TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,810
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Aug 3, 2022 13:30:19 GMT -5
August 3, 1997!!!
This event took place 25 years ago today at the the old Continental Airlines Arena (Meadowlands) in East Rutherford, NJ and was the very first wrestling PPV that I ever attended.
I still remember that day very clearly. There was an absolutely massive tailgate party in the parking lot that afternoon which I definitely would have been participating in had it been a decade later. The overall card was packed with huge names, but the moments that stick out to me the most these days are watching Mankind leap off the cage and seeing Bret Hart win his final WWF World title. My mom took me to the concessions stand to get a shirt during the Austin/Owen match and I remember watching the TV above corridor entrance when the piledriver incident took place.
At the time, the excitement of just going to such a big event is the only thing that mattered as a kid. Pro wrestling was the hottest thing on the planet. I couldn't wait to wear my SummerSlam shirt on the first day of 5th grade and brag about being there live to all of my friends. Today though, it is just awesome to look back and realize that I was at a prominent event during a very pivotal time in the WWF when the Attitude Era was just about to break through.
Any other memories from this event when it aired live? Or anybody else just feeling really old because 1997 is somehow 25 years ago?
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Post by Grenouille on Aug 3, 2022 14:02:21 GMT -5
I was with my family on vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia so I didn’t get to catch it live. With no smartphones and no access to the internet I had to wait for Raw the next night for results. A few months later I got the Coliseum Video during the great liquidation sale and it’s been a favorite for years now.
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2sweeeeet
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jun 7, 2017 22:08:25 GMT -5
Posts: 2,089
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Post by 2sweeeeet on Aug 3, 2022 14:29:18 GMT -5
Always loved (and recently re-visited) Triple H vs. Mankind and Bret Hart vs. Undertaker.
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nibs92
Main Eventer
Joined on: May 29, 2008 5:47:21 GMT -5
Posts: 2,352
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Post by nibs92 on Aug 3, 2022 16:27:54 GMT -5
Cracking event. And yes it does make me feel old being 25 years ago!!
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Post by The Brain on Aug 3, 2022 17:29:48 GMT -5
Bret/Taker will forever be timeless. A match booked to perfection
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Aug 3, 2022 17:34:36 GMT -5
I loved that event and honestly I just loved the entire summer of 1997 for WWF, even more so than the 1998 or 1999 summer.
I remember I was going from Grade 11 into Grade 12, so I was at the old enough teenage era to appreciate the crude tactics and humor and talk that the WWF was doing that summer - definitely a year a head of time for Attitude Era.
WWF Raw just seemed edgier that summer, and SummerSlam was the perfect cherry on the cake for that. It was just a really enjoyable, fun, PPV event to watch!
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Post by The Brain on Aug 3, 2022 17:45:54 GMT -5
Also the final SSlam with the classic logo   |
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Deleted
Joined on: Nov 27, 2024 4:54:09 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2022 17:58:55 GMT -5
not one of my favs because it was the event that ruined stone cold's health
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Post by CM Tusk on Aug 3, 2022 18:06:17 GMT -5
Recently watched it in full for the first time. Solid event. Mankind vs Hunter is one of my favorite openers ever. Still hard to watch the Austin vs Owen match. Bret vs Taker is good, but I don’t love it as much as most. Think their Rumble match the year before is better. Wish Shamrock and Bulldog had more time. Hate that literal skinheads got on the card but the Nation weren’t.
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Post by K5 on Aug 3, 2022 21:26:13 GMT -5
I love the main event and build, great event overall. and a younger me was in love with sunny from her appearances there
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,810
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Aug 3, 2022 21:43:35 GMT -5
I love the main event and build, great event overall. and a younger me was in love with sunny from her appearances there Yeah, this was probably peak Sunny in my opinion. She was on another level here. 🔥 |
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Post by hbkjason on Aug 3, 2022 23:50:58 GMT -5
This is a really great and fun event. The main event is just awesome, but I have to say I am more partial to the match the two had the following month at One Night Only. Still, the story telling in that match is just fantastic, it felt so real and got you completely invested in what was going on. Also, as a 16 year old at the time, the bit with Sunny and Sable was something I enjoyed a great deal  |
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Aug 5, 2022 15:36:57 GMT -5
My first ever Summerslam and one of my favourites. So many great matches on the card. Mankind vs HHH stands out the most.
What also stands out for me is the guy dressed as Dude Love in the crowd. Wonder if he still watches WWE.
Out of interest what was the Sunny & Sable segment about with the locked coffin full of money?
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,810
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Aug 6, 2022 5:23:10 GMT -5
My first ever Summerslam and one of my favourites. So many great matches on the card. Mankind vs HHH stands out the most. What also stands out for me is the guy dressed as Dude Love in the crowd. Wonder if he still watches WWE. Out of interest what was the Sunny & Sable segment about with the locked coffin full of money? The WWF ran a $1 million sweepstakes that summer (co-sponsored by Discovery Zone - a company similar to Chuck E. Cheese) and chose two of the contestants to appear live while a few others were contacted via phone during the segment which was hosted by Todd Pettingill along with Sunny and Sable. The participants had to choose a key numbered from 1-100 and if they picked the right one it would unlock the casket which inside contained the money. One of the contestants was a young kid and I remember feeling really bad for him because when his number proved not to be the winner, he became visibly upset. Then he got a big hug from Sable and Todd said something like "that's worth a million bucks right there," which got him laughing. Todd was the man and this was actually one of his last PPVs with the company. In the end, nobody won the money. The winning key was #3. That is a useless pro wrestling factoid I've never forgotten for some reason and probably never will. |
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Post by cordless2016 on Aug 6, 2022 7:20:50 GMT -5
Still the greatest SS main event of all time IMO. No other SS main event has matched the level of storytelling and in-ring work that this one gave us.
Fun event overall as well. I always love going back and checking this one out. It’s just a shame that Austin’s injury overshadows a good show.
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TheEvilDoink1987
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 22, 2010 21:37:52 GMT -5
Posts: 2,810
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Aug 6, 2022 9:49:37 GMT -5
Still the greatest SS main event of all time IMO. No other SS main event has matched the level of storytelling and in-ring work that this one gave us. Fun event overall as well. I always love going back and checking this one out. It’s just a shame that Austin’s injury overshadows a good show. Yeah, the Austin injury definitely puts a big damper on an otherwise really fun show which is such a shame because he had become the most popular guy in the industry by that point. When he came out the crowd erupted! They were really hot the entire match. Most were expecting him to win the Intercontinental title and couldn't wait for him to hit the Stunner so they could go nuts. |
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Post by The Brain on Aug 6, 2022 12:50:19 GMT -5
I've talked about this before but can you imagine what was going through Vince's mind seeing Austin on the mat not moving?
The guy he was building up as the next megastar and in a blink of an eye it couldve all went up in smoke. He had to be sweating bullets in the booth
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Post by hbkjason on Aug 6, 2022 13:03:15 GMT -5
I know most of us love Owen Hart, but you have to wonder what the hell he was thinking with that piledriver? A really dangerous and ultimately stupid move to do. For such a pro, did he not realise what a terrible and bad decision this was? I am a huge fan of his, but this has to be one of the most careless and dangerous moves ever done on a WWF ppv
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Post by cordless2016 on Aug 6, 2022 13:22:03 GMT -5
I know most of us love Owen Hart, but you have to wonder what the hell he was thinking with that piledriver? A really dangerous and ultimately stupid move to do. For such a pro, did he not realise what a terrible and bad decision this was? I am a huge fan of his, but this has to be one of the most careless and dangerous moves ever done on a WWF ppv Sadly Owen isn’t here to give his side of the story, but Austin has talked about the spot on his podcast. He said he was worried about the risks of the spot going into the match but Owen assured him that he could pull it off. Maybe it was nerves and Owen didn’t want to turn it into a Tombstone (since it was Taker’s finish)? Maybe he didn’t think Austin was that low? It happened so fast that it’s impossible to say what Owen was thinking with him not being here to talk about it. I think the sad part of all of this is that Owen and Austin never had a chance to talk it out. Bret has said Owen felt awful, and I 100% believe he did. A lot of people give him flack for not speaking to Austin right away, but it has to be a horrible feeling being in that spot and Owen may have been waiting for a different moment. Steve also was reportedly not the easiest one to speak to, and that’s without being the one to possibly end his career. Not making excuses but it had to be a tough spot for Owen to be in, especially a few months later when Bret was out of the company. |
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Aug 6, 2022 18:07:09 GMT -5
I know most of us love Owen Hart, but you have to wonder what the hell he was thinking with that piledriver? A really dangerous and ultimately stupid move to do. For such a pro, did he not realise what a terrible and bad decision this was? I am a huge fan of his, but this has to be one of the most careless and dangerous moves ever done on a WWF ppv Sadly Owen isn’t here to give his side of the story, but Austin has talked about the spot on his podcast. He said he was worried about the risks of the spot going into the match but Owen assured him that he could pull it off. Maybe it was nerves and Owen didn’t want to turn it into a Tombstone (since it was Taker’s finish)? Maybe he didn’t think Austin was that low? It happened so fast that it’s impossible to say what Owen was thinking with him not being here to talk about it. I think the sad part of all of this is that Owen and Austin never had a chance to talk it out. Bret has said Owen felt awful, and I 100% believe he did. A lot of people give him flack for not speaking to Austin right away, but it has to be a horrible feeling being in that spot and Owen may have been waiting for a different moment. Steve also was reportedly not the easiest one to speak to, and that’s without being the one to possibly end his career. Not making excuses but it had to be a tough spot for Owen to be in, especially a few months later when Bret was out of the company. What didn't help either was that WWE used the whole incident to gain heel heat on Owen. first you had the Owen 3:16 shirt, then his new music featured sirens and his tron video repeatedly showed him piledriving Austin. Austin was known to be hot headed back in the day so maybe Owen couldn't find the right moment to talk it out. |
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