10 Best WWE SummerSlam Moments Of The 90s

It's been over 25 years since a double main event headlined the 3rd annual SummerSlam in 1990 and nearly 17 years since Jesse Ventura refereed his second SummerSlam main event in 1999. Those two moments are just a sample of the excitement that was contained in arguably SummerSlam's greatest decade; the 1990s.

The 90s is when WWE's first summertime pay-per-view truly came to be the company's second biggest show of the year. If it weren't for the memorable moments and historical landmarks that took place in the 1990s, SummerSlam would not be what it is today.

While the event was born in the 80s and would continue throughout the next 3 decades, it was in the 90s when SummerSlam's foundation was laid.

Legends and Hall Of Famers like Bret Hart, Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Mr. Perfect, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and plenty more helped contribute to the event's reputation, making the annual August PPV a must-see, blockbuster event.

In honour of the 29th annual SummerSlam heading our way from Brooklyn, New York in just a couple of months time, let's take a look back at the top 10 moments from the decade that boosted the event to a level almost on par with Vince McMahon's greatest attraction, WrestleMania.

SummerSlam is branded "the biggest event of the Summer" and the following 10 moments helped establish that...

It's fitting that the list begins with a match involving Mr. SummerSlam himself, Bret "Hitman" Hart, in his early days tagging with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. The Hart Foundation had been on a collision course with Demolition as far back as SummerSlam '88 culminating in a 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam '90.

In the best match of the night, the Foundation defeated the trio of Demolition (Ax, Smash, & Crush) with the help of the Legion Of Doom, ending their final reign as Tag Team Champions. While the Demolition team would survive for several months, this marked the beginning of the end of Demolition's dynasty.

Ax and Smash had dominated WWE's tag team scene since debuting in 1987, holding the titles a record-tying three times including a record-setting reign of 478 straight days.

By the end of 1990, Ax was forced to retire due to health issues which precipitated Crush becoming his full-time replacement. By WrestleMania VII, Smash and Crush were near the bottom of the totem pole, losing to Tenryu & Kitao, Japanese wrestlers that weren't even a regular part of WWE.

The Hart Foundation finally dethroning Demolition at SummerSlam '90 showed fans what to expect from the event in the years to come.