10 Most Surprising PPV Headliners In WWE History
3. Zeus - SummerSlam 1989
In an era long before WWE Films, Vince McMahon made his first foray into the movie business with 1989's craptacular No Holds Barred. The story revolved around Hulk Hogan (essentially playing himself) in a feud against fictional wrestler, Zeus (AKA Tom 'Tiny' Lister).
To coincide with the film's theatrical release, the Zeus character transitioned from silver screen to WWF TV. With an in-ring act that consisted of a bear hug, slapping himself on the chest and generally no-selling everything, his arsenal was virtually non-existent. Nevertheless, Zeus managed to main event two different PPV events in 1989 - one of which was SummerSlam. During a time when Vince McMahon only promoted a handful of PPVs a year, that is some feat.
Teaming up with Randy Savage, Zeus took on Hogan and Brutus Beefcake at the summer spectacular; meanwhile, the bout also had a PPV rematch in the form of the No Holds Barred 'The Match/The Movie' PPV. That particular show consisted of the movie in its entirety followed by a single match, pitting Hogan and Beefcake against Savage and Zeus inside a steel cage.
Zeus would eventually follow Hogan into WCW for a brief run as Z-Gangsta. Incredibly, he would add another PPV main event to his resume at Uncensored '96.