Event: SummerSlam 1988
Date: August 29, 1988
Place: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 20,000
This was the inaugural edition of SummerSlam, making it the youngest of the Big Four pay-per-view shows (WrestleMania, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam), and the the first ever SummerSlam, it was not a very good show. Out of the large ten match card, there was only one match that I would consider to be great, but even that one had its issues. Despite that, however, there were two classic moments that resulted from this show, which I will discuss shortly.
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The British Bulldogs and The Fabulous Rougeaus fight to a time limit draw
Ahh, remember time limits? Well, they were still in effect here, and it actually served its purpose. Although this was a great back-and-forth match, it really started to drag on toward the end. Also, the non-decisive ending kinda ruined a good and unpredictable match.
Bad News Brown defeats Ken Patera
This was not a good match, and it was downright sloppy at some points, including a botched Irish Whip reversal that the audience booed.
Rick Rude (with Bobby Heenan) defeats Junkyard Dog by DQ
This was another match that was not good at all. It's pretty funny to me to see how over Rude was with the ladies, despite him being a great heel.
The Powers of Pain (The Barbarian and The Warlord) (with The Baron) defeat The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zhukov) (with Slick)
With two hosses facing off against two hosses, you would expect a fun hoss fight. However, this was more of a squash, and a boring one at that.
Ultimate Warrior defeats The Honky Tonk Man to gain the WWF Intercontinental Championship
This is how the Honky Tonk Man's two-year IC Title reign ended: In a 31 second squash against a mystery opponent (who turned out to be Ultimate Warrior). Despite the squash, the surprise of Ultimate Warrior coming out and squashing Honky Tonk Man is still a classic SummerSlam moment to this day.
Dino Bravo (with Frenchy Martin) defeats Don Muraco
This was a terrible match where both men got gassed very quickly
Demolition (Ax and Smash) (with Mr. Fuji and Jimmy Hart) defeats The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neihart) to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship
This was a good match that could have been a lot better. The ending (with Demolition using Hart's megaphone as a weapon), although appropriate for the heel tag team, was a disappointing end to a good match.
Big Boss Man (with Slick) defeats Koko B. Ware
This wasn't a good match at all. Boss Man was still nearly 400 pounds (before his weight loss), so his weight impeded him here.
Jake Roberts defeats Hercules
This match wasn't good either. Hercules was obviously blown up at this point due to steroids, and it clearly showed.
The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) (with Miss Elizabeth) defeat The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant) (with Bobby Heenan) with Jesse Ventura as the guest referee
This was just an average tag match that started to get pretty good near the end when the pace really quickened despite Andre the Giant being in the match. However, this match was mostly a clusterfuck due to interference and shenanigans, culminating in a classic moment when Elizabeth climbed onto the ring apron and removed her skirt, revealing a bikini bottom. The distraction would allow Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage to sneak in and attack The Mega Bucks, leading to the victory.
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The inaugural SummerSlam was not a good show. Sure, it had a couple classic moments, but for the most part, it was populated with below-average and forgettable matches. Honestly, there is nothing to recommend from this show.
Grade: D
Tune in tomorrow for SummerSlam 1989!