The Event Center: WWF SummerSlam 1990 Review

The Event Center: WWF SummerSlam 1990

Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Event Center right here on CrazyMax. We are at the finish line with our SummerSlam 1990 retrospective. Prior reviews touched on the Saturday Night’s Main Event as well as SummerSlam Fever leading us up to the big one in the Philadelphia Spectrum. Thats right we get the double main event featuring Hulk Hogan vs. Earthquake and then the Ultimate Warrior putting it all on the line against Ravishing Rick Rude inside a steel cage. This show doesn’t get a lot of love but it is one my personal favorites so I can’t wait to get this thing going. So with that, lets do it to it.

Event Information:
Date: August 27th, 1990
Location: Philadelphia Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA
Attendance: 19,304
Main Event: WWF Title Steel Cage Match: Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. Rick Rude

Show Opening:

The show opens up with Vince doing the voice over where he tells us the WWF Presents a Double Main Event. First up is the returning Hulk Hogan vs. Earthquake. He then tells us that we got the Warrior vs. Rude in a steel cage and that this is SummerSlam!!!! We then head inside the building and they go to the commentators area where Vince and Roddy Piper are standing by. Piper says welcome to SummerSlam where bagpipes are hot but Baghdad’s not. The crowd goes crazy for Piper. Vince runs through the card a little bit and Piper gives his opinion on things. Vince says the first match is coming to the ring now and it should be a humdinger as the Rockers music hits.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
There wasn’t a lot of back story for this match but the WWF would usually run a tag match at the start of their shows. It is something they done in the first two SummerSlams and something they would continue to do until 1992. Shawn blew out his ACL three weeks before SummerSlam so they used the attack with the chain as the kayfabe reason for why he couldn’t go. Other than that there isn’t a lot leading up to this match.

Match 1: The Rockers vs. Power & Glory

First thing you notice with this one is Shawn is barely trotting to the ring. The guy is visibly injured. Anyways, Power and Glory get no ring entrance so they are already in the ring waiting. When Shawn gets to the ring Hercules goes out after him and nails him in his bad knee with his chain. You wouldn’t know it because the shitty producer decides to go with the wide angle and you totally miss all of this. Way to go.

Marty ends up attacking Hercules to keep him off Shawn but Roma ends up attacking him from behind and they double team Marty. Roma ends up in the ring with Marty to get this stared. Marty is doing his best by dropping Hercules and Roma with hip tosses and body slam. He ends up dropkicking Roma on the back and dropping both guys. Marty is again doing his best but it doesn’t take long for Power and Glory to get control. They go for a double back drop on Marty but he kicks Hercules and then rolls up Roma for a 2 count but the ref was distracted by Slick.

Hercules goes for a clothesline where he is trying to take himself and Marty over and out but Hercules is the only one who goes out of the ring. That was hilarious. Shawn is trying to get back on the apron but Hercules ends up hitting him in the knee again while Roma is working over Marty inside the ring. Shawn is hanging on the ropes but Roma ends up dropping him to the floor again with another shot to the knee. Hercules ends up dropping Marty with a gorilla press slam for another 2 count.

Roma gets tagged in and he comes in and drops Marty with 2 straight back breakers without losing control of him. Marty reverses an Irish whip and hits Roma with a power slam. He hits a side kick on Hercules and then he goes to the top rope and hits the Rocker Dropper but Hercules ends up breaking up the pin. Marty goes up and over and tries to roll up Roma but Roma ducks and Hercules nails Marty with a nice looking clothesline. Roma and Hercules then whip Marty into the rope and throw him into the air with a flap jack type move. Marty got tossed 10 feet in the air. That was awesome.

Hercules then comes in and floors Marty with a brutal ass clothesline. Hercules then picks up Marty and puts him on the top rope as he tags in Roma. Hercules then hits a superplex while Roma lands the splash at the same time. Roma gets the pin and the 1-2-3 on Marty Jannetty. Your winners by way of pinfall….Power & Glory!

After the match is over Roma goes outside and immediately goes after Shawn and throws him into the ring. Roma and Hercules then go after the knee of Shawn until Marty ends up laying on top of him and protecting him. The stretcher comes out as they take Shawn out of the arena on it.

Recap:
This was a pretty good opener here. The crowd was hot as hell for the Rockers and they really got behind Marty on this one. I always enjoyed Power and Glory and thought they should have been given more than they got but thats another story for another time. It’s a shame Shawn was injured because this match could have been really damn good. Marty did his best and looked great out there as well as Power and Glory. Thumbs up on this opener and it is one I would recommend checking out.

Backstage Interview: Mr. Perfect & Bobby Heenan

They head backstage where Mooney is standing by with Perfect and Heenan. Mooney tells Perfect that he took this match on 10 days notice and he wants to know if he has prepared for a title match with such short notice. Perfect says if you want him to be perfectly honest then no he hasn’t. Perfect says being absolutely perfect then it has its problems. Perfect says when you are the perfect Intercontinental champion then challengers are few and far between. Perfect then says lets be honest he is perfect in every way. He says he has the perfect body, perfect mind, and the perfect record.

Mooney asked Perfect if it is wise to accept a match with a guy that he know’s so little about. Heenan then answers this one for is and cuts a classic promo here. One of my favorite promos of all time to be honest. Heenan says he knows a lot of this Texas Tornado because if you’ve seen one then you’ve seen them all. Heenan says they call him the Texas Tornado because he has his head in the clouds and if you have your head in the clouds then you don’t have your feet on the ground. Not really sure what he is talking about here but I still love it.

Heenan says a Texas Tornado never really does anything because you can spot them a mile away. He says they look ferocious but all they are really good for is picking up some dust or maybe turning over a few mobile homes in a hick trailer park on the pan handle. Perfect then says remember this, nobody beats Mr. Perfect….nobody!

Backstage Interview: Texas Tornado Kerry Von Erich

Gene gets his puns in and says that a man who in just a short period of time he has taken the WWF by storm. Kerry says that is right and that there are tornado warnings at the SummerSlam. Kerry says the only tornado Perfect has to worry about is the one coming from the black cloud that is hanging over his head. Kerry says when it touches down in the ring then it will destroy everything in its path. Kerry says Perfect must know much about Texas Tornado’s because they are powerful, unpredictable, and devastating. Kerry says when the match is over and he heads back into the clouds he will be taking the Intercontinental Championship belt with him.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match was originally scheduled to be Mr. Perfect vs. Brutus Beefcake and Beefcake was supposed to go over but he got injured in the parasailing accident that took him out of wrestling for a good year plus. Insert the incoming Texas Tornado and you have a pretty decent matchup here. Tornado made his debut on the July edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event and looked pretty good against Buddy Rose. He issued a challenge to Mr. Perfect and Perfect accepted on 10 days notice on the premise that he is Perfect and can beat anyone at any time. With that said, lets get this thing going.


Match 2: WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Mr. Perfect (c) vs. Texas Tornado

This one starts off with a tie up and Kerry just throws Perfect into the corner. Perfect goes flying and ends up getting his foot caught on the top rope. When he was on there was nobody better at selling than Mr. Perfect. They tie up a couple of times and each time Perfect ends up hitting Kerry with a hip toss. Kerry reverses an Irish whip and ends up hitting a hip toss, a body slam, and then a clothesline to the outside on Perfect. Perfect talks to Heenan and Heenan tells him he got lucky.

Kerry starts working the arm with arm ringers and punches. Kerry does one to many arm ringers and Perfect ends up nailing him with a vicious clothesline. Perfect snaps Kerry over and the hits him with the rolling neck snap. One of my favorite moves of all time and nobody did it better than Perfect. Perfect ends up getting Kerry in a sleeper hold right in the middle of the ring. Perfect drives Kerry to the corner and lays in the right hands and then he just bitch slaps him in the face.

Perfect yells at Kerry and tells him he is in the ring with the Intercontinental Champion. Kerry ends up hitting a sling shot on Perfect into the steel post. Kerry then puts the claw hold on Perfect to daze and then he hits him with an awesome Tornado Punch that Perfect twists in the air for. Kerry goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and NEW WWF Intercontinental CHAMPION….TEXAS TORNADO KERRY VON ERICH!

Recap:
This match was surprisingly short but for what it was it was pretty damn good to me. Perfect sold like a million bucks and I liked that they played up the angle that Perfect wasn’t prepared for Kerry. This is pretty good booking here and it makes the 5 minute match make sense. And again there is no one better at selling or getting an opponents move over than Mr. Perfect. After the match Perfect is falling out of the ring and holding his head and can barely walk and thats what makes him so great. All in all a solid little match here that is fun and worth watching.

Backstage Interview: Mr. Perfect & Bobby Heenan

They head to Gene in the back and says that this is the type of action that you expect out of the World Wrestling Federation. He says that the new IC champ came through town like a Texas Tornado like a whirl wind. Gene says he was planned to speak to Sapphire but she is not available. Then out of no where Bobby Heenan and Mr. Perfect show up.

Heenan says never in his life has he seen an injustice like the one he just saw. Heenan says it was the worst officiating in the world and that Kerry broke every rule from the time the bell ring until the finish. Perfect says nobody beats Mr. Perfect. He then said that the Tornado came on the scene and made the scene happen. Perfect says that Kerry wiped it out for him and that he came up from underneath everyone and he took the Intercontinental Championship. Perfect says the lump on his head is from the post and when he gets back he will take back what is rightfully his and what belongs to the family.

Perfect says he has never been so humiliated in his life. Heenan then goes on about the terrible officiating. Heenan is saying that Perfect got the shoulder up at the 2 count. Perfect says he will be back and what is rightfully his will come back to him as Gene basically cuts the two of them off.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This is the continuation of the feud that started all the way back at the Royal Rumble of this year. This was, I’m guessing, the culmination of said feud but it seems like Sapphire gets a little side tracked heading into this one. Really not much to say that isn’t already well known by this point.

Match 3: Sensational Sherri vs. Sapphire

Well this isn’t really a match here at all. Sherri comes down to the ring and they give Sapphire a few chances to come to the ring. Sherri is pacing around the ring like a wild woman. Wears you out just watching her. The Fink then announces that if Sapphire doesn’t get to the ring by the count of 10 then she will forfeit the match. Sherri then gets on the mic and counts to 10 and Sapphire never shows. Your winner of this one by forfeit….Sensational Queen Sherri!

Recap:
There is no recap needed for this one because nothing of importance went on here. The only thing this did is make you wonder where the hell Sapphire is at and who got to her. I have a feeling we will find out later on what the deal is here.

Backstage Interview: Dusty Rhodes

Gene says that Sapphire lost the match by forfeit. Gene then says that he saw Dusty and Sapphire arrive at the building earlier in the day and that maybe Dusty can shed some light on where Sapphire is. Dusty says he doesn’t know where she is at. He said 10 minutes after they got into the building she disappeared. Dusty says he has looked high and low and inside every nook and cranny but he hasn’t seen her. Dusty says it is as if she disappeared in thin air. Dusty said he is worried big time because she has never done anything like that before. Duggan shows up and says that everyone is still looking for her.

Gene then asks Dusty about the gifts she has been receiving. Dusty says he is concerned with the gifts because nobody receives something for nothing. Dusty said it’s not his business but it’s Sapphire’s business. Dusty then runs through all of the gifts that Sapphire has received but he wants to know where she is. Dusty says he is sorry but he has to go find her. Gene then reminds that Sapphire did say she will be receiving the biggest gift here at SummerSlam.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This show had some bad luck as far as injuries are concerned and this match is no exception. This match was scheduled to be Rick Martel vs. Tito Santana to put an end to the Strike Force drama that started all the way back at Wrestlemania 5. However, Martel got injured and would be able to come back until October of 1990. Therefore, they brought in the Warlord, who was treading water since they split the Powers of Pain, to get a nice PPV win against an established star. The storyline reason Martel missed this show is because he had prior commitments at a fashion show in Paris. So a fashion show is more important than your wrestling career? Got it.

Match 4: Warlord vs. Tito Santana

Piper on commentary says he won’t stoop to calling Tito a Taco Vendor or a bean eater, even though he dumps a lot of gas. What the fuck is the point of that? What a dip shit Piper was for that. Tito starts up the match with getting the Warlord in a head lock but the Warlord just picks him up and throws him across the ring. Tito uses his speed to avoid some moves and he ends up dropping him with 3 straight drop kicks. Warlord gets frustrated and rolls to the outside to regroup. Vince says that the Warlord is big all over and then Piper says “is that right?”

Tito was working the arm but Warlord ends up getting out of it with a body slam. Warlord goes for a big elbow but Tito moves out of the way. Tito then jumps on the shoulders of the Warlord and lays in some lefts and rights to knock him down. Tito goes for a pin but Warlord kicks out with authority and sends Tito over the bottom rope and to the outside. Warlord goes out after Tito and rams him back first into the steel post. Warlord throws Tito back into the ring as he continues to work the lower back of Tito. Tito blocks a move in the corner and then drops him with a clothesline.

Warlord kicks out with authority again at 2. Tito then whips Warlord into the ropes but he reverses it but Tito ends up nailing the Warlord with his flying forearm and he goes for the cover but the Warlord gets his boot on the ropes at 2 1/2. Tito ends up going for a monkey flip but Warlord holds on and Tito just goes flying backwards. Warlord then picks up Tito and nails him with the running power slam for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….The Warlord!

Recap:
This match sucked to be honest. Barbarian and Tito was a lot better from Mania 6 but the Warlord was terrible compared to the Barbarian. Tito was Tito and made you believe but that can only take you so far. Warlord did the same 2-3 things and made this match the shits. This is the first match on the card that we can skip.

They show a video package highlighting the Survivor Series.

Backstage Interview: Demolition

Mooney says that the 2/3 falls title defense can only have 2 members. Ax tells Mooney that he didn’t read the fine print because it says they can only have 2 members ringside. Smash then asks Mooney which two. They then give all of the combinations that they could run with for the match. Mooney says he is getting confused and Ax says that’s the idea. Ax says that Mooney is catching on but it’s to late for the Hart Foundation. Ax says they are going to do just like the name says and thats demolish the Hart Foundation. Smash says thats right we are going to demolish them just like we have everyone else in the World Wrestling Federation.

Mooney then says that if they keep their belts after tonight then the next team to challenge then will be the Legion of Doom. Crush tells us that they are nobody but cheap second rate imposters who need their butts kicked. Smash says they need their teeth kicked down their throat. Ax says just like the Hart Foundation as they walk off.

Backstage Interview: The Hart Foundation

Gene says it was probably disconcerting to find out which two members of Demolition they will be facing. Gene says it appears the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. Bret says it has been a little confusing but he thought all along that it would be Ax and Smash in the ring. Gene asks Neidhart what he thinks. Neidhart says think? They don’t pay him to think but they pay him to be tough like an anvil, just like the name. Neidhart says it never mattered to him because when he steps into the ring he just doesn’t care.

Bret tells Jim to settle down. Bret says that Neidhart is a little anxious and so he is to once again become the WWF Tag Team Champions. Bret says now that they have to only worry about two Demolition members then they are going to turn them into flat-liners since they only have to deal with Ax and Crush. It’s Smash and Crush buddy. Neidhart says that after the Hart Attack they give them they will be buying pace makers by the truck load. Bret says like Phil Collins says “What we have here are two hearts beating as one.” Bret then shakes his head and has the shit eating grin on his face like he just cut the greatest promo of all time. What a mark for himself.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match happened because at Wrestlemania 6 the Hart’s challenged the winners between Demolition and the Colossal Connection. Demolition went on to win that match and the Hart’s went on to steam roll the Bolsheviks at this show and it set up the two best teams in the company to square off at SummerSlam. Rumor has it Vince made the decision back in June that the Hart Foundation was going to get the straps so this was booked well in advance. This should be a classic so lets get this one going.

Match 5: WWF Tag Team Title 2/3 Falls Match: Demolition (c) vs. Hart Foundation

Fall 1:
This match starts with Smash and Bret Hart in the ring. Smash is trying to con Bret into his corner so they can double team but when Crush gets in the ring Anvil gets in and nails him with a shot that sends him out of the ring. Bret and Jim then hit Smash with a double shoulder block. Bret goes up and over and rolls up Smash for a near 3 count but Smash kicks out at 2 1/2. This one is off to a very quick start. Bret works the arm and then tags in Neidhart. Neidhart continues to work the arm and then starts biting it before he tags in the Hitman.

Bret gets back in the ring with a shot the lower back off the middle rope. Right back to the arm we go. Smash gets to his feet and body slams Bret to free himself up to tag in Crush. Crush comes in and slams Bret but ends up missing a knee. Bret goes for a cross body but Crush catches him and just drops him with a body slam. Bret goes for another pin and gets another 2 count. Crush tags in Smash and Bret tags in Neidhart. Neidhart is running the ropes and Crush ends up kicking Neidhart in the back of the head. This allows Smash to get the control and he lays in the ax handles to the back.

Crush gets the tag in and he comes in and lays in the right hands to Neidhart. Crush goes charging into the corner but Neidhart comes out of the corner and drops Crush with a clothesline. Both guys tag out again so we got Smash and Bret back in the ring. Bret drops Smash with a clothesline and then he drop kicks Crush. Bret is laying in the rights to Smash on the middle rope but he ends up turning around and dropping Crush with a Thesz press and then lays in the rights. Bret then gets up and hits Smash with an atomic drop.

Bret throws Crush to the outside and he gets worked over by Neidhart. Bret hits a back breaker and then an elbow off the middle rope. Bret goes for the cover but Crush ends up dropping a leg drop to break up the pin. Crush comes off the middle rope with the elbow on Bret while Smash has him draped across the knee. Crush goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Demolition are the winners of the first fall via pinfall.

Fall 2:
The bell rings to start the second fall as both members of Demolition beat up on Bret while Neidhart has the ref distracted. Smash gets tagged in and he hits Bret with a nice belly to back suplex. Smash goes for the quick pin but Bret ends up kicking out at 2. Smash quickly tags in Crush and he comes in and lays in the boots to Bret who desperately needs a tag. Crush ends up getting Bret in a chin lock to get a little bit of a rest here.

Smash tags in and he comes in and rams Bret head first into the turnbuckle. Bret ends up hitting Smash with a lay down clothesline off an Irish whip. Bret is crawling over for the tag but Smash holds onto the foot of Bret. Smash tried to stop it but Bret gets the tag to Neidhart anyways. He comes in a house of fire and is dropping both guys with right hands. Neidhart hits a power slam on Smash and gets a 2 2/3 count.

Neidhart drives Smash into the corner and he lays in shoulder blocks before he tags in Bret. Bret ends up whipping Neidhart into the corner who delivers a big time shoulder block to Smash. Neidhart then picks up Smash and Bret hits him with the clothesline to drop him with the Hart Attack. Bret is going for the cover but Crush ends up jumping on top of the referee which results in a disqualification. The Hart Foundation are the winners of the second fall by way of a disqualification.

Fall 3:
As the bell is ringing to start the third fall, Crush ends up nailing Bret in the back with a clothesline and it sends him to the outside. Meanwhile, Ax comes running down to the ring and crawls under the ring to hide. Smash tries to drag Bret back into the ring but Bret ends up hitting Smash with a sunset flip to the inside for a 2 count. Bret then picks up Smash and drops him with an atomic drop. Neidhart whips Bret into the corner but Smash moves out of the way. However, Bret ends up jumping to the middle rope while Neidhart drops Smash with a running shoulder block. Neidhart then grabs Bret and drops him with a flipping power slam for a 2 count. That was an awesome looking move there.

Bret hits Smash with a right hand and he goes to the outside. The ref is restraining Bret and while this is going on Ax ends up switching with Smash. Ax comes in and lays in the ax handles to the back of the Hitman. Bret goes charging into the corner but Ax ends up dropping him with a big time clothesline. Ax hits Bret with a body slam and gets a 2 1/2 count. Ax whips Bret chest first into the corner and goes for a cover but Neidhart comes in and breaks it up.

Crush gets tagged in and he comes in and hits Bret with a slow ass tilt a whirl back breaker. Crush goes for the cover and Neidhart ends up breaking it up again. Neidhart is getting distracted by Crush and Neidhart going at it. Meanwhile, on the outside Ax and Smash are double teaming Bret Hart. Bret gets tossed back in the ring and Smash ends up hitting him with the stun gun. Legion of Doom come out of no where and drag Ax out from under the ring.

In the ring Demolition are going for their finisher but Hawk ends up hitting Crush in the knee and knocking him off the top rope. Smash goes out to check on Legion of Doom while NEidhart hits a sling shot shoulder block while Bret does the school boy on Crush. Bret rolls up Crush and gets the 1-2-3. Your winners of the 3rd fall and the match and new WWF Tag Team Champions….THE HART FOUNDATION!

Recap:
This is by far the best match on the card and it’s really not even close wrestling wise. Earthquake and Hogan have an argument for most exciting but thats about it. I read something somewhere that this finish was to confusing. That can’t be any further from the truth. It was a great story being told throughout the entire match and the finish made a ton of sense. Demolition got caught cheating and the Legion of Doom exposed them of said cheating. It’s not hard to follow and based off what Demolition did leading up to this match, it made complete sense. Anyways, this was a really good match and one definitely worth checking out if you ever get the time. It’s what great story telling and good wrestling are all about.

We get a video promoting Wrestlemania 7. No matter how you get there, just get there!

Backstage Interview: Legion of Doom then the Hart Foundation

Gene says this is a political year and he wouldn’t want to be an incumbent with the way WWF Titles are changing hands. First get the Intercontinental title changing hands and now the tag team titles. Legion of Doom then show up and join Gene. Gene wants to know what they were doing out at the ring. Animal says that they want Demolition and Demolition ignored them. Animal says that they hope Demolition are mad now because they want them in the worst way.

Hawk says that Demolition has been running roughshod over everybody. Hawk says well if you look up roughshod in the dictionary then you will see a picture of the LOD. Hawk says Demolition are micro mini men in a big mans world and they are the big men. OH WHAT A RUSH!!!!!

Bret and Neidhart then join the interview. Neidhart says they did it against all odds and that the pink and black is back. Bret says they aren’t going to hide behind the belts and they will take on anybody, anytime anywhere. Bret then says the belts belong to the people. Neidhart says thats right and that they did it against all odds 2 on 2, 2 on 3. Gene asks how LOD fits into things. Hawk says they fit into however they want to. Hawk then says they don’t have woes to drink away but Demolition does.

Backstage Interview: Demolition

Mooney is standing outside the door of Demolition and you can hear a shit ton of commotion going on where all three guys are yelling. Mooney says the threats are flying and they are not at the Hart Foundation but directed towards the Legion of Doom. Mooney tries to open up the door but they slam it right back in his face.

Backstage Interview: Sensational Queen Sherri

Gene says he is standing by with Sensational Queen Sherri but Sherri ends up interrupting him and saying it is victorious Sensational Queen Sherri. Gene then says theres no way Sherri is going to gloat about a win like that. Sherri says when you are so good that intimated your opponent to the point where they don’t even show up because they know they will take a sensational beating then you can gloat all you want. Gene then says it’s almost like Sapphire has vanished in thin air. Gene then states there were early sightings but nobody can find her. Sherri says early sightings….what is she a UFO? Sherri says a lot of people did see her early this afternoon.

Sherri then says that Sapphire may not be as dumb as everyone thinks she is. Gene asks what Sherri means and Sherri says first of all she didn’t come out and take a beating in their match. Sherri says that she heard a few rumors a few minutes ago and that she may be the smartest person in the WWF. Gene asks her what rumors and Sherri says the rumors are to good to be true. Gene says theres nothing funny about a missing person. Sherri then says that she said she is missing but she didn’t say anything about her being a person.

They come back from the traditional 5 minute intermission to Gene standing by where he runs us through the rest of the card. They show Damien winding down in the shower.

Backstage Interview: Big Boss Man

Gene says Boss Man is tasked with holding up the law between Jake and Bad News Brown. Boss Man says he will uphold the law. Boss Man says he is not afraid of a snake because he has been dealing with snakes his whole life. Boss Man also says he’s not afraid of anything from a sewer because he has been dealing with that environment his whole life as well. Boss Man says this is a sleazy slimy job but somebody has to do it. Boss Man says he will be there at the end to see that justice prevails.

Backstage Interview: Jim Duggan & Nikolai Volkoff

Duggan says a few weeks ago when he presented the flag to the Volkoff he was proud to call him a brother, neighbor, and friend. Duggan then says what he is even more proud of is calling him his partner today at SummerSlam. Volkoff says that he loves this country and he loves Jim Duggan. Volkoff says that Duggan is his hero and idol and together they will take out the Orient Express. Mooney reminds us that the Orient Express is managed by Mr. Fuji. Mooney also says that the Orient Express may be the favorites because they have been together longer. Volkoff answers that by saying that this is the American Express….don’t leave home without it. Nice play off the commercial for American Express that would run at the time.

Backstage Interview: Earthquake, Dino Bravo, & Jimmy Hart

Gene calls Earthquake the only natural disaster in the WWF and Earthquake agrees with him. Earthquake says there is going to be a disaster and it is going to happen here at SummerSlam. They show highlights of Earthquake attacking Hogan on the Brother Love show while Earthquake continues to talk about the match. Earthquake says that last time he sent Hogan out on a stretcher while all his Hulkamaniacs were left crying because they knew Hulkamania was dead. Earthquake then says that Tugboat barged in to get Hogan back. Earthquake says Hogan is making the biggest mistake of his career by getting in the ring with him, Earthquake.

Earthquake asks where the guy is that helped Hogan come back and made all the fans write their letters. Earthquake says that he got the same fate that Hogan got and he isn’t with us. Earthquake says tonight there are going to be two stretchers at ringside. One for Hogan and one for the Big Boss Man. Bravo says that Earthquake doesn’t have to worry about the Big Boss Man because he will take care of them just like Quake will take care of Hogan. Jimmy says tonight it will be the first time in the WWF that two stretchers going out at the same time. Earthquake tells Gene he better get on the phone to the Red Cross and get the ambulances lined up because this is one Earthquake you can predict and when it hits Hulkamania will crumble once and for all into complete devastation.

Backstage Interview: Jake Roberts

Jake has Damien crawling all over him while it freaks out Mooney. Mooney says that we all know that Bad News is afraid of snakes. Mooney wants to know if Jake is afraid of sewer rats. Jake says they don’t call him a snake for nothing because he and snakes have a lot in common. Jake wants to know about Bad News because he hangs around with sewer rats so what does that make Bad News. Jake says he is not afraid fo sewer rats because he doesn’t have to be. He says that Damien is hungry. He says that he knows Bad News hasn’t fed his rats in weeks because he wants them hungry. Jake says that what it is going to come down to and thats hunger. Jake says hunger is what separates a man like him to a mouse like Bad News.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match was booked on the premise of snakes vs. rats and well that didn’t work out very well. The promos were pretty solid between the two leading up to the show but outside of that there just isn’t a lot here. I know Bad News was fed up with the company by this point and this would be his last pay per view for the WWF before he left. He was disgruntled of unfulfilled promises and whatnot so he was probably checked out for this one.

Match 6: Jake Roberts vs. Bad News Brown (Big Boss Man Special Referee)

They roll out the cage full of “giant Harlem sewer rats” so we can possibly see them during this match. This match starts before Boss Man can even get in the ring. Bad News attacks Jake from behind but Jake ends up getting the control and attempts the DDT early on but Bad News slides out of the ring and regroups. Bad News gets in the ring and Jake goes right for the arm bar. Bad News nails Jake with a nice hip toss to get control of the match.

Bad News was going for the Ghetto Blaster but Jake ends up falling to his knees and then laid out on his back. Bad News then drops a leg drop on Jake and goes for the pin for a 2 count. Bad News then confronts the Boss Man on a slow count but Jake ends up hitting Bad News from behind. Jake goes for the DDT again but Bad News slides out again. Jake ends up going outside to confront Bad News. Bad News ends up picking up a chair and ramming it right into the midsection of Jake Roberts. For some reason Boss Man didn’t disqualify him for using a chair but oh well.

Bad News throws Jake back into the ring and whips him into the opposite turnbuckle. Bad News ends up whipping Jake into the corner again and when he falls down he yells fuck you to Bad News. Bad News immediately goes over to him and starts working the lower back again. We get a third whip into the turnbuckle and then a clotheslines from Bad News. Bad News ends up going to the middle rope and goes for a fist drop but Jake moves out of the way as News crushes his first into the mat.

Jake ends up nailing News with a big knee lift and then some snap left jabs followed by the short arm clothesline. Jake calls for the DDT and when he goes for it Bad News ends up back dropping him to avoid it. Bad News ends up kicking Jake to the outside. Bad News picks up the chair again and rams into the gut of Jake Roberts. Big Boss Man has had enough and he calls for the bell. Your winner of the match by disqualification….Jake Roberts.

After the match Bad News gets the bag with the snake in it and puts it in the middle of the ring. Bad News goes for a leg drop on the back but Boss Man moves it out of the way. Boss Man then confronts Bad News until he turns his back to him and Bad News attacks him. Jake gets back in the ring and lets go of Damien and puts it on the back of Bad News. Bad News ends up hightailing it out of there as Boss Man raises the hand of Jake.

Recap:
This match was the shits and is the first real dud on the whole card. Bad News didn’t give a shit and Jake was just Jake. He looked gas and tired and he was only out there for 4-5 minutes. Boss Man didn’t really add much to the match itself. All in all just a crap segment and match and it’s one that’s not worth watching.

Backstage Interview: Demolition

Gene says that he is standing by with the former tag team champions but Smash quickly interrupts him and yell former at them. Ax says the only reason the Harts are champions is because they cheated. Smash says just when they were about to finish them off once and for all, they look around and they see four of them. Crush says that the Hart Foundation weren’t man enough to come out that man to man with Demolition so they are going to go after them and get their belts back. Ax says that before they get the belts back they are going to go after LOD.

Smash says the imposters are going to wish they stepped into the shadow of Demolition. Ax says we will never forget the name of Demolition because they are going to Demolish the LOD. Smash says when they are done with Hawk, he will be hawking hot dogs in the stands. Crush says when they are done with Animal, he will be neutered once and for all.

Brother Love Show: Sgt. Slaughter is His Guest

Brother Love says he is right here in Philadelphia, the city of love. Brother Love wants us to remember when we were snot nosed kids and we always asked our parents for guidance. Brother Love then says now that we are adults we still need guidance and an adult to tell us what to do. Brother Love then introduces Drill Sergeant Slaughter. Love says it is a privilege to have a man of his great leadership on the Brother Love Show.

Slaughter says there are only two reasons he is in this stinkin town tonight. The first reason is to present the most prestigious award in the country today. Slaughter says he looked all across the country to give this award and what he saw was how soft and weak America has become. Slaughter then says he looked into the WWF and he found one man deserving enough to wear the Sgt. Slaughter Great American Award. Slaughter says that man is the greatest American standing next to him today and that person is Brother Love. Slaughter then puts the award around Brother Love’s neck.

Love then asks Slaughter what he thinks about America opening their arms to a communist like Volkoff. Slaughter says thats the other reason he is here and thats to declare war on Nikolai Volkoff. Slaughter says that America is to chicken to declare war but Slaughter isn’t. Slaughter says he is not afraid and he has the courage to declare war on Volkoff the maggot scum puke. Slaughter says America has allowed Volkoff into their hearts and arms. Slaughter says that won’t help Volkoff one bit because he is weak and soft just like America. Slaughter says if war can break out tomorrow in the Middle East, then Saddam Hussein would kick our butts just like he would kick Volkoff’s butt. And thats an order!!!!

What a tasteless piece of shit segment and storyline this was.

Backstage Interview: Orient Express & Mr. Fuji

Fuji says that the Super Powers of the USA and the USSR join together against an honorable Japanese know how. Fuji says this one from USA, Jim Duggan, is one cross eye but when they are done they will make him two cross eye. Fuji then says the guy from USSR, Volkoff, they will kick him in the head so hard to they will leave a red dot. Mooney cuts the interview short with late breaking news.

Backstage Interview: Sapphire

Gene is standing by when Sapphire walks right past him. Gene tries to get a few words from her but she just ignores him and quickly gets into the locker room and shuts the door on Gene. Gene says that Sapphire is safe behind the door and that we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Gene says he doesn’t know about the rumors Sherri was talking about but they will continue to find out what is going on.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
There really was no storyline or anything else leading up to this match. The only reason I can think of that they are putting these two teams against each other is to get over the fact that Volkoff is now a proud supporter of America. Getting him and Duggan against a foreign tag team match sense. Other than that, this is just one of those WWF PPV matches that were just thrown together to fill time.

Match 7: Jim Duggan/Nikolai Volkoff vs. Orient Express

Before the match Duggan and Volkoff sing God Bless America. Duggan then gets on the mic and says God bless to all our brave men and women in the Middle East. Sato and Tanaka attack both Duggan and Volkoff to get this started. However, Duggan and Volkoff quickly get the Express in double atomic drops that send them crashing into each other. The Orient Express go to the outside and regroup with Fuji.

We start this one out with Volkoff and Tanaka in the ring. Volkoff is using his strength to his advantage to no sell a shoulder block. Volkoff gets Tanaka up in a body slam but Sato ends up hitting him in the back off the top rope. The ref gets distracted so Fuji nails Volkoff in the throat with his cane. Sato hits a beautiful side kick on Volkoff as he quickly tags in Tanaka. Tanaka goes for a flying head butt but Volkoff moves out of the way and ends up tagging in Duggan.

Duggan comes in and takes care of both guys with right hands. The Orient Express try to hit a double clothesline but Duggan ducks under neath and hits both of them with a clothesline. Duggan then gets both guys standing up near each other and he just lays in numerous lefts and rights on both guys until he ends up ramming them head first into each other. That was a pretty sweet looking spot there.

All four men end up in the ring and they end up whipping the Orient Express into each other. Duggan gets down in the 3 point stance and he nails Tanaka with the clothesline for the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall….Jim Duggan/Nikolai Volkoff!

Recap:
This match sucked ass as well. Duggan was still pretty over with the crowd but they weren’t buying Volkoff. He could barely move and was well past his relevance point. The Orient Express well for the two but other than that there just isn’t a lot to write home about here.

Backstage Interview: Dusty Rhodes

They head to the back where Dusty is trying to get Sapphire to open the door for him to no avail. Dusty says he doesn’t know what is wrong with Sapphire and he has never seen her like this before. Dusty says he needs her in his corner. Dusty says that something is going down here but he has to get to his match but when he is done he will get to the bottom of this.

Backstage Interview: Macho King Randy Savage

Savage is up on his sedan and he asks Mooney if he thinks this is the stairway to heaven. Mooney says he doesn’t want anyone to say that the WWF won’t go to any heights to get the story. Savage then calls him out for sarcasm and a lack of respect for the Macho King. Mooney says it is apparent that Dusty will not have his manager with him tonight. Savage says the rumors must be true and that Sapphire may not want to associate herself with a commoner for the rest of her life. Savage then asks if the forefathers had Dusty Rhodes in mind when they talked about the American dream but he doesn’t think so. Savage says that Benjamin Franklin must be doing somersaults from the pike position in his grave thinking about Dusty Rhodes. Savage says that the squared circle is where he is going to leave Dusty Rhodes in the ring 1-2-3. Savage heads out and Mooney nearly falls off the ladder.

Ted Dibiase & Sapphire Segment

Before we get this match going Ted Dibiase heads up to the interview platform and starts cutting a promo. DiBiase says that everyone has a price for the Million Dollar Man including Dusty Rhodes. DiBiase says that everyone watching this show has a price for the Million Dollar Man. DiBiase says his money can buy anyone or anything and tonight he bought Rhodes humiliation. DiBiase says if there has ever been a doubt in Dusty’s mind or anyone else’s mind that what he says isn’t true then they need to feast their eyes on his latest purchase…..Sweet Sapphire!

They go to Dusty in the ring and he is completely distraught. DiBiase tells Dusty to take a hard long look. Sapphire then opens up her gym bag full of money. DiBiase then asks Rhodes who he thinks bought all the gifts for Sapphire. DiBiase says who but the Million Dollar Man could afford it. DiBIase says that Rhodes shouldn’t be upset with Sapphire because she didn’t do anything that anyone else wouldn’t do. DiBiase says that Sapphire had her price just like everyone else has their price. DiBiase then asks Dusty Rhodes what he is going to do about it as he does his iconic laugh.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This was pretty much the finish of the feud between Macho Man and Dusty Rhodes. This was a feud that started back at the Royal Rumble and lasted damn near 7 months. Thats what you call great workers stretching it out for every dollar that they could. These guys worked well together so I can’t complain with how long this feud lasted because it was pretty entertaining for the most part.

Match 8: Randy Savage vs. Dusty Rhodes

Dusty ends up going out after DiBiase but Savage attacks him from behind in the aisle as the bell rings. Savage throws Dusty back into the ring and he goes up to the top rope and drops Dusty with an ax handle off the top rope. Savage then starts choking out Rhodes under the bottom rope. Rhodes gets back to his feet at Savage lays in some right hands.

The ref ends up getting in the way of Savage and when Savage gets free from him, Rhodes drops him with a big elbow. Dusty then hits 2 more elbows and a standing drop kick on Savage. Savage goes to the outside and Rhodes goes out after her but Savage puts Sherri in front of Rhodes to stop him. Sherri ends up handing Savage her purse before getting up on the apron and distracting Dusty. Dusty gets in the ring to go after Sherri and when he turns around Savage nails him with the purse. Savage goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Randy Savage!

Recap:
This match was just weird and seemed off. I understand the storyline aspect of it but I wonder if something was going on with Savage at this time. If you look at his pay per view run starting with this one then you see that something was going on. This match only goes 2 1/2 minutes. He only has an interview at Survivor Series and then at the Rumble he does the stuff in the title match but doesn’t even work the Rumble match. After that he has the retirement match with Warrior. Just makes you wonder if something was up with Savage during this time because he didn’t put a lot of work in pay per view wise starting with this show. With that in place there really is nothing to this match and its a shame that these two didn’t go one on one for around 5-10 minutes on this card because it could have been pretty awesome. It didn’t go long enough to really warrant an opinion on the match so watch it if you want to.

Backstage Segment: Dusty Rhodes Going After Sapphire

Mooney says that he couldn’t keep up with DiBiase and that he ducked into his suite before he could talk to him. Mooney tells us that he has noticed DiBiase’s limo has arrived and they should be coming out shortly. DiBiase then shows up with Sapphire. Mooney asks him what Sapphire is doing with him. DiBiase tells Mooney that he wants him to learn an important lesson and that is there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that his money can’t buy. Rhodes ends up running to the backstage area to try and stop the car and get to Sapphire but the limo drives off before he could get to her. Dusty is yelling no as they come back inside the building.

Backstage Interview: Hulk Hogan & Big Boss Man

Hogan says that he remembers what it felt like being under his massive frame as he came down on his rib cage. Hogan says he also remembers him, Dino Bravo, and Jimmy Hart laughing out loud as they rolled him out on the stretcher. Hogan says he also remembers seeing all the tears from the Hulkamaniacs who were wondering if this was really the end. Hogan says what he remembers most of all is the out pouring of all the Hulkamaniacs for all the cards, the letters, and most of all the prayers. Hogan says it’s still fresh in his mind seeing Earthquake and Bravo taking out Tugboat. Hogan dedicates this match to the Tugster. Hogan says that their plan won’t work because he won’t be going to the ring alone because he will be going with the Big Boss Man, who will make sure justice is served.

Boss Man says that this is Philadelphia where a lot of the rights of the people were first formulated. Boss Man says that the only rights Earthquake, Bravo, and Hart are entitled to are to beaten into silence, the right to have millions of fans presence, as we all as having the right to a swift and unfair trial with Judge Hogan presiding.

Hogan says that another chapter in American history will be written tonight. Just as Thomas “Boss Man” Jefferson stood next to George Washington “Hogan” as he chopped down the cherry tree with 24 inch pythons. Hogan wraps it up by saying whatcha gonna do when Hulk Hogan and the Boss Man pass their constitutional rights on to you brother!

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match was setup after Earthquake attacked Hulk Hogan on the Brother Love show back on May 26th. This is what set up the “injuries” that would keep Hogan off of TV for 2 1/2 months while he filmed Suburban Commando. Hogan came back at SummerSlam to seek his revenge after his buddy Tugboat convinced all the fans to write letters to Hogan to convince him to return to the ring. Tugboat ended up getting “injured” a week or so prior to SummerSlam so they end up replacing him with the Big Boss Man. With all of this going on you have the makings of a hot as hell heel going against the returning baby face. The crowd is 100% going to eat this shit up. This is what you call really good booking.

Match 9: Hulk Hogan vs. Earthquake

They finally tie up and Earthquake just tosses him to the ground. They tie up again and again Hogan gets tossed to the mat. Earthquake drops Hogan with a shoulder block and this sends Hogan to the outside to regroup a little bit. Hogan gets back in the ring and instead of tying up Hogan kicks him in the gut and then rakes the eyes. Hogan then tries a body slam that Earthquake blocks with a club to the back. Hogan is trying to get Earthquake down but Earthquake just won’t go down. He tries clotheslines, chops, and right hands before he finally knocks him down with a wind up right hand. Earthquake heads to the outside to regroup with Dino and Jimmy.

Hogan goes out after Earthquake as Boss Man attacks Earthquake and Hogan attacks Bravo. Boss Man and Hogan hit a double big boot on both Bravo and Earthquake. The ref tries to get Boss Man out of the ring as Bravo attacks Hogan from behind and then they double body slam Hogan. Earthquake drops the big ass elbow for a 2 count on Hogan. Earthquake goes to the top rope and comes off with a club to the back of Hogan. Earthquake then gets Hogan in the Boston crab to continue to work the lower back.

Boss Man distracts the ref as Bravo body slams Hogan on the outside. Bravo ends up throwing Hogan back inside the ring where Earthquake picks him up and hits him with a body slam. Earthquake goes for another big elbow but Hogan ends up rolling out of the way causing Earthquake to miss him. Hogan gets up and goes for another body slam on Earthquake but the Earthquake blocks it and ends up crashing down on Hogan for another 2 count. Earthquake applies the bear hug here to get a little rest in.

Hogan gets out of the bear hug and tries to knock the Quake down with shoulder blocks but it doesn’t work. Hogan goes for a cross body but Earthquake catches him and nails him with a power slam. Earthquake goes for the pin with 1 boot as he does the Hogan pose. Earthquake calls for the Earthquake Splash and he nails it on Hogan. Bravo gets on the apron and tells him to do it again so Earthquake does. Earthquake goes for the pin and gets a 2 count as Hogan starts hulking up.

Hogan points his finger at Earthquake and tells him no more before he starts laying in the 3 right hands. Earthquake gets nailed with the big boot but he doesn’t go down. Hogan calls for the body slam and this time he picks up Earthquake and drops him. Hogan hits the leg drop on Earthquake but Bravo distracts the ref. Jimmy Hart comes in and breaks up the pin. Hogan picks up Jimmy Hart and throws him into Earthquake. Earthquake then pulls Hogan to the outside as both guys are brawling. Jimmy Hart ends up hitting Earthquake with the mega phone. Hogan then picks up Earthquake and body slams him on to a table on the outside. Hogan gets back in the ring as the referee counts the 10 on Earthquake. Your winner of the match by count out….Hulk Hogan!

After the match Earthquake gets back into the ring and attacks Hogan with a choke hold. Boss Man gets a medal chair on the outside and he comes in and nails Bravo in the back with it. He then nails Earthquake in the back with it 3 times and leaves a brutal looking mark on the back of Earthquake. That shit looks brutal. Earthquake, Bravo, and Jimmy leave while Hogan and Boss Man celebrate in the ring.

Recap:
I really enjoy this match for some reason even though there really isn’t anything special about it. I think it has to do with how well they booked Earthquake for this match and then you add in the fact that Hogan has been gone for 2-3 months, it just really enhances it for me. Boss Man was super over at this point as well so him being out there just added to it. I liked the count out finish here because it allowed this feud to continue on a little longer because it kept Earthquake strong. A solid match here that delivered on what you expected it to deliver on.

Backstage Interview: Ravishing Rick Rude & Bobby Heenan

Mooney calls him Rick Rude but then he corrects himself and calls Rude the next WWF Champion. Rude says that is exactly right and that Philadelphia is ripe with American history. Rude says this is the building that Rocky Balboa walked to the ring to fight the seemingly invincible Apollo Creed. Rude says that was Hollywood but this is reality. Rude says art often imitates life and the Warrior’s life is about to change because he knows nothing about a steel cage match. Rude says this is his match and that Warrior won’t be able to run or hide. Rude says when he enters the ring and the steel cage door slams behind it will be symbolic of his fate being sealed as Rude becomes the next WWF Champion. Rude says he will then take his rightful place outside of the Spectrum next to the statue of Rocky Balboa.

Heenan says that Rude has beat Warrior before and tonight he is going to do it again. Heenan says this time he is going to win it in a steel cage. Heenan says that you can win by either escaping the cage or pinfall. Heenan says when Rude is done with Warrior tonight there will be no sequels no Rocky 2, Rocky 3, Rocky 4. Rude then says there aint going to be any rematch.

Backstage Interview: Dusty Rhodes

Gene says one of the saddest things he saw was Dusty in the tunnel trying to get Sapphire back. Dusty calls it emotion and he says emotion is what this great sport is built on. Dusty says Sapphire took the money and thats fine. Dusty says he offered up his innocence to her and she paid him back in scorn. Dusty says only America can give him shelter from the storm because he is in storm. Dusty says people were screaming when is he going to get mad and when is he going to get event big Dust. Dusty says the Million Dollar Man can buy anything but he can’t buy Dusty Rhodes and he can’t buy the American way of life that is in his heart. Dusty says he is getting bad and he is coming for Ted DiBiase.

They go ringside where Lord Alfred Hayes talks about the crew putting the steel cage together.

Backstage Interview: Hulk Hogan

Gene says it was a great match but he isn’t sure anything was settled. Hogan said the only thing left for him to do is to quick start his wide glide and ride right up to Jack Tunney’s office. Hogan says that the Hulkamaniacs realize that he is still the strongest force in the WWF. Hogan says that Tunney needs to realize they are building new buildings all over the country like in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Hogan says the new buildings are Earthquake proof because he is going to take this big fat dude and drag him all the way across the country. Hogan said he is going to do this until Jack Tunney puts him in his rightful spot and thats in the #1 contender spot. Gene says he thinks he is there already.

Hogan says that he felt the love of the Hulkamaniacs and it proves that this thing is going to last forever. Hogan says this is the decade of the little Hulksters. Hogan says there are 4 demandments now and they are Train, Pray, eat your vitamins, and believe in yourself. Hogan says that he is going out and buying a new surfboard and take it out to Venice Beach, California and find the biggest sharks he can find. Hogan says when he catches that title wave, he said TITLE wave, he is going to ride it all the way to the top and whatcha gonna do brother!

They go to the commentators table where Vince and Piper discuss the last match and the upcoming WWF Title match.

Backstage Interview: Earthquake, Dino Bravo, & Jimmy Hart

Mooney says that Earthquake just heard the comments from Hulk Hogan and he spoke to the future of Hulk Hogan and that Hulkamania is alive and well. Earthquake says he is not finished with Hulk Hogan yet and that the war has just begun. Earthquake says it’s not just Hogan but he will be coming after Boss Man as well for what he did to his back. Earthquake says he is not running away from Hogan and that he will take him on anytime anywhere. Earthquake says he isn’t sure what Hogan has been doing and it worked tonight but next time he will inflict more damage before inflicting the Earthquake on Hogan.

Earthquake then says next time Hogan won’t be walking out. Jimmy Hart says Hogan better get some Earthquake insurance because nothing is going to stop Earthquake. Bravo says Boss Man was out there with a stick and a steel chair and they couldn’t stop Earthquake. Bravo says nothing can stop Earthquake.

Backstage Interview: Ultimate Warrior

Warrior asks Gene what Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan have in common with the Liberty Bell. One is cracked and the other is a ding dong. Warrior starts laughing and Gene no sells it until he gets nervous and starts laughing anyways. Gene says that Warrior’s destiny lies before him. Warrior says when in a course of human events that it becomes necessary to protect his right to be WWF Champion. Warrior says he must do what our forefathers done and thats never to be afraid to face an adversary and always willing to step into a new frontier. Warrior says that Rick Rude will not be able to predict the establishment of a more perfect union than he and his Warriors.

Warrior says the sacrifices he and his Warriors are willing to take against an adversary are far greater than anything Rude has known. Warrior says they don’t fear the unknown of a new frontier but they revel in it. Warrior says these are the things that are the lifeblood of the Ultimate Nation and these things are the life blood of the Ultimate Warrior!

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Theres not much story behind this one either other than the fact that the WWF knew Rude could get a good match out of the Warrior so they decided to elevate Rude to the top heel position to get this match. Rude looked amazing here and the vignettes that they did for him are things you would do for a good guy on the comeback trail. It’s a shame that the WWF didn’t put the title on heel’s very often back then because Rude was primed and ready for the spot and it would have been awesome. The crappy part about this one is that this is the last pay per view for Rick Rude in the WWF. He was pissed off about his payoff from SummerSlam as well as not getting money for house show advertisements, even though he didn’t work the cards. Rude stuck to his guns and stayed at home until his contract expired and then he showed up in WCW.

Match 10: WWF Title Steel Cage Match: Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. Rick Rude

Before the match starts Rude gets on the mic like he always did. He wants all the fat, out of shape Pennsylvania piss ants to keep the noise down while he takes his robe off and gives everyone a good look at the next World Wrestling Federation champion.

Warrior gets out to the ring and he ends up climbing the cage but Rude meets him from inside the cage as they exchange right hands at the top of the cage. Warrior ends up ramming Rude into the steel cage and he falls off the top rope and crashes to the mat. Warrior comes off the top rope with a double ax handle smash to Rude. Warrior takes Rude and rams him face first into the cage 2-3 times. Warrior goes for a splash on Rude up against the cage but Rude moves out of the way and Warrior goes crashing into the cage.

Rude tries to escape the cage but the Warrior ends up grabbing him by the boot. Rude kicks him off and then drops a forearm to the back of the head of Warrior. Rude is busted open by this point. Rude returns the favor and just rams Warrior into the cage 2-3 times. They start exchanging right hands in the middle of the ring. Rude takes Warriors face and rubs it against the cage. It appears that Warrior is busted open as well. Rude goes for the Rude Awakening on the Warrior but the Warrior blocks it and powers out of the hold and drops Rude with a clothesline.

Warrior goes for a big splash but Rude gets the knees up and Warrior comes crashing down on them. Rude gets him back up and drops him with the Rude Awakening right in the middle of the ring. Rude ends up climbing to the top of the cage and jumping off with a forearm to the back of the head of Warrior. That looked pretty damn awesome if you ask me. It is always a site to see when a dude jumps off the top of the cage like that.

Rude goes up for another ax handle but Warrior ends up hitting him in the midsection. Warrior crawls over to the door to get out but Heenan ends up slamming the door on the face of Warrior. Rude goes for the cover and gets a 2 1/2 count. Warrior ends up reversing an Irish whip and both guys end up running into each other. Rude crawls toward the exit and Heenan is trying to pull him out but Warrior ends up dragging both guys back into the ring. Warrior drags Heenan into the cage and nails him with a right hand and then an atomic drop right out the door.

Warrior turns around and Rude drops him with another nice clothesline. Warrior starts drawing the power from his Warriors as he starts no selling Rude’s offense. Warrior drops Rude with 3 straight clotheslines. Warrior then picks up Rude and drops him with the gorilla press slam. Warrior then climbs up the cage and heads out. Warrior does the rude hip gyration and then jumps down to the floor for the victory. Your winner of the match and still WWF Champion….The Ultimate Warrior!

Recap:
This was a pretty solid match here to wrap up the show. I know a lot of people trash it and say it isn’t that good and it’s not as good as their other matches but I don’t necessarily agree with them. They took advantage of their surroundings and made it more of a brawl than an actual wrestling match, like their other two encounters. Based off of that I thought both guys delivered the goods even though they didn’t have much time. The one thing I don’t really like about the match is that they were moving in slow motion from the very get go instead of starting off fast. If they would have changed that up then this match would have been even better. I’m probably one of the few who liked this match and thats okay. I would recommend checking it out if you haven’t already.

Show Recap:
So there we have it with SummerSlam 1990. There is not a lot of great matches that will make you want to go back and watch this one over and over but there are things that are entertaining and worth checking out. Power and Glory looked awesome starting us out in the opener. It’s a shame Shawn couldn’t go but Power and Glory did their part and looked mighty impressive. Like I stated earlier, it’s a shame they didn’t do much as a team because I felt like they were awesome together and could have really put on some good matches with the right opponents. Them in a feud with the Harts would have been fun as hell.

After that we got the match between the Texas Tornado and Mr. Perfect. This match was super short and never really had time to marinate and get you totally invested. It was an abrupt finish but I like the booking they were going with. Perfect was to confident so Kerry was able to catch him off guard and get the quick win. It kind of sucks we didn’t really get a pay off to this match until TV later on in the year but that was the WWF back then and there isn’t much you can do about it.

After that we got a bunch of garbage matches that didn’t really amount to much. We had the Sapphire no show and then the PPV jobber Tito Santana do the job to Warlord. One of the biggest things that is annoying with this show is all the promos. They had really short matches and compensated that with interview after interview. Seems like everyone got two interviews on the night and thats just over kill. Nobody needs to talk to Dusty 3-4 times in one night. By the time we got to intermission I was tapped on all the interviews.

After all the interviews we got the best match on the card between the Harts and Demolition in a 2/3 falls for the Tag Team Titles. Bret was awesome here as well as both members of Demolition. Neidhart did a lot of standing on the apron so he wasn’t involved much at all. This was just a really good classic wrestling match from this time frame and is one that everyone should go back and watch it. Somebody said that the ending was to confusing, if thats the case then my goodness. It made all the sense in the world because Demolition has been going months where they are using 3 guys and cheating and the Legion of Doom got tired of it. It’s really not that difficult to follow. Anyways, this match was top notch and makes the majority of this show worth watching.

After intermission we got Bad News vs. Jake which was a total dud. Then we got Dusty vs. Savage, which was used just to get DiBiase’s gimmick over. This match was pretty terrible and not worth watching because it only went about 2-3 minutes. After this we finally get to the Hogan vs. Earthquake match and this was pretty good on the whole. The crowd was hot as hell for this one. Hogan coming back off the injury and Earthquake built perfectly. Just a really good match here and the finish was good because they kept the feud going. Usually pay per views meant the end of a feud but this was just chapter 1 of that feud. Also, those chair shots that Quake took after the match were just brutal. The marks on his back showed up immediately and they couldn’t have felt good.

Finally, we got the main event between Rude and Warrior. This match isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be but their match a year prior at SummerSlam was better. Both guys put on a pretty good match on the Saturday Night Main Event show from the prior month so they had to do something different here to mix it up. They took advantage of their surroundings and turned it into a brawl instead of a decent wrestling match. You can’t really be mad at that. I would much rather somebody take advantage of a cage throughout the whole match instead of having a no DQ match and the ref try to stop you from doing anything. The match itself isn’t the greatest but I enjoy it and the cage match on pay per view didn’t happen very often so it was cool to see.

This show is in the middle for me. There are some good things on the show that are worth watching but they are far outweighed by the excessive promos and the duds after the Kerry Von Erich/Mr. Perfect match. Things pick up for the Demolition/Harts match but after that it’s crap until the last two matches. I would recommend checking out the tag team match, all the title matches, and then the Hogan match. Other than that it’s a bunch of storylines and interviews and it just drags on and on.

So that does it for this one. After SummerSlam 1990 we are heading back to the WCW and hitting up Bash at the Beach 1998. We get Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman in a main event tag team match. I am interested to see how well that one goes. I hope you have enjoyed this show and I hope you continue to check us out here on CrazyMax. As always if you want to reach out to me you can on Twitter @xstat32x. Thanks again for reading and I will see you all next time.