10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1991 Facts

10. Ric Flair Had Not Officially Signed With WWE At The Time Of SummerSlam

Thanks to some genuine WCW stupidity, Ric Flair was fired from the company in July 1991 while still reigning as their champion. Because Flair possessed the physical belt, he was able to provide it as a prop to be seen on WWE programming, a prelude to his eventual arrival. Fans were bewildered when Bobby Heenan closed out an episode of WWE Challenge while holding the strap, making it clear that previously-unspoken-of Flair was targeting WWE Champion Hogan.

Despite the angle continuing at SummerSlam (where Heenan apparently confronted Hogan with the belt in hand), Flair had not officially signed with the company by that time. It wasn't much of a leap of faith for WWE to mention Flair on camera; it would have taken some serious groveling by Jim Herd and the WCW office to get Flair back after having incinerated those bridges. Flair finally put the pen to paper some time in the first week of September 1991, shortly before making his on-camera debut on Prime Time Wrestling.