10 Biggest WWE Summerslam Controversies

6. Fred Durst Gives Fans The Finger

Chris Jericho Brock Lesnar Randy Orton Paul Heyman WWE SummerSlam 2016
WWE.com

When: SummerSlam 2012

What Happened: Okerlund shouting curse words out on pay-per-view in 1989 was one thing, but ageing rockstars giving the bird to fans watching at home during the 'PG Era' was another. Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst must've thought he was still at WrestleMania X-Seven in 2001, or something.

This was a different WWE.

Vince McMahon surely sighed when he saw Durst flip a middle finger during his mid-show cameo. The cameras didn't exactly cut away quickly, but Kevin Dunn's production crew refused to linger too long on Fred (y'know, incase he performed the gesture again) and everyone borderline went all 'nothing to see here, folks' on the incident.

This was funny for multiple reasons. Firstly, WWE's PG certification meant lewd gestures were banned. Second, Durst was hardly the coolest rocker on the planet by 2012, and so just came across as a p*ssed off dad looking to relive his youth by rebelling.

J'eah!

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.