WWF SummerSlam 1989

After the success of the first SummerSlam in 1988, the WWF added it permanently to their pay per view lineup, and built the 1989 edition on a main event showdown between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, and the maniacal Zeus. Zeus being an actor-turned-wrestler for the sole purpose of this ridiculous angle that ‘spilled over from the movie set,’ the WWF wisely made it into a tag team match – with Hogan’s WrestleMania opponent Randy Savage backing Zeus up, and Brutus Beefcake with the Hulkster.

From East Rutherford, New Jersey; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura.


Opening Match: The Brain Busters v The Hart Foundation: The Busters had just won the WWF tag titles from Demolition the month before on Saturday Night's Main Event, but this is non-title since the match was 'signed before they won the titles.' That seems trivial, but little touches like that always made it seem more realistic, and like a real sport. Plus, the Busters were managed by Bobby Heenan. No way he'd put up the titles if he didn't absolutely have to. They don't call him 'the brain' for nothing. Tully Blanchard starts with Bret Hart, and Bret fires off a pair of armdrags to take Tully down into a wristlock. He can't keep Tully grounded, however, and Blanchard passes to Arn Anderson while still in the hold. Bret regroups quickly enough to take Anderson down into a hammerlock, and adds a hammerlock slam for good measure. That to Jim Neidhart to work a wristlock, and the Harts cut the ring in half, trading off working on Anderson's wrist. Arn manages to out wrestle Bret on the mat, and scurries back to Blanchard before Bret can follow-up with anything else. Tully loses a headbutt exchange with the Anvil, and the Harts sub him right in as their wrist bitch. Blanchard tries to reverse Hart with an overhead wristlock, but he bridges out, and sends Tully to the floor with a Japanese armdrag. Tully lures him into a chase to get the chance to pass back to Anderson, but his attempt at a Vaderbomb hits the knees, Bret clears him to the floor, too. The champs regroup out there with Bobby Heenan, but Bret reverses Tully into the ropes on the way back in, so Anderson fires a well timed cheap shot to leave Neidhart on his back. The Busters waste no time double-teaming the Anvil, and Blanchard cuts the ring in half with a reverse chinlock. Hart with a cheap shot of his own to get tagged back in, and Tully takes a 2^nd rope elbowdrop. Snap suplex gets two, but Anderson's in, and a four-way brawl breaks out. The Harts control Tully with double-teams, but Anderson sneaks in with an elbowdrop on Bret as he has Blanchard covered, and pins Bret at 16:23. Really fun, well paced tag match - the Harts absolutely dominating the new champions, and working outside of the standard heat segment formula. In fact, the Harts were acting quite heelish with their double-teams, cheap shots, and general dominance (which wrestling fans are conditioned to expect the heels to do in tag wrestling), but still got a warm reception from the crowd. *** ¼

The Honky Tonk Man v Dusty Rhodes: Dusty puts the moves on Honky to start (literally, as he gets funky), so Honky charges in frustration, and gets backdropped. He rolls to the outside to regroup, but ends up in a wristlock on the way back in, and Dusty uses the opportunity to mess up his honka honka honky hair. He predictably flips out over it, but Dusty calms him down with an elbowsmash, and a ten-punch count in the corner. Anklelock, but Honky gets uppity, so Rhodes unloads more closed fists. That gets Honky manager Jimmy Hart involved for a distraction, and Honky takes full advantage by bashing Dusty in the gut with Hart's megaphone. Honky with a chinlock executed so poorly that even people in the cheapest seats could likely see through it. Hell, it's so bad, they could kayfabe explain it as Rhodes lulling Honky into a false sense of security while he takes a breather. It goes on for a while, Dusty wakes up from nappy time, and BOOKS UP!! Fists of Fury! Series of Jabs! Avalanche! but Honky sidesteps, and the referee goes down in the process. He and Hart try a cheap shot with the guitar, but Dusty ducks, and Honky takes the blow to allows Rhodes to pin him at 9:36. Decent TV match, outside of the long, poorly worked chinlock spot. ¼*

Mr. Perfect v The Red Rooster: Perfect shoves him around at the bell, and takes the Rooster down with a crisp armdrag. Hiptoss, and a fireman's carry takedown, but he gets too cocky, and Rooster decks him. Big criss cross ends in Rooster trying a bodyslam, but getting toppled for two - as his knee legitimately gives out. Perfect chops him, and a standing dropkick knocks Rooster to the outside to get himself together. He beats the count, but walks into a series of forearm shots for having the gall to try and compete, and the Perfect-plex finishes shortly after at 3:21. The injury turned this into a squash, and by the time they got around to trying again on Saturday Night's Main Event a couple of months later, Rooster was even less in rising star Perfect's league. ½*

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Tito Santana and The Rockers v Rick Martel and The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers: Tito starts with Jacques Rougeau, but Santana wants former tag partner Martel, not some cheap Canadian replacement. Jacques offers him a handshake instead, but Tito doesn't fall for it, and a six-way brawl breaks out early - the Rockers helping Santana clean house with their double-team brilliance. The dust settles on Marty Jannetty and Jacques Rougeau, and Marty gut-punches Jacques as he tries a 2^nd rope axehandle. Tag to Raymond Rougeau to hit Marty with a savate kick to turn the tide, and Martel shoves him into the heel corner for some triple team fun. Marty manages to dodge him long enough to pass to Santana, but Martel dives back to his corner to avoid the showdown. Raymond draws the short straw, and gets the brunt of Santana's frustration, so Jacques helps out with a cheap shot. Now Martel is fine with tagging in, and he stomps Tito while playing to the crowd. The heels cut the ring in half, leaving Santana trying his darndest to mount comebacks, but running into endless triple teams before he can get more than a single move off. He finally manages to dodge a Rougeau double-team long enough to reach the eager Rockers, and Shawn Michaels is a crackhouse of fire! Suplex and a flying fistdrop on Martel trigger a six-way brawl, and Santana finally gets his hands on Martel with a diving forearm. Rougeau manager Jimmy Hart gets involved in the chaos, however, and Martel tackles Marty for the pin at 14:58. Really well paced, and loaded with tag team psychology for a great heat segment - making appropriate use of restholds as a way to wear Tito Santana down, as opposed to just for the sake of taking a break. **

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Rick Rude v The Ultimate Warrior: After Rude stole the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania V, Warrior spent the next few months chasing him all over the world to get it back - Rude taunting him at every turn along the way. Warrior furiously backs the champ into a corner at the bell, but Rude uses his speed advantage to dodge his challenger. His attempts to stick and move fail when Warrior no-sells it all, however, and a clothesline puts Rude down. Press slam to the floor leaves Rude in a heap, but Warrior gets him back to his feet for a whip into the timekeepers table. He whacks him with the title belt for good measure, and adds a suplex on the floor for fun. Warrior rolls him back in to break the count, but quickly launches him over the top to bodyslam him on the outside. Inside, Warrior blasts the champ with a flying axehandle for two, and starts whipping him from corner to corner to weaken the back for two. Suplex gets two, and an inverted atomic drop triggers the usual brilliant sell from Rude. No one could take an atomic drop (inverted or otherwise) like Rick Rude. To the top rope, but Rude dives into the ropes to knock him off, and the champ starts passing out forearm shots to the lower back. Snap suplex gets two, and a reverse chinlock grounds the challenger. Warrior keeps fighting him to break the hold, so Rude dives onto the back in a preemptive strike, and tries for the Rude Awakening. Warrior powers into a counter, but Rude slaps on a sleeper - making Warrior carry his weight down to the mat. Stunner breaks for the challenger, but the referee goes down as they get into a criss cross, and misses Warrior BLOWING UP!! Backdrop! Series of Clotheslines! Powerslam! but there's no referee to count. Warrior lets off to go revive him, and piledrives Rude for a dramatic two count - Rude saving himself by meekly getting his foot onto the bottom rope. Warrior with a running powerslam, but a splash hits the knees, and Rude gives him a visually impressive piledriver of his own for two. Flying fistdrop gets two, and here comes Roddy Piper (who had been feuding with Rude as the result of a barrage of insults lobbed his way by Rude manager Bobby Heenan). Rick with a piledriver for another two count, as he notices Piper on the floor. Roddy responds by mooning him, and that serves as enough of a distraction for Warrior to side suplex him. Diving shoulderblock sets up a press slam, and a splash wins him the title back at 16:02 There WrestleMania match was weighed down by restholds, but this was much better - loaded with hard hitting and intense back-and-forth stuff, and managing to keep good series of spots non-repetitive. *** ¼

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Andre the Giant and The Twin Towers v Jim Duggan and Demolition: Duggan wearing a Demolition mask is legitimately terrifying - like Silence of the Lambs meets Sling Blade. He starts with Akeem, and a big slugfest goes Duggan's way. He and Demolition triple team the big Tower (making good use of quick tags), but Ax gets his eyes raked, and Big Bossman tags in. He's kind slow though, so Ax manages to tag Smash before Bossman can capitalize, and he gets triple teamed. Tag to Andre stops that effort, however, as even if he can't move quickly, you'll still bounce off of him just the same when you try and charge. A six-way brawl doesn't take long to break out from there, and Duggan wallops Akeem with his 2x4 to allow Smash the pinfall at 7:26 Energetic, if heavy on the kick-punch stuff. ½*

Hercules v Greg Valentine: Ron Garvin acts as the guest ring announcer, and tears into Valentine enough to make him completely forget Hercules is there. That allows Herc to jump him with a series of right hands, and a slam gets two, so Greg rolls to the floor to break the momentum. He gets distracted by Garvin again, however, and rammed into the timekeepers table by Hercules. Inside, Garvin manages to get him down long enough to try for the Figure Four, but Herc isn't remotely worn down, and shoves him off. Series of jabs sets up a backdrop, but Valentine dodges, so Herc regroups with a vertical suplex. Greg gets thoroughly sick of trying to wrestle him with Garvin looking over his shoulder, so he gets him over to the corner, and cradles him with two feet on the ropes for leverage to end things at 3:06. Afterwards, Garvin refuses to announce Valentine as the winner, and decides to give it to Herc by disqualification, though that's a leap for a ring announcer. The match was just background for the angle, but it was quick, at least. ¼*

Ted DiBiase v Jimmy Snuka: DiBiase tries to jump the Superfly at the bell, but ends up getting beaten to the floor. He has manager/slave/lover Virgil try to distract Snuka for him to sneak in with an attack, but Jimmy sees it coming, and dumps DiBiase again. Back in, Ted slows him down with a side-headlock, but Snuka throws it into the ropes - only to botch a leapfrog. They recover nicely with Snuka smashing Ted's head into the turnbuckles, and he backdrops him. Bodypress, but DiBiase counters with a stungun, and he suplexes him for two. Backbreaker, but a 2^nd rope falling backelbow misses, and Snuka unloads fists and headbutts. Bodyslam sets up a 2^nd rope flying headbutt, but the Superfly Splash gets blocked by Virgil, and Snuka gets counted out while going after him on the floor at 6:26. Snuka was always entertaining in the earlier days, but he just never seemed to get back in the groove during this run - lacking intensity and timing. DUD

Main Event: Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake v Zeus and Randy Savage: The faces bring Elizabeth with them, assumably to play mind games with Savage/counteract the stench of Sherri's pussy, and I just thank God this wasn't booked as a mixed tag team match with all six of them. With the formalities out of the way, the heels charge, and Zeus quickly gets Hogan on the mat in a chokehold. Bearhug for Beefcake, but Hogan saves, and loses a power-showdown with Zeus - ending up in a bearhug himself. Savage tags in with a couple of flying axehandles, and a kneelift sends Hogan into the corner for a hangman's clothesline. Chinlock, and hopefully the Honky Tonk Man is watching, because that’s how you lock a chin, motherfucker. Hogan still powers out, of course, and a series of shoulderblocks build momentum - only for a Zeus cheap shot from the apron to break it. He tags in to hug Hulk like a bear again, and Randy adds a side suplex for two. Blind charge misses, however, and Hogan gets the tag to Beefcake. He blasts Savage with a high knee for two, and hooks the Sleeper, but Savage dives into the turnbuckles to break. Tag to Zeus, but he spends so long trying to intimidate Beefcake that he gets locked in a Sleeper, too. Savage grabs Sherri's brick loaded purse to break it up, and Beefcake is forced to do an inordinate job of selling near his own corner, because Zeus has no timing. Zeus with more choking, but Savage ends up in a double knockout with Beefcake, and Hogan gets the tag. He's a house of arson, but Sherri trips him up for Savage to drop the Flying Elbow. Hulk promptly no-sells it, however, and atomic drops the Macho Man to the outside. That draws Zeus in, and Hogan manages to stagger the big man, then whacks him with the purse to set up a bodyslam. Legdrop, and it's over at 15:04.  This easily ranks among my least favorite matches – less for the bad wrestling than for the stupid, nonsensical angle, and the fact that Savage (the hottest heel in the promotion) was reduced to playing the goofy sidekick role – complete with skits where he and Zeus stare into bubbling cauldrons like they’re in a bad high school play. Zeus had no business being in a wrestling ring at this level (let alone main eventing the second biggest show of the year), and Savage was in full house show mode with Hogan while working around Zeus' endless restholds – most of which Savage had to stop and call for him. DUD

BUExperience: This one was not at all warmly received by critics at the time (though it did quite well commercially), but there is some damn good stuff on the undercard to make this considerably better than I remember it from Sunday afternoons on VHS. Maligned by the main event (for good reason, as it was terrible) and the ridiculousness surrounding it (when you can’t get nine years olds interested in Zeus’ antics, he’s not interesting) this is actually a decent, succinct event for the time period – bolstered by an enthusiastic crowd. **