10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2007 Facts
A below-average summer offering, amidst deeply-troubling times for WWE.
Following the horrifying events of the Benoit family murders in June 2007, WWE found itself with a black eye that didn't go away so easily. Talk of steroids, concussions, the lifestyle of the traveling wrestler, and the threat of congressional hearings, all played havoc with WWE's public image. Erasing Chris Benoit's name from WWE programming didn't lock the monster away, either. Monday Night Raw's ratings took a minor hit from the quease-inducing frenzy, and the WWE product struggled to find a semblance of normalcy throughout the bewildering summer.
By the time SummerSlam 2007 rolled around, the outside distractions had not subsided. The dark cloud still hung heavy over a WWE production that pushed forth with John Cena as its champion, and bandied about the returns from injury of notable stars Triple H and Rey Mysterio.
Most of the 2007 SummerSlam had an aura of, "Let's just get this over with." A few of the matches (Kane-Finlay, the IC triple threat) felt thrown together, while Chavo Guerrero and King Booker were clearly lame-duck opponents for Mysterio and Helmlsey, respectively. There wasn't much intrigue in the end-of-summer classic.
Besides, within days of the event, life in WWE circles would only grow more difficult, leading one to wonder how things could possibly get worse.
Here are ten facts about SummerSlam 2007 you may not have known.
10. The Cast Of Jackass Was Supposed To Wrestle Umaga
In June 2007, SummerSlam teasers ran on WWE programming, soundtracked by the upbeat theme music of the MTV series Jackass. That's because Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and the rest of the up-for-anything masochists were supposed to take part in SummerSlam.
Posters for the event depicted an angry Umaga alongside the Jackass cast, who were buried up to their necks in sand. Umaga was supposed to take on several of the cast members in some sort of handicap melee, while Hornswoggle claims that he was supposed to have had a boxing match with Jackass' Jason "Wee Man" Acuna.
However, the negativity of all Benoit-related media continued its malevolent swirl around all things WWE, and according to Figure Four Weekly, Knoxville reportedly got cold feet about associating with the company at that point. Reportedly, once Knoxville backed out in late July, WWE scrapped the whole idea, despite the availability of the rest of the cast.