When is the Last Time SummerSlam Did Not Feature Cena or Undertaker?, Dean Ambrose Does Big YouTube Numbers

WWE star Dean Ambrose made his surprise return to Raw this week in the main event segment, and the YouTube clip of The Lunatic Fringe’s return has done big numbers. As of this writing, the segment, which you can watch below, has totaled 4.121 million views.

When is the Last Time SSlam Did Not Feature Cena or Undertaker?

Ahead of WWE SummerSlam this weekend, Alfred Konuwa has published a new article over at Forbes.com, and the article delves into the history of SummerSlam, and points out an interesting statistic involving John Cena and The Undertaker.

“One would have to go back to SummerSlam 1990 to find the last time the big-four pay-per-view—and arguably WWE’s second-biggest event—did not feature The Undertaker and/or Cena,” writes Konuwa.

The article goes on to point out that the absence of Undertaker and John Cena at SummerSlam not only indicates WWE’s transition in top talent, but also shows the company is transitioning its business model. The Undertaker and Cena came from an era when WWE was reliant on PPV buys and live event attendance, but with WWE shifting its current revenue streams to platforms such as the Network and social media, WWE “has expertly leveraged its coveted live programming against the thirst of content providers looking to remain relevant.”

As noted, John Cena is scheduled to make his WWE return at the WWE Shanghai event on September 1st, and The Undertaker is being advertised for a match at the WWE Super Show-Down event, as well as an appearance at the Smackdown 1,000 episode.

⚡️👊 @WWE 9/1 #WWEShanghai

— John Cena (@JohnCena) August 14, 2018