10 Incredible Last Minute PPV Changes You Never Saw Coming
8. Ultimate Warrior (SummerSlam 1988)
Some politically fortuitous circumstances saw Honky Tonk Man survive 454 days as Intercontinental Champion before a surprise SummerSlam opponent rocketed himself up the card in explosive fashion.
Honky had proven himself a sensation at the box office, with fans continuing to pay to see him eventually lose a title he’d never truly deserved. Smashing Don Muraco’s previous 385 day record, the Elvis Presley rip-off obnoxiously embodied Jesse Ventura’s commentary on him. ‘The Body’ often noted how it was “better to be lucky than good”, and it proved true until Honky’s luck finally ran out.
When Brutus Beefcake was injured by Ron Bass ahead of his SummerSlam ’88 title clash, The Honky Tonk Man’s arrogance was at long last his undoing. Briefly mistaking himself for a fighting champion, he challenged anybody to an open challenge on the night, not counting on an insane megastar smashing his lengthy stint to pieces 31 seconds later.
The Ultimate Warrior never did replace Hulk Hogan as WWE’s genuine top draw, but moments such as this during his ascent completely justified Vince McMahon’s belief that he was the man(iac) for the job.