10 Worst WWE SummerSlam PPVs Ever

By Elliott Binks / August 13, 2016

Recently, we took a trip down memory lane to recollect the ten greatest SummerSlam shows in the pay-per-view’s 28-year history.

And after all was said and done, it was the 2002 rendition that was rather undemocratically voted the very best. Or rather, I thought it was worthy of such a title, and at least a few people seemed to agree with me.

But all the same, having indulged ourselves on the creams of the crop, it’s only fair that we now cast our gaze in the opposite direction and explore the other end of the spectrum. Because in and amongst the barnstormers like the 2002 event, there have been some rather more forgettable showings from SummerSlam over the years.

Don’t get me wrong, these shows haven’t necessarily been absolute stinkers, and truth be told it was actually fairly difficult to find ten suitable candidates for this list. But given the amount of time, effort, and pre-show hype that SummerSlam tends to receive each year, some instalments haven't quite delivered the calibre of performance you might have come to expect.

So with the more favourable offerings in the PPV's past now a distant memory, this list counts down ten of the worst SummerSlam shows in the history of the event.

10. 1988

Partly because of a lacklustre showing, and partly because it’s a good place to start, we kick things off with the very first SummerSlam PPV.

And in some ways, I guess you could say it was mission accomplished, provided the aim had been to set the bar low in order to exceed expectations in the future.

Perhaps that assessment is a little bit harsh, but looking back it just seems that SummerSlam 1988 was a little lacking in terms of classic match-ups. There were a couple of good tag team bouts earlier in the evening, while the main event was a fun meeting between the Mega Powers and the Mega Bucks, but there was not a great deal of quality beyond that.

And sure, Ultimate Warrior’s surprise emergence provided a special moment, but his resultant 31-second match was a fairly anti-climactic way to bring an end to the longest reign in Intercontinental Championship history. Then again, maybe that was entire point…

Either way, I’m not sure SummerSlam 1988 did enough to avoid a place on this list. Of course, it may be that the show simply hasn’t aged well, and for that reason I’ve given it the benefit of the doubt and avoided ranking it any higher.