Since 1988 WWE's SummerSlam has been the flagship PPV of the summer season. More often than not it's the secondary tentpole of WWE's calendar, almost like WrestleMania's little brother. Storylines are built throughout the season, and when done properly, culminate with the summer spectacular.
As a fan I've found over the years that SummerSlam is almost an underrated series - WrestleMania gets so much hype and attention (and I tend to rewatch those matches so frequently), I often overlook how many great matches and moments have taken place at the #2 show of the year. Many times the little brother has overshadowed his attention-grabbing counterpart. Don't believe me? Let's take a trip down WrestleMemory Lane!
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| SummerSlam '88 - Madison Square Garden - 8/29/88 |
The inaugural 'Slam followed fairly closely the formula created by the original WrestleMania. Madison Square Garden? Check. Huge tag team main event? Check. Special guest referee? Check. Odd assortment of house show matches between guys who weren't really feuding? Check. Pretty strange really.
The main event of this show was enormous - for the first time ever WWF Champion Randy Savage would team with Hulk Hogan as The MegaPowers against common enemies Andre the Giant and Ted Dibiase. The announcement of this match blew my 12-year-old mind, as did the addition of guest ref Jesse "The Body" Ventura. The match itself falls into the same category as Hogan-Andre '87. Not great from a workrate standpoint but a whole helluvalotta fun. The angle with Elizabeth stripping down to her skivvies as a distraction was pretty stupid, particularly since they failed to deliver on the promise of a bikini. But otherwise a fun match.