10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE SummerSlam

1. It Almost Opened The Forbidden Door First

Chris Jericho IWGP Intercontinental Title WWE SummerSlam
NJPW

Imagine this had happened.

Less than one full year before AEW's first Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in May 2019, Chris Jericho made a pitch to WWE management for an Intercontinental Title vs. Intercontinental Title clash at SummerSlam 2018. The then-reigning IWGP IC Champ wanted to wrestle WWE IC main man Seth Rollins.

Vince McMahon, rather predictably, was unimpressed by the idea and turned it down flat. Instead of tangling with Jericho, Rollins worked Dolph Ziggler in a 22-minute scorcher on the show. Meanwhile, ol' 'Y2J' didn't even get the nod for a spot anywhere on the card.

WWE would've been opening the "Forbidden Door" by putting a New Japan belt on one of their biggest pay-per-views. Jericho's pitch didn't come to fruition though. Perhaps it was never going to, because Vince didn't fancy sharing WWE's spotlight with anybody.

What else do you know about WWE SummerSlam? For more like this, check out AEW: Fight Forever - 10 Things You MUST Do First and AEW Fight Forever: 5 Things It Does Better Than WWE 2K23 (And 5 It Doesn’t!)!

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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.