5 times in this millennium when SummerSlam was better than WrestleMania

#2 2000

SummerSlam 2000

WrestleMania 2000 was a disappointment, becoming the first 'Mania to not feature a single traditional one-on-one match. There were some bright spots, particularly the Triangle Ladder Match, but WWE did improve on it in the summer. SummerSlam 2000 took place at the height of the Attitude Era but, like WrestleMania, did not feature the company's flagship performer in "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

He had been away since the Fall of 1999 recovering from neck surgery that had been needed ever since his match with Owen Hart at SummerSlam 1997.

Despite the absence their top star for the majority of 2000, WWE had an excellent year in terms of in-ring quality and storytelling as several performers like The Rock, Triple H and surprising newcomer Kurt Angle stepped up big time.

These 3 men headlined that year's SummerSlam in a triple threat Match that had to be adjusted in mid-action due to Angle suffering a concussion. In addition to the main event, the show featured numerous grand moments and matches like Chis Benoit vs. Chris Jericho in a 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match, Jerry Lawler's first ever WWE face turn when he battled Tazz and that ridiculous Shane McMahon vs Steve Blackman match.

However, only one match could take the cake as the best one at SummerSlam 2000. It was the first-ever TLC Match pitting Edge and Christian, the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boyz against each other between two WrestleMania classics featuring the same cast.

As mentioned earlier, 2000 was a stellar year for WWE and shows like SummerSlam are a major reason why. While WrestleMania was a rare misstep in a golden year for the company, SummerSlam might have been the best pay-per-view of the entire year.