By Ian Hunter, PWTorch Trivia Specialist

Ian Hunter here, walking out to a power-drive guitar rift. As the WWF started to get attitude and made the logo darker, it became more apparent that SummerSlam meant absolutely nothing as a PPV. Few title changes, and even less promotion behind a lot of it, the PPV met hard times in the late 90’s. So here is the era we’re going to explore as we head into week two of our SummerSlam trivia. But first, let’s cover last week’s questions.


1: E. Randy Savage slammed down Ventura’s hand for the three count. A rather lackluster spot, but it still got the crowd to pop, so there you have it.

2: Sgt. Slaughter came back as the Iraqi sympathizer. Some said Kerry Von Erich, but he already made his debut in July on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

3: B. You have the worst luck. The feud with Savage was later taped for Superstars and included on the home videos release as if it happened later that night.

4: A. Bret convinced McMahon to hold the match off until the end. Some say it’s one of the best endings to a PPV in wrestling history and helped make the video sales rise in the UK.

5: The second condition was that if Luger lost, he would never get another shot at the WWF title. The story would later rectify itself at the Royal Rumble, but that’s another trivia.

A lot of people wrote it, but only two got all five correct. Chris Dinon and Steve Glispie. Enjoy gents, you won the memory of SummerSlams gone by. Let’s move into the New Era of the WWF with week two of SummerSlam trivia. Answer the questions and email your answers to TorchTrivia@gmail.com. We'll post the names of those who got ALL FIVE correct. Good luck to you all!


1. Let’s kick right into SummerSlam 1994. Probably one of the most ridiculous versions of the PPV in its history. Randy Savage’s last appearance in the WWF, Tatanka fought against Lex Luger over “selling out”, Mable vs. Jeff Jarrett in a country vs. rap battle, Razor Ramon (with Walter Payton of all people) beat Deisel for the I.C. title, and The Undertaker fought against… the Undertaker (Brian “Chainz” Lee) in a what was a very quiet and disappointing main event. The one match that actually made the PPV worth buying was Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a cage match for the championship. When Bret won, Jim Neidhart jumped in and helped Owen beat on Bret, to which most of the Hart family came to his aid. Which of these people were NOT in the ring at the end?

A. Bruce Hart
B. Dean Hart
C. Keith Hart
D. Stu Hart
E. Wayne Hart

2. 1995 was just… bad. So let’s skip it and got to 1996. Steve Austin got a win over former champion YokoZuna after his weight snapped a rope lose, The Smokin’ Guns beat three other teams in a lackluster waste of time for the Tag team belts, and Shawn Michaels fought off Vader for the WWF title. But the most interesting match of the night, that would later evolve into one of the best feuds the WWF had going then, was The Undertaker against Mankind in a Boiler Room Brawl. Back then a one-of-a-kind match, now a faded memory, it gave both men an opportunity to do a hardcore type match in a setting that they could control, since portions of it were pre-recorded. Originally set to be a cage match, changed down the road into a strap match, but then a last-minute call after the suggestion was made at a backstage meeting. Who pitched the idea?

A. Undertaker
B. Mick Foley
C. Steve Austin
D. Terry Funk
E. Shawn Michaels

3. Next we’ll have a write-in question. SummerSlam 1997 was one of the New Era’s last PPV events before Survivor Series 97 and the chaos that would follow. For the most part the PPV was forgettable with Mankind vs. Triple H being the only standout before Owen Hart accidentally crippled Steve Austin. A moment where you can clearly hear McMahon worry as he had to sit down and comment about his hottest star suddenly being put on the shelf before his eyes. And of course the screwy ending of Bret Hart as a heel beating the Undertaker for the title as Shawn Michaels was forced to count to three. A changing of the guard was on the way not only with the wrestlers but with the talent and staff as well. SummerlSlam ‘97 marked the end of who’s run in the WWF?

4. Marking the PPV’s anniversary in 1998, they returned to the place it started it at in Madison Square Garden. And with it… change. A new set of main event players, a new logo, a new focus on the championships, and the Attitude Era in full swing. Skipping over the championship match that predictably ended with Austin winning, let’s go to the match that got the biggest cheers of the night. The I.C. title match between Triple H and The Rock. The match was set to make fans think of Razor vs. Michaels just four years earlier, and in many eyes exceeded expectations as it stole the show away from Austin vs. Undertaker. The match received some expected interference from Chyna and Mark Henry, but was also to see interference from another individual who was taken out of the equation at the last minute. Who?

A. X-Pac
B. D’Lo Brown
C. Farooq
D. Road Dogg
E. Billy Gunn

5. Entering into 1999… things were in a strange perspective. Test was taking on Shane McMahon, Kane and X-Pac were tag team champions (only to lose it to the more awkward team of Undertaker and Big Show), the Rock was taking on Billy Gunn, and the WWF title went to Mankind at the end of the night in a Triple Threat match. In the middle of all this was Ken Shamrock and Steve Blackman going at it in a Lion’s Den match. The two had been going at it for months showing off their different styles and giving fans a little something different, all for it to end in this final match. But the match originally wasn’t supposed to be a Lion’s Den match (which the already had one at Fully Loaded ‘99), and in fact was changed a week before being announced on Raw. What was the original match supposed to be?

A. Strap Match
B. Stretcher Match
C. Cage Match
D. First Blood Match
E. Submission Match

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