WWE SummerSlam 2015: Biggest Breakout Performances in PPV History

As one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year, SummerSlam is a show that often promises and delivers plenty for fans and stars alike. The rich history of the show has produced performances that will forever be regarded as some of the most influential and important in the company's history, and they've given birth to some huge stars who've gone on to become Hall of Fame members.

Whether it's a bout that gave someone their first major title or a performance that made fans realise that they're a star that can be trusted in the main event scene, there are different kinds of breakout performances.

With WWE readying themselves for another SummerSlam show in August, there is always the possibility of yet more defining and breakout performances for a clutch of talented young stars on the roster.

But as a prelude to that show, here are five of the biggest breakout performances in SummerSlam's history.

The Ultimate Warrior (1988)

Credit: WWE.com

We start way back at the very first edition of SummerSlam, back in 1988.

The Honky Tonk Man was in the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in history at the time. Accompanied to the ring by Jimmy Hart, few expected it to end here.

And when his opponent, Brutus Beefcake, was announced to have withdrawn through injury, even fewer people expected the reign to end.

The big-talking champion told anyone in the back he'd take them on and beat them, but when The Ultimate Warrior's trademark music hit, Madison Square Garden went into meltdown.

And if that reaction was immense, the crowd's response just over 30 seconds later when Warrior had brought that iconic reign to an end was on a whole other level.

Warrior instantly became a big name; this was a time when the IC title was a big deal in WWE and the response from the crowd that night convinced WWE they had a massive star on their hands. He responded in the ring with some incredible matches and, as they say, the rest is history.

Bret Hart (1991)

Credit: WWE.com

It completely took fans' breaths away as they watched on, and Bret Hart's meeting with Mr. Perfect was the bout that truly broke him away as a top star in WWE.

It came at the 1991 edition of SummerSlam, and it will forever be regarded as one of Hart's finest bouts, despite all the great occasions that were to follow (including a year later against The British Bulldog at this very same event).

It was a match that portrayed Hart as a babyface excellently, whilst Perfect's dastardly heel antics also helped to create a hostile dynamic throughout the match. Low blows, interferences and all sorts of other shenanigans played a part in trying to put Hart away, but he kept coming back.

This was a beautifully played out story of one man starting at the bottom of WWE whilst gradually building his way up and establishing a reputation as a guy people genuinely loved to watch and someone they could become interested in. For Hart here, read Daniel Bryan a couple of years ago.

But before all Hart's Hall of Fame noteworthy moments, this was the night where he really became The Hitman. It was his most defining performance and it shaped an incredible career.

Brock Lesnar (2002)

Credit: WWE.com

This particular entry is slightly different to the rest. Lesnar was clearly on the road to stardom by the time SummerSlam 2002 had rolled around and he was the undoubted favorite to beat The Rock and win the WWE Championship.

So why was it a breakout performance? It was an effort that showed Lesnar could wrestle on the biggest stage and it was the first night where he really felt like he could handle the sufficient pressure placed on him.

You only have to go back and scan the promos during Lesnar's first few months in WWE to find that pressure. "The Next Big Thing," "The Beast Incarnate": The nicknames and the gimmicks had built Lesnar up into something that WWE dare not see fail.

But Lesnar shrugged off any worries of him not being able to carry WWE's top prize and mix it with WWE's biggest stars, and he amazingly had the crowd on his side by the time the bout had reached its conclusion.

The inevitable title victory followed at the end of one of Lesnar's standout performances in his career, and he went on to become the dominating force in WWE over the next few years. Without this performance, Lesnar could have very nearly been a major failure: but he delivered.

Randy Orton (2004)

Credit: WWE.com

When Brock Lesnar became the man at the top of WWE, the hunt would have immediately begun for the next big stars to emulate Lesnar's heroics.

And ironically for WWE, their next megastar would produce a huge breakout performance at SummerSlam again, with Randy Orton the man to step up to the plate two years on from Lesnar's big victory. The Legend Killer had crafted an intriguing and unique reputation whilst surging up the card in WWE. When the opportunity arose for someone to challenge Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship, Orton's time had come.

This turned out to be the match of the night, and their contrasting styles provided a fitting and great bout for the top end of a card with as much prestige as SummerSlam.

It felt like the night when Orton arrived as the big man in WWE, and from this performance Orton went on to produce a dominating decade of wrestling. 

Seth Rollins (2014)

Credit: WWE.com

Breakout performances at SummerSlam were few and far between following Randy Orton's success of 2004, but last year's show ensured WWE had another megastar on their hands.

OK, Seth Rollins had already won the Money in the Bank briefcase by the time SummerSlam came about 12 months ago, but he still didn't quite feel like the finished product.

He and Dean Ambrose's feud had produced a match that never really started at Battleground, although the two fought in and around the arena to leave fans salivating over what would happen next. As it turned out, the Lumberjack match they produced was described by commentary as the finest of its type in the history of WWE. And in truth, it can't have been far from the top.

This was wrestling at its most emotive and encapsulating; two men who fans had been waiting for so long to see tussle after that acrimonious split of The Shield, and it certainly managed to deliver.

It may not have been the best match of the night, but that's only because there was good things going on elsewhere on the card. When Rollins' career is reviewed and scrutinised in the years to come though, SummerSlam 2014 will forever be regarded as a pivotal and breakout night in his years with WWE.