10 most memorable moments in Summerslam history
Depending on whom you speak to, Summerslam is generally considered the second most important PPV in the WWE's Calendar behind Wrestlemania. This is slightly surprising considering unlike The Royal Rumble or Survivor Series, the Summerslam event doesn't have any special gimmick matches that help it stand out from the rest. The fact that the modern-day WWE year is now filled with more than one PPV a month, it is essentially down to prestige and careful marketing that we still see the Summer event as a big deal.
Over the years, the show has been used as a way to help young talent make a name for themselves and to allow legends from the past make a comeback. While not holding the prestige of a Wrestlemania, being featured in a big match on the Summerslam card can still do wonders for your career.
Along the way, we have also been treated to some memorable moments that make the biggest party of the summer an essential part of our professional wrestling experience. Here is a look at 10 of the best:
#1 Miss Elizabeth tears off her skirt
The 1980s was a much more innocent time in professional wrestling, especially when it came to the world of kayfabe. Fans who continued watching the product throughout the Attitude Era would have become used to seeing the sexual exploitation of the female roster as well as storylines that wouldn't have been tasteful enough for episodes of Jackass. This was reflected in the kind of female superstars the WWF were embracing in these two-time frames. In 1998 we had Sable and Sunny, and in 1988 we had 'the lovely' Miss Elizabeth.
Elizabeth had been the manager of Macho Man Randy Savage since his debut in the company and offered him the perfect counterweight to his insane and overly aggressive style and personality. When Wrestlemania 4 came around, Savage was ready to lead the company as its champion, taking over from Hogan's first stretch with the title. This also led to the formation of the Mega Powers, a team started by Hogan and Savage as a way to thwart the plans of the evil Million Dollar Man.
This storyline formed the first ever main event of Summerslam, with The Mega Powers taking on Dibiase and his employee Andre the Giant, who called themselves The Mega Bucks. There is perhaps no main event in history with so many important, signature players involved. Not only did we have those four in-ring legends going at it along with Miss Elizabeth on the outside, but we also had an incredible special guest referee for the bout in the form of Jesse Ventura. Talk about a way to end your first biggest party of the summer!
The match ended in memorable fashion, as just when the babyface team were looking beat on the outside, Elizabeth used her cunning to distract Dibiase, Andre and Ventura, who was basically playing the role of crooked referee throughout the match. She stood on the apron and ripped her skirt off to the delight of everybody in attendance. This was enough for Hogan and Savage to rejoin the fray and chalk up a victory over their two foes.
This was relatively tame compared with what we were about to see a decade later, but at the time it was a pretty shocking moment and gave us all a more intimate look at the genius that was Miss Elizabeth.