10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1998 Facts
WWE speeds down the Highway to Hell, bypassing a creaky, directionless WCW.
Fans who enjoyed the build to the Brock Lesnar-Samoa Joe Universal Title match may have enjoyed the run-up to SummerSlam 1998, had they been watching at the time. The Steve Austin-Undertaker WWE Championship match at Madison Square Garden had been built for more than three months, dating back to Undertaker's assistance in Austin's against-all-odds win over Dude Love at Over the Edge.
The "Highway to Hell" represented many twists and turns in the feud between WWE's two top babyfaces, especially as Undertaker looked to be aligning with evil brother Kane. The not-so-subtle "coincidences" and story wrenches added much intrigue to what was one of WWE's most anticipated matches in some time.
On the whole, SummerSlam 1998 was an extension of WrestleMania 14. Like its 'Mania forebear, it epitomized the chaotic feeling of the Attitude Era, with violent matches and hate-filled encounters running up and down the card. The Attitude Era was known for its overbooking, and since this show had a ladder match, a no-DQ tag team match, a Lion's Den match, and a hair-vs-hair match, it fits right in with the eager excess of 1998. It's on the high-end of great SummerSlams, and for good reason.
Here are ten facts about SummerSlam 1998 you may not have known.
10. The Sunday Night Heat Pre-Show Was The Lowest Rated Edition Yet
On August 2, 1998 (four weeks before SummerSlam), WWE premiered Sunday Night Heat on the USA Network. A full year before SmackDown became the secondary show, Heat was a one-hour accompaniment that showcased prominent stars and midcard feuds, and even featured the awesome debut of Gangrel.
On the night of SummerSlam, Heat aired live for the first time ever, functioning as a SummerSlam pre-show. Putting aside filler matches like Gangrel vs. Dustin Runnels, and Too Much vs. LOD 2000, Heat did its best to sell home viewers on the pay-per-view. The most memorable part was Austin smashing a parked hearse with a sledgehammer.
Incredibly, it did a lower rating than the four episodes preceding it. The 3.23 rating was still impressive, but a live airing before a major PPV losing out to four in-the-can shows preceding it is still surprising.