6 Most controversial moments in SummerSlam history
SummerSlam has always been regarded as the second-biggest pay-per-view in the WWE calendar year. Despite having the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series as well, it's safe to say that The Biggest Party of the Summer has crossed both in terms of importance.
Royal Rumble is where the road to WrestleMania begins, while Survivor Series has admittedly decreased in importance over the years. This makes SummerSlam a standout pay-per-view and a rich part of WWE history.
However, the event has had its share of controversial moments through the last three decades. In this list, we focus on five of the most controversial moments in SummerSlam history.
#6. Brock Lesnar busts Randy Orton open at SummerSlam 2016
SummerSlam 2016 was headlined by a dream match between Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar. While the two mainly crossed paths during their OVW days, this was the case of Lesnar being a megastar and Orton being an established multi-time world champion.
It was essentially an interbrand match as Brock Lesnar was drafted to RAW and Randy Orton to SmackDown. The match was announced in early July 2016, right as The Viper was returning from an extensive injury layoff.
It was a good marquee match for SummerSlam and headlined the show despite the Universal Championship bout between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Looking back, the fact that Lesnar and Orton were bigger stars justifies them main eventing the pay-per-view that year.
But the biggest talk of the match wasn't the in-ring bout itself. It was what happened at the end and the aftermath. Brock Lesnar legitimately sliced Randy Orton's forehead open using his elbows. When blood began to pour out from Orton's forehead, the match had to be called immediately - with The Beast Incarnate being declared the winner by TKO.
The finish was, in fact, planned, according to Dave Meltzer of WON. Referee Mike Chioda said he wasn't aware if it was a call from the higher-ups, but admitted that he was surprised it would be allowed given the PG rating and the strict concussion protocol that the company had.
In the aftermath of the main event, Brock Lesnar was confronted by Chris Jericho and the two got into a verbal altercation that looked like it would potentially turn physical. Jericho confirmed that the story was true, but said that it was water under the bridge.
The finish of SummerSlam that year, however, was considered highly controversial.