WWE: Summerslam: The Complete Anthology (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)*****Nov. 2008 - I just want to go on record and say that I think SUMMERSLAM 2008 is a great PPV. I have a more detailed review somewhere in my Profile, if you'd like to read it. My ANTHOLOGY review is below. *****I'm gonna give you two reviews for the price of one:
* SUMMERSLAM ANTHOLOGY REVIEW
* AN EXTRA TWO CENTS ON WWE DVD SETS
[Better sit back. This is gonna take me a while. Hope you like!]
SUMMMERSLAM ANTHOLOGY REVIEW
---I'd wager that most haven't seen the first few SUMMERSLAM PPVs. While they're not very memorable, they're still worth a look. For example, from the first SUMMERSLAM back in 1988, everyone knows how Ultimate Warrior squashed Intercontinental champion Honky Tonk Man in 30 seconds. But hopefully, newcomers will be more awed by the excellent Tag Team Titles Match between The Hart Foundation and Demolition. Plus, the main event between "Mega Powers" Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage against Ted Dibiase's "Mega Bucks" team is an entertaining star-power showcase. 1988 was a solid event, and definitely warranted a follow-up the next year.
Sadly, I think 1989 is best remembered for its outstanding opener and for its cheap finale. The Hart Foundation against The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson) is a classic that Tag Team fans will love. But I always thought that the main event (Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake against Zeus & Randy Savage) felt like an expensive plug for the movie 'No Holds Barred'. Besides, it wasn't an entertaining match.
Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude have a solid Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title for 1990's SUMMERSLAM, and Hulk Hogan against Earthquake ain't too bad of a co-main event, either. But Demolition and Hart Foundation once again stole the show with another Tag Team Titles masterpiece. Man, tag action was the real deal back then.
Bret Hart and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig were never boring to watch. But in August 1991, their technical classic was one of their best ever. If Hitman wasn't yet a superstar, then August 1991 was his biggest push. His IC Title victory got people almost as excited as the main event: a 3-on-2 Handicap Match with Sgt. Slaughter's "Iraqi" team against Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Although Warrior's alleged backstage powerplay might cast a dark cloud over things, the match is quite entertaining in its own right. Oh, and I don't care what anyone else says...that Savage/Elizabeth wedding is touching...even if it was a few years late.
Big props to the World Wrestling Federation for letting Bret Hart and British Bulldog close the 1992 show with their IC Title masterpiece. Wembley Arena wanted to see this once more than any other on the card, and Hitman has always called this match his favorite. But another highlight you'll want to see is Randy Savage defend the WWF Title against Ultimate Warrior, a showdown I consider to be better than their 1991 Retirement Match. The storyline involving Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair is quite bizarre, but overall, it's good stuff. Also bizarre is some "no-face-hitting" encounter between Shawn Michaels and Rick "The Model" Martel. Don't ask...
So far, SUMMERSLAM has been an exceptional PPV series. But 1993's was probably their least successful at the time. There is some good stuff to watch, still. Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels delivered an outstanding IC Title Match. Bret Hart's grudge match against "Burger King" Jerry Lawler was hilariously delayed, as Hitman had to face Doink The Clown before he could get his hands on Lawler. Sean "1-2-3 Kid" Waltman's PPV debut against IRS is an admirable showing, as is Razor Ramon's opener against Ted Dibiase. Where most will disagree with me is on the Taker/Gonzales and Luger/Yokozuna matches. Even with his poor outfit and in-ring ability, I was never bored with Giant Gonzales when he faced Undertaker. And although I agree that Lex Luger never achieved the "American Hero" status WWF wanted, everyone got behind Luger during this summer. I think we all wanted to see Yokozuna dethroned of the title; at the time, Luger was the man for the job. This was a decent PPV amidst a subpar year for the WWF.
1994's presentation in the United Centre (my hometown of Chicago) was an excellent card, but also included two ridiculous scenarios. The first dumb thing is the Taker-vs-Taker main event. As Mark Calaway once said, "On paper, I thought it was a good idea, but we didn't get the mileage we wanted." The other problem is that Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy bumble around trying to solve the mystery of The Undertaker......huh? This must've been a 'Naked Gun 33 1/3' promotion; I can't decide if I want WWE to edit this out or not. But the 1994 event features the priceless Bret/Owen Steel Cage Match; those two could steal the show by just looking at each other. Their rivalry remains a pinnacle among wrestling feuds. I also really enjoyed Razor Ramon challenging IC champion Diesel for his title, with HBK at ringside. A great PPV with a little WWF family-friendly garbage.
You only need to watch 1995's SUMMERSLAM for the HBK/Razor Ladder Match. Other than that, you can just break this disc into pieces to sell as knockoff jewelry. It's that bad.
1996 features a very good HBK/Vader main event, and a pretty solid undercard. What might hold this one back is the Boiler Room Brawl between Undertaker and Mankind. While this remains an awesome rivalry, the action hasn't aged well. At the time, these 30 minutes of violence were off the charts by WWF's standards. But now, the overall atmosphere and shocking finish are the best highlights. Still, 1996 warrants a peek.
The very first live PPV I purchased was 1997's SUMMERSLAM, in which the new Hart Foundation had a stipulation for each of their matches. Brian Pillman is still a frightening individual, which helps keep his gold-dress angle against Goldust entertaining. The British Bulldog's dog-food-eating angle with Ken Shamrock wasn't too bad, nor was the match itself. However, the last two matches are the real reason to watch. Sadly, this was the night that Owen Hart accidentally broke Stone Cold Steve Austin's neck via piledriver. However, it's still a very good contest with a sad finish. As for the main event, I'm not the biggest fan of Bret Hart and Undertaker's matches together, but this is an exception. Perhaps it was having Shawn Michaels as guest referee. I dunno, but out of all of the Taker/Hart encounters, this was easily my favorite. Oh, I almost forgot about the HHH/Mankind Steel Cage opener...in a word, awesome! One more thing, I hope that WWE doesn't cut the cash-giveaway-sweepstakes that happened in the middle...it was corny and funny as hell.
We kick off the Attitude Era of the package with 1998's edition. I was never a fan of the Attitude Era, but for this one, I really enjoyed myself. While The Rock and Triple H stole the show with their IC Title Ladder Match, everyone can look forward to the best Undertaker/Austin encounter in history. Those two men must've had to bust their tails when they had to follow the Ladder Match; they succeeded and then some. Throw in an X-Pac/Jarrett Hair-vs-Hair Match and a good opener between Val Venis and D'Lo Brown, and 1998 is a year you can look forward to.
You can also get revved up to watch 1999's SUMMERSLAM. Jesse Ventura officiates the Mankind/HHH/Austin main event with no particular set of rules. If he doesn't like what he sees, "The Body" makes the wrestler win under fairer methods. Also on this card is the Greenwich Street Fight between Test and Shane McMahon, where Stephanie McMahon's relationship with Test is in jeopardy. That's right: The Billion Dollar Princess was romantically tied to someone on TV before Paul Levesque entered the picture. Basically, Shane-O-Mac never had a better match until facing Kurt Angle in a Street Fight a couple years later. One more compliment to the PPV: Doesn't Undertaker & Big Show against Kane & X-Pac sound like a terrible match? Trust me, it's a most enjoyable showdown. The card gets rough during the 0:30-1:30 time period, but it's still a very good event.
2000's card is also pretty solid. It includes the first triangle TLC Match (my all-time favorite Ladder Match). Also included is a kicking 2-out-of-3 Falls showcase between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. And the Angle/HHH/Rock main event, while mostly a one-on-one affair, is still entertaining. There are a few stinkers (like the repetitive and pointless Undertaker/Kane slugfest). But overall, I like this one.
The 2001 SUMMERSLAM featured the second PPV showdown between the WCW/ECW Alliance and the WWF. The "Invasion" angle has its critics, but the talent was rarely stronger, making this PPV one of the anthology's best. You get to see Edge's first singles title victory, The Rock's first WCW Title victory, Jeff Hardy and RVD in a Ladder Match...do I really need to go on? Well, I'll also let you get excited to watch Kurt Angle and Steve Austin just tear the house down. Angle (to my knowledge) has never received a stronger crowd reaction. Just watch the PPV; you won't regret it.
My favorite SUMMERSLAM of all time is easily the 2002 presentation from Long Island, NY. Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio almost steal the show with their fast-paced opener. But even better is Shawn Michaels' return to the WWE, as he faces Triple H in a classic Street Fight. Nobody thought HBK could still deliver a match this great, let alone just survive without killing his body. However, my strongest praise goes to Brock Lesnar and The Rock for their stellar main event. They put in a lot of hype and build-up going in, and the two men delivered the blockbuster we expected. The crowd went nuts for this, and I...Read more›

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WWE: Summerslam - The Complete Anthology, Vol. 2 1993-1997 Review

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(More customer reviews)Since its inception in 1988, SummerSlam has become one of the premier events on the WWE calendar behind The Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and (of course) WrestleMania. For this review, because they were WWF for many of these events in this set, I will refer to the titles with the WWF tag line. Only SS events when they became WWE will I call them such.
Anyway, let's get to it. I will do it by volumes and I hope you people reading this don't mind if I throw some brief history tibits in too:
SUMMERSLAM, VOL. 2:
SummerSlam 1993
By this time, Yokozuna had become a two time WWF champion having defeated both Bret "The Hitman" Hart and Hulk Hogan within a span of 3 months. He would face a stiff test in the form of Lex Luger but that wasn't the only thing going on at this SS!
"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase Vs. Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) - In his final PPV apperance in America, Ted DiBiase took on Razor Ramon in a very good opener. Ends with Razor finishing Ted off with his "Razor's Edge" powerbomb for the victory! DiBiase would shortly retire due to neck injuries while on tour of Japan that same year.
The Steiner Brothers Vs. The Heavenly Bodies (WWF World Tag Team Title Match) - Good tag team match with plenty of moves and action from both teams! At this time, WWF had a deal with the now defunct Smokey Mountain Wrestling organization and would occassionally exchange talent. THB came to challenge the mighty Steiners and while they would have their moments, Rick and Scott prevailed over them.
Shawn Michaels w/Diesel Vs. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig (WWF Intercontinental Title Match) - Classic contest marred by the interference of Diesel (Kevin Nash). Up until that point, these two had a good match going. Too bad there wasn't an on-going program between these two. Definitely worth a look!
Irwin R. Schyster Vs. 123 Kid (X-Pac) - In his first PPV appearance, The 123 Kid was looking to add to his upset column with a win over IRS. While he did come close, it was not to be as IRS put him down with a devestating looking flying clothesline off of the ropes.
Bret "HitMan" Hart Vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler - This match actually started out as Hart Vs. Doink The Clown (Matt Bourne at this point) as Lawler claimed he had a leg injury and couldn't compete. The ruse was exposed however when Bret applied the "sharpshooter" to Doink and Lawler jumped in and nailed him with a crutch! At that point, WWF President Jack Tunney (RIP) ordered Lawler to wrestle Hart or be suspended for life! The end of this match was a screwjob but Bret got his revenge on Lawler nonetheless. Decent bout and pretty entertaining.
Marty Jannetty Vs. Ludvig Borga - Pretty much a squash for Borga! Not much to review here.
The Undertaker Vs. Giant Gonzales (Rest In Peace Match) - In the history of SummerSlam, The Undertaker has made 15 SummerSlam appearances. Of those appearances, he's only lost 4 times. This match against Giant Gonzales ISN'T one of those losses THANK GOD! This match was terrible! The only good part was that UT won! Watch once just to see how bad it is and skip!
The Smoking Guns & Tatanka Vs. The Headshrinkers & Bam Bam Bigelow (RIP) - Like some of the six-man's in years past, this one was a good one as The Guns and Tatanka took a royal beating from Samu, Fatu and "The Beast From The East." Still, they show fighting spirit and it ends with Tatanka getting the win.
Yokozuna (RIP) Vs. Lex Luger (WWF World Title Match) - This bout will NOT go down as a classic but it was a classically put together main event as the build-up to it was tremendous. Too bad the actual match didn't live up to the hype. While not a bad match, it wasn't as good as the WWF hype machine would lead you to believe. Ends when Luger nails Yoko with his "loaded" forearm smash but knocks him out of the ring, causing a countout! Luger wins the match BUT he doesn't win the title! Yoko retains. Still, the celebration fit the theme of SummerSlam which was patriotic.
Overall, the MUST SEE's here are DiBiase/Ramon, Michaels/Perfect and Hart/Lawler.
SummerSlam 1994
As far as SS cards go, this one was average BUT it had three good matches (one of which is a "lost classic" in my view) and a memorable moment though the match itself was average.
Bam Bam Bigelow & Irwin R. Schyster Vs. The Headshrinkers - Good opener as Ted DiBiase returns in a manager's capacity to lead the team of Bam Bam Bigelow & IRS as "The Million Dollar Corporation" with a new member that comes out later in the card.
As for the match itself, it was surprisingly stiff (especially for WWF/WWE in those days)! Plenty of hard hits and bumps. Ends when Afa (the uncle of both Samu and Fatu) interferes after BBB hits the late Captain Lou Albano (who was also at ringside). The ref DQ'es the 'Shrinkers and gives the bout to BBB & IRS.
Alundra Blayze (Madusa Miceli for long time wrestling fans) Vs. Bull Nakano (WWF Women's Championship Match) - For this era, this match was one of the best women's matches in WWF/WWE history! Alundra took a beating in this one as Bull had a big size advantage AND she had Luna Vachon at ringside! Ends when one of Luna's attempts at interference backfires, allowing Alundra to hit her patened German suplex for the victory.
Razor Ramon w/the late Walter Payton Vs. Diesel w/Shawn Michaels (WWF Intercontinental Title Match) - Wanna see a good Hall Vs. Nash match? Here it is! Before they became the Outsiders and charter members of the nWo in WCW, these two fought for the I-C title in 1994. Add to the fact that Diesel came into the match as not only the I-C champion but also one half of the WWF World Tag Team Champions with Shawn Michaels, the momentum was certainly in the favor of "Big Daddy Cool."
Diesel held the advantage for much of the contest, even without Shawn's interference. That interference backfired when, as the referee and the late NFL legend Walter Payton were arguing, Shawn superkicked Diesel instead of Razor! Payton then neutralized Shawn long enough for the referee to count down Diesel and give Ramon his second I-C title! This match would play into the long program that would see Shawn and Diesel split up, Diesel win the WWF World title and for these two to have a showdown at WrestleMania 11.
Tatanka Vs. Lex Luger - The backstory of this bout was that Luger had seemingly sold out to "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and his corporation stable with Tatanka as his main accuser. As for the match itself, it won't go down as a classic but not too shabby, not too shabby at all. Ends when Luger's attention is diverted by DiBiase, allowing Tatanka to get the pin on Lex. The aftermath reveals that it wasn't Luger that sold out, but Tatanka as he gave Lex a savage beating afterwards!
Jeff Jarrett Vs. Mabel - The future founder of TNA Wrestling would face off against the massive and surprisingly agile Mabel. This one, like the previous bout, won't go down as a classic BUT it wasn't bad at all. Ends when Jarrett capitalizes on a mistake by Mabel and gets the three count.
Bret "HitMan" Hart Vs. "King Of Harts" Owen Hart (WWF World Title in a cage) - This is often a forgotten classic in the careers of both Bret and Owen and proof positive that a cage match doesn't have to be a bloody massacare to be good! It's a long match but worth every minute to watch! Ends when both brothers try to escape the cage but Bret manages to hang up Owen and escape first! Bret wins but then is attacked by long time partner Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart as both he and Owen beat Bret down. Bret is saved by brother in law The British Bulldog as well as a few of Bret's other brothers. Overall a great contest! Also available on WWE Bloodbath - The Most Incredible Cage Matches
The Undertaker (Mark Calloway) Vs. The Undertaker (Brian Lee) - In this doppleganger match, these two men were almost mirror images of the other! Not a great match but the theatrics and spectacle of it all is what makes this match memorable. Ends when UT (Mark) tombstones the fake 'Taker three times to ensure the end of the UnderFaker! LOL!
As I said earlier, this one tends to be forgotten but it had its moments. MUST SEES on this one is Blayze/Nakano, Ramon/Diesel & Bret/Owen!
SummerSlam 1995
This one was actually not a good SummerSlam BUT it had one memorable match to see and its moments.
123 Kid (X-Pac) Vs. Hakushi - A good opener as both of these guys were speed demons and risk takers! I forgot how it ended but I know Hakushi wins this one.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley Vs. Bob Holly - The future "Game" and "Hardcore" were decidedly a bit softer during this era of their careers. HHH playing more of a snob character while Holly portrayed a car racer, thus the nickname "Spark Plug." This is more of a squash for HHH as he does his soon to be legendary finisher "The Pedigree" for the victory.
Jacob & Eli Blu w/Uncle Zebakia (sp?) Vs. The Smoking Gunns - An average tag team match. Nothing that sucked but nothing spectacular. The Gunns, in my view, were very underrated though as they had good tag team chemistry. Anyway, worth one look.
Alundra Blaze Vs. Bertha Faye w/Harvey Wippleman (WWF Women's Title Match) - Alundra (Madusa Miceli) was into her second reign as WWF Women's Champion. Bertha Faye looked like someone that just came out of Flower's Bakery here in Bluefield, WV! LOL! Still, she could move surprisingly well for her size (she had to be pushing at least 250lbs. though)! This match went well and was very good. Ends when Bertha nailed Alundra with a sit-out powerbomb (Batista Bomb...Read more›

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WWE: Summerslam - The Complete Anthology, Vol. 1 1988-1992 Review

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(More customer reviews)1988 - The very first event from Madison Square Garden & mostly came off as a 3 hour edition of Saturday Night's Main Event instead of how WrestleMania was later developed as most matches were just here with little to no buildup. Standout matches & moments feature the main event tag team match with Jesse Ventura as the referee between the Mega Powers (Hogan & Savage) vs. the Mega Bucks (Dibiase & Andre) that had an ending with Ms. Elizabeth that had every man in the arena distracted...including the wrestlers, the record setting Intercontinental Championship reign by the Honky Tonk Man ending in the blink of an eye by the Ultimate Warrior, and tag matches pitting the Hart Foundation vs. Demolition & British Bulldogs vs. Fabulous Rougeau Brothers.
1989 - "Feel The Heat" here as this edition of SummerSlam was headlined by the feud based off their movie 'No Holds Barred' with Hulk Hogan teaming with Brutus Beefcake vs. Zues & Randy Savage with Sensational Sherri. Other standout matches & highlights here include the only SummerSlam appearence of ex-4 Horsemen members Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard as the Brain Busters vs. Hart Foundation, Dusty Rhodes vs. Honky Tonk Man, Rick Martel & Fabulous Rougeaus vs. Tito Santana & Rockers, Jim Duggan transforming into "King Demolition" for one night to team with Demolition against one of the largest teams ever in Andre The Giant & Twin Towers (Big Boss Man & Akeem), and one of the most underrated performances from Ultimate Warrior in his WrestleMania V rematch against Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude.
1990 - "The Heat Returns" as this SummerSlam was the first one where most of the matches throughout the card started having the storyline buildup & purpose behind them. One main event was based around the return of Hulk Hogan, from being injured throughout the spring/summer, against the man who put him out of action in Earthquake. The other saw the final WWE inring PPV appearence of Rick Rude against his arch-rival Ultimate Warrior inside a steel cage but this time, it was for the WWE Championship. Other matches & highlights include the Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect vs. 'Texas Tornado' Kerry Von Erich, a classic 2 out of 3 falls match between Hart Foundation vs. Demolition for the tag team championship, Ted Dibiase showing that "everyone has a price" to Dusty Rhodes, and Big Boss Man pulling double duty as Hogan's cornerman and the referee between the Jake Roberts vs. Bad News Brown match.
1991 - SummerSlam returned back to MSG & to me, this to me was the first SummerSlam that I concider the entire event a classic instead of it just being a PPV that had some classic matches. It was a "Match Made In Heaven" as WWE had the moment that people were waiting for years on in the wedding of Randy Savage & Ms. Elizabeth and unlike how WWE weddings are in this day & age where it's a mockery & complete joke, this was very classy & real emotional for long time fans of not just the couple but WWE itself. The main event here was "A Match Made In Hell" between Hulk Hogan & Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter's "Triangle Of Terror" with Sid Justice (Sid Vicious/Sycho Sid) debuting as the referee in a match which is probably remembered more for it being Ultimate Warrior's last appearence in WWE for months & what happened behind the scenes that caused it to be Warrior's last match. This event also included the classic match that many say was the "Steamboat/Savage" of the 90's that inspired a new generation of wrestlers & style in the WWE as Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect took on Bret Hart. Other matches include Legion Of Doom becoming to first team to win all the major tag team championships (NWA/AWA/WWE) in a street fight against Nasty Boys, Virgil vs. Ted Dibiase in a match for the Million $ Championship, Big Boss Man vs. Mountie in a match were the loser had to spend the night in a New York City jail...complete with comedic footage throughout the night at the jail, Andre The Giant's last PPV appearence in the corner of the Bushwackers vs. Natural Disasters, and British Bulldog & Ricky Steamboat & Texas Tornado vs. Warlord and Power & Glory.
Side note: Again, I didn't see the DVD version, only the VHS so I don't know if they included the aftermath at the wedding reception involving Sid, Jake Roberts, and Undertaker.
1992 - This was not only the most unique SummerSlam...but the most unique WWE PPV ever as it had a series of events/setups/situations that you never saw before & will never see again. This was the first & only WWE PPV broadcasted from Europe (not including the U.K. only PPV's) that included the second largest crowd in WWE history and featured a double main event that featured all babyfaces & no heels. The main event that closed the show was not for the WWE Championship but the Intercontinental Championship as the hometown hero in British Bulldog faced off against the champion Bret Hart in a match that's concidered one of the greatest in SummerSlam history with a real life storyline in that Bret's sister Diana was Bulldog's wife. The other main event featured WWE Champion Randy Savage in a rematch from WrestleMania VII against Ultimate Warrior with the wild card here being that Ric Flair & Mr. Perfect claiming that one of the wrestlers bought their services. Other highlights include the last WWE appearence for 5 years of Legion Of Doom vs. Money Inc. with a memorable entrance riding their Harley Davidsons to the ring, a heel vs. heel match in Shawn Michaels vs. Rick Martel in a match were Sensational Sherri made the stipulation that neither man can hit each other in the face, and strickly for historical purposes only but former Demolition members fought each other in Crush vs. Repo Man (Smash).
These sets of SummerSlams started off strong as they got better each year before the '92 edition dragged them down a step but quite frankly, this is one volume that's worth your money as there was only one classic "SummerSlam" in the '91 edition while the others included classic matches & moments that stand the test of time. I recommend.

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WWE Summerslam: The Complete Anthology, Volume Three Review

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(More customer reviews)Volume 3 of the "WWE SummerSlam Anthology" is easily the best of the bunch. Not only is it the most well-rounded package, but the five PPVs included are among the best of the entire "SummerSlam" Anthology, from 1988 all the way to 2008. The least of the events (the 2000 edition, IMO) is still a good card.
If you want the short version, skip to the end.
If you're in for a long version, let's get to it!
*****1998*****
Our first PPV of Volume 3 is a good one. The 1998 "SummerSlam" includes a handful of solid matches, while the rest is at least watchable. The show's two main events are among the best from the Attitude Era. The Rock and Triple H probably stole the show with their Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title. Even today, this decade-old fight holds us incredibly well. The main event pitted The Undertaker against `Stone Cold' Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. In my opinion, this is the best match Taker & Austin had with each other. It's a wild frenzied brawl that shows how talented both men were, especially considering they had to follow a Ladder Match that had the crowd exhausted.
The rest of the card is pretty good. The opener features Val Venis challenging D'Lo Brown for the European Title, probably the first notable PPV appearance from either man. X-Pac and Jeff Jarrett had a solid Hair-vs-Hair contest, in which Howard Finkel had a minor role after Double J cut his hair days before the PPV.
Sable and Marc Mero continued their feud, with both picking a partner in mixed tag team action. The highlight is Sable revealing Edge to be the mystery partner, and both men worked well together, as did the ladies. Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock competed in a Lions Den Match, which is basically an octagonal cage similar to most MMA arenas. It was a unique and acceptable addition to the 1998 "SummerSlam".
I was disappointed that because of the storyline, Mankind was forced to defend the WWF Tag Team Titles against The New Age Outlaws in a No Disqualifications Match, because Kane no-showed the event. While it was commendable seeing the three men beat the crap out of each other, I would've rather seen Kane get involved in the match rather than just showing up at the end.
Volume 3 of the "SummerSlam" Antology is off to a good start, so be sure to check this 1998 event out.
______________________________________________
*****1999*****
The annual August event continues its streak of good PPVs with the 1999 edition.
Jesse "The Body" Ventura makes a guest appearance as the referee for the main event. The jist is that Ventura wouldn't show favoritism to any one of the wrestlers, and he wouldn't put up with any suspicious activity. Triple H and Mankind competed in a Triple Threat Match against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin for his WWF Championship, and it's one of the best PPV 3-way matches that I've seen. In addition to the quality of the action, I think many were surprised by who won the match.
My favorite match on the card is the Greenwich Street Fight, in which Test had to defeat Shane McMahon in order to be Stephanie McMahon's boyfriend. Keep in mind that this was pre-HHH/Steph. Without a doubt, this is my favorite match from Andrew "Test" Martin's career, and it's easily one of Shane's best. The violence is just excruciating to watch, and it's great fun when The Mean Street Posse gets involved.
There are some other good matches. D'Lo Brown puts both the Intercontinental and European Title on the line against Jeff Jarrett in the solid opener. The Tag Team Turmoil gauntlet is a good display of 6 teams, mainly how The Hardy Boyz and Edge/Christian got to show off their skills before their legendary Ladder Matches in the months to come. Perhaps the biggest surprise is how strong the Tag Team Titles Match is, as Undertaker & Big Show challenge Kane & X-Pac for the straps. Trust me, it's quite the enjoyable contest.
This card hits a rough hour around the 40-minute mark. Road Dogg & Chris Jericho confront each other with a pointless promo, followed by a poor Hardcore Title Match, an abysmal Women's Title Match, and a confusing Weapons Lions Den Match. Also, I think the Kiss-My-A$$ Match between Billy Gunn & The Rock is a total letdown, considering how much I enjoy both of their skills.
"SummerSlam `99" is another good card to spend 3 hours with. Although not as solid as the 1998 edition before it, it's enough of a success to warrant at least one viewing.
______________________________________________
*****2000*****
Although this may be the weakest of the bunch, "SummerSlam 2000" still has a handful of quality contests. My favorite match from 2000 and my favorite Ladder Match of all time would be the TLC Match between Edge & Christian (Tag Team champions), The Dudley Boyz, and The Hardy Boyz. Even though this modern showstopper is on the WWE's "Ladder Match" 3-disc set, and soon to be on the WWE's "Allied Powers" Tag Team collection, I figure you're stuck with this event anyway. Might as well enjoy it, right?
Another exceptional bout has Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit continue their on-and-off rivalry in a Two-Out-Of-Three Falls Match. I prefer some of their other WWF encounters from this same time period, but this one hasn't been released on any other WWE DVD yet. You'd be wise to give this solid technical display a watch.
The two marquee matches from "SummerSlam 2000" is where this one may fall flat for most people. The Undertaker and Kane turned their grudge match into nothing but a punch-kick-punch-kick brawl with a bogus finish. In short, it's easily the worst Taker/Kane encounter I've ever seen. And the main event almost became a disaster after Kurt Angle suffered a concussion early on, forcing the WWF Championship Triple Threat to just let The Rock and Triple H battle it out by themselves for almost the entire match. Unfortunately, Rock & HHH had squared off so many times in 2000 that the crowd wasn't into this one a whole lot. I personally thought Angle's concussion allowed for a neat finish, but some might not get into it.
The undercard is mostly forgettable. Road Dogg & X-Pac permanently end D-Generation X in their grudge match, which was a long time coming. The Hardcore Title Match is mostly famous for Steve Blackman knocking Shane McMahon for his very first TitanTron fall. It's still a horrifying moment, but the match is average. One amtch I particularly liked was Val Venis putting his Intercontinental Title on the line in a Tag Team Match, where he partned with Tirsh Stratus against Eddie Guerrero & Chyna. Even though Guerrero & Venis do most of the work, I thought the ladies did their parts well.
Overall, I think "SummerSlam 2000" achieves a passing grade, but only marginally so. If it weren't for the exhilarating TLC Match, this PPV would've been a decent-but-forgettable affair.
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*****2001*****
I really only have one big problem with this single DVD. It's very likely that a lot of "WW_" moments are gonna happen. The Fed wasn't the WW'E' yet, and the whole Invasion angle where WCW/ECW tried to take over the WWF was taking place. As a result, there may be some more audio editing than usual.
But other than that, this is another excellent PPV from start to finish. Every match delivers, except for a few that don't meet their full potential.
Tonight's main event featured The Rock returning to the WWF to challenge Booker T for his WCW Championship. The other main event showcased Kurt Angle in his first babyface run, trying to win the WWF Championship from WCW/ECW Alliance leader `Stone Cold' Steve Austin. Aside from Booker being made to look more foolish than in his WCW career, Rock & Booker had a good match to satisfyingly close the show. Austin and Angle, on the other hand, had an outstanding match. I usually hate title matches on PPV that end in disqualifications, but this time it made perfect sense. And Angle was rapidly becoming one of the most respected in the company only after two years. Definitely check this match out!
Perhaps the next best matches are the first two on the PPV: Edge challenging Lance Storm to bring the WWF Intercontinental Title back home, and a fast-paced fun 6-Man Tag Team match between the two factions. The Title-For-Title bout between X-Pac (WWF Light-Heavyweight champion) and Tajiri (WCW Cruiserweight champion) is also a good time, with a good dose of aerial spots.
"SummerSlam 2001" also has three matches that get the job done, but aren't nearly as good as they should've been. Most surprising is how a Ladder Match between Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam didn't reach the heights (forgive the pun) that their "Invasion" classic did, mostly due to some botched spots. In another grudge match, Chris Jericho and Rhyno also didn't quite click as well as you'd expect from athletes of their caliber. And the other Titles-For-Titles Match --- this one in a Steel Cage --- was basically Undertaker & Kane beating the tar out of DDP & Kanyon to win both the WWF and WCW Tag Team Championships. Again, these three matches are fine, but could've been much better.
But don't let that last paragraph worry you, because "SummerSlam 2001" is an exceptional event. 2001 was a very strong year for the WWF, and "SummerSlam" is among its finest moments.
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*****2002*****
What a great way to finish a five-disc set. My personal favorite of the "SummerSlam" cards is this 2002 edition. Even though two of its best matches are on other WWE DVDs, the entire card is watchable. The forgettable decent matches...Read more›

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WWE: Survivor Series Anthology, Vol. 2 - 1992-1996 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, after WWE has already released anthologies on their other 3 major events...it's time for the final one in their "Big Four" being the Survivor Series. This second volume is from the "New Generation" era of the event where WWE started to have a mix of regular matches as well combined with the traditional
elimination matches. Now keep in mind that I'm doing my reviews from either the VHS version with the unedited event or a replay I caught off WWE Classics On Demand.
1992 - This Survivor Series went away from the traditional format of having a heavy focus on elimination matches and came off as a normal PPV during this time. This was one of those events where the main events were the highlights & saved the show. 5 years before they would have their infamous title match in Montreal, Bret Hart defended the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels (who also happened to be the Intercontinental Champion) in a 30 min. lost classic while the other main event featured the inring return of Mr. Perfect teaming with Randy Savage against Ric Flair & Razor Ramon. The only elimination match on here was Jimmy Hart's former tag teams of Natural Disasters & Nasty Boys against Beverly Brothers & Hart's then-current team of Money Inc. however this was under the rules of "when one person is eliminated, his parter is eliminated too." The rest of the card featured the first ever Coffin/Casket Match with Undertaker vs. Kamala, the Nightstick Match between Big Boss Man & Nailz, an underrated match of Tatanaka vs. Rick Martel, Headshrinkers vs. High Energy, and Yokozuna squashing Virgil. This has a reputation of being one of the worst S. Series events as with the exception of the main events & the Tatanka/Martel match, the matches on here just weren't good in quality or were just a quick match (5 min. or less) to finish off the feud.
1993 - After the disaster reception the previous year's event had, WWE returned to the format they used in 1991 where the entire event, except for one match, was based around the traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination match. The main event here featured Lex Luger's team of the "All-Americans" against Yokozuna's "Foreign Fanatics" team where the highlight was the first time controntation between Undertaker & Yokozuna and the attempt at heavily pushing Ludvig Borga as a top heel (which anyone who knows their history didn't last long). This Survivor Series is mostly remembered for the match between the Hart Brothers of Bret & Owen & Bruce & Keith against 3 masked Knights & Shawn Michaels (last minute replacement for Jerry Lawler) and how that began the long term feud between Bret & Owen. Randy Savage also made his PPV return to the first in almost a year (replacing Mr. Perfect) teaming with Razor Ramon & Marty Jannetty & 1-2-3 Kid against I.R.S. & Diesel & Rick Martel & Adam Bomb. The other elimination match featured Bam Bam Bigelow & Baston Booger & Headshrinkers in a quick match against Men On A Mission & Bushwhackers dressed up as Doink The Clown resulting in the crowd chanting "We Want Doink" during the match. The only non-elimination match on the card was a tag team match representing Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain Wrestling promotion as their tag team champions of the Heavenly Bodies went against the Rock N' Roll Express but it should be noted that "Radio WWF's" commentary team of Jim Ross & Gorilla Monsoon did the commentary here & with this being Bobby Heenan's last WWE PPV until the end of WCW, his confrontation with Gorilla before the match was a highlight. In the end, this PPV was better than the previous year and did it's job for the most part in pushing & establishing the stories/feuds leading into not only the Royal Rumble but also WrestleMania.
1994 - This Survivor Series was built around the appearence of actor Chuck Norris as he was set to be the ringside enforcer for Casket Match with Undertaker vs. Yokozuna to ensure nobody else gets involved unlike how they did at the Royal Rumble earlier in the year. The other main event on here was a submission match between WWE Champion Bret Hart w/Davey Boy Smith in his corner vs. Mr. Bob Backlund w/Owen Hart in his corner with the twist in his match being that the only way to win is for the cornerman to throw in the towel for his representative and this was the best match Bob Backlund had during this run in WWE as Bret brought out the wrestling style Bob Backlund's remembered for back in the '70s & '80s with a very dramatic ending for that time. Speaking of Owen & Davey, they were also involved in the opening elimination match between the Shawn Michaels' "Teamsters" with vs. Razor Ramon's "Bad Guys" that was highlighted by the dominance of Diesel and the superkick that would begin the setup to a WrestleMania XI main event. Another elimination match on here (strickly for comedic purposes) was Jerry Lawler's "Royal Family" vs. Doink's "Clowns R' Us" which was each man teaming with 3 different midgets with the rules being it must be midget vs. midget/wrestler vs. wrestler at all times but if Lawler eliminated Doink then how could the match end if all of Lawler's midget teammates were eliminated since Lawler wasn't allowed to wrestle the midgets? The other elimination match on here was Lex Luger's "Guts & Glory" team of Mabel & Smokin' Gunns & Adam Bomb vs. the "Million $ Team" of Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka & King Kong Bundy & Heavenly Bodies.
1995 - Eventhough this was one of the worst years in WWE history as far as wrestling quality, storylines, and characters...this event started to pickup the pieces as the main event here was WWE Champion Diesel vs. Bret Hart in a No Holds Barred "Must Be A Winner" match that saw Bret Hart delivering one of Kevin Nash's best matches in his career as it was real physical & aggressive and also saw the beginning of a PPV tradition with Bret Hart going through the spanish announce table. This PPV also resulted in the first ever "Wild Card" match with the top faces & heels in the company were teamed together at random as Shawn Michaels & Sid & British Bulldog & newcomer Ahmed Johnson vs. Yokozuna & Owen Hart & Dean Douglas & Razor Ramon that resulted in things you wouldn't normally see at that time such as Razor helping Owen with a double team in the corner on Shawn along with British Bulldog saving HBK from a pinfall. The opening match featured the "Underdogs" of Marty Jannetty & Hakushi & Barry Horowitz & Bob Holly against the "Body Donnas" of Skip & Rad Radford & Tom Prichard & 1-2-3 Kid who recently turned heel on Razor Ramon & alligned with Sid....which did come into play during this match. Other matches on here featured Goldust vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, and 8 woman elimination match highlighted for it being the final WWE appearence of Alundra Blayze before she went to WCW & threw the WWE Womens Championship in a trash can a month later, and the return of the Undertaker in a dominant performance as part of the "Darkside" with Savio Vega & Fatu & Henry Godwinn vs. King Mabel's "Royals" of Jerry Lawler & Isaac Yankem & Hunter Hearst-Helmsley.
1996 - The first Survivor Series in WWE's "home" of Madison Square Garden that featured various returns & debuts...some more memorable than others. The WWE Championship saw Shawn Michaels defend the title against Sycho Sid in a match that's more memorable for how the MSG crowd completely turned against Shawn & cheered Sid. The other main event saw the return of Bret Hart against the man who called him out for months in "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a 30 min. lost classic that's always been overshadowed by their later WrestleMania 13 match. Another elimination match on the card saw Crush & Jerry Lawler & Hunter Hearst-Helmsley & Goldust vs. Marc Mero & Jake Roberts & Barry Windham as "The Stalker" & the WWE debut of a young kid named Rocky Maivia...who would later become more famously known as The Rock. Other matches include the Undertaker debuting a new look vs. Mankind, another elimination match between Faarooq (debuting the Nation Of Domination) & Vader & the non-Scott Hall/Kevin Nash versions of Razor Ramon & Diesel vs. the debuting Flash Funk & Yokozuna & Savio Vega & the MSG return of "Superly" Jimmy Snuka that's only noteworthy for it being the final WWE PPV appearence of Yokozuna, and the WWE debuts of a new tag team in Doug Furnas & Phil Lafond teaming with the Godwinns against Owen Hart & British Bulldog & The New Rockers.
So in the end, this was a real "mixed bag" as these series had some bad matches in quality, others more focused to "putting over a storyline" or showcasing/putting over one person as a dominate performer, and you did have some lost classics & memorable performances so this is still a set I would recommend overall. However if your more of a fan of the traditional Survivor Series elimination matches (similar to a fan of the Royal Rumble PPV's are fans of the battle royal match) then I would recommend getting Volume 1 first.

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