Grilling JR - SummerSlam 1996 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

This week on Grilling JR with the voice of Professional Wrestling Jim Ross we’re celebrating the 25 year anniversary of SummerSlam 1996 as it happened on August 19th, 1996 from the Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH.

Before we discuss the show we need to discuss everything going on in the WWF at the time!

We’re coming off International Incident where Sid replaced the Ultimate Warrior who left the WWF over a disagreement over showing up for house shows and the reasons why to team with Shawn Michaels & Ahmed Johnson to lose to Vader, Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith when Vader pins Michaels. Taker and Mankind brawl after Taker faced Goldust, Steve Austin pinned Marc Mero and we’re off to the races.

The Monday Night Raw the next night opens with an odd segment where Michaels & Ahmed Johnson are supposed to take on the tag team champions the Smoking Gunns but it’s a brawl and the match is re-scheduled for the main event later on. In all this there’s a birthday cake for Shawn Michaels and the Fabulous Moolah birthday is also mentioned and of course the cake ends up in...Sunny’s face. Why is it a cake always ends up in someone’s face in wrestling?

Austin is at ringside for Marc Mero vs. the Goon on commentary cutting promos on everyone and talks about how the WWF once dressed someone up in red, white & blue and put them on a bus driving away kissing babies (referring to Lex Luger obviously) and that the WWF should do that with him so he could whoop everyone’s ass. How hot is Austin in terms of his character at this point?

The show ends up with Ron Simmons debuting as Faarooq Asad and jumps Ahmed Johnson to start a feud but Johnson gets hurt in the angle. How important is a Ron Simmons in regards to new talent and what do you think took so long to bring him in to the WWF?

Pat Patterson is part of the agents and crew that come down to break it up and it’s the first time Patterson is seen on TV in a while. What was Pat’s role at this time?

The gate of this show in Seattle is the largest ever for a Raw taping at the time in $91,092. The misconception a lot of the time is that the WWF was really struggling in 1996 and 1997 but the gate numbers don’t really reflect that. Is the perception because WCW is a hot television product with the hot television storyline compared to the WWF at the time?

In the build up for SummerSlam there’s not a lot of Vader - Shawn Michaels interaction. Just a lot of Jim Cornette promos. Was Vader ready for Shawn Michaels and to headline a major WWF show? Without Cornette is this program even a bit hot?

Undertaker vs. Austin main events the second Raw on the path to SummerSlam and Austin gets the win by DQ when Mankind interferes. This is to build to the Boiler Room Brawl. Who was the brains behind the brawl and did you think it added an additional element to Taker vs. Mankind?

Brian Pillman debuts a new “Time Bomb” segment...similar to a Piper’s Pit...but it doesn’t last very long. Was it the inability to really get Pillman to stay on point or was it just because Pillman needed additional surgeries and it couldn’t keep going?

Crush...Brian Adams...returns as part of Clarence Mason’s stable of soon to be wrestlers that never takes off. What was it about Adams that made the WWF take another chance on him after his steroid and drug convictions years back?

There’s talk of bringing back the Iron Sheik as a manager. Who’s idea is bringing back Sheiky baby?

Kevin Kelly debuts on TV and works primarily with you. What about Kelly made him successful early on?

Mark Henry is announced as signing a 10-year multi-million dollar agreement with the WWF. What was it about Mark Henry that the WWF felt that was the right commitment at the time?

Ahmed Johnson wins a battle royal to earn a WWF Title shot the night after SummerSlam but his injury prevents it from happening. Does that basically give away that the proposed Ahmed vs. Faarooq match at SummerSlam for the IC Title would’ve given away the finish as Shawn vs. Ahmed in a babyface title match wouldn’t be something the WWF would normally do?

Taping this many shows on the same day does not provide you with the lee way necessary if an injury occurs. Was this ever brought up as a detriment to doing it this way regardless of the budget concerns?

A clip is shown of Mr. Perfect interviewing Bret Hart on the Wrestle Vessel regarding Bret’s current contract situation and when there would be an answer. First off give me some good Wrestle Vessel stories. Second off what was Bret’s contract negotiation like and how involved were you compared to Vince?

You recently did a watch along of Bash at the Beach 1996 with Pauly B over at AdFreeShows.com and you mentioned how it was the first time you were seeing the legendary Hulk Hogan heel turn and the formation of the nWo. Not paying attention to the competition...was it your limited schedule or a directive that you shouldn’t be watching WCW?

From the Observer on August 5th… “There is, or at least was, tremendous heat on Jim Cornette coming off the weekend tour, largely due to a backstage argument he had with Shawn Michaels after the match in Anaheim. Apparently they had worked out a spot where Michaels was going to superkick Cornette, but Cornette either tripped and fell down and Michaels superkicked air, or I guess Michaels felt Cornette double-crossed him on the spot. There were problems already between the two stemming from something that apparently happened after the show in San Francisco. Anyway, after they went behind the curtain in Anaheim, Michaels immediately began yelling at Cornette about the spot and Cornette began yelling back and it became a big deal internally.”

What do you remember hearing about this?

How difficult was Jim to deal with at this point?

Why didn’t Shawn & Jim gel together?

Barry Windham signs and he’s going to be the Stalker. The Bruise Brothers...Ron & Don Harris are in talks about coming back as well. What did you envision for the future of these men?

Steve Williams debuts in ECW at this time. What do you remember about Dr. Death going to ECW and did you have anything to do with it?

The final SummerSlam card comes together...and somehow Steve Austin is on the free-for-all against Yokozuna. How is what is bubbling as the future of the business and the hottest star...not finding his way onto the second biggest pay-per-view of the year?

Jake Roberts comes back after going AWOL and Jerry Lawler is slamming him on his alcoholism on all the syndication shows...did Jake have any issues with this or was this his form of punishment for disappearing before International Incident?

Television is a struggle at this point as syndication is dying. How quickly did syndication die out and was the WWF slow to react?

The Raw on August 12th featured a build on the possibility of Sunny being naked, Shawn Michaels vs. Owen Hart in the main event, Bret Hart retirement tease and it draws a 2.0. How concerning is that at that time?

Vader finally gets the best of Shawn after the Owen match and beats the shit out of him but is the heat too little too late for this big a match?

You do an interview at the MSG show with Mark Henry where Triple H interrupts and Henry shit cans him. How often were you going on the road at this point and who’s idea was it?

At this MSG show Chris Candido...Skip...gets hurt in a match against the Smoking Gunns and Mick Foley as Mankind makes his MSG debut in a 37 second match over Jake Roberts. Did you get a chance to talk to Mick about how big a deal this is for him?

Duke Droese leaves around this time to go to law school. Did Duke have anything or was he better off finding another line of work?

There’s rumor and innuendo at the time that the WWF was thinking about running one hour weekly pay-per-views on Saturday night based out of New York City. This will turn out to be Shotgun Saturday Night in a much different format but what do you remember of the discussions at the time?

Do you think an edgier show like that would’ve been successful?

Paul Heyman has always talked about being a part of or influence in this idea. What do you remember about this?

You’re in the booth with Vince McMahon & Mr. Perfect for SummerSlam live in Cleveland as we get into the show. Were you always going to call the show or was it something that’s left up in the air until the day of the show?

It’s the highest gate in the state of Ohio for wrestling at the time with $413,168 house at the Gund Arena with 14,926 paid and 17,000 total in the building. Let’s start with the free-for-all Jim!

A. Steve Austin pinned Yokozuna in 1:52 when Yokozuna went up for the banzai, and the gimmicked ring ropes broke and he fell into the ring and was pinned. The reverse camera angle on the replay clearly showed Yokozuna pulling the gimmicked turnbuckle apart so the ropes would collapse. DUD

So obviously it’s gimmicked here but Steve Austin only gets under 2 minutes with a guy who can’t do much at this point besides fall off the ropes and break the ring and it’s a big win. Is Steve happy about this? Pissed? Doesn’t seem like he’s on his way to super stardom as everyone seems to remember after King of the Ring.

Then aired a beach party deal. There were some people complaining about faces and heels being in the same place but given the type of skit it was, it didn't seem to matter. The whole skit consisted of teasing viewers with seeing Sable, Marlena and eventually Sunny in bathing suits. Unfortunately, there was a background model with Hunter Hearst Helmsley who stole the scene. It ended up building into a situation where nobody was in the pool but Jerry Lawler and they pretended there was a crap in the pool. Lawler freaked out. T.L. Hopper jumped in the pool and picked it up, although it was really just a candy bar, and ate the candy bar to gross everyone out.

Caddyshack gimmick here when all anyone cared about was the women in bikinis which by the way...everyone was very roll tide. This comedy...does not hit at all.

1. Owen Hart beat Savio Vega in 13:23. It started slow until Vega's shoulder hit the ringpost. Hart worked on Vega's shoulder and continued to sell his wrist because of the cast gimmick. The early part of the match was slow but it picked up with a good final few minutes with near falls. Clarence Mason came out and they teased a break-up with Hart and Jim Cornette because Cornette didn't come out for the match as they showed him still in the dressing room with Vader. The first big near fall was after a Hart dropkick off the top. When he went to the top again, Vega kicked him and Hart crotched himself. Vega used a backward superplex but Hart got his cast behind Vega's head so Vega took a bad fall as well. Hart then hit Vega with the cast, knocking him out, and put the sharpshooter on. With Vega out, the ref stopped the match. After the match, Justin Bradshaw and Zeb came out and called Vega a Puerto Rican dog and said they were going to send him back to the island. Bradshaw clocked Vega in the aisle as he was being helped out of the ring by the officials. Not a bad match, but disappointing considering the talent involved and that this was such a major card. **½

Owen and Savio should’ve been really good but it just didn’t seem to click really. Lot of Cornette gaga with Clarance Mason didn’t help either. Did the cast gimmick hurt or help Owen in your mind?

The Bradshaw & Dutch gimmick with Savio...25 years later looks terrible. What say you?

2. The Smoking Gunns retained the WWF tag titles in a four corners elimination match over New Rockers, Godwinns and Bodydonnas in 12:18. Skip was wearing a neck brace and they acknowledged the injury from Madison Square Garden. The Bodydonnas were out first at 4:00 when Jannetty tripped Zip and Billy pinned him. The Rockers then kept screwing up and hitting the Gunns. Hank finally pinned Leif after a slop drop in 7:18. The match was bad by this time and only got worse, with a dead crowd. Finish was Phinneus use the slop drop on Billy, but the ref was distracted by Sunny and Hillbilly Jim arguing at ringside. At this point Bart came off the top rope onto Phinneus, and put Billy on top for the pin. At the end of the match, Sunny got on the house mic talking about how the Gunns were what men are supposed to look like and knocking how ugly the women in the audience were, and then a huge poster of Sunny came down from the ceiling. Jim Ross said that she had missed a trip to the woodshed when she was younger. DUD

Lot to unpack here and that’s not even counting the bad match. The New Rockers...Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy who is Al Snow...who could’ve possibly thought this was a good idea?

Does anything New work? New Rockers. New Blackjacks. Anything?

This is the first four-way dance I can find in the WWF up until this point. Was this just a natural evolution of wrestling as talent rosters grew?

What was it about the Gunns and Godwinns that just did not click? Did anybody care about anything besides Sunny? Including the woodshed?

Why was it so hard to push Sunny as a babyface when the crowd cheers everything she does because how hot she is and yet they kept putting her with heels. Isn’t that going against exactly what the fans are literally yelling for?

3. Psycho Sid pinned Davey Boy Smith in 6:24. Sid led cheers for himself. Cornette again didn't come out as he was preoccupied with Vader. Mason again came out. This match was better than one would think, but still not a good match. Sid took a few bumps. Smith used his powerslam on Sid, but instead of going for the pin, was distracted since Cornette came out and was arguing with Mason. Smith went for a second powerslam, but Sid got out of it and used the choke slam. *

Once again a lot of gaga on Cornette & Mason takes away from the focus here but one has to think this match was better than what Warrior vs. Davey would’ve been don’t you think?

Was there even talk of doing a Cornette vs. Mason feud? Or was this done to get Davey & Owen away from Jim?

4. Goldust pinned Marc Mero in 11:01. First major turning point was Goldust backdropping Mero over the top rope. Goldust knocked him off the apron and he crashed into the guard rail, then dropped his throat on the guard rail. Mankind came out and chased Sable around the ring calling her "Mommy" and she acted all freaked out screaming. Mankind then ran away from ringside. Mero did a flip plancha over the top and a legdrop into the ring. Mero debuted his new finisher, a shooting star press, which they are going to call the "Wild Thing." However, Goldust still won the match with the curtain call. After the match, Goldust acted as if he was going to sexually molest Sable and was scaring her to death when Mero finally got up and made the comeback and basically beat Goldust to the back. For some reason, these two didn't work as well as you'd think. Goldust's knee may have been bothering him as he didn't do all that much. **¼

It’s crazy to talk about how 25 years later we’re reviewing this show and Dustin is still wrestling. Why do you think these two just didn’t click?

Marc Mero does this big debut of this big exciting new move...and it’s not even the finish. Such a little thing that gets missed but how does that happen Jim?

Do you think the mommy stuff with Mankind made sense and the sexual overtones of this even today are a bit much don’t you think?

5. Jerry Lawler pinned Jake Roberts in 4:07. This was mainly the Lawler comedy show, telling one wino joke after another. He also wore a Baltimore Ravens jersey which got tremendous heat. Mark Henry did color although he really didn't say much and was laughing at some of Lawler's jokes which he really wasn't supposed to be doing, although he acted disgusted with Lawler as well. Lawler brought out a giant bottle in a bag as a present for Roberts. Roberts pulled out the snake and chased Lawler with it and he ran away. Roberts put the snake away and they started the match. Roberts teased the DDT a few times but it ended with Lawler hitting Roberts in the chest with the bottle and getting the pin. After the match, Lawler poured what was supposed to have been a bottle of whiskey down Roberts' throat and all over his face. When Lawler tried to do it a second time, Henry stopped him. This appears to be setting up Lawler's as Henry's first foil. DUD

So much to unpack. It’s a national PPV. But somehow it’s cleared that Lawler will cut a Cleveland promo to get all the heel heat. Does this have a place on a pay-per-view? And it really shows how far Jerry will go since he’s a diehard Browns fan.

Just this whole presentation stinks Jim. Between Henry laughing at the jokes and the match itself...it’s an ugly spectacle don’t you agree?

6. Mankind beat Undertaker in 26:20 of the Boiler Room match. The rules of the match is that the first person to break out of the Boiler Room and get to the ring and get the urn from Paul Bearer would be the winner. The first part of the match was taped the previous day, largely for timing and possible editing purposes if something were to go wrong. It was like a movie fight scene with the two bashing each other with objects and Mankind taking hellacious bumps and taking sick punishment. The problem was, with no crowd noise audible and the announcers not voicing over the action, the fighting sequence was way too long. Among the highlights were garbage can shots, Mankind turning steam on in Undertaker's face, low blows with an object, etc. They even had a few segments where the picture went out, which must have been on purpose since it was pre-taped, but were kind of bad. Mankind did an elbow drop off a ladder to the floor once, and later took a bump while Undertaker threw down the ladder and he was near the top of the ladder. Mankind got out first and put all kinds of barricades blocking the door. Undertaker still got out the door. The rest of the segment (from the point the door opened where you saw the referee by the door) was done live and it was really good. They brawled in the backstage area with Mankind taking a bump over a table. Mankind smashed Undertaker with metal steps and supposedly threw scalding coffee on him. Undertaker broke a 2x4 over Mankind's back. Mankind rammed Undertaker into the ring steps and gave him a piledriver on the floor. Undertaker made a comeback and threw Mankind off the apron where he took the Nestea plunge bump backward crashing to the floor. Undertaker went to get the urn from Bearer, who turned his back on him. Mankind used the mandible claw and went to get the urn but Undertaker sat up. Mankind put the claw back on Undertaker. Bearer then slapped and kicked Undertaker and finally hit him with the urn and gave the urn to Mankind. After the match the lights went out and music played and a group of druids in the dark carried the "dead" Undertaker to the back. No rating because so much of it was taped, but Bearer was great doing the turn and both worked very hard. The only negative was the boiler room stuff lasted too long and needed commentary and crowd noise. The announcers did a great job with the turn.

Who made the call for no announce work in the boiler room? Did you agree with it then and looking back do you think it was the wrong call?

These two just know how to work each other and it’s a great match and today in the format that has been modified so much do you consider this the first theatrical wrestling match?

The Paul Bearer heel turn is so obvious but done so well. How necessary was the turn to keep the program going and freshen up both characters?

It’s weird to say this but Bearer being put with Mankind...and it’s not like Foley needed someone to talk for him...just added another element. What was it about these two that somehow made them click immediately?

7. Shawn Michaels pinned Vader to retain the WWF title. Vader noticeably had dropped weight. Jim Cornette did a pre-match interview talking about a Peter Frampton song from 20 years ago. Excellent match. Michaels used a huracanrana in the ring and then got on Vader's shoulder and used a rana over the top rope. Michaels went over the top to do a plancha into a Frankensteiner, but Vader caught him at the top and power bombed him on the floor. Vader whipped Michaels into one turnbuckle and he took the Ray Stevens bump out and back in, then across the ring where he took a Harley Race bump over the top to the floor. Vader dropped Michaels stomach on the top rope for a near fall. When Vader went to do a sit splash, Michaels got his knees up and caught Vader in the groin. Michaels came off the top with a stomp, then used a crossbody and both went over the top. Vader pressed Michaels and dropped his throat on the guard rail and the bell ring signalling a count out win at 13:53. Cornette began ranting and raving about not wanting a count out win and challenged Michaels to re-start the match. While it never appeared Michaels accepted, the match was restarted. Vader went after Jose Lothario giving Cornette the chance to use the racquet on Michaels. Vader got a near fall with a belly-to-belly. Vader went for a power bomb, but Michaels stalled at the top and began punching him. After an elbow off the top, Michaels teased the superkick. Cornette grabbed his leg and threw the tennis racquet to Vader. Michaels got the racquet first and hit Vader and Cornette with it several times each for a DQ in 2:10. Again Cornette asked for the match to be re-started as they did a pull-apart brawl, and Gorilla Monsoon okayed it. In the re-start, Michaels finally hit the superkick, but Vader kicked out. After a ref bump, Vader hit the power bomb but there was originally no ref to count the fall. A second ref counted the fall but Michaels then kicked out. Vader climbed up for the Vader bomb, but Cornette told him to go up to the top for the moonsault. Vader missed the moonsault and Michaels climbed to the top with a moonsault bodyblock and got the pin at 2:56 of the third re-start. ****

Now the stomp that Dave refers to in his write-up is Shawn goes up top for what the assumption is his elbow drop but there’s some type of miscommunication and Shawn lands on his feet and kicks Vader directly in the head and yells at him right there in the ring. Does this just buy in to the whole Vader & Shawn just couldn’t get on the same page in the ring even though this is a great match?

What was it about Vader and Shawn and Cornette that just it continued to go to shit?

Was this match the reason the 3 match series with Vader & Shawn didn’t happen or was this just one of the steps to it and there was more to it?

Was there ever talk of putting Vader over for the title to lead to Survivor Series?

Bruce has often said that we didn’t get the Vader there was in WCW. We didn’t get the killer. We got the guy who was beat by Hulk Hogan’s legdrop. Do you agree with that?

The Wrestling Observer readers Jim gave this a 29.1% thumbs up, 47.7% thumbs down and 23.2% in the middle. What say you Jim?

This is the lowest drawing buyrate ever for a SummerSlam. In 1995 with Diesel vs. Mabel on top it got 205,000 buys while this only got 157,000 buys. We talked earlier about how house show business was doing very well but TV ratings and now this buy rate show what people were paying for on top wasn’t drawing. Is this the difference between the hardcore fan base and getting the casual viewers?