10 Backstage WWE SummerSlam Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Today is August 15, which is the same day that both the 2004 and 2010 SummerSlams took place.

Both were newsworthy events, as much for what happened behind-the-scenes as what happened inside the ring.

The 2004 version is mostly remembered for Randy Orton winning his first World Heavyweight Title, beating Chris Benoit in the main event. Not only did it cap off the meteoric rise of the Legend Killer, but it also removed Brock Lesnar's record (set at SummerSlam 2002) as the youngest world champion in WWE history.

Orton was 24, while Lesnar was 25 at the time of his triumph.

Did WWE put the belt on Randy before he was truly ready in order to take the honour away from Brock, who had unexpectedly left the company months earlier?

It's hard to say but the answer is 'yes'.

As far as 2010 goes, that was built around the Nexus versus WWE storyline and headlined by the elimination match pitting the two sides against one another.

Common sense dictated that the red-hot rogue 'rookies' would prevail and continue to gather momentum, but WWE instead booked Cena to overcome the odds and dispatch Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett with relative ease in order to win the contest (after receiving a DDT on the concrete floor, no less).

Not only did this irk many fans, but it also upset some of Cena's co-workers, most notably Edge and Chris Jericho - two of his teammates on the night - who subsequently publicly voiced their dismay at the booking decision.

Yes, whenever there's a SummerSlam there's bound to be more than meets the eye and juicy backstage stories, whether it's legitimate fights, changed plans or other peculiar events, are never too far away.

10. Diva Dodgeball Resulted In Wrestler's Court in 2004

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SummerSlam 2004 also came slap-bang in the middle of the initial WWE Diva Search.

It had made for some pretty brutal television in the weeks prior and was a turnoff to many fans, but managed to find its way onto pay-per-view with Diva Dodgeball, where the remaining hopefuls (minus heat magnet Carmella DeCesare) took on some of the established WWE Divas.

You might assume such a contest would be worked for the benefit of progressing storylines but, in keeping with the 'reality' theme of the Diva Search, the thing was done as a shoot.

And it turned out to be a disaster for the WWE crew, as they were trounced by the rookies, who only had one member of their team eliminated.

Deemed to be such a bad look for the sports entertainment juggernaut, the WWE Diva team were summoned to the infamous Wrestler's Court to stand trial for their pitiful performance.

The Divas chose veteran Ivory to act as their defence, while Val Venis acted as prosecutor and Triple H oversaw as the judge.

As was the norm, the defence's thin case fell on deaf ears and the Divas were forced to provide The Game with vouchers for the Red Roof Inn (in order to avoid a harsher sentence).

9. Steve Austin Bladed Kurt Angle During 2001 WWE Title Match

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There is an art to blading and 'getting colour', something that Kurt Angle found out firsthand at SummerSlam 2001.

At the event, the Olympic Hero was challenging for Steve Austin's WWE Title. The two had a classic bout full of intensity and drama, and it ended up being one of the very best matches of the year.

In order to add to the drama, it was decided in advance that Angle would be busted open during the course of the action.

The trouble was that Angle (still less than two years into his full-time in-ring career) didn't know how to do it effectively.

Austin had made him the blade himself and told him how to do it, but when it came time to pull it off in the match, it wasn't working, as Kurt explained during an episode of the Kurt Angle Show podcast:

"One of the first times I had to bleed, I believe it was SummerSlam ‘01 against Stone Cold Steve Austin, Steve made me a blade. I had it. I put tape around my wrist and put the blade inside of it.

When the time came to do it, I kept slicing my head and nothing was working. I was barely getting a scratch in the surface, and it was hurting. It starts getting painful when you keep trying to gig yourself.

Austin said, 'Sh*t kid, give me that razor!'. He dug it in my head and twisted it. I bled like a sieve. I didn't stop bleeding the whole entire match. It was horrible. He taught me how to bleed.

From then on, that's how I did it. I just didn't do it as hard as he did. He dug it in real hard, and twisted it really hard. He probably got the blade in there a good half inch right into my skull. I bled profusely. That's how I learned how to bleed, how to gig, and Austin taught me the hard way".

8. British Bulldog 'Forgot' Entire 1992 Classic With Bret Hart

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SummerSlam '92 was a big moment for both Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith.

For Hart, it was a chance to headline a historic pay-per-view, in front of a record crowd against a beloved family member. For Smith, it was a homecoming and an opportunity to play the hero in front of tens of thousands of his countrymen.

While The Hitman took things seriously and did his due diligence beforehand, Bulldog was less concerned with proper preparation. According to Bret and others, Smith had been MIA in the weeks beforehand, and when they eventually caught up the night before the show he confessed that he had spent the summer indulging in some serious drug use with Jim Neidhart.

Not only was he not in the requisite shape to work a long match, he also forgot what the pair had mapped out just moments after the bell rang.

Thankfully, the Excellence of Execution took charge and basically (with some assistance from referee Joey Marella) carried his brother-in-law to a masterpiece.

That nobody was able to tell just how lost and in such poor condition Davey Boy was is a testament to the talent of Bret Hart.

7. The Hulkster's SummerSlam Streak

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While no wrestling undefeated streak will compare to The Undertaker's WrestleMania one or Goldberg's late-90's WCW dominance, Hulk Hogan can lay claim to a pretty impressive one when it comes to SummerSlam.

The Hulkster has competed at the event six times and has had his hand raised on all six occasions.

He main-evented the first SummerSlam, in 1988, teaming with Mega Powers ally Randy Savage to thwart The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase & Andre the Giant) and also triumphed in a tag team headliner the following year, joining forces with Brutus Beefcake to down Savage and Zeus.

In 1990 he saw off Earthquake, while in '91 he teamed with Ultimate Warrior to beat Sgt. Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa and General Adnan in a 3-on-2 handicap bout which, I think, officially ended the Gulf War.

He didn't appear on a SummerSlam card for another fourteen years, re-emerging in 2005 to best Shawn Michaels in a memorable show-closer that was, originally, due to be the first of three matches between the two of them.

Then, in 2006, he beat Randy Orton in what is more than likely going to be the Hulkster's last WWE match ever.

The Ultimate Warrior is one behind Hogan at 5-0, while Charlotte Flair has every chance of beating the record within the next few years, since hers currently stands at 4-0.

Conversely, Booker T has never won at SummerSlam, possessing a pitiful 0-5 record that includes major losses to The Rock, John Cena, Batista and Triple H.

6. John Cena's SummerSlam Streak

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John Cena will make his return to SummerSlam this year, when he takes on Roman Reigns for the Universal Title.

It will be Big Match John's fifteenth SummerSlam outing, and his first for several years.

Before that, however, Cena managed to appear at fourteen consecutive SummerSlams, proving that he really is the ultimate WWE workhorse.

Between 2004 and 2017, you won't find a SummerSlam without a Cena match on the card.

As far as his record currently stands, he has five wins and nine losses, which includes a consecutive six-match losing streak between 2011 and 2017.

The Undertaker currently holds the record for most SummerSlam matches, having competed in sixteen and boasting a 10-5-1 record.

Randy Orton (or perhaps Cena) is the most likely to eclipse that, however, as he currently stands at fifteen.

5. The Original Comeback Plan For Shawn Michaels In 2002

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SummerSlam 2002 was, arguably, one of (if not the) best SummerSlams ever.

One of the show's highlights was the improbable in-ring return of Shawn Michaels, over four years after he had been forced to retire due to a back injury.

On the night, the Heartbreak Kid overcame Triple H in a brutal and compelling Non-Sanctioned match. Great as it was, it wasn't what was originally discussed, as HBK had other plans when he decided to step back into the squared circle.

According to Michaels, he had actually telephoned Vince McMahon and pitched a match between himself and the WWE Chairman.

Worried that he was a step too slow after so much time off, Shawn figured a weapons-and-shortcut-filled brawl with the older and more, erm, deliberate Vince would temper fan expectations.

McMahon was intrigued and told Shawn that he would consider it and call him back. When he did, he had an alternate proposal; if Michaels wanted to have a big match at SummerSlam, why not do it against friend and former D-Generation X partner Triple H?

Vince managed to convince him and what was supposed to be a one-shot deal turned into an eight-year run that solidified Michaels as one of the best ever.

Michaels eventually got his match with McMahon years later at WrestleMania 22.

4. Del Rio's Pre-Match Bar Brawl In 2013

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Attentive viewers would have noticed that Alberto Del Rio was sporting a black eye during his World Heavyweight Title defense against Christian at SummerSlam 2013.

While ADR tried to pass the bruising off as the result of an in-ring miscommunication, the truth is that he was sporting a shiner because he had gotten into a bar brawl the night before.

According to reports, Del Rio and Drew McIntyre were out drinking at 3am on Sunday morning, when a fellow patron made a rude remark towards the Scotsman's date.

Alberto stepped in, was nailed with a bottle for his trouble and the fight was on.

Del Rio was not punished for his part in the fracas, since he held the title for another few months before dropping it to John Cena.

That SummerSlam weekend someone was punished for drunken behaviour, though, as Jim Ross was fired for 'failing to control' a sloshed Ric Flair during a WWE 2K14 panel he was supposed to be moderating.

3. Jackass Vs. Umaga Was Supposed To Headline In 2007

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SummerSlam 2007 could have looked very different indeed, if the original main event had taken place as scheduled.

Shane McMahon had worked behind-the-scenes to bring in the crew from Jackass to take on Umaga in a handicap match, based on the infamous segment from the October 16, 2006 episode of Raw, where the Samoan Bulldozer stiffly beat down Steve-O and Chris Pontius after the Wildboyz lads failed to properly sell his offense the first time around.

Advertising material was filmed and printed for the planned bout, but then Johnny Knoxville got cold feet and pulled out in the wake of the Chris Benoit tragedy, causing WWE to scrap the match altogether.

Prior to that, plans were almost scuppered due to Steve-O's erratic behaviour, as well as the fact he spoiled WWE's announcement by prematurely spilling the beans in a Myspace blog post.

Umaga's consolation prize was successfully defending his Intercontinental Title in a disjointed triple threat match with Carlito and Ken Kennedy, which went on second.

2. The Finish Of JBL Vs. Undertaker Was Almost Ruined By A Fan In 2004

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SummerSlam 2004 was a strange old event, made stranger by the unpredictable reactions of the Toronto crowd.

The live audience certainly shocked WWE when they decided to boo their babyface countryman Edge and heckle other fan-favourites, leading the announcers to declare that the show was taking place in 'Bizarro World'.

Ah, to live in a time where crowds hijacking the show was the exception, not the rule...

Anyway, one fan took things a few steps too far when he hopped the barricade towards the end of the WWE Title match between JBL and The Undertaker.

Not only did he jump the rail, he climbed on top of the champion's limo. On any other night, that would have been fine (well, not fine, but bear with me), but on this night the roof had been gimmicked to facilitate a post-match stunt.

Indeed, after JBL retained via disqualification, the two brawled onto the roof of the limo, where The Deadman performed a Chokeslam right through it.

Had security not intercepted the numpty beforehand, he would have not only ruined the illusion but also very likely injured himself in the process.

1. Muhammad Hassan Was Booked To Win World Heavyweight Title In 2005

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The brief career of Muhammad Hassan was one of the most interesting and tumultuous in WWE history.

In less than a year, he had become one of the biggest heels in the industry, working with everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker.

It was a whirlwind experience for the man behind the gimmick, Marc Copani, who had only been in the business for a couple of years to that point. Backstage, he was the subject of hazing from many of his colleagues (some of whom resented the huge push he received), but WWE writers and executives were intent on going all the way with him.

The plan was for Hassan to face and defeat World Heavyweight Champion Batista at SummerSlam 2005.

Not only would The Animal be dropping the strap in his hometown and the nation's capital (adding fuel to Hassan's anti-USA agenda), but doing so would have had him break Randy Orton's record as youngest man to win the world title in WWE history.

Unfortunately for Copani, his character was removed from television (and ultimately axed entirely) at the behest of UPN Network executives, who were aghast at an angle with terrorist overtones that aired on the July 7 SmackDown, the same day as the London bombings.

Had that regrettable episode not made air on that particular day, WWE's history books would look very, very different.