WWE SummerSlam Interesting Stats And Facts: Zeus' Payoff, Winless And Undefeated Superstars, More
Always an important show, SummerSlam has quickly exploded into an even bigger weekend for wrestling. Sunday Night's event will see plenty of history guaranteed to be made, before anyone even takes to the squared circle. Below are some pre-show facts and stats we've compiled. You can also look back at our pre-Royal Rumble and WrestleMania editions as well.
Really?
* Zeus told Grantland that he raked in nearly $150,000 for his SummerSlam appearance in 1989.
* Bret Hart stated during a Kayfabe Commentaries interview that a ladder match between he and Shawn Michaels was an alternate booking plan to his match with Davey Boy Smith in 1992.
* Alberto Del Rio is the only man to ever perform in the opening and closing match at SummerSlam, which he did in 2011.
* 2015 will be The Undertaker's first SummerSlam match since 2008.
* 2015 will be John Cena's 12th consecutive SummerSlam with a match, which is a record.
* Jesse Ventura was a guest referee for two SummerSlam main events: 1988 and 1999.
* Hulk Hogan had the longest stint between SummerSlam matches, going from 1991 to 2005.
Championship Fun
* 2015 marks the fifth straight year John Cena is involved in a World Championship match at SummerSlam.
* This year will be the first time the WWE United States Championship has been defended on the PPV portion of SummerSlam since 2005.
* The average match time for a WWE United States title match on the PPV portion of SummerSlam is under 6 minutes.
* John Cena has lost four consecutive championship matches at SummerSlam.
* Brutus Beefcake withdrew from two Intercontinental Title matches in storyline. In 1988 against Honky Tonk Man, and 1990 against Mr. Perfect.
* SummerSlam 2014 was the first time in SummerSlam history that every title defended on the show changed hands. 2003 saw all of the champions successfully defend their titles.
* Only Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton have cashed in their Money in the Bank briefcases at SummerSlam, with both winning the WWE Title.
* The Intercontinental Title has changed hands 14 times at SummerSlam. Dolph Ziggler's title victory in 2014 was the first time the championship had changed hands on the show since 2008.
First Timers
* Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Nikki Bella and Tamina will all be competing in their first SummerSlam matches. 2015 will be Alicia Fox's first SummerSlam match since 2010.
* The triple threat tag team elimination Divas match will be the first of its kind in SummerSlam history.
* Luke Harper, Stephen Amell, Sin Cara, Kevin Owens, Diego, Fernando, Neville, Xavier Woods, and Kalisto are all also performing in their first SummerSlam matches this weekend.
Dominant Superstars
* Hulk Hogan is an undefeated 6-0 at SummerSlam events.
* The Ultimate Warrior went 5-0 at SummerSlam.
* The Undertaker the most matches in SummerSlam history, with 15, and the most number of wins in SummerSlam history, with 9.
* Rob Van Dam has won three SummerSlam pre-show matches.
* Jim Duggan, John Morrison, Bart Gunn, Tatanka, and the Road Warriors all went 3-0 at SummerSlam
* Both Edge and Triple H had six match winning streaks at SummerSlam, but had alreay experienced losses earlier in their careers at the event.
* Big Show went unbeaten throughout his first 12 years in the WWE at SummerSlam. This stat is a little misleading, as he rarely performed on the show. He was finally defeated in 2012 in a match against CM Punk and John Cena. To date, it's his only SummerSlam loss.
Not-so-dominant Superstars
* Brie Bella, Rikishi, Mabel, Mideon, Great Khali, Marty Jannetty and Tito Santana are all winless at SummerSlam.
* Booker T has never won a match at SummerSlam, leaving him with an 0-5 record.
* John Cena has the most losses in SummerSlam history, with 7.
* Jeff Hardy also possesses an 0-5 record at SummerSlam.
* Darren Young and Titus O'Neil haven't performed at SummerSlam since coming up short against Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for the WWE Tag Team Championship in 2012.