What the World Was Watching: SummerSlam 1992

There is a montage of fan predictions before the show, with a rather famous clip of a young man claiming that the British Bulldog will win the Intercontinental Championship “whether he wants to or not.”

Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan are in the booth, taped from London, England as the show took place on August 29 and did not air in the United States until August 31. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show drew a crowd of 78,927, with 75,000 tickets sold. The WWF announced attendance as 80,355. The card drew a buyrate of 1.50 (280,000 buys), a decline from the previous year’s buyrate of 2.70 (405,000 buys).

There were three matches, including the Tatanka-Berzerker match that got hype on syndicated shows, that did not make the pay-per-view telecast. Those bouts would air on future episodes of Prime Time Wrestling.

Opening Contest: The Legion of Doom (w/Paul Ellering) (15-1) beat Money Incorporated (w/Jimmy Hart) (20-1) when Animal pins Ted DiBiase after a powerslam at 12:00:

Wembley Stadium looks amazing on television, providing the WWF with arguably its best aesthetic for a pay-per-view since WrestleMania VI at Skydome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There is a long distance from the locker room to the ring, allowing for some creative entrances like how the Legion of Doom and Ellering come to the ring on motorcycles. According to DiBiase, this bout was originally scheduled for later in the evening but was bumped up because Hawk showed up under the influence and Animal worried that his partner would not be conscious later. And speaking of DiBiase, he alters his ring gear for the match, wearing a white suit and trunks. Before the bout, IRS tells fans that if they would pay their fair share that they would not burden the royal family. One can sense that Hawk is having some issues as he does not go down in an IRS chinlock spot, turns his body awkwardly on a slam attempt from DiBiase on the floor, and botches a double clothesline knockout spot with IRS. Money Incorporated do a long heat segment on Hawk, including a false tag bit, until another simultaneous clothesline bit allows Animal to get the hot tag. All hell breaks loose after Animal clotheslines both heels. The Legion prepare DiBiase for the Doomsday Device and IRS has a dumb attempt to block, dropkicking Animal so DiBiase ends up on the receiving end of an electric chair drop. Animal quickly recovers to whip DiBiase into IRS and powerslams him as Hawk stands as a confused bystander. Although a few bits were sloppy, this bout kept the crowd engaged and was a good demonstration of the tag formula. Rating: **½

Gene Okerlund interviews Ric Flair, who still refuses to divulge whose corner Mr. Perfect will appear in later tonight. Okerlund reflects the feelings of the fan base by becoming angrier when Flair tiptoes around the issue.

Sean Mooney talks with Virgil, who warns Nailz that he is too legit to quit.

Nailz (11-0) defeats Virgil (19-4) via submission to the chokehold sleeper at 3:17:

This is Nailz’s first feature match. It is a sloppy, glorified squash where Virgil fails to take Nailz off his feet. Some awkwardness ensues when Virgil tries a schoolboy roll up and Nailz goes down for one after both men roll around on the mat. Nailz slams Virgil’s head into the apron and applies his finisher back in the ring out of nowhere to win his first pay-per-view bout. The only good thing to say about this is that it was short. Rating: ¼*

After the bell, Nailz gets his nightstick and attacks Virgil. Fans hope that the Big Bossman will run out and make a save but none is forthcoming as the WWF prefers to delay a Bossman-Nailz encounter for another day.

Lord Alfred Hayes pounds on WWF Champion Randy Savage’s door to try to find out if Mr. Perfect is in there. However, the door is locked.

Okerlund chats with Sensational Sherri, recapping the Shawn Michaels-Rick Martel feud. Sherri promises to stand by her man in the next match as Michaels urges her off-camera to go.

No Punching in the Face Match: Rick Martel (22-5-1) wrestles Shawn Michaels (w/Sensational Sherri) (24-1) to a double count out at 8:08:

Sherri brings a much bigger mirror to the ring with Michaels for the match and her outfit leaves her buttocks exposed. After Martel throws Michaels to the floor, he hugs Sherri for a few seconds and Sherri smiles. There are also some fun bits where each man cheats against the other, with each using the tights during O’Connor rolls and counters for near-falls. In keeping with the bout’s stipulations, Michaels blasts Martel with a superkick but hits him in the chest instead of the race, which arguably takes away the impact of the move and only gets a two count. Tempers flare and each man slaps the other in the face, causing an upset Sherri to get on the apron, yell, “faint,” and roll off the apron. Martel fears Sherri is dead so he starts to do CPR and Michaels gets in his face. Michaels hits Martel in the face and the two brawl in the aisle, getting counted out. It is too bad this did not last longer. The in-ring components were limited but this is a case of doing something that was wildly entertaining and is easily rewatchable today. Rating: ***

After the bell rings, Sherri watches both men fight in the aisle before continuing to look unconscious. WWF officials eventually separate Michaels and Martel, leading Michaels to walk back to the ring and pick up Sherri. Martel is unhappy with that and runs back to the ring to hit Michaels, who drops Sherri. Martel then picks Sherri up but Michaels does not appreciate that, running and knocking Martel in the back, causing Sherri to be dumped in the aisle again. Eventually, Martel is forced to the locker room by officials and Michaels picks Sherri up again, only to have Martel emerge with a bucket of water. He dumps it on Sherri and Heenan hilariously proclaims that Sherri is alive as Michaels chases after Martel and Sherri screams and runs backstage. Again, tremendously entertaining stuff from all involved.

Sean Mooney interviews the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart, who laugh at what happened to Sherri in the last segment. They brag about beating Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, billing themselves as the number one contenders to the tag team titles. When they ask Hart about getting a title match, Hart vocalizes that it is Money Incorporated’s territory before telling his team that they will soon get one.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match: The Natural Disasters (Champions) (18-1) defeat the Beverly Brothers (w/the Genius) (20-2) when Earthquake pins Beau after the Earthquake Splash at 10:23:

The Disasters use their size to sandwich the Beverlys multiple times at the beginning and when Blake tries to slam Typhoon that backfires and requires Beau to save his partner from being pinned. A rare case of babyface miscommunication occurs on a corner avalanche attempt as Earthquake accidentally hurts his own partner and Typhoon ends up in peril. The Beverlys cheat as much as they can behind the referee’s back, with Beau missile dropkicking Blake’s back when Typhoon lifts Blake for a slam to nearly win the titles. Blake then clocks Typhoon with the Genius’ metal scroll as Beau runs interference but Earthquake puts a stop to a pin by elbow dropping Blake in the back of the head. That leads to the hot tag and Earthquake runs through a Beverlys double shoulder block effort, avalanches Beau against the buckles, and finishes with the Earthquake Splash to a big pop. This was easily the Disasters’ best match to this point as the Beverlys threw everything but the kitchen sink at them but they still won. Rating: **½

After the bell, the Genius hops on the apron so Earthquake throws him in and the Disasters toss him over the top rope.

Okerlund talks with the Bushwhackers, who talk of eating royal sardines at Buckingham Palace.

Hayes is outside of the Ultimate Warrior’s locker room, saying that his search for Mr. Perfect has come to an end. He tries to open the locker room door without knocking but the door gets shut in his face after he cracks it open.

Crush (12-0) beats Repo Man (20-5) via submission to the head vice at 4:03:

As noted before, this is an unheralded clash of Demolition 2.0 in different gimmicks. True to pre-match promos, Repo Man attacks Crush from behind but Crush does not sell it. The only thing Repo Man does that has any effect is going to the eyes. He goes to the top rope but waits until Crush turns around to leap off, gets powerslammed, and is then submitted with the head vice. Like the Nailz match earlier, this was just a glorified squash but was less sloppy than that bout was. Rating: ½*

A video package recaps what led to the Randy Savage-Ultimate Warrior WWF title match.

WWF Championship Match: The Ultimate Warrior (2-0) beats Randy Savage (Champion) (5-0) via count out at 26:17:

Neither man shows up with Mr. Perfect, confusing McMahon and Heenan. Savage enters second and takes his time, allowing the Warrior to regain his breath after running to the ring, which did not happen in their last encounter at WrestleMania VII. The crowd sides with Warrior, booing Savage’s early offensive salvo and popping when the Warrior stops a flying double axe handle with a fist to the gut. One of the positives of the bout is non-stop action filled with near falls, reminiscent of Savage’s battle with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III. Sometimes each man has to do moves that are unfamiliar such as when Savage tries off the top rope with a flying body press and the Warrior counters with a backbreaker for two. Savage’s offense focuses on the Warrior’s neck while the Warrior’s attack is on Savage’s back, which prevents Savage from pressing the advantage with a body slam eleven minutes in. Each man does such a good job selling that the crowd buys a basic suplex from the Warrior as a possible finish. At the 15-minute mark Perfect and Ric Flair walk to ringside as Savage and the Warrior continue to trade near-falls in the ring. The Warrior’s finishing splash eats knees and Savage covers late for two. After a simultaneous clothesline spot, Perfect nails Savage, which seems to mean that they are on the Warrior’s side. Referee Earl Hebner gets squashed in the corner on an Irish whip spot in the corner and that makes him late to count a pin when the Warrior comes off the top with a double axe handle. Hebner takes another spill when Savage knees the Warrior in the back and the Warrior collides with Hebner, knocking him out of the ring. That means there is no one who can count when Savage does a piledriver. When Savage goes to get Hebner into the ring, Perfect gets into the ring to help the Warrior up but then holds him in place for a Perfect blow with a foreign object. Savage hits the flying elbow drop and holds the Warrior’s tights but Hebner is late to count again so it only gets two. Flair grabs a chair as the Warrior shakes the ropes and goes into his finishing sequence but when the Warrior goes for a splash to the back after a gorilla press drop, Flair whacks him in the back with the chair. Savage could capitalize on that by dropping the flying elbow drop but, like Roddy Piper at WrestleMania, he is conflicted about it and opts to try to do a flying double axe handle to Flair, who hits him in the knee with a chair on the way down. As a result, Savage gets counted out. Some of the Perfect and Flair angle became distracting and it was a small letdown that no one turned but this was an excellent bout full of non-stop action. Savage is the guy that made it work too as the Warrior’s limited moveset was exposed in a long match of this caliber. Rating: ****¼

After the bell, Perfect and Flair work over Savage’s injured left knee. However, before Flair can whack Savage in the knee with a chair again, the Warrior grabs it and chases the heels to the locker room. The Warrior returns to the ring, helps Savage up, and gives him the WWF title.

Okerlund interviews Flair and Perfect, with an angry Okerlund yelling about how there was no deal. Perfect says no one took their deal for plan A so they are moving to an unannounced plan B. Flair notes that he is going to get his belt back from Savage soon.

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) (23-0) beats Kamala (w/Harvey Wippleman & Kim Chee) (15-0) via disqualification when Kim Chee interferes at 3:40:

The Undertaker wins best entrance of the evening, coming to the ring on a hearse. It is a testament to the Undertaker’s popularity that he gets a big pop even though one would think that the crowd would be burned out by the last match. Kamala takes charge after Wippleman interjects when the Undertaker goes to the top rope but strike as Kamala might, the Undertaker refuses to go down. The Undertaker chokeslams his foe and hits a flying clothesline but when he raises Kamala for the Tombstone, Kim Chee interferes to prevent the move. This was shaping up as a squash for the Undertaker until the interference. Booking him against the Berzerker here would have created a better match. Rating: ½*

Afterward, Kamala avalanches the Undertaker against the turnbuckles a few times and splashes him. He also does a splash off the second rope and then does one from the top rope at the behest of his handlers. However, the Undertaker sits up when Kamala exits the ring and a scared Kamala retreats to the locker room as the Undertaker calmly follows.

Mooney interviews the British Bulldog. The Bulldog says that WWF President Jack Tunney booked the match and he has worked for two long years to be a top contender for the Intercontinental Championship. He talks of not thinking of his relation to Bret Hart during the match and how he is living a dream to wrestle in from of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.

Okerlund chats with Bret, who says he works under pressure and he takes offense to the Bulldog’s strategy to acting like he does not know him. Bret argues that the Bulldog has no gratitude for Bret introducing him to Diana or helping him get on the road to success in WWF. He closes by promising to turn the Bulldog’s dream into a nightmare. This was probably the best promo that Bret had done to this point in his career, demonstrating his continued improvement as a singles wrestler.

The Balmoral Highlanders perform for the crowd and Roddy Piper, who has not been seen since WrestleMania, plays with them.

Mooney talks with Diana Hart Smith, who says that she worries that Bret Hart and the British Bulldog are going to try to destroy each other. She argues that she does not care who wins as her family is most important to her. Mooney cuts her off so the show can stay on time.

Intercontinental Championship Match: The British Bulldog (23-0) pins Bret Hart (Champion) (28-1-1) to win the title after blocking a sunset flip at 25:11:

The Bulldog is accompanied to the ring by future heavyweight boxing world champion Lennox Lewis. The reason that this match was made the main event was that Bret convinced McMahon that he and the Bulldog would have the best match on the card so it was a big check that Bret needed to show he could write at this stage of his career. And, according to Bret, he had to lead the Bulldog through the match because the Bulldog forgot their plan for the bout after the bell rang. That hinders some of the match as Bret has to noticeably call spots on camera and spam chinlocks to get that done. Like Randy Savage earlier in the evening, Bret is booed since a majority of the crowd and he does not mind doing some heelish things like throwing elbows to counter a Bulldog wristlock, pulling the Bulldog’s hair to slam him, punching the Bulldog in the face, or refusing to release a sleeper hold when the Bulldog gets to the ropes. One could argue that the real MVP of the match is the crowd, who remain loud and engaged the whole time to cheer the Bulldog on. The match picks up after about 18 minutes when the Bulldog fights out of a sleeper and nearly pins Bret after clotheslines, a gorilla press slam, and a vertical suplex. He hits the running powerslam but Bret becomes the first man to kick out of that since the Bulldog’s return. Bret floats over a suplex into the ring and hits a German suplex for two and the Bulldog counters a suplex by crotching Bret on the top rope and doing a superduperplex, a rare move at this time, for another close near-fall. After a double KO spot from simultaneous clotheslines, there is a creative bit where Bret applies the Sharpshooter on the canvas and turns it over but he has not done enough work to the back or legs so the Bulldog is able to save himself by getting to the ropes. Bret then comes off the ropes with a sunset flip but the Bulldog sits down and cradles the legs, capturing the title to a big pop. The last seven minutes was a great blitz of action, which is what most people think of when they remember the match, and a hot crowd helps it. However, it loses something when the Bulldog gets sloppy in spots and the early action had to be slowed down to compensate for his forgetfulness. Rating: ****½

After the match, Bret sulks on the canvas, angry over his mistake. The Bulldog extends his hand and Bret goes to leave but gets booed. Diana cries on the outside as Bret reconsiders and shakes the Bulldog’s hand, raising it for the crowd. Then, Diana gets in the ring and hugs both men and they pose in the ring as fireworks go off, reuniting the Hart family after a hard-fought match.

The Last Word: This was the WWF’s first pay-per-view without Hulk Hogan and the WWF proved that it could still pack a big stadium show and put on an entertaining product without him. Unfortunately, the loss of Hogan was partially responsible for the low buyrate of the show, which marked the last time that the WWF ran one of its major pay-per-views outside of the United States. The card marked a change in presentation as Vince McMahon took over lead play-by-play duties from Gorilla Monsoon, a role that he would keep for most shows until 1997, and it also cemented the rise of Bret Hart, who proved that he could carry a pay-per-view main event match. The WWF took a gamble by switching out most of its planned matches for this SummerSlam and it paid off in its strongest pay-per-view of the year since the big bouts delivered and the show did not fall off after its first half like WrestleMania. It was also a smart decision to move the show to London as Wembley Stadium was packed for one of the WWF’s biggest gates to this point in its history and the crowd was hot for almost every match. For at least one night the WWF looked like its old self but public relations problems, financial setbacks, and creative struggles still lingered back home and the company could not stay in Europe forever.

Up Next: WWF Superstars for September 5!

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