hogan vs. Roberts for the WWF Championship and Warrior vs. Taker in singles matches. I always wanted to see Warrior and Taker go one on one at a ppv, and we never got to see that happen. Jake wouldn't have really posed a great threat to take the title from Hogan, but Roberts could always tell a great story and I think it would've made for a much more memorable SummerSlam. Everything after the show could've still taken place exactly how it played out, with Jake and Taker crashing Randy and Liz's reception. It could've been all "out of frustration" for Jake having lost his chance at the title that he decided to ruin a wedding reception. Savage and Roberts had one of my favorite feuds in WWF/E history.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The Main event team up of Hogan and Warrior would have worked far better a year or even two earlier... Warrior teaming with Hogan at 89 leading into their feud or in 90 after their match would have made much more sense. But decisions were made in mid 1990 that impacted all of 91 and most notably this show. Had they gone with the Hogan/Warrior team at 90 for example vs Quake and Slaughter...

Rude would have been still on the roster a year later for one he could have had his title run, albiet a one PPV one... Rude in WWE during Summerslam 91 would have, as at Mania 7 offset a lot of the imbalances in the roster... he could have worked Kerry, Davey, Steamboat, Bret or Hennig and thus 2 new stars could have been created, even if he then left.

So much seemed to come from Hogan's refusal to work Rude in 91 in favor of Slaughter and the poor treatment Dusty suffered. Those two guys on the roster through 91 and there is a lot more that could be done.

Warrior was dropping the strap either way... Vince wanted Savage retired. Hell they could have had Slaughter win as a face from Rude and THEN Turn to Iraq as champ...sure he might have been killed but it would have worked far better. Not much of 91 in general was really that good in the end despite on paper it having all this exciting upcoming talent and legends like Dusty, Flair, Steamboat... 1991 just unbalanced the whole roster until Mania 10. Only Summerslam 92 was a remote success really in that time. A few different decisions made and different matches on this show and 92 and 93 would have had much more in the way of successful talent and main eventers and the financial troubles would not have happened.

 

[Makaveli31]

EVERYONE wanted to see Warrior vs 'Taker but WHY would you waste that on a SummerSlam card?!? That's a WrestleMania MAIN EVENT if I ever saw one. Think about it they didn't put Hogan/Savage vs Andre/DiBiase BEFORE Hogan and Andre touched at WM 3 that would've killed the main event. They didn't use Hogan/Beefcake vs Savage/Zeus BEFORE Hogan/Savage at WM 5.

It's only my opinion but I think it would've gone like this....'Taker takes the strap at SS '91 due to interference from Flair setting up Hogan v. Flair then Warrior takes back the strap from 'Taker at WM 8. Hogan v. Flair Warrior v. 'Taker Jake v. Macho Man now that's a stacked card. Throw in Sid and now we're in business.

The only thing is Warriors gets "suspended" for a year, Jake threatens to hold Vince up at WM 8 and his gone right after, Sid gets suspended and ultimately fired for drugs and Flair has no where near the impact the office thought he would have.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Not really, it was a Mania "match" at best and at worst it belonged on a Summerslam or Royal Rumble. Taker was not the ubiquitous guy then, he was an up and comer and it made NO sense for him to win the title from Hogan at Survivor Series but not beat someone important at Summerslam... Vince knew Warrior was iffy for more than the long term, the smart thing was use him at Summerslam to make sure Taker was strongly positioned for Survivor Series, not just part of the Jake/Savage debacle. Flair was not needed to interfere but it had it's place... Taker beats Warrior then beats Hogan and the title ends up vacant... SO many bad calls by Vince at that time it's unreal. Mania 8 could have had Flair v Hogan, Savage v Jake, Taker v Warrior, Bret v Steamboat for the IC, Davey v Sid or Slaughter and Shawn vs Piper... far better matchups than what we got and it all stemmed from that Summerslam...

 

[Makaveli31]

'Taker was strong as ever going into Series '91. He didn't need to defeat anyone important. He was squashing guys left and right and barely selling anything. Kind of like Goldberg going into his '98 match with Hogan only with the roles reversed. The win over Hogan elevated Goldberg to another level and set up his Starrcade match with Nash and the crowd was ELECTRIC. The same could've been done for a 'Taker vs Warrior Championship match at WM 8.

Think about it. 'Taker not only takes the title from Hogan but DOMINATES him. 'Taker is now seen as an unstoppable force. Setting up the MAIN EVENT showdown with Warrior at WrestleMania. The crowd would've been electric!! SO it that scenario it would've made sense to have 'Taker win the strap from Hogan.

How about this for a scenario. 'Taker defeats Hogan for the title. Totally annihilating him. Goes to the Rumble. Dominates Sid (Sid had fallen out of favor by that point) Hogan tries to intefere but is again layed out by 'Taker. Sid turns heel by taking advantage of Hulkster and beating on him more setting up Sid vs Hogan from WM 8.

Meanwhile, Warrior kills Jake the Snake at the same Rumble ending his feud with Snake and setting up his Championship match vs 'Taker at WM 8. So we have Sid/Hogan and Taker/Warrior then keep Macho vs Flair and throw Jake in with Bret in a retirement match. I think a win over Jake the Snake would've elevated Bret in the eyes of many (plus Jake wanted to retire and take over Patterson's spot by that time).

Poor Steamboat. He was dogged out by the WWF at that time. Maybe Steamboat v. HBK? A win over the Dragon would've helped HBK.

 

[Makaveli31]

As far as relaity I don't think Slam' 91 had that much of an effect on WM 8 (besides Warrior being suspended)

Flair was coming in, they wanted Flair vs Hogan for WM 8 (both Flair and Hogan are on record saying they were told that was the plan for WM 8) but Flair/Hogan failed to draw (it can be argues they failed to build Flair properly) but for whatever reason Flair failed to make as big an impact that they thought he would.

Sid was brought in but gets suspended and fired for drug use. Vince can't do anything about that especially when the feds are on his ass for steroid distribution.

Jake is denied a spot on the booking team and demands his release after WM 8.
Killing any plans they had for him before and after 8.

SO you have four main event top guys who failed for whatever reason. Can't fault Vince for that.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

'Taker was strong as ever going into Series '91. He didn't need to defeat anyone important. He was squashing guys left and right and barely selling anything. Kind of like Goldberg going into his '98 match with Hogan only with the roles reversed. The win over Hogan elevated Goldberg to another level and set up his Starrcade match with Nash and the crowd was ELECTRIC. The same could've been done for a 'Taker vs Warrior Championship match at WM 8.

Think about it. 'Taker not only takes the title from Hogan but DOMINATES him. 'Taker is now seen as an unstoppable force. Setting up the MAIN EVENT showdown with Warrior at WrestleMania. The crowd would've been electric!! SO it that scenario it would've made sense to have 'Taker win the strap from Hogan.

How about this for a scenario. 'Taker defeats Hogan for the title. Totally annihilating him. Goes to the Rumble. Dominates Sid (Sid had fallen out of favor by that point) Hogan tries to intefere but is again layed out by 'Taker. Sid turns heel by taking advantage of Hulkster and beating on him more setting up Sid vs Hogan from WM 8.

Meanwhile, Warrior kills Jake the Snake at the same Rumble ending his feud with Snake and setting up his Championship match vs 'Taker at WM 8. So we have Sid/Hogan and Taker/Warrior then keep Macho vs Flair and throw Jake in with Bret in a retirement match. I think a win over Jake the Snake would've elevated Bret in the eyes of many (plus Jake wanted to retire and take over Patterson's spot by that time).

Poor Steamboat. He was dogged out by the WWF at that time. Maybe Steamboat v. HBK? A win over the Dragon would've helped HBK.

I have to admit your proposed matches are very intriguing. Just out of curiosity though, would Jake/Bret been for the I-C title, plus a retirement stipulation? Or would you have the I-C title match involve someone else.


I really like everyone's alternate scenarios for Wrestlemania VIII. But while I realize the potential was there for better matches all around, the end result was too good to change. Piper/Bret and Savage/Flair were absolutely classics and to this day are top 30-caliber Wrestlemania matches after 30 Wrestlemania events. So I just can't see changing those matches even if Hogan/Flair was the ultimate dream match and even if Jake/Bret was really intriguing.

I definitely agree that WWE should've used Steamboat way better than they did. Cause as good as Tito Santana was, a Steamboat/HBK match would've been absolutely stellar, even though Shawn wasn't at his peak yet.


I think a lot of the criticism on Hogan/Sid is hindsight-related, because at the time it kind of was a dream match. Hogan was of course Hogan, and Sid at the time was the hottest, younger giant/big man wrestler (along with Taker) in wrestling at the time, so the match was very intriguing. It just resulted in a disappointing match, because they didn't have that good of chemistry and Sid wasn't really a decent wrestler yet (he eventually became one though, yeah I think he's underrated).


As far as the possibility of a Bret Hart/Jake Roberts match, again I think that's more in hindsight as far as the push for it, because it's a match we never got. But if they had went with Bret/Jake instead, then we would be saying the same thing about Bret/Piper. And I think a Bret/Piper match turned out to be much better than what a Jake/Bret match would, because Piper was more athletic in the ring, and the story the two came up with had some truth to it and was just a really great story/match (they play on them "being family," Piper being mentored by the Hart family, etc.). Plus seeing two babyfaces against each other is always intriguing. And as big a star as Jake was, Piper was definitely bigger, so actually Bret ended up getting put over better by beating Piper than he would have Jake. Although if Jake was gonna retire and take over Pat Patterson's spot on the booking committee (which would've been amazing), then that would've been the perfect scenario to go with.


Taker/Warrior was very intriguing though and would've probably been a better match than Hogan/Sid was, as Warrior really was improving as an in-ring worker, and Taker was too. And they had the perfect dynamic together when it came to their characters.


Overall, while these ideas are all intriguing, I think everything turned out for the best, creatively speaking (obviously business went down big time, although that had nothing to do with creative, but outside forces). We got an awesome Savage/Roberts feud (which by many of these scenarios, would've been lost), we got a classic Savage/Flair match and feud. We got a classic babyface/babyface match with Bret/Piper. Hogan didn't have to job on his way out (which he would have in theory if he fought Flair in a title match). Taker, in feuding with Roberts, got to become a top babyface, which in the long term was a much better move for him than having a 5-6 month reign as a heel champion. And looking back at history a Taker/Roberts feud was amazing and a dream feud, it's just the match wasn't given that much time yet, plus Taker was still green. Imagine a 95/96 Taker against 91/92 Roberts and you would've had some of the best matches ever. The timing wasn't right though.

The only real improvements needed for the time was WWE using Rude well enough to keep him, and using Steamboat much better than they did. They should've easily pushed Steamboat as a top babyface along with Hogan/Piper/Savage, instead of as a low-to midcard gimmicked-babyface. Steamboat could've feuded with Flair, Roberts, Dibiase, Taker, and HBK for Wrestlemania. They could've gotten so much more out of Steamboat easily.

I think considering the circumstances though, everything turned out fine.

 

[Judah's Lion]

this event, more than any other SummerSlam prior, had a really good build and some really enjoyable moments and matches. still, true to the basis of the thread series, i'll switch some stuff around in an effort to make a good to great card even better.

the opening 6-man tag match was really neat. kinda like the past, present and future of IC Champions on one side with Steamboat, Tornado and Bulldog there. but i'd still scrap the match as a whole to insert some better looking options. maybe do Bulldog and Owen Hart vs. Power and Glory. that frees up Steamboat and Tornado as well as Warlord for elsewhere in the night.

Flair was clearly on his way into the WWF, so Flair in a one-on-one match with either Steamboat or Tornado would have been abso-freaking-lutely epic for SummerSlam. not having watched NWA or WCW at the time (i've since gone back and watched numerous matches from this era and before via youtube and dvd collections), this would have been a very fresh feud for me and others like me, but a major clash for more well-versed fans with historical significance. and as SummerSlam often was booked more as a wrestling show than a media event, it would have benefitted from a wrestling clinic the likes that these three working together could have easily and assuredly accomplished. my personal vote is for Steamboat/Flair.

Hart/Perfect for the IC Title was fantastic and remains a classic to this day for very good reason. maybe the only change i'd consider is having Tornado referee since he was a former IC Champ himself and clearly on his way out of the WWF in the not-too-distant future.

Natural Disasters vs. Bushwhackers was what it was. what i remember most about this match was, sadly, the condition of Andre the Giant. but this match did its job in putting over the powerhouse tag team so leave it as is.

Virgil beating Ted Dibiase was well built for literally several years. maybe the only change i'd make here, again, is to add a special guest referee, this time in Roddy Piper. he was pretty well involved in the story leading up to this moment, so it'd be fitting, though not really necessary. i could go either way with Piper as ref.

Boss Man vs. Mountie in the Jailhouse Match was another great mid-card feud. leave this exactly the same.

LOD winning the Tag Team Titles against the Nasty Boys was okay. i'd prefer this match go a bit longer, but otherwise it was a good brawl of a match and i loved seeing LOD win the straps.

IRS vs. Valentine was totally forgettable, so i'd probably leave it off the card entirely. what i might do instead is have a backstage segment where Ted Dibiase, distraught from losing his match and title earlier in the night, is comforted by his long-time friend in IRS, and together they beat the hell out of some random face, thus foreshadowing their future teaming up.

if you wanna have Sid on the show and in a match, i'd put him with Warlord. it'd be a simple enough debut to showcase his power against another big man in the Warlord.

the main event was pretty rough. i'm not against Hogan and Warrior teaming up or even a tag team match as the main event, although it had been done quite a bit at SummerSlam already. here are my thoughts for Hogan and Warrior though...

Hogan vs. Slaughter in one last final match. i'm thinking either a Boot Camp Match or a Flag Match. their Mania 7 match was really fun and the absolute right call i thought. but one more blow off match for SummerSlam would have worked better than the handicap tag match we did get and adding a little gimmick like the Boot Camp or the Flag Match variations could have made it just a little bit different than their Mania encounter.

as for Warrior, definitely a match vs. Taker. their feud was really enjoyable and Taker winning a match against Warrior at SummerSlam would be a perfect way to set him up as the #1 Contender for the World Title at Survivor Series against Hogan. Warrior vs. Taker should have happened here instead of Warrior being in the tag match and Taker being left out completely. just a major missed opportunity in my opinion.

and then you can still have Savage and Liz get married and Jake ruining the reception to set up their amazing feud for the rest of the year.

so here's my final card:

1. Bulldog/Owen vs. Power and Glory
2. Hart vs. Perfect for the IC Title with Texas Tornado as the guest referee
3. Flair vs. Steamboat
4. Natural Disasters vs. Bushwhackers
5. Virgil vs. Ted Dibiase with Roddy Piper as the guest referee
6. Boss Man vs. Mountie in a Jailhouse Match
7. LOD vs. Nasty Boys in a No DQ Match for the Tag Team Titles
8. Sid Justice vs. Warlord
9. Warrior vs. Taker in a #1 Contender's Match for the World Title
10. Hogan vs. Slaughter for the World Title in a Boot Camp or Flag Match
Savage/Liz Wedding with the Jake the Snake angle at the reception