Perspective of the Common Fan Retrospective Review
WWF Summerslam 1999
By Jimmy Eaton, PWTorch Common Fan specialist

Welcome to another summer blockbuster edition of Retrospective of the Common Fan where I review Summerslam back in 1999. We're about to party like it's 1999 and all those other shenanigans. Onward!

1 - JEFF JARRETT vs. D-LO BROWN - European/Intercontinental Title match

Throughout this match you could tell how invested the crowd was with chants of "puppies" (welcome to the Attitude Era). The match was solid with a decent swerve of Mark Henry coming out to turn on D-Lo Brown. Come on now, it's what he does.

WINNER: Jeff Jarrett in about 10 minutes via pinfall. Fun opener that didn't overstay it's welcome. (**)

After the match, Edge and Christian were interviewed. They vowed to become the next #1 contenders to the WWE/F Tag Titles.

2- THE ACOLYTES vs. EDGE & CHRISTIAN vs. HARDYZ vs. MIDEON & VISCERA vs. DROZ & ALBERT vs. THE HOLLYS - Tag Team Turmoil match

Fun match that moved a bit too quickly at times, but it honestly could have been much worse. Edge and Christian were much more over than the Hardyz, which seemed odd. Other than that, the other teams weren't all that impressive. Edge and Christian lasted through three teams before getting eliminated by the Acolytes. The Hollys argued after they took the final fall of the match.

WINNERS: The Acolytes in about 15 minutes via pinfall. Fun match with Edge and Christian really having the crowd behind them. They were the workhorses of this match by a mile. (**)

Road Dogg and Chris Jericho had an exchange after this with the usual "Suck it" and "Summersham" verbiage. Very well done and so far the highlight of the show despite being a segment that didn't involve a match. Road Dogg then joined commentary for the next match.

3 - AL SNOW vs. BIG BOSS MAN - Hardcore Title match

They went across the street! In a bathroom! Fans tried to get on TV, madness ensued. Also, drunks tried to shout loudly to get on TV and Road Dogg roamed around doing additional commentary. This all equaled campy fun. A wrestling classic it was not, but you already knew that. Oh, and people in the bar chanting "head" reminded me of how crazy the Attitude Era crowds were compared to now, including the chant earlier in the show.

WINNER: Al Snow to become new Hardcore champion in about 10 minutes via pool table pin. Definitely fun for what it was, part of me misses those insane Hardcore matches just for the campy style. (*1/2)

Post-match, Jesse Ventura was shown backstage talking up Mankind before his match later on in the show.

4 - IVORY vs. TORRI - Women's Title match

I saw some wrestling moves, which was a nice surprise, but not much to see here. Although there was a suplex and maybe another wrestling move or two. Kudos in that department!

WINNER: Ivory in just under 5 minutes via pinfall. Complain about today's Divas if you will, but this wasn't much better then what you see today. (1/4*)

The Rock cut a humorous promo after putting down Michael Cole. Ah, young Michael Cole, that poor bastard.

5 - KEN SHAMROCK vs. STEVE BLACKMAN - Lion's Den match

The hype video played before the match seemed to show a good build-up, but the match dragged out in most spots. It reminded me of the Hog Pen match between Hunter Hearst Hemsley and Henry O. Godwinn back in the mid-'90s. When the whole crowd can't really see the action it takes away from the match. The guys tried hard, though. Bottom line, though, like with TNA today, keep MMA out of my wrestling.

WINNER: Ken Shamrock in about 10 minutes via TKO. Again, the guys tried hard and showed talent, but that doesn't always mean a good match. (*)

6 - TEST vs. SHANE MCMAHON - Love Her of Leave Her match

This was one of the only matches that felt like it had a more meaningful story throughout the whole show. It's always a shame to watch talented guys that left the world too soon, but regardless this was a fun match with just enough outside interference that it didn't overshadow what was a solid grudge match/street fight. Very good showing for both men including the Mean Street Posse.

WINNER: Test about 12 minutes via pinfall. Fun match that had enough energy to get the crowd behind it. Well done and of course Jim Ross is a masterful story-teller with matches like this. Shane added to the match with his reckless style that got the crowd on their feet, especially when Test finally got the pinfall win on him overcoming everyone else that got involved. (***)

Post-match, X-Pac - with Kane at his side - said they would retain the Tag Titles. This lead to a strong video leading up to the tag match. Kane cutting weird promos with a machine voice? Ah, memories.

7 - BIG SHOW & THE UNDERTAKER vs. KANE & X-PAC - WWF Tag Title match

Not a whole lot to this match but still fun nonetheless. A decent match with these four, but it felt too short to be anything better. And, man, was Big Show not in the best cardio shape. He's improved leaps and bounds over the years much to his credit.

WINNERS: Show & Taker in just over 10 minutes via pinfall. (**)

Post-match, Jesse Ventura was shown backstage talking up Steve Austin before his match later on in the show. Apparently this special ref means business! He's acting like a "governor," laying down the law! No? Sigh. That was an awful joke. Moving on...

8 - THE ROCK vs. MR. ASS - Kiss My Ass match

The Rock was solid in this and Mr. Ass put on a fun match doing some solid selling. It seemed to be a very predictable outcome with how over Rock was at the time. Again, like the previous matches, the hype videos helped the match at the start, but ultimately there wasn't just more than a basic formula feel to this one.

WINNER: The Rock in about 10 minutes via pinfall from a Rock-Bottom and rear-kissing of an unknown lady. Fine match to go on pre-main event in its place on the show's card keeping the crowd on their feet with the silly Attitude-Era humor. (**)

9 - MANKIND vs. TRIPLE H vs. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN - WWF Title triple threat match - Jesse Ventura special guest referee

The Body hyped the crowd with a good reaction from boos to cheers. Unfortunately, this match underwhelmed a bit considering the people involved. Ventura seemed to be more of a distraction than enhancement (not really his fault since Chyna was a distraction, too, but still). The match was still just okay, but "just okay" shouldn't be what people take from the main even of one of the biggest PPVs of the year. Austin was beat down by Triple H to close the show. Oh snap!

WINNER: Mick Foley to capture the WWF/E title in about 16 minutes. Good effort by all, it just didn't culminate into much more than a decent triple threat match with some fun moments. (**)

OVERALL: So, the show definitely didn't do a lot for me in terms of making it memorable. It's always fun, though, to look back and see a handful of guys that are still active in the WWE today including Albert/Sweet T, Mark Henry, Christian, Big Show, and Kane. Also back then were younger versions of the Hardy Boyz and Edge/Christian, but apart from a couple of solid matches this was one Summer Party to forget. Final score for this one would be a 6.5 out of 10. But, remember, the points don't matter!

Agree? Disagree? Have an nostalgic show you want me to review? Tweet/Post suggestions to me and keep the debate rolling on Twitter - @TheCommonFan.

Jimmy occasionally writes a Retrospective/Perspectives of of the Common Fan column for the Pro Wrestling Torch on nostalgia/independent scenes and can be found on Sean Radican's Wrestling Community Audio page/show yapping about independent wrestling from time to time. He also blogs about gaming, sports, movies, and other entertainment mediums via his website, www.potcf.blogspot.com. Speaking of which, be sure to "Like" the Radican's Wrestling Community Page! www.facebook.com/SeanRadicanRWC

[Torch photo credit Wade Keller (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt