Episode 374: 30th Anniversary of SummerSlam 1996
Grilling JR
Podcast Heat
4.7 • 6.1K Ratings
🗓️ 4 June 2026
⏱️ 157 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Grilling JR, Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson fire up the time machine and head back to August 18, 1996, for one of the most memorable events of the New Generation Era—WWF SummerSlam 1996 from the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio!
JR shares his behind-the-scenes perspective on a card headlined by Shawn Michaels defending the WWF Championship against the monstrous Vader, a match surrounded by controversy, high expectations, and plenty of backstage stories. The guys also discuss the WWF debut of Kevin Kelly, Mark Henry signing a groundbreaking 10-year contract, and Brian Pillman's unforgettable "Time Bomb" segment that had the wrestling world buzzing.
Plus, hear JR's thoughts on The Iron Sheik's role in the company, the ill-fated Wrestle Vessel concept, Jake "The Snake" Roberts battling Jerry "The King" Lawler, and the escalating war between Mankind and The Undertaker that would forever change both men's careers.
From major business decisions and creative risks to unforgettable characters and classic SummerSlam moments, JR and Conrad cover it all on another can't-miss edition of Grilling JR!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today's episode comes to you from the Blue Chew Studio right now when you buy two months |
| 0:04.1 | of Blue Chew Gold, you get the third for free with promo code.J at Bluechoo.com. |
| 0:09.7 | Hey, hey, it's Conrad, the mortgage guy, and you're listening to Grilling, JR, with the voice of professional wrestling, Mr. Jim Ross. |
| 0:30.7 | And today we're going to be revisiting 1996. |
| 0:34.6 | This is the year I fell back in love with wrestling. |
| 0:36.7 | It was actually the summer of 1996. |
| 0:39.1 | I'll never forget. |
| 0:40.1 | I had given up wrestling. |
| 0:41.6 | I would say around SummerSlam 92. |
| 0:43.9 | Then I find myself flipping through the channels. |
| 0:46.3 | I think it was July. |
| 0:47.8 | Maybe it was early August of 1996. |
| 0:50.5 | And I asked myself, self, |
| 0:52.3 | why is Hulk Hogan wearing all black? And what the hell are |
| 0:56.1 | diamond stud and Vinny Vegas doing with him? I had totally missed Razor Ramon. I had totally |
| 1:01.0 | missed Diesel and I had no idea what the NWO was or what was going on. Immediately, it set the hook. |
| 1:08.0 | I was back in wrestling. So I wanted to check out what was going on in the WWF. |
| 1:12.6 | I found out Sean Michaels used to be the intercontinental guy. |
| 1:16.9 | Now he's the world champion. |
| 1:18.8 | And who's he wrestling? |
| 1:20.3 | Vader. |
| 1:21.2 | He's in a feud with Vader? |
... |
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