10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1999 Facts
1. SummerSlam Did "Triple" The Usual Business In Minnesota
Ventura had a hot name in 1999, as media outlets picked up on the "some dumbass wrestler wins the Governorship" story, and did their best to paint "The Body" as some muscle-headed lunk. When it was announced that Ventura would be guesting at SummerSlam in his home state, talking heads and other news cretins were apoplectic.
Ventura's name carried plenty of weight, so much so that all of the hype over his appearance helped SummerSlam do big business in Minnesota. SummerSlam was down to 600,000 buys overall from 700,000 the previous year (still good for the third-most bought SummerSlam ever at the time), and The Wrestling Observer reported that the event did "triple the usual number of buys" in Minnesota. That was chalked up to wrestling fans and casual observers alike being curious about their Governor's involvement.
The Observer also notes that while wrestling fans enjoyed the show, non-fans from the state who tuned in were startled by the uncouthness of the Attitude Era product. Guess those folks just didn't "get it".