{"id":164950,"date":"2026-07-25T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T16:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=164950"},"modified":"2026-07-25T10:20:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:20:01","slug":"5-huge-surprises-from-wwe-summerslam-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/07\/25\/5-huge-surprises-from-wwe-summerslam-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The Greatest 5 Surprises in Recent WWE SummerSlam History"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minnesota is getting ready to host the 39th annual WWE SummerSlam 2026<\/a>. It is the first time that a major PLE has made its way to the Twin Cities, and it looks primed to continue WWE\u2019s summer tradition. The Biggest Party of the Summer has been produced like a major PLE for decades, involving moments that will live forever in WWE lore.<\/p>\n

When it comes to WWE\u2019s big shows, major surprises are the meal of the day. When anyone sits down to watch SummerSlam, they know they are in store for great wrestling, but also a surprise or two, \u00a0giving the show that big event feel that WWE craves. Throughout the history of SummerSlam, there have been some incredible surprises that have etched SummerSlam into the annals of WWE legend. Below, we will look at the greatest of these SummerSlam surprises.<\/p>\n

Kevin Nash Spoils The Summer of Punk<\/a> (SummerSlam 2011) <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Summer of Punk was chugging ahead at full steam by the time SummerSlam 2011 rolled around. CM Punk had delivered his iconic pipe bomb promo, walked away from WWE with the World Championship, and then shockingly returned to engage in battle with new WWE Champ John Cena.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Their battle at SummerSlam was to set the record straight as to who was the rightful WWE Champion, and after an auspicious pin, CM Punk had his hands raised. The world thought that CM Punk\u2019s summer was going to end on a high note, and then a huge roadblock entered the picture.<\/p>\n

The world stood with its mouth open as Kevin Nash lumbered through the audience and attacked CM Punk. One jackknife later, Alberto Del Rio had cashed in Money in the Bank, walking away the new champion. The Staples Arena and the wrestling world were in shock at what transpired. No one could have predicted seeing Big Sexy get himself involved in SummerSlam\u2019s main event.<\/p>\n

The Tribal Chief Wrecks Everyone And Leaves (SummerSlam 2020)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"WWE
WWE SummerSlam 2026 graphic featuring “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman. (Photo Credit: WWE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roman Reigns was not reaching the levels that the WWE machine had hoped for. Since breaking away from the Shield, he was pushed like a megastar, but the fans never connected the way that WWE had hoped. There was a backlash against the Big Dog, and it looked like he would never become the champion that WWE had put its weight behind.<\/p>\n

Then the pandemic hit, and Roman Reigns understandably took some time away from the company. When he returned, he was not the same man who had left.<\/p>\n

After SummerSlam’s main event, Roman Reigns returned to WWE with a new attitude and vicious side that we hadn\u2019t seen before. No one expected to see Roman Reigns, let alone a man who displayed an attitude and vicious streak that was absent in the past.<\/p>\n

It was a shock to see him back in a WWE ring, and even more than that, he had taken such a sharp departure from the character that WWE had put so much time behind. It was a stroke of genius, as this was Reigns’ transformation into the Tribal Chief; the rest is history.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Brock Lesnar Interrupts Roman Reigns’ Party<\/a> (SummerSlam 2021) <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Tribal Chief had an epic encounter with John Cena at SummerSlam 2021. It was a passing-of-the-torch moment that saw Roman Reigns vanquish one of the biggest stars of WWE’s past. Reigns had taken his place in the ring, Ula Fala draped around his neck, and the Universal Championship firmly within his grasp. The wrestling world was at Roman Reigns\u2019 feet, and his dominance was assured. Then it all came crashing down spectacularly.<\/p>\n

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A photo of WWE star Brock Lesnar. (Photo Credit: https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/16\/first-entrant-made-official-for-mens-2026-wwe-royal-rumble-match-on-smackdown\/)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An all-too-familiar music hit, and for the first time in 16 months, Brock Lesnar came storming through the curtain. The crowd went ballistic at the shocking turn of events that saw Roman Reigns’ greatest rival return to WWE and presumably lay his claim to the Universal Championship. It was a very satisfying and surprising ending to what was a fantastic SummerSlam.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Rated R Superstar Shows Up In Toronto (SummerSlam 2019) <\/strong><\/h2>\n

When Edge was forced into retirement, the wrestling world’s collective heart broke. The Rated R Superstar was one of the most beloved figures in World Wrestling Entertainment and was still in the prime of his career. Alas, injuries caught up with him, and he was at least able to walk away while he still could. It was a heartfelt moment for everyone as the world said goodbye to one of WWE\u2019s greats.<\/p>\n

\"A
A photo of WWE Ruthless Aggression era legend Edge. (Photo Credit: By STEPHVE – https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/57552747@N04\/5947275420\/, CC BY 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=143582255)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8 years after Edge had walked away from WWE, SummerSlam made its way back to his hometown of Toronto. It was a night primed for history, but one that started with a huge surprise when Edge\u2019s music hit and he came sprinting to the ring. It was assumed that he would have a cursory role with Elias in the ring.<\/p>\n

Edge would say something to get the crowd pumped up and then depart. To the shock of everyone, the second he entered the ring, he sprinted towards Elias, delivering a monumental spear. Physicality from Edge was something no one expected to see, and it was a precursor to an even bigger return a few months later.<\/p>\n

Damage CTRL Supplies A Trio Of Surprises (SummerSlam 2022) <\/strong><\/h2>\n

WWE\u2019s moving SummerSlam to a stadium series<\/a> gave the Biggest Party of the Summer that big event feel. Nissan Stadium was hopping when the show started, especially with the banger of a match between Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch. When the match was over and Belair stood victorious, there was a great display of sportsmanship from the two women, and then the unthinkable happened when three women surprised the crowd in Nashville.<\/p>\n

Bayley\u2019s music blasted throughout Nissan Stadium as she sauntered out after being out with injury for over a year. It was fantastic to see the Role Model return to WWE, and the crowd was loving it, but it didn\u2019t stop there. Joining her were Dakota Kai and IYO SKY. Both women were making their main roster debut, and it was insane to see the trio standing together.<\/p>\n

One surprise is a great story, but three back-to-back-to- back is something that hadn\u2019t been pulled off so well. SummerSlam was taken over by Damage CTRL, capping off an incredible surprise from the women of WWE.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minnesota is getting ready to host the 39th annual WWE SummerSlam 2026. It is the first time that a major PLE has made its way to the Twin Cities, and it looks primed to continue WWE\u2019s summer tradition. The Biggest Party of the Summer has been produced like a major PLE for decades, involving moments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4518,"featured_media":164964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":true,"sfio_embed_code":"<\/smartframe-embed>","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7205,2192,3,320],"tags":[160,163,1445,57,328,8442,830,77,60],"class_list":["post-164950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe-universe","category-wwe-women","tag-bayley","tag-becky-lynch","tag-bianca-belair","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-edge","tag-iyo-sky","tag-kevin-nash","tag-roman-reigns","tag-wwe-summerslam"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164950"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164966,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164950\/revisions\/164966"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}