10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2011 Facts

10. It Was The Last PPV Of The Original Brand Extension

On August 29, 2011, two weeks after SummerSlam, nine years of the brand extension were flushed down the commode. Well, it'd been virtually dead for some time, as special three-hour Raws would mysteriously see SmackDown and ECW talents come over and take part without a specified reason. The 2011 conclusion may as well have been the result of an intervention, where Vince, surrounded by concerned loved ones, finally bellows, "Alright, the brand extension's dead! There, I said it."

But even then, it was still a baby step. At first, it was merely SmackDown talents appearing on Raw going forward, due to Raw's ratings tipping below a 3.0. That startled WWE, and with Monday Night Football around the corner come September, the company decided to pre-emptively shake things up on Raw before losing roughly 10 percent of their audience to the NFL, as is an annual occurrence.