10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1988 Facts
3. Honky Wouldn't Lay On His Stomach For The Warrior Splash
The most celebrated moment from SummerSlam 1988 was when Honky Tonk Man, Intercontinental Champion of an unsurpassed 15 months, issued an open challenge to any wrestler in the back, only for an energized Ultimate Warrior to trample him in 30 seconds to win the belt. It was the original Sheamus/Daniel Bryan match, except that in this instance, WWE was actually correct in their assessment of how fans viewed the defending champion.
Honky noted later what many other wrestlers felt, that Warrior was rather reckless in the ring. As a result of Warrior's uncontrolled performances, Honky opted to take Warrior's splash while laying on his back as opposed to on his stomach, as most opponents had done prior to SummerSlam. This was because Honky didn't trust Warrior to not hurt his back when bringing his weight down, whereas laying on his back allowed Honky to endure the impact much more safely.