10 Worst SummerSlam Main Events Ever - According To Dave Meltzer

3. SummerSlam 1991 - Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior Vs The Triangle Of Terror (*1/4)

Brock Lesnar Randy Orton
WWE.com

Replacing socio-economic politics with a wrestling variant, 1991's controversial Hulk Hogan/Sgt Slaughter programme had lost the uncomfortable gravitas of the Gulf War by the time their August final battle rolled around, but instead carried the weight of the Ultimate Warrior's growing disdain for Vince McMahon and WWE in general.

Livid about the payoff he'd received for WrestleMania 7 as well as other remunerations both as WWE Champion and in keeping with 'Hogan-level' compensation he believed himself to warrant, Warrior issued McMahon an ultimatum to pay what he felt he was owed or face losing one half of his babyface superteam right before the SummerSlam main event.

As dwelled upon in the 'Self Destruction Of The Ultimate Warrior' DVD/hatchet job, McMahon infamously paid up then 'couldn't wait to fire him', but the match itself was irrevocably harmed by the situation.

Though ostensibly a key figure in the contest, Warrior was booked strictly as Hogan's back-up, placed even further into a marginal role by domineering guest referee Sid Justice, himself blatantly being groomed for Hulk's next friend-turned-enemy feud. Chasing General Adnan and Colonel Mustafa to the back with a chair, Warrior didn't even return for the celebrations after Hogan sealed a cheap deciding victory over Slaughter with the help of powder in the eyes and Sid's rule-keeping inefficiency.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett