WWE SummerSlam 2016: Most Controversial Moments in PPV's History

Anything can happen in WWE.

The company has sworn by that mantra for over two decades, and it’s served it well. Every show has at least one "OMG" moment—a shocking swerve or a jaw-dropping spot—that trends on Twitter. And SummerSlam—the second-biggest show of the year after WrestleMania—is the prime time for hot controversy.

Some of the moments on this list made fans angry. That’s the understandable outcome of poor booking and questionable creative decisions. Other moments on this list were uneventful in outward appearance, but they were fraught with backstage drama. Fans only learned about the controversy later on.

But whichever the case, every one of these moments got people talking and arguing. Here is our list of the most controversial moments in SummerSlam history.

The Ultimate Warrior Shakes Vince McMahon Down for Money (1991)

By all outward appearances, things were just fine between WWE and The Ultimate Warrior heading into SummerSlam in 1991. But behind the scenes, Warrior was threatening to not show up if he wasn’t paid the $500,000 he believed he was owed.

Vince McMahon paid up to preserve his main event, but he was livid about it. In the WWE-produced documentary The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior, McMahon recalled that, once SummerSlam was over, he “could not wait to fire [Warrior].”

There is some dispute about whether Warrior was suspended or fired outright. Regardless, it led to bad blood, and those hard feelings didn’t dissolve until Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.

Paul Bearer Betrays The Undertaker (1996)

For years, fans assumed that Paul Bearer and The Undertaker were inseparable. Their respective funerary gimmicks were so intertwined, and their chemistry was incomparable.

Bearer was ghoulish and unsettling; Undertaker was corpse-like, ripped and intimidating. With Bearer as the mouthpiece and Taker as the muscle, it was a match made in kayfabe heaven.

But at the climax of Undertaker’s Boiler Room Brawl against Mankind at SummerSlam in 1996, Bearer clocked his protege with an urn and switched sides. Splitting up Bearer and Taker could have been a disaster. Instead, it allowed both characters to grow; the Mankind feud flourished, and the following year, a heel Bearer introduced Kane to WWE.

Shawn Michaels Throws a Temper Tantrum at Vader (1996)

Shawn Michaels vs. Vader was a fairly uneventful main event at SummerSlam in 1996. But upon closer inspection, there was tension bubbling near the surface.

Vader had a reputation for working stiff, whereas Michaels was used to people protecting him. The two did not get along, and Michaels would threaten Vader with backstage politics. During the match, you could see an example of their mutual tension; HBK went for an elbow drop off the top rope, and when Vader did not move like he was supposed to, Michaels screamed at him while kicking him in the head.

Jim Cornette, who was managing Vader at the time, discussed this incident in an interview (Warning: video contains NSFW language), deriding Michaels as unprofessional.

Owen Hart Breaks Steve Austin’s Neck (1997)

This is why no one in WWE performs a piledriver anymore.

Owen Hart, one of the most technically gifted wrestlers to ever work for the company, was wrestling Steve Austin in an Intercontinental Championship match when he botched the move. Austin’s head landed directly on the canvas, breaking his neck.

Somehow, Austin and Hart managed to finish the match (albeit awkwardly), but this was the beginning of the end for Austin’s career. He changed his entire in-ring style to be gentler on his body, but eventually, the injuries began piling up. His fused neck became unsalvageable, even after surgery, and he retired in 2003.

Triple H Beats Up Eugene (2004)

Triple H is respectable these days, with his shaved head and business suits. And as the executive vice president of talent and the founder of NXT, there’s probably some past storylines he wishes he wasn’t a part of.

Those include the time he accused Kane of killing Katie Vick and having sex with her corpse, the time he drugged Stephanie McMahon and forced her to marry him and the feud that saw Triple H beat up a mentally disabled character named Eugene.

That actually happened. The Eugene character was offensive by itself, but putting him in a match against The Game was unbelievable, especially when juxtaposed to WWE’s anti-bullying initiative.

Mercifully, this match was the end of the feud, but it remains a controversial lowlight in Triple H’s incredible career.

Shawn Michaels Oversells Hulk Hogan (2005)

Without context, this match was bizarre to watch. Whenever Hulk Hogan hit Shawn Michaels, The Heartbreak Kid went flying in hyperbolic fashion. It was jarring and comical; half of the match’s appeal was seeing what over-the-top move he would pull out next.

The story behind the match is even more interesting. Hogan was too “injured” to feud over a series of matches. And when Michaels learned that he would only have one match against Hogan and that he was going to lose that contest, Michaels decided to turn the entire main event into a joke.

“That was something I did just for my own enjoyment,” Michaels later said in a shoot. “That isn’t right. That isn’t professional. But it is the truth.”

Hulk Hogan Buries Randy Orton (2006)

Here’s another Hogan victory that was criticized at the time. Hogan was a part-time wrestler, dropping in for one-off feuds before disappearing again for several months.

So when Hogan was booked against Orton at SummerSlam in 2006, most fans assumed Orton would be going over; The Viper had been pegged as the future of the company. Instead, Hogan won, and then he disappeared. He not only took all of the buzz from the victory with him, but he also denied Orton a rematch to redeem himself. And for what? To promote Hogan Knows Best?

At 26, perhaps Orton was a little young. Perhaps Vince McMahon was still mad about Orton’s recent 60-day suspension. Regardless, this result makes little sense in hindsight.

Triple H Blindsides Daniel Bryan (2013)

This was heart-wrenching to watch live.

Daniel Bryan, after beating John Cena to clinch the WWE Championship at SummerSlam in 2013, was hit with a Pedigree in the center of the ring by Triple H. Randy Orton then jumped into the squared circle, Money in the Bank briefcase in hand, and pinned Bryan in eight seconds. The confetti had barely finished falling from the ceiling, and Bryan was right back where he started.

This would have been fine if WWE Creative had devised big plans for Bryan going forward. But it hadn’t. Bryan was banished to the upper midcard, and he was originally slated to face Sheamus at WrestleMania XXX. It was only due to fan backlash that WWE changed its plans and placed him back in title contention.

Undertaker Hits Brock Lesnar with a Low Blow (2015)

In this WrestleMania XXX rematch, Undertaker emerged as the winner, but it was not without controversy.

Earlier in the match, Undertaker tapped out to a kimura lock, which the referee did not see. Lesnar, thinking he had won the match, released the hold. While the referee was arguing with The Beast's advocate, Paul Heyman, Undertaker snuck in a low blow and followed it with Hell’s Gate. Lesnar passed out, and Undertaker won the match.

Really? Was WWE attempting a heel turn this late in The Deadman’s career? All of it—the tapping out and low blow—was out of character for Undertaker and seemed beneath an iconic wrestler of his stature.