WWE SummerSlam 2015: Most Controversial Moments in PPV History

On August 23, WWE will present its SummerSlam pay-per-view live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Given the current state of the company's product, it is fairly safe to say something controversial will occur in order to convince fans to tune in to the following night's episode of Raw.

Longtime fans of the company, though, are familiar with controversy at the summertime spectacular.

Since its inception in 1988, SummerSlam has been home to some of the most controversial and buzz-worthy moments in the company's long and illustrious pay-per-view history.

From epic failures, such as Lex Luger's 1993 quest for the heavyweight title, to shocking injuries, such as the one suffered by Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997, the show has seen its fair share of moments and matches that left fans talking.

And that is just the stuff that unfolded in front of the screen. Behind the curtain, controversy has abounded, such as the incident involving Ultimate Warrior in 1991.

As you prepare for the the 28th installment of SummerSlam, relive these 10 controversial moments that helped shape the Biggest Party of the Summer.

10. Daniel Bryan's Dream Becomes a Nightmare (2013)

The main event of the 2013 edition of SummerSlam featured Daniel Bryan challenging John Cena for the WWE Championship. The match was to be the culmination of Bryan's decade-long journey to the top of the industry, the coronation of him as a modern-day people's champion and a legitimate main event star in Vince McMahon's company.

Leading into the show, he had passed every test laid out for him by the boss and was the clear favorite to leave the annual August spectacular with the title around his waist, especially taking into consideration the fact Cena was competing injured and in need of corrective surgery.

In a legitimate five-star main event, Bryan exploded across the ring with a running knee and captured the gold.

Then it happened.

Special referee Triple H colluded with Randy Orton, who cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and scored the pinfall victory over Bryan off a Pedigree from the COO.

For many, it was another case of WWE management proving their unwillingness to go all in with Bryan, something that would become a theme over the next eight months before fans stood up for their favorite wrestler, igniting what would become known as the Yes Movement.

9. Alberto Del Rio Cashes in (2011)

SummerSlam 2011 should have been CM Punk's night. Fresh off a legendary "Pipebomb" promo and a victory over John Cena in his hometown of Chicago at Money in the Bank, Punk was the hottest star in the industry. He had managed to crack the mainstream media, something few would have thought possible, and he was all over the Internet.

For the first time, it appeared as though the company had a legitimate alternative to Cena, who was Punk's opposition for the second straight month.

Not only did WWE fail to capitalize on the fervor surrounding the Straight Edge Superstar by giving him a clean win over Cena, they installed Triple H as the guest referee to suck away some of the heat.

Worst of all was the decision to book Kevin Nash to deliver a Jackknife powerbomb to Punk and have Alberto Del Rio cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the WWE Championship.

It was but a taste of how WWE would attempt to derail Punk's push before it ever began.

Luckily, the Chicago native was able to overcome it and enjoy a historic 434-day title reign, starting later in the year at Survivor Series.

8. Mankind Wins the WWE Championship (1999)

Every ounce of build leading into the 1999 edition of SummerSlam suggested Triple H would finally ascend to the top of the wrestling mountain, winning his first heavyweight championship at the biggest show of the summer.

He had recently cut his legendary "I am the Game" promo that was equal parts passionate and venomous and was the hottest star in the industry, barring only the Rock.

Even when Mankind returned from injury to make the scheduled contest between Triple H and WWE champion Steve Austin a Triple Threat match, it felt like an excuse to have someone other than Austin take the pin.

That is why it was so shocking and controversial when Mankind pinned Austin to capture the title. The excuse at the time was that WWE wanted the special guest referee, then-Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, to raise the hand of a babyface to close out the show.

But was it deeper than that?

Did someone refuse to lose to Triple H, pulling a power play that delayed his coronation?

If that was the case, it only delayed the inevitable; the Game captured the title just 24 hours later on Raw.

As he put it in his 2013 video Thy Kingdom Come, "more people saw me win the next night anyway."

7. Elizabeth Takes off Her Skirt (1988)

In 1988, it was unheard of for women in WWE to be sexualized in any form or fashion, especially when that woman was Miss Elizabeth.

The classiest woman to ever enter the wrestling industry, she was the traditional valet who led her male charge to the ring, cheered him on and returned to the locker room with him at the end of the night. That is why the closing minutes of the Mega Powers versus Mega Bucks main event of the inaugural SummerSlam event was as shocking as it was at the time.

Late in the bout, both Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were knocked out on the arena floor. Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant were inside the squared circle, as was special guest referee Jesse Ventura. With the babyfaces in danger of being counted out, thus ensuring the win for the vile villains, Elizabeth climbed up onto the apron and proceeded to rip off her skirt.

It was a surefire way to distract everyone, their eyes glued to the beautiful woman in front of them. Savage and Hogan recovered and won and all was right with the world.

For years, it ranked among the most shocking finishes to a WWE main event ever. By the time the Attitude era rolled around and women were a bigger part of the show, the disrobing would be looked at as far more tame than it was when it originally occurred.

6. Shawn Michaels Mocks the Hulkster (2005)

The 2005 edition of SummerSlam was headlined by a dream match between Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan, two iconic stars clashing on a stage that grand for the first time in their careers.

The match was infinitely better than it had any right to be, with Michaels carrying his aging opponent to a dramatic, bloody encounter.

As good as the contest proved to be, though, there was something off about it.

After every signature Hogan spot, Michaels would bump around the ring as if he had been hit by a Mack truck. He oversold everything, at one point running around the squared circle and returning inside, where he did a basic back bump.

It was over the top and, in the eyes of some, completely disrespectful to his opponent.

In the end, though, it helped add notoriety to one of the most important matches in SummerSlam history.

5. Goldberg Plays the Game and Loses (2003)

Goldberg's arrival in WWE in 2003 came as one of the biggest surprises of the year. The biggest star of WCW's dying days, he had held out returning to the ring until his contract with Ted Turner ended, ensuring he would get every one of the dollars he was owed.

When he finally did turn up in WWE the night after WrestleMania XIX, he was greeted with a hero's welcome. A win over the Rock had some wondering how long it would be before the competitor known simply as "the Man" during his days with the competition would capture his first World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H.

It appeared as though that time would come at SummerSlam, as he was one of six competitors in the Elimination Chamber match for the gold. Despite tough competition from Kevin Nash, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels, most expected to see the Atlanta native bowl over the Game and win the title.

That did not happen, however, as an injured Triple H pinned Goldberg with the assistance of a sledgehammer. What should have been the defining moment of the unstoppable hero's career in WWE was put on hold, all to stroke the considerable ego of the Game.

It only fanned the flames of an anti-Triple H movement among hardcore wrestling fans at the time, who suggested the Superstar's political power was negatively influencing the overall quality of the WWE product.

4. John Cena Demolishes the Nexus (2010)

Credit: WWE.com

In 2010, a group of young stars known as the Nexus invaded WWE and left in its wake the bodies of John Cena, CM Punk and ringside personnel because they were all determined to prove they were wrongfully humiliated and embarrassed throughout the first season of NXT.

Together, they banded together to create a sense of unpredictability on WWE programming. Their prime target was the aforementioned Cena, who was the face of the company and the most polarizing star in the industry.

The main event of that year's SummerSlam saw Cena team with Daniel Bryan, Edge, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, R-Truth and John Morrison to face the group in a huge 14-man tag team elimination match.

Rather than using it as an opportunity to put Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, Darren Young, Michael Tarver, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater over as a legitimate threat, they were defeated systematically until Cena won the match as the sole survivor of his team.

Fans scratched their heads at the booking, openly wondering why WWE would sacrifice the hottest young act in the company for an established Cena.

As fans have come to learn in the years that followed, it would become a common occurrence in the land of sports entertainment.

3. Lex Luger Fails to Win the WWE Championship (1993)

Credit: WWE.com

In July 1993, Lex Luger underwent a character revamp, moving on from the Narcissist gimmick to become the American hero. "Made in the USA" was the slogan, and his Independence Day bodyslam of Yokozuna immediately solidified him as the top babyface in Vince McMahon's WWE.

He embarked on a cross-country bus trip, meeting and greeting fans in an attempt to win them over and simultaneously promote that year's SummerSlam event. In the marquee match of that show, he would challenge the massive Yokozuna for the WWE Championship in a contest that most believed to be a foregone conclusion.

With so much time and effort put into pushing Luger, it would only make sense to pay off the investment with a grand championship victory.

But that is not what happened.

Instead, Luger won by count-out, robbing the fans who followed his story of the happy ending and effectively killing every bit of momentum he had garnered.

Luger never recovered, and by the time WrestleMania X rolled around the following March, fans were clamoring for Bret Hart to beat the evil foreign champion and regain the championship.

Which is exactly what he did.

2. Steve Austin Breaks His Neck (1997)

Credit: WWE.com

There were few stars hotter entering the 1997 SummerSlam pay-per-view than Stone Cold Steve Austin, whose anti-authority character was taking off and striking a nerve with the audience.

At that year's event, the man who would spark WWE's renaissance and lead the company to a come-from-behind victory over WCW in the Monday Night Wars nearly found himself paralyzed, his career cut short of greatness thanks to an ill-advised maneuver by his opponent, intercontinental champion Owen Hart.

Hart's piledriver left Austin immobile, staring at the lights as he questioned whether his days as a walker, let alone an athlete, were over.

Luckily, Austin recovered just enough to execute the worst rollup in wrestling history and beat the second-generation star, winning the Intercontinental Championship in the process.

He would undergo procedures on his neck throughout the rest of his career, including a 2000 surgery that left him sidelined for a year. Unfortunately, Austin's career would be cut short in 2003 as injuries mounted, the damage done to his neck six years earlier undoubtedly the root of many of his problems.

1. The Ultimate Warrior's Pay Dispute Turns Ugly (1991)

The Ultimate Warrior was undoubtedly among the biggest stars in the pro wrestling industry when the 1991 SummerSlam event rolled around. He had headlined WrestleManias and even scored an incredibly rare pinfall victory over Hulk Hogan.

But to his dismay, he was not being paid as much as the Hulkster.

His frustration over what he perceived to be unfair pay would boil over on that hot summer's night, as he confronted Vince McMahon prior to the main event. Threatening not to work, despite being in the most important match of the night, Warrior drew a firm line in the sand, as revealed in the 2005 WWE release The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior.

Whether he did business the right way is a different argument for a different time, but he won the argument and received a pay increase.

At least for one night.

As soon as the main event was over and Warrior returned through the curtain, he was fired by McMahon.

It was not the last time the relationship between the two would be rocky, to say the least.