31 Years Of WWE SummerSlam Mistakes
17. SummerSlam '01 - Crushing The Alliance
WWF's InVasion pay-per-view hinted that the WCW/ECW insurgency might just have a hope of succeeding. Come SummerSlam 2001, it was dealt a mortal blow, before finally being laid to rest a few months later.
Though the Alliance had edged a narrow victory at the first clash of companies, SummerSlam made emphatically clear who the big boys were - despite the 'adjectives' spouted by the Atlanta boys. Kurt Angle conquered the upstart's apparent leader Steve Austin (a move which had already undermined the angle), whilst The Rock strolled back into town to make a complete mockery of the WCW champion. By the end of the evening, the competitors were put entirely in their place, their credibility completely crushed.
One of wrestling's most hotly-anticipated storylines - and most potentially lucrative - was killed outright, through misplaced pride and a lack of humility. It wasn't just one of SummerSlam's biggest ever mistakes, but one of the WWF's.