10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2012 Facts
3. The Lesnar/Triple H Finish Was Inspired By A Real-Life MMA Fight
Playing on his legitimate UFC success, Lesnar updated his WWE moveset to include some mixed martial artistry. This included more ground and pound than was evident in his 2002-04 run, as well as a new submission finisher, the Kimura Lock.
Lesnar tapped Triple H to that very hold, giving him a kayfabe broken arm to write him out for a while. According to Dave Meltzer, Paul Heyman had worked with future UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum on a video game on a video game in 2011. Werdum related to Heyman the story of how he'd suckered Fedor Emelianenko into falling into his triangle armbar during a high-profile StrikeForce fight one year earlier, tapping "The Last Emperor" in a major upset. That anecdote would make its way to Lesnar's cauliflower ears.
The SummerSlam finish was Lesnar suddenly trapping Helmsley in the Kimura during a pinfall attempt following a Pedigree. Not only was it similar to the manner in which Werdum "rose from the dead" to snare Fedor in the clincher, but it also borrowed from a January 2012 UFC fight in which Frank Mir (who's fought Lesnar twice) broke Antonio Nogueira's arm with a Kimura of his own.