'91-93 is here.
Several of you have found your way here by accident, as a result of visiting the crazy website www.spoonmillionaires.com – I am, yes, the author of the vituperative production blog at that site as we gear up for the first production of our play.
For those of you just arriving – consider leaving, seriously, for down this road lies madness.
If you’re staying – my suggestion is you start from the start, find the earliest post and read straight through – or at least find the earliest post to see the parameters for what we’re doing here.
Actually, in terms of places to jump in, this current run of posts is helpful, as it provides an overview of our Counterfactual Summer Slams (Summerslam?) from the beginning in ’88 through the current card coming in August, Summer Slam 2005.
I know it’s not 2005. That’s how it’s done.
Anyway, we left off this run in 1994, consult Part II for further details.
Your main at Summer Slam '94, for the 3rd consecutive year, was Bret – except the World Title he successfully defended at Summer Slam ’93 was now his brother Owen’s.
The turn really started at Summer Slam ’92, when Bret decided keeping Davey in the sharpshooter was more important than helping Owen. By Summer Slam ’93 – Owen was beginning this weird sadistic mentor/protégée relationship with Savage, needing to fill the space given Bret’s obsession with the world title. Over the past year, Bret kept against Luger (SSeries) got the undefeated Undertaker to submit (Rumble) in a program that saw his disenchantment with WWF fans grow, and then met his brother Owen (who had survived Savage) in the babyface matchup at X.
Owen took him – winning his first WWF Title – Bret refusing to shake his hand postmatch –and standing alone in the aisle while Owen was lifted high in the ring by the babyface locker room.
See? Like that. Counterfactual. You can read all about it in my 1994 archives.
On the road to Summer Slam, the strain in the Hart relationship showed each night – with Bret finally turning by walking out on Owen during a tag against Diesel/Waltman. Bret cut bitter promos on the fans, on the sport, on the entire Hart family -specifically his ungrateful brother Owen who was holding his title. In Chicago, at Summer Slam ’94, they would meet inside a steel cage.
A year ago at Summer Slam, Michaels, with aid of the Clique, kept his belt over Hennig – rolled through Waltman at Survivor Series in a match that led to Razor’s face turn, saving Waltman against the Clique attack. Razor got his shot at the IC at the Rumble – but, ironically, Waltman turned on the man who had protected him, joining the Clique and allowing Michaels to keep.
But of course, at WM X – they rematched, in a ladder match, and Razor took Shawn’s belt to become IC champ. Shawn’s not around in the runup to Summer Slam – but Nash is – and it’s Big Daddy Cool taking on Ramon for the IC.
The tags..well, the Steiners, recall, walked out of Summer Slam ’94 with the straps – they kept those straps over the Rock and Roll Express at Survivor Series – but with the scheming of the man who “owned” the WWF tag ranks, Ted DiBiase, and a young Scott Levy – the Quebecers took the titles at the Rumble – titles they’d lose at X, to the makeshift newly babyface team of Luger and Bigelow. At Summer Slam, they would face off against the Headshrinkers in a low wattage program. Nothing else really worth talking about. Undertaker. Savio. Jarrett. It’s a one match show. But it was a good match.
The results: Owen kept at ’94, of course, escaping the cage with the help of the returning Davey Boy, who fought off the returning Anvil, who was on Bret’s side. Michaels returned via the Titan Tron before the match – saying he would face the winner in San Antonio at the ’94 SSeries for the big belt. The IC was a no DQ, the garbage a good stip for Razor’s keeping over Diesel – and now he had beaten Michaels and Nash in consecutive PPVs. Luger and Bam Bam kept, and the less said about that the better.
The workrate upticked only a little the following year from Pittsburgh at Summer Slam '95
Who’s in the main event? Well, that would be Bret Hart, of course – king of Summer Slam. Summer Slam ’95 was now the 8th ever Slam – and Bret had either wrestled for the World or the IC belt on every show.
He came into this show as Champion once again. Owen lost to Shawn at Survivor Series ’94, giving Michaels not just the WWF Title – but making him the latest holder of the Triple Crown. Diesel turned Michaels face postmatch with multiple jackknifes during the celebration – leading to Shawn’s keeping over Nash at Rumble ’95. That led to the continuation of our neverending saga – Harts v. Clique – except this time, it was heel challenger Bret going after babyface Chammpion Michaels at XI.
Bret took him, regaining the belt – a belt he would defend against the Japanese junior Hakushi at Summer Slam ’95. Why Hakushi? Well, he won the battle royal we hold every other year after Mania that determines who gets the Summer Slam shot. It’s a good reset – Davey won the first in ’91 – Razor in ’93 – and now Hakushi in ’95.
The IC? Well, Razor kept the streak going over the Clique – taking Waltman down at Survivor Series ’94 – and then started a babyface feud against Owen, with the Rocket taking at the Rumble – and then giving back at XI – as XI was all Harts v. Clique – and this run saw Razor realize he couldn’t out babyface Owen the Good – so he re-turned heel – and as we roll around to Summer Slam ’95 – how about Ladder Match II, with heel Razor taking on babyface Michaels for the IC?
The tags? Sigh. The Bigelow/Lex team fell to Bret and the Anvil at Survivor Series – then in a neat turn of events – they lost to The British Empire, Davey Boy and Mr. Backlund – at the Rumble. But the Empire fell to the Smoking Gunns at XI – and your Summer Slam matchup, unpleasantly, is those Gunns defending against the Harris Brothers.
Ron and Don Forever!
Man that sounds like a threat.
What else…Hunter has debuted, becoming Waltman’s running buddy in the Clique (with Sunny as their valet) and he meets Bob Holly. Waltman’s working too – against Candido, from whom, of course, they stole Sunny. And Diesel’s also working as the Clique fills the middle of the card – he’s going big on big against the Dead Man.
The results: Bret kept at Summer Slam ’95 – and his postmatch assault on Hakushi (Bret was doing a thing where he broke guy’s ankles at this point) was broken up by Davey Boy. Michaels regained the IC for the 3rd time, winning the ladder match. The Gunns kept the tag straps – and the younger half of the Clique (Waltman, HHH) won, while the older (Razor, as mentioned – and Diesel) both lost.
We upticked a little more in terms of our traditional worst workrate show of the year – when Summer Slam '96 originated from Cleveland.
For the first time in the 9 year history of the event…no Bret Hart. Not in the main, not in the IC – no Bret Hart.
But there was a Hart in the main – it was Owen, taking on WWF Champion Shawn Michaels.
Bret kept at Survivor Series ’95, going over DBS. And then kept at the Rumble, finally beating his brother Owen. But in the Iron Man match at XII (you saw it) Bret lost to Shawn in overtime, Shawn's first ever singles win over Bret, Michaels winning his second WWF Title.
Owen became number one contender when we decided not to wait until ’97 for the battle royal – but to do it right now – and with the aid of a masked, debuting Brian Pillman – Owen won and got the shot.
Your Intercontinental Championship match – how about Vader defending against Cactus Jack.
Shawn kept the IC over Shane Douglas at Survivor Series ’95, but lost cleanly to the debuting Vader at the Rumble. Vader kept in the big man brawl over the Undertaker at XII – but making his debut at that post mania battle royal – and going right after the man who cost him his ear – was Cactus Jack.
Foley said he was on a quest for revenge – that Vader couldn’t run roughshod over the WWF the way he did over his ear – and in Cleveland Ohio vowed to make the big man pay. Feel free to read the archives for some Counterfactual Foley promos.
Your tag champs – Steve Austin and Dustin Rhodes.
The Gunns fell at Survivor Series to Razor and Diesel – who at that point began to be tweeners as they finished up their WWF run. Razor and Diesel dropped to the debuting Austin/Rhodes team, doing a stereo Stunner move, at the Rumble (and then they lost a Loser Leaves Clique match on RAW to Waltman and HHH). Austin and Dustin ran roughshod over the tag ranks all year – and now at Summer Slam, face the newly formed “boxing team” of Marc Mero and Bart Gunn.
What else… Marty Jannetty came back – and he faced a stalker, Al Snow, who desperately, unbelievably, begged Marty to reform the Rockers with him. Obviously, Marty said no – ‘cause what possible sense could that make?
When Razor and Diesel skipped town – Waltman and HHH needed more friends, so they imported the heel turned Billy and Jarett’s former hype man, the Road Dogg. Billy faced longtime Clique nemesis Candido at Summer Slam. Also – Davey Boy met Lawler, the Undertaker worked, and doing a Deliverance/Pulp Fiction gimmick with Phinneas having a leather hood and ball gag and being called The Gimp are the Godwinns.
Results: Michaels kept in the babyface matchup against his sworn enemy, Owen. They worked dark at the first ever Summer Slam in ’88 – and here they are for the big belt in ’96. Vader also kept – in a brutal war with Jack – powerbombing Foley off the ramp postmatch. And Mero and Bart became your new tag champs when Austin Stunned his partner, leaving Dustin for dead in the middle of the ring, a shocking betrayal that seemed to unhinge young Rhodes.
Al beat Marty, Billy beat Candido, Davey beat Lawler, the ‘Taker beat Jake, but then was lynched by the Nation of Domination. And the Godwinns made Yokozuna and
Savio squeal like a pig.
That’s the Counterfactual History of Summer Slam III – to read the full stories, go to the right side and see the entire 600 page Counterfactual WWF – and to read more of me, go to www.spoonmillionaires.com and check out my caustic production blog.
I’ll be back soon as we roll onto Summer Slam 2005 – headlined by the return of Matt Hardy in the unsanctioned match against Edge and Eddy Guerrero defending his Undisputed Championship against Rey Mysterio, who looks to also gain the Triple Crown!
