10 SummerSlams That Were Better Than WrestleMania
When did the #2 show out-do #1?
The Grandest Stage Of Them All. The Showcase Of The
Immortals. The Greatest Spectacle In Live Entertainment.
All of these titles refer to WWE's biggest show of the year, WrestleMania. As big of a production as WrestleMania has come to be, the Spring Classic hasn't always lived up to the hype that preceded the event. In some cases, WrestleMania was a solid show but not worthy of the grand promotion and build-up it had set fans' expectations for.
On the other hand, SummerSlam, especially over the last
decade, has been promoted as the company's second most important show and, in
many cases, came to usurp that year's WrestleMania as a better event. Whether
it was due to a reduced level of expectations, a great top-to-bottom card, more
important show developments, or better booking, SummerSlam has often bested
WrestleMania as the better show.
In several cases, both WrestleMania and SummerSlam were both
great shows, with the August event getting the slight edge. Other times, there
was no question that SummerSlam was easily the better event due to WrestleMania
disappointing. With a 29 year history, SummerSlam has been integral to the
foundation of WWE.
The legacy of the following 10 SummerSlams helped strengthen
that foundation since these events were better than the supposed "biggest
show of the year".
10. SummerSlam '88
Despite being last to the party in terms of WWE's original "Big 4 PPVs" (WrestleMania, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble had already existed), SummerSlam would become the promotion's second biggest show of the year thanks to its hot start in 1988.
The company's newest PPV came fresh off the heels of WrestleMania IV and the WWF Championship Tournament. Despite the historical significance of Randy Savage winning his first world title and being the first WrestleMania not to be headlined by Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania IV is generally considered one of the weaker WrestleManias, likely due to a number of draws, disqualifications, and countout finishes.
On the other hand, SummerSlam '88 featured only 1 draw and 1 DQ out of 10 matches, a very reasonable ratio considering the time period. Both of the evening's tag matches were entertaining, and The Mega Powers vs. The Mega Bucks had a true main event feel. The show is also famous for the Ultimate Warrior's thirty second conquest of the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history, the Honky Tonk Man.
1988 was also when WWE started to find their footing in terms of utilizing the Pay-Per-View business model and SummerSlam '88 was a huge boost to that.