SummerSlam (1988)

Summer Slam is one of many wrestling events by WWE, originally Pay-Per-View but available through live-streaming since 2014. The 1988 edition is actually the inaugural Summer Slam, the first following the success of Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble. It brings together a host of fan favourites in a night of matches not to be forgotten.

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I picked up this VHS tape a while back, after starting my collection and finding an interest in wrestling. I love the theatrics of it and the costuming - it is a form of live performance not dissimilar to watching a play or musical. Wrestling as a sport has existed for entertainment since the late 18th Century, popularised by circus performers, though in Japan styles like Sumo are documented to exist more than 1000 years ago.

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This event combines a range of competitors, from singles to duos with commentary running through. I found the first match really funny, as the British Bulldogs take on the The Fabulous Rougeaus and give a performance full of bravado and sick moves. It’s the first time I’ve seen a dog brought into the ring, luckily not for too long as she looked terrified, though sat outside of the match she seemed completely oblivious.

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Matilda isn’t the only animal mascot that appears - we also see Koko B. Ware with his macaw Frankie and ‘Jake The Snake’ Roberts with his python Damien who he throws at a fellow contestant in his match, after being trapped in a bag prior to this. Jake was actually convicted of animal cruelty in 2004, when Damien was found cramped in a small enclosure, covered in mites with a mouth infection. He died of pneumonia just weeks later. I’m glad that bringing other species into wrestling isn’t a common practice now.

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Another moment I found absolutely hilarious was during the match between Junkyard Dog and Rick Rude, as the latter pulled down his pants to reveal another pair with the face of Cheryl Roberts on them, spurring her husband to jump in the ring in a fit of rage and take Rick out.

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One of my favourite matches from the night was for the WWF Tag Team Championship, as Demolition went up against the Hart Foundation. I thought the stunts in this fight were really good and the ‘tag’ style makes for a very dynamic and exciting experience.

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Summerslam 88 finished with the main event, a fight between the Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage) and The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase and Andre The Giant), a rivalry that had been building for a while. I think it earned its place as the pivotal match, and it was really cool to see Hulk Hogan do his thing. The use of the ‘suplex’ move throughout the match was really impressive too, and I enjoyed the ending with Miss Elizabeth ripping her skirt off to distract the opposing team.

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It’s easy to see that in WWE’s earlier days, it was a mans world and women were often sidelined as a trophy on the arm of the male wrestlers - it’s clear however that Miss Elizabeth was held in high esteem and she looked so beautiful in the ring. One thing I’ve always loved about professional wrestling is that no matter what size or shape you are, there’s a place for you and for larger wrestlers it’s often seen as a source of strength and power. I’m excited to collect more tapes from the earlier days of wrestling.