The Ultimate Warrior was Vince McMahon's hand-picked successor to Hulk Hogan. At WrestleMania VI, then-Intercontinental Champion, Warrior defeated Hogan to bag the WWF Heavyweight Title, and it seemed set that he'd lead the promotion through the new decade of the 90's. Unfortunately, by the time SummerSlam came along just months later, Warrior was already struggling. Fans weren't as convinced by the new champion, certainly when compared to how people treated Hulk Hogan. The Hulkster consistently came across as the top draw in the company, but Warrior didn't seem to have the same appeal. He was a big star, sure, but not on the level of Hulk. Part of the problem for Warrior was that he was never really given the kind of challengers that his predecessor had. 'Ravishing' Rick Rude was a excellent performer, and few could claim that he didn't belong in the main event mix. A genuinely good heel, the problem with Rude was that The Ultimate Warrior had already beaten him in a rivalry over the Intercontinental Title. Thus, when the pair contested a Steel Cage match at SummerSlam 1990, fans weren't as interested as they should have been. It didn't help that the men didn't see eye-to-eye behind the scenes, stifling their chemistry.
