Random Network Reviews: SummerSlam 1992

SummerSlam 1992
August 29th, 1992 – Wembley Stadium in London, England – Attendance: 80,355

SummerSlam is usually a Pay-Per-View that I look forward to, and the 1992 version is one of the most historic. For one, it takes place in England, outdoors and in front of more than 80,000 fans. Two, it is the only Pay-Per-View that I can remember being headlined by the Intercontinental Championship. Three, I know a lot of people who consider this to be the greatest SummerSlam of all-time. I’ve reviewed the show from ten years later, 2002, and consider it the best ever SummerSlam so this has a tough hill to climb. Last little fact, this was the first WWF Pay-Per-View to not feature Hulk Hogan.

SummerSlam is brought to you by, ICOPRO! The opening package has shots of the rabid fans in the United Kingdom and the spectacle of this show is pretty fantastic. Commentary tonight is Vince McMahon alongside Bobby Heenan. The big controversy tonight is trying to figure out if Mr. Perfect will be in the corner of Ultimate Warrior or Macho Man.

The Legion of Doom w/ Paul Ellering vs. Money Inc. w/ Jimmy Hart
LOD comes out on motorcycles and gold shoulder pads. It would look way more badass if they didn’t have a dummy named Rocco with them. Ted Dibiase’s white attire is great as he starts with Hawk. He quickly goes outside to avoid Hawk but runs into Animal. He runs inside and is clotheslined right back out. Dueling tags come and IRS is sent into the corner. He tries to escape, but Animal steps on his tie to stop him, causing Heenan to shout “HE’S STEPPING ON HIS TONGUE!” I love Brain. IRS applies a sleeper, because every move in his repertoire is a rest hold. Hawk breaks it but gets double teamed for a bit. Money Inc. were damn good at drawing heat and doing all of the little things that make heels work so well. For example, as IRS has a chin lock on, Dibiase pulls him with his foot for leverage. They fake tag behind the ref’s back as Bobby claims “if you’re close enough you don’t have to tag.” I have a feeling he’s going to be in top form all night. Hawk is working as the face in trouble, and Money Inc. use continues to use every single trick in the heel playbook. Animal gets the hot tag but the referee misses it. Classic. It’s fine because he gets it shortly after and comes in on fire. Money Inc. tries a double team but fail and get double clotheslined. An atomic drop sends IRS out and LOD calls for the Doomsday Device. Jimmy Hart distracts the ref as IRS breaks up the Device. I don’t know why he distracted since it was legal. LOD shakes it off and Animal pins Dibiase with a powerslam.

Winners: The Legion of Doom in 15:10
I remember watching this a while back and not liking this, but I enjoyed it here. Money Inc. were fantastic as the cheap heels and LOD looked strong. The crowd was hot and the opener served its purpose. **¾

Mean “BAH GAWD” Gene is standing by with Ric Flair, who was upset that he was not put in the WWF Championship match. He’s in wrestling attire even though he’s not booked. I have to admit, I have no idea why he wasn’t at the very least on the card. Oh, I just did some research and it looks like he had some ear issues. Cut to Sean Mooney, who is with Virgil. Virgil is set to face Nailz. Good lord that sounds terrible. Virgil ends the promo by claiming he is too legit to quit. My goodness.

Nailz vs. Virgil
Neither of these guys are people I’ve ever considered to be worth a damn, but Virgil was over as hell for a guy who lacked his charisma and skill. Nailz just chokes him in the corner as Brain tells us “you won’t see much wrestling here.” Virgil hits some offense that Nailz stumbles on, but doesn’t fall. He goes right back to a choke because his offense blows. Nailz gets out of a sunset flip and, you guessed it, chokes Virgil. That’s three chokes in about 90 seconds. Virgil tries to rally but Nailz doesn’t sell and clotheslines him. He locks in a sleeper hold and Virgil goes to sleep, so it is over.

Winner: Nailz in 3:55
Nailz sucked hard and Virgil wasn’t good enough to carry him to anything resembling a match. This was just Nailz pounding away with chokes and clotheslines. I saw like one wrestling move, if that. DUD

Lord Alfred Hayes tries to interview Macho Man but gets no answer. We go to Mean Gene, who interviews Sherri about the upcoming match pitting Shawn Michaels against Rick Martel. Both guys have eyes for Sherri, even though she’s with Shawn. She promises to stand by her man tonight.

Rick “The Model” Martel vs. Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri
Sherri has made a rule for both men where they can’t hit each other in the face, which is just fantastic for these two. Sherri is wearing a LOT less than girls in WWF would around this time. Headlock from Martel is followed by leap frogs and cartwheels. Both guys are clear showoffs. Shawn hits the first big move with a dropkick, but his taunting allows Martel to strike from behind. He misses a flying body press and Shawn starts pulling hair. Martel wants to punch him but can’t, so he pulls hair back and Shawn wants to punch back. I like that they’re making sure to play into the “no hitting in the face” rule. Shawn gets sent outside and while Sherri checks on him, Martel pulls her away into a hug. Inside, both guys try to pull the tights and give the fans full moons. It’s great because both guys are heel and keep trying to cheat. They get mad at each other and, since they agreed to not punch each other, they instead slap each other. Sherri can’t stand this so she gets on the apron and faints. Shawn accidentally knocks her from the apron and to the floor. Both guys get into a fight over who will give her CPR, like she’s dying. They forget about Sherri and just start firing away on each other up the aisle. Sherri lifts her head up, obviously faking as the double countout is called.

Match ends in a double countout in 8:06
That was fun. I appreciated and enjoyed the heel vs. heel shenanigans and both guys did well to work around the “no hitting in the face” stipulation. Not a big fan of non-finishes though, but it kind of made sense here. ***

Sherri lays back down and Heenan shouts “SHE FAINTED AGAIN!” I was right, the man is in top form. After the guys are separated, Shawn comes back to carry Sherri to the back. Martel charges and takes him down, dropping Sherri to the floor. Shawn does the same and Sherri is bumping better than the majority of the guys on the card. Martel leaves and returns with a bucket of water that he dumps on Sherri. He actually plays to the crowd.

Sean Mooney is with the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart. I miss when managers had multiple clients. The dude had two tag teams. They laugh at Sherri but when talk turns to the Tag Team Titles. They are supposedly the number one contenders but don’t have the shot tonight. Jerry Saggs, for some reason, calls out Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man, like they’re the Tag Champions or something.

WWF Tag Team Championship
The Natural Disasters (c) vs. The Beverly Brothers w/ The Genius
I was going to complain that this is for the Tag Titles, while the opener wasn’t but the guys in the opener were over enough to just have a regular tag match on the card. These four couldn’t. The Disasters squish Beau and Blake multiple times before things turn into a normal tag match. Beverly #1 tries to body slam Typhoon, and actually lifts him high, but the big man just falls on him. Typhoon holds a Beverly in the corner as Earthquake runs in to splash him. The other Beverly telegraphs that he’s pulling his brother out of the way, and Earthquake hits Typhoon. The Beverly Brothers use the Haas and Benjamin finisher on Typhoon and work him over. The Beverly Brothers are an EXTREMELY dull tag team and seeing the big Typhoon as the face in peril is strange. The challengers work some double teams and get close near falls. Earthquake finally gets the tag and Heenan claims that the Natural Disasters equal a 10 on 1 beating. Earthquake hits his finisher, knocking one Beverly off the apron and they retain.

Winners and Still WWF Tag Team Champions: The Natural Disasters in 10:30
I didn’t like any of this. The Beverly Brothers are boring and the Natural Disasters are too big to look like the Beverly Brothers really could work the tag formula. *

Mean Gene is with the Bushwackers, to get their “expert” opinion on the Mr. Perfect situation. Lord Alfred Hayes is back outside of Ultimate Warrior’s dressing room. He tries to barge in, but the door is shut on him quickly. He complains about the rudeness, even though he tried to barge in. Hypocrite.

Crush vs. Repo Man
Face Crush has always been one of my least favorite things of all-time. Repo Man attacks at the bell, but is has no effect. Crush gorilla press slams him. He continues to beat on him until Repo nails a back suplex. He taunts the fans but Crush is instantly back up. Belly to belly suplex is followed by the softest backbreaker in pro wrestling history. He goes up top and misses a knee drop. It seems like the match just had an edited in cut. Strange. Repo Man gets a near fall and the kick out sends him outside. He comes in and tries to fly but is caught with a powerslam. Crush crushes Repo Man’s head to end it.

Winner: Crush in 5:41
Dull and lasted too long. Not much else to write here. ½*

Mean Gene leads us through a recap of the build for the WWF Title match, which includes Ultimate Warrior’s Giant Gonzalez like attire.

WWF Championship
Macho Man Randy Savage (c) vs. The Ultimate Warrior
So, the big controversy was who would have Mr. Perfect in their corner, but both guys come out alone. A handshake turns physical and Macho Man tries a double axe handle, but is caught with a shot to the ribs. Stalling atomic drop from the Warrior and the crowd is hot. Macho uses a chin lock but it is reversed into a jawbreaker. They trade shots for a bit with each guy getting near falls. Macho goes up top to connect with the double axe handle this time. Warrior won’t go down so savage does it again, taking him down for two. Warrior is up quickly and nails a backbreaker for two. He pounds away on Savage and his face paint is pretty much completely gone right now. Bearhug time because it’s the early 90’s, but Warrior actually ends it quickly. Heenan is baffled that Mr. Perfect possibly lied to him about being in someone’s corner as Savage uses a small package for two. The near falls continue to come fast and furious, while Warrior starts to target Savage’s back. A suplex earns him two again. Savage knocks Warrior outside and flies off with a big double axe handle. After Savage rolls Warrior in for a near fall, Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair walk to the ring. Warrior tries his splash but Savage gets his knees up. Again, because it’s the early 90’s, they do the double clothesline spot. Warrior rolls over to cover but only gets two and Savage does the same. He goes to bounce off the ropes and Mr. Perfect trips up Savage. Vince McMahon loses his mind because Warrior sold out! Savage smack talks them, allowing Warrior to get to his feet and nail him. He tosses the Champion into the corner but an Irish whip takes out Earl Hebner. I smell shenanigans. Warrior flies with a double axe handle of his own, but Hebner is slow to count so it’s only two. Warrior argues with the ref and Savage hits a running knee that sends him into Hebner and knocks him out. Savage nails a piledriver and goes to wake up the ref. Perfect revives Warrior before holding him so Flair can strike him with brass knuckles. SAVAGE SOLD OUT? Heenan calls the earlier trip a set up. Elbow from Savage is good but only gets two. DO YOU NOT REMEMBER WRESTLEMANIA VII SAVAGE? Both guys have been selling like champs throughout, but it’s time for the Warrior to “Warrior Up”. Savage hammers him but it has zero effect. He fires away with clotheslines and is calling for the press slam. He hits it but Perfect tries to trip him on the run for the splash. He makes it through that but Flair levels him with a chair on the other end behind the referee’s back. The champ goes up, seemingly for the elbow, but decides to leap onto Flair instead! Flair was ready and hits him with the chair. He locks in the Figure Four as Savage is counted out.

Winner via countout: The Ultimate Warrior in 28:00
Fantastic performance by both men. The selling, the endurance and the atmosphere all made this special. It wasn’t on the level of their WrestleMania VII classic but it was still great. ****¼

Ric Flair tries to continue the attack, but Ultimate Warrior steals the chair from him and chases him and Flair away. Warrior hands Savage the WWF Title and they leave together. Mean Gene interviews Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect who say their plan was to take out both and get the belt back to Flair.

Kamala w/ Harvey Wippleman and Kim Chee vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
Undertaker gets what I believe is his first special entrance as he is driven out on the back of a hearse. They probably didn’t want to wait for him to walk the long aisle like we have had to endure recently. Kamala sends Undertaker to the corner but his quickly fires back with throat thrusts. OLD SCHOOL is hit, although it was just current school at this time. The heel managers try to get involved by Undertaker chokes them, allowing Kamala to hit him. He throws the Deadman into the steel steps and fires away outside. Back inside, Undertaker ducks a clothesline and Chokeslams Kamala even though Heenan was saying he couldn’t lift him. Leaping clothesline from Taker and he goes for the Tombstone but Kim Chee gets involved, resulting in the bell.

Winner via disqualification: The Undertaker in 3:27
Just a filler match to give the crowd some time to rest in between the main events. ½*

Post-match, Kamala attack and splashes the Undertaker. Heenan says we’ve seen the end of the Undertaker, but he sits up! Kamala is scared to death and runs away with his managers as Undertaker slowly stalks him.

Sean Mooney interviews British Bulldog about the pressure that he’s feeling. Mean Gene interviews Bret Hart and both guys seem ready for this main event. Before the main event, Roddy Piper comes out to play the bagpipes and Diana Smith is interviewed, refusing to take sides.

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Bret Hart (c) vs. British Bulldog
British Bulldog is led to the ring by Lennox Lewis, who is waving the home country’s flag. Bulldogs wins exchange number one by shoving Bret out of a lock up. Bret leap frogs over Bulldog, but ends up getting shoulder blocked all the way outside. He returns to the ring and we get some quick near falls before Bret applies a headlock. He moves to a wristlock that Bulldog rolls, then flips out of and into one of his own. Bret gets out and tries another leap frog, but Bulldog catches him and slingshots him into the turnbuckle. Bulldog gets two with a crucifix, then goes back to work the arm. It’s interesting to note that a few years ago, Bret Hart claimed that he had to carry this match as Bulldog was coked out of his mind. I’m not sure how true that is, Bulldog looks relatively normal to me. Kitchen sink from Bret draws boos and he honestly seems to like it. Bret has always been very smart in his matches, like his ground work here to try and take the crowd out of it. He counters a crucifix into a back drop and goes to another headlock. Bulldog rallies out but is met with a big kick. Bulldog on the Bulldog before Bret climbs to the top. Bulldog is up and slams him down. He goes up on his own, not his forte, and Bret moves, causing Bulldog to land ugly. Bret plays the wily veteran beautifully as he uses Bulldog’s momentum to send him outside. Bret goes for a plancha and Bulldog seemed to be positioned wrong and landed ugly. However, Bret is an INCREDIBLY safe worker and he somehow protected Bulldog. The champ continues to dissect his brother in-law and Bulldog again lands oddly on a back body drop. Bret’s textbook suplex only gets two, but Bulldog avoids an uppercut, turning into a backslide for two. Bret hits his GORGEOUS back breaker and second rope elbow for two. 1997 heel Bret slips out as he slams Davey by the hair while the camera keeps showing a concerned Diana. Bret has used a sleeper a bunch of times here. Diana is playing her role perfectly. The sleeper is broken but Bret goes RIGHT BACK TO IT. It’s broken again and Bulldog is starting to build momentum with some clotheslines. He does his awesome stalling suplex for two. Another two leads him to signal for the powerslam. He hits it and Bret gets his shoulder up! Davey and the 80,000+ in attendance are stunned. Bret comes from out of nowhere with a bridging German suplex for two again. They go up top for Bulldog to hit a huge superplex, but again that’s only good enough for a near fall. With both guys down, Bret actually ties up the legs and turns over for the fucking Sharpshooter because Bret is amazing. Davey reaches the ropes as Diana is in tears. Bulldog is sent off the ropes, Bret goes for a sunset flip, but Bulldog drops down and manages the three!

Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: The British Bulldog in 25:40
That was absolutely phenomenal. The pop for Davey winning was insane, the atmosphere was electric, the Diana drama was perfect and I honestly think that was very close to perfect. Even the slow start was good as it built towards the finish. ****1/2

British Bulldog celebrates and Bret Hart seems pissed, but comes around and shakes his hand. Diana joins them in this heartfelt moment.

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

A truly historic show. I think that people tend to overrate this when they call it the greatest SummerSlam of all-time. While Bret/Bulldog is possibly the greatest match in SummerSlam history, too much of this card lacked. The opener was solid, Shawn and Martel was fun and the WWF Title match was great, but Kamala/Taker, Crush/Repo and especially Nailz/Virgil all sucked. However, the main event makes up for a ton of it as does the atmosphere and spectacle here. It felt like a WrestleMania. A must see for any fan.