10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2012 Facts
Lesnar returns to the SummerSlam fold, and Punk's unending reign rolls on.
Three of the next five SummerSlams don't conclude with a World Championship match, and four of the five ended with a certain "Beast Incarnate" working on top. Brock Lesnar treaded once more upon the WWE landscape in the spring of 2012, months after losing his then-final UFC fight to Alastair Overeem. Lesnar's new WWE deal made him one of those dreaded "part-timers" that came and went to the star's convenience, and promised big bucks for lesser dates. Pretty sweet deal if you can get it.
Owed to his mainstream success, not to mention Extreme Rules 2012's 25 percent buyrate increase from the year before (thanks to Lesnar headlining), Brock was given the main event slot of SummerSlam 2012 against Triple H. The same Triple H who played a valiant babyface and was serenaded with chants of "YOU TAPPED OUT" once he lost the mainer. Warms the cockles of your heart, does it not?
Aside from the prodigal Lesnar getting top-bill, it wasn't much of a SummerSlam to write home about. Certainly not a bad show, but not a great one either, seemingly peaking after a hot Chris Jericho/Dolph Ziggler opener. Another one of those "comfortably average" events.
Here are ten facts about SummerSlam 2012 you may not have known.
10. WWE Signed A Future Star The Day Before SummerSlam
By now, Florida Championship Wrestling had given way to the NXT branding. The wheels were firmly in motion for a developmental territory to one day become far more exciting than the swill on the main shows. A lot of work went into fortifying the Full Sail ranks, and one key component was signed on August 18, 2012.
Despite being only 20 years with barely two years of ring experience, this wrestler had something that WWE wanted to cultivate, and signed the performer to a developmental deal. Said wrestler began working their first matches on house shows, and by November, would begin working under a more recognizable name.
That wrestler? Massachussetts-based indy standout Mercedes KV, better known as Sasha Banks. "The Boss" got the call almost five years ago during SummerSlam weekend, and has amassed quite a following since that day.