Brock Lesnar vs John Cena: Summerslam 2014
We’re kicking off this list with undoubtedly one of the most lopsided victories in the history of professional wrestling, with John Cena vs Brock Lesnar. At the time, Brock Lesnar was white hot, coming off of the biggest win of his career by defeating the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, thus ending the 21 year streak of the deadman. John Cena, had also gotten one of the biggest wins of his career by winning his almost record breaking 15th world title reign in a hotly contested Money in the Bank ladder match. So the showdown was set, The Beast Incarnate and Conquerer of the Streak Brock Lesnar vs The 15 Time World Champion John Cena at Summerslam. If there was ever a match that had a big fight feel to it, it was this, so you could understand the shock that everyone in the crowd and everyone watching at home felt when Brock Lesnar utterly dominated and destroyed John Cena, with little to no offense or defense from the champ. 16 German suplexes and two F5’s later, we had a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and there was no doubt that he had earned the titles, and in convincing fashion. So with the amazing build up involving John Cena and Paul Heyman trading back incredible promo’s back and forth, and then the ultimate curveball of Lesnar dominating Cena, this match ranks at number 10 on the list
CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar: Summerslam 2013
Speaking of big fight feel matches and Brock Lesnar, who can ever forget this epic match up? CM Punk was on his own, after being stabbed in the back by long time friend and mentor Paul Heyman. Punk would seek revenge on Heyman, taking every chance he got to try and get his hands on him, but when you attack the client, you’re gonna have to take on his beast. Paul Heyman had called his beast back to the WWE to eradicate his problem with CM Punk, but the Second City Saint wasn’t going to back down from anybody. So match was set: The Best vs The Beast, CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar. This feud delivered on all levels including in ring competition, as the match was nominated for and many believe truly should have been, match of the year. In the end Brock Lesnar would claim the victory against Punk but one couldn’t take anything away from the strong attempt that Punk gave.
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Bret Hart vs Owen Hart: Summerslam 1994
After two fairly recent Summerslam matches, let’s take a step back in time. The year is 1994, and earlier that year at Wrestlemania Bret and Owen Hart had put on a technical classic of a match that was undoubtedly one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time. Owen would in the end come out the victor with a clean win over his older brother, but the score was not settled just yet. Later on that night Bret would wrestle his second match of the event for the WWF title against the giant Yokozuna and in the end defeat him after pinning him off of a failed Bonzai Drop attempt. Fast forward to Summerslam of the same year and we have the ultimate rematch between the two men only this time, it’s in a steel cage. (this was back when cage matches were really cool) No pinfalls, no submissions, the only way to win is to escape the cage and have both feet hit the ground. With the WWF title and the pride of being the best in the family at stake, the feud was very personal and you couldn’t help but be excited to see the match, no matter who you were rooting for. With the appearances of the Hart family coming to the event just to watch the two best in the family, it only made the match even more anticipated, and the two workhorses had no issue delivering. In the end Bret walked away with the win, but this is a match with infinite replay value and can be enjoyable everytime you watch it
Bret Hart vs Undertaker: Summerslam 1997
Now this match comes in for multiple reasons. One of those reasons is the undeniable amount of star power that it had, with two of the biggest stars at the time, Undertaker and Bret Hart, going at it with the third biggest name in the business Shawn Michael’s as the special guest referee. That should be enough to you to buy the PPV right? Well there’s even more at stake, with not only the WWF title, but the fact that if Bret doesn’t win the match he can never wrestle on American soil again. With Shawn Michaels who was never known at the time for his incredible friendships with either competitor, begged to be part of Summerslam, which landed him a part in the main event as the special guest referee. Of course no one expected him to be exactly impartial, but towards the end of the match Bret Hart was starting to get frustrated as he could not put The Undertaker away, and went outside to get a steel chair. Michaels would take the chair away from Bret, which led Bret to spit in the face of the referee. Shawn snapped and swung the chair at Bret’s head, but Bret had moved out of the way at the last minute, causing the chair to crack Taker right in the head. Bret would cover the deadman and Michaels would, reluctantly, count to three. The match itself is quite solid and can be rewatched numerous times and still be entertaining, and the story telling from all people involved is very impressive as well, which is what lands it at number 7 on this list.
Kurt Angle vs Stone Cold Steve Austin: Summerslam 2001
It was 2001 and the war between the Alliance and the WWF was being waged heavily on WWF TV. Many feuds were created due to this, and this is one of the ones that we are most thankful for. This feud was nothing more than personal, with Stone Cold attempting to break Kurt Angle’s neck and Angle kidnapping Austin at one point. The WWF title was at stake, but this was about more than that, this was about two men trying to do nothing more than destroy each other. If you get some time go to the Network and check it out the feud and the match were nothing short of spectacular and no amount of words I say can really do it justice, seriously go and check it out, you won’t be disappointed.
Undertaker vs Edge: Summerslam 2008
This is another match you should definitely check out on the Network if you haven’t seen it yet. These two men were able to put on a show and truly tell a story in this match, with The Undertaker returning to take on the Rated R Superstar, Edge, who was white hot as a heel at the time. The special thing about this match is that no titles were on the line, this match was simply about revenge. Earlier on this year, Edge and Undertaker’s rivalry was in full swing, and it was amazing, putting on a very hotly anticipated match at Wrestlemania with Undertaker’s streak actually seeming like it was in jeopardy for the first time in a very long time. They would put on another incredible match at Backlash and would go on to headline One Night Stand in a TLC match for the World Heavyweight Championship, with the added stipulation that if The Undertaker lost he must leave the WWE. With the help of his faction, “La Familia,” Edge would defeat the Undertaker, banishing him from the WWE for a good couple months. Then all of a sudden, footage popped up of Edge cheating on then Smackdown General Manager and his wife to be, Vickie Guerrero, who would go on to exact her revenge on Edge by reinstating The Undertaker, and putting him in a match with Edge at Summerslam in Hell in a Cell. Edge, in a panic to strategize how he was going to beat The Undertaker in such a situation, would reach out then Smackdown commentator and former world champion Mick Foley who knew ALL about Undertaker and Hell in a Cell. Mick Foley would tell Edge that if he wanted even a chance of survival against the deadman in the devils playground, then the family man Edge who was always loving to his wife was gonna have to stay at home, and the old Edge that we had seen dominate in the past was gonna have to show up at Summerslam. Edge would destroy Foley by putting him through a table and constantly repeating the same phrase, “I understand.” He would then destroy his nephew in law Chavo Guerrero and would say to his wife “If the I’m gonna go to hell, I’m taking you, the family, and the Undertaker to hell with me.” The storytelling and match itself were the best they had ever been between these two, and this match is still what many consider one of the best matches of all time.
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Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose: Summerslam 2014
This match from last years Summerslam, very much exceeded expectations, as it was announced just a few weeks earlier to be a Lumberjack match. Most Lumberjack matches are rather boring, with no real meaning for the Lumberjacks to even be there, but leave it to these two to make a mostly boring match type and put on a show with it. Ambrose and Rollins would not only leave the ring, but would actually go into the crowd and brawl and put on some crazy spots, one of them being Dean Ambrose curb stomping Seth Rollins and giving him a taste of his own medicine. In the end Rollins would walk away with the victory, but you can take nothing away from either man. This match was and still is undeniable proof that the future is very bright in the hands of these men for the WWE, and if you get a chance you should watch this even if you’ve seen it before.
Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar: Summerslam 2003
At the time of this match the brand split was at it’s height, and Paul Heyman was doing everything he could to make Smackdown be the superior brand and in all honesty, was doing an incredible job of it, with this feud being a perfect example. These two men feuded for the majority of the year of 2003, and nobody was complaining about it, they put on one of the best Wrestlemania main events of all time, would put on an awesome triple threat match with Big Show at Vengeance, and would develop and on screen friendship that would eventually be sold up the river in exchange for the WWE championship. Brock Lesnar would challenge Vince McMahon to a steel cage match on Smackdown, with his friend Kurt Angle as the special referee. Brock would pick McMahon up for an F5, then stumbled a bit and fell over, seemingly going unconscious. Angle would attempt to check on his friend to make sure everything was alright, which led to Lesnar giving Angle an F5, stabbing him in the back and aligning himself with Vince McMahon in order to get a shot at the championship that Angle defeated him for not a month ago. The build up was incredible, and their match was every bit as good if not better than their original showdown at Wrestlemania.
Bret Hart vs British Bulldog: Summerslam 1992
This match led to one of the biggest crowd pops of all time when the British Bulldog and Bret the Hitman Hart, became the first and only men to ever main event Summerslam with an Intercontinental Championship match. These two men were great friends and family, but they both wanted the Intercontinental Championship, which ultimately led to them having an epic clash at 1992’s edition of the event. The match is very good, and one of the most technically sound matches to ever be wrestled as almost all of the spots went just as planned, but one of the best parts of this match is the crowd. This match was wrestled at Wembly Stadium, which I’m sure I don’t need to tell you is one of the biggest arena’s in the world and is pretty much the biggest arena in Britain, which is obviously the hometown of the British Bulldog. When Bulldog pinned Hart and won the match, the place came unglued, becoming one of if not the biggest crowd pop ever heard. And to top it off, the two men shook hands and hugged, showing they still have very high respect and friendship for each other. If you’re looking for a real technical masterpiece, look no further than this match right here. It is truly one of the best matches of all time and has earned it’s spot on this list
Shawn Michaels vs HHH Summerslam 2002
Honestly, what else could it possibly be? This match was the undisputed best Summerslam match of all time. It was one of the most pivotal parts of a rivalry that would last two years, being the first showdown between the two men in an Unsanctioned Street Fight, it was the return of the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels, and it was one of the most personal and incredible matches and rivalries ever. Much like Kurt Angle vs Steve Austin, there isn’t much I can say about how incredible it was, you need to see it yourself. If you haven’t seen this match, please go watch it on the Network as soon as you can, because it truly is the greatest Summerslam match there is.
