10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1990 Facts
1. Rick Rude Was Furious Over His SummerSlam Payoff
The final match of the night saw The Ultimate Warrior successfully defend his WWE Championship against Ravishing Rick Rude in a steel cage match. Rude would continue to wrestle until early-October 1990, by which time he'd transitioned into a feud with The Big Boss Man.
Rude was reportedly angry over his lower-than-expected payoff for working SummerSlam, and it would wind up being the last pay-per-view match that Rude would perform in for McMahon. That's because it wasn't the only money issue that Rude would have with his boss.
Rude was sidelined with an injury in the early fall of 1990. While sitting at home, WWE continued to advertise Rude's name for house shows, despite knowing that he could not possibly wrestle on them. Rude felt he deserved to be paid for the use of his name in advertising those shows (a portion of the gate for shows in which he was promoted), and McMahon balked at his demand. Rude would sit home until his contract rolled over in 1991, after which time he jumped to WCW.