Summerslam Tickets

SummerSlam is one of the longest running professional wrestling events in the world, having first been held in 1988. Since then, it has become one of the most popular events on the WWE calendar and is often seen as a major milestone in the careers of many wrestlers.

The History of SummerSlam

SummerSlam is one of the longest running professional wrestling events in the world, having first been held in 1988. Since then, it has become one of the most popular events on the WWE calendar and is often seen as a major milestone in the careers of many wrestlers.

Early Beginnings

The first SummerSlam took place on August 29th, 1988 at Madison Square Garden. The main event featured Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) against The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and Andre The Giant). Hulk Hogan managed to pin Ted DiBiase with his signature leg drop to win the match. This marked Hogan’s first ever appearance at SummerSlam and set a precedent for future matches at the event.

Growing Popularity

Over the years, SummerSlam became increasingly popular amongst fans due to its unpredictable outcomes, exciting matches, and appearances from some of wrestling’s biggest stars. In 1989, for example, SummerSlam was headlined by a matchup between Ultimate Warrior and “Macho Man” Randy Savage which was won by Warrior when he pinned Savage after a flying shoulder block. Other memorable matches include Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 in 1997 as well as John Cena vs CM Punk at Summerslam 2012.

Expanding Further

In recent years, SummerSlam has continued to grow in popularity due to its move outside of Madison Square Garden in New York City. It has since been hosted by various cities around both America and Canada including Los Angeles, Toronto, Miami and more recently Brooklyn NY in 2016 where it drew an estimated 16 million viewers worldwide.

Overall, SummerSlam has become one of the most beloved professional wrestling events year after year since its inception in 1988 with some legendary moments that will live on forever in pop culture history.

The Inaugural SummerSlam

The first edition of SummerSlam was held on August 29, 1988 at the iconic Madison Square Garden. There were a total of ten matches on the card, one of the highlights being the match between the Honky Tonk Man and the Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental Championship. Honky Tonk came into SummerSlam as the defending champion, having held the title for fourteen months, the longest Intercontinental Championship reign of all time. The Ultimate Warrior ended the run in just 31 seconds to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

The main event pitted the tag team of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, known as The Mega Powers, against the duo of Andre the Giant and Ted DiBiase, with Jesse Ventura acting as the special guest referee. The Mega Powers emerged victorious in the end.

The first SummerSlam was a major success, setting the wheels in motion for it to become the extremely popular show it is today.

The Greatest SummerSlam Moments in History

The SummerSlam pay-per-view event has been a staple in professional wrestling since its inception in 1988. Over the years, it has delivered some of the most awe-inspiring moments in sports entertainment history. Here are just some of the greatest moments to ever occur at a SummerSlam:

The Undertaker’s Streak – In 1997, The Undertaker faced off against Bret Hart in an epic match for the WWE Championship. After enduring an excruciating amount of punishment, The Undertaker emerged victorious and solidified his legendary win streak at SummerSlam with a then record 11 consecutive wins.

Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar – This intense battle from 2003 saw Goldberg come out on top against Lesnar after delivering an earth-shattering spear midway through the match that sent both men tumbling over the top rope and onto the stadium floor below. It was one of the most dramatic and electrifying matches in SummerSlam history.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs The Rock – In arguably one of their best matches to date, Stone Cold and The Rock collided at SummerSlam 1998 for the WWE Championship in a thrilling match that left fans speechless by its conclusion. After multiple chair shots and finishers, Stone Cold eventually secured victory with a Stone Cold Stunner on The Rock to become champion once again.

Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle – Two of the WWE's best technical wrestlers put on an instant classic at SummerSlam 2004 when they went head to head for Angle's Olympic gold medal strap match title belt before Guerrero ultimately came away with a stunning upset victory over "the Olympian".

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon – Before there was ever WrestleMania, there was this classic encounter between two of wrestling’s biggest stars at SummerSlam 1995: Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon locked horns in an unforgettable ladder match that revolutionized ladder matches as we know them today. Michaels earned himself a well-deserved victory while putting on one of sports entertainment’s greatest performances ever.

The 7 Greatest Superstars in SummerSlam History

The Undertaker – He has the most SummerSlam appearances of all time with 24, and he is one of the most iconic performers in WWE history. His iconic matches against Mankind, Kane, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Brock Lesnar are memorable moments that have shaped the company’s history.

John Cena – He first became a major star at SummerSlam 2004 when he won his first WWE Championship against JBL in an epic match. He went on to become one of the biggest stars of all time and holds the record for total SummerSlam appearances with 16 matches since 2003.

Stone Cold Steve Austin – His legendary rivalry with Vince McMahon is often considered to be one of the defining storylines in pro-wrestling history and featured several classic matches at SummerSlam throughout the 90s, including their submission match from 1998 where Steve Austin forced McMahon to say “I Quit” to end the match.

The Rock – His feud with Triple H during 2000 was arguably one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history and it culminated at SummerSlam in an epic Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship which The Rock won after 60 minutes of action.

Bret Hart – He was a part of several classic matches during his career, but none more so than his amazing Iron Man Match against Shawn Michaels from 1997 at Summerslam which stands as one of the greatest matches ever performed in wrestling history.

Hulk Hogan – Perhaps no other wrestler made a bigger impact on Summerslam than Hulk Hogan did during his heyday as he headlined five out of seven shows between 1988-1994 including his victory over Ultimate Warrior for his second WWF title at Summerslam 1990 which remains one of the biggest events ever held by WWE till date.

Shawn Michaels – He had some classic bouts during his prime years at Summerslam such as against Razor Ramon (1994), Bret Hart (1997) and Triple H (2002) that not only elevated him but also reshaped professional wrestling forever as we know it today through their incredible storytelling abilities inside and outside the ring.