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The biggest party of the summer, WWE SummerSlam, will hold its 33rd annual event on August 23rd this year. This will be much different from the previous 32 editions because WWE is dealing with the ongoing pandemic. Whether the event is happening inside the Performance Center or at an outdoor location, this event will look and feel unique from all the others.
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Throughout the 32 events, SummerSlam has showcased so many classic matches. For most years, the summer event has had the best match of the calendar year. We have seen technical in-ring battles, incredible speciality matches and memorable moments. SummerSlam has seen the rematch of the legendary WrestleMania 10 ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon in 1995 as well as the absolute destruction of John Cena by the Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar in 2014. We have also watched Cena battle Daniel Bryan in a tremendous WWE Championship match and the great World Heavyweight Championship TLC match between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk.
With matches like those few which did not make our list, it shows just how hard it is to list just 10 classic SummerSlam matches, but that is what we will attempt to do. Let's take a look at the 10 greatest SummerSlam matches of all time.
#10 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Kurt Angle (WWF Championship) - SummerSlam 2001
We start our SummerSlam countdown with the greatest match in the event's history to end in a non-finish. The year 2001 in WWE was all about the Invasion. With purchasing WCW and ECW, the WWF, at this time, set out to create their biggest feud ever between the three largest wrestling promotions of the past decade. Unfortunately due to contract disputes and other issues, the biggest stars from WCW were unable to perform for the company. This would lead to the top star of WWF, Stone Cold Steve Austin, turning on the promotion to give the opposing WCW/ECW Alliance an even playing field.
With Austin on the side of the Alliance, the WWF would look to their Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle, to lead the charge for the company ahead of SummerSlam 2001. At the summer spectacular, Austin and Angle waged war in a bloody, brutal WWF Championship Match that stole the show on a night that featured a RVD-Jeff Hardy ladder match and the returning Rock defeating Booker T for the WCW Heavyweight Championship.
Both men brawled in the aisleway in front of the SummerSlam logo to start, and Angle more than held his own with the Texas Rattlesnake. When the match finally got to the ring, the two Hall of Famers then showed off the technical expertise in this contest with Angle predictably getting the advantage. Just when it seemed Angle was going to gain the victory, Austin got himself disqualified to save his championship.
As Jim Ross said, this was one of the most physical intense battles in SummerSlam history. This rivalry was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise lackluster Invasion angle. Featuring two of the very best to ever lace their boots, Angle and Austin had the best match at a truly underrated SummerSlam event.
#9 Edge vs Undertaker (Hell In A Cell) - SummerSlam 2008
In one of the most underrated feuds in WWE history, Edge and Undertaker finally settled their score in an epic Hell In A Cell Match at the 2008 SummerSlam. This rivalry started in May 2007 when Edge went from RAW to SmackDown with the Money In The Bank briefcase to cash in on a beaten-down Deadman to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Upon his return from injury later in the year, The Rated R Superstar would cost the Undertaker the title once again, interfering in the Hell In A Cell Match between the Demon from Death Valley and Batista at Survivor Series 2007.
Their rivalry led to the main event of WrestleMania 24 where the Undertaker defeated Edge to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. However, with the help of his "wife" and SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, Edge would not only get back the title, but he would also get the Deadman fired from WWE after a TLC Match at One Night Stand 2008.
After The Rated R Superstar subsequently cheated on his wife, Vickie would seek revenge by reinstating Taker and making a Hell In A Cell Match to end the feud between the two men at SummerSlam. This led to one of the best promo exchanges of Edge's career in the lead-up to SummerSlam 2008 as he invited Undertaker's long time rival, Mick Foley, on the Cutting Edge. Foley made Edge realize that he had to go to a deep, dark place to meet the Deadman in the Cell and that is what Edge did.
This hard-hitting match between Edge and Undertaker is the only Hell In A Cell Match in the history of SummerSlam. This was an intense brawl around the Cell which featured plenty of tables, ladders and chairs. The Deadman would use all the weapons that The Rated R Superstar had used against him throughout the past year to gain the ultimate revenge.
Undertaker would defeat Edge finally with a Tombstone Piledriver, but he was not done with his rival. After the match, the Phenom set up a ladder and drove Edge through the ring with a chokeslam straight to hell to end SummerSlam 2008.
#8 Mr. Perfect vs Bret The Hitman Hart (Intercontinental Championship) - SummerSlam 1991
Is there a better SummerSlam performer than Bret The Hitman Hart? Hart is considered "Mr. Summerslam" thanks to the many classic performances he has put on over the years. The first example of the stellar showings at the summer event for the Hitman came at the 1991 SummerSlam where he met Mr. Perfect.
Two of the greatest in-ring competitors in the history of WWE, Hart and Mr. Perfect had an amazing chemistry when up against each other. In this 1991 battle, Perfect came in as the cocky two-time Intercontinental Champion. To many, Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig was the first heel IC Champ they remember, and is one of the best wrestlers to never win the WWF Championship. An excellent in-ring technician and confident talker on the mic, Perfect had the ability to make himself and his opponent look more than formidable.
On the other side of the ring, Bret Hart was considered a tag team specialist heading in to SummerSlam 1991. Having won the WWF Tag Team Titles twice with Hart Foundation partner Jim Neidhart, The Hitman had to prove himself as a singles competitor and winning the Intercontinental Title would achieve this.
These two men put on a mat classic that still holds up almost 30 years later. Every move is crisp and sharp. The story told was beautifully done and made even more amazing when realizing that Perfect came into this match with a severely injured back. The back injury would be his downfall as the Hitman pulled out a reversal into the Sharpshooter which got him his first singles title win of his seven-year career. This was a star-making performance for Bret and another example of Mr. Perfect's talents.
#7 The Rock vs Triple H (IC Title Ladder Match) - SummerSlam 1998
Going from one star-making performance to another, The Rock versus Triple H in a Ladder Match at SummerSlam 1998 was the night that made two of the biggest stars in WWE history. The leaders of the Nation of Domination and D-Generation X had been going back and forth throughout 1998. The two young, up-and-coming stars had been in countless battles all around the world and on several WWF pay-per-views.
The prior month at Fully Loaded 1998, The People's Champion and The Game would go to a draw in a very good two-out-of-three falls match. To finally settle this war between the two men and their factions, a ladder match was made for SummerSlam after The Rock brutalized Hunter with a ladder on an episode of RAW that summer.
This is one of the most physical ladder matches in WWE history as both men used the ladder to beat down on their opponent in unique ways. In the first ladder match to take place in Madison Square Garden since the legendary Shawn Michaels versus Razor Ramon WrestleMania X encounter, Triple H and The Rock had a match more akin to that epic here at SummerSlam 1998.
On a night featuring the Highway To Hell WWF Championship match between top stars Stone Cold Steve Austin and Undertaker, no one could deny The Game and The Great One had stolen the show. In the end, with a low blow assist from Chyna, Triple H defeated The Rock to leave SummerSlam as the new Intercontinental Champion. However, it was both men who left MSG as bigger stars than they went in.
#6 John Cena vs AJ Styles - SummerSlam 2016
In his own words, this match with John Cena at SummerSlam 2016 made AJ Styles' name in the WWE. In another star turn at the biggest party of the summer, the Phenomenal One looked to finally prove himself better than the Doctor of Thuganomics. Upon his entry to WWE, this dream match was considered the encounter most fans of AJ Styles and the WWE Universe wanted to see.
Often viewed as the once the biggest star outside of WWE, Styles would make his anticipated WWE debut as the number three entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble. After two fantastic matches with WWE Champion Roman Reigns at Payback and Extreme Rules, AJ Styles would move on to set his sights on John Cena. The Face That Runs The Place would be caught by surprise as Styles made things personal by turning heel on Cena, setting up a fierce rivalry between the two on SmackDown ahead of SummerSlam.
After their first-time encounter at Money In The Bank ended in controversy, the rematch was set for SummerSlam 2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. In front of a raucous crowd in Brooklyn, Styles and Cena put on an all-time SummerSlam classic which had everyone in attendance on their feet for this 20-plus minute encounter. This was a back and forth bout with countless near falls and spellbinding sequences, all of which made for a memorable match.
After a Styles Clash and Phenomenal Forearm, AJ Styles had pulled off the biggest win of his career, defeating John Cena. This contest not only elevated Styles, but also showed how Cena could make a star with a single match. This win at SummerSlam propelled Styles to win the WWE Championship the following month and set him up as a top star in the company, which he remains today.
#5 Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boyz (WWF Tag Team Titles TLC Match) - SummerSlam 2000
One of the matches that defined an era, the first-ever Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match between Edge and Christian, The Dudleys and Hardy Boyz was a spectacle that stole the show at SummerSlam 2000. These three teams changed the game earlier in the year in their Triangle Ladder Match at WrestleMania 2000. The victory for Edge and Christian there did not seem to stop these teams from trading the WWF Tag Team Titles nor getting into physical encounters with one another throughout 2000.
After several Con-chair-to attacks from the champions, WWF Commissioner Mick Foley made this the first-time ever TLC Match, calling for Edge and Christian to defend the titles against their biggest rivals at SummerSlam 2000. In the match that would go on to become its own pay-per-view in itself, the first TLC Match was an insane contest that took years off of all six men's careers.
This contest consisted of so many memorable spots, such as a huge Swanton Bomb off a 20-foot ladder by Jeff Hardy as well as Jeff and D-Von kicking each other while holding on to the titles hanging above the ring. This match would lead to an even more ridiculous car crash TLC Match at WrestleMania X-7 completing this epic trilogy, but without the success of this SummerSlam match that would have not happened.
In the end, Edge and Christian would once again walk out of the match with the WWF Tag Team gold. SummerSlam 2000 featured The Rock defending the WWF Championship against Triple H and Kurt Angle as well as Chris Jericho versus Chris Benoit, but this TLC Match is the one that everyone remembers most of all. It is a testament to all three teams that after years of TLC matches, this one still can hang with any WWE has put on in the past 20 years.
#4 Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk (No DQ Match) - SummerSlam 2013
The only other person who can make a claim to the "Mr. SummerSlam" moniker is The Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar. With 10 appearances at the Biggest Party of the Summer, Lesnar has been in the main event of eight SummerSlam events. Lesnar has also been in the WWE Championship or Universal Championship Match on six of those occasions.
In what may be his greatest SummerSlam performance, Brock Lesnar met CM Punk in No Disqualification match at Summerslam 2013. This first-time ever encounter of two former WWE Champions came to a head due to both men's connection with Paul Heyman. CM Punk returned to WWE after a brief hiatus at the 2013 Payback event to face Chris Jericho.
In that match, Punk defeated Jericho after refusing assistance from Heyman. The following night on RAW, Punk let Heyman know that he would no longer be needing his services after Paul had been in his corner for the better half of Punk's legendary 434-day WWE Championship reign the previous year. Later that same night, Brock Lesnar returned to WWE and laid Punk out with a F-5.
After weeks of Heyman denying involvement, Paul turned his back on Punk, costing him the Money In The Bank Ladder Match. This led to the epic encounter between Brock and Punk for SummerSlam. In this highly anticipated battle, CM Punk went at Brock like no one had before since Lesnar's return to the company. The hard-hitting affair had the Staples Center crowd in awe and stole the show on a night that featured the previously mentioned Cena versus Bryan matchup.
After Punk's desire to get his hands on Heyman got the better of him, Brock finished off the Voice of the Voiceless with a huge F-5 on a steel chair. SummerSlam 2013 is widely considered one of the best editions of the summer spectacle, and this No DQ battle is the best of a great night for WWE.
#3 Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs British Bulldog (IC Title Match) - SummerSlam 1992
There has never been a more spectacular-looking SummerSlam like the 1992 edition. In front of a sold-out 80,355 fans at Wembley Stadium in London, England, Bret "The Hitman" Hart defended the Intercontinental Championship against his brother-in-law, British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith. This was the first time in WWE history that the IC Title would be defended in the main event of a Big Four pay-per-view. This match had a lot to live up to, but it definitely delivered.
Leading up to this SummerSlam encounter, the story surrounded whether the two men could keep this match as a sportsmanlike contest and not ruin their relationship as brothers-in-law. With Bret's sister and Davey's wife, Diana, in the crowd, the two men put on a technical wrestling masterpiece. Tremendous counter wrestling and expert storytelling throughout, Bret proved to the world how much of a ring general he was while Bulldog proved that he could keep up with the Excellence of Execution despite not being in the best condition.
Bret tried to wear down the Bulldog using his superior wrestling ability while Bulldog kept Hart on his toes using his power and strength advantage. On a night where Ultimate Warrior took on Macho Man Randy Savage for the WWF Championship, there was no question that Bret versus Bulldog more than deserved the main event spot at SummerSlam.
For 25-plus minutes, Bret and Davey showed a level of technical wrestling not usually seen in main event matches at this time. In the end, it was Bulldog who reversed a sunset flip attempt from Bret to a pinning combination to win the IC Title at SummerSlam. Post-match, with emotions running high despite some hesitation, Bret shook the hand of British Bulldog then raised the hands of both Bulldog and his sister, Diana.
This SummerSlam classic not only was the greatest match of British Bulldog's career and one of the best Intercontinental Title matches ever, but was also the catalyst that led to Vince McMahon having the confidence to put the WWF Championship on Bret Hart. This incredible performance by Bret is actually his second best in the history of SummerSlam, though.
#2 Bret "The Hitman Hart" vs Owen Hart (WWF Title Steel Cage Match) - SummerSlam 1994
"Mr. SummerSlam"'s greatest performance in the event's history came against what possibly may be his greatest rival in his brother, Owen Hart. At the 1994 SummerSlam, Bret Hart defended the WWF Championship against his brother Owen in a Steel Cage match.
The sibling rivalry between the two Hart brothers started back at the 1993 Survivor Series after Owen expressed his frustration feeling his brother caused his elimination. After their Royal Rumble 1994 loss in a WWF Tag Team Title match, Owen kicked Bret's injured leg, which would lead to their first-time encounter in the opener of WrestleMania X. In a technical wrestling master class, Owen defeated his brother, but Bret would go on to become the WWF Champion later in the night.
After Owen won the 1994 King of the Ring and became the King of Harts, it led to the WWF granting him his first shot at the WWF Championship against his brother, Bret, at SummerSlam to end this feud. The Steel Cage stipulation was made due to the involvement of Jim "The Anvil" Niedhart in helping Owen win the KOTR. With the entire Hart family in attendance, they bared witness to an incredible performance from the Hart brothers in the United Center in Chicago.
The Steel Cage match was known for its bloody wars, but this SummerSlam 1994 Cage Match was different as both brothers created a story about the grueling struggle to escape the cage and gain victory. The attempts from both men to escape as well as stop the other from escaping were exhilarating throughout this contest. The Chicago crowd were on its feet for these escape attempts, and the struggle between the two brothers was spellbinding.
The ending of this SummerSlam classic came when Bret and Owen both scaled the cage, and Bret was able to get Owen's leg caught in the cage to hang him upside down as The Hitman escaped. While Bret won this match, he did not look like a victor for long when The Anvil jumped him afterward. Owen and Niedhart attacked Bret inside the cage while the Hart family tried to get inside to end the beatdown. This would lead to more battles between the Hart Family throughout the fall of 1994.
This is a Wrestling Observer Newsletter five star rated match and won WWF Match of the Year for 1994. Despite those accolades, there is one match on par with this one from an even better SummerSlam event.
#1 Triple H vs Shawn Michaels (Non Sanctioned Match) - SummerSlam 2002
SummerSlam 2002 is widely considered the greatest event in its history. The card includes the first WWE Title win for Brock Lesnar over The Rock, Chris Benoit versus Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental Title and a fun Kurt Angle versus Rey Mysterio opener. With an all-time classic SummerSlam card, the return of Shawn Michaels facing his former best friend, Triple H, in a Non Sanctioned match is the best of the bunch.
The buildup to this SummerSlam encounter is among the most memorable in WWE history. In the summer of 2002, after a lackluster return joining the nWo, "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels convinced his best friend, Triple H, to go from SmackDown to RAW to reunite D-Generation X. On his first night back on RAW, the D-X reunion proved to be short lived as The Game laid out HBK with a Pedigree. The following week, a face-to-face confrontation between the two friends was set, but then Shawn was viciously attacked in the parking lot as HHH called him out.
Triple H wanted to put aside his differences to find out who attacked HBK, but when the video surveillance was revealed, it showed that HHH himself was the one who brutally attacked Shawn Michaels. This would lead to Shawn making his return to the ring after four years away with a severe back injury. RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff made this encounter at SummerSlam a Non Sanctioned match so that WWE did not have any liability for what the two men would do to each other. This turned out to be a good decision as we witnessed one of the most grueling contests in SummerSlam history.
These two men fought with all the passion they had been known for throughout their careers. Shawn's performance was impressive to see as he had been out of the ring for so long, yet showed no signs of ring rust. Triple H put on the type of performance that made many consider The Game the best wrestler in the business during his stellar 2000 run.
In the conclusion of this war, Michaels reversed the Pedigree into a pinning combination to gain the victory. After the match, HHH used a sledgehammer to attack Shawn's back and have Michaels stretchered out of the building. This match would lead to a two-year feud between the two men, but they were never able to surpass the quality of this SummerSlam classic.
This is the best match at the greatest SummerSlam event in history with two all-time great performers. This is why Shawn Michaels versus Triple H in a Non Sanctioned match is the greatest SummerSlam match of all time.
