I've probably been SummerSlam 92' a half-dozen times over the years, but I've never reviewed it, so here goes...
Right out of the gate, I'm giving this a Network Nugget of Awesomeness point for the pre-show video package just because there's a young British boy who declares that the British Bulldog will be winning the main event tonight...whether he likes it or not! Obviously, the Bulldog would very much like to win tonight's match, but I'm sure this set off a light bulb in a young Vince Russo's mind to come up with a wacky stipulation match in which both guys were trying to lose. (+1)
The in-ring action kicks off with The Legion of Doom vs. Money Inc. The Road Warriors' entrance into Wembley is an awesome moment. Some good selling out of Hawk at times (despite him reportedly being super fucked up on Placidyls) and the crowd is hot for the LOD, but this is not my cup of tea. Among Road Warrior superfans, this match has something of a reputation as it was the last appearance of Hawk and Animal in the WWE for several years and supposedly caused their year-long split. I read one review that says that Hawk botched the finish, but I'm curious if DiBiase and Shyster just didn't want to take the Doomsday Device considering Hawk's level of inebriation and their own age. This goes 12 minutes but feels closer to 20 because of the lengthy heel heat segment. Oh, and the Legion of Doom had a ventriloquist dummy as a mascot at this point for no apparent reason. Not as bad some reviewers make it out to be - this is your basic tag match and Money Inc. know enough underhanded tactics to give the match structure - but certainly not anywhere close to the level of the tag openers that teams like the Rockers and the Orient Express had put on in the years before this. (2/5)
Backstage, Ric Flair plays up the mystery over which corner Mr. Perfect will be in during the WWE Championship match. I've always been curious why Flair didn't compete on this show. It really seems like he would've had some natural opponents in Roddy Piper (a guy that would've gotten quite a response at Wembley), Sid (if he was still around), even someone like Tito Santana could've made sense...
Nailz squashes Virgil in the next bout in under 5 minutes. By this point, Virgil was a glorified jobber, but he was a passionate one and could still get sympathy and cheers from the general WWE audience of 1992. Nailz, on the other hand, was a newcomer with a decidely short shelf-life as his gimmick really only made sense matched up against Big Bossman. Nailz dominates, looking like an absolute monster in the process. I also liked his finisher at the end as it looked legitimately dangerous. I know its faint praise and this match did not belong on any sort of pay-per-view, but this wasn't boring, didn't overstay its welcome, and was designed to get Nailz over as much as possible. (1.5/5)
Rick Martel vs. Shawn Michaels was next. I really liked the story that built to this as it was a rare heel/heel match as both villains were essentially competing for The Sensational Sherri, who was Michaels' manager but had also been a little flirty with Rick Martel in the weeks building up to this match. The crowd was into this, though, because the performances carried the story and there was also an underlying generational clash going on as Martel was the crafty veteran and Michaels was the cocky young star. Because of this dynamic, Martel is able to slide into a pseudo-face role and the audience is game for it. Lots of good mirror work. Lots of good - admittedly hokey - "fake-outs" where one guy seems like he's going to break the No Hitting In The Face rule. There's a silly sequence in which their rolling pin attempts lead to both guys mooning the packed stadium. The finish is wonderful too, though I'm not sure I understand the referee not DQing Michaels the minute he decks Martel in the face. Sherri fakes a fainting and Michaels and Martel fight over her till they get to the back until Martel realizes that he's been getting played. I don't recall if Martel turned face after this, but I don't think so - if I'm not mistaken he ended up feuding with Tatanka - which would've been difficult for him as he was so good at getting heat and the crowd loathed his arrogant Model gimmick. This is a fun match more than a great match, but back then, both were sort of rarities as the WWE's in-ring action often leaned heavily into boring restholds and muscle freaks who got gassed after 3 minutes. (3/5)
After some words from the Nasty Boys, The Natural Disasters defend their WWE Tag Team Championships against The Beverly Brothers. This was better than the LOD/Money Inc. match, though its not some hidden classic or anything. The Brothers are better bumpers and sellers at this point than Money Inc. were and the Disasters were natural monsters. This has a very straight-forward story, but its not boring like the opener, which felt considerably longer and dragged at times. (2.5/5)
Crush vs. The Repo Man follows. This was pretty bad. Crush didn't have much charisma, though his booking in 92' makes it clear that Vince thought he could be a big deal. At 4 minutes, this doesn't overstay its welcome, but there's nothing interesting about it. At least Nailz had that cool chokehold finish and Virgil was charismatic in his own way. (0.5/5)
The WWE Championship is on the line in the next match as Randy Savage defends against The Ultimate Warrior. Their match at WrestleMania VII is rightfully considered a classic and arguably the best match of Warrior's entire career, but this one gets less consideration. The storyline isn't as good and there's no big emotional ending, but the dynamic is different and special for its time as it wasn't super often that you'd have a big Face vs. Face match with the company's top heels, Perfect and Flair, on the periphery. I was surprised at how much better this match was than I remembered it being. The first 2/3rds, before Perfect and Flair show up and things get a bit overstuffed with "swerves" and ref bumps, are a really strong back-and-forth between two guys with great chemistry. There's a reason Savage is considered such a good worker and it is fully on display here as he does a fantastic job threading the needle between heel and face work, doing whatever it takes to win but stopping short of outright cheating or cutting corners. They don't mention it on commentary, but, at one point, he refuses to take a count-out victory and, if you're familiar with their Mania match, it almost feels like a callback to Warrior's victory there as Savage doesn't just want to retain the gold, he wants to prove he can actually beat the man that (technically) retired him 15 months earlier. Warrior was not known for his varied moveset or endurance, but he was still very over and his big right hands look great and he does everything he needs to over the course of a match that goes well over 20 minutes. The ending is too muddled (and I found the post-match to be overwrought and too saccharine), but with a tighter, more satisfying finish, this would probably be as beloved as their first match. Not quite "must watch" but almost there. (3.5/5)
Kamala vs. The Undertaker follows. The Undertaker gets a grand entrance that runs longer than the match itself, which goes less than 4 minutes. I wrote in my review of their follow-up match at Survivor Series 92' that, if they'd been allowed to have an outright brawl, a hard-hitting slobberknocker, they showed enough chemistry to warrant getting 8-10 minutes of ring time. Seeing this match, though, I understand Vince's apprehension because these two mesh like oil and water and there is zero sign of them being able to work together for any meaningful amount of time based on the little we see. Taker gets the win by DQ when Kamala's handlers get involved - which is silly because they have such little effect on the Deadman. This doesn't go long enough to be considered a terrible match, but there's not even a glimmer of fun to be had here aside from seeing Taker arrive at Wembley on the back of a hearse. (0.5/5)
Main event time - The British Bulldog challenging Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in his home country. Is this a carry job caused by the Bulldog being out of shape and drugged/hung-over like Bret claims in his book? If true, is it the all-time best carry job? Or was this really just a straight-up great match where Bulldog held his own against Bret delivering one of his best ever performances? Does it really matter how this match came to be? At the end of the day, this is a classic deserving of its stature and legend. Bret is a master here, subtly (and then not-so-subtly) working heel so that Bulldog can shine and get that underdog support at Wembley. One could criticize portions of the match for featuring too many "restholds," but that is a misnomer in a match like this, built around technical wrestling from the very start and building up to the big slams and throws over time. Unlike Piper/Hart from WrestleMania VIII, another excellent bout, this one is not a battle between a Brawler and Technician, nor is it played as Bret having to overcome Bulldog's raw power. Davey Boy shows off his own agility early on in with a dizzying counter to an armbar and consistently tries to get the best of Bret with crucifixes and other pinning combos. I also really like the "botches" (if they can even be called that), which add realism to the match much better than if everything looked perfect. For example, at one point Bret flings himself to the outside and comes down on Bulldog, viciously cranking his neck in the process. Minutes later, Davey Boy tries to powerslam Bret and ends up dumping him into the ropes and Bret's spill is equally as nasty as he gets tied up in the middle and bottom ropes. The finishing stretch is excellent too and the Bulldog's final pin is arguably among the most historic in WWE history, on par with Bret's win over Piper a few months prior. There's no question that this match is "must watch" and I'm willing to even put it into masterpiece territory thanks to the production and emotion behind it, as well as its historical significance. (4.5/5)
With a not-so-hot Kwang Score of just 2.38-out-of-5, as a whole, SummerSlam 92' is not a show that is worth watching all-the-way-through. The Nailz and Crush squash matches would be below average on an episode of Superstars and have no place on this card except to fill time. The opening contest is a disappointment considering the level of talent and the Road Warriors' undeniable mystique. Martel/Michaels is fun, the WWE Championship match is quite good and generally underrated, and the main event is a "must watch" for any real pro-wrestling fan, though, enough to make this a...
FINAL RATING - Watch It...Without Remote in Hand
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