WWE SummerSlam: 7 Most Memorable Moments in Event's History

At its best, WWE SummerSlam has left fans wide-eyed or with lumps in their throats.

The show has been the site for some of WWE's most stirring championship victories and unbelievable daredevil acts. The pay-per-view's history is also rich with moments that marked the beginning of Superstars' rises or key chapters in their stories.

The British Bulldog's career peak, the first major triumph of The Ultimate Warrior and the genesis of The Authority all rank among SummerSlam's biggest and most memorable moments.

From the PPV's inception in 1988 to its strong recent showings in the 2010s, SummerSlam has had no shortage of emotional and eye-catching images. The following is a look at the very best of those.

Its impact on WWE history and its thrill of the action determined which SummerSlam moment came out on top.

Honorable Mention

• Shane McMahon leaps off tower (2000)
• Jeff Hardy soars from a ladder (2009)

Major risks equaled breathtaking visuals in two SummerSlam spots nine years apart.

McMahon built his career on daredevil moments, making up for his lack of in-ring acumen by being willing to do anything to get a reaction. In a battle with Steve Blackman, he added one of his most stunning leaps of faith to his resume.

He climbed up a tower that was part of the SummerSlam set to avoid Blackman's blows. At an extremely high point in the climb, though, a whack of a Kendo stick knocked him off the structure. McMahon then dropped an incredible distance.

Hardy didn't get quite that amount of air but still made his mark by way of a downward flight.

Up against CM Punk, he climbed a ladder and hit a stunning Senton Bomb that broke the table under both men. It is one of the spots WWE replays again and again when looking back at SummerSlam. 

In both cases, the danger of these falls shocked fans, but neither created the emotional resonance or impact on history of the moments higher on the list.

7. Owen Hart Breaks Steve Austin's Neck (1997)

A miscalculation made Owen Hart and Steve Austin's tussle over the Intercontinental Championship in 1997 unforgettable in the most uncomfortable way.

This was no great match or tremendous feat of storytelling; a man broke his neck on live TV.

Austin attempted a Tombstone Piledriver, but Hart countered it, delivering his own version of the move. Something went wrong, however.

Hart drove Austin's head into the mat, leaving his foe temporarily unable to move his limbs.

Dr. Henry H. Bohlman told USA Today, "He was a paraplegic for about a minute. The film of the bout is frightening. He couldn't stand. I think it's a wonder he wasn't quadriplegic or dead on the spot."

Austin hurried back to the ring after the injury, but it eventually caught with him. He had to have neck fusion surgery in 1999 and later retired from wrestling in 2003.

The brutal nature of the injury alone makes this moment hard to shake. How it affected Austin's career greatly adds to its significance. The sight of Austin struggling to move on the mat will outlive anything else that happened that night.

6. Shawn Michaels Returns to the Ring (2002)

The Shawn Micheals story did not end in 1998, as it first appeared that it would.

A back injury forced Michaels into early retirement, but he fought his way back into the ring. SummerSlam 2002 served as his return to WWE and a launchpad for a stellar second leg of his career.

Fans didn't know what to expect of The Heartbreak Kid when he faced his former best friend Triple H in an unsanctioned match. But in his showdown with Triple H, Michaels didn't look like a man four years removed from wrestling. He didn't look like the pre-retirement Michaels who could barely take a bump without writhing in pain.

At SummerSlam, Michaels was tremendous.

He and Triple H delivered a bloody, savage, dramatic match. And The Game's post-bout attack only amplified the impact of the action. Brian Josephs of Complex wrote, "The image of a bloodied, demented Triple H leaving the ring as medics tended to Shawn Michaels is one of SummerSlam's most frightening moments ever."

As Michaels went on to produce classic after classic following this bout, that first entry back into the squared circle became a more significant point in his Hall of Fame career.

5. Ultimate Warrior Ends the Honky Tonk Man's Historic Reign (1988)

It didn't take Ultimate Warrior and The Honky Tonk Man long to make an indelible mark on SummerSlam history. Their battle for the Intercontinental Championship lasted just 31 seconds.

Rarely, though, has there been such a hot crowd.

The Honky Tonk Man had reigned as IC champ for a record 454 days, per WWE.com.  It felt like no one would beat him by that point. The villain would keep on cheating and sneaking his way to wins.

He issued an open challenge at SummerSlam, and at first it looked as if no one would answer. Then came Ultimate Warrior charging down the entrance ramp.

That stunningly quick win not only put a stop to a record reign, but it also launched a megastar. Ultimate Warrior would follow this win with a rapid climb up the WWE ladder, eventually headlining WrestleMania and entering the Hall of Fame.

Whenever one thinks back to his career, the image of knocking over The Honky Tonk Man in a flash inevitably pops up.

4. The British Bulldog Prevails in His Home Country (1992)

The climax of SummerSlam 1992 stands out in large part thanks to how much it diverged from the pay-per-view's standard blueprint.

This remains the only SummerSlam that the United Kingdom has hosted. The main event, The British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart, is the only time in event history that the Intercontinental Championship was the center of the night's final bout.

Family drama added to the emotional nature of Davey Boy Smith's win, too. He not only won the IC crown in his home nation, but he did so against his brother-in-law. 

Bret's sister and Smith's wife, Diana, watched on from ringside. That added a dramatic weight that matches like Ultimate Warrior vs. The Honky Tonk Man didn't have. Tears and fireworks capped off a stirring moment.

If only Smith had gone on to play a bigger role after this win, this moment would certainly have ranked higher. 

3. Randy Savage and Elizabeth's Wedding (1991)

Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth pulled in fans like no other WWE couple has. As Luke Winkie wrote for Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard, "Macho Man's on-screen and real-life marriage to Miss Elizabeth is still the most iconic romance in the history of pro wrestling."

Their romance peaked in front of the cameras at SummerSlam. Randy Savage and Elizabeth exchanged vows in a scripted wedding that was surprisingly beautiful and powerful, rather than cheesy.

This was the rare WWE wedding that didn't descend into chaos.

Its uniqueness assured that fans won't ever forget it. It played perfectly on an audience who had seen these two go through storyline ups and downs for years leading up to this. 

2. The Authority Is Born (2013)

Randy Orton flattening Daniel Bryan after the underdog's surprise win over John Cena was the catalyst for both The Authority's rise to power and Bryan's greatest rivalry.

Bryan had just outlasted Cena to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Orton stood nearby with his Money in the Bank briefcase in hand. After Triple H, who was serving as the match's referee, attacked Bryan, Orton pounced and stole Bryan's title.

The roller-coaster moment took fans on an extreme high—seeing the popular babyface seize WWE's top prize —before breaking their hearts with Orton's cash-in. 

Few WWE moments, SummerSlam or otherwise, have made that kind of impact on the audience's emotions.

And this will forever be remembered for what led to the creation of The Authority, a faction that dominated WWE TV for three years. It also set up the long battle between Bryan and Triple H, one that ended in glorious fashion at WrestleMania XXX. 

1. 1st Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match (2000)

The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian at SummerSlam was a series of heart-stopping moments jammed together. The three tag teams executed a series of car-crash-like stunts over the course of the first official Tables, Ladder & Chairs match.

The thrills that the wrestlers generated in the bout made it one of SummerSlam's most memorable. When WWE looks back at the pay-per-view's history, it inevitably shows Edge and Christian pushing Bubba Ray Dudley off a ladder and onto a stack of tables.  

Beyond that, though, the match helped launch each man's career. It built on the Triangle Ladder bout at WrestleMania before it and built toward the WrestleMania TLC rematch that followed it.

The match changed WWE as a whole. Its success helped make the TLC concept commonplace.

Daily DDT columnist Carl Gac wrote, "The TLC match has now gone on to be ingrained in the history of the WWE, if it hadn't been for this match we'd not have seen some of the even more epic stuff it spawned afterwards."

Electric and history-making, the first TLC match has been SummerSlam's most memorable moment to date.