WWF SummerSlam 1994

There may be no better study in contrast than comparing the two headlining matches promoted for SummerSlam in 1994. On one hand, you had the Hart Brothers, who after feuding for the bulk of the year, were scheduled to face off in a steel cage for the WWF Title – the rematch from their all time classic showdown at WrestleMania the previous spring. On the other hand, you had the Undertaker battling… the Undertaker.

The show also marks Vince McMahon’s return to the helm of the WWF. Though he had never technically given up reigns, he had spent a good portion of the year in a courtroom while on trial for steroid distribution – charges he was acquitted of a month before SummerSlam. During that tense period, the day to day operations of the promotion were handled in large part by Pat Patterson, but with the trial over, McMahon was back in the drivers seat – all his attention on the WWF once more.

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. Randy Savage comes out to welcome the crowd to SummerSlam (his only on-camera participation at the event), making his last pay per view appearance for the WWF before bolting to WCW that fall – tired of being used as a broadcaster when he felt he still had something to offer between the ropes.


Opening Match: The Headshrinkers v Bam Bam Bigelow and IRS: This was originally for the Headshrinkers' tag titles, but they lost them the night before to Shawn Michaels and Diesel at a house show, so now it's just for glory and honor and shit. Fatu and Bigelow start, and Bam Bam controls with a pair of shoulderblocks, but misses a blind charge, and takes a savate kick for two. Bodyslam, but Bam Bam topples Fatu for two, and hits an enzuigiri to set up a flying headbutt - only to miss. Tag to Samu for stereo savate kicks, so Bigelow bails to IRS. He gets slammed around coming in, and Samu with yet another savate kick for two. Bodypress, but IRS dodges (guess he should have stuck with what works), and Fatu takes a tag. Criss cross allows Bigelow to tug the top rope down to send Fatu flying to the floor, and the heels try to cut the ring in half. Bam Bam ends up in a double knockout with Fatu to allow him to pass back to Samu, and he's a hut of fire! A four-way brawl breaks out in no time, and the Shrinkers go for their flying splash finisher, so heel manager Ted DiBiase distracts the referee. That gets Shrinkers managers Afa and Lou Albano involved, and the whole thing turns into a giant brawl - officially ending as a disqualification win for Bigelow and IRS at 7:19. Horrible ending aside, this was a really fun, well paced tag match - neither team phoning it in despite the lack of a title on the line. ** ½   

WWF Women's Title Match: Alundra Blayze v Bull Nakano: Nakano manager Luna Vachon tries to jump Blayze during the introductions, but gets shrugged off, so Bull unloads a series of kicks to get it done herself. Powerbomb, but Blayze counters into a dropkick. A second misses, however, so Nakano starts tossing her around with a few brutal looking hairpull slams. Blayze meekly tries to fire back with a couple closed fists, but Nakano ignores her and drops a leg for two. Chinlock puts Blayze in her place, but she claws for the ropes to break. Bull decides to give her a close-up of her beloved ropes by choking her with them, but a powerbomb gets countered with a rana, and Alundra hits a spinkick. Another is countered into a double chokeslam, and the challenger hooks a crab hold. Alundra crawls for the ropes again, but she's got nothing left, and Bull casually beats her down with a series of forearms. She hooks that always impressive surfboard Sharpshooter she's famous for, but Blayze won't quit, and rolls her up for two. That pisses off Bull enough to slap her in a cross-armbreaker, but Blayze rolls it into a couple pinfall attempts, and throws a series of her own hairpull slams. She stupidly tries a powerbomb, and gets backdropped, then leveled with a lariat. Bull shows her how to properly powerbomb someone, and heads to the top rope for a flying legdrop, but Alundra dodges and hits a German suplex to retain at 8:20. I've made it no secret that I'm not a fan of 'real' women’s wrestling, but holy shit was that a hard hitting, well paced, and well worked match. Nakano especially looked fantastic here with crisp moves - turning basic restholds like chinlocks into believable submissions, with Blayze selling them all like death. Just non-stop action. *** ½

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Diesel v Razor Ramon: Shawn Michaels cost Razor the Intercontinental Title to his big buddy Diesel back in the spring, so this time Ramon brings NFL Hall of Famer (and former Chicago Bear, so make sure you cheer Razor!) Walter Payton with him for backup. Slugfest goes Ramon's way to put Diesel on the outside, so Shawn Michaels (in all his glory, wearing the tag title belt as an accessory) helps Diesel regroup. Inside, Diesel catches an overzealous Ramon with a kneelift, and starts working the back with forearm shots. Sleeper, but Razor side suplexes his way out, only to get launched to the floor off of a blind charge. That allows Michaels to tear one of the top turnbuckle pads off, triggering a chase on the floor with Payton, which ends in Shawn out running him, springboarding off of the steps, and clotheslining the challenger. He and Diesel count along with the referee, but Payton helps Ramon beat the count in, so Diesel starts firing off kneelifts in the corner. Shawn distracts the referee for Diesel to whip Razor into the exposed corner, and he follows up with a sidewalk slam for two. Snake eyes and an elbowdrop to the lower back get two, so Diesel tries a chinlock to wear him down. Ramon quickly powers up, but runs himself right into a big boot for two. Diesel with a rope-assisted abdominal stretch, but Razor reverses, but Diesel's too much bigger than him for Ramon to properly apply the hold, and he gets hiptossed. Another snake eyes into the exposed buckle, but Razor counters him into it, and schoolboys him for two. Another slugfest goes Razor's way, and he crotches big Diesel on the ringpost for good measure. 2^nd rope bulldog gets two, and a nice bodyslam for two. Shawn sacrifices himself to a closed fist to turn the tide, but Ramon counters Diesel's Powerbomb with a backdrop. Shawn gets involved again to allow Diesel a diving shoulderblock, triggering another chase with Payton - this time ending in Diesel holding Ramon for Michaels to Superkick. Razor ends up ducking and getting Diesel blasted with it (one of the key spots to getting the Superkick over as Shawn's new finisher, as well as plant the seeds for his eventual breakup with Diesel) and Ramon gets the pin off of it at 15:02. Don't worry - Shawn and Diesel still had the tag titles to keep them warm at night. This is definitely one I remember liking a lot more as a kid, but it's still a well booked, exciting match - both guys having a good year, quality wise. ** ½

Lex Luger v Tatanka: Ted DiBiase announced that he had taken Lex Luger on into his Million Dollar Corporation on RAW in July, leading Tatanka to call Luger (who denied any association with DiBiase) a 'sell out.' Though, really, would Ted DiBiase waste his time with a career choker like Lex Luger? Never! He has Nikolai Volkoff and IRS' careers to worry about! They spend a long time circling and sizing each other up - Tatanka shouting at him about selling out. The first lockup goes to a stalemate, and the second to a clean break in the corner to establish that they're both still babyfaces. Luger tries a standing side-headlock, but Tatanka whips him into the ropes - only to eat a shoulderblock. They trade wristlocks until Tanaka shows the first sign of aggression by pounding at Luger's arm with closed fists, and then chopping at him. Slugfest goes Luger's way, and he suplexes Tatanka for two. The leaping elbowdrop misses, and Tatanka powerslams him for two. He starts dancing around Luger (literally) to set up his own suplex, and a flying tomahawk chop gets two. Flying bodypress hits the mat, however, and Luger starts firing off clotheslines. Powerslam draws Ted DiBiase (and his large sack (of cash)) to ringside, and the distraction allows Tatanka to schoolboy him for the pin at 6:02. Afterwards, Luger kicks a wad of cash out of DiBiase's hand, but gets jumped by Tatanka, and beat down. That was a great twist when I was nine, but watching it today, it could not have been more obvious that Tatanka was turning here. The angle never really worked for me though, as Tatanka got so upset at Luger 'selling out,' but they weren't really ever shown as close friends to begin with, nor did either have any interaction with DiBiase before. It just felt out of nowhere and out of place from the start. The match was just filler to set up the turn, but it was decent for the TV stuff it was - though it badly lacked flow. ¾*

Jeff Jarrett v Mabel: This is basically for no other reason than Jarrett represents Country music, and Mabel Rap. Those of us who think both are crap have no one to cheer, sadly. Mabel overpowers him in the early going, so Jarrett counters by showboating. Hell, in Memphis that would have been enough to get Mabel to submit then and there - can't blame him for trying. Unfortunately, in Chicago, it just leads to Mabel jumping on him. Clothesline puts Jarrett on the floor, but he manages to sweep Mabel off of his feet from there, and hit a 2^nd rope fistdrop for two. Pair of 2^nd rope axehandles hit but don't take Mabel down, so he tries a flying version, but gets caught in a bearhug. Jarrett counters into a sleeper to get Mabel down, but gets railroaded into the corner, and caught with a spinheel kick for two. Powerslam gets two, so Mabel tries a 2^nd rope splash to finish him - but splats on the mat to give Jarrett a two count. Jeff tries a sunset flip, but Mabel counters with a buttsplash - only for Jarrett to roll out of the way again, and this time manage to get the pin off of it at 5:56. Another TV match, but it was energetic. ½*

WWF Title Cage Match: Bret Hart v Owen Hart: The whole Hart Family sits at ringside (they made up half the attendance) along with Davey Boy Smith (making his WWF return, and looking like a 'roided Harry Potter), and unwelcome Owen supporter Jim Neidhart sitting a few rows behind. Owen doesn't even let Bret get through the door before attacking, and he aggressively forces him into the corner for a ten-punch. Uppercut drops Bret to his knees, and Owen just keeps unloading until Bret manages an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline. He can't sway the momentum, however, and Owen rakes the eyes to make sure he stays down. Slugfest ends in both men staggered, and Bret DDTs him. Legdrop, and he starts to climb, but Owen pulls him down, and fires off some more closed fists. Enzuigiri allows Owen to climb, but Bret brings him back down to earth with a side suplex. Bret crawls for the door, but Owen grabs the ankle to pull him back, so Bret bulldogs him and goes for the door again. Great sequence, as Bret goes for the door and gets pulled back by Owen, who then lunges for it himself, only to get pulled back by Bret - which they repeat a handful of times, each getting dramatically close to escape. Those are probably the most believable escape via the door spots you'll ever see in a cage match. Unable to make it out the door, Bret climbs the side again, but Owen pulls him back with a slam off of the top rope before going for it himself. He makes it over the side, but Bret grabs a handful of hair to pull him over, and they slug it out while standing on the top rope - Bret getting knocked to the mat. Realizing Bret still has too much fight in him to try escaping again yet, Owen leaps with a missile dropkick, then makes a near escape over the other side. They battle at the top of the cage, both crashing to the mat when Bret bashes Owen's head into the bars. Owen recovers first with a piledriver, but Bret counters with a backdrop, and a criss cross ends in a double knockout. Owen crawls for the door (nearly tearing the ring apron off while pulling himself out with it), but Bret drags him back for an elbowdrop. He climbs in the corner, but Owen grabs an ankle, and pulls Bret into getting viciously crotched on the top rope - Neidhart jumping up with glee at the spot. He goes for the door again, but Bret holds his nuts while dragging him back in for a headbutt. He can't immediately follow up (Bret brilliantly selling the low blow by kneeling on the mat in pain), but eventually drags himself to the 2^nd rope - only to miss a sailing elbowdrop. Owen takes advantage by making a climb, but he gets slammed off, and the champ makes it over the side before getting pulled in with a fallaway slam. Owen's turn to climb, but the champ brings him back down, and rams him into the steel. Bret climbs, but his brother stops it with a side suplex off of the side of the cage, and both guys are down now. Owen manages to hit the piledriver Bret countered earlier, and he slowly climbs - the crowd losing their minds as Bret just barely makes it over to stop him - Owen getting his turn at falling crotch first on the top rope. Bret crawls for the door, but Owen makes a last second save of his own, and they slug it out on the mat - schoolyard style. Bret finishes it with a slingshot into the cage, but he's so battered he crawls for the wrong corner. By the time he gets back on track Owen recovers just enough to stop him, and he nearly breaks the turnbuckle while whipping Bret into it. Whip into the cage gets reversed, but Bret's running on fumes as he climbs. Owen's not doing much better (flopping to the mat as he goes to stop him), but manages to pull his brother in at the last second, and hit a spinheel kick. Owen climbs - making it all the way over the side - but Bret pulls him back over the top, and a long slugfest atop the cage ends with Bret sending him to the mat with a kneelift. He can't make it out, however, and Owen unloads a series of uppercuts before climbing again - this time getting stopped with an insane superplex off the top of the cage. Both guys can't even sit up after that (their efforts to a brilliant bit of selling), but Bret manages to crawl first. Owen drags him back to the center of the ring for the Sharpshooter, but gets dramatically reversed - Owen tapping out and reaching for the ropes, but there are no submissions. Bret climbs again, and makes it over the side, but Owen literally leaps up the cage to stop him, and both collapse to the mat in a heap. Both guys make another go up the side, and both get over the top, so Bret rams Owen into the cage to leave him beautifully hanging upside-down, and then makes a dramatic jump to the floor to retain at 32:08. That only serves to piss Jim Neidhart off, however, and he blasts Davey Boy Smith with a clothesline in the front row, then hops the rail to padlock Bret in the cage, and do a beat down with Owen. All the other Hart Brothers try to climb the side, but Owen and Neidhart hold them off until Davey Boy tears his shirt off like Hulk Hogan (giving him magical powers), and makes it in for the save. Just a brilliant, brutal, exciting cage match here - even without the blood normally associated with the match type. It was so well worked, so creative (nothing like their wrestling sequence loaded, near fall filled WrestleMania match), so unique, and so dramatic. It was non-stop, hard-hitting action (all sold wonderfully by both men), and whipped the crowd into a frenzy - kids and adults alike losing it in the front rows. One of the better matches I've ever seen from a psychological, workrate, or crowd heat perspective - and even better when you consider the act they had to follow. **** ¾

Main Event: The Undertaker v The Undertaker: For those who have tuned out on 90s Undertaker stuff, at the '94 Royal Rumble he lost to Yokozuna in a casket match (with the help of half the heel wrestlers on the payroll), and the Undertaker 'died' there, ascending to the heavens. Over the summer, the WWF starts playing a series of incredibly lame skits where everyday jewelers or butchers see ‘Taker hanging out in local shopping plazas. A few weeks later, Ted DiBiase brings the Undertaker back, but Paul Bearer felt he was a fraud (it was Brian Lee), and makes a big stink over it not being 'his' Undertaker - promising to bring the real Undertaker back for SummerSlam to fight DiBiase’s Undertaker. Unless you're on crack, none of that should make much sense to you, but here we are. And if you thought one Undertaker's entrance takes a while, try sitting through two. In a row. Brian Lee does his part to make the illusion work, but once he and the real Undertaker stand eye-to-nose it's kinda blown. The Undertaker's work a power-stalemate to start, until Undertaker knocks Underfaker to the floor with a series of jabs. 'Taker suplexes 'Faker, but he sits up, and snaps 'Taker's neck across the top rope. 'Faker gets chokeslammed when he tries the ropewalk forearm, as Vince McMahon declares this a 'very, very strange' matchup. No shit. 'Taker with a proper ropewalk, but he walks into a botched stungun, and they slug it out before spilling to the floor again. 'Faker uses the steps, and hits a chokeslam on the way back in. Tombstone, but 'Taker sits up. Another, but 'Taker reverses and adds two more for good measure at 9:10. You've gotta give them points for creativity, but that was easily one of the more ridiculous things ever done on WWE programming - and that covers a lot of ground. As a match, it moved so slowly you could go take a piss between moves, but both guys did their best with what they had to work with. -**

BUExperience: If not for the gimmicky mess of a magic show in the main event, this would easily be among the better pay per view efforts from the WWF. The undercard builds to a wonderful crescendo with the must-see cage match, but the Undertaker silliness nearly ruins the show. Even still, the rest is all good, solid, fun stuff – and the Hart Brothers destroying each other in a cage for over a half an hour is worth checking it out for alone. ****