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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
SummerSlam Anthology Runs Hot Until Its Final Cold Streak, July 19, 2008
*****Nov. 2008 - I just want to go on record and say that I think SUMMERSLAM 2008 is a great PPV. I have a more detailed review somewhere in my Profile, if you'd like to read it. My ANTHOLOGY review is below. *****
I'm gonna give you two reviews for the price of one:
* SUMMERSLAM ANTHOLOGY REVIEW
* AN EXTRA TWO CENTS ON WWE DVD SETS
[Better sit back. This is gonna take me a while. Hope you like!]
SUMMMERSLAM ANTHOLOGY REVIEW
---I'd wager that most haven't seen the first few SUMMERSLAM PPVs. While they're not very memorable, they're still worth a look. For example, from the first SUMMERSLAM back in 1988, everyone knows how Ultimate Warrior squashed Intercontinental champion Honky Tonk Man in 30 seconds. But hopefully, newcomers will be more awed by the excellent Tag Team Titles Match between The Hart Foundation and Demolition. Plus, the main event between "Mega Powers" Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage against Ted Dibiase's "Mega Bucks" team is an entertaining star-power showcase. 1988 was a solid event, and definitely warranted a follow-up the next year.
Sadly, I think 1989 is best remembered for its outstanding opener and for its cheap finale. The Hart Foundation against The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson) is a classic that Tag Team fans will love. But I always thought that the main event (Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake against Zeus & Randy Savage) felt like an expensive plug for the movie 'No Holds Barred'. Besides, it wasn't an entertaining match.
Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude have a solid Steel Cage Match for the WWF Title for 1990's SUMMERSLAM, and Hulk Hogan against Earthquake ain't too bad of a co-main event, either. But Demolition and Hart Foundation once again stole the show with another Tag Team Titles masterpiece. Man, tag action was the real deal back then.
Bret Hart and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig were never boring to watch. But in August 1991, their technical classic was one of their best ever. If Hitman wasn't yet a superstar, then August 1991 was his biggest push. His IC Title victory got people almost as excited as the main event: a 3-on-2 Handicap Match with Sgt. Slaughter's "Iraqi" team against Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Although Warrior's alleged backstage powerplay might cast a dark cloud over things, the match is quite entertaining in its own right. Oh, and I don't care what anyone else says...that Savage/Elizabeth wedding is touching...even if it was a few years late.
Big props to the World Wrestling Federation for letting Bret Hart and British Bulldog close the 1992 show with their IC Title masterpiece. Wembley Arena wanted to see this once more than any other on the card, and Hitman has always called this match his favorite. But another highlight you'll want to see is Randy Savage defend the WWF Title against Ultimate Warrior, a showdown I consider to be better than their 1991 Retirement Match. The storyline involving Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair is quite bizarre, but overall, it's good stuff. Also bizarre is some "no-face-hitting" encounter between Shawn Michaels and Rick "The Model" Martel. Don't ask...
So far, SUMMERSLAM has been an exceptional PPV series. But 1993's was probably their least successful at the time. There is some good stuff to watch, still. Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels delivered an outstanding IC Title Match. Bret Hart's grudge match against "Burger King" Jerry Lawler was hilariously delayed, as Hitman had to face Doink The Clown before he could get his hands on Lawler. Sean "1-2-3 Kid" Waltman's PPV debut against IRS is an admirable showing, as is Razor Ramon's opener against Ted Dibiase. Where most will disagree with me is on the Taker/Gonzales and Luger/Yokozuna matches. Even with his poor outfit and in-ring ability, I was never bored with Giant Gonzales when he faced Undertaker. And although I agree that Lex Luger never achieved the "American Hero" status WWF wanted, everyone got behind Luger during this summer. I think we all wanted to see Yokozuna dethroned of the title; at the time, Luger was the man for the job. This was a decent PPV amidst a subpar year for the WWF.
1994's presentation in the United Centre (my hometown of Chicago) was an excellent card, but also included two ridiculous scenarios. The first dumb thing is the Taker-vs-Taker main event. As Mark Calaway once said, "On paper, I thought it was a good idea, but we didn't get the mileage we wanted." The other problem is that Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy bumble around trying to solve the mystery of The Undertaker......huh? This must've been a 'Naked Gun 33 1/3' promotion; I can't decide if I want WWE to edit this out or not. But the 1994 event features the priceless Bret/Owen Steel Cage Match; those two could steal the show by just looking at each other. Their rivalry remains a pinnacle among wrestling feuds. I also really enjoyed Razor Ramon challenging IC champion Diesel for his title, with HBK at ringside. A great PPV with a little WWF family-friendly garbage.
You only need to watch 1995's SUMMERSLAM for the HBK/Razor Ladder Match. Other than that, you can just break this disc into pieces to sell as knockoff jewelry. It's that bad.
1996 features a very good HBK/Vader main event, and a pretty solid undercard. What might hold this one back is the Boiler Room Brawl between Undertaker and Mankind. While this remains an awesome rivalry, the action hasn't aged well. At the time, these 30 minutes of violence were off the charts by WWF's standards. But now, the overall atmosphere and shocking finish are the best highlights. Still, 1996 warrants a peek.
The very first live PPV I purchased was 1997's SUMMERSLAM, in which the new Hart Foundation had a stipulation for each of their matches. Brian Pillman is still a frightening individual, which helps keep his gold-dress angle against Goldust entertaining. The British Bulldog's dog-food-eating angle with Ken Shamrock wasn't too bad, nor was the match itself. However, the last two matches are the real reason to watch. Sadly, this was the night that Owen Hart accidentally broke Stone Cold Steve Austin's neck via piledriver. However, it's still a very good contest with a sad finish. As for the main event, I'm not the biggest fan of Bret Hart and Undertaker's matches together, but this is an exception. Perhaps it was having Shawn Michaels as guest referee. I dunno, but out of all of the Taker/Hart encounters, this was easily my favorite. Oh, I almost forgot about the HHH/Mankind Steel Cage opener...in a word, awesome! One more thing, I hope that WWE doesn't cut the cash-giveaway-sweepstakes that happened in the middle...it was corny and funny as hell.
We kick off the Attitude Era of the package with 1998's edition. I was never a fan of the Attitude Era, but for this one, I really enjoyed myself. While The Rock and Triple H stole the show with their IC Title Ladder Match, everyone can look forward to the best Undertaker/Austin encounter in history. Those two men must've had to bust their tails when they had to follow the Ladder Match; they succeeded and then some. Throw in an X-Pac/Jarrett Hair-vs-Hair Match and a good opener between Val Venis and D'Lo Brown, and 1998 is a year you can look forward to.
You can also get revved up to watch 1999's SUMMERSLAM. Jesse Ventura officiates the Mankind/HHH/Austin main event with no particular set of rules. If he doesn't like what he sees, "The Body" makes the wrestler win under fairer methods. Also on this card is the Greenwich Street Fight between Test and Shane McMahon, where Stephanie McMahon's relationship with Test is in jeopardy. That's right: The Billion Dollar Princess was romantically tied to someone on TV before Paul Levesque entered the picture. Basically, Shane-O-Mac never had a better match until facing Kurt Angle in a Street Fight a couple years later. One more compliment to the PPV: Doesn't Undertaker & Big Show against Kane & X-Pac sound like a terrible match? Trust me, it's a most enjoyable showdown. The card gets rough during the 0:30-1:30 time period, but it's still a very good event.
2000's card is also pretty solid. It includes the first triangle TLC Match (my all-time favorite Ladder Match). Also included is a kicking 2-out-of-3 Falls showcase between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. And the Angle/HHH/Rock main event, while mostly a one-on-one affair, is still entertaining. There are a few stinkers (like the repetitive and pointless Undertaker/Kane slugfest). But overall, I like this one.
The 2001 SUMMERSLAM featured the second PPV showdown between the WCW/ECW Alliance and the WWF. The "Invasion" angle has its critics, but the talent was rarely stronger, making this PPV one of the anthology's best. You get to see Edge's first singles title victory, The Rock's first WCW Title victory, Jeff Hardy and RVD in a Ladder Match...do I really need to go on? Well, I'll also let you get excited to watch Kurt Angle and Steve Austin just tear the house down. Angle (to my knowledge) has never received a stronger crowd reaction. Just watch the PPV; you won't regret it.
My favorite SUMMERSLAM of all time is easily the 2002 presentation from Long Island, NY. Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio almost steal the show with their fast-paced opener. But even better is Shawn Michaels' return to the WWE, as he faces Triple H in a classic Street Fight. Nobody thought HBK could still deliver a match this great, let alone just survive without killing his body. However, my strongest praise goes to Brock Lesnar and The Rock for their stellar main event. They put in a lot of hype and build-up going in, and the two men delivered the blockbuster we expected. The crowd went nuts for this, and I wish Rock and Brock would've had more chances to compete. Michael Cole said it best, "The most anticipated main event in SUMMERSLAM history."
I don't really like 2003's edition, with the exception of the outstanding SMACKDOWN main event between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title. I didn't even get into RAW's Elimination Chamber Match that much, especially after that stupid finish. If you haven't seen it yet, you better sign up for anger management courses, first. I consider this whole PPV to be a so-so card with a SMACKDOWN classic, but I will admit that the 2003 event is a favorite for many fans.
I have the same feelings regarding the 2004 event from Toronto, because it's unbearably average considering all the talent involved. However, there are two great matches you don't want to miss. Kurt Angle's return to in-ring action after a 4-month break was an impressive showing against his rival Eddie Guerrero. But the real reason you should watch the 2004 PPV is because it contains the greatest main event in SUMMERSLAM history: Randy Orton challenging Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship. Watching these two men work was nothing short of exhilarating. There are very few matches I want everybody on the planet to see - Orton/Benoit is one of them!
The last three SUMMERSLAMS (2005-2007) continued WWE's cold streak of 'nothing special'.
2005 did include several entertaining affairs, most notably Hulk Hogan against Shawn Michaels, and the Guerrero/Mysterio Ladder Match. Oddly enough, my favorite match on this PPV is the grudge match between Randy Orton and The Undertaker. Even when compared to their WRESTLEMANIA 21 showdown, I believe this to be the best Taker/Orton match to date. But even with a couple of highlights, the 2005 card from Washington D.C. was pretty disappointing.
2006's and 2007's just sucked - Period. There are only two matches from these entire PPVs you should look forward to: Punk/Morrison and Mysterio/Chavo. Most fans will love watching Ric Flair and Mick Foley compete in the 2006 "I Quit" Match, but I wasn't impressed. Other than that, you can just pretend that the 19th and 20th SUMMERSLAMS are some sort of WWE Apocrypha.
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AN EXTRA TWO CENTS ON WWE DVD SETS
---The SUMMERSLAM series is a pretty good collection of PPVs. In fact, I'd argue that this anthology might be better than WWE's ROYAL RUMBLE and WRESTLEMANIA collections.
The ROYAL RUMBLE PPVs always include 30-60 minute long Battle Royal. While the 30-Man Rumble is still an entertaining collection of talent, I'm not always eager to revisit them. I'd rather watch a one-fall competition.
WRESTLEMANIA is also an exciting PPV series, for fans of any wrestling promotion. There are just so many memories and iconic moments that are forever engrained in our hearts. But sometimes, "The Grandest Stage of Them All" is such a monumental event that I get drained trying to finish one WM PPV.
On the other hand, SUMMERSLAM is a straight-up PPV series. Each PPV is basically just a 3 hours PPV, where WWE just ups its game a bit. There's no legacy or tradition involved. SUMMERSLAM is a series where I can always count on WWE sticking to wrestling, but with a little extra kick to it.
But I do want to bring up one last thing:
Even though I might consider SUMMERSLAM to be the best WWE anthology, I wouldn't just buy this 20-PPV collection on a whim. WWE Shop's website shows that these Anthology is divided into 4 DVD cases. I'd bet serious money that WWE will re-release the SUMMERSLAM series into four separate volumes, like they did with WRESTLEMANIA and ROYAL RUMBLE.
I would wait for the individual volumes, because frankly the 4th volume is tough to sit through. There is little reason to watch most of the 2003-2007 events.
Plus, as nifty as the packaging is, I'd be embarrassed to show that "DVD cooler" on my shelf.
If you want to experience the entire SUMMERSLAM collection, I think it's the best 'wrestling' package. But be aware that in its final stretch, SUMMERSLAM becomes a long cold shower.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still a few kinks to work out, but overall a really good set, August 5, 2008
Ah summer, a time of baseball, barbecues, blockbusters and watching grown men in spandex pretend to fight for a belt that doesn't exist. For 20 years, Summerslam has given wrestling nerds like myself plenty of warm and fuzzy memories. Now the WWE has put the first two decades of the event on DVD for our viewing pleasure.
Obviously the content is great, with all the classic moments that have made Summerslam memorable, both good (Ultimate Warrior defeating Honky Tonk Man, Macho Man and Elizabeth's wedding, Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog) and bad (Undertaker vs. Undertaker, Diesel vs. Mabel, Steve Austin's neck injury). The footage on this set is a worthwhile addition to any fan's library.
While the content is great, the packaging is a mixed bag. The four DVD sets are housed in a cooler, complete with ice. This is a nice touch and the packaging is a vast improvement over the Royal Rumble boxset, which was pretty to look at, but very fragile and unwieldy. The problem with the packaging is the slipcases that the DVDs come in. I agree with the previous poster that they aren't the best way to house the individual discs. What WWE needs to do is combine the portability and functionality of the outer case with the DVD digipacks of the WrestleMania boxset. If they do this then the WWE will finally have the perfect boxset. Hopefully they will finally get it right with the Survivor Series set.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Overall Good Set With Some Unexpected Drawbacks, August 5, 2008
I have been waiting for a summerslam anthology for years. ever since it was announced that it would be released i had to start saving up. it was supposed to be released around november or december of 2007 but thanks to chris benoit it got pushed back. now it's finally here. the mini cooler design is a really "cool one" compared to the other anthology collector boxes. inside the cooler the volumes are surrounded by cardboard(front & back)that looks like ice cubes. nice touch. there are no senitype film cell cards(1 for each of the 4 volumes)in this set. this actually surprises me as the last 2 anthologies(WM & RR)got them. ?...weird. the volume cases artwork are really nice. well done. lots of nice old nostalgia(sorry for the spelling). now here's the real problem i have with this set(which i'm sure most will agree). the slot's for the 20 discs...who's the idiot(s) that decided it would be a good idea for slip sleeve inserts?. on a $150+ set???. are you kidding me???. the way the discs are stored are within the cardboard cases themselves letting all of the discs rub all up against the cardboard material causing scratches(and possibly dents). what kind of morons would use this type of packaging for an expensive set like this?. i mean it's bad enough we already have to deal with blurred out WF attitude logos, mutes & skipping when "WWF" is supposed to verbally spoken, & dubbed over classic original themes. now this?. the discs i've looked at thus far are scratched. plain & simple. if the rest end up being scratched WWE will be hearing from me about it. i just can't comprehend how stupid the people that put this together could be. it's mind boggling. my advice...check your discs very well. BTW...i wanted to give this set 3 stars instead of 2(as i clicked the 2 stars icon by mistake). it loses 2 stars due to the blatant packaging errors & my discs being all scratched up. my rating is strictly about the product at hand & has nothing to do with the events themselves(which are all great). it could have been done way better than this & there no excuse for it. besides that this is a really good set & i totally recommend it given you can find it for a really cheap price(due to the likely hood that all of the discs will be scratched up). **9/6/2008 UPDATE**...After watching some of the discs in this anthology i've noticed some awkward & annoying edits that were completey unecessary for WWE to omit from these events. so far i've noticed SS94, SS98, SS99, & SS00 have some weird edits!. during macho man randy savage's entrance during SS94 WWE edited in a bar graphic showing the date of the event. ?. honestly...what was the point of this?. because it took place on a monday?. put that on the packaging & not on the disc i'm watching that i paid good money for!. in SS98 they left in the WWF Home Video exclusive pre-main event rock interview but completely cut out the undertaker's(with kane) & austin's WWF Home Video exclusive post-show interviews that took place right after the event(SS98 in this anthology is the original VHS release of the event). in SS99 many fan signs are constaintly blurred out(with no trace of the WWF acronym or attitude scratch logo in sight)!. one said "you can s**k my b**ls" & the others i believe had either various websites, establishments(restaurants & such) & various phone numbers. ?. also the undertaker/bigshow vs. kane/x-pac promo package(events leading up to that match)before the match is completely cut out!. ?. really what was the point of doing that?. also the SS99 disc is defective w/an audio error!. only the "Left Channel" of the original 5.1 stereo surround sound broadcast is present!. very annoying & does'nt give you the full 5.1 expirience at all(just like all the audio problems each disc suffered in the RR anthology set)!. WWE should correctly remaster the audio for SS99 & offer free replacements to those who already purchased this set!. and in SS00 the undertaker vs. kane promo package before the match is cut out completely!. these edits make no sense & are completely ridiculous, dumb, & stupid!. it really pays to own the originals because WWE has this weird obsession with over editing these things!. there are plenty more weird edits in this set(i'm sure of that -_o)but those are the only 4 i have currently watched so far. it's sad & very pathetic that WWE is charging full price for these over edited events...and yes i know the WWF acronym & attitude logos have to be blurred due to legal reasons!. great events...poor editing!. when will this company ever learn?.
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