In the run up to this year's Summerslam I will be reviewing a number of the events from over the years.
First things first and with Jesse Ventura as the guest ref for the main event, Super Star Billy Graham takes his place on commentary and for most of the time is bloody awful:ARN:
The British Bulldogs VS. The Fabulous Rougeaus
A tag team gem which sadly has been lost in the suffle. The Rougeaus are not just one of the coolest teams style wise and wrestling wise, but the way they were introduced as guys who were so-called pro Americans but who were then slowly showed to be phonies was really before its time. The Bulldogs were the perfect face team without having to resort to cheesy tactics. This opener had an international flair to it, and the two teams go back and fourth for something like twenty minutes, Raymond takes well hell of a beating for the first five minutes, but keeps going and comes back strong, Dynamite also sells like crazy. The Rougeaus abdominal stretch is a thing of beauty, they match the Bulldogs for mat wrestling and double team tactics, but the power moves and team work of the Bulldogs come back strong also. The time limit draw comes out of the no where (it is good the announcers don't sell it, its more of a surprise that way) and for me it is a correct the result as it keeps the heat on the Rougeaus and its not like the Bulldogs needed the win anyway. What a start to the summer series, can they follow that one!? I don't know...
****
Ken Patera VS. Bad News Brown
Brown is a underrated brawler, whereas Patera is a very stiff muscle guy whose all-American gimmick was very bland. When Bad News was on top this match was not too bad, the rest of the time it was a bit ugly. And one move I don't really miss from this period is the bearhug as seen in this match. Overall this felt more like a Television match than something which should be on PPV.
**
Ravishing Rick Rude VS. The Junkyard Dog
Rude wasn't at the peak of his powers here but was very watchable none the less. JYD was another Dusty, the guy didn't have the look of a great wrestler or the skills in the ring, but did have a lot of flash and a good character to get the crowd behind him. And it is the crowd heat which kept this match interesting. The action itself starts of ok and then goes down hill a bit. Rude got the DQ win after he reveals a pair of tights with Jake the Snakes wife on and Roberts comes out and nails Rude.
**1/2
The Bolsheviks VS. The Powers of Pain
A total total stinker!
*
We then got an edition of the Brother Love show with the guest being Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Love claims that Hacksaw is a man without love, and that Dino Bravo is a man who loves his country unlike Hacksaw. Duggan replies that the people of Canada do not respect Bravo and tells Love not to question his loyalty to America, before calling him a big phoney and chasing him from the ring with a two by four. The highlight here was Love miss-pronouncing Duggan.
Intercontinental Championship
The Honky Tonk Man (c) VS. The Ultimate Warrior (replacing Brutus Beefcake)
And this is over in seconds. We are told early on in the show that Beefcake will not challenge Honky for the title after sustaining a injury at the hands of Ron Bass, but that there will be a replacement, however Honky seems unconcerned and tells Mean Gene that he doesn't even want to know. So come match time Honky heels it up nicely, there is a delay, Warrior's music hits, the Garden goes nuts and Warrior runs through Honky in less than a minute with a shoulder tackle and big splash off for the win and the title, the Garden goes even more nuts and Honky gets a nice pay day. No rating for the match itself, but this is one of best squash jobs in history and for once it being on PPV doesn't matter.
Don Muraco VS. Dino Bravo
Awful match, very slow, very awkward, lots of blown moves and Muraco here makes 2003 Scott Steiner look athletic.
*
At this point we get a break a lot of which is killed with an interview with Boxer Sugar Ray who has a big fight coming up co-promoted by Vince and the WWF, the next WWF event Survivor series gets yet another mention.
WWF Tag Team Championship
The Hart Foundation VS. Demolition (c)
This is a solid tag match which gets better as it moves along, but is not as good as the match between the teams two years later. The contrast in styles always worked well and the add on of Jimmy Hart (ex-manager of the Harts) in Demolition corner spices things up a bit.
***
The Big Boss Man VS. Koko B. Ware
Bit of a nothing match this, very little interesting happens and Boss Man hadn't yet become a great talent he would in the next few years.
**
Hercules VS. Jake "the Snake" The Roberts
Passible match, the two trade some nice brawling, and the match has decent shape to it, but does drag a little too much at times.
**1/2
The Mega Powers (Macho Man & Hulk Hogan) VS. The Mega Bucks (Ted Dibiase & Andre the Giant
A satisfying main event, given the limitations of Hogan and Andre. The match is very nicely pace, the big moves are timed to perfection and they have the crowd eating out of their hands. Nice twist in the tail with Elizabeth being the secret weapon. Line of the night by Graham "What a move by Elizabeth"
***
Match of the Night: The British Bulldogs VS. The Fabulous Rougeaus
Worse match of the Night: The Bolsheviks VS. The Powers of Pain
Verdict: The event was close to three hours yet felt closer to five! Ten matches was at least three too many and there were too many short/filler type bouts with not much behind them. It is shows like this which prove just how the standard has improved over the years, but I would say it is just about worth it for the opener, HTM's job, tag titles and main event.
First things first and with Jesse Ventura as the guest ref for the main event, Super Star Billy Graham takes his place on commentary and for most of the time is bloody awful:ARN:
The British Bulldogs VS. The Fabulous Rougeaus
A tag team gem which sadly has been lost in the suffle. The Rougeaus are not just one of the coolest teams style wise and wrestling wise, but the way they were introduced as guys who were so-called pro Americans but who were then slowly showed to be phonies was really before its time. The Bulldogs were the perfect face team without having to resort to cheesy tactics. This opener had an international flair to it, and the two teams go back and fourth for something like twenty minutes, Raymond takes well hell of a beating for the first five minutes, but keeps going and comes back strong, Dynamite also sells like crazy. The Rougeaus abdominal stretch is a thing of beauty, they match the Bulldogs for mat wrestling and double team tactics, but the power moves and team work of the Bulldogs come back strong also. The time limit draw comes out of the no where (it is good the announcers don't sell it, its more of a surprise that way) and for me it is a correct the result as it keeps the heat on the Rougeaus and its not like the Bulldogs needed the win anyway. What a start to the summer series, can they follow that one!? I don't know...
****
Ken Patera VS. Bad News Brown
Brown is a underrated brawler, whereas Patera is a very stiff muscle guy whose all-American gimmick was very bland. When Bad News was on top this match was not too bad, the rest of the time it was a bit ugly. And one move I don't really miss from this period is the bearhug as seen in this match. Overall this felt more like a Television match than something which should be on PPV.
**
Ravishing Rick Rude VS. The Junkyard Dog
Rude wasn't at the peak of his powers here but was very watchable none the less. JYD was another Dusty, the guy didn't have the look of a great wrestler or the skills in the ring, but did have a lot of flash and a good character to get the crowd behind him. And it is the crowd heat which kept this match interesting. The action itself starts of ok and then goes down hill a bit. Rude got the DQ win after he reveals a pair of tights with Jake the Snakes wife on and Roberts comes out and nails Rude.
**1/2
The Bolsheviks VS. The Powers of Pain
A total total stinker!
*
We then got an edition of the Brother Love show with the guest being Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Love claims that Hacksaw is a man without love, and that Dino Bravo is a man who loves his country unlike Hacksaw. Duggan replies that the people of Canada do not respect Bravo and tells Love not to question his loyalty to America, before calling him a big phoney and chasing him from the ring with a two by four. The highlight here was Love miss-pronouncing Duggan.
Intercontinental Championship
The Honky Tonk Man (c) VS. The Ultimate Warrior (replacing Brutus Beefcake)
And this is over in seconds. We are told early on in the show that Beefcake will not challenge Honky for the title after sustaining a injury at the hands of Ron Bass, but that there will be a replacement, however Honky seems unconcerned and tells Mean Gene that he doesn't even want to know. So come match time Honky heels it up nicely, there is a delay, Warrior's music hits, the Garden goes nuts and Warrior runs through Honky in less than a minute with a shoulder tackle and big splash off for the win and the title, the Garden goes even more nuts and Honky gets a nice pay day. No rating for the match itself, but this is one of best squash jobs in history and for once it being on PPV doesn't matter.
Don Muraco VS. Dino Bravo
Awful match, very slow, very awkward, lots of blown moves and Muraco here makes 2003 Scott Steiner look athletic.
*
At this point we get a break a lot of which is killed with an interview with Boxer Sugar Ray who has a big fight coming up co-promoted by Vince and the WWF, the next WWF event Survivor series gets yet another mention.
WWF Tag Team Championship
The Hart Foundation VS. Demolition (c)
This is a solid tag match which gets better as it moves along, but is not as good as the match between the teams two years later. The contrast in styles always worked well and the add on of Jimmy Hart (ex-manager of the Harts) in Demolition corner spices things up a bit.
***
The Big Boss Man VS. Koko B. Ware
Bit of a nothing match this, very little interesting happens and Boss Man hadn't yet become a great talent he would in the next few years.
**
Hercules VS. Jake "the Snake" The Roberts
Passible match, the two trade some nice brawling, and the match has decent shape to it, but does drag a little too much at times.
**1/2
The Mega Powers (Macho Man & Hulk Hogan) VS. The Mega Bucks (Ted Dibiase & Andre the Giant
A satisfying main event, given the limitations of Hogan and Andre. The match is very nicely pace, the big moves are timed to perfection and they have the crowd eating out of their hands. Nice twist in the tail with Elizabeth being the secret weapon. Line of the night by Graham "What a move by Elizabeth"
***
Match of the Night: The British Bulldogs VS. The Fabulous Rougeaus
Worse match of the Night: The Bolsheviks VS. The Powers of Pain
Verdict: The event was close to three hours yet felt closer to five! Ten matches was at least three too many and there were too many short/filler type bouts with not much behind them. It is shows like this which prove just how the standard has improved over the years, but I would say it is just about worth it for the opener, HTM's job, tag titles and main event.
