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Triple H, October 2011:

“When I grew up, I hated Hogan. I thought he was terrible and didn’t like to watch him. I was like Punk in a way. I liked the Steamboats and Flairs and the ones that could go. Would I be right in saying that Hogan was the wrong guy to go with, and they should’ve changed directions and gone with Steamboat because he was the better wrestler? Ludicrous.” - Triple H. October, 2011.

Summer Slam 1990

Saturday, December 31, 2005


VI and the build to this are here.

Summerslam –1990 (Philly)(Dark – Jim Neidhart d. Greg Valentine)

Okay, Jesse left a couple of weeks before, not working the previous TV tapings. Gorilla has worked recent tapings, so one assumes he's healthy enough to go - and if so, he goes - his partner is Piper, who gets the full introduction, Scotland the Brave taking him to the announce. Piper is full heel, as he's been managing Jake.

1. Demolition Smash and Crush d. White Flight: Hercules/Warlord
-Yeah, screw you, you’ll take your Smash and Crush and like it. Herc and Warlord, two members of the gay fascist bodybuilder stable White Flight, lose to the new Demolition - following the match - Smash and Crush are attacked by Ax, who was punked out at VI.

Ax isn't alone - also in the Demolition gear is Dino Bravo.

And so, over the fall, we're going to feud over the Demolition name. Smash/Crush v. Ax/Bravo - building up to the winner take all match at Survivor Series.

2. Ultimate Warrior (w/White Flight) d. Bad News Brown (w/Haku)
I don’t much like these cards either. Warrior cuts some type of "pull yourself up by your boostraps and stop living off the government dole, you welfare queen" promo on Bad News
pre match - he uses the numbers advantage to go over. Everyone's gotta bleed.

3. Dusty Rhodes d. Hulk Hogan
-Heel Dusty gets a win when his son, young Dustin, debuts in the WWF and hits what, years later, will be called the Curtain Call on Hogan. Everybody bleeds here too.

4. Kerry Von Erich d. Shane Douglas
-This is a crappy show. The KVE push continues. Young Shane grows increasingly bitter.

5. Shawn Michaels d. Tito Santana
There’s a reason why Shawn’s real first feud was Tito, and then Martel, even though they were both heels – these guys were good at working through a match, letting the other guy get in his stuff, keeping it on time, keeping it working. Shawn’s on the singles run now. No Sherri, however. Please, no Sherri. Shawn's got the new music - he needs someone to come out and carry a mirror...he's gonna get Hunter's early gimmick of bringing different women to the ring...Shawn's gonna bring a different woman each time he enters, she brings the mirror so he can preen. Shawn with the flying forearm.

6. Tags: Orient Express d. Marty/Rude
Switch. Roll that one around in your brain, Chico. Orient Express – WWF Tag champs. And it’s Rude who gets pinned. This is a fairly surprising result (clean pin too). Rude refuses Marty’s aid in getting up, instead he walks out of the ring – and never comes back. Tanaka and Diamond, career jobbers, really, seem shocked with the switch, almost breaking the Japanese stoic heel personas to celebrate the title – then come the roar of motorcycles down the aisle…

It’s the Road Warriors. Recall, they held the NWA tag titles for over 2 years before dropping to the Steiners earlier this year – they’re monster faces – they hit the ring, Doomsday Device on both guys – burying the new champs and getting the huge face pop.

7. IC: Bret Hart d. Jake Roberts
Piper stays on the announce, rooting for Jake. Bret’s second run continues as he wrings the very last drop of good wrestling from the body of Jake Roberts. Which is what he did of course, he was Bret Hart, that’s his job. Following the match, Bret is superkicked by Shawn – Shawn and Jake attack Bret, save by Marty Jannetty.

8. WWF Title: Cage Match: Curt Hennig (w/Brain) d. Randy Savage
Using convoluted wrestling logic, because the WWF could no longer control Savage – they decided the only way to protect everyone from him – was to lock him in a cage. Recall the prematch stip that undercard fat guy tags, The Natural Disasters, are guarding the door so no one can get in or out until the fall.

This allows Perfect to do what he did – bump like a freak – Savage goes hardcore – pulling a fork from his tights, and Hennig bleeds like we haven’t seen anyone bleed before in the WWF. Fork, Fork, Fork, Fork to Hennig - Randy just carves him up. It's a match so graphic, it'll never be seen on WWF TV again.

The fans freak out – Savage doesn’t seem interested in pinfalls, he's wild, completely out of control – Bobby desperately tries to open the door but the Natural Disasters have their orders and won't let anyone through– as Savage continues to destroy Hennig with the fork. Blood everywhere, Hennig being tossed around – Savage really dominating much of the match – Hennig shows his guts by hanging in there even though he’s doing the crimson mask – match turns when Savage misses the elbowdrop from the top of the cage...

and the Natural Disasters enter. The Quake and Tugboat doublesplash Savage, then scrape Hennig off the mat and drop him atop Savage for the fall. This makes Curt 3 for 3 against Savage in PPV main events.

Bobby props the bloody Perfect up, trying to stop the blood flow with the trademark white towel, which quickly turns crimson.

DiBiase comes down the aisle with briefcase - handing it to the Disasters as they exit - shaking hands with both of them - DiBiase saying, "That's another one, Brain. Everybody's got a price, for the Million Dollar Man."

The show ends with Savage rising, attacking the bloody Hennig who is being propped up by Bobby. Savage attacks Bobby with the fork – attacks WWF officials with the fork – he has to be restrained by most of the locker room, faces and heels, holding him back, he is the portrait of a man who has totally lost his mind.

On the road to Survivor Series, they continue to push KVE – who now is positioned as the number one contender.

SSeries is the one year anniversary of Hennig winning the strap – and in the PPV era – Savage, Dynamite, Steamboat – none of them held the belt longer than a year. So that’s the story, can Hennig break the one year mark. Randy’s gone – apparently locked up somewhere as Bobby threatens to sue the company for an unhealthy work environment claim if Savage is ever allowed in any building where they are doing a show again. DiBiase, returning after that Number One contender loss to Savage before Mania, helps Bobby again by hiring private security forces to guard each arena. Hennig has a phalanx of Secret Service like officers with him at all times - I mean like a dozen, two dozen guys in black suits, sunglasses, ear pieces, all swarming him whenever he's not in the ring. But we never see Savage. There's a spot, say where they work a fan leaping the railing like fans do - and the security guards just envelope him. Fan does the stretcher job. Hennig is all business in this stretch, no smirking, he gets in the ring, finishes off his opponent, and leaves - Bobby does the full freak out promos,

..hey, here's what else they can do - the Secret Service can frisk everyone before they get in the ring with Hennig - Gene, Howard, opponents -- everyone. Maybe Gene gets thrown out of the building once because security says he's a risk.

...anyway, Bobby's still freaking out about Savage, and while this is played over the top obviously, everyone is kinda creeped out by how unhinged Savage is. And no one has seen him since Summer Slam.

At every opportunity, Ted, who is footing the bill for security reminds Bobby that he owes him one. Hennig questions what it is Ted wants - Bobby nervously changes the subject.

They continue Hogan/Dusty, now with Dustin as the instigator - Dustin tells his pop that he's been disrespected too long - we learn that Dustin convinced dad to turn on Hogan - when Dusty thinks they've crossed the line - Dustin is there to set him straight. They're gonna do some garbage match to blow this off at Survivor Series - let's say some type of coal miner's glove match - okay, during this portion of the feud, Dustin takes a baseball bat to Hogan, that's the thing Dusty thinks crossed the line -- so, they're gonna put a baseball bat on a pole, whomever gets it can use it.

Marty’s singles career starts in a feud with Martel – who is going strong again after losing to Tito at VI. The Warriors squash every tag team in the company, ‘cept for the two Demolitions, as they await their title shot at SSeries.

Michaels takes another run at Bret - dresses like him for one match, does the whole sunglasses spot, does the hands extended spot, mangles the best there is, etc...catchphrase. Michaels works the match like Bret - the legsweep and the elbowdrop and the sharpshooter, then takes the mic and says, "Worst match of my life."

Michaels then meets the Anvil in a singles, beats him and then smashes the mirror over his head. So, we've got that.

And those mysterious power outages continue….Death Comes to the WWF, Thanksgiving Night - Survivor Series.

It's Survivor Series '90! Call your thing!

Wrestlemania VI 1990


Rumble '90 and the build for this is here.

Wrestlemania VI – 1990 Toronto
(Dark – Jacques Rougeau d. Bad News Brown )

A note - this show shuts down the only announce team used thusfar, at Mania, Gorilla and Jesse, as Ventura moves down the road.

1. Orient Express d. Demolition
-We welcome Kato and Tanaka! Okay, Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond, but masks make all the difference. Ax gets pinned, entire story of match is Ax, Ax is old, Ax can’t keep up. We hate Ax. Following the match, the Demolition music hits again, and down the aisle walks another guy in Demolition gear! Wha? Huh? Wha?

So, it’s Crush, you know. He and Smash punk out Ax – and the new Demolition is born.

2. Cage Legend's Match: Hulk Hogan d. Dusty Rhodes (Andre - guest referee)
-Andre won the legend's matches in 1-4, Hogan won at 5 and now takes 6. Dusty’s turned heel on run up to the show after their split on the Main event. Feud will continue.

3. Kerry Von Erich d. Ultimate Warrior (w/ White Flight)
-Mercifully short. KVE hits discus punches on all of White Flight and begins his run.

4. Tito Santana d. The Male Model Rick Martel
No Entourage, selling their beating from Savage at the Rumble. Chico finally beats Martel. Emotional for people who care about that kinda thing.

5. Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil) d. Dino Bravo
-The good people of Toronto aren't happy here, as their hometown boy takes his beating. Ted looks into the camera, "Bobby, I'm coming to collect," and laughs.

6. Tags: Marty/Rude d. Jake/Piper
-Switch. Unlikely face tag team takes the straps – Marty getting the fall on Piper. It’s Marty’s second tag title – big face pop. Rude grabs both tag belts after the match and poses in the ring, Marty apparently does not notice, as his exictement is palpable. Piper has to take the fall.

7. IC Title: Bret Hart d. Shawn Michaels
All the Canadians happy. Take a picture, because it's underway.

It's not a complicated storyline - Bret's the somewhat tortured, morally upright , conscience of the WWF. He's Shane (not McMahon, as in "Come Back, Shane). Michaels is the cockiest guy who ever walked the planet. Both are still developing these personnas in 1990 - and as Bret's family returns - and Shawn's buddies join up - the Hart Foundation and the Clique will be the warring families that will drive the engine of the WWF, regardless of they're fighting each other or among themselves.

Here, it's just beginning - Bret's far ahead of Shawn at this point, both men tag champs, but this is Bret's second IC run and Shawn's just going singles here.

After Bret's win, he takes to a buckle to wave the Maple Leaf -- Shawn attacks from behind, puts the boots to Bret and grabs the Canadian flag (quelle horreur!) sprinting down the aisle comes the Anvil, gone since Survivor Series '88 after he aligned with Davey Boy against Bret.

Anvil saves Bret - he and Bret do the Hart Attack on Michaels - and it's the big Canadian pop here at Wrestlemania VI.

8. WWF Title: Curt Hennig (w/Brain) d. Randy Savage
Perfect retains clean. He wins his rematch with Savage and walks out of WM VI as the world champion. I like the visual of Hennig tossing the title over his shoulder to Bobby.

Perfect's swerved Randy out of his belt - they took out Liz - and now at Wrestlemania VI, he hits the Perfect Plex to keep the belt.

Savage is distraught, holding his head in his hands after the fall - remaining alone in the ring as Hennig and Bobby walk up the aisle (both men bleeding) triumphantly.

At the Great American Bash in June, the PPV debut of the new monster heel – Vader – beating a young man named Mark Callous, soon to appear somewhere else. Sting went over Pillman, the Steiners, Arn, and Flair all kept their belts.

Great American Bash – 1990 Baltimore
NWA Title: Ric Flair d. Harley Race
US Title: Arn Anderson d. Paul Orndorff
Tags: Steiners d. Rock n Roll Express
Sting d. Pillman

Vader d. Mark Callous
Doug Furnas d. Tommy Rich
Lex Luger d. Tom Zenk
Midnight Express d. Southern Boys


On the road to SummerSlam... Savage’s fury now impacts the entire company, as he interrupts undercard matches, attacking faces and heels alike, and we, you know, get the unbalanced, coked up Savage. No Elizabeth, no belt – but now he hasn’t been screwed, he’s lost clean, and the makes him even madder. Hennig can’t appear without Savage attacking. He’s lost control.

Eventually he is barred from all WWF arenas - he, of course, shows up anyway, just randomly attacking, and is led away in handcuffs by security each time. Savage finally gets ahold of Hennig and leaves him bloody - the decision from the WWF is to grant Savage one and only one more title shot - but because Savage is a danger to the entire Federation, they're going to put the match in a steel cage, with the door guarded by the Natural Disasters, Earthquake and Tugboat. No one gets in - no one gets out.

Jake is hot for the IC belt – he hasn’t had a singles shot in 4 years and vows to bring evil into the life of the Hit Man. Piper is back in the role of Jake's manager, between the two of them there's enough dastardly deeds to carry the program.

The Von Erich push continues. The Dusty/Hogan feud continues. Shawn moves forward after losing the IC shot, doing the Heartbreak Hotel and calling out Tito Santana as his stepping stone to glory. The Ultimate Warrior takes his message or racial purity out on Bad News Brown. Meanwhile, arenas across the country will sporadically go dark – and flashing on the screen will be a bolt of lighting and the words “Death is Coming – Thanksgiving Night.”

It's SummerSlam '90 from the not yet hardcore mecca of Philadelphia. Call your thing!

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