7 Most Memorable Women's Division Moments in WWE SummerSlam History
SummerSlam's timeline acts as a microcosm of the slow evolution of women's wrestling in WWE.
The amount of space on the stage that Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks received in 2016 was unheard of in the pay-per-view's early history. WWE's summer blockbuster didn't even feature a women's match until its seventh year of existence. The majority of the moments that have unfolded belonged to the men—stars like Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, John Cena and Brock Lesnar.
This year, WWE has already announced SummerSlam matches of Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley for the Raw's Women's Championship and Naomi vs. Natalya for the SmackDown women's title.
Times have certainly changed.
Women were often relegated to the periphery of SummerSlam's narratives. They played someone's wife, a wrestler's love object, the powerhouse's valet. Their involvement was brief. They were add-ons to a male-centric drama.
Miss Elizabeth tore off her skirt to distract The Mega Bucks in 1988. Vickie Guerrero held her husband back in 2005 to allow Rey Mysterio to win and regain custody of his son.
Women like Sapphire had to settle for minor roles. Her contribution to SummerSlam 1990 was inactivity, to play the pawn in a rich man's game.
Looking back at Sapphire conceding to greed and traveling forward in time to Flair's triumph over The Boss is a revealing exercise. WWE's women have celebrated victories and been at the center of betrayals at SummerSlam, but there are major gaps between those moments.
Their role in this violent circus has increased over time, though, as WWE's approach to women's wrestling has changed.
Ted DiBiase Buys Sapphire (1990)
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Sensational Sherri and Sapphire were supposed to battle at SummerSlam 1990 in the event's first women's match. Another rivalry came in and swept that bout away, though.
WWE's resident evil rich man, Ted DiBiase, wanted to torment Dusty Rhodes. He did so by purchasing the contract of his polka-dot wearing, dance-happy valet, Sapphire.
That led to Sapphire not showing up for her match. Sherri waited impatiently until she was announced the winner by forfeit.
The women garnered zero actual ring time and had to settle instead for being key figures in a SummerSlam mystery.
DiBiase revealed later that night Sapphire hadn't competed because of him, and seeing his rival and his partner together shook Rhodes, setting him up for an easy loss. The Faustian bargain netted Sapphire jewelry and fur coats and furthered the DiBiase and Rhodes feud.
The Match Made in Heaven (1991)
2 of 7SummerSlam 1991's main event was no in-ring battle; it was an exchanging of vows.
After Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior finished off a trio of Iraqi sympathizers, Miss Elizabeth and Randy Savage's wedding took center stage. It was the only time a WWE wedding hasn't ended in disaster.
It instead ended up being a tribute to two characters many fans deeply cared about.
Savage was the wildman warrior who Elizabeth so often tamed and guided. She was the endearing yin to his unhinged yang. Their nuptials provided the event with heart, even if it was covered in schmaltz. In his book The Squared Circle, David Shoemaker called it "the most famous wedding in WWF history."
This obviously wasn't a showcase for women's wrestling, but after SummerSlam barely involved women for so many years, this was a step up.
Alundra Blayze Holds Off Bull Nakano (1994)
3 of 7Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano was the first women's match in SummerSlam history, ending years of the division being absent from the actual card.
Nakano played the stalking, sadistic heel. She flung the women's champion around by her hair. She tortured her. She smashed her ribs with stiff kicks.
Blayze had to not only deal with her bruiser of a challenger, but Nakano's banshee-like manager, Luna Vachon, interfered as well.
In a classic power-versus-speed match, Blayze made a compelling comeback to take down the blue-haired Goliath.
She and Nakano tremendously represented women's wrestling. This was a standout match on a big stage, a statement about what women could accomplish between the ropes.
Unfortunately, it was a statement WWE didn't hear at the time. As John Canton wrote for TJR Wrestling: "A little over a year after this, Blayze went back to WCW because she realized WWE wasn't serious about women's wrestling."
The women's division largely faded not long after this match, as the company ignored the momentum these rivals created at SummerSlam.
Chyna Wins the Intercontinental Championship (2000)
4 of 7The mold-breaking, testicle-punching Chyna captured gold at SummerSlam 2000. And while the match itself was no thriller, her victory stands out as a historic moment.
The woman Eddie Guerrero called his "mamacita" took on intercontinental champion Val Venis and Trish Stratus in mixed-tag action. The rules of the match stated that should Guerrero or Chyna win, whoever earned the decisive fall would be the next intercontinental champ.
After just over seven minutes of action, Chyna slammed Stratus to the canvas and pinned her to claim her second IC title.
She remains the only woman to win that title. And her triumph continued a tradition of the belt being raised in the air by a new champion at SummerSlam. Steve Austin, Kerry Von Erick, The British Bulldog and others had won the gold at this event before her.
It's fitting that she stands alongside those names in history. WWE often didn't know what to do with Chyna, so she was often forced to storm into the dominion of the men.
Beth Phoenix Outlasts 11 Opponents (2007)
5 of 7Women's wrestling barely made a blip at SummerSlam in the '00s. In fact, between 2002 and 2006, there were no women's matches at the PPV.
So even if the women's division was far from deep or high-quality in 2007, seeing Beth Phoenix claim victory in New Jersey was a welcome sight.
Women's champ Candice Michelle watched on at ringside in a feather-adorned chair to see who would emerge from this SummerSlam Battle Royal as the No. 1 contender to her title.
This was a disappointing bout, a normal occurrence for the era. Sloppy work and women bumping into each other hurt the drama. Still, Phoenix blasting her way past Michelle McCool and Torrie Wilson was key for her career.
Phoenix introduced herself to the WWE world that night, emerging as a newcomer powerhouse seemingly looking ready to take the division to new heights.
WWE never fully tapped into her potential. She always lacked quality rivals and prime opportunities. That was evident by the company sticking her with comedy act, Santino Marella, the next year and relegating her to pre-show status at SummerSlam 2009.
Nikki Bella Betrays Her Sister (2014)
6 of 7The most effort WWE put into building and showcasing a women's match at SummerSlam strangely enough was between one of the division's weaker workers in Brie Bella and a non-wrestler in Stephanie McMahon.
For once, a women's bout had a substantial story. Brie grew angry with her iron-fisted boss' treatment of Brie's husband, Daniel Bryan. The threat of assault charges, a battle for Brie's job and the liberal use of the word "bitch" colored their tale.
McMahon was a revelation leading up to and during the bout. A new level of viciousness emerged from her. Her character clicked like never before.
Uproxx columnist Brandon Stroud wrote (NSFW language): "The best thing to happen in 2014 is Stephanie McMahon's brain firing in the right places and awakening her dormant Mr. McMahon genes."
And at SummerSlam, when it looked like Brie's twin sister Nikki would take down McMahon with her, Nikki clubbed Brie to the mat. McMahon pounced and earned the easy win.
McMahon's role in the women's revolution is often overstated, but the success of this match and overall story was a significant step in the journey of women's wrestling.
Charlotte Flair Reclaims the Throne (2016)
7 of 7Flair vs. Banks at SummerSlam 2016 was proof of the vast progress women's wrestling has made at WWE.
At the first SummerSlam, Miss Elizabeth using her bare legs to mystify two men was the height of women's contribution to the event. In the years to come, women's title matches were rare at the PPV. Match time was sparse.
Not here. Flair and Banks' claws-out, crash-and-burn collision went on for nearly 14 minutes.
The women were dead-set on putting themselves and the division on the map, even if their breakneck approach left them hobbled. Flair dumped The Boss on her head from the top rope. The rivals flew at each other with little regard for themselves.
As Rich Kraetsch of Voices of Wrestling wrote of the bout, "This was the most dangerous women's match in WWE history. There was a real fight feel that rarely ever comes from this division."
Thanks to its intensity and urgency, it was also easily the best women's match at SummerSlam ever.
Flair seized back her title by reversing the Bank Statement and pinning Banks to the mat. She and Banks walked away from this bout having further blazed a trail for women's wrestling, making it clear that WWE needs to continue making room for women at SummerSlam in the years ahead.
