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WWE will head to Brooklyn, NY in two weeks from now in the Barclays Center to host the thirty-first edition of WWE SummerSlam.
While the match-card may be advertising talented superstars from both the brands, the creative team has failed to entice the audience, as of late.SmackDown Live seems to be having the upper hand as far as pacy storytelling is concerned with some legitimate feuds between superstars.
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Since SummerSlam is treated as the second biggest show of the year, it carries a lot of significance, both in and out of the squared circle. The biggest party of the summer is widely recognized as a show where the creative team takes the most possible risks, with the hope of delivering something special.
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With these special risky moments, the company has been able to shake the core of their foundations and altered the landscape of their own business. So without further ado, let's dive deep and see the top SummerSlam moments that changed the landscape of WWE forever.
#5 Finn Balor becomes the First-Ever Universal Champion on his debut PPV - SummerSlam 2016
There was a time when Finn Balor was a potential main-event threat and was being seriously considered to replace Roman Reigns as the next big thing in WWE.
After the Big Dog was suspended due to failing a drug test, multiple reports suggested that the company has moved on from the 2015 Royal Rumble winner, and could be looking for some potential replacements to be the face of the company.
Enter the longest-reigning NXT Champion. Finn Balor's debut on Monday Night Raw was a sensational one, with the Extraordinary man defeating Roman Reigns clean in the main event, thus, qualifying to face Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship.
Considering how the NXT superstar rose to the occasion, overcoming the Big Dog certainly felt like a massive push was on the cards. The Demon King went on to defeat the Architect at the biggest party of the summer and became the First-Ever Universal Champion.
Imagining a guy of his stature defeating two-third of the Shield, on different occasions stated that WWE has definitely embraced the notion of talent over physical agility.
While he suffered a dreadful shoulder injury that night at the Barclays Center, there's no denying that history can never write off that he was the guy WWE chose over Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
#4The Next Big Thing arrives in WWE - SummerSlam 2002
Brock Lesnar's arrival in the WWE instantly elevated his position in the company, with Vince McMahon genuinely impressed by his physical stature and athletic ability.
The Beast Incarnate became an instant success in the 'Ruthless Aggression Era', and was pushed to the moon in his initial run with the company.
A more noteworthy accomplishment of Lesnar was his clash with the Rock, one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time, and Lesnar went to SummerSlam with an undeniable hunger to conquer Attitude Era's biggest superstar.
With the Rock enacting a brilliant role, the Great One sells the match like no other and was a pivotal reason in Brock Lesnar's overnight success within the squared circle. The current WWE Universal Champion went on to become the youngest WWE Champion in history and solidified his position in history at the biggest party of the summer.
Defeating the Rock clean came as a shocker, and catapulted Lesnar to another stratosphere of superstardom.
While his departure might have disappointed Vince, but there's no denying that his meteoric rise within the company made him a household name, and SummerSlam is an integral aspect of his success today.
#3 British Bulldog and Bret Hart deliver the best match in SummerSlam history in front of a record-crowd - SummerSlam 1992
In my humble opinion, Bret Hart Vs. The British Bulldog is perhaps one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time, not in just WWE, but all around the wrestling industry.
The quality of the bout speaks for itself, with both wrestlers giving everything on the line, and exposing their versatility to the record-audience in London.
SummerSlam 1992 at the Wembley Stadium is recognized as the fourth largest attendance in WWE history, and the PPV concluded with a technical masterpiece between these two icons.
Considering the in-ring action, the crowd fueled the match and took it on a different level, with both superstars continuing to get the better off one another. The company regards the bout as the greatest SummerSlam moment of all time and played a huge role in the event's success in London.
WWE, as a company was breaking the glass ceiling through their fast-paced action, and undeniable attention from the audiences. Stealing the show with such a classic match in a foreign land only propelled the company to unimaginable heights.
There's no denying that this is probably Bret Hart's match and the fact that WWE was expanding their market outside of their familiar territories only suggested that SummerSlam once again, was an influential element in company's progress.
#2 The Annihilation of John Cena - SummerSlam 2014
After ending the streak at WrestleMania 30 in shocking fashion, Brock Lesnar once again became a top priority for Vince McMahon.The Beast Incarnate ascended to the top in no time and instantly went after the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2014.
With the champion being John Cena, a lot of the WWE fans expected the Cenation Leader to give a tough fight to the current Universal Champion. However, dismantling Undertaker's legacy transitioned Brock Lesnar into an unstoppable monster that went on to annihilate John Cena, the company's poster-boy at SummerSlam.
Brock took Cena to Suplex City and destroyed him in a way that felt unreal, considering how superheroic Cena's character is in the squared circle. It probably would be one of the most embarrassing moments for John Cena's career, with the match being one-sided throughout.
Lesnar brutally destroying John Cena was certainly a statement by the management that the latter's days as the face of the company are becoming numbered.
#1 The Birth of the Underdog - SummerSlam 2013
If you have been a WWE fan since the beginning, then you do realize that the company holds a popular opinion on pushing guys that are more physically agile and athletic.
Over the years, superstars like John Cena, Roman Reigns, the Rock, Hulk Hogan, and Brock Lesnar have been positioned as the top guys in the company. These superstars have received gigantic pushes from the management and while the creative-team continues to push these guys, there are some other wrestlers that rise to the top, organically.
Daniel Bryan's rise to the top of the WWE was organic. SummerSlam 2013 could perhaps be one of the most exciting SummerSlam shows in recent memory, with matches like CM Punk Vs. Brock Lesnar, and Daniel Bryan Vs. John Cena stealing the show.
Considering that Bryan became a popular babyface, WWE went ahead with him and provided him with a golden opportunity at the biggest party of the summer.
The feud was brilliantly booked, with Bryan heading to SummerSlam as the ultimate underdog and a passionate wrestler. Triple H's involvement in the bout as a special referee only added fuel to the fire and made it a must-see.
The more surprising element of the match was the way it concluded. A B+ player in the eyes of the management went on to defeat the 16-time World Champion on his own.
With the fans legitimately happy for the Beard, Triple H's incredible heel turn shifted everything and perhaps was the turning point in WWE's ideology to push wrestlers of such stature.
Randy Orton's epic cash-in made it one of the most memorable moments in SummerSlam history, and instantly gave birth to the greatest WWE story told in recent memory.
Daniel Bryan went on to become the biggest babyface of this generation, and the biggest party of the summer became an influential element again in altering the landscape of the company.
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