Ranking all Brock Lesnar Matches in Summerslam History

It is really hard to label or judge Brock Lesnar right now. Some wrestling fans call him one of the greatest all-round performer in the history of WWE, and others, who have grown tired of his boring part time status in WWE, rate him among the most boring superstars of all time.

While it won't be entirely wrong to call his current reign, which now stands at 485 days and counting, as one of the worst reigns of the 21st century, one can certainly not argue with the fact that he is, in fact, one of the most accomplished superstars in the industry and is probably the only certified box-office draw in the company at this moment.

If WrestleMania is closely associated with legends like The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, WWEs second biggest show of the year, Summerslam, shares the same relation with The Beast Incarnate. With 6 main event matches in 8 appearances, which also includes an incumbent 4 match streak, Brock Lesnar top the list of most main events in Summerslam history, 5 of which came in the last 6 years.

With marquee matches against the likes of The Rock, The Undertaker and other, Lesnar has had some tremendous and some horrendous matches at SummerSlam. Before he clashes with Roman Reigns for, hopefully, the last time, here are the ratings and rankings of all SummerSlam appearances for The Beast Incarnate.

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#8 Brock Lesnar vs Triple H (2012)

This match should not have taken place. Forget about the match, this whole rivalry should not have taken place at all. If a loss to Cena in his return match wasn't enough to hamper Lesnar's stunning return, this 8 month long feud (Yes, you heard that right) nearly destroyed all the excitement around his hyped return.

As the first match of the trilogy of their matches, which included a Retirement Match at 'Mania 29 and a Steel Cage match at Extreme Rules 2011, this match was inarguably the the worst match between these two stalwarts. Both of them, who should have faced each other back in 2002, were past their prime and neither of them were regular in-ring competitors anymore.

Given the main event slot ahead of Both World Title matches, the so-called dream match was an 19-minute plodding affair which had no impact on the WWE programming for the rest of the year. The only thing it did was that it gave Lesnar a much-needed win and teased a retirement angle. Other than that, it was a total waste of opportunity.

#7 Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton (2016)

Where exactly did WWE go wrong with this is still impossible for me to decode. I mean, this match was supposed to be a gargantuan affair for WWE. Not only was this match a dream encounter between two alumnus of that legendary 2002 batch, it was supposed to be the biggest WWE encounter of the whole year.

Randy Orton had been out with injury for almost a year, and had established himself as a solid challenger to The Beast in the build up to the event. Even though Lesnar was getting a lot of criticism from the fans for his disappointing outing against Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania, the expectations from the fraternity regarding this clash had created a lot of buzz for this dream encounter.

For some weird reasons, however, the whole encounter just fell flat. The match only had a ton of suplexes from Brock Lesnar (like that's new), and Orton barely got any offence throughout the match. To make the matters worse, the match, and the night, ended in a TKO, the worst possible way to end a wrestling match, when Lesnar legitimately busted Orton open with elbow strikes. Talk about tanking a dream feud in just 11 minutes.

#6 John Cena(c) vs Brock Lesnar for WWE World Heavyweight Title (2014)

SUPLEX CITY B***H!!

The three words above summarize this blockbuster contest from the 2014 edition of Summerslam. After sending the whole wrestling world into a state of paralysis with a victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX, Brock Lesnar became the biggest and baddest superstar in the wrestling world. Well, second biggest.

After John Cena's WWE World Title win at Battleground, Brock Lesnar was chosen as his challenger for the title at Summerslam. The two were not strangers to each other, considering Lesnar had a stunning return match against Cena at Extreme Rules in 2012, and the fans were expecting a sequel to that match, maybe even a better encounter. What the fans got, however, was the most jaw-dropping sequence in the history of WWE.

In a match that lasted 16 minutes, Brock Lesnar decimated and destroyed John Cena, WWEs supposed franchise player, like a rag doll in the most shocking one-sided beatdown in WWE history . Just like he did with Randy Orton two years later, Lesnar broke Cena with 16 German Suplexes. Cena got minimal offence during the ending sequence, but Lesnar ended his quest with a F-5 to end Cena's reign and begin his unending reign of Terror in WWE.

#5 Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (2015)

The rivalry between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar stretched for 13 years, and had a lot of ups and downs in their rivalry. From their Royal Rumble showdowns to their Biker Chain Matches, the two have had plenty of memorable moments together in the ring. However, none of those encounters come even close to those two violent clashes they had in the Summer of 2015.

Frustrated and destroyed from his loss to Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX 18 months ago, The Undertaker, somehow resurrected, emerged to get revenge from Lesnar. Costing him the World Title opportunity at Battleground 2015, The Deadman finally laid the foundation of the last phase of their legendary rivalry, which featured a bloody clash inside Hell in a Cell and this clash at Summerslam 2015.

Despite being over 50 years at the time of this match, this was the best match that Taker had since his critically acclaimed match against Punk 30 months ago. A complete opposite of their Mania match, this match was the epitome of the chemistry that these two had with each other in the ring. Had it not been for the screwy finish, which saw Lesnar pass out on the Hell's Gate after the match was restarted, this underrated match would certainly have been higher on this list.

But we got the Hell in a Cell match, so everything's fine.

#4 Kurt Angle(c) vs Brock Lesnar for WWE Title (2003)

Lesnar's rivalry with The Undertaker might have produced more memorable encounters than any other of his rivalry, but it was his duel with Kurt Angle during his first stint with WWE that actually brought Lesnar all the recognition and respect that he now bolsters. Their match in the main event of WrestleMania XIX was a treat to the eyes, and it was about time that they recreated the same magic in the ring.

And they did, less than 6 months after WrestleMania, at Summerslam 2003. But this time, the tables had turned big time. Following his World Title loss to Angle in a Triple Threat Match at Vengeance 2003, Lesnar aligned himself with Vince McMahon and turned into a vicious heel. While their encounter at WrestleMania was more about who the better in-ring performer was, it became a lot more personal by the time Summerslam 2003 came around.

What did not change was the sensational contest between the ring. The amateur background of both superstars, coupled with Lesnar's power and the perfect heel/face dynamics mixed together to produce a gem of a match in the ring that was as good as their match at 'Mania. This time, however, it was Angle's turn to prevail as he made Lesnar tap out to the Ankle Lock to retain his title.

#3 The Rock(c) vs Brock Lesnar for WWE Undisputed Title (2002)

This match was a star-making moment for Brock Lesnar. He was being touted as the next big thing in wrestling ever since his arrival. Not only was Lesnar fighting in the main event of the second biggest pay per view in WWE calendar year, he was doing so with the WWE Undisputed Title on the line. His opponent - none other than 'The Great One' The Rock.

Having been the Face of the Company for the last two years, The Rock was slowly making a transition to Hollywood. On the other hand, Lesnar's King of the Ring victory propelled him into the main event. The build to the match was quite personal, with both superstars interfering in each other's matches. This was not just a world title match, it was a fight to be the Face of the Company.

Even the presence of Shawn Michaels' return match couldn't stop this match from becoming a landmark contest. Lesnar, despite being a sensational amateur wrestler, was still a rookie in WWE, but Rocky carried him in such a way that it made this match look bigger than it actually was. By the time the match reached its closing moment, it was evident that Brock indeed deserved all the hype that surrounded him.

One Rock Bottom attempt reversed into an F-5 and the WWE had a new Big Boy in the Town. Lesnar was now the New and the Youngest WWE Champion.

#2 Brock Lesnar(c) vs Braun Strowman vs Roman Reigns vs Samoa Joe - Fatal 4 Way for Universal Title (2017)

Lesnar had always had fun and thrilling multi-man matches in the past, the main reason being that he does not have to be part of the majority of the contest. Be it his Triple Threat Matches with Kurt Angle and Big Show, or the near-perfect World Title match against Cena and Rollins, multi-man contests usually bring out the best usually tend to work with Lesnar's style of wrestling.

However, none of these matches come in comparison with the gigantic Fatal-4-Way match at Summerslam 2017. None of the superstars involved in this matchup - Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe - were skilled in-ring performers. But each of them was very much capable of causing destruction, and this is exactly what they did a year ago in Brooklyn.

The only reason why this match isn't on the top of this list is that, despite being the defending champion, Lesnar's involvement was the least among the four giants. Other than that, the whole match was a big car wreck, with Braun Strownman emerging as the MVP of the match. Despite being powerslammed through two announce tables, Lesnar somehow managed to retain his title, something that he is still holding 12 months since.

#1 Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk - No Disqualification Match (2013)

THIS... WAS... WAR

It is next to impossible to present this match into words, hence I'll try to keep it as short as possible

Following his feud with Triple H in 2013, Lesnar was struggling with momentum in WWE. At the same time, CM Punk returned to WWE as a face, despite being a Paul Heyman guy. The night after Payback, Lesnar attack Punk but Heyman refused to have any hand in that attack. Punk berated Heyman, who retaliated by turning on him at Money in the Bank 2013.

Punk tried to take revenge, but Lesnar attacked him on Raw the following night. With the seeds sown, Punk challenged Lesnar to a No Disqualification match at Summerslam. Stacked between the two World Title matches, Lesnar and Punk fought with heart for 25 minutes in the Staples Center. Lesnar prevailed in the war, and the fans witnessed one of the best matches of all time.

I seriously suggest every wrestling fan to watch this match to find out what Lesnar is capable of doing when he is in his zone.