Being placed on the dark match of a pay-per view card can be looked at in many ways. In 1992, several dark matches were filmed at Wembley Stadium and then broadcast on Prime Time Wrestling over the following weeks. In later years, the WWE's pre-show, "Free For All" aired 30 minutes before each pay per view on satellite company preview channels, and would also air a match. Finally, in the late 1990's, the WWE would broadcast pre-show matches via their program "Heat", which would go on air an hour prior to pay-per views, and serve to attract last minute buyers of the show. In more recent years, the WWE ran pre-shows on WWE.com and Youtube, which would later move to the WWE Network. Being placed in a dark match or a pre-show match isn't as bad as it once was, as Antonio Cesaro picked up a signature victory on the 2012 program, winning the United States Title from Santino Marella. Although several future WWE and World Heavyweight champions and Hall of Famers would compete in dark matches throughout SummerSlam's history, the only man to ever win two was Rob Van Dam.
Sean Ross Sapp, 28, is a convergent media major at Morehead State University, and a news/feature writer for RantSports and WhatCulture. Before taking a managerial role for the Kraken Fight Team, Sapp was a two-time submission wrestling medalist in the region. He is also a contributor to Bill Apter's 1Wrestling.com, and an editor for Cage Passion Sports. He has also published over 300 articles for Fansided. You can contact Sean Ross Sapp for news tips and radio appearances at SeanRossSapp@gmail.com
