10 Absolute Worst Matches In WWE SummerSlam History

9. Jake Roberts Vs Hercules (SummerSlam 1988)

Bray Wyatt Kane
WWE

WWE pay-per-views didn't always exist strictly to pay off or directly service television angles. SummerSlam 1988's bloated card worked just as hard as the weekly weekend shows to furnish programmes touring the country on the lucrative house show circuit as it did entertain the customers that had paid top dollar to see Hulk Hogan et al beamed directly into their homes.

The Madison Square Garden crowd pick their moments for the show as a result, only really greeting the star or story-laden matches with respectful ovations. A clash-of-styles clunker between Jake Roberts and Hercules is not one of these.

Roberts is rightfully lauded as a psychological thriller between the ropes - few ever grasped the intangibles as well. His addictive personality fed his thirst to constantly manipulate the audience. Chasing that dragon at work to justify the ones he pursued outside of it, Jake satisfied all of us while getting his hit. Against the muscled and moribund Hercules, he was a torturous headlock merchant for the overlong duration whilst fans salivated over his real feud with Rick Rude.

It wasn't the worst exhibition of one of these sorts of encounters from the early years though. One in particular was absolutely criminal...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett