By 1991, the WWF main event scene was staler than it had been in years, in desperate need of something fresh to shake it up. Vince had seen this specific problem coming and tried to develop two new main event heels the previous year, Earthquake and Sergeant Slaughter, but both failed in providing anything interesting at the top of the card. Earthquake failed more because of booking than Slaughter, who simply couldn't handle main event duties at this stage of his career, but either way, it was time to try something different. Fortunately for Vince, he had one of the most reliable main event performers in the history of the business on his roster, and said performer had just stolen the show at WrestleMania 7. It's time for the "Macho Man" to take center stage again. After spending the last few years trapped in the midcard, Randy Savage, along with Miss Elizabeth, became the featured attraction for SummerSlam, staging their kayfabe wedding which was marketed as "A Match Made in Heaven". That tagline has become tragically accurate now, as both have since passed away, and it also proved to be incredibly ironic at the time, with Savage and Elizabeth's real life divorce taking place just a year later. Meanwhile, because wrestling was still somewhat of a priority for Vince, The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan teamed up against to battle Sgt. Slaughter and a few of his cronies in a handicap match. This got the inverse marketing phrase as "A Match Made in Hell", appropriate given how much Slaughter's work had sucked since adopting his new persona. These were the two defining attractions of the fourth SummerSlam, though the show itself is perhaps more memorable for it's undercard.
- SummerSlam 1991 comes to you from the historic Madison Square Garden in New York City, the spiritual home ground for the WWF for many decades in the company's early years. The trio of Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, and Roddy Piper are on the call.
- Our opening contest is a doozy of a six man tag, as three of Slick's clients (The Warlord, Paul Roma, and Hercules) team up to take on three electric babyfaces all referred to by their nicknames (Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich, and "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith). That's a lot of talent, and the match was predictably a ton of fun as a result. Steamboat, Von Erich, and Smith all get to hit some of their best offense to pop the crowd, with Smith picking up another big win with his running powerslam. This was a great opener, hyping the fans up for the action to come, although it was nothing too special as an actual match.
- The opener provided the sizzle, now it's time to provide the steak, as Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect collide for Hennig's Intercontinental Championship. Hart is getting his first real chance to break out as a singles competitor, and I thought this match did a great job showcasing what would make him a threat to those further up the card. Perfect was working this one with a banged-up back, but you would never know it watching the match, as Perfect takes all kinds of punishment to put Hart over. Bret survives an early onslaught from the champ, kicking out of the Perfect-Plex, before "The Hitman" goes on the attack, tossing Perfect around the ring and assaulting Perfect's leg, which Hennig sells with multiple backflips. That could've come across as slightly more cartoonish bumping, but just manages to land in the realm of believable wrestling for me. After 18 minutes of deliberate offense, Bret locks in the Sharpshooter from the mat, starting by applying a Figure Four before rolling onto his stomach and rising to his feet, with the hold cinched in. That was a brilliant finish, and Perfect giving up immediately really put the move over strong. Everything these two men attempted in this match was executed to perfection, and Bret was more than ready to be a star after this performance. If I had a minor critique to offer, I do think this came across more as a trading of moves without any proper story, especially early on. Those little narrative breadcrumbs can really elevate a great match into a classic, and there just weren't many to be found. Still, it was a defining match for both men and one of the best the WWF had presented on pay-per-view.
- Following that up with The Bushwhackers was certainly a choice, as Luke and Butch stink up the joint in a clash with the recently formed Natural Disasters, Earthquake and the former Tugboat, now renamed Typhoon. It's impossible to take this match seriously, as Earthquake and Typhoon are monsters that should really just be squashing fools, but Luke and Butch instead stay alive with their comedy offense for way too long. After over 6 minutes of embarrassing wrestling, the Disasters finally get the win, and decide to go after The Bushwhackers' cornerman, Andre the Giant. Andre, who's body has deteriorated to the point of legitimately needing crutches to get to the ring, is then threatened by Earthquake and Typhoon and saved by the Legion of Doom. It's just sad to see Andre in his last years, a shell of the intimidating monster he used to be, though at least the crowd still treated him with respect. This is Andre's final WWF pay-per-view appearance, and he passed away about a year and a half later in early 1993. It's safe to say that Andre had an integral role with getting the company to this point, and without him, WWE might not be the global phenomenon it is today. Rest in peace, big man, you will never be forgotten.
- Virgil gets another crack at Ted DiBiase up next, with Ted's Million Dollar title on the line. Their match at WrestleMania 7 wasn't all that impressive, but I thought this was redemption for both men and their feud, in addition to being one of the highlights of the night. DiBiase puts on a masterclass of a heel performance in this one, drawing boatloads of heat from the audience and keeping his offense simple but effective. Roddy Piper, no longer in Virgil's corner but still aligned with the former servant, screams himself hoarse on commentary, especially once the match goes full sports-entertainment, with multiple false finishes and a ref bump. The drama just keeps escalating, from Sensational Sherri attacking Virgil in an attempt to get DiBiase disqualified, to the aforementioned bump by Earl Hebner, which Ted takes advantage of by suplexing Virgil three times while trash-talking Piper. In the end, DiBiase's cheap tricks get the better of him, as Virgil rams Ted face-first into a turnbuckle that the "Million Dollar Man" exposed, before slowing crawling over the make the cover and get the three count. The crowd goes berserk for Virgil, easily the biggest moment of his wonderfully wacky career. Sure, the booking at the end was all smoke and mirrors, creating drama that both men couldn't quite manage themselves, but it also served as the perfect blow-off to a memorable feud. Of course, this wasn't actually the end of DiBiase and Virgil together, but a man can dream.
- The Mountie and the Big Boss Man collide in our next contest, where the loser must spend a night in prison. A cop being forced to go behind bars feels familiar to me given current events, I must say. You just know that previous sentence is going to be incredibly confusing in the future. Boss Man and Mountie put on a slow, plodding match, two brawlers that don't really mesh in the ring, and the lackluster action isn't helped by the muted crowd, who just exhausted most of their energy in the last match. Boss Man wins with an Alabama Slam, one of my favorite finishers in all of wrestling, though I know a lot of wrestlers absolutely hate it due to the uncontrolled back bump you have to take on the receiving end. Although the match was a total miss, it did lead to some fun backstage vignettes throughout the rest of the night, as The Mountie is manhandled by the boys in blue, with Mountie chewing on the scenery throughout as the sniveling heel getting his just desserts.
- The Legion of Doom make their second appearance of the night, taking the tag titles away from the Nasty Boys in a tag team street fight. This match didn't really deliver the carnage the stipulation promised, as it was instead a slow affair, filled with plenty of punches and kicks, with the occasional weapon attack thrown in. Hawk and Animal prevail with the Doomsday Device.
- Tax aficionado Irwin R. Schyster (get it, IRS?) picks up a win over Greg Valentine in the penultimate match. As you might expect from two old school performers, they work a classic wrestling match, trading holds and establishing the face/heel dynamic with Schyster trying to cheat by grabbing the ropes and Valentine playing to the crowd. "The Hammer" spends too long hot-dogging before applying the Figure Four, and Schyster steals the win by yanking on Valentine's hair and rolling him up. Not a spectacular match, but one that built some strong fundamentals and at least felt different to the two contests that came before it.
- Main event time, at least in the ring, as Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior team up to battle Sgt. Slaughter, General Adnan, and The Iron Sheik, who has taken the title of Colonel Mustafa to better fit in with the group. By this point, any heat for this angle was gone, with the Gulf War having ended many months ago, and the only real intrigue coming from the recently debuted Sid Justice serving as the official. The wrestling was not great, no surprise there, although this match wasn't as much of a disaster as the 'Mania main event, with 8 minutes chopped off the runtime and an extra few guys there to make sure no one got too blown up. The result is as obvious as it's ever going to get, with Hogan dropping the leg and Sid there to make the three count, and then both men celebrate. Much more interesting than any of the wrestling was what happened when Warrior chased off the heels with a chair, running backstage and never returning. This was due to Warrior being fired by Vince, the result of hostile negotiations between the two. Warrior apparently threatened to no-show this match, demanding an extra $550,000 for performing at WrestleMania 7, which Vince agreed to pay in order to get Warrior to show up, only for the boss to then go back on his word. Warrior would make his return at the end of WrestleMania 8, but this was the beginning of an incredibly toxic relationship, and as sure as sign as any that Warrior was never to be a true main eventer in the WWF again.
- Going on last we have the kayfabe wedding of Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, and, in a rarity for a wrestling wedding, it all goes down shenanigan-free. The segment is entirely skippable, it sets up nothing and doesn't fundamentally change either character, but it was still at least enjoyable to watch, if only for being something completely different. I have to think that there are very few times in wrestling history where two people, who are already married mind you, can get hitched in the middle of a ring and not have the crowd s*** all over it. I personally found this a little boring, but it was the right way to end the show on the most positive note possible. Of course, Jake Roberts and The Undertaker managed to sneak a cobra into the wedding reception, but that's a story for another day.
7/10
Not everything on this show worked, with a few awful tag matches and a snoozer between Big Boss Man and The Mountie, but overall, it was one of the best viewing experiences the WWF had provided on pay-per-view to this point. Hart/Perfect was terrific, the big wins for Virgil and the Legion of Doom were nice, and the wedding at the end was sweet. This was a good time.
Next time on Henry's Pay-Per-View Reviews: Survivor Series 1991, where The Undertaker challenges Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship. See you soon.
- Henry
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