The Ultimate Warrior’s victory for the WWF Intercontinental Championship at the first SummerSlam pay-per-view in 1988 is arguably what makes the event so memorable. Warrior defeated The Honky Tonk Man in a matter of seconds to win the championship.
He wasn’t, however, the first choice to end HTM’s reign. Actually, it was Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake who was set to win the title, kicking off a months-long storyline in which the two WWE Hall of Famers would have appeared frequently in higher mid-card slots. Prior to the event, this storyline had been running on house shows.
Brutus Beefcake discussed the match with Wrestling Shoot Interviews, and this is what led to the legendary Superstar’s 31-second loss:
“Honky knew I was getting the belt. Honky also knew that once he dropped the belt to me, we were gonna get another four, five-month run around the territory with him chasing the belt. So what it meant for both of us, main events semi-mains, whatever. Good money. Real good money.
And by changing it at the last second because Warrior, whatever, threw a tantrum and said he was gonna quit if he didn’t get the belt. Honky was so mad. That’s why he dropped the belt in ten seconds.”
You can watch the complete interview below:
(H/T Sportskeeda for transcriptions)
