10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1995 Facts
A surprisingly good pay-per-view, especially given that it took place in 1995.
I know, I know. It's "the other Mabel pay-per-view", the sequel of sorts to the wretched 1995 King of the Ring. Not only is the 1995 SummerSlam nowhere near as bad as the preceding King of the Ring, but it's also a pretty solid show on its own merits, arguably the company's second-best pay-per-view of the year behind Survivor Series. Of course, being WWE's best pay-per-view in 1995 is akin to being named valedictorian of summer school.
In fairness, the Shawn Michaels/Razor Ramon ladder match is the biggest reason why SummerSlam 1995 gets a passing grade, but it's hardly the only reason. A brilliant undercard with matches like 123 Kid vs. Hakushi, Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Bob Holly, and Barry Horowitz vs. Skip, helped keep the level of in-ring wrestling above the current. Even matches like Bret Hart vs. Isaac Yankem, and the casket match pitting Undertaker vs. Kama, were more-than-passable battles featuring lumbering heavyweights.
The Diesel vs. Mabel World Title match was, admittedly, a sluggish farce, and marked the second year in a row that SummerSlam ended with a horrible hoss fight that had to immediately follow a five-star gem. But it doesn't drag the entire show down. Not quite, anyway.
Here are ten facts about the 1995 SummerSlam you may not have known.
10. It Was The First SummerSlam To Take Place On A Sunday
The WWE pay-per-view calendar used to demonstrate flexibility in regards to what days of the week the shows would take place on, as compared to the eventual rigidness with always putting them on Sundays. WrestleMania, other than the second incarnation, was always a Sunday. Most Royal Rumbles were Sundays, save for Saturday editions in 1991 and 1994. Survivor Series started out on Thanksgiving night, a Thursday, before being moved to Thanksgiving Eve in 1991.
From 1988 through 1994, SummerSlam was held on Monday nights (save for 1992 being on a Saturday from London, then airing on tape-delay Monday in the US). That changed in 1995 when the event was moved to Sunday nights.
In those days, Monday Night Raw (and before it, Prime Time Wrestling) would be pre-empted for two weeks in late-August/early September by US Open tennis coverage, meaning that SummerSlam could fill the void of one missing episode, leaving the other week empty for the Labor Day holiday. It's not entirely clear why the change took place, though it may have something to do with changes in the TV taping schedule.