10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1990 Facts
7. Brutus Beefcake Was Mr. Perfect's Original Challenger
Brutus Beefcake was the first man in WWE canon to defeat Mr. Perfect on a major broadcast, that being WrestleMania 6. Perfect won the Intercontinental belt in a tournament final not long after, and Beefcake was in line to defeat him once more at SummerSlam for the gold. Hogan connection aside, Beefcake had developed into a popular upper-midcarder that could have enjoyable matches with the right opponent, and "The Barber" was a prime choice to carry the IC strap.
But it never came to pass. On July 4 of that year, Beefcake was catastrophically injured in a parasailing accident. Beefcake was assisting a female parasailer when the driver of the boat took off prematurely, causing the woman's knees to smash into Beefcake's face at a high rate of speed.
The accident crushed Beefcake's face, necessitating a ten-hour surgical procedure to reassemble his skull, with the use of plates and screws. Among the more gruesome details, a paramedic had to physically hold up the roof of Beefcake's mouth in order to prevent chunks of his skull from spilling into his throat and suffocating him.
It would be more than two years before Beefcake wrestled again.