10 Most Dangerous Spots In WWE SummerSlam History

SummerSlam is one of WWE's Big-4 PLEs alongside Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and WrestleMania and has been going on as an annual tradition for 35 years.

Some of WWE's most iconic and defining moments have happened in this event, and many wrestlers made a career for themselves by competing in the biggest party of the summer.

RELATED: 10 Hidden Details WWE Fans Never Noticed At SummerSlam

However, there were some occasions when the wrestlers got a bit too carried away and performed some risky spots during the matches, which had dire consequences on multiple instances. With that said, let's take a look at ten of the most dangerous spots in SummerSlam history.

10 Jeff Hardy Swanton Bomb On CM Punk From A Ladder - SummerSlam 2009

WWE fans will never forget the feud between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy over the World Heavyweight Championship in 2009. Punk cashed in his MITB contract on Hardy after the latter won the World title at Extreme Rules, and it started a lengthy feud between the two.

Jeff Hardy reclaimed the title from Punk at Night of Champions 2009, and General Manager Teddy Long announced a TLC match for the title between the two at SummerSlam 2009.

Both wrestlers looked to dominate the other during the match, and Hardy went a bit too extreme by performing a Swanton Bomb on CM Punk from the top of a ladder through the Spanish announce table, which was the highlight of the entire match.

9 The Undertaker Chokeslams Edge Through The Ring - SummerSlam 2008

The feud between The Undertaker and Edge in 2008 culminated at SummerSlam 2008, where both superstars competed in a Hell in a Cell match.

Edge got put into this position after having a fall-out with his on-screen wife and SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero. Walking into the match without his usual support, Edge got locked inside the Devil's Playground with The Undertaker alone.

The Deadman picked up the victory in the match, and the closing moments saw The Undertaker chokeslamming Edge from the top of a ladder through the ring canvas.

8 Seth Rollins' Buckle Bomb On Finn Balor - SummerSlam 2016

SummerSlam 2016 saw Seth Rollins take on Finn Balor for the chance to become the inaugural Universal Champion. While Seth Rollins got placed into the match by Stephanie McMahon, Finn Balor earned his way by winning a fatal-4-way match and then defeating Roman Reigns.

RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Didn't Know Finn Balor Has Faced

The match proved to be highly competitive as both wrestlers looked to walk out as the first-ever Universal Champion. However, the match took a nasty turn when Seth Rollins performed a buckle bomb on Balor, and the latter landed awkwardly, causing a shoulder injury, which eventually forced him to relinquish the title the next night on Raw.

7 Brock Lesnar Destroys The Ring - SummerSlam 2022

Brock Lesnar made some jaws drop at SummerSlam 2022 when he made his entrance to his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns by driving a big tractor.

While fans thought it was just a prop for the entrance, The Beast Incarnate surprised them even more when he used the truck to lift the entire ring with Roman Reigns inside.

The spot could've gone bad if Reigns and Lesnar didn't do their part to perfection, but it became a visual spectacle for the fans. Sadly for Lesnar, his efforts weren't successful, as Reigns ended up retaining the titles.

6 Kurt Angle's Concussion - SummerSlam 2000

SummerSlam 2000 saw The Rock defending the WWE Championship against Triple H and Kurt Angle in a triple-threat match. Angle and The Game were the first to make their entrances and didn't wait for The Rock to start fighting.

The planned spot was to have Triple H pedigree Kurt Angle through the announce table and send Angle out to the back for a while. But the plans went awry when the table broke prematurely as The Game went for the pedigree, which resulted in Angle sustaining a legitimate concussion.

While Angle did make his way back into the match, he was not able to perform well, and Triple H had to take control and guide Angle into most spots.

5 Mabel Injuring Diesel - SummerSlam 1995

The late Mabel is known for injuring his opponents during the matches, and Diesel ended up as one of his victims during their WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 1995.

Mabel earned the opportunity by winning that year's King of the Ring tournament and looked to end Diesel's lengthy run with the WWE Championship. However, the match took a nasty turn when Mabel performed a sit-splash onto Diesel's back, which legitimately injured the latter.

Vince McMahon was reportedly furious with Mabel over the incident and even thought about letting him go, but Diesel talked McMahon out of it and saved Mabel's job.

4 Brock Lesnar Busts Randy Orton Open - SummerSlam 2016

Following the brand split, WWE announced a major inter-brand match between Raw's Brock Lesnar and SmackDown's Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2016.

It was the first major singles feud between the two superstars, and WWE orchestrated a decent build-up toward the match. While Orton looked to slay the Beast at the event, Lesnar dominated the match and took Orton to Suplex City.

RELATED: Suplex City: Top 10 Brock Lesnar Quotes

The closing moments of the match saw Lesnar taking off his gloves and landing legitimate stiff elbow shots on Orton's forehead and busting him open.

3 First Ever TLC Match - SummerSlam 2000

WWE introduced an iconic concept at SummerSlam 2000 when they announced the first-ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Edge and Christian defended the titles against The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz at the event, and the three times took the match to extreme heights with multiple high-risk spots.

Edge and Christian knocked Bubba Ray Dudley from the top of a ladder through four double-stacked tables outside the ring, and Matt Hardy also took a similar bump through two double-stacked tables.

2 Shane McMahon Takes A Huge Fall - SummerSlam 2000

Another dangerous spot that took place at SummerSlam 2000 was during the Hardcore Championship match between Shane McMahon and Steve Blackman.

Shane McMahon tried to get the unfair advantage by having Test and Albert attack Blackman during the match, but the latter chased them away with kendo stick shots and went after McMahon.

One thing led to another, and both wrestlers found themselves on top of a high steel structure, which was part of the stage set. Blackman hit McMahon with a kendo stick three times, causing the latter to take a huge fall from the top of the structure and crash onto the arena floor.

1 Steve Austin Takes A Devastating Piledriver - SummerSlam 1997

SummerSlam 1997 turned into a life-changing event for Stone Cold Steve Austin as he sustained a serious injury during his Intercontinental Championship match against Owen Hart.

Austin challenged Hart for the title at the event, and while the match was going smoothly as planned, Owen Hart performed a piledriver on Steve Austin and ended up botching the delivery, which resulted in Austin sustaining a legitimate neck injury and temporarily paralyzing him.

However, Austin managed to pull himself up and finish the match and walked out with the Intercontinental Championship. But the neck injury eventually became the cause of his early retirement in 2003.