WWF SummerSlam 1990
August 27, 1990
Philadelphia, PA
The Spectrum

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Ultimate Warrior (4/1/1990)
Intercontinental Champion: Mr. Perfect (4/23/1990)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (4/1/1990)

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Roddy Piper.

• The Rockers vs. Power & Glory (w/Slick)
  

The camera misses whatever Hercules does to Shawn’s knee before the bell, but that guy is DONE. Marty goes into this match alone and basically gets squashed by P&G. He gets in a couple hope spots with rollups and such, but you know there’s no way he can win this thing. He even hits the Flying Fist Drop on Roma, but Herc stops the pin. Jannetty attempts a rollup off the ropes, but Hercules nails him in the face! POWER-PLEX (superplex/splash combo) finishes the darn thing. (6:00) Afterwards, Shawn Michaels does his best stretcher job sell. You’d think he lost his smile or something. **

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Kerry Von Erich
  

I never noticed that Kerry Von Erich sounded like Steve Brule. If you don’t know, YOUTUBE IT! This was supposed to be Perfect vs. Beefcake in a WM6 rematch, but he decided to go parasailing instead. All in all, you can say Beefcake got screwed! Haha. I kill me. Anyways, WWF newcomer Kerry Von Erich gets the title shot instead. Perfect doesn’t take the Texas Tornado very seriously to start with and has to regroup with Heenan. Back in, he whips Von Erich from corner to corner and then hooks on a sleeper. He slaps Von Erich around some more and walks right into a catapult straight to the ringpost. CONTINUITY~! Perfect is dazed, so Kerry applies the CLAW. That stuns Perfect and sets him up *perfectly* for the TORNADO PUNCH! Cover, 1-2-3. (5:15) The crowd erupts because we’ve got a NEW Intercontinental Champion! Nothing match, but it’s all about the moments. Kerry would hold onto the belt until he started getting weird on us. In other words, the belt would return to Perfect right after Thanksgiving. *

• Queen Sherri vs. Sapphire
  

Wow, Sherri looks like Mrs. Psychosis with that face mask. Sapphire doesn’t show up for her match. Apparently, the closest Golden Corral was on the other side of Philly and she couldn’t make it back in time. Nobody’s told her about catering yet, huh? Or maybe they did, she ate it all and was STILL hungry? Either way, Sherri wins by forfeit.

In the back, Mean Gene asks Dusty what’s up with Sapphire not showing up for her match? He says ten minutes after they got to the building, she disappeared. Dusty can’t talk no mo, he gots to go find Sapphire.

• The Warlord (w/Slick) vs. Tito Santana
  

This would be part two in the “Santana trying to get a credible match out of both members of the Powers of Pain on PPV” series. Santana frustrates Warlord with arm holds to start. Warlord comes back with slams and such. He lifts Tito up for a powerbomb (?!), but Santana punches him down for 1-2-NO! Tito falls out to the floor where Warlord backs him up in to the ringpost. Back in, Warlord pounds the back, but Tito makes his comeback and hits the FLYING JALAPENO! Cover, 1-2-NO! Warlord got his foot on the bottom rope. Tito argues with the ref instead of staying on the guy. He wants a monkey flip out of the corner, but Warlord shoves it off and puts Santana away with the Running Powerslam. (5:28) No wonder Davey Boy Smith came back, there’s a guy here who’s stealing his whole moveset. *½

• WWF World Tag Team Champions Demolition vs. The Hart Foundation– 2/3 Falls
  

This is during that Demolition period when you didn’t know which two members of the group you’d be facing. Crush/Smash? Ax/Crush? Smash/Ax? But no matter what, you’re essentially facing the same two because their styles are basically the same. They’re three guys that pound you down and give you the Demolition Decapitation. Tonight though, it’s Smash and Crush because Ax is having health problems and the team is being phased out by this point anyway because now they have the actual Legion of Doom they’ve been trying to cop y all this time. Onto the match. Smash tries to pull Bret into his corner, but Neidhart runs in and puts a stop to it. The Harts work on Smash’s arm with armbars and overhead wristlocks. Smash finally escapes Bret with a slam and tags in Crush. He slams Bret and catches him off a crossbody for another slam. Crush runs into a boot in the corner though and gets rolled up for two. Hot tag to Neidhart, but he gets kicked in the back as he comes off the ropes by Crush. He gets smashed a bit by the Demos, but then runs Crush down with a clothesline and tags Bret. He stays one step ahead of everything the Demos do and gets a near-fall off a Russian legsweep on Smash. Backbreaker/vertical elbow drop gets 1-2-NO! Crush breaks it up with a legdrop. Bret gets dragged over to the Demos corner for the DEMOLITION DECAPITATION and that gets 1-2-3. (6:09 Demos – 1 Harts – 0) The Demos maintain control and keep Bret in their corner. Smash hits a back suplex and then tags in Crush for a neck wrench. He tries to elbow out, so Crush tags Smash who smashes Bret’s face into the turnbuckle. Bret hits a desperation clothesline as he comes off the ropes. He starts to crawl for the tag, but the Demos try and drag him to their corner. Ref Earl Hebner says no way and stops that from happening, which allows Bret to reach Neidhart for the tag. He slams the Demos and rams himself shoulder-first in the corner. Crush gets dumped, and a HART ATTACK on Smash connects! Bret covers for 1-2-NO! Crush grabs the ref and Hebner doesn’t like that at all and calls for the bell. (10:06 Demos – 1 Harts – 1) Crush sends Bret to the floor to distract everybody. Meanwhile, Ax runs down and hides underneath the ring apron. Bret sunset flips back in on Smash for 1-2-NO! Neidhart shoulderblocks Smash and slams Bret on top of him for 1-2-NO! Smash rolls out and switches with Ax. There’s NO reason the ref and Bret would not have seen that happen. Ax is FRESH and starts pounding on Bret. Why Earl Hebner can’t tell the difference in Ax and Smash, I’ll never know and that kind of ruins the match for me. Crush tags in for the Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker for 1-2-NO! Neidhart comes in to brawl with Crush while Ax and Smash beat on Bret down on the floor. Smash switches with Ax and heads back into the ring to give Bret a hotshot. Just as I say that, the crowd stands up and goes crazy because the LEGION OF DOOM is coming down to ringside. They pull Ax out from under the ring and screw up another DEMOLITION DECAPITATION from happening, as Hawk knocks Smash off the top rope. Smash runs after them, leaving Crush all alone for a slingshot shoulderblock by Neidhart into a Bret Hart schoolboy for 1-2-3. (14:24 Harts – 2 Demos – 1) Now we’ve got new tag champs! Not as great as everyone seems to think with the ridiculous switching. I’m sure it was cool when you were a kid, but it’s just not as easy to suspend disbelief to that extreme anymore. Good match, but not one of their best. ***¼

It’s intermission time, as we hear from Queen Sherri (who now looks like she just got in from her “Cats” performance and had NO time to change), Nikolai Volkoff & Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Earthquake & Dino Bravo, and Jake Roberts!

• Jake Roberts (w/Damien the SNAKE~!) vs. Bad News Brown – Special Ref: Big Bossman
  

This would be Bad News Brown’s last match in the WWF because Vince didn’t follow through with what he said he would do: make him the first black world champion. Jake wants that DDT as soon as the bell sounds. He goes for it TWICE, but Bad News slips away both times thanks to his greasy head. He goes out after Bad News and winds up taking a chair to the gut, as he tests Bossman’s leniency. Back in, Bad News pounds away and tries for a fist drop, but nobody’s home. Jake makes his comeback with the knee lift and the Short-Arm Clothesline , but can he finally hit the DDT? Nope. Bad News backdrops him away and kicks him out to ringside for another jab in the ribs with the chair for the DQ. (4:44) While Bossman checks on Jake, Bad News tries to legdrop Damien. Bossman sees what’s going on and pulls Damien away just in time. Bad News gets in his face about it, then walks away so he can nail Bossman from behind. Next thing you know, Jake Roberts has Damien out of his sack and charging right for Bad News to scare him away. Too much punch and kick. ½*

• The Brother Love Show
  

Tonight’s guest is Sgt. Slaughter! He’s out here tonight to present Brother Love with the Sgt. Slaughter’s Great American Award, because he’s a great American! As for Hacksaw Jim Duggan and America, we became soft when we welcomed Nikolai Volkoff into our country. The Cold War is OVER, Slaughter! Watch the news sometime!

Mean Gene has apparently found Sapphire in the back, but she walks in a room and locks the door behind her before he can approach her.

• Hacksaw Jim Duggan & Nikolai Volkoff vs. The Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji)
  

Sato is still a part of the Orient Express. Everything goes swimmingly for the American-Russian Connection until Sato lowers the boom on Volkoff after he catches Tanaka off a crossbody. Fuji stabs him with his cane, then Sato nails Volkoff with a reverse crescent kick. Think Booker T. Tanaka misses a splash, setting up the hot tag to Duggan. He pounds away on the Japs. Volkoff dumps Sato, leaving Tanaka for the THREE POINT STANCE for 1-2-3. (3:22) Quick glorified squash, if you can call it that. *

Dusty tries to get into that room where Sapphire run into because he needs her for his match. She won’t come out, but it’s match time, so he has no choice but to head out to the ring.

• Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Savage (w/Queen Sherri)
  

From a faraway announce position, or from the modern day “via satellite”, Ted DiBiase and Virgil taunt Dusty Rhodes saying that even he has a price for the Million Dollar Man. Tonight, DiBiase’s money has bought Dusty’s humiliation. He’s here to announce that he’s bought Sapphire. She’s a mink coat on, a diamond necklace and a WWF duffel bag filled with cash! Dusty starts to go after DiBiase and Virgil, but Savage attacks from behind and brings Dusty back in the ring. Savage and Sherri choke away to start, but Dusty comes back with elbows. Sherri gets fed to Dusty so the ref can be all distracted and allow Savage to KO Dusty with Sherri’s loaded purse for the win. (2:15) Pretty disappointing ending to the Savage/Dusty feud, but whatever. CRAP

In the back, Sapphire, Virgil and DiBiase are getting into their limo. Just as Dusty runs up to the car, they drive away. He’s so heartbroken!

• Hulk Hogan (w/Big Bossman) vs. Earthquake (w/Jimmy Hart & Dino Bravo)
  

This is Hogan’s big return after Earthquake crushed his ribs on the Brother Love Show back in May. Bossman is here in Tugboat’s place due to Earthquake splashing a week earlier. Those pesky Earthquakes. They’ll getcha! Quake shoves out of a couple tie-ups to start, causing Hulk to regroup on the floor. Vince & Roddy wonder if Hogan might still be hurting. From the rib injury or losing to Warrior? Back in, he tries to slam Quake, but it’s too early for that. Quake hits one avalanche, but Hogan brings his foot up to block a second one. Hogan fires away, but Quake will not go down. Jimmy and Dino get nailed off the apron and when the heels try to have a meeting, Hogan and Bossman bring them back in the ring. Bravo takes a double-big boot. Only God knows why that’s not a DQ. Quake gets one too. Ref Earl Hebner tries to get Bossman out of the ring, Bravo and Quake double-team Hulk with a slam. Quake hits the elbow drop for 1-2-NO! Quake lowers the boom off the top, stomps on Hulk’s fingers, then applies a Boston crab. Hogan makes the ropes and crawls out for a breather, but Dino is right there to give him a slam. Back in, Quake tries another elbow drop, but Hogan moves. Hogan rakes the face and goes for a slam attempt, but nope. Not going to work just yet. Quake hits the bearhug. Hogan punches out and a pair of shoulderblocks get Quake reeling. Hogan tries a crossbody (!!), but Quake catches him and gives him the Earthquake Slam. He puts his foot on Hulk’s chest and mocks Hogan for 1-2-NO! EARTHQUAKE SPLASH is next! He wants another one and gets 1-2-NO! He starts to HULK UP! He points the finger, hits all three punches, connects with the Big Boot, but Quake won’t go down. Hulk’s ready for the slam and he delivers! LEGDROP, but Dino’s with Hebner. Jimmy Hart runs in to break up the pin, which just pisses Hulk off. He presses Jimmy and throws him onto Quake – sending them both to the floor. Hulk gets pulled out and heel miscommunication with the megaphone allows Hulk to slam Quake on a ringside table. He hops back in the ring and wins the match by countout. (13:16) Evidently, Philly doesn’t care for a clean finish. Actually not a bad match. Quake didn’t rely heavily on too many restholds and the psychology of working the ribs and back stayed consistent throughout. Of course, with Hulk, once he hulks up, you can throw psychology out the window. **¼

• WWF World Champion The Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) – Cage Match
  

This probably should have gone on before Hogan/Earthquake. Since Rude enters the cage first, he dares Warrior to climb up the cage to get to him. Warrior obliges and goes right after Rude, but Rude’s the one who winds up getting beat back down to the mat. Warrior finally enters the cage and comes off the top with a double-ax handle. Rude tastes the steel a couple times – busting him open in the process. Warrior wants to splash him into the cage, but Rude falls out of harm’s way. Rude tries to climb out, but Warrior grabs his foot. He gets kicked away and Rude comes off the top rope with a sledge. Rude pounds away and goes for the RUDE AWAKENING, but Warrior powers out and levels Rude with a clothesline. WARRIOR SPLASH hits knees, and then Rude gets the RUDE AWAKENING. He climbs to the top of the cage and comes down on Warrior with the single sledge. Probably the most memorable moment of the match. He tries another, but Warrior catches him on the way down. Warrior tries to crawl out the door, but Heenan slams the door in his face! Heenan has that look on his face that says, “Boy that felt good.” Rude covers him for 1-2-NO! Double-KO spot ensues. Now Rude tries to crawl out the door and Bobby tries to help, but winds up getting pulled in along with Rude. Kind of like Hogan did years before, Heenan takes an atomic drop out the door. Warrior turns around into a clothesline, but then starts to WARRIOR UP! He hits the clotheslines, the GUERILLA PRESS SLAM, pounds his chest, then climbs out the cage with no problem. (10:04) You got to hand it to Rude. Only a handful of people came off the top of a cage back then, and he’s one of those guys. Rude coming down on Warrior was a great visual, but the match itself just isn’t that good. Rude would talk junk about Bossman’s mom, then he left the WWF for the rest of the Heenan family to deal with Bossman. *

Final Thoughts: Pretty much a meaningless show, long-term wise. Von Erich as IC champ lasted three months before the belt went right back to Perfect. The whole Sapphire thing ended pretty soon after this, and the Rhodes/DiBiase feud had to be switched over to DiBiase and Virgil bugging Dustin Rhodes. Bad News Brown is gone from the WWF, so nothing with him and Roberts or Bossman continues after the show. Slaughter calling America a wuss would end and he would become an Iraqi sympathizer once the Persian Gulf war starts up. Rude leaves the company shortly after this show too. Hogan/Earthquake was long-term, but you can only take so much of that. The Hart Foundation winning the belts in the growing and interesting tag division was the only thing that sticks out as something special and long-term on this show. I have to go with thumbs down for SummerSlam ’90, but check out the tag title match if nothing else.