SummerSlam: 10 Times WWE Got The Main Event Wrong (And What It Should’ve Been Instead)

The first SummerSlam event took place all the way back in 1988. Ever since then, ‘The Biggest Party of the Summer’ has stood tall as one of WWE’s marquee events. Alongside WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, the show has helped define what a ‘big four PPV’ should look and feel like – big money matches, red-hot crowds and feuds that lead to a satisfying finale in the main event.

RELATED: WWE SummerSlam: The Full History

But, as with everything in life, there’ve been a few exceptions over the years. Whether due to poor booking, feuds dragging way too long or matches that simply had no business closing one of WWE’s biggest shows of the entire year. In this article, I’ll look back at 10 times the company got the main event of SummerSlam wrong and offer an alternative. Enjoy!

1. SummerSlam 1989 (Main Event: Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake Vs. Randy Savage & Zeus)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Randy Savage Vs. Hulk Hogan

In 1989, the WWF was riding high on the back of one of its most compelling storylines ever: the implosion of the Mega Powers. ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan headlined WrestleMania 5 in an explosive WWF Championship matchup that The Hulkster won, but I think it’s safe to say the feud still had legs. With Hogan and Savage battling over the title AND Miss Elizabeth, there was a lot of gas left in the tank. Between Savage’s heel turn in February 1989 and WrestleMania 5, his title defenses against Ultimate Warrior on the house show circuit drew massive business, proving Savage had major drawing power as a heel champion., So, in my opinion, it made zero sense to shove it aside for a cartoonish storyline between Hogan and Zeus.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1989

Finding a way to keep the belt on Savage at WrestleMania would be the biggest roadblock here, since there’s no way Hogan would’ve done the job and a no-contest in the main event of ‘Mania sounds lame. But if that’s the only solution, so be it. Have Elizabeth return to ringside after the referee sent her to the back, and she would eventually get knocked down by Savage (giving him even more heat) shortly before the match got called off when Savage hit Hogan with the belt or something like that. Hogan can still drop the big leg and pose after the bell to avoid political drama, but the point is Savage keeps the title!! Then, during the build to SummerSlam, Savage introduces Sensational Sherri as his new valet, leading to an emotional (and lucrative!) SummerSlam main event rather than making it a glorified ad for No Holds Barred.

Hogan finally goes over at SummerSlam, and Savage goes on to beat Jim Duggan for the king crown to get some of his heat back. Hogan can feud with Zeus in the fall if that is indeed a thing that MUST happen…

2. SummerSlam 1990 (Main Event: The Ultimate Warrior Vs. Rick Rude)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: The Ultimate Warrior Vs. Mr. Perfect

I’m a big Rick Rude fan, so this one’s tough. Not only did Rude deserve a WWF Title program, but he was one of the few wrestlers who actually had great chemistry with The Ultimate Warrior. But the fact is the Warrior/Rude feud peaked in 1989, over the Intercontinental Championship. As good as Rude was, Warrior needed a fresh challenger to start his world title reign, not a rerun. To me, Mr. Perfect had everything to be that fresh challenger, especially if he hadn’t lost to Brutus Beefcake at WrestleMania 6 and kept his ‘perfect’ undefeated streak intact.

I would’ve closed SummerSlam 1990 with Warrior finally breaking Perfect’s streak. Personally, I believe it would’ve been a much bigger deal than Warrior scoring yet another win over Rick Rude. Then, Perfect could easily bounce back from his first loss by winning the Intercontinental Championship from either The Texas Tornado or Tito Santana shortly after SummerSlam.

3. SummerSlam 1991 (Main Event: Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior Vs. Triangle Of Terror)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior Vs. Jake Roberts & The Undertaker

By the time SummerSlam 1991 rolled around, Sgt. Slaughter’s “Iraqi sympathizer” gimmick had run completely out of gas. It was controversial from the very beginning, but at least it drew real heat in early 1991. When Slaughter beat Ultimate Warrior for the WWF Championship at the Royal Rumble, the fans were legitimately angry. But the heat wasn’t the same by the time WrestleMania 7 arrived, much less at SummerSlam. The storyline should’ve ended right after Slaughter dropped the strap to Hogan at ‘Mania. But that’s not what happened, with the company extending the program until the main event of SummerSlam, where Hogan and Ultimate Warrior teamed up to battle Slaughter and his Triangle of Terror in a two-on-three handicap bout. There’s no other way to say it – it was the wrong call.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1991

Jake Roberts & The Undertaker were two fresher and hotter heels who could’ve faced Hogan & Warrior instead. Jake ‘The Snake’ had just turned heel and started a storyline with Warrior, terrorizing him with snakes and psychological mind games. Meanwhile, Undertaker was still in his first year with the World Wrestling Federation, and he was about to enter the main event picture. Pairing those two together gives you an evil dream team with genuine aura and credibility to take on the WWF’s biggest stars. Not only that, but this can set up Hogan vs Undertaker for the fall as well as Roberts vs Undertaker at the next WrestleMania, with a miscommunication spot causing them to lose here. And Sid Justice can still be the special guest referee if Vince McMahon insists on shoehorning him in.

This way, Roberts gets at least one big fat PPV main event paycheck during his awesome 1991-1992 heel run, and Sid can replace the departing Warrior as Hogan’s partner in tag matches on house shows going forward. Everyone wins!

4. SummerSlam 1994 (Main Event: The Undertaker Vs. ‘The Undertaker’)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart

This one’s pretty obvious. Sure, Undertaker vs Underfaker was classic early 1990s WWF nonsense, and it had SOME novelty value, but come on… WWF decided to close SummerSlam 1994 with a B-movie plot involving lookalikes when they had one of the most emotionally intense and realistic rivalries in company history RIGHT THERE! The drama between Bret Hart and Owen Hart had been building since Survivor Series 1993, and exploded at WrestleMania 10 when Owen pinned Bret clean in the opener, yet still ended the show in his brother’s “shadow” after The Hitman won the WWF Championship.

The storyline intensified when Owen won the King of the Ring and started calling himself ‘The King of Harts’ which led to a steel cage match at SummerSlam. Their feud had all the heat in the world and the Hart brothers delivered masterpieces every single time they wrestled each other, but it still wasn’t enough. Unlike the previous entries, SummerSlam 1994 doesn’t need any fantasy booking scenario – have Undertaker beat his impersonator earlier and just put the real main event in the main event slot!

5. SummerSlam 1995 (Main Event: Diesel Vs. King Mabel)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Diesel Vs. The British Bulldog

Now here’s a SummerSlam that does need a fantasy booking scenario… desperately! 1995: the year Vince McMahon decided to go all in on Mabel. King Mabel in the main event of SummerSlam fighting for the WWF Championship. Good lord. At first, I thought about simply putting the IC Title Ladder Match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon in the main event, but – even though there weren’t much better options – I just don’t see the WWF doing that at the time. So f*ck it, I’ll just change the WWF Title scene. In my opinion, the obvious replacement is The British Bulldog.

He was about to turn heel and challenge Diesel for the belt anyway, so might as well pull the trigger a few months earlier. Have Davey Boy win the 1995 King of the Ring instead of Mabel, start teasing his attitude shift around June or July, and have him challenge Diesel for the WWF Title in the main event of SummerSlam. Is this a fantastic idea that would’ve saved 1995? Absolutely not, that year was a dumpster fire. But at least Bulldog was a credible name and had already main evented SummerSlam. Plus, Kevin Nash’s back would be thankful…

6. SummerSlam 1999 (Main Event: Steve Austin Vs. Triple H Vs. Mankind)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Steve Austin Vs. The Undertaker

In August 1999, Triple H was clearly being groomed for the top spot. However, Mankind was added to the WWF Title match at SummerSlam and randomly won the title just to lose it to Triple H the next night on Raw. The triple threat bout was far from a bad main event, don’t get me wrong. But the whole thing felt awkward and underwhelming, with Jesse Ventura being involved because SummerSlam was taking place in Minnesota that year. He was there for the Governor photo op, not because it made sense.

Meanwhile, one month earlier, Stone Cold and The Undertaker had headlined Fully Loaded in an intense First Blood match with real stakes – if ‘Taker lost, Vince McMahon would have to “leave” his own company. That would’ve been the perfect scenario for Jesse Ventura to step in as the special guest referee. He could’ve stood tall as the “man of the people” keeping the heels in check, and Jesse punching McMahon after the match would’ve been the cherry on top. So here’s the fix: have the main event of Fully Loaded at SummerSlam. Austin retains the title and Triple H can become the next WWF Champion at Unforgiven.

7. SummerSlam 2001 (Main Event: Booker T Vs. The Rock)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Steve Austin Vs. Kurt Angle

SummerSlam 2001 was a great show that took place during the controversial invasion angle. Nothing against Booker T or The Rock, who delivered an entertaining bout in the main event, but the decision to have the WCW Championship match in the main event of SummerSlam was… odd. Plus, it was obvious the company didn’t see Booker as a main eventer, he just happened to be in that position because he was the WCW Champion when World Championship Wrestling closed its doors. No problem with the WCW Title closing SummerSlam, either. If it was a LEGIT WCW match for the title, like Sting vs Goldberg, that would’ve been one thing.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 2001

But having WWF megastar The Rock win the WCW Title in what was essentially a placeholder feud for the returning Rock felt weird – as fun as the match was, I repeat! In kayfabe, it made no sense for the WWF to put the WCW Championship in the main event slot. Putting the WWF Title match in the semi-main slot undercut the significance of the WWF Championship, and in the context of the invasion angle, it sent the wrong message about which title really mattered. Steve Austin and Kurt Angle were involved in a hotter storyline over the World Wrestling Federation Championship, so that would’ve been my SummerSlam 2001 main event, even with the DQ finish.

8. SummerSlam 2011 (Main Event: CM Punk Vs. John Cena)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Christian Vs. Randy Orton

Calling CM Punk vs John Cena a wrong main event sounds stupid, I know. But let me explain! Punk was the hottest wrestler in the company, fresh off the Pipebomb, the famous win over John Cena at Money in the Bank, and the storyline walkout that had fans wondering if he’d really walk away with the belt. But then, WWE killed the whole angle in just two weeks: the WWE Title was “vacated” after Punk walked out, and they simply booked a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion. Why was Vince McMahon THAT worried during the build-up, then? John Cena won, and then CM Punk (just two weeks after Money in the Bank, mind you) came back to challenge Cena for a champion vs champion match at SummerSlam.

The match was very good, but the whole thing felt rushed and WWE should’ve let the story breathe. Meanwhile, over on SmackDown, Randy Orton and Christian were having a tremendous rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship. Their no holds barred match at SummerSlam was awesome, and honestly they deserved to main event SummerSlam – it was the perfect way to cap off their feud. I know keeping the red-hot CM Punk off the card at SUMMERSLAM is a risky decision, but it would’ve respected the story that was told heading into Money in the Bank.

9. SummerSlam 2012 (Main Event: Brock Lesnar Vs. Triple H)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: CM Punk Vs. Brock Lesnar

Let’s not sugarcoat it: WWE got the main event of SummerSlam 2012 wrong. Sure, Brock Lesnar vs Triple H sounds epic on paper – two huge stars colliding on PPV for the first time ever. But let’s be honest, did it truly feel like a big deal? There was nothing technically wrong with this match, but the emotion just wasn’t there, and it clearly meant more to the people backstage than the ones in the audience. At the same time, CM Punk had been WWE Champion for 273 days yet and had only main evented a PPV once during that reign!

In a better world, Lesnar vs Triple H doesn’t happen – at least not so soon after Lesnar’s WWE return. After destroying John Cena at Extreme Rules 2012, Brock Lesnar sets his sights on Punk’s title. He can say the title loss to Eddie Guerrero back at No Way Out 2004 (thanks to Goldberg’s interference) made his life miserable and caused him to leave WWE. CM Punk had just turned heel after attacking The Rock on Raw 1000, who had a guaranteed title shot at Royal Rumble 2013 like in real life, so both wrestlers would be tweeners heading into SummerSlam 2012.

The difference maker would be the returning Paul Heyman, who’d join forces with CM Punk and help him retain the title, starting their alliance a few weeks earlier. Lesnar’s involvement in the title picture at this time could set up a rematch with The Rock at WrestleMania 29, which would’ve erased Twice in a Lifetime from history. Punk could’ve dropped the strap to Cena in the main event of ‘Mania rather than losing to Rocky at the Rumble. And Triple H? Well… he would’ve been just fine, don’t worry!

10. SummerSlam 2024 (Main Event: Cody Rhodes Vs. Solo Sikoa)

What Should’ve Been The Main Event: Cody Rhodes Vs. Randy Orton

Solo Sikoa has presence, sure. Over the years, he’d grown into a reliable enforcer within The Bloodline, but let’s be real. There’s a massive difference between being a “good hand” and headlining one of the biggest WWE shows of the year. This felt like the company trying to squeeze one more main event out of a Bloodline storyline that just wasn’t as big without Roman Reigns. The main event of last year’s SummerSlam simply didn’t have that big-fight feel because no one saw Solo Sikoa as a legitimate threat.

There was another story that wrote itself and could’ve easily closed out SummerSlam: Cody Rhodes vs Randy Orton. Their history goes all the way back to their Legacy days in the late 2000s, and Orton even caused Cody to “get fired” in September 2013; remember that!? Rhodes and Orton fighting for the Undisputed WWE Championship made all the sense in the world and it could’ve been a phenomenal SummerSlam main event – something that Cody Rhodes vs Solo Sikoa was never going to be.

Thanks for reading. Do you have more ideas? Let me know in the comment section below!