Top 10 WWE SummerSlam Controversies
#10: Daniel Bryan’s Moment Is Stolen
This first controversy may have been decided upon beforehand, but that didn’t mean the fallout was any less important. Daniel Bryan’s win over John Cena at “SummerSlam” 2013 was supposed to be a celebration, a jubilant occasion where the fan favorite, plucky babyface was destined to take the WWE Championship to new places. Except that didn’t happen. Instead, Triple H turned on Bryan, Randy Orton cashed in his “Money in the Bank” briefcase, and Daniel was screwed out of his moment. The only consolation for fans would be Bryan’s eventual road to redemption, as The Yes Movement is soon born to rail against a newly formed The Authority, on the road to “WrestleMania XXX.”
#9: Elbows to Orton
The days of brutal, blood ‘n guts matches were long gone for the WWE, when it came time for Randy Orton to meet Brock Lesnar, at “SummerSlam” 2016. Still, that doesn’t mean that the red stuff doesn’t occasionally still flow, whether by accident, or by some very deliberate intentions. This moment very much belongs in the latter category, as Lesnar opened up Orton’s skull with some very real elbow shots, making “The Viper” a gross gusher, right there in the middle of the ring. Although this finish was planned in advance, it was known by the immediate performers only, meaning that many in the back were quite confused at the carnage. Orton suffered a concussion, required stitches, and missed a few weeks of action, thanks to the incident.
#8: The Match for Dominik
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Call it the sort of match that definitely wouldn’t fly today, or just the sort of wacky shenanigans WWE used to pull with a straight face back in the day. Either way, this “SummerSlam” 2005 match for custody of a CHILD is one that we’ll never forget. The build up to Eddie Guerrero versus Ray Mysterio was something straight out of a soap opera, complete with paternal drama, heated words and an eventual physical encounter with a human being’s life being fictionally “on the line” here in this match. Yep, this ladder match featured not a championship belt suspended in the air, but custody papers, with the winner getting to raise Dominik as his own. Honestly, we’re still not quite sure if this was a fever dream or not.
#7: Fred Durst Flips the Bird
One could conceivably forgive Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst for getting a wee bit too excited when a camera focused in on him, while he was in the crowd watching “SummerSlam” 2012. One could also, then, understand why Fred, who was already quite known for flipping birds to just about any camera or crowd of fans that struck his fancy, decided to do just that on this night. However, the WWE in 2012 was a ways away from the edgy nineties, so Durst’s middle finger didn’t exactly go down a storm. The image was censored on replays, while rumors soon began to swirl that the Limp one was “escorted out” of the building after apologizing to WWE brass backstage. Fred denied this, saying he left early to “beat traffic.”
#6: Lex Luger: A Realer American?
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It was an experiment gone wrong, a pear-shaped and boneheaded attempt to replace Hulkamania with a new, “realer” American hero, in the form of Lex Luger. Luger’s brief heel run as “The Narcissist” was abandoned, and in its place was a man who crisscrossed America in a bus, shakin’ hands and holdin’ babies like he was running for office. This failed run for wrestling fans’ support truly jumped the shark at “SummerSlam” 1993. Luger did beat WWF champion Yokozuna during the main event, sure, but it was via count-out, which means that the title didn’t change hands. Not that one could tell by Luger’s reaction, as the man celebrated as if he’d won the big one, complete with an American flag and victorious confetti.
#5: Al Snow’s Head
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Al Snow has employed a lot of gimmicks over the years, but perhaps his best-known run was as leader of the J.O.B. Squad, a group of lovable losers that joined forces for a little respect. Snow’s character was supposed to hear voices, and often spoke to a woman’s mannequin head that he brought to the ring. So, it was unsurprising that when Snow’s action figure for the Jakks-Pacific toy line for “SummerSlam” 1999 was announced, it included a head. The only thing the WWF and their toy-maker partners didn’t plan on, however, was the backlash from parents over the disembodied female head that was packaged with Snow’s figure. The toy was repackaged with a plain-looking head, and the original was removed from many store shelves.
#4: That Hogan & Michaels Match
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The custody match for Dominik Mysterio wasn’t the only incredibly wacky match on the card for “SummerSlam” 2005. The main event had plenty of WTF to go around, as well. The controversy here was primarily due to backstage politics, involving the match between Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels. Reports cited a breakdown in communication over a proposed multi-match Hogan/Michaels series, with each man picking up a win, so as to save their respective characters’ reputations. However, Hogan allegedly backed out of this plan, leaving this match as their sole encounter. Michaels, in response, over-sold this match to a comical degree, acting in a parodic fashion to every move from The Hulkster, bell-to-bell.
#3: An Axxess Incident
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This next controversy didn’t take place in the ring during “SummerSlam” 2013, but rather at the fan Axxess event intended to promote the WWE’s forthcoming “2k14” video game. Ric Flair appeared on the panel in a severely inebriated state, and made a number of comments that made WWE brass extremely uncomfortable. The pro wrestling icon was going through an immensely difficult time in his private life, and was essentially self-medicating his grief, while also attempting to work for the company. Flair was pulled from his next public appearance for the WWE, while Jim Ross, who was moderating the panel, was fired for not keeping control over the situation.
#2: Owen Hart Breaks Austin’s Neck
Professional wrestling may be scripted, but that doesn’t mean that things can’t go horribly wrong inside the squared circle. This “SummerSlam” 1997 match between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Owen Hart went down in history for that exact reason, as a result of one horrifying mistake. The pair had agreed upon Austin taking a tombstone piledriver from Hart at some point during the match, despite the fact that Hart admitted he was more secure performing the sit-down variation. Austin’s neck was extended too far between Hart’s legs, and the impact ended up breaking Steve’s neck. Still, the Texas Rattlesnake was still able to muster up a feeble roll up for the win, which is just incredible.
#1: The Ultimate Warrior Is Fired
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Jim Hellwig, a.k.a. The Ultimate Warrior had some demands for Vince McMahon, during the build-up to “SummerSlam” 1991. Leaked letters between the pair paint the picture of a Warrior who was very intent upon receiving the same amount of money as Hulk Hogan. He was so intent, in fact, that he threatened to no-show the 1991 pay-per-view, should McMahon not pay him five hundred and fifty dollars. McMahon did acquiesce to these threats, but fired Warrior immediately after his match at “SummerSlam.” Furthermore, the fallout from this event resulted in other wrestler’s paydays being leaked, information that shined a light over just how varied the financial scales are for different performers.
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