10 WWE PPVs Which Drew Lower-Than-Expected Buyrates (And Why)
8. SummerSlam 2001 - 565,000 Buys
Only a handful of SummerSlam shows drew better than the 2001 edition of the event, but again, everything is relative. This show, which took place at the height of the Invasion storyline, was headlined by a double main event - Booker T defended the WCW Championship against The Rock (who had returned from filming The Scorpion King), while Steve Austin defended the WWE Championship against Kurt Angle.
The card was stacked, but the Invasion PPV a month earlier - which didn't feature The Rock or any major title matches - got 770,000 buys, the highest number for a non-WrestleMania PPV in history. SummerSlam 2000 did 570,000 buys.
Given the history, SummerSlam 2001's buyrate must have been a disappointment - but by late August of 2001, it was already clear that the Invasion storyline was a total failure. Dream matches became squash matches, and fans (especially former WCW fans) got the message. Add to that Steve Austin's doubling down on his heel turn by joining the Alliance, and it was already clear the company was throwing away money.