WWE SummerSlam is the second biggest PPV of the year. It’s essentially the WrestleMania of the summer and it’s a huge point in the year for WWE. Naturally, there’s always a lot of excitement heading into SummerSlam and it’s seen purely based on the fact that tickets sell out rapidly every year for the event.
As with the other three major PPVs, WWE has turned SummerSlam into a multi-day affair, with NXT Takeover, RAW and SmackDown Live all being in and around the same week. Even the PPV time has expanded since 2015 and over the years, a lot of things have changed. But how much do we really know about the biggest party in the summer, except for many memorable matches?
We reveal a few things you may or may not have known about WWE SummerSlam.
#5.) TLC originated at SummerSlam, not WrestleMania
There is a huge misconception that TLC 1 took place at WrestleMania 2000, while some believe that it happened at WrestleMania X7. The reality is that the WrestleMania 2000 match between The Dudley Boyz, The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian was a triangle ladder match. Given the nature of the match, it’s easy to understand why people thought that was TLC 1.
However, it was a few months later at SummerSlam 2000 that the first TLC match came to be. It was a huge part of that year’s SummerSlam and the success of it made WWE re-run TLC at WrestleMania X7. This was the iconic match that most people remember, where Edge speared Jeff Hardy from the top of the ladder.
#4.) The longest gap between two SummerSlam matches – 14 years
When you have a run as a WWE superstar, you’re naturally bound to compete in a string of SummerSlam matches during your prime before you eventually call it quits. Hulk Hogan had an extensive career and the record for the longest gap between two SummerSlam matches goes to Hulk Hogan – as he competed at SummerSlam up until 1991 and would next participate in the event in 2005, where he main-evented a rather bizarre dream match against Shawn Michaels.
The Undertaker may have more SummerSlam appearances overall, but the gap in between matches like Hogan’s isn’t there. Bret Hart is second to Hogan with 13 years (1997 – 2010), and Edge is next closest to the record with 11 years between appearances (Both Hart and Edge last competed in a 14-Man Tag Team Elimination match pitting Team WWE against The Nexus in 2010), but Edge will compete at the 2021 event against Seth Rollins.
Next Page: 5 Incredible Facts About WWE SummerSlam
