WWE SummerSlam: Power Ranking Every Show

1990

This third edition of SummerSlam had one of the most packed cards in the PPV’s history, with ten matches filling the main card with plenty of star power and entertaining feuds. Nevertheless, this hype was in a number of ways was not exploited by the booking of those contests on the actual night. Most of the bouts didn’t go beyond six minutes, and in the case of Queen Sherri vs Sapphire didn’t take place at all (which probably saved this show from falling even lower down the pecking order). From the opening contest onwards, the night was scattered with false finishes and cheap victories.

It had a few strong clashes that redeemed its success to an extent. The two-out-of-three falls Tag Team Championship match between The Hart Foundation and Demolition demonstrated the depth and entertainment value of the tag team division in this era. And the main event Steel Cage battle for the WWE title was also decent, despite its shortness, due to the technique of Rick Rude and the immense popularity of the Ultimate Warrior at the time. If one simply looked at the poster for the show, they could have considered this one of the greatest PPVs of all time. But sadly, when the lights came on and the bells were ringing, it didn’t match up to the undoubted potential.