While the first SummerSlam event (1988) was a great premiere, this second edition takes a couple of steps backward due to only a couple really great matches and a "main event" that is anything but.The only two matches I really enjoyed from SummerSlam '89 were:-Hart Foundation vs. Brain Busters. Featured some great technical wrestling (as Bret Hart is always good for). -Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude. Just a classic feud that they let play out at THIS event instead of letting it percolate to the next Wrestlemania.Then, we have the "Zeus" angle (from the WWF film production "No Holds Barred") for the main event, as he teams up with Randy Savage to take on Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. It is so obvious that Zeus is a film-promoting gimmick that it is kind of sickening. Plus, the Hogan/Savage feud had already been resolved at the previous Wrestlemania, so the bloom was off that rose.Overall, then, I felt that SummerSlam '89 was kind of a disappointment with its gimmicky main event and low quality of matches. Also, and perhaps this is a result of it being only the second event in the show's history, but this one seemed like little more than a place-holder for upcoming angles/arcs.

They were the most powerful force in the history of wrestling. WWE Champion Randy Savage and former champion Hulk Hogan. But, just before Wrestlemania V that had all changed. Savage turned on Hogan, overcome by feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. Hogan then defeated Savage at Wrestlemania to win the WWE Championship in a thrilling contest. Savage was hurt by that loss and at Summerslam 1989, looked to end Hogan's career. Enlisting the help of the massive 7 foot monster Zeus to try and end Hulkamania forever.But first there were other matters to be resolved.FIrst up we get a good tag match as the Brainbusters Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson defeated the Hart Foundation. The Brainbusters had previously had great success in the NWA as part of the Four Horsemen along with Ric Flair and Barry Windham. They have a nice match here to open the show.Next is NWA legend Dusty Rhodes defeating the Honky Tonk Man with the Bionic Elbow. HTM was fareing quite well until his manager Jimmy Hart came into the ring and accidentally hit him with a megaphone. Mean Gene has a quick word to Hacksaw Jim Duggan and then Mr Perfect defeats the Red Rooster to remain undefeated. We then have Bobby Heenan and Rick Rude assuring all of us that Rude's victory over The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania V was no fluke and that Rude would walk out of Summerslam as STILL the WWE Intercontinental Champion.Next up was the Rockers Shawn Micheals and Marty Janetty teaming up with Tito Santana and losing to the Rougeau brothers Jacques and Raymond, teaming up with Santana's former tag team partner Rick Martel. Martel pinned Janetty following shenanigans on the outside. All of these guys could go and this was an entertaining match.Next up Mean Gene talks to the Ultimate Warrior who says some indecipherable gibberish. The general gist is that he was going to beat Rick Rude in the next match and become a two time Inercontinental Champion. And that's exactly what happened. This is actually a very good match.Next we have another six man match, this time the good guys got up though with Jim Duggan and Demolition Ax and Smash defeating Andre the Giant with the Twin Towers Akeem and the Big Boss Man. Hacksaw hits Akeem with his 2 by 4 and Smash gets the pin.Next up the Million Dollar Man reminds us all that everyone has a price and also that he was going to beat Superfly Jimmy Snuka later on tonight.The most entertaining part of the next match was ring announcer Ronnie Garvin. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine pinned Hercules with his feet on the ropes. The ref noticed this and reversed his decision, meaning Hercules had won by disqualification.Oh my goodness, he's back. Million Dollar Man and Virgil talk to Mean Gene again. Wow, I'd forgotten he had a match later, it must have been 10 minutes since he said that. Why complain? DiBiase was gold. But Randy Savage, Sherri Martel and Zeus wanted a word as well. They just wanted to say Hogan and Beefcake were going to get rolled later on tonight. Good stuff again.Guess what? DiBiase really did beat Superfly Jimmy Snuka in the next match. A dodgy win thanks to a count out, but a win all the same.Next up we have our main event heroes Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. Hulkamania's the strongest force in the world. Even bigger than Zeus.All the talking's over. Time for the main event and Zeus and Savage do themselves proud, dominating the match, but Hulkamania is stronger than both of them as Hogan hulks up and pins the mighty Zeus. Hogan and Beefcake get the win in a fun main event.Well if the Mighty Zeus couldn't stop Hulk Hogan, then who in the WWE had a chance? And who would challenge the Warrior next for the Intercontinental Championship?

*SPOILERS*This one had only one good singles match, The Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude. Warrior was not a wrestler by any stretch of the imagination, but he always had excellent matches against Rude.The opening tag team match was about as good as they get. The Hart Foundation got cheated out of yet another SummerSlam win against the Brain Busters, but they probably could have gotten away with letting Tully and Arn win cleanly. But why weren't the titles on the line? I can't figure out any reason for this.I liked both of the six-man matches. Duggan, Demolition, Akeem, Andre, and Bossman in the same match is just fun to think about. And Duggan had the time of his life teaming with Ax and Smash. The other six-man match was incredibly good, but it would have worked better had the Rockers fought the Rougeaus and Martel faced Tito one on one. Although the Rockers would eventually dominate their feud with the Rougeaus, Jacques and Ray got the high-profile win at SummerSlam.Tiny Lister sure was a good sport with his Zeus gimmick. He's a serious actor, and this would be embarrassing to most actors. And I'm glad Brutus Beefcake got to be in the main event. This almost made up for the fact that he was cheated out of a title shot at the previous and next SummerSlam.Good show, worth a look. Honestly, you might want to fast-forward through the singles matches.

He was the most powerful force in the universe, and the key to Randy `Macho Man' Savage's plan to destroy his bitter enemy, Hulk Hogan. His name was Zeus, a mountain of a man standing at nearly 7 feet and weighing around 300 pounds of solid muscle. Savage recruited Zeus in an effort to take down Hogan, who with his ally, Brutus `The Barber' Beefcake, battled Savage and Zeus in a tag team match to headline SummerSlam 1989. In the end, Hulkamania triumphed again when Hogan bodyslammed Zeus and hit the legdrop for the win! For the second year in a row, the Ultimate Warrior made history at SummerSlam by capturing his second Intercontinental Championship. Warrior defeated `Ravishing' Rick Rude, who five months earlier defeated Warrior for the title at WrestleMania V. The win would eventually lead to Warrior's epic title-for-title confrontation with Hogan at WrestleMania VI.SummerSlam 1989 The Brain Busters defeated the Hart Foundation Dusty Rhodes pinned the Honky Tonk Man Mr. Perfect pinned the Red Rooster The Rougeaus & Rick Martel defeated the Rockers & Tito Santana The Ultimate Warrior pinned Rick Rude to win the Intercontinental Title Demolition & "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan defeated Andre the Giant & the Twin Towers Hercules defeated Greg "the Hammer" Valentine by DQ Ted DiBiase defeated "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka by countout Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake defeated Randy Savage & ZeusOverall Mark: C+