'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The first-ever two-night WWE SummerSlam is officially in the books, and it had its fair share of polarizing moments, surprises, and controversy. While to the chagrin of many, WWE's opening video packages made it seem as though the company was chasing viral moments on social media, and in that regard, it did not disappoint.
But SummerSlam also had its fair share of all-time great matches. Unlike WrestleMania earlier this year, where only the first night's main event delivered, the main event matches themselves and what happened after the match were a sight to behold this past weekend.
That said, in this article, we shall discuss the three best matches of WWE SummerSlam 2025.
What happens when wrestlers get too selfish? - Watch Here!
#3. The Six-Pack TLC Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam was incredible
Trending
The Six-Pack TLC Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship featuring DIY, The Street Profits, the Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, Andrade & Rey Fenix, and The Wyatt Sicks on Night Two of WWE SummerSlam was a brutal affair. The Wyatt Sicks retained the title among an elite field of challengers.
Every major team from the SmackDown tag team division was featured in the TLC match, and it served its purpose: elevating every single person involved. The bout was billed as the "biggest TLC Match ever," and the presence of The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz only enhanced the occasion as well as expectations.
DIY, The Street Profits, MCMG, Fraxiom, Andrade & Rey Fenix, and The Wyatt Sicks all rose to it and then some. They attempted to replicate the history that The Hardys, Dudleys, and Edge & Christian made 25 years ago with the first-ever TLC Match at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
#2. John Cena lived up to his promise and Cody Rhodes' demand as they gave viewers an incredible Super Cena Street Fight main event at SummerSlam Sunday
At SummerSlam, John Cena brought the best version of himself. And it was evident that this was all he ever needed to be on his Farewell Tour. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes made his case for being perhaps the best main eventer bell-to-bell in WWE, with the two men on the next point the only others in that conversation.
Cena rolled back the clock and then some, with his match against Cody Rhodes easily being his best in-ring performance since his trilogy with AJ Styles. If you argued last night might have eclipsed that, you could still have a legitimate case. It was classic Super Cena in a brutal Street Fight against a very game Cody Rhodes, who showcased immense versatility.
With both men having a major point to prove at SummerSlam following an underwhelming outing at WrestleMania 41 (it did have insane expectations), John Cena and Cody Rhodes went over 37 minutes with not one of those minutes being boring.
Some incredible spots included Cody and Cena fighting under the stage before Cena emerged from the CodyVator with Rhodes on his shoulders. Despite what seemed to be a dozen Attitude Adjustments and almost just as many Cross Rhodes and a ton of ridiculous bumps (completely different from Gunther vs. CM Punk), the match worked because that's what it had always needed to be.
The contrast with the main event from Night One only amplified that. Cena is no Gunther or Cody or Punk in the ring, but he doesn't need to be, because once again, he is "Super Cena;" once again, he is Big Match John.
As for the crowd, it was clearly pro-Cena, but it worked because fans had a good idea that unless there were any more shocking twists incoming, Cody would be winning back the title, unlike WrestleMania, where fans needed to see Cena win No. 17, and it was seemingly inevitable too. The crowd reactions also worked because Cena wasn't the heel, and Cody wasn't being booed in favor of one.
Cena arguably did not know how to work as a heel at 'Mania with the crowd's raucous cheering, without the entire match just seeming odd, especially because it was his first-ever major main event match as a villain.
Last night, he knew exactly what he was doing, though, and in his first major main event singles match as a babyface in forever, The Greatest of All Time wanted some, and came and got some.
#1. CM Punk and Gunther gave fans arguably the best singles match of the year at SummerSlam Saturday
While it was truly a toss-up between the two main events at SummerSlam, CM Punk and Gunther arguably took the cake at SummerSlam, delivering a surefire MOTY contender. The bout itself was everything it ever needed to be, and the absolute antithesis of WWE chasing virality and relying on shenanigans to deliver compelling main events.
The story was simple: CM Punk fought on as the valiant underdog, as the dominant Gunther relentlessly pummeled him. However, it was the execution that was so beautiful that, despite the match being "slow" and "repetitive," Punk and Gunther had fans in the palm of their hands.
Speculation as to whether Rollins might show up may have aided that. However, The Best in the World and The Ring General wrestled like their lives depended on it, like nothing was coming after the match, which is what stuck with fans. The crescendo was brilliant: Gunther boasting on the announcers table as CM Punk swept his legs out.
It wasn't a spot-fest or a big move-after-big move match or a spamming finishers spree; it was two men WRESTLING. Punk sold the fact that he was physically done after what Gunther had been doing to him all match.
There were no shenanigans, which is rare for main events these days, no needless use of weapons, very limited time spent outside the ring that led to the match turning around and thus the bit making sense, and no endless kickouts out of signature moves.
CM Punk only hit the GTS twice, one after another, and that sealed the deal for him as he became the World Heavyweight Champion. The moment after the match was a beautiful sight to behold that would have been every bit as satisfactory as when Cody Rhodes finished the story at WrestleMania, if not for the aftermath after the match.
Besides the two incredible Triple Threat matches at WrestleMania, the main event of SummerSlam Night One made a strong case for WWE's MOTY. While this article may be strictly about the best matches, Seth Rollins' cash-in that followed the main event deserves a mention.
The cash-in was brilliant in planning, flawless in execution, and somewhat like going bungee jumping right after a hellacious roller-coaster ride. The conclusion to the night lived up to the main event of Night One of WrestleMania 41 as well as Rollins' Heist of the Century at WrestleMania 31.
