Summerslam (1991) watch online HD

The Gulf War had long ended, but the animosity between American Hero Hulk Hogan and Iraqi supporter Sgt. Slaughter had not yet boiled over, especially since Hogan defeated Slaughter for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania VII. In a last-ditch effort to settle the feud once and for all, Hogan teamed with the Ultimate Warrior against Slaughter and his old enemy, the Iron Sheik, now known as Col. Mustafa. America once again prevailed when Hogan and Warrior defeated Slaughter and Mustafa in what truly was a `Match Made in Hell!' SummerSlam 1991 - back in Madison Square Garden three years after the conception of the event - was also the site of a `Match Made in Heaven' when Randy `Macho Man' Savage married the love of his life, Elizabeth. But what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives was interrupted by a horrifying attack by Jake `The Snake' Roberts and the Undertaker during the wedding reception! Back in the ring, Bret `Hitman' Hart won his first WWE singles title when he defeated Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Championship, and the Big Boss Man defeated the Mountie in a Jailhouse match to send his hated enemy to a New York City slammer!

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, the British Bulldog & the Texas Tornado defeated the Warlord & Power and Glory The Natural Disasters defeated the Bushwhackers Virgil pinned Ted DiBiase to win the Million Dollar Belt Big Boss Man pinned the Mountie in a Jailhouse Match The Legion of Doom defeated the Nasty Boys for the Tag Team Championship Bret Hart defeated Mr. Perfect via submission to win the Intercontinental Title Irwin R. Shyster pinned Greg "The Hammer" Valentine Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior defeated Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa and Gen. Adnan in a Handicap Match

Overall Mark: B+

In keeping with previous WWF events during this time period, SummerSlam 1991 is kind of all over the place in terms of talent and excitement. There are a few good matches, with many clunkers interspersed throughout. At least this time, however, the "gimmick" (Randy Savage & Elizabeth's wedding) was entertaining.

The highlights: -Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect with the Intercontinental Title on the line. This is a very well-executed and entertaining match. Two guys who just knew who to wrestle and put on a show. -Legion of Doom vs. Nasty Boys for the Tag Team titles. I'm usually not a huge fan of tag-team matches, but this one was professionally done all the way around. -The "Match Made in Heaven", or the wedding between Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth. They had been married in real life for years, so this was a fun "meta" moment for the WWF at a time where they were desperate for any goodwill.

Other than those highlights, however, pretty much everything else falls flat. Teaming up Hogan/Warrior vs. Slaughter and Co. reeks of desperation, while a recurring gig with the Mountie being booked in a local jail after losing to Big Boss Man goes on for far too long.

So, while the wedding gimmick (and a few select matches) makes SummerSlam '91 worth watching, the WWF is still a bit of a mess in terms of talent and direction at this point.

Live from NY, NY; MSG

Attendance: 20,000

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and Bobby Heenan

Ricky Steamboat, The Texas Tornado, The British Bulldog Vs Power & Glory and The Warlord (W/Slick)

Bulldog gets the biggest pop out of the three faces. The faces win when Steamboat pins Roma after a flying cross body from the top. This is a fun opener and a good way to start the show. There were impressive spots, like The Bulldog hitting a vertical suplex on The Warlord.

**3/4

Intercontinental Championship

Mr. Perfect (C) (W/The Coach) Vs Bret Hart

Bobby Heenan had retired from managing at this point. Bret wins the title by making Perfect submit with a Sharpshooter. This is one of the best matches in wrestling history, it rarely gives you a chance to breathe. What's even more amazing is that Perfect's back was legitimately in bad shape with a bad back, as proved when he started favoring it and walking gingerly. If that's the type of amazing quality we get when he's injured, it's downright frightening to think what these two would be capable of if Perfect was fully healthy. Bret kicking out of the Perfect-Plex is a pretty cool moment as well. How on earth do you follow this? I almost feel sorry for the other wrestlers.

***** (5 stars out of 5)

The Bushwhackers (W/Andre The Giant) Vs The Natural Disasters (W/Jimmy Hart)

This match is one way to cool the crowd down after such a classic. The Natural Disasters win when Earthquake hits his sitdown splash. The Natural Disasters try to attack Andre after the match, but The Legion of Doom saves the day. This was a terrible match, as to be expected. Even Andre's presence couldn't liven it up. "Bobby Heenan had a great line, though. "If I was managing The Buswhackers, I'd commit suicide"

*

Bobby Heenan shows up at Hogan's dressing room with the REAL World Title, challenging Hogan to a match on Flair's behalf. Hogan slams the door in Heenan's face.

Million Dollar Championship

Ted Dibiase (C) (W/Sensational Sherri) Vs Virgil

Dibiase is initially disqualified after Sherri nails Virgil with her shoe, but the ref changes his mind and orders Sherri to the back, as well as the match to continue. Virgil wins the Million Dollar belt by ramming Dibiase's head into the exposed turnbuckle, which Dibiase used to try to cheat. The match itself is a little overbooked, but the story Dibiase and Virgil told really carries this one. The fans desperately wanted to see Dibiase get his comeuppance and Virgil winning the title provided a memorable moment.

**1/2

Jailhouse Match

The Big Bossman Vs The Mountie (W/Jimmy Hart)

The loser of this match goes directly to jail for a night. Bossman wins with an Alabama slam. This match was fairly boring for the most part. Despite the stipulation, I wasn't really able to get into it. Maybe I'm a stickler, but I didn't find The Mountie being hauled off to jail all that funny either.

*1/4

Up Next are a plethora of interviews that involve Bret Hart, The Big Bossman, The Natural Disasters, Ted Dibiase, The Nasty Boys, Jimmy Hart, Sensational Sherri, The Legion of Doom, Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa, General Adnan, Sid Justice, and a segment where The Mountie is suffering on his way to jail.

Tag Team Championship (No count out, no DQ)

The Nasty Boys (C) (W/Jimmy Hart) Vs The Legion of Doom

LOD wins the titles with the Doomsday Device. This was nothing more than a brawl for the most part and a fairly average one at that. At least this match played to both of their strengths, which is brawling. LOD winning the titles makes this the 3rd title that's changed hands at this PPV

*3/4

The Mountie is dragged by cops into a Jail cell.

I.R.S Vs Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

Valentine was a face at this point and near the end of his WWE tenure. I.R.S wins by countering The Figure Four into a small package. This was a pretty uneventful match that the crowd was flat for. Valentine was past his prime and couldn't be depended on to carry a match anymore.

*

3 on 2 Handicapped Match

Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior Vs Sgt. Slaughter, General Adnan, and Col. Mustafa

Sid Justice is the guest referee for this match. For those who don't know, Mustafa is The Iron Sheik. Hogan wins with a legdrop after throwing powder in Slaughter's face. Afterwards, Hogan poses with Sid Justice. This was a pretty bad main event. It featured no excitement at all and three heels that really couldn't go all that well anymore. The big storyline here was if Sid would be impartial or not. The Ultimate Warrior would be suspended for arguing with Vince about money and wouldn't appear in the WWF again until Wrestlemania 8. Slaughter would also turn face not too long after this.

*

Macho Man and Elizabeth's wedding ends the show. It ends without any shenanigans. I'm not so sure this should end a PPV, but it was sweet enough. I love Macho and Elizabeth so it didn't bother me.

Overall, Summerslam 91 is worthwhile, but it takes a bit of a tumble after the first few matches. The faces dominated the entire PPV with only two heels getting a victory during the show. Not to mention that we also got three title changes as well. The main reason to see this show is the absolute classic between Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect. It's one of the best matches you'll ever see.

1. The Dragon (embarassing Steamboat's gimmick)/Tornado Texas/ The British Bulldog Vs. Hercules/Warlord/Paul Roma - First match was fine. 6/10

2. Intercontinental Championship: Bret Hart Vs. Champ-Mr. Perfect - Outstanding match full of match, Hennig is perfect at selling Bret's moves 9/10

3. Natural Disasters Vs. 2 mentally ill WoodCrackers (Real Natural Disasters) - It hurts to watch match with these 2 idiots. At least they ate lost. 4/10

4. The Million Dollar Man Vs. Virgil - Grudge match 5.5/10

5. Jailhouse Match: The Mountie Vs. Big Stiff Man - Bossman has nothing to do on PPV. Unsympathetic piece of terrible skills wrestler. Punch, chop, basic slam match. That could afford only big Superstars. 4/10

Piper's appearance + jail house bullshit -5/10

6. WWF tag team championship: Legion of Doom Vs. Champs-Nasty Boys - Funny, champs, came to the ring first. Decent match. 6/10

7. I.R.S.(formerly known as Mike Rotunda) Vs. Greg Valentine 5/10

8. Sgt. Slaughter/Col. Mustafa (Iron Sheik)/General Adnan Vs. Ultimate Warrior/Hulk Hogan - Classic superstar match, nothing special. 5/10

Randy Savage and Elizabeth also get "married".

Here are the matches...

Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat, British Bulldog and Texas Tornado v Warlord and Power and Glory: What on earth is Steamboat wearing? Lol. I don't think he is referred to by name, just by his moniker 'The Dragon' and spends most of the time in the ring getting beat up. The weak link is Paul Roma and he gets body-crossed by Steamboat for the pin. An okay starter but there is talent in this match that could have had better separate matches. This is Paul Roma's last PPV and Steamboat leaves the WWF shortly afterwards. 5/10

Bret 'The Hit-man' Hart v Mr Perfect for the Intercontinental title: Mr Perfect, for one PPV only, has 'coach' as his manager who does very little. What makes this match excellent is probably not the wrestling itself but the way Mr Perfect bumps throughout. Mr Perfect spins and gets crotched into ring posts like nobody's business. Perfect smacks Hart off the apron at one point when he tries to get in the ring, flinging him into a camera man and Hart kicks out of the Perfect Plex. The match ends when Hart applies the sharpshooter. Mr Perfect had an injured back and so immediately submitted. Hart is the new Intercontinental champion. This is Hart's debut as a singles wrestler and he does a great job of it. 8/10

Bushwhackers (with Andre the Giant) v Natural Disasters: Bushwhackers oddly enough keep control through most of the match and actually put on a more intelligent fight than usual. It all ended rather predictably when Butch gets squashed in Earthquake's vertical splash. After the match, the Disasters threaten to beat up Andre when the summertime vigilantes Legion of Doom even the odds. That's the second consecutive Summerslam the LOD have come to ringside to help someone out. It would be the last time we see Andre the Giant on PPV as he died in February 1993. 4/10

Virgil v 'Million dollar man' Ted Dibiase for the million dollar belt: Virgil starts off burning and applies the million dollar dream but Dibiase's manager 'Sensational' Sherri hits Virgil with her loaded purse and the bell rings teasing a disqualification. The referee wants Sherri away from the ring and the match continues. Roddy Piper does terrible commentary all night but he sells this match well with nice interplay between him and Dibiase. Dibiase mocks Piper after every move he executes on Virgil. Ted takes advantage of the ref being on the floor by removing a turnbuckle. However, Dibiase is sent head first into it and Virgil gets the pin. Virgil's success proves to be his downfall as the WWF don't know what to do with his character afterwards. 5/10

Bigbossman v Mountie in a jail-house match: I have seen this match a few times now and just can't get into it. As Jacques Rougeau he was okay, as The Mountie he was abysmal. The biggest surprise was Mountie kicking out of The Bossman Slam but gets pinned after the Alabama Jammer. I think I was more interested in the conclusion rather than the match itself. 4/10

Legion of Doom v Nasty Boys in a no disqualification/no count-out match for the tag team titles: Sags actually does most of the rule-breaking at the start spraying something into Hawk's eyes and then hitting him over the back with what appears to be a tray of drinks. It becomes more genteel and settles into a tag match. It ends when Nasty Boys both get hit on the head with Jimmy Hart's helmet and Doomsday Device on Sags to secure the pin to become new tag team champions. This really should have played out like an ECW tornado match. 5/10

Greg 'Hammer' Valentine v IRS: I think this is the only time we hear Greg Valentine's ring music. I like The Hammer but this is really slow even by his standards and IRS's stalling makes it worse. The Hammer gets ensnared in the cradle trying to apply the figure four leg-lock (how many times does Valentine lose this way?). Pretty much the end of the line for Greg Valentine who was ill-used in the WWF after 1988. 3/10

Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior v Sgt Slaughter, Colonel Mustapha and General Adnan in a handicap match (Sid Justice as special referee): Four years after the first Summerslam and we have another 'is the ref biased or not?' subplot. This is hopeless for so many reasons. 1. The Gulf War finished months before. 2. Hogan already pinned Slaughter at Wrestlemania VII. 3. Everybody in the match performed terribly. 4. Despite the handicap rules, did the WWF really think the 'Triangle of Terror' would pose such a challenge to Warrior and Hogan? Warrior and Hogan beat 5 better mid-carders in the previous Survivor Series. 5. Warrior and Hogan were obviously the stronger side yet Hogan still cheated to win the match with powder. This is the third out of four Summerslams to have the tag team main event format and was a clear sign that Hulkamania was running out of steam. 3/10

We now have the 'privilege' of attending 'Machoman' Randy Savage and Elizabeth's wedding (even though they married for real in 1986). It's just an elaborate way of setting up a feud with Jake Roberts. One question though - why does Gene Okerlund refer to the bride and groom as 'Mr and Mrs Macho'?

The Intercontinental title match between Hart and Perfect saved this PPV from being a right mess. The undercard wasn't that thrilling (only the blow-off between Dibiase and Virgil was memorable). The WWF can get away with that if the main event is of exceptional quality (Wrestlemania VI comes to mind) but the main event of Summerslam 1991 was premeditively disgusting. The Machoman/Elizabeth wedding would have been better served on a Saturday Night's Main Event than a PPV.

Summerslam 1991 was built as the match made in heaven, the match made in hell. The match made in heaven being the wedding of Randy "Macho Man" Savage and former manager now girlfriend Elizabeth. The match made in hell featured Hulk Hogan teaming up with former foe the Ultimate Warrior to go against the anti-American trio of Sgt. Slaughter, the Iron Shiek (Known here as Col. Mustafa), and Gen. Adnan. had ended but the WWF was trying to milk the American pride for all it was worth.

This event was held in Madison Square Garden. The commentators for this event were Gorilla Monsoon, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, and Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. This event really showcase the absolute genius and pure talent that Heenan had as a color commentator. At times he had me cracking up. Heenan will always be my favorite "pro-heel". Jesse Ventura was always trying to make things too personal, Jerry Lawler's "puppy talk" gets old after a while, and Tazz is just a pure waste of time. But Heenan totally stole the night on commentary and at times had me cracking up.

Now onto the event itself. It was totally great until the main event happened. Both the IC and Tag Team title matches were classic. The Big Bossman/Mountie "go to jail match" was very entertaining especially the post-match. Looking back there is a bit of sadness to this event as it marked the final WWF appearance for the late great Andre the Giant as he accompanied the Buschwackers to the ring for their match against the Natural Disasters. A great night to be a babyface and a bad night to be a heel as their were only two heel wins on the whole card. But that kept the crowd happy. So here's my view on the card itself: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, the British Bulldog, and the Texas Tornado vs. The Warlord and Power and Glory w/Slick: A great opener that really offered everything. You had the martial arts technical skills of Steamboat, the brawling ability of Kerry Von Erich, and the other four wrestlers were flat out power wrestlers. Lots of fast action, and they really didn't over do anything. And it really got the crowd into it.

IC Title Match - Mr. Perfect w/the Coach (Champion) vs. Bret "Hitman" Hart (Challenger): This one was an absolute classic. Two of the all time great technical wrestlers. Given the pain that Perfect's back was in at that time, he really put on an excellent show and this was kind of the passing of the torch, so to speak. This was the beginning of Bret Hart's huge push as a single's wrestler. Perfect would not return to active wrestling until Survior Series of 1992.

The Buschwackers w/Andre the Giant vs. The Natural Disasters w/Jimmy Hart- A good solid match, even for a Buschwacker match. The Natural Disasters were being pushed as the top heel tag team at the time so they got the win. As mentioned, this was the final WWF appearance for the legendary Andre the Giant. After the match, the Disasters tried to go after Andre but the Legion of Doom came to his rescue setting up a big feud between those two teams.

Virgil vs. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibase w/Sensation Sherri: Piper was way too over dramatic on commentary for my liking. But it got the crowd going though. Few workers were better at carrying wrestlers with less talent than Dibiase. I feel he's the greatest WWF superstar that never held the world title. I wish Dibiase would have just won this thing with a million dollar dream and ended this feud here while Piper cried. But not to be.

Big Bossman vs. The Mountie w/Jimmy Hart: Supprisingly this was a really great match. The stipulation here was that the loser of this match would spend the night in jail. Basically this was a squash match for the Bossman. The post-match was just as entertaining as the Mountie gets taken away in the patiwagon. Throughout the rest of the night, they would show segments of the Mountie in jail.

Tag Team title match - The Nasty Boyz w/Jimmy Hart (Champions) vs. The Legion of Doom (challengers): A no DQ match here. A decent tag match. Not top notch, but definitely entertaining. Road Warrior fans will enjoy this one.

Greg Valentine vs. Irwin R. Schyster: Greg Valentine was nearing the end of his WWF career and had not been involved in any meaningful story lines for well over a year and by now he had been demoted to jobber to the stars. Irwin R. Schyster was a brand new undefeated heel with a great gimmick that fans hated. Any guesses as to how this one turns out? Next please.

Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa, and Gen. Adnan. Sid Justice is the special guest referee: It was the match made in hell alright, but not for the reason the WWF gave. Who booked this crappy main event? Let's see at this time the WWF had just signed Ric Flair and Sid Justice. You also had the Undertaker and the newly turned heel Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Yet they book two over the hill crappy wrestlers like the Iron Shiek and General Adnan to team up with Sgt. Slaughter who never had any business being elevated above mid-card status in the first place. The match sucked from beginning and the only real heat it got was when Hogan and the Warrior accidentally ran into Sid Justice and had a stare down. I guess a fatal 4-way title match between Hogan, Warrior, Undertaker, and Sid Justice would have been too much to ask for.

The Wedding: The only reason to watch the wedding is for Heenan's funny commentary and to see Jake the Snake and the Undertaker crash the reception. Other than that, you can skip it.

*SPOILERS*



Until the last three segments, this one was really good.

The opening six-man match was a good way of putting over two guys in one match. I say "two" because all the Texas Tornado did was punch. But it took the British Bulldog a year to go over at least that well again, and The Dragon was gone soon after.

The big reason the Bret-Perfect match is so memorable is that it was Bret's first great high-profile match. He has said that most wrestlers had their best match against him, and no one can deny it.

The Bushwhackers put up a great fight against the Disasters, and the spot with the Legion of Doom afterward was almost as big a highlight as what the LOD did later on that afternoon.

The Big Bossman always was an underrated performer. He and Jake the Snake are the only wrestlers who I remember could have a good match with the late Hercules. Here, he dominated the Mountie, but the real show went on afterward. Look closely and you'll see the Mountie give a jailer the finger. And the end of his segment is too funny for words. Kudos to Jacques Rougeau in selling this spot so well.

While the LOD's match against the Nasty Boys was good, why did they bother making it a "No Disqualification, No Countout" match? The Nasty Boys make sure to do all of their cheating behind the ref's back, and Animal spends most of the match on the apron waiting for Hawk's tag. He would not have been disqualified for running in! That's the whole point!

After that, we get a mediocre match between Valentine and IRS, followed by the worst main event in SummerSlam history. That includes the one from '89. Then the ludicrous wedding, which was an elaborate setup for the major feuds of the next few months.

So rent it, but just hit "stop" after LOD's match.

BEWARE OF SPOILERS AHEAD!

SummerSlam '91 had good points and bad points. First, let me discuss the bad points.

There were some pretty unspectacular matches such as Virgil VS Ted DiBiase and Greg Valentine VS IRS. Some of the other matches were just above average. The main event was an average match. Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior beat Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa and Gen. Adnan in a short match. It was nothing special but we got to see Hogan beat the evil Sgt. Slaughter to win the match.

SummerSlam '91 had it's good points. Bret Hart and Mr Perfect had a fantastic match despite Perfect having a really bad back. Perfect could have forfeited the match but he went out there and had a good match in which he lost the Intecontinental Title.

The Bushwhackers had an entertaining match with the large Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon).

The Warlord & Power and Glory had a reasonable match with the late Texas Tornado, Davey Boy Smith and The Dragon.

Two other good matches as well;the Big Boss Man met 'fellow law enforcer' The Mountie in a match. The Mountie lost and was forced to spend the night in 'jail.' Also, the Legion of Doom beat the stuffing out of The Nasty Boys to win the tag titles.

The Macho Man and Elizabeth got 'married' as well. It was nothing special-until Jake "The Snake" Roberts crashed the party and showed his true colours. That was the highlight of the wedding.

SummerSlam '91 is worth a serious look.

"The Real American" Hulk Hogan and his fighting for American rights against Iraqi sympathisers Sgt Slaughter and General Adnan had gotten very old by this point. But, to flog the dead horse the WWE bought back former Champion the Iron Sheik, renamed as Col Mustafa, to team up against the "Real American" Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.

Now I haven't picked on any of the other earlier wrestling story lines from 1985- 1990, because they worked. But for a young Australian this storyline was crap. The Iraq war was a non event and well and truly over by August 1991.

The night started off with a six man tag match won by Ricky Steamboat (returning to the WWE after a long tour of duty in the NWA) The British Bulldog and Texas Tornado Kerry Von Erich, over The Warlord, and Power and Glory Hercules and Paul Roma.

Next up came one of the bets matches ever seen in the WWE as Bret Hart defeated Mr Perfect to win the Intercontinental Championship. Perfect was working with an injured back and put in a sensational performance. Hart was on song as always. These two had tremendous chemistry and this was probably the best of their PPV matches.

Next up we see Andre the Giant in a backstage interview with the Bushwackers in his final PPV appearance as he would die later that year. The interview didn't help them though as The Natural Disasters Earthquake and Typhoon picked up a comprehensive victory over the Bushwackers, who were starting to get pretty old.

Next up we saw some of the build to the main event with Bobby Heenan standing outside Hulk's dressing room. Following this is an interview with Ted DiBiase as he guarantees all of us he is going to wipe the floor with his former slave Virgil and walk out with his million dollar title belt. He was wrong. Virgil got the win and Million Dollar Belt was his.

Next came a jailhouse match won by he Big Bossman over The Mountie. The downside of this was we had to watch some "Comedy" scenes of The Mountie being arrested and thrown in jail. Pretty over the top and quite dated.

In our next match the Legion of Doom Hawk and Animal defeated The Nasty Boys to win the Tag Team Championships. If memory serves I think this was the first time they had been tag champs in the WWE.

We get another shot of The Mountie in jail and then Irwin R Shyster defeating Greg Valentine, who was cast as a good guy in this match for some reason.

Next up is our main event as Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior defeated Sgt Slaughter, Col Mustafa and General Adnan with Sid Justice as the guest referee. It had been a running story all night that Justice had supposedly been bought out by the Iraqis, but this was not the case and Justice and Hogan posed together at matches end. This was the Warrior's last PPV match in the WWE for some time and it nearly didn't happen after Warrior had threatened to leave the building if he was not given bonuses he was owed from months before. The match sucked. The angle sucked. THank goodness it was finished.

The Main Event of the show though was Randy Savage's "wedding" to Miss Elizabeth. Savage, despite not being allowed to wrestle after losing a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII had stayed on the show as a commentator and come back to the good side. He'd proposed to Elizabeth in the build up and they are given a proper wedding here with no catches. This would eventually lead to Savage breaking his retirement, which wasn't a bad thing.

This PPV had some good stuff on it, DiBiase/ Virgil and Hart/ Perfect, but not much else and it really has aged badly.