wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WWF SummerSlam ’90
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-I reviewed this show a little over 14 years ago and since it is next in my run through 1990, I figured now was a good time to give it another look. Here is that original review.
-Announce Team: Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper
-Date: Aug. 27, 1990
-The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
-Attendance: 19,304
-PPV Buys: 507,000
-Note: This was the last WWF PPV to crack 500,000 buys until WrestleMania XIV.
The Rockers vs. Power and Glory (w/ Slick)
-Power and Glory attack before the bell as they were already in the ring waiting. Hercules uses the chain to take out Shawn’s knee and there’s our story for the match. Roma and Marty start us out proper and Marty runs wild. He ducks a crossbody and Hercules catches Roma. Jannetty with a dropkick to both men and he starts firing off with right hands. Shawn is still out of the floor trying to get back to feet. Jannetty avoids a double team backdrop and gets a small package on Hercules, but no ref as he is with Slick. Marty sends Hercules over the top with a clothesline. Shawn has pulled himself up to the apron, but Hercules kicks him in the knee and he falls back to the floor. Jannetty with a sunset flip, but Roma is able to reach out and tag Herc. Slick throws a kick to Shawn’s knee to keep him out of the match. Press Slam from Hercules gets two. Weird spot as Herc gets a slam and Marty kind of rolls into a cover, but Roma tags in to break the count. Shawn up on the apron and Herc kicks him down again. Perhaps he should try crawling around the ring to his corner before making the climb to the apron. Jannetty mounts a comeback and drops a fist from the top rope, but Hercules breaks the count. Marty avoids a slam, but Hercules catches him with a clothesline from the apron. Double team offense as they toss Marty up in the air and let him splat. Shawn is still out on the floor selling the knee while Marty is getting destroyed. Man, Marty should have been the one to turn on Shawn after this. Power and Glory finish easily with their awesome finisher: Hercules with a superplex and Roma off the top with a splash. Roma even pins Marty with one boot on his chest at 6:00.
Winners: Power and Glory via pin at 6:00
-I just threw this out as a SQUASH with the last review, but it was a solid tag match with a good story. Shawn was obviously injured and this was the way to get around it. P&G winning in such dominant fashion made sense as it was a 2 on 1 handicap match. Marty showed some flashes, but was toast once his partner had no chance. Also of note, typing Roma is kind of pain as my fingers just want to keep typing Roman. I guess that’s one way to acknowledge him. **
-The crowd is pissed as they boo Power and Glory out of the building. Shawn is selling the knee injury like a champ and as I look, yep, no smile. He gets carried out on a stretcher.
-Sean Mooney is backstage with Mr. Perfect and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Mooney brings up that Perfect accepted this challenge from Tornado only a few weeks ago. It was to be Brutus winning the IC Title here, but he had his face destroyed in the parasailing accident.
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Mr. Perfect (c) (w/ Bobby “The Brain” Heenan) vs. “The Texas Tornado”
-A battle of second generation stars and the crowd immediately jumps all over Heenan with a “weasel” chant. As mentioned this was to be Brutus vs. Perfect in a WrestleMania rematch. Lockup and Kerry throws Perfect back into the corner. Perfect has his bumping shoes on based on that first shot. Somewhere Shawn is watching from the stretcher taking notes on the off chance he ever gets to face someone like, I don’t know, Hulk Hogan at a SummerSlam down the line. Perfect throws a chop in the corner, but gets caught with a hip-toss, slam and a clothesline sends him over the top and to the floor. Back in the ring Tornado goes to work on the arm, but Perfect works in a forearm to the side of the head to break. More chops from Perfect! He hits his patented neck snap and hooks a sleeper which pops Piper. That made me smile! Perfect slaps Tornado around in the corner and lays the bad mouth on him. Tornado no sells and gets a slingshot that sends Perfect into the post. Claw Hold into the Discus Punch and we have a new champion with the pin at 5:14.
Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: The Texas Tornado via pin at 5:14
-This was kept short I assume to protect Kerry and the crowd popped for the Title change. Perfect bumped like a madman early, but then it just kind of crapped out at the end. *1/2
-Gene is backstage and is joined by Heenan and Perfect and they are pissed. Heenan’s rant about the ref is pretty awesome and I always enjoy when he gets so angry his voice cracks. How can you not love Heenan?
Sensational Queen Sherri vs. Sapphire
-Dusty’s music hits (still a BANGER), but Sapphire is nowhere to be found. This would all pay off later in the show. Sherri is declared the winner by forfeit.
Winner: Sensational Sherri via forfeit
-Again, this would be paid off later in the night.
-Gene is backstage with Dusty Rhodes and he has no clue where Sapphire is. Jim Duggan pops in to let Dusty know he hasn’t seen her, but they are still looking. Dusty is concerned about all the gifts she has been receiving, but that’s none of his business. For not being any of his business, he sure has kept track of every gift she’s received.
The Warlord (w/ Slick) vs. Tito Santana
-Santana tore the house down with Perfect at Saturday Night’s Main Event the previous month, and now gets fed to Warlord. Piper notes Warlord looks like The Phantom of the Opera. How dare you? Erik would never do roids! Tito gets a side headlock, but Warlord easily shoves him off as Slick laughs at ringside. Piper tries his hardest to keep from making jokes about tacos and burritos, but can’t help himself. Tito hits a series of dropkicks, but Warlord bails to the floor to regroup with Slick. Tito goes to work on the arm as Vince notes that Warlord is big all over. Roddy catches that, but even with it set up on a tee doesn’t knock it out of the park with his response as you would expect. Warlord gets a back breaker on the floor as we see Slick creeping around with his shoe in his hand. Back in the ring the plodding continues as Warlord throws forearms to the back. Man, Warlord really looks like an inflated Stone Cold here. Tito gets his feet up to block a charge in the corner and hits a clothesline, but Warlord kicks out with power. Tito ducks a clothesline and hits the flying forearms, but Warlord gets his foot on the rope. Well, that counts as protecting his finish I guess. Warlord blocks a monkey flip in the corner and hits a powerslam for the pin at 5:27. There was a vocal pop for that win as Philly is a heel leaning city.
Winner: Warlord via pin at 5:27
-Poor Tito! *
-Survivor Series commercial!
-Mooney is backstage with the Demolition Trio and they still won’t reveal which two are going to defend the Tag Titles tonight. Mooney mentions the Legion of Doom and we get a wink wink moment with Crush calling them second rate imposters. Nice!
WWF Tag Team Championship: 2 out of 3 Falls: Demolition (c) vs. The Hart Foundation
-Only two members of Demolition are allowed at ringside, so it’s Crush and Ax. Not shocking as Smash has been battling injuries and is the reason why Crush was brought into the group. Bret Hart quotes Phil Collins in The Foundation’s prematch promo with Gene. Bret and Smash start us out for a brief second until Crush and Anvil hit the ring as well. The Foundation hits a double back elbow and then Bret gets a roll-up for two. He catches Smash with an arm-drag as Vince goes on about how difficult it is to tell Demolition apart and especially Ax and Smash. What is he going on about? Bret works the arm as he drops a leg. Smash gets a slam and makes the tag to Crush. NWO EXPLODES! Crush catches Bret trying a cross-body and slams him down. Bret avoids a charge and gets a roll-up. Both men tag out and Anvil starts slugging away. He runs Smash down, but gets caught with a boot to the back of the head from Crush on the apron. Now Smash smashes Anvil to the mat and tags Crush. He charges and gets run down with a clothesline. Tag again to both partner and Bret wins a strike exchange. Clothesline to Smash and a dropkick to Crush. Bret gets mounted punches in the corner and then jumps on Smash. Bret with an atomic drop and then he sends Crush into Smash. Side Russian Leg Sweep on Smash gets two and the crowd is pissed as they thought it was three. Bret comes off the middle ropes, but Crush drops a leg to break the fall. Anvil got taken out on the floor and Bret is left alone. The Demolition Decapitation gets the pin and first fall at 6:20. Demolition up 1-0.
-The bell sounds to start fall two at 6:50. Chokeslam from Crush! Smash in and he gets two off a belly to back suplex. Crush back in as they cut the ring in half. Crush hooks a chinlock and the crowd gets into it as they try to rally Bret. Smash back in and he misses a clothesline which lets Bret get one. That leaves both men down and the crowd is BEGGING Bret to get to the corner. The ref kicks Crush away from holding onto Smash who has Bret and that lets Bret get the HOT TAG. Anvil runs wild and plants Smash with a power slam for two. This crowd is buying every near fall for the Harts. Anvil gets a shoulder in the corner and a Hart Attack looks to get the win, but Crush jumps on the ref and that’s a DQ at 10:38. We are tied at 1.
-The bell sounds for the third fall at 10:56. Bret got decked before the bell and is out on the floor. Ax runs down and I am sure we will play off what Vince said earlier about Ax and Smash being impossible to tell apart. For whatever reason we get another bell at 11:50. Bret gets a sunset flip back in the ring for two and then drops an elbow. He lands a stomp to the gut and brings Anvil into the ring without a tag. Anvil gets a shoulder block and then slams Bret onto Smash for a two count. Smash rolls to the floor and switches with Ax. This is pretty stupid. I mean the crowd is pissed so that works, but you have to really stretch to think the ref is this dumb. Though it is Hebnar and maybe he always had issues with Bret. Ax gets two off a Side Russian Leg Sweep and sends Bret chest first into the corner. Always a cool spot with Bret. Anvil breaks up the pin attempt and Crush is in without a tag. Anvil breaks up the pin again and now everyone starts brawling. Bret gets double teamed on the floor as Crush sends Anvil to the floor. ROAD WARRIOR POP! The Legion of Doom are out and the crowd is going crazy. Anvil comes back in with a sling shot shoulder and Bret gets a roll-up for the pin at 15:49 on Crush as Smash and Ax are yelling at the LOD.
Winners and New WWF Tag Team Champions: The Hart Foundation 2 Falls to 1 at 15:49
-Weird match with a super hot crowd. After being annoyed at first, the crowd just seemed confused by Ax being in the match. That really made no sense considering he was in there for a few minutes. It’s one thing to switch places and get in a few shots before changing, but this was ridiculous. The result was the right call though and it made for a memorable title change. ***
-WrestleMania VII commercial!
-Gene is backstage with The Legion of Doom and then The Hart Foundation show up to celebrate. Weird to see LOD here after reviewing all their matches in the NWA.
-Mooney is backstage outside the door of Demolition’s dressing room, and they are arguing.
-Gene is with Queen Sherri and she gloats about her forfeit win.
-Intermission. Yes, I am old enough to remember when they had intermissions on these shows.
-Boss Man is with Gene and he is the special ref for Jake and Bad News.
-Mooney interviews Duggan and Volkoff.
-Back to Gene with Earthquake, Jimmy Hart, and Dino Bravo. Biggest match of Quake’s career coming up later. We see Quake destroying Hogan on The Brother Love Show. Hogan makes his return tonight.
-The interviews continue as Mooney is with Jake Roberts. It’s snakes vs. sewer rats! Creepy interview as Damian’s tail gets around Jake’s eye and mouth.
Bad News Brown vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
-As noted, The Big Boss Man is the special ref! Brown jumps Jake as Boss Man is still making his entrance. Brown misses a charge in the corner and Jake immediately goes for the DDT, but Brown slides out to the floor. Back in the ring, Brown goes to the eyes and gets a hip-toss. Jake sells the back like death as Brown drops a leg. He tries a pin with one foot, but he’s no Paul Roma and Jake is out at two. Brown argues with the Boss Man and that lets Jake regroup and he looks for the DDT again, but Brown slides to the floor. They start brawling on the floor and Brown uses a chair which should be a DQ, but Boss Man is going to see how this one plays out. Brown sends Jake from one corner to another and Jake tells him to stick it as he falls to the mat. Another trip to the corner to continue the work on the back and Brown gets a clothesline. Brown to the middle ropes and he misses a fist drop. Brown sets too early on a backdrop and Jake delivers a knee. He fires off some jabs and gets a short arm clothesline. The crowd really wants to see a DDT. Brown backdrops out to counter and uses a chair on the floor and now Boss Man has no choice but to call for the bell at 4:44.
Winner: Jake “The Snake” Roberts via DQ at 4:44
-Kind of slow and plodding and the finish sucked. *
Brown tries to legdrop Damian after the match, but Boss Man makes the save. Brown decks Boss Man from behind and now Jake uses Damian to make the save. I always feel it’s a rib on the crowd to have Jake win a match without seeing the DDT.
-WrestleMania VII! LA COLISEUM! 100,000 PEOPLE! Would Vince McMahon lie to you?
-Gene is backstage with a pissed off Demolition. They complain about the LOD giving The Harts a numbers advantage. Funny!
-We get a special edition of The Brother Love Show. He brings out a freshly heel turned Sgt. Slaughter. He wasn’t an Iraqi sympathize yet, but we’ll get there. Instead, he is just raging on American becoming weak and soft. He presents Brother Love with a oversized medal for being a Great American. That’s a way to make sure the fans know you are a heel now. Piper tells Slaughter if he doesn’t like American, Iraq is in search of some men. So we can blame Piper!
-Mooney is backstage with The Orient Express and Mr. Fuji.
-We go to Gene, who has breaking news. Sapphire is here, but she’s not talking. Gene is just happy that she is safe.
The Orient Express (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Nikolai Volkoff
-Nikolai as a babyface is just weird! Duggan and Volkoff lead the crowd in singing God Bless America! The Express attack from behind, but things don’t go well for them. Stereo Atomic Drops and clotheslines send both men to the floor. We start proper with Volkoff throwing Tanaka all over the ring. Volkoff misses a clothesline, but catches Tanaka trying a cross-body. Saito comes off the top to break that up and even Fuji gets in a shot with the cane. Superkick from Saito as the crowd chants “USA.” Tanaka misses a dive and the tag is made to Duggan. He runs wild with right hands. He ducks a double clothesline and runs down both members of The Express. Duggan goes crazy with right hands and clotheslines. All four men in the ring and The Express get run into each other. Duggan hits the running shoulder tackle for the pin at 3:21.
Winners: “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Nikolai Volkoff via pin at 3:21
-Well, it was short at least and the crowd enjoyed it. *
-Survivor Series: Nov 22! Only on PPV!
-Dusty Rhodes is trying to get Sapphire to answer the door, but nothing happening. He opts to go to the ring alone and will come back for Sapphire.
-Funny stuff as Macho King makes Mooney stand on a step ladder to interview him as he is sitting on his throne. That’s our Macho King!
Dusty Rhodes vs. “Macho King” Randy Savage (w/ Sensational Queen Sherri)
-I will mention it again: DUSTY’S THEME IS A BANGER! I am trying to see if any of the geeks carrying Savage’s throne ended up being someone of note, but I don’t see anyone familiar.
-Ted Dibiase is here and tells Dusty everyone has a price. We get the payoff of who has been buying Sapphire gifts as Ted brings her out as his new acquisition. She comes out in a mink coat, wearing diamonds, and has a bag full of cash. Ted has a point as he notes Sapphire only did what everyone else would do.
-Dusty tries to head back to Dibiase, but Savage attacks from behind. Savage off the top with a double axe and then he chokes Dusty. Sherri gets in a few shots and uses her knee to choke. Savage and Sherri are fantastic together! Savage fires off right hands and goes to the eyes. Dusty starts a comeback with right hands and then a double punch. The elbows start flying and he hits the Dusty dropkick. Savage puts Sherri in the way on the floor as Piper yells that he would nail her. Sherri slips Savage her purse before getting in the ring. Dusty goes after Sherry and Savage decks him with the loaded purse for the pin at 2:15.
Winner: “Macho King” Randy Savage via pin at 2:15
-This was more about the Ted/Dusty story which is a shame because Macho King is awesome. They could have at least given us a Savage flying elbow. *
-Mooney is backstage to see Sapphire leaving with Dibiase in a limo. Ted cuts a promo before getting in the car and Dusty is just a tad too late.
Earthquake (w/ Dino Bravo and Jimmy Hart) vs. Hulk Hogan (w/ The Big Boss Man)
-The crowd is primed for this one as they hit GOLD with this feud and Vince made all the money. Tugboat was supposed to be in Hogan’s corner, but Earthquake took him out, so Boss Man steps up to help his long time friend. You know, the one that helped The Mega Powers explode, beat him with a night stick, and had an epic Cage Match with. The crowd really, really loves seeing Hogan back in the ring. How is Warrior supposed to follow this? The first wrestling show I ever attended was in Feb of 91 and was headlined by Hogan/Earthquake in a stretcher match, so this feud clearly had legs.. This crowd is just losing their minds over Hogan, and I’m shocked Vince didn’t call an audible and have Hogan win the Title back later in the show. Lockup to start and Hogan pushes Quake back, but he barely moves and yells at Hogan. Another go and Quake shoves Hogan on his ass and then again. Many many boos from the crowd! Vince thinks Hogan slimmed down in weight for this match. Vince’s subtle way of saying get back on the gas? Hogan gets knocked down by a shoulder, so he hits the floor to regroup. Back in he goes to the eyes like any hero would and tries a slam, but he can’t even lift Quake. Hogan gets sent to the corner and bounces out before falling at Quake’s feet. Another whip to the corner, but Hogan gets a boot up to block a charge. Hogan hits a clothesline but Quake is still standing. Right hands, but he won’t go down. Jimmy Hart and Bravo get on the apron and get decked. Quake finally gets knocked down as he falls on his ass. The crowd explodes as Hogan poses while Quake regroups on the floor. Hogan and Boss Man attack Bravo and Quake. Probably should have been a DQ as Boss Man hit Quake. Back in the ring double boot to Bravo and one to Quake as well. Piper is wondering why no DQ as well. As the ref is getting Boss Man out, Quake and Bravo hit a double slam and really it’s only fair. Quake drops an elbow for two. Quake comes OFF THE TOP WITH A CLUBBING FOREARM TO THE BACK. The screams of horror from the crowd as Quake went up top was something else. Too bad Quake didn’t know of a TSUNAMI! Hogan is out at two, so Quake goes to a Boston Crab. Hogan gets to the ropes to break and Bravo delivers a slam on the floor. Quake gets a slam in the ring, but misses an elbow. The crowd is losing it again as Hogan makes a comeback. He tries for the slam again, and gets Quake up, but still too much and he falls back for a two count. Loud gasp from the crowd as Quake fell back on him. Bear hug because it’s not a Hogan vs. Monster Match without a bear hug. Hogan rips the ref’s shirt trying to get himself free. Hogan fires away with punches to break out. He tries a shoulder and that doesn’t do much. Another has more success! Hogan tries a CROSS-BODY and gets caught. Piper: “Brilliant!” Powerslam from Quaker gets two as he covered with a foot on the chest. QUAKE SPLASH as Vince is declaring Hogan’s career dead! Hogan is in awesome sell mode as he quivers on the mat. ANOTHER QUAKE SPLASH! HOGAN IS OUT AT TWO AND IS HULKING UP! THE CROWD ERUPTS! Hogan shakes off the punches and starts firing away with right hands. BIG BOOT but Quake is still up. BODY SLAM AND LEG DROP! Bravo has the ref as Jimmy Hart jumps on Hogan. Jimmy gets tossed onto Quake and Boss Man sends Bravo to the floor. Everyone starts hitting everyone on the floor as the ref starts his count. Hart accidentally hits Quake with the megaphone. Hogan SLAMS QUAKE ON A TABLE and beats the count to get the win at 13:11.
Winner: Hulk Hogan via pin at 13:11
-As I mentioned they ran this feud for months after this match and it explains why Hogan didn’t get a pin. They all knew there was a ton of money to be made. Hogan gets the win to pop the crowd and Quake still looks like a monster. This was Hogan vs. Monster formula but it had amazing heat because Quake looked like a killer. They crowd was buying everything they did and it made for an enjoyable match. I enjoy this match more each time I see it. ***
-Quake lifts Hogan off the mat with a choke and Boss Man LIGHTS HIM UP WITH A STEP LADDER. Quake’s back immediately has welts and is bleeding. That was gnarly! No clue what they decided to use that, but man that had to suck for Quake.
-Hogan celebrates with Boss Man and poses and again, HOW WAS WARRIOR SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THIS?
-Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan are backstage with Mooney. Rude references Rocky and explains that was Hollywood and this is reality. Make your own CM Punk/Rocky joke. Rude says he has the advantage in the Steel Cage.
-Dusty Rhodes gets interviewed by Gene as we kill time for them to set up the cage. Not sure why it took WWF so long to realize it was easier to build the cage and hang it from the ceiling. For whatever reason, this Dusty promo has been etched in my memory. “When you going to get bad, Big Dust? When you going to get mad, Big Dust?” That was great!
-More stalling as Lord Alfred Hayes talks about the crew trying to beat their record of 8 minutes and 20 seconds to set up the cage. I am a wrestling geek so I kind of like seeing how the cage is put together. I love the old school blue bar cage and my son got one last year for Christmas. Of course, I was more excited about it than he was.
-Gene interviews Hogan backstage as he talks about all the new buildings being Earthquake proof. Hogan is going to beat Quake all over the country until he is #1 contender again. That’s pretty much what happened! Hogan debuts the 4th demandment: believe in yourself. Again, HOW WAS WARRIOR SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THIS?
-Quake is not finished with Hogan yet as the war just begun. He is also coming for Boss Man!
-Hey, here’s our WWF Champion, The Ultimate Warrior. He makes a joke about Heenan being a Ding Dong and grunts and snorts a lot. Gene brings up that Rude has beaten Warrior in the past. True, but Warrior got that win back a year ago at SummerSlam 89. Not a fan of Warrior’s teal strap on the WWF Belt.
WWF Championship: Steel Cage Match: The Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude (w/ Bobby “The Brain” Heenan)
-Rude’s insult: “Fat, out of shape, Pennsylvania piss-ants.” Don’t lump us from the Western side in with those from Philly and out East. Warrior gets a solid reaction as his music hits thankfully. Warrior runs around the cage about a half a dozen times and now I worry he will be sucking wind 30 seconds into this one. They fight one the cage immediately as Warrior climbs up and Rude meets him. Rude gets knocked off the cage and Warrior comes off the top with a right hand. Rude gets tossed into the cage as Piper notes the bands on Warrior’s arms are the dumbest things he has ever seen. Rude gets fired back into the cage again and then again. Warrior charges and misses which sends him crashing into the cage. Rude starts to climb and the crowd freaks out which again is a good sign. Warrior is able to grab a leg, but gets kicked away. Rude comes off the top with a forearm to the back. Rude is bleeding apparently though we haven’t had a close up shot. Warrior get sent into the cage and then eats a series of right hands. Yep, Rude is bleeding right down the middle of his forehead. Warrior gets fired back into the cage as they are certainly making use of it. They start trading blows and Rude takes the face to regain control. He rubs Warrior’s face against one of the bars. Warrior breaks the hands as Rude tried for the Rude Awakening. Clothesline from Warrior, but Rude gets his knees up to block a splash. Now he connects with The Rude Awakening and it draws a small pop. Rude opts to climb up top and COMES OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE WITH A RIGHT HAND. I had Randy Savage flash backs when he blew out his knee at Havoc 97. Rude up again, but Warrior catches him coming down with a right hand to the gut. Warrior crawls for the door and Heenan slams it on his head. Rude crawls over for the pin, but Warrior kicks out at two. They end up colliding in the middle of the ring and both men are down. Rude crawls to the door and Heenan tries to pull him out, but Warrior grabs the ankle and then the tights which gives us a shot of Rude’s ass. Heenan gets pulled into the ring as well and he bumps like a mad man off a right hand and then an atomic drop sends him back through the cage door. Clothesline from Rude! Warrior starts shaking the ropes and he can’t feel anything. He drops Rude with a clothesline and then another and then another. Gorilla Press Drop! Warrior makes the climb and he is over the top and after a hip swivel, hits the floor for the win at 10:02.
Winner: The Ultimate Warrior via pin 10:02
-Their match the previous year was worlds better, but this was solid. They made use of the cage and sold it like it was a grueling match. The crowd was into Warrior but this wasn’t the follow up feud he needed after beating Hogan. **3/4
-Thanks for reading!
