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The 411 Wrestling Top 5 08.03.11: Week 135 – Top Summerslam Matches

August 3, 2011 | Posted by Larry Csonka

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. Most of our topics will be based on recent events in the Wrestling World, looking at those events that make us think of times past.

So, on to this week’s topic…

TOP SUMMERSLAM MATCHES!

SHAWN S. LEALOS
I don’t do honorable mentions…

5. Honky Tonk Man vs. Ultimate Warrior (1988, IC Title) – This match was nothing special but it proved to be the culmination of a long built hatred the fans had towards Honky. After winning the title, Honky Tonk Man never seemed to win a match cleanly, cheated to win or just chickened out and took a DQ or count-out loss to keep his title. The guy is considered one of the greatest IC champs ever now but, as someone who watched at the time, he sucked so bad during his reign. That made Warrior’s 30 second victory to take the title mean so much more to fans that hated Honky’s guts and wanted him to lose the title to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

4. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (1994, Steel Cage) – Wrestlemania or Summerslam? The question about which match between Owen and Bret was better may rage on forever but both were clinics in how to put on an entertaining match. I think I prefer the Wrestlemania match because Owen went over clean. Plus, I hated the ending here with Owen’s foot getting caught, helping Bret win. It is creative, I just don’t dig the finish. However, the match was amazing and proved that Bret and Owen could do just about anything they wanted while in the ring together.

3. Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig (1991) – This match was amazing and, knowing what was going on behind the scenes, it is even better. The match itself, on the surface, pitted two of the greatest technical wrestlers in the world against each other. Well, they both delivered and the match was incredible. However, Curt Henning came into the match with a bad back, one that would eventually force his retirement, and you would not have known by watching him sell for Bret. I think Shawn Michaels might have learned something by watching Curt wrestle in matches like this because Shawn did the same thing a decade later.

2. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (1992, IC Title) – This match is great for one major reason: the atmosphere. The fact this was in Wembley, where the British Bulldog was an icon and Bret Hart was beloved as well, made the crowd electric for the match. With the crowd on fire, it made this match seem even more special and Bret and Davey made sure to put on the best possible wrestling clinic they could. Everything seemed to click in this match and it proved that making the IC Title match the main event instead of the World Championship bout between Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior was the right decision. The fact Davey Boy won in the best match of his career made the match’s conclusion even better.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (1995, Ladder Match) – I mentioned earlier the Wrestlemania vs. Summerslam question involving Owen and Bret Hart. Well, that goes double for Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramone’s ladder matches. Sure, the Wrestlemania ladder match is the more famous match but I believe this rematch is even better. In their first ladder match, the two just improvised everything and made history with things never seen before. However, with that experience, the two used what worked and tweaked what didn’t and competed in a match that remains one of the best ladder matches of all time.

Colin Rinehart
Summerslam 1991: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect: I debated putting the Rock/Triple H ladder match from SS98 here, but you can’t have a “Best matches of Summerslam” list without including the classic Bret/Perfect IC title match from 1991. Another match that might almost seem tame by today’s standards, but at the time this was explosive technical wrestling at a crazy pace, and people never forgot it.
Summerslam 2009: CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy (TLC Match): The culmination of an excellently built summer-long feud that managed to actually deliver on the high expectations for it. Jeff, love or hate him, also definitely went out of the WWE with quite a “bang” and his swanton spot to the commentary table in this is still a scary spot to even watch, let alone do.
Summerslam 1994: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Cage Match): Personally I’ve always felt that Meltzer had it backwards when he gave their WMX match ****3/4 and this cage match *****, but that doesn’t mean this match still isn’t legendary, and for good reason. Without a doubt the best “technical” match that has ever taken place in the confines of a WWF steel cage, and the finish is Southern-styled booking at it’s best.

5. Summerslam 1992: Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith – Often one of the most fondly remembered of all Summerslam matches, for many years a lot of people considered this to not only be the best Summerslam match ever, but maybe the best match in WWF history. It still holds up as an all time classic to this day, but there are a few matches I’d rank slightly above it so it only manages to clock in at number five for me, shockingly.

4. Summerslam 2001: Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle – This is a match that much like the famed HBK/Mankind match at Mind Games 96 is the kind of match that if it wasn’t for the DQ finish, this would be a five star match. These two had a lot of very good matches, but their first major one here was their best and this was absolutely the peak of Austin’s abilities as the heel leader of the Invasion that summer. Angle’s performance here may just be one of his greatest ever as he bleeds buckets and still tosses Austin around the arena with crazy suplexes and submission attempts. Just a classic encounter and I had to stick it in this list.

3. Summerslam 2002: Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H (Street Fight) – Possibly the greatest “return” match of all time here as Shawn Michaels finally returned to the world of wrestling after nearly five years and not only delivered a good match, but a classic battle that will certainly be remembered for many years. Still the absolute best match these two have ever had against each other, no question about it.

2. Summerslam 1995: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Ladder) – Can you tell I’m a fan of a well done gimmick match yet? For many years there has been a small but vocal minority of wrestling fans who have claimed that the second ladder match between these two was actually better than their first, and I happen to agree. This took all of the danger of the first match and really escalated it as they started using the ladder for more complex spots than just jumping off it/hitting each other with it. A classic match from an otherwise forgettable show.

1. Summerslam 2000: Edge/Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz (Tables, Ladders, & Chairs) – Nothing has ever come close to the level of controlled mayhem and chaos that this match managed to fit into only fourteen minutes. Every spot made sense, it escalated perfectly, and this blew everyone away like nothing since the very first ladder match in MSG at the time. To a new wrestling fan it might seem by-the-numbers because of the hundreds of times the WWE has tried to recreate the success of these matches, but at the time this was like Foley’s toss off the cell and the first ladder match combined in it’s impact.

Greg DeMarco
HM: John Cena vs. Batista (2008, First Time Ever Match-Up)
HM: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (1994, Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship)
HM: Steve Austin vs. Undertaker (1998, WWF Championship)
HM: Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog (1994, Intercontinental Championship)

4. Edge vs. The Undertaker (2008, Hell in the Cell) – SummerSlam 2008 featured two main events, neither of which involved a world title. Edge and Undertaker took the final spot on this card, and delivered a Hell in the Cell match that provided many memorable moments. Two of my favorite included Edge’s spear across three tables, and Edge spearing ‘Taker through the cell. Thanks to the PG era and the Hell in the Cell becoming a concept PPV, this is often called the last great “Hell in the Cell” match.

4. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (1995, Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship) – While they didn’t invent the ladder match, these two made it popular amongst mainstream US fans. Their WrestleMania clash was a history making event that will never be forgotten. But personally… I like this one better. They had the goal of topping what was done at WM10, and they did just that.

3. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect (1991, Intercontinental Championship) – I wish Perfect’s condition would have allowed for a high profile rematch when Bret was world champ, but it could have been just as amazing. You’ve got two ring generals who know how tell a story that engages a crowd of 20,000. The right person went over as Bret earned his first WWE singles championship and launched one of the all-time great singles careers.

2. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (2002, Unsanctioned Street Fight) – When Michaels came back, no one knew what HBK we’d get. This match proved he was back. Shawn would go on to put on more great matches, including more with HHH. Trips deserves a ton of credit for the storytelling in this match as well, and whoever had the idea of HBK taking a sledgehammer to the back is just insane.

1. The Rock vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (1998, Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship) – This is my favorite ladder match to date. A great story told throughout this entire match and this great feud. Both men would go on to be multi-time world champions and two of the Top 10 of all time (according to our staff, anyways). We saw that in the making here. The visuals provided by Madison Square Garden helped as well (especially The Rock‘s entrance).

Ryan Byers
HM: Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock (2002)
HM: Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle (2001)
HM: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Ladder Match, 1995)

5. Triple H vs. The Rock (Ladder Match, 1998) – As with the Brock Lensar vs. Rock match mentioned above, this bout is just as memorable for who it elevated as it is for the action that occurred between the bells. Before meeting each other here, Rocky and Trips were midcarders with popular gimmicks, though the jury was still out on whether they were ever going to push their way in to the main event. Once the smoke cleared, it was patently obvious that they were two names to watch, and it was just as obvious that they were going to have many more run ins with one another as they continued to work their way up the card.

4. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (2002) – Are matches that are “unsanctioned” by WWE still eligible for Top 5 consideration? Hopefully they are, because these two guys went in to the ring after Shawn Michaels had been out of wrestling for over four years and absolutely tore down the house. This match was an example of a rare phenomenon in which a relatively modern, smarky crowd was convinced by the wrestlers that they should be legitimately concerned for the well being of one of the competitors. HHH and Shawn told a story so compelling that every shot Michaels took to his injured back elicited a reaction from the audience as though it was going to put him on the shelf for ANOTHER four years. It was a thing of beauty and the perfect way to set up an HBKomeback.

3. Davey Boy Smith vs. Bret Hart (1992) – If you believe the story that Bret Hart has told about this match in many interviews, the Bulldog “blew up” very early in the bout, and the contest that we saw largely consisted of the Excellence of Execution walking his opponent through motions. If true, that makes the match a thousand times more impressive than it appears watching the battle without the backstory. One man essentially wrestling himself for twenty-five minutes is incredible. One man wrestling himself for twenty-five minutes and putting on a match of this caliber is nothing short of miraculous and is a testament to just how great the Hitman was. Combine that with a red-hot live crowd that just happened to be the largest in the history of WWE, and you’ve got an instant classic.

2. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect (1991) – I admit that there is a lot of nostalgia involved in my ranking this match so highly. This is the first match from my childhood that I remember watching and thinking, “Holy cow, that was a great match!” as opposed to watching a match and caring more about who won and lost than I did about the performance. The performances of Hart and Hennig in this one lead to something clicking in my young head that caused me to look at wrestling in a way that I had not previously. The performances also have remained indelibly etched in my memory to the point that I still get excited when thinking about it, even though I have not actually watched the match for several years now.

1. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Cage Match, 1994) – Jesus, looking at my top three, you may as well dub Bret Hart “Mr. Summerslam.” The Best Their Is, the Best Their Was, and the Best Their Ever Will Be also had the best string of matches at this pay per view that could be imagined. The capper of it all was his main event cage match against brother Owen, who was the only man in the WWF in 1994 who was rivaling the Hitman and Shawn Michaels as the company’s best in-ring performer. The brothers Hart built a beautiful match around the WWF blue bars and “escape” rules for cage matches, which normally drive me crazy, as they are the inferior variety of cage match. Instead of just having a five star match inside of the cage, the brothers had a five star match that integrated the cage and made it a vital part of what they were doing. That’s the mark of a truly classic gimmick match, right there.

Larry Csonka
Some additions I wanted to mention, in no particular order.

Summerslam 1988: The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. The British Bulldogs – The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. The British Bulldogs is one of my favorite Summerslam matches, even though it isn’t really a “classic.” This was 20-minutes of good wrestling at a time that the WWE liked tag teams. While at this time Dynamite Kid was already slowed due to injuries, they had a good match that helped the Rougeau Brothers, who just turned heel. If this happened in 2011, they would have turned heel and then jobbed on the PPV clean. Instead, they have a fun 20-minute opener for this event, and do the big tease ending where the Bulldogs get the finish, but there is no time to count. This was simply good stuff right here.

Summerslam 1989: The Brain Busters vs. The Hart Foundation – While 1988 delivered a good opener, 1989 raised the bar to a new level. The Brain Busters vs. The Hart Foundation was the opener, and if you know anything about these two teams, you knew that they could FLAT OUT GO. Anderson and Blanchard were an awesome team in the NWA, and when they came to the WWF, even though they were not the typical WWE tag team, they did some tremendous work while there. This was bliss for 16-minutes, and an easy ****½ match. A truly sexy way to kick off the 1989 version of the show.

Summerslam 1990: The Hart Foundation vs. Demolition -The Hart Foundation vs. Demolition is easily the best thing on the show, a good tag team match that showcased the two teams, and got some time. The match saw Demolition getting a taste of their own medicine after months of cheap heel tactics. The big problem here is that the Anvil was supposed to get fired, so the logical thing to do would have been to take the tag titles directly to the Rockers. Anyway, good match, and again, far and away the best thing on the show.

YOUR TURN KNOW IT ALLS
List your Top Five for this week’s topic on the comment section using the following format:

5. CHOICE: Explanation
4. CHOICE: Explanation
3. CHOICE: Explanation
2. CHOICE: Explanation
1. CHOICE: Explanation

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