WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel appeared on Right After Wrestling with Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
What was the initial plan for SummerSlam in 1988: “To the best of my recollection, SummerSlam came around 1988 and then the Royal Rumble came in soon after. It was always the second biggest event we were going to produce. The WWE worked on producing pay-per-views from the ’80′s through the ’90′s until now. When we first started with WrestleMania, pay-per-view was just at the cusp of its origin. And we needed something else that would whet the appetite of the consumer after WrestleMania and that’s where SummerSlam came into play.”
The Fink’s favorite SummerSlam moments: “As far as my favorite match at SummerSlam that would have to be SummerSlam ’91 where Bret Hart faced Mr. Perfect. Not only was it one of the best matches in SummerSlam history or in Madison Square Garden in NYC, but it was truly one of the greatest matches off all time.”
Being a veteran in WWE, how he feels about the ’4th wall’ being broken down with this CM Punk angle: “I wasn’t initially comfortable with it but it’s cutting edge. I had mixed emotions to it. Some people have had their jaws drop over the past previous weeks. So although I had mixed emotions about it, I’m actually digging the hell out of it now!”
Other Interview Topics
- How the WWE product is now changing, with focus on the Divas and the tag-team division.
- His memories of the ‘biggest’ SummerSlam in history – 1992 in front of 80,000 fans in England – and if he was nervous.
What was the initial plan for SummerSlam in 1988: “To the best of my recollection, SummerSlam came around 1988 and then the Royal Rumble came in soon after. It was always the second biggest event we were going to produce. The WWE worked on producing pay-per-views from the ’80′s through the ’90′s until now. When we first started with WrestleMania, pay-per-view was just at the cusp of its origin. And we needed something else that would whet the appetite of the consumer after WrestleMania and that’s where SummerSlam came into play.”
The Fink’s favorite SummerSlam moments: “As far as my favorite match at SummerSlam that would have to be SummerSlam ’91 where Bret Hart faced Mr. Perfect. Not only was it one of the best matches in SummerSlam history or in Madison Square Garden in NYC, but it was truly one of the greatest matches off all time.”
Being a veteran in WWE, how he feels about the ’4th wall’ being broken down with this CM Punk angle: “I wasn’t initially comfortable with it but it’s cutting edge. I had mixed emotions to it. Some people have had their jaws drop over the past previous weeks. So although I had mixed emotions about it, I’m actually digging the hell out of it now!”
Other Interview Topics
- How the WWE product is now changing, with focus on the Divas and the tag-team division.
- His memories of the ‘biggest’ SummerSlam in history – 1992 in front of 80,000 fans in England – and if he was nervous.