10 most memorable moments in Summerslam history

Depending on whom you speak to, Summerslam is generally considered the second most important PPV in the WWE's Calendar behind Wrestlemania. This is slightly surprising considering unlike The Royal Rumble or Survivor Series, the Summerslam event doesn't have any special gimmick matches that help it stand out from the rest. The fact that the modern-day WWE year is now filled with more than one PPV a month, it is essentially down to prestige and careful marketing that we still see the Summer event as a big deal.

Over the years, the show has been used as a way to help young talent make a name for themselves and to allow legends from the past make a comeback. While not holding the prestige of a Wrestlemania, being featured in a big match on the Summerslam card can still do wonders for your career.

Along the way, we have also been treated to some memorable moments that make the biggest party of the summer an essential part of our professional wrestling experience. Here is a look at 10 of the best:

#1 Miss Elizabeth tears off her skirt

The 1980s was a much more innocent time in professional wrestling, especially when it came to the world of kayfabe. Fans who continued watching the product throughout the Attitude Era would have become used to seeing the sexual exploitation of the female roster as well as storylines that wouldn't have been tasteful enough for episodes of Jackass. This was reflected in the kind of female superstars the WWF were embracing in these two-time frames. In 1998 we had Sable and Sunny, and in 1988 we had 'the lovely' Miss Elizabeth.

Elizabeth had been the manager of Macho Man Randy Savage since his debut in the company and offered him the perfect counterweight to his insane and overly aggressive style and personality. When Wrestlemania 4 came around, Savage was ready to lead the company as its champion, taking over from Hogan's first stretch with the title. This also led to the formation of the Mega Powers, a team started by Hogan and Savage as a way to thwart the plans of the evil Million Dollar Man.

This storyline formed the first ever main event of Summerslam, with The Mega Powers taking on Dibiase and his employee Andre the Giant, who called themselves The Mega Bucks. There is perhaps no main event in history with so many important, signature players involved. Not only did we have those four in-ring legends going at it along with Miss Elizabeth on the outside, but we also had an incredible special guest referee for the bout in the form of Jesse Ventura. Talk about a way to end your first biggest party of the summer!

The match ended in memorable fashion, as just when the babyface team were looking beat on the outside, Elizabeth used her cunning to distract Dibiase, Andre and Ventura, who was basically playing the role of crooked referee throughout the match. She stood on the apron and ripped her skirt off to the delight of everybody in attendance. This was enough for Hogan and Savage to rejoin the fray and chalk up a victory over their two foes.

This was relatively tame compared with what we were about to see a decade later, but at the time it was a pretty shocking moment and gave us all a more intimate look at the genius that was Miss Elizabeth.

#2 Shane McMahon falls from the stage set

One title many WWE fans would like the company to bring back is the Hardcore Championship. It fitted the company perfectly throughout the Attitude Era with stars like Foley and Terry Funk leading the way. The concept of the belt was also very novel, with the 24/7 rule meaning anybody could challenge for it at any one time.

In 2000, the belt was held by Steve Blackman, a former MMA and bodybuilder billed as one of the most dangerous men the WWF had ever seen. He ended up losing his championship to Shane McMahon with the help of outside interference leading up to a meeting over the title at Summerslam 2000.

This was essentially a recipe for the extreme to take place. Not only was the Hardcore Championship on the line, but it was being defended by 'The Lethal Weapon' Steve Blackman and a man known for putting his very livelihood on the line in order to elicit a cheer from the audience. It has almost become a signature of Shane's career to see what death defying stunt he is willing to take each time he steps foot in a ring.

This match was no exception. When the two men began to climb the scaffolding that formed part of the stage set, fans knew that the only way was down. From a height which probably surpassed that of a Hell in a Cell, Blackman struck his opponent with a kendo stick and the son and heir to the McMahon fortunes came crashing down onto a table set up on the floor below.

This is one of those stunts that instantly makes any highlight reel when looking back at top Summerslam moments. It's incredible to think that Shane McMahon still wrestles occasionally considering the amount of pain he has put himself through.

#3 The Undertaker returns and chokeslams CM Punk

One of the main objections to the WWE's handling on CM Punk is that even when he held the top championship in the company, he would rarely be featured in the main event of PPVs. During his 434 day reign throughout 2011/12, he had to play second fiddle to guys like John Cena, Brock Lesnar and even John Laurinitus. It certainly wasn't what his fans had in mind for the Straight Edge Superstar.

That being said, back in 2009 the company did the right thing at Summerslam and put his match with Jeff Hardy over the World Heavyweight Championship on last. This was impressive considering the other title match was between John Cena and Randy Orton. Jeff and Punk were having an exceptional rivalry which mixed CM Punk's straight edge lifestyle with Hardy's carefree attitude and well-documented drug use. Their match at Summerslam was probably the signature moment of the whole thing.

The match concluded with Jeff leaping off a giant ladder onto Punk who was laid out on the Spanish announce table. Punk came out the better of the spot and crawled his way to the ladder to retrieve the title. Just as fans were getting ready to pack away and leave the arena, the infamous sound of the Undertaker's music rang around the building.

When the lights came back on, there was The Phenom laying under Punk in the exact same position Jeff had been before. Punk did a brilliant job of looking shocked and frightened and failed to scramble away from the Deadman's clutches.

It was an epic moment owing to its unexpected nature. We knew Jeff was likely to take some time off after this feud, although we didn't know quite how long that would be back then, and we needed somebody like Taker to fill that top role on Smackdown. Taker got up and chokeslammed Punk, firing the starting pistol to their rivalry with lasted much of the remainder of the year.

#4 Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker 'laugh-off'

Speaking of the Undertaker, another one of his unexpected returns came during a rivalry between Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins over the WWE Championship back in 2015. In the closing moments of their match, Undertaker emerged from the darkness to cost Lesnar his opportunity at becoming the champion. The moment had a lot of history behind it, with Lesnar being the first man to defeat The Phenom at Wrestlemania after 21 times of asking.

The next night on RAW, the two started a rivalry so intense that they had to be kept apart from each other by the entire roster. Fans were genuinely split down the middle, still upset at what went down at Mania 30, but wanting to see Lesnar continue his path of destruction.

The stage was set for Summerslam 2015. The pair were no doubt going to main event the show despite a John Cena Vs. Seth Rollins match over the main title also being on the card. The match itself was pretty solid and greatly surpassed the disappointing Wrestlemania match in which Taker suffered a concussion early on. The ending was fraught with controversy, however, and ended with a bit of a whimper considering the amount of energy that had been put into the feud going into it.

There was one moment, however, that will forever remain in the memories of WWE fans. As the two men were laying on their backs in the middle of the ring, Brock sat up in a way reminiscent of what Undertaker normally does following a big move from his opponent, and started laughing at the Deadman. Taker then followed suit and stared into the eyes of the Beast and began a laugh of his own.

It's difficult to work out how one felt when it happened. On the one hand, it was a moment filled with emotion and drama, but it was also really quite silly and over the top. It's almost as if the pair just strayed too far over the line and turned the epic into the hilarious. The moment led to many comical memes throughout the rest of the year and pretty much summed up our feelings towards Summerslam 2015 in general. We appreciated the effort, but the execution wasn't quite what it needed to be.

#5 Bubba Ray Dudley falls through three tables

undoubtedly one of the most memorable matches in Summerslam history is the first ever TLC (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) match involving Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz and The Dudleys. We all knew what the three teams were capable of having watched their iconic ladder match at Wrestlemania 2000, but the six men somehow managed to raise the bar even higher at Summerslam.

The feud involving the teams lasted over two years and put tag-team wrestling very much back on the map as far as WWE was concerned. Edge and Christian came away with the victory at Summerslam, but the result was almost irrelevant. When we think back to this match, and the ladder matches at Mania 16 and 17 either side of it, we rarely think about who won and instead concentrate on many of the great spots involved.

It is difficult to pick out just one moment from this match. In fact, you could probably put all the spots together in a top 10 list of their own. One moment that does stick out, however, is the triple table incident involving Bubba Ray Dudley.

Just as Bubba was atop the ladder, looking like he was about to win the match for his team, fans were instantly reminded that to the left of the screen, three tables had been placed on top of each other. We all knew something big was going to happen concerning them, and the minute Edge and Christian began pushing the ladder over, we knew who would be taking the bump.

Dudley came crashing down, breaking through the top two tables to the sound of JR screaming 'OH MY GOD' at the top of his voice. This almost summed up the carnage that became a staple of the Attitude Era programming for the WWF and gave us so much respect for all six men involved.

#6 Paul Bearer turns on The Undertaker

The Undertaker's popularity throughout the first few years of his career was enough for Vince to turn the man from the dark side into a babyface. Taker took to his new role brilliantly, but the same couldn't really be said for Paul Bearer. His look and general demeanour made him much more suited to being a heel and a split between the two men felt almost inevitable.

In 1996, Mick Foley made his debut with the company as Mankind. He was immediately thrown at Taker and began costing him signature matches. Taker retaliated and the pair ended up meeting at the 1996 Summerslam show in a 'Boiler Room Brawl' match. This played off the concept of Mankind living in the boiler rooms of the different arenas the company filmed from. The idea of the match was to make it back to the ring and retrieve the urn from Paul Bearer.

After an action packed fight took place backstage, Taker made it to the ring and had his hands out stretched, ready for Bearer to give him the urn and declare him the winner. Then, to the shock of everybody watching, Bearer smashed the urn over Taker's head, turning heel and aligning himself with Mankind. It was a pretty important moment for Undertaker's career going forward, as he had clearly out grown his manager by this point and needed to be set free to pursue the WWF Championship down the road.

It was also the perfect double cross and helped expand Paul Bearer's influence over the company. He secured the services of Mankind, Vader, and The Executioner before starting the iconic rivalry between Kane and Undertaker throughout most of 1998. In a way, this was the starting pistol for the Taker's climb to the top of the company.

#7 Owen Hart breaks Stone Cold's neck

It might seem strange to call a man breaking his neck one of the best moments in Summerslam history, but with the benefit of hindsight, this proved to be a monumental turning point for the WWF and actually saved them from the brink of extinction.

1997, while a good year in terms of onscreen action, was a low point for Vince's company in terms of ratings and revenue. WCW and the NWO were still beating them each week on Monday nights, and if things hadn't have turned around by the end of that year, there might not have been a Summerslam 2017 card to look forward to.

If anyone was going to emerge as the company's saviour it was Stone Cold Steve Austin. He had recently turned face in one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time and was now facing Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship at Summerslam 1997. This was supposed to be just another stepping stone for the rattlesnake that would eventually lead to his main event status further down the road. Instead, the match almost ended in disastrous circumstances for the company.

After a botched piledriver from Owen, Stone Cold suffered a broken neck and was left almost immobilised on the canvas. Owen did his best to buy some time, but the sheer determination of Austin thankfully came through in the end. He managed to roll Owen up, in what must have caused him excruciating pain and earned himself the IC title.

Austin simply had to finish this match in the way it was intended. If he had been carried off on a stretcher, it would have seriously damaged his reputation as the baddest SOB in the WWF and shown too much vulnerability to a man tipped to become the biggest wrestling icon in the world.

It really is difficult to quantify how important Austin's victory was here, and the sight of him stumbling to the back stage area, rather than being carried by paramedics let us all know what kind of a competitor the man was.

#8 Ultimate Warrior wins the IC Title

Another history making IC title match at Summerslam came in 1988 in the very first edition of the event. The match was not a technical masterpiece and barely lasted a few minutes, but it did help launch the career of one of WWE's greatest ever performers.

The IC title had been held by The Honky Tonk Man which, to this day, still stands as the longest reign in the company's history. The belt was not originally supposed to be defended on the show, but considering how long Honky Tonk Man had held it for, he marched down to the ring with his manager Jimmy Hart and arrogantly issued an open challenge to anyone on the roster.

Just as it looked like nobody would answer the challenge, out came The Ultimate Warrior who squashed the Elvis impersonator in a matter of seconds to become the new champion. You could really tell how over the Warrior was at this time. Nobody in the company, apart from Hogan, was able to elicit such a reaction. Vince must have been sitting backstage planning the ultimate showdown between his two top babyfaces at some point in the future.

The match was also a great way to introduce Warrior to the general fan. The way the bout went down was a perfect example of the kind of star he would later become. He was not gifted with athletic ability but his energy and passion won people over instantly. In a way, it was a precursor the kind of stuff Goldberg would be doing with WCW several years later.

Warrior's victory here allowed the WWF to expand its roster further than just Hulkamania. In the same event, the new WWF Champion Randy Savage would be headlining the show, and with Warrior's addition, the company moved into a global juggernaut for the rest of the 80s and early 90s.

#9 Triple H turns heel on Daniel Bryan

One of the better-written stories of the WWE's PG era was Daniel Bryan's battle with the Authority. The feud mirrored reality, as Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Randy Orton spent the year doing everything they could to prevent Bryan from becoming a main event talent. Many people believed that the WWE machine was not willing to have such a small, unconventionally looking independent star as their main champion, which made the dynamics of the feud work so well.

The ball was set in motion when John Cena chose Daniel Bryan as his opponent for Summerslam 2013. Vince McMahon had originally stepped in and made his thoughts known about the idea of Bryan as champion. In an attempt to convince her father to accept the match, Stephanie and Triple H stepped in and tried to ease things along. Triple H was announced as the special guest referee in an attempt to keep the match fair.

After a very solid match between the two, Daniel Bryan caused a small upset victory over Cena to become the new WWE champion. As the confetti was falling down around him, Randy Orton came to ringside holding his Money in the Bank briefcase. Bryan was initially keen to face Orton, and just as the Viper was stepping away, Triple H turned the YES man around and gave him a pedigree.

Orton then slithered into the ring and took the dreams away from all the Daniel Bryan fans in attendance. Now, it was not just Vince that Bryan had to overcome, it was the entire McMahon family. Triple H and Stephanie formed a new alliance known as The Authority which lasted for a further two years.

#10 British Bulldog becomes the home town hero

For many of the older fans amongst us, the greatest Summerslam of all time is Summerslam 1992 from Wembley Stadium, London. The card was built around the fact that an emerging British star was going to be facing the Hitman Bret Hart, who just happened to be his brother in law, for the Intercontinental Championship.

The match was enough to make the main event of the show. The Ultimate Warrior would be taking on Randy Savage for the WWF Championship, but they couldn't have had such a signature moment not close out the event.

The British Bulldog, a former tag-team champion who was slowly becoming a top single's star, was given the opportunity to represent his country in what was seen, even back then, as the biggest wrestling company in the world. As you'd expect, the match was a textbook display of professional wrestling and the crowd were immersed in the action from start to finish.

When Bulldog finally pinned Bret for the victory, the stadium exploded in joy and a new British hero was born. Perhaps coming from the UK, as I do, placing this match at the top of the list is highly biased, but if this was just a UK-only moment, it wouldn't have stood the test of time that it has. Bulldog is someone the company doesn't like to talk about very much considering his questionable lifestyle outside of the ropes, but whenever we remember great Summerslam moments, this always features on people's lists.

Again, it might just be patriotic bias to say this, but the WWE really ought to consider hosting another big four PPV in the UK, as they know they are guaranteed to sell out within minutes. It's just a shame that we no longer have a champion of the calibre of The British Bulldog to get behind.

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