10 WWE PPVs That Were Doomed From The Start

8. SummerSlam 1995

WWE Crown Jewel
WWE.com

SummerSlam 1995's line-up was at one point so internally dispiriting that the organisation effectively had to acknowledge it on air.

It was as though Vince McMahon had already lost faith in his Diesel/Mabel main event (!) before the card took place. Underneath the behemoths doing battle over his top title, McMahon had Shawn Michaels scheduled against yet another monster. Pyscho Sid had decimated 'HBK' the night after WrestleMania, but his comeback resulted in the babyface turn that would eventually lead him to 'Show Of Shows' glory the following year.

In the meantime, he was permitted a final reign with the Intercontinental Title to keep himself busy, but found himself rewriting his own character's history in a scintillating ladder sequel with Razor Ramon. Behind the front of 'fan friendly' Interim President Gorilla Monsoon, the company rebooked the midcard clash to ensure the show had at least something going for it.

In the end, much of the event held up outside of the Kliq epic. Bret Hart did as Bret Hart does getting more than seemingly possible out of Issac Yankem D.D.S, whilst contests 1-2-3 Kid/Hakushi and Barry Horowitz/Skip matches delivered on the promise all four competitors had on their best days.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett