One MIND-BLOWING Secret For Every WWE SummerSlam

15. 2011 | End Of An Era

Triple H Undertaker Wrestlemania 27
WWE.com

SummerSlam 2011 was a strange show; by the time it was promoted, WWE was in danger of ruining the Summer of Punk. Brought back within a fortnight of Money In The Bank. CM Punk going against John Cena so soon was a telltale sign that WWE didn’t have the creativity or the willingness to do anything bold. Time for a rematch.  

WWE invited a diminished return, and that’s what WWE got. WWE also booked Alberto Del Rio to cash in on Punk, because WWE wanted to use an organically over babyface to heat up their failure of a heel project. Underneath, the show was saved by Randy Orton Vs. Christian’s No Holds Barred rubber match, because elsewhere, it broadly sucked. At best, Wade Barrett Vs. Daniel Bryan was decent, but the result made no sense. The worst people on Twitter will tell you that Mark Henry Vs. Sheamus was good, but it wasn’t. The show was badly lacking in star power and original matches. If a report from Gerwick was correct, you almost got one of the two. (In 2011 WWE, you never got the lot).

The Undertaker Vs. Triple H was discussed in the months before the show, but never came to pass. It wasn’t the correct site for the rematch or the wider four-year story. That was WrestleMania. A desperate WWE came to that realisation eventually. 

At the time, Triple H took himself out of the ring to concentrate on his transition into a corporate role. He was just too busy. Until he had to beat Punk with no sign of a rematch in sight in September, despite WWE being so obsessed with them that the two biggest matches at SummerSlam were return bouts. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!