10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2008 Facts
A sadly-underrated show that delivered big matches with a minimum of BS.
It's one of those SummerSlams that gets lost in the shuffle, due to a lack of earth-shattering moments. SummerSlam 2008 wouldn't be found among the ten worst SummerSlams ever, and is even a sneaky candidate to crack the ten best. No, it's not the 2002 or the 1992 shows, but SummerSlam 2008 is one of those simple shows where the action was way better than average, and even featured some enthralling angle development.
There are three true highlights, and two of them were matches. The Undertaker's return from a brief time away to battle Edge inside Hell in a Cell could well be their best one-on-one match together, topping their excellent WrestleMania main event. Preceding that brawl was John Cena and Batista's most high-profile one-on-one match to that point, and it more than delivered, especially considering that Cena was compromised by injury.
The best storyline going at the time did not have a representative match on the card, but still advanced with a legitimate "holy eff" moment. Shawn Michaels, flanked by wife Rebecca, was ostensibly going to retire from the ring, until Chris Jericho crashed the speech, throwing more gas onto the company's most heated angle.
It's a SummerSlam worth checking out, and may be the most underrated event bearing its name.
Here are ten facts about SummerSlam 2008 you may not have known.
10. It Was The First PPV Of The Modern "PG Era"
Two days after July's Great American Bash pay-per-view, WWE put out a brief press release that touted the new "PG" rating for their weekly programming. The sexual content had been scaled back, as well as adult language. After Shawn Michaels bled like a stuck pig at the 2008 Great American Bash, the spilling of blood was outlawed as well.
SummerSlam 2008 was the first pay-per-view to adhere to WWE's new shift back across moral lines. From here, the company would begin cozying up more to Hollywood and media in attempts to build synergy, and grow their brand through more "positive" means.
This meant that the hardcore fanbase would begin grumbling about the "good old days" of the Attitude Era with increasing frequency. Those complaints probably started SummerSlam night, when Hell in a Cell concluded without anybody losing a gallon of their own blood.