10 Biggest WWE Summerslam Controversies

9. Steve Austin Won't Play The Game

SummerSlam 1999 was originally supposed to be Triple H's coming-out party. He would beat Austin for the WWEtitle and become championfor the very first time, establishing himself as the #1 heel in the company.

The only problem was, Austin refused. He resented Triple H's rise through the company and his behaviour as part of the Kliq, and, if he was going to lose the title, it would be to his friend, Mick Foley. So the story goes anyway.

Granted, this wouldn't been the first time that Austin had asserted creative control over his storylines. He once refused to feud with Jeff Jarrett because he was, in his opinion, too far beneath him on the card (and because Jarrett's family reportedly stiffed Austin some territorial wrestlingpayments earlier in his career), and likewise vetoed a feud with Billy Gunn at the previous Survivor Series.

However, while it's confirmed by Foley himself that the decision to have him walk away the title was a last-minute one, there may be another reason for the switch. Jessie 'The Body' Ventura was the special guest referee for the match, and just so happened to be the Governor of Minnesotaat the time. It's rumoured that Foley was pegged to win the title because Ventura thought it would be bad for him politically to be seen publicly raising the hand of the company's villain.

Either way, Triple H won the title the next night on RAW, rendering the whole controversy fairly moot.