TJR WWE SummerSlam Reviews: 2006 (Edge vs. Cena, DX vs. McMahons)
SummerSlam 2006 was the 19th edition of WWE’s annual August major pay-per-view event. It was a show presented by Raw, Smackdown and ECW because this was a few months after WWE relaunched the ECW brand. This was also the first year where they pushed the “Biggest Party of the Summer” phrase heavily.
A big story at the time was the absence of Kurt Angle. One week before SummerSlam, Angle suffered a groin injury. There were reports at the time that he tried to get into the ECW Title match, but WWE’s decision makers chose not to do that. Angle was left off this card although it’s really known if the groin injury was the main reason or if creative just didn’t have anything for him. Anyway, Angle ended up being released from WWE about five days after this show because they wanted him to go to drug rehab, he didn’t want to and Vince McMahon felt he had no choice but to let him go. I specifically remember watching this show while being upset that Angle wasn’t a part of it.
In terms of PPV buyrates, SummerSlam 2006 did a pretty good number with 541,000 buys. It was over 100,000 less than SummerSlam 2005, but that show had Hogan vs. Michaels for the first time ever and it was hard to top that storyline. The 2006 number was slightly ahead of 2007’s number. SummerSlam trailed the Royal Rumble (550,000 buys) to make it the third biggest WWE PPV of the year with WrestleMania leading the way with 930,000 buys.
Check out the SummerSlam Reviews archive in case you have missed anything so far. Here’s SummerSlam 2006.
WWE SummerSlam
TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
08/20/06
The show gets a TV-14 rating and an “S” for Sexual Content even though there’s not a women’s match on the show.
The opening video package aired hyping up the big matches on the card including DX vs. The McMahons, Booker T vs. Batista and the main event of John Cena vs. Edge.
It was a packed house in Boston as the pyro went off.
Michael Cole and John Bradshaw Layfield were at ringside to call the Smackdown matches. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were also at ringside to call the Raw matches. Joey Styles and Tazz were also ringside for the ECW match with Joey mentioning it’s the first time an ECW World Title match will take place at SummerSlam.
Rey Mysterio made his entrance with JBL saying that Mysterio has been living off Eddie Guerrero for too long and what Eddie has done is a disgrace. A video aired about Rey and Eddie’s relationship. The video only showed their happy moments, but not their feud in 2005. Eddie died in November 2005.
Chavo Guerrero was the opponent looking serious. He was mad at Rey for living off the Guerrero name. A video aired about Chavo and Eddie having fun moments in WWE together.
Analysis: Rey won the Royal Rumble and World Title earlier in 2006 in part because of WWE pushing him hard following Eddie’s death. Some fans complained about how WWE was using Eddie’s death to push Rey, so it was turned into a storyline.
Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero
Pre-match notes: Mysterio was the face and Guerrero was the heel. This was a Smackdown match. Mysterio’s got the “EG” black armband.
Mysterio went after Guerrero aggressively as they exchanged forearms. Guerrero caught Mysterio on his shoulder, but Mysterio sent him out of the ring with an armdrag. Dropkick by Mysterio. With Guerrero on the floor, a dive by Mysterio missed and Guerrero went back in to hit a slingshot dive that took out Mysterio on the floor. Back in the ring, Mysterio charged in and Guerrero sent Mysterio face first into the turnbuckle. JBL noted that Chavo was retired and back in action after several months. The retirement was a work. Chavo hit a belly to back suplex while reminding Mysterio that Eddie was his uncle. Guerrero with punches, Mysterio left the ring and Guerrero sent him back in. Mysterio landed on the apron, Guerrero sent Mysterio into the turnbuckle two times and Guerrero teased a Powerbomb on the floor, but there was no way that was going to happen. They stood on the top rope together with Mysterio grabbing Guerrero by the head and slammed Guerrero down. Mysterio with a springboard cross body block for two. Guerrero decked Mysterio with a clothesline. Drop toe hold by Mysterio followed by a kick to the head for two. Mysterio to the ropes, he jumped onto Chavo’s shoulders and a hurricanrana by Mysterio leading to a 619 kick that connected. Mysterio up top, Guerrero moved and Mysterio dumped Guerrero out of the ring with a hurricanrana leading to Mysterio going to the floor as well. Vickie Guerrero, Eddie’s widow, ran down to ring to tell Guerrero to stop. Vickie grabbed Chavo’s leg to stop him and she slapped him. Mysterio hit a suicide dive to take out Chavo on the floor. Mysterio threw Guerrero into the ring, Vickie yelled at Rey and Chavo hit two vertical suplexes. Mysterio with a headscissors. Mysterio went for the Three Amigos suplexes leading to some boos, but also some cheers. I don’t think fans liked them doing Eddie’s move. Mysterio went up top, Vickie yelled at him, Vickie grabbed the rope and Mysterio was crotched on the top rope. Guerrero picked up Mysterio, he hit a Brainbuster and Chavo went up top. Guerrero hit a Frog Splash like Eddie did so many times. Chavo covered for the pinfall win at 11:01.
Winner by pinfall: Chavo Guerrero
Analysis: *** It was a typical good match from them, but they had better matches earlier in their carers. As an example, I gave them four stars for their No Way Out 2004 match. This match was lacking a bit in terms of the believable nearfalls. The last few minutes were controversial while playing into the storyline revolving around Eddie Guerrero’s death.
After the match was over, Vickie left alone while Chavo was confused by her actions in the match. JBL said that they were all crazy and they all believed that they were right.
Analysis: The story led to Vickie turning heel and aligning herself with Chavo.
King Booker was in the locker room with his World Heavyweight Title. Queen Sharmell walked up to him. Booker talked in the silly accent saying that Smackdown has been a better place with him as World Champion. Booker called Batista a peasant. Booker said they were the most powerful couple in sports entertainment. Edge and Lita walked in with their titles on their shoulders. Edge said he’s the WWE Champion and Lita is the Women’s Champion. Edge said that makes them the most powerful couple in sports entertainment. Edge said he doesn’t know if Booker can beat Batista, but Edge knows he can beat John Cena. Edge ripped on the Red Sox for cheap heat. Booker offered up a friendly wager saying that if Edge loses his title and Booker keeps his, Edge must kiss Booker’s feet. Edge said if he keeps his title and Booker loses his then Booker will be Edge’s loyal servant for the night. Booker said he has a deal. Booker ended it saying that his loyal servants will be saying “Long Live King Booker.”
Analysis: That’s an interesting bet by two heel champions. Booker was very entertaining doing the King Booker schtick.
A clip aired of Sabu beating Rob Van Dam in a ladder match to earn a ECW Title match after Big Show cost RVD. Post match, Big Show gave Sabu a Chokeslam.
Sabu made his entrance with a steel chair in his hands. There was just a mild ovation for him. Big Show was booed as the ECW Champion.
ECW Championship: Big Show vs. Sabu
Pre-match notes: Big Show the heel ECW World Champion and Sabu was a face.
This is an Extreme Rules match.
Sabu started the match with a chair to the head, chair to the back and the Arabian facebuster leg drop into the chair. Show tripped up Sabu sending him face first into the chair. Show stomped on the chair and got rid of it. Show with a chop, headbutt and body slam. Fans wanted tables. Show hit a fallaway slam that sent Sabu out of the ring. Sabu sent Show into the ropes followed by a chair toss to the head. Back in the ring, Sabu tossed another chair at Show’s head. Sabu up top, he jumped off and kicked the chair into Show’s head to knock Show down for a one count. Sabu grabbed a table from under the ring and set it up against the turnbuckle. Show tried an attack, Sabu to the top rope and he hit a bulldog. Sabu jumped off a chair and sent Show face first through the table in the corner. Styles was really over the top saying they had 16,000 people chanting “ECW” but it was probably less than 5% of the crowd. It was not a lot of people. Show got back into it with an Electric Chair Drop. Show was bleeding from the head although it was not a big cut and did not look like a blade job. Show went to the middle rope and hit a Vader Bomb splash onto Sabu, which led to Sabu rolling to the floor. Show threw the top and bottom parts of the steel steps into the ring. Show brought another table into the ring. Sabu was holding his neck. Show set up a table bridge between the steel steps, Sabu jumped back up and hit a DDT on Show through the table. Sabu botched it at first, but then he connected with it. Sabu set up a table in the ring. Show got back, Sabu jumped and Show hit a Chokeslam through the table to win at 8:31.
Winner by pinfall: Big Show
Analysis: ** It was a boring match with a few fun moments, but it was one of the more boring brawls you’re ever going to see. Sabu was well past his prime by this point. This match was about Sabu taking a beating and putting Big Show over in a big way. It felt like the finish was rushed a bit because it came out of nowhere. This was the shortest match on the show.
Show left with the title while the announcers were really over the top putting over how great the match was (it was not) and how exciting the ECW brand is (it was not). At least they tried.
A clip aired of Layla winning the 2006 Raw Diva Search from the previous Wednesday. She ended up having a pretty good career in WWE and was the most successful Diva Search winner of them all.
There was a poorly acted women’s segment with Layla going up to Maria, Candice Michelle and Kelly Kelly with all of them acting mean to her. Layla went up to Ashley, Jillian Hall, Torrie Wilson and Trish Stratus. Trish teased making things tough on Layla and then they laughed about it. The girls put Layla into the shower, they turned the shower on and laughed at her because that was her initiation.
Analysis: Believe it or not, WWE ignores stuff like this when they talk about the Women’s Evolution. Shocking. At least they are all hot.
The video package aired for Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Orton with a “Legend vs. Legend Killer” tag line for the match. It started with Orton respectfully challenged Hogan to a match at SummerSlam and Hogan accepted. Orton hit on Hogan’s daughter Brooke and then Horton hit a RKO on the trunk of a car. This was during the time when Hogan had his Hogan Knows Best reality show. Orton hit a RKO on a fake Hogan during an in-ring segment. Hogan said that there’s one legend that the Legend Killer can’t kill referring to himself.
Analysis: It was a good idea in theory I guess, but this feud did not catch fire like the Hogan/Michaels match at SummerSlam one year earlier. This one just didn’t feel like a big deal.
Randy Orton made his entrance. I miss the “Hey nothing you can say” song. I think I say that every time I do a review of an Orton match during this period.
Hulk Hogan got a big ovation for his entrance. JR noted that Hogan had a bad knee, but he was here to fight with JR mentioning that Hogan was 5-0 at SummerSlam.
Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan
Pre-match notes: Orton was the heel and Hogan was the face, of course. Hogan was 53 years old at the time. This was Hogan’s first match since the SummerSlam one year earlier. Orton was 26 years old. This was a Raw feud.
The crowd was loud for Hogan. That led to Hogan milking the cheers by staring at the crowd. Hogan shoved Orton down. Hogan with a shoulder tackle. Orton grabbed a headlock as fans chanted “let’s go Hogan.” After a break, Orton took control with punches. Hogan came back by ramming Orton into the top turnbuckle followed by two punches. Hogan did the most awkward “suck it” hand gesture followed by ten punches, a bite to the forehead and a thumb to the eye right in front of the referee. Hogan with a running clothesline. Hogan did his dreaded BACK RAKE OF DEATH offense, which always looked hilarious to me to see this 300-pound man doing a back rake of all things. Orton managed to break free, he pulled Hogan to the apron and Orton slammed Hogan’s knee against the left knee with JR noting that Hogan’s left knee had a torn meniscus. The fans chanted “Hogan” as Orton stomped away on the Hulkster. Orton with a running forearm to the knee. Orton went up top, which was rare for him and he missed a cross body block when Hogan moved. Whip into the ropes by Hogan, Orton moved and Orton hit a dropkick to the face. Hogan back up, Orton hit the RKO and the ref counted to three, but Hogan’s foot was on the bottom rope. The referee saw it after, so he said the match must continue.
The match continued with Orton doing the punches, Hogan doing his Hulk Up routine, the finger point, block punch, three punches, whip in, boot to the face and Hogan posed in front of the fans going crazy. Hogan took about 15 seconds to finally unleash the leg drop for the pinfall win at 10:56.
Winner by pinfall: Hulk Hogan
Analysis: ** It was a basic match with Hogan looking every bit his 53 years during this match. It’s not easy to have a good match at that age especially with all of his injuries. You could tell Hulk could barely move in there. Plus, Hogan wasn’t known for great matches in his time. Orton seemed like he was going through the motions since he knew he was doing the job. I liked the story of the match, but it wasn’t that interesting.
Post match, Hogan did his usual post match posing much to the delight of the crowd. The posing routine continued for a few minutes with JR noting that Hogan was undefeated at SummerSlam. Hogan also slapped the back of the crazy guy with a Hogan tattoo on his back.
Analysis: We didn’t know it at the time, but this was Hogan’s last match in WWE. This was also the same year where Hogan’s life would change forever due to the sex tape he took part in without his knowledge.
Mick Foley was backstage. His buddy Melina gave him a good luck hug before his match. Foley said that he knew Ric Flair a long time, but he had never seen his eyes the way they were this past week. Melina pointed out that Mick was all bloody right in front of her. She said maybe this match is not a good idea. Melina says if he loses it’s not good for her reputation as a manager. Foley said that he’s going to make Flair say “I Quit” and called him a worthless piece of crap. Melina smiled because her pep talk worked.
Analysis: During this heel run of Foley, he developed a friendship with Melina.
Mick Foley entered first. He brought out a trash can with him because it’s an “I Quit” match where anything goes. Ric Flair showed up to a nice ovation.
Analysis: The rivalry was built off some real life issues between them going back to WCW days about 12 years earlier as JR pointed out. Foley wasn’t too kind to Flair in his book, then Ric fired back in his book and they had issues. It was a clash of styles as well as a lack of respect between the two men.
I Quit Match: Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair
Pre-match notes: Foley was the heel that was 41 years of age. He retired as a full timer six years earlier, but he did wrestle some big matches in the 2000s. Flair was the face that was 56 years old at the time. This was a Raw brand feud.
The winner of the match is the man that forces his opponent to say I Quit.
Foley attacked with punches. Foley with a running knee to the face with Flair saying “fuck” at least once while he was selling it. Foley with a trash can to the face. Foley brought out Mr. Socko and applied the Mandible Claw submission to put down Flair. Foley wanted Flair to quit, Flair said nothing and Foley said Flair will suffer. Foley wrapped barb wire around the sock on the right hand, so Flair came back by grabbing Foley’s groin. Flair with punches followed by a kick to the junk. Flair put the sock on his hand and chopped Foley with the barb wire. Flair chopped Foley in the chest three times. Foley was bleeding from the chest. Flair whipped Foley hard into the steel steps with Foley taking the bump knee first into the steps. Ouch. Foley knocked down Flair with a punch. Foley grabbed a barb wire board from under the ring and hit Flair in the head with it. Flair went down to do a blade job, so Flair was bleeding heavily from the forehead like he had done so many times. They went into the ring with Foley gouging Flair’s head with the barb wire. Foley bashed Flair’s head with the barb wire board. Foley dropped the barb wire board on Flair. Foley asked him to quit and Flair just said “kiss my ass,” so Foley attacked him with the microphone. Foley had a bag full of thumbtacks, so he poured them in the ring. The crowd cheered that while the announcers were freaking out. Foley picked up Flair leading to a body slam on the thumbtacks. Flair was screaming in agony with JR yelling about what just happened. There was a shot of the thumbtacks in Flair’s back.
Foley grabbed a baseball bat with barbed wire, so Foley put the wire into Flair’s eyes. Flair hit a low blow kick to break free. Flair whipped Foley shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Flair hit Foley in the arm repeatedly with the barbed wire baseball bat, so Foley’s left arm was bleeding. Flair told him to quite or he’ll kill him. Flair with another low blow punch and a punch to the face. Flair with a running attack with the barbed wire bat that knocked Foley off the apron and it sent Foley back first hard onto the mat. The back of Foley’s head hit a trash can. The referee Chad Patton called for help, so a trainer and another referee ran out here. Melina went down to ringside. The trainer said that Foley is done, so the referee called for the bell. Flair said this isn’t a lay down on your ass match, it’s an “I Quit” match. Flair left the ring and threw Foley back in the ring. Foley rolled over the thumbtacks that were in the ring, but he was wearing a t-shirt and a vest on top of it. Flair gouged at Foley’s eyes with the barb wire bat. Flair put the bat near the eyes of Foley. Flair continued to gouge the eye of Foley. Melina threw in a white towel and said please stop it. The referee called for the bell. Flair said that she does not quit for him, so he pulled her back. Flair teased another baseball bat attack possibly on Melina, but Foley said “I Quit” to end the match. It went 13:14. Foley was bleeding heavily from the head although Flair was bleeding more.
Winner: Ric Flair
Analysis: ***1/4 That was a violent brawl. It really was one of the most brutal WWE matches I have ever seen. I forgot how far they went in the match. You would never see that today, obviously. It wasn’t the best match technically, but it was a fight from the moment the bell rang and they did some crazy shit too. Foley dominated most of it with Flair taking an impressive amount of punishment. It was the right call to have Flair get the win since this was a match with a stipulation, so the face Flair should go over. Plus, Flair wrestled regularly for nearly two more years in WWE while Foley was not.
Post match, Flair walked up the ramp with the bat as the victor. Melina was shown tending to her buddy Foley with the ref trying to help Foley back up. Foley slowly got back to his feet.
Analysis: I am sure both guys were in a lot of pain after this one was over. They were selling on camera of course, but that one took a lot of out of both guys.
The trio of Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Armando Alejandro Estrada getting ready for their match. Vince said that Umaga is perhaps the greatest monster in all of WWE. Estrada said you can count on the Samoan bulldozer Umaga. They shook hands.
King Booker made his entrance with Queen Sharmell, who repeated the phrase “All Hail King Booker” during the entire entrance. Booker had a crown, a robe and a scepter along with the World Heavyweight Title around his waist.
Batista made his entrance to big ovation because he was the top face on the Smackdown brand. Batista relinquished the title due to a torn triceps in January, so he was trying to win back his title.
Analysis: Booker won the World Heavyweight Title at the PPV before this, Great American Bash 2006, so I didn’t expect him to lose the title so quickly after he won it.
World Heavyweight Championship: King Booker vs. Batista
Pre-match notes: Booker was the heel World Champion and Batista was the face challenger. This was a Smackdown match. There was an interesting backstory behind this match because while they were at a commercial/photo shoot for SummerSlam a few months earlier, Booker and Batista went into room together to have a legit fight. Most people say Booker won that fight because Batista had a black eye. It wasn’t believed to be an issue going into this match, but it was something a lot of fans knew about because WWE even covered it on their website.
They locked up to start with Booker slapping Batista in the face. When Booker went for a spin kick, Batista caught him and hit a powerslam. Booker bailed to the floor, Batista brought him back in, Booker missed a spin kick and Batista hit a spinebuster. They went to the apron with Booker hitting a neckbreaker using the ropes for an assist. Booker sent Batista into the top rope. JBL kept saying that conditioning will be a factor with Batista because he hasn’t had a match in eight months. The announcers also mentioned they don’t like eachother and JBL goes “thank God they used the pictures from the photoshoot before the fight.” Booker slapped on a chinlock. It sounded like some fans chanted “boring” although it was not a lot of them. Booker went for a kick, Batista avoided it and hit a belly to belly suplex. That’s not a move Batista did that often. Booker kicked Batista and bailed to the floor. Sharmell distracted the referee, so Booker hit Batista with the scepter to the head. Booker rolled Batista back in the ring for a two count. Booker slapped on another headlock. When Batista broke free, Booker missed an axe kick and was crotched on the top rope. Batista with two clotheslines and a sidewalk slam. Booker bailed to the floor, so Sharmell yelled at Batista again, which led to Booker sending Batista shoulder first into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Booker up top and he connected with a missile dropkick for two. Booker hit the Book End for a two count. That was his finisher sometimes. Batista avoided the Scissors Kick and Batista hit a Jackhammer like Goldberg for a two count. Batista with a clothesline against the turnbuckle, Booker avoided a corner attack and hit a neckbreaker for two. Batista hit a Full Nelson Slam and he fired up signaling for the finish. Batista was about to pick up Booker, so Sharmell went in the ring punching Batista and the referee called for the bell for the disqualification at 10:26.
Winner by disqualification: Batista (King Booker is still World Champion)
Analysis: *3/4 The match was disappointing considering it was a World Title match that could have been a lot better. They just didn’t have a lot of chemistry together. The crowd was dead for most of the match, so that didn’t help things either. The DQ finish meant that the feud would continue.
After the match, Booker hit a jumping side kick. Batista came back with a spinebuster. Batista picked up Booker and hit a Batista Bomb. Batista’s music played while Booker left with his wife and the World Title. Booker was smiling while Batista was furious about how that ended.
Analysis: The rivalry continued for a few months. Batista ended up winning the World Title at Survivor Series 2006 in a match that I rated ** out of five, so that match wasn’t much better than this one. These guys just didn’t have good matches together.
The Degeneration X duo of Shawn Michaels and Triple H were shown talking to somebody in the men’s locker room, but we couldn’t see who that person was. They talked to that unknown man about how Vince and Shane said Umaga was the toughest.
The video package aired for Shawn Michaels and Triple H vs. Vince and Shane McMahon showing all the comedy skits featuring the DX guys making life miserable for the McMahons. The video also featured Umaga helping the McMahons. Vince even hit a Pedigree on Triple H.
Analysis: The silly thing about the feud is that WWE didn’t acknowledge that Triple H married Stephanie McMahon (in 2003), yet here he was feuding with his father in law and brother in law. Michaels feuded with Vince from the start of the year leading to their WrestleMania 22 match that Michaels won.
There was a big ovation for the Degeneration X duo of Triple H and Shawn Michaels. They did a lot of posing in the ring together. Triple H did the pretty match “are you ready” thing followed by Michaels saying we’ve got two words for ya and the crowd did the “suck it” part like they usually do.
Shane McMahon entered to his own song with JR calling him the “demon seed of Satan’s hero.” That’s a bit much. Vince McMahon was up next doing his ridiculous walk down to the ring.
Vince called for help. The Spirit Squad five man group made their entrance and were beaten up easily. Triple H dropped one of them with a Pedigree. Vince signaled for more help, so Ken Kennedy, William Regal and Fit Finlay entered the ring. Michaels decked Kennedy with a forearm. Finlay went after Michaels. Triple H sent Regal out of the ring and Hunter whipped Finlay over the top to the floor. Hunter dumped Kennedy out of the ring as well. DX said they wanted Shane and Vince.
Big Show was up next for the McMahons. Show was the ECW Champion as we saw earlier in the show. Regal, Kennedy and Finlay got back into it. Show decked Michaels with a clothesline while the three Smackdown guys were working on Hunter on the floor. Show with a backbreaker followed by a leg drop to the chest of Michaels. Show left the ring and drove Hunter back first into the ring post. The heels cleaned off the ECW announce table at ringside. Show picked up Hunter and gave him a Chokeslam through the announce table. Vince and Shane did awkward poses on the stage.
Vince and Shane finally walked down to the ring comfortably while Hunter was out on the floor and Shawn was down in the ring. The ref rang the bell.
Analysis: It was an extremely cheap attack orchestrated by the McMahons to weaken their opens to make this more of an even match. It fit the McMahon persona well, so from a storyline standpoint it was smart to do.
Degeneration X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) vs. Vince and Shane McMahon
Pre-match notes: DX were the faces. The McMahons were the heels. Vince was a few days shy of his 61st birthday going into this match. Michaels was 41, Triple H was 37 and Shane was 36. This was a Raw feud.
Vince with a body slam on Michaels. Shane worked over Michaels with punches with JR saying that Shane was the heir apparent for the sports entertainment empire built by his daddy. That’s not true now because Stephanie and Hunter, but at this time that’s what most people thought. Vince tagged back in with a clothesline. The fans chanted for “Triple H,” who was still down at ringside. The McMahons hit a double back elbow. Shane hit three backbreakers. Vince back in with a double vertical suplex on Michaels. Shane hit a running baseball slide dropkick on Triple H that sent him over the top of the announce table onto JR and Lawler. Vince held Shawn over his knee and Shane jumped off the middle rope with JR noting that it was the Demolition tag team move. That looked better than when Demolition because Shane got a lot of height with the elbow drop. Vince and Shane did the Hart Foundation’s Hart Attack double team clothesline on Michaels. They did some Bret Hart poses, which drew boos. Vince put Shawn on his shoulders and Shane went up top with a clothesline for the Doomsday Device finisher that the Legion of Doom used to do. Shane covered three times, but Michaels kicked out every time. Michaels with punches, Vince back in with a forearm and Shawn ran the ropes leading to a leaping clothesline on both men. Triple H was close to getting on the apron. Michaels kicked Shane off of him and Hunter finally was able to tag in.
Hunter was on fire with punches for Shane and Vince followed by a high knee on Shane. Hunter with a neckbreaker on Shane along with the facebuster knee smash. Hunter with a clothesline that sent Vince into the turnbuckle. Spinebuster by Triple H on Shane in the middle of the ring. Hunter with a body slam on Vince, Michaels up top and he hit an elbow drop to the chest of Vince. Michaels hit a clothesline on Shane that sent both of them over the top to the floor. That was the cue for Umaga to enter with Estrada and Umaga kicked Michaels in the chest. Umaga went n the apron to deliver the Samoan Spike to chest of Hunter. Kane’s music played as he made his entrance to go after Umaga with matches. That let us know that it was Kane who DX was talking to earlier. Vince made a slow cover for a two count on Hunter, who got his shoulder up after about one minute. Vince got back up and decked referee Mike Chioda with a punch to the head. Shane put up a trash can against Triple H’s head for a Coast to Coast dropkick, but Michaels got back in the ring and connected with a Sweet Chin Music superkick on Shane at the perfect time. Hunter hit Vince with a trash can to the head. Michaels with Sweet Chin Music on Vince, Hunter with a Pedigree on Vince (without hooking the arms) and Hunter covered for the pinfall win at 13:01.
Winners by pinfall: Degeneration X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels)
Analysis: *** That was an entertaining fight including the action before the bell. If you added the whole thing up it would have been over 20 minutes. I liked the story they told with DX getting attacked before the match to weaken them and allow the McMahons to get in a lot of offense. I thought it was funny when Vince and Shane were stealing finishing moves of classic tag teams. It would have been nice if Hunter sold the injuries a bit after he got the hot tag because it was as if he wasn’t laying on the floor for 10 minutes. I get that it was all about getting revenge and the comeback, but it could have been sold better. Anyway, it was a fun match. I liked it.
A replay aired of Michaels hitting that Sweet Chin Music on Shane jumping off the top. It looked great.
The DX boys celebrated the win while the McMahons were down in the ring. Michaels apparently hurt his right arm because the trainer was out there with him. Michaels couldn’t even raise his right arm to do his classic muscle pose on the top of the ramp.
Analysis: The feud did not end there. It kept going to the next PPV, Unforgiven 2006 (read my review here), with a Hell in a Cell match where Big Show teamed up with the McMahons against DX in a 3 on 2 Handicap Match. DX won that match too. As for Michaels’ arm, he was fine. He didn’t miss any time after this match.
The video package aired for the main event with Edge defending the WWE Title against John Cena. It covered their history with Edge cashing in Money in the Bank to become WWE Champion at January’s New Year’s Revolution, then Cena won it back at Royal Rumble, Edge got it back (from RVD) in a triple threat match in early July and it led to this match at SummerSlam. The feud picked up even more when Edge went to the house of Cena’s dad and Edge slapped him.
Analysis: It was one of the better feuds in 2006 and helped to legitimize Edge as a top guy after eight years in the company.
Ring announcer Lilian Garcia announced the stipulation that if Edge gets disqualified, he will lose the WWE Championship.
John Cena was announced as Massachusetts’ own. Cena is from West Newbury, Massachusetts, which is close enough to Boston that many would consider this a hometown advantage for Cena. The response for Cena was positive.
Edge made his entrance with the WWE Championship around his waist. Lita, the WWE Women’s Champion, was with him. She was showing a lot of cleavage, which she did a lot in this era. I’m not complaining. Edge’s theme song is my favorite in WWE history. JR said that Edge was 6-1 in SummerSlam history.
WWE Championship: Edge (w/Lita) vs. John Cena
Pre-match notes: Edge was the heel WWE Champion and Cena was the face challenger. This was a Raw match.
The stipulation is that if Edge is disqualified then he loses the WWE Title.
Cena was aggressive early. Cena charged in against Edge against the turnbuckle, Edge moved and Cena went shoulder first into the ring post leading to Cena bumping to the floor. Edge took control with stomps to the back. Edge with a dropkick that led to Cena going to the apron, Edge charged and Cena bumped into the barricade at ringside. When Cena got back in the ring, Edge hit two elbow drops to the back. The fans were booing Cena and they cheered when Edge hit a spinning back kick. Cena came back with a whip into the corner followed by a Fisherman’s suplex for two. Edge took control again as he tossed Cena over the top to the floor. Cena ran the ropes, he tried for a cross body block, Edge ducked and Cena hit the mat. Clothesline by Edge got a two count followed by a headlock. Cena with a kick to the face, but Edge nailed a big boot to the face of his own that got a two count. Edge went up top, Cena punched him down, Edge was crotched, but Edge headbutted Cena to knock him down. Edge with a clothesline off the top for two. The fans chanted “Let’s Go Cena” and “Cena Sucks” with JR not mentioning the part about the crowd chanting “Cena Sucks.” Edge slapped on another chinlock, Cena got back up and fell back to break free. Cena with a flipping neckbreaker.
Lita brought a chair into the ring, Edge grabbed it and tossed it out of the ring because he would be DQ’d if he used it. That allowed Cena to make the comeback with clotheslines, the shoulder tackle and a spinning slam. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle fist drop. Cena wanted the FU, but Edge countered and hit the Impaler DDT for a two count. They went to the turnbuckle again where they each tried moves and Cena got a victory roll for a two count. Cena charged in, Edge with a boot to the face, Edge cross body block, Cena rolled through and had Edge in his arms. Lita on the apron, Edge charged, Cena moved and Edge knocked Lita off the apron to knock her down accidentally. Edge and Cena did a double clothesline spot to knock them both down. Edge hit a sitout neckbreaker that was good for a two count. Edge set up for a Spear, he charged in and Cena tripped him up with a STFU submission. The crowd was going crazy for this. Lita was about to hit Cena with the title, but Edge pleaded with her not to do it. The crowd was going crazy as Edge got his hand on the bottom rope. Lita put brass knuckles on the right hand of Edge as the ref was looking at Cena. Lita went into the ring, she jumped on Edge’s back and Cena slammed her off. The ref was busy checking on Lita, so Edge took advantage with a brass knucks shot to the back of the head. It was more like a forearm to the back, but Cena sold it like he was out. Edge put the brass knucks into his tights. The referee didn’t see any of it. Edge turned over a knocked out Cena and pinned him. JR: “Son of a bitch!” The match went 15:41.
Winner by pinfall: Edge
Analysis: ***1/2 That was a pretty good main event match. The ending was controversial leading to another match between them. I think they could have done more in the match to create a few moments where it looked like Cena might win. The best look for Cena was when he had the STFU, but that was really it. I just think they could have built up the drama better. It felt like a regular match between them and not something that was worthy of a main event of a major PPV. I know I’m being harsh, but in a PPV main event it should be more than what they did.
After the match was over, replays aired of the finish.
Edge and Lita were shown on the ramp celebrating with their titles. Cena was in the ring looking shocked about what happened. That’s how the show ended.
Analysis: The rivalry continued for another month at Unforgiven 2006 (read my review here) with John Cena beating Edge for the WWE Title in a memorable TLC Match in Toronto, which is Edge’s hometown. That was the best match they ever had and I rated that match at ****1/4 out of five.
The show had a run time of 2:41:22 on WWE Network.
FIVE RANDOM THOUGHTS
– Six matches went between 10:26 to 15:41 of in-ring action, so there wasn’t anything that was too short. Nothing went too long either. The shortest match went 8:31, which is a longer match than most PPVs would have for a short match. The reason I point all this out is because it’s a good thing to see a show timed out this well and giving the matches plenty of time to tell a story. I’m sure the talent appreciated it too.
– There were only two Smackdown matches out of the seven matches on the card. Raw had four and ECW had one. I mean we all know Raw was the most important show, but they should have found a way to get another Smackdown match on there.
– It’s rare to see a WWE show with three men in their 50s wrestling at a major PPV, but that’s what we got here with Vince McMahon, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. As mentioned earlier, this was Hogan’s last match in WWE ring, so that’s something historic about this show.
– I thought the DX vs. McMahons story went on for too long. They did it for about six months. I understand that Vince must have had a lot of fun working with his favorite wrestlers like Hunter and Shawn, but it got a bit repetitive by this point.
– The finish to the Batista/Booker match was very lame. They didn’t have much chemistry at all.
OPINIONS
Show rating (out of 10): 6
Best Match: Edge vs. John Cena (***1/2 out of 5)
Worst Match: Batista vs. King Booker (*3/4)
Most Memorable Moment: Edge retaining the WWE Title due to a brass knucks shot to the back. I think some of the crazy spots in Flair vs. Foley were memorable too.
Five Stars Of The Show
- Edge
- John Cena
- Ric Flair
- Mick Foley
- Shawn Michaels
Matches With Ratings ****+ (out of 5*) and higher:
British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart @ SummerSlam 1992 (*****)
Steel Cage: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart @ SummerSlam 1994 (*****)
Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon @ SummerSlam 1995 (*****)
Kurt Angle vs. Steve Austin @ SummerSlam 2001 (****3/4)
TLC: Edge & Christian vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz @ SummerSlam 2000 (****3/4)
Unsanctioned Street Fight: Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H @ SummerSlam 2002 (****1/2)
Ladder Match: Triple H vs. The Rock @ SummerSlam 1998 (****1/2)
Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect @ SummerSlam 1991 (****1/4)
Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar @ SummerSlam 2003 (****1/4)
Shawn Michaels vs. Vader @ SummerSlam 1996 (***1/4)
The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Kurt Angle @ SummerSlam 2000 (****)
Ladder Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy @ SummerSlam 2001 (****)
Ranking SummerSlam Reviews (on 1-10 scale)
SummerSlam 2002 (Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock, Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H) – 9
SummerSlam 2001 (The Rock vs. Booker T, Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle) – 8
SummerSlam 1998 (Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker) – 8
SummerSlam 2000 (The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Kurt Angle) – 7.5
SummerSlam 1992 (British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart) – 7
SummerSlam 2005 (Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels) – 7
SummerSlam 2004 (Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit) – 6
SummerSlam 2006 (Edge vs. John Cena) – 6
SummerSlam 1997 (Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker) – 5.5
SummerSlam 1996 (Shawn Michaels vs. Vader) – 5.5
SummerSlam 1989 (Hogan/Beefcake vs. Savage/Zeus) – 5.5
SummerSlam 2003 (Elimination Chamber) – 5.5
SummerSlam 1994 (Undertaker vs. Underfaker, Bret vs. Owen) – 5
SummerSlam 1999 (Mankind vs. Steve Austin vs. Triple H) – 5
SummerSlam 1988 (Mega Powers vs. Mega Bucks) – 5
SummerSlam 1991 (Match Made In Heaven & Hell) – 4.5
SummerSlam 1995 (Diesel vs. Mabel, Michaels vs. Ramon) – 4
SummerSlam 1993 (Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna) – 4
SummerSlam 1990 (Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude) – 3.5
Next up: SummerSlam 2007.
Check out the SummerSlam Reviews archive.
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John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter @johnreport