Forgotten Goodness 08.22.06: SummerSlam

Posted by  on 08.22.2006

Believe it or not, there was a not time in the not-so-distant past that the anticipation for SummerSlam rivaled that of WrestleMania. Today, the show has become lost in the sea of professional. What the heck happened?

I'm taking a break from reviewing a match because this year's SummerSlam, as you may be able to tell from this column, got under my skin.

There are a lot of wrestling fans who are growing increasingly tired with the WWE's product and there's no way to deny that there are problems. But one thing the WWE has absolutely, without a doubt, knocked out of the park the past few years is WrestleMania. Everyone – from your sister to your girlfriend to your wrestling-hating co-worker – knows when WrestleMania is. It is an event that has transcended professional wrestling into the mainstream with stories by ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, bloggers, columnists, you name it – it's that big. Why am I bringing this up?

Because for all the good that has been done for WrestleMania, the complete opposite has been done for SummerSlam. When the brands started to have split pay-per-views in 2003, it was largely assumed that the four co-branded pay-per-views would each have the feel of a super show with an increase in the talent roster, combing two spectacular rosters for one special night. At WrestleMania, it's evident – everything feels bigger. As a wrestling fan, missing WrestleMania is akin to committing a crime. The Royal Rumble has always had an appeal to wrestling fans because of its unique main event, so the co-branded-ness (is that a word?) doesn't seem to play a role. As for Survivor Series, it's always been the ugly stepchild of those old WWE pay-per-views that failed to make any emotional connection with the fans over the year.

SummerSlam, though, much in the way wrestling fans can list of WrestleMania memories, did form that emotional connection with fans. Right before football season, right before the start of school or college as the summer winds to an end, SummerSlam was the WWF's second WrestleMania of the year. The careers that have been made, the matches that have made some pro wrestling fans for life and the moments that wrestling fans have held onto for years.

Again, why am I bringing all of this up? Because SummerSlam came and went just as it has for the past four years and I didn't order it. Not only did I not order, the thought of ordering the show didn't even enter my head. Why would it? There were admittedly two matches I was interested in – Foley/Flair and Cena/Edge. I wanted to care, I really did, and last week's Raw with Edge slapping Cena's father almost got that urge to dive head-first into wrestling markdom Sunday night. There was too much I didn't want to see. I didn't want to see Hogan. I didn't want to see Rey and Chavo fight over Eddie. I didn't want to see DX/McMahons part 156. I normally would have wanted to see Booker/Batista but with the finish obvious since July, I didn't want to waste my time. In the end, I didn't waste my money.

This week, I got WWE on Demand after its agreement with Comcast and the first thing I watched was a show I had never seen but always wanted to – SummerSlam 1992. We all know how epic and great the Intercontinental Title match between Davey Boy Smith and Bret Hart was, but how many recall how good the WWF Title match between Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior was? It wasn't a ***** affair but there was something in the air when those two stepped in the ring. With Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect hovering over the two in a "who sold out?" storyline, the two competitors had become wary of each other and rightfully so. Who had sold out? As the match started in front of 80,000+ in Wembley Stadium, the two shake hands...then tightened their grip to stare each other down, rip off their jackets and go at each other like mortal enemies.

It seems like a simple premise – two guys going at each other with intensity – but you have to see the reaction from that SummerSlam crowd. For nearly half-an-hour, all they do is make noise. Not popping for big moves, but consistent sound for the entire match that only intensifies when Flair and Perfect make their dramatic entrance. (For the record, it was a ruse and neither sold out) As I watched a 14-year old match I had never seen, I crept to the edge of my seat knowing the conclusion but psyched as hell to see how it got there. As the match ended, only one word fluttered through my head – epic.

The great matches in professional wrestling history, the great shows and the great superstars all have that in common – epic. For years, SummerSlam was as epic as it came. Think of Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect for the IC Title in 1991. Rick Rude vs. the Ultimate Warrior at either the 1989 or 1990 shows. Throughout the 90's, the WWF seemed to put on at least one match or one feud that captivated the audience, whether it was Bret/Owen, Shawn/Razor or Bret/Undertaker. In 1998, when the Attitude era began, some thought that the WWF, thanks it to its crash TV format could no longer put on an epic show. SummerSlam 1998 stands as one of the best shows in WWF history, paying off two classic feuds – the Rock/Triple H ladder match and the Undertaker/Stone Cold respect feud. On the undercard, Jeff Jarrett got his head shaved after months of mistreating others, the NewAge Outlaws finally regained their tag titles and Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart went into the Lion's Den to settle a score that started in May.

SummerSlam continued its hot streak through 2002 with the shows from 1999-2002 rating from good to amazing with truly important moments that made wrestling fans take notice, whether it was HBK's return, Brock's first title win, Austin and Angle putting on a spectacle, the Governor of Minnesota reffing a title match or the first TLC match.

For me, SummerSlam ceased to matter in 2003 when Goldberg ran through the elimination chamber, arguably the only night he was ever over in the WWE, only to fall prey to Triple H's sledgehammer. If Goldberg had won that night, his stay in the WWE would have been remembered far differently and that show, a poor show that needed to go out with a bang, would have risen above painfully mediocre. The show, instead, ended with a whimper and the WWE tailspin continued. In 2004, Randy Orton won his first WWE title – a moment that some looked at similar to Brock's win in 2002. Unlike Brock, Orton was beaten for his title less than a month later by Triple H, rendering that year's SummerSlam nothing more than a footnote.

The last two years have provided similar nonchalance from the WWE in promoting and leading up to the show. What do you remember about last year's show other than Hogan/HBK? That was an average match that meant nothing the day it was over – Hogan wasn't seen for nearly a year and HBK stopped being a heel the next night on Raw. What's the point? Why get emotionally involved in something that doesn't matter?

I've read elsewhere that the WWE is a victim of its own overexposure which is – pardon my French – the biggest line of bullshit I've ever heard. From 1999-2002, the WWE had five hours of programming to fill with one roster compared to five hours currently with three separate rosters.. We saw the same guys at least twice, sometimes three times a week. Today, we see our favorite wrestlers once a week. From 1999-2002, the WWE garnered huge ratings, popped buyrates that even in 2002 (when everyone said the product was awful) dwarf what the company does now. The E has added some pay-per-views, but the addition of a couple of big shows shouldn't automatically remove buys from the biggest shows of the year. WrestleMania hasn't been affected – why has SummerSlam?

The answer is simple – the WWE has made no effort to make SummerSlam special. And, no, just getting Hogan to appear does not make a show special. The buzz is gone. The WWE doesn't even acknowledge the history of SummerSlam as it does with WrestleMania or, heck, the Royal Rumble. There's no feud that's been boiling at a tipping point for months that needs to be settled. The two feuds I've been interested in – Flair/Foley and Cena/Edge – have been milked for a little more than a month. I cared but not that much. Think back to SummerSlam 2000 – the main event of Triple H/Rocky/Kurt Angle had been slowly building for months. The match between Austin and Angle in 2001, in a similar climate with regards to TV time and pay-per-views, had been built for months. This year? Only the DX/McMahon storyline had any type of longevity to it and the constant refrain from fans was "enough already!"

So as another SummerSlam weekend has come and gone without the slightest amount of buzz, I wanted to remind wrestling fans of the Forgotten Goodness that SummerSlam was. A show at which Bret Hart cemented his legacy, a show at which the Ultimate Warrior burst onto the scene, a show that has seen arguably the best cage match in WWF history, a show that made the Rock and Triple H superstars and a show that made August a month to circle for almost 15 years. It's no longer that way. SummerSlam has been thrown on the heap with Unforgiven, No Mercy, Judgment Day and all the other pay-per-views that look, feel and smell the same. It's just a glorified Raw or SmackDown! with a bigger set, three sets of announcers and a $40 price tag. Is it worth it? Not anymore.

(How would I fix SummerSlam?

1) Add some mid-card matches with young, up-and-coming mid-carders. A wrestling show needs to build like a wrestling match does. To not have Carlito or Bobby Lashley, who are poised for big breakouts, on the show is a crime.

2) Expand it to four hours. The Royal Rumble and Survivor Series can fit a large roster in a three-hour show because of the gimmick. SummerSlam can't. They could have added an hour last night easy with an IC match, Carlito and Lashley involved, throw in Rob Van Dam, and you'd still have a packed show. The extra hour would make the fan feel like they are watching something special.

3) Make sure something important happens. A title change, a heel turn, an upset victory, a surprise return (Jeff Hardy couldn't run in somewhere?) is needed to make a show feel important. The last two years, the results of SummerSlam barely had an impact on the next night's Raw, much less in a historical context.

4) Leave the old guys off the card. Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan are both senior citizens. They do not need to be wrestling. Flair is old too but at least the Foley/Flair match had a good backstory. My point? These pay-per-views are starting to feel more and more like the Heroes of Wrestling with old stars (that includes the balding HBK and HHH) taking up way too much time. Wrestling fans are marks for what's new, not for what's 10 (20) years old.

5) Bring up the history leading up to the show. They do the WrestleMania recall or what-not for months, why not spend the month before SummerSlam reminding fans of the history of the show? Is it really so bad to remind fans of how good it was and how good it could be again?

6) Lastly, put the show in a dome again one year to re-ignite the epic feel of SummerSlam. I think the E's name alone can sell out a dome for WrestleMania and I think it has enough punch to do it for SummerSlam. I've heard rumors of Toronto getting a SummerSlam in the Skydome and I say go for it. Most wrestling fans, myself included, are marks for dome shows and would immediately became a can't-miss prospect for a fan.)