WWE SummerSlam: 10 best non-title singles matches in the PPV's history

#8 Kevin Owens vs Cesaro (SummerSlam 2015)

A hard-hitting contest between two supremely talented performers

Back in 2015, a full-fledged program between Kevin Owens and Cesaro was a dream for every single hardcore professional wrestling fan. The two were easily among the best in-ring performers, and were capable of having a great match with almost every Superstar on the roster. With SummerSlam around the corner, WWE made full use of the opportunity and brought the two together for a small program.

The match had no build at all before SummerSlam and was sandwiched between the two marquee matches on the card, but it didn't stop the two from putting on a great show in front of the Brooklyn crowd. Right from the opening bell, the contest was a hard-hitting affair with both Superstars landing some pretty powerful and big moves throughout the match.

The match was not short of innovative moves as well, with both Owens and Cesaro resorting to high-flying moves to put the other one down. This is what led to the end of the match as Owens hit a stunning swinging neckbreaker/suplex combination from the top rope and a powerbomb to bring an end to this highly underrated 15 minute gem.

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#7 Roman Reigns vs Randy Orton (SummerSlam 2014)

A surprisingly good match between two typical WWE wrestlers

Before SummerSlam in 2014, both Randy Orton and Roman Reigns were in a weird situation. After being dubbed as the Face of WWE for almost a year, Randy Orton had lost his place as the poster boy of the Authority to Seth Rollins. Reigns, similarly, was struggling to get over among the fans as a singles Superstar after the break up of The Shield.

To make matters worse, the in-ring character was not that exciting as well. Reigns was still lacking the character that he developed over the years, and Orton's run as the WWE Champion had turned him into a stale heel performer. When the two were put in a program for SummerSlam, everyone was expecting a slow methodical match from two typical WWE performers.

To everyone's surprise, what we got was a highly entertaining, hard-hitting 17-minute slugfest. Instead of a slow, plodding match with long spells of chin-locks, it was a pretty fast-paced affair with the action spilling all around the ring. The Viper was at his best, and he also brought the best out of Reigns.

The highlight of the match, and the show, however, was the stunning counter of the spear into an RKO, but even that wasn't enough for Orton to put down Reigns as he countered a Punt attempt into a Spear to win his first match at SummerSlam.