10 Highly Underrated WWE SummerSlam Matches
A look back at some forgotten classics.
SummerSlam sits only a month away, and it's hard to believe that WWE's summer-ending extravaganza will air its twenty-ninth rendition. It's the youngest event of WWE's classic four supershows, and yet it's arguably more steeped in memories than the others, save for WrestleMania.
Like WrestleMania, SummerSlam is virtually a guaranteed haven for at least one or two memorable matches a year, since it's functionally the summer's answer to WrestleMania ('Mania-Lite?).
After all, who could forget Rock vs. Brock? Bret vs. Owen in a steel cage? Austin vs. Undertaker to blow off the Highway to Hell? A number of unforgettable feud-enders from SummerSlam would have been right at home had they taken place at WrestleMania.
And like WrestleMania, SummerSlam has its share of matches that have just simply fallen through the cracks. Through the passage of time, or possibly the luck of being overshadowed by other heaps of greatness, some SummerSlam matches just don't get the due that they deserve.
While it's subjective as to what qualifies as truly "underrated", I believe the following list consists of matches that flat out deserve more respect. If you're looking back at classic SummerSlam events on WWE Network this next month, might I suggest the following matches for your happy consumption.
10. Rick Rude Vs. The Ultimate Warrior (1989)
Rude should go down in history as Warrior's greatest opponent next to Macho Man Randy Savage (I'd say Hogan too, but that only yields a .500 batting average). For those who write Warrior off as a simplistic brawler that's all gimmick and no talent, his matches with Rude in 1989-90 reveal more depth in Warrior's creative tray.
Their Intercontinental title rematch at the second SummerSlam sees both men engage in a nifty power-based brawl, with Rude busting out a dangerous-looking (but altogether cool) knees-first piledriver that I've never seen him do otherwise.
Warrior's performances with Rude went a long way in building faith in him as a reliable main event performer, and the SummerSlam match holds up, even today.