10 Most Emotional WWE SummerSlam Moments

2. HBK's Return (2002)

Triple H Shawn Michaels SummerSlam 2002.jpg
WWE.com

Shawn Michaels was told he'd never wrestle again after suffering a serious back injury in 1998. Fighting through the pain enough to drop the WWF Title to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV, Michaels hobbled off into the sunset and few expected he'd ever work a match again from that moment on.

Imagine then the delight of long time fans when HBK returned (for what was then considered a one-off) to the ring and worked an 'Unsanctioned' Street Fight against Triple H at SummerSlam 2002. Genuinely worried that his prior injuries might rear their ugly head, Michaels didn't want to commit long term to an in-ring role again until after the match.

The most emotional moment came after Michaels had already won. Celebrating with his fans and happy he was able to share another memory with them, HBK was cut down by a vicious sledgehammer blow to the spine. Talk about heel heat: Triple H received a scathing response from a frenzied crowd who had been rejoicing in Shawn's success seconds before.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.