The Top 5 SummerSlam Moments

Every year, WWE holds a SummerSlam pay-per-view event. It’s one of WWE’s biggest shows, and it’s certainly considered the hottest summer wrestling weekend. Even independent promotions benefit from SummerSlam weekend, just as they do every WrestleMania show.

With its inaugural show taking place in 1988, fans have witnessed 35 years of SummerSlam. WWE is showing no signs of slowing down “The Biggest Party of the Summer,” so we might as well look back at some of the event’s most memorable moments throughout the years.

5. Becky Lynch Turns on Charlotte Flair – August 19, 2018, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

SummerSlam 2018 is considered to be the start of Becky Lynch’s rise to true stardom. Becky took on Carmella and Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship during the show. Charlotte won the match, capturing the title previously held by Carmella.

In the storyline, Becky and Charlotte expressed their friendship for one another. With that said, Charlotte was inserted into this championship match, which left Becky feeling shafted. She responded by attacking Charlotte post-match and thus began the origins of “The Man” character, which earned Becky Lynch true main event status.

4. “Macho Man” Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth Get Married – August 26, 1991, Madison Square Garden in New York City

The onscreen marriage of “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth took place at the 1991 SummerSlam event. The TV wedding occurred just five months after Savage and Elizabeth reunited at WrestleMania 7. While things ended swimmingly for the pair at the end of WrestleMania, the same could not be said for SummerSlam.

Initially, the festivities went off without an issue for Savage and Elizabeth. It was during the wedding party where things took a turn. The party had two uninvited guests, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and The Undertaker. Roberts brought his snake to terrorize Elizabeth and the guests, while The Undertaker hit Savage in the head with his urn.

3. Brock Lesnar Lifts Ring with Forklift – July 30, 2022, Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee

The rivalry between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns is well-documented for today’s fans. Some believe the feud got a little long in the tooth, others believe the rivalry wasn’t all that it was hyped up to be.

No matter how you feel about the rivalry between Lesnar and “The Tribal Chief,” one can’t deny that their SummerSlam 2022 last-man-standing match was one for the ages. At one point in the bout, Lesnar drove a forklift and slammed it into the ring with Reigns in it. “The Beast” proceeded to lift the ring with the forklift, sending Reigns falling out of the squared circle. In the end, Reigns, with help from The Bloodline, defeated Lesnar to cap off their rivalry.

2. The Ultimate Warrior Ends The Honky Tonk Man’s IC Title Run – August 29, 1988, Madison Square Garden in New York City

More recently, GUNTHER surpassed the record for the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in WWE history. Going into SummerSlam 1988, however, that distinction belonged to The Honky Tonk Man. Honky was cool, he was cocky, and he was bad, but he wasn’t ready for The Ultimate Warrior.

Before the match even began, Honky had no clue who his opponent was. He took the microphone and confidently asked for anyone to challenge him, and he didn’t care who it was. His tone changed once The Ultimate Warrior’s music hit. Honky lasted just 31 seconds before his record-setting IC title run blew up in smoke at the hands of The Ultimate Warrior.

1. The British Bulldog Pins Bret Hart in Wembley – August 29, 1992 (aired August 31), Wembley Stadium in Wembley, England

If you attended SummerSlam in 1992, there’s a good chance you were rooting for The British Bulldog in his Intercontinental Title match against Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Bulldog, the fan favorite from England, was challenging Hart for the gold. This was easily the biggest match in The British Bulldog’s stellar wrestling career, as he headlined a show in front of almost 79,000 fans.

This ended up being an all-time WWE classic. The two had a back-and-forth match that ended when Hart attempted a sunset flip. Bulldog countered by sitting down on Hart and securing the three-count via pinfall. Fans at Wembley Stadium exploded in cheers for their home countryman.

Fernando Quiles Jr.

Fernando has been covering combat sports and pro wrestling for over a decade. He currently writes for BJPenn.com and has also contributed for Sports Illustrated’s MMA Knockout. Fernando is excited to be a part of FightsATW to provide you with the latest news content in the world of pro wrestling.

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