10 Worst WWE SummerSlam PPVs Ever

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.