12 Best WWE Pay-Per-Views That Didn't Have A World Title Match

5. SummerSlam '89

kane undertaker
WWE.com

Summerslam '89 may represent the best collection of 80s stars ever assembled in one company, with the end of the decade signifying the virtual completion of Vince McMahon's hostile takeover of the North American wrestling scene and a business model yet to suffer significant decline.

Alongside famed WWE stars of the day such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, Andre The Giant, The Ultimate Warrior, Ravishing Rick Rude, Mr Perfect, Ted Dibiase, Jimmy Snuka, Big Boss Man, Brutus Beefcake and others stood future standouts Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart as well as NWA legends Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard.

It was a rare collection of talent, and with WWE's pay-per-view model of the day insisting on loading cards with all feature talent and saving most TV angles for house show payoffs, the series of superstar collisions all warranted inclusion.

Spared a title defence by virtue of his cinema-to-real life feud with Zeus, Hulk Hogan was at his bombastic best alongside best friend Beefcake, with their victory over the 'Human Wrecking Machine' and Randy Savage capped off by Elizabeth chopping Sensational Sherri's ponytail.

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