The WORST Moment From EVERY WWE SummerSlam

1. The Brock Lesnar Controversy (2025)

WWE SummerSlam 2025 Brock Lesnar
WWE

It'd be churlish to handpick anything else from SummerSlam 2025 for this slot. Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill was a blight on the weekender, and some probably hated Jelly Roll teaming with Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul, but nothing could touch Brock Lesnar's comeback in terms of pure shock value.

Lesnar had been removed from WWE programming (and even video games) after being named in the ongoing Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon, the company and others back in 2023. His last showing was actually at SummerSlam that year, but Brock marched back into view 2 years later to blast John Cena with an F5.

Cena had just turned babyface again shortly before, so it was clear that he and a heel Lesnar were going to meet one last time during John's retirement tour. That'd happen at Wrestlepalooza, but WWE's PR team had to sift through some controversial fallout following SummerSlam first.

Some didn't like the way TKO/WWE went about bringing Brock back in, especially when legal stuff was hanging over everyone's heads and had dominated discourse for years. Despite that, it happened. Many were torn between being excited to see such a huge name back on screens and feeling let down that TKO valued box office dollars over morality.

Individual fans don't need a lecture on this. They can make their own minds up, but it was impossible for WWE and Brock to escape scrutiny or controversy.

What other SummerSlam moments could be considered WWE's worst ever? For more wrestling, check out 10 WWE Jobbers Who Became Wrestling GAME-CHANGERS and The Hardest WCW Quiz EVER - Test Your Knowledge!

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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.