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With more than half a dozen match already in place merely two weeks after their last pay per view outing, WWE is leaving no stone unturned during the build-up of their second biggest show of the year - Summerslam.
Only Sportskeeda gives you the latest Wrestling News, rumors and updates.
As one of the Big-4 Events, Summerslam is usually the place where rivalries either begin or they cease to exist, and it paves way for the WWE's autumn season.
However, this year's edition is not shaping up as something that a hardcore wrestling fan would love to watch. Roman Reigns is again getting a shot at Brock Lesnar's Universal Title, a match that is guaranteed to bomb big time, ahead of other deserving candidates in a match that will again take the main event spot ahead of the more interesting dream WWE Title contest between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.
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Marquee matches usually tend to impact the overall show in more ways than any other match, and, although other matches also tend to impact the show's overall performance, their failure can lead to overall fall of the show. In the past, WWE has presented 30 Summerslam events, some of which are still rated both among the best and the worst pay per views ever produced by WWE.
Since it would be a curse to concentrate on the bad, we will only keep our mind and attention on the good stuff. Here are the 5 best editions in the history of WWE Summerslam.
Honorable Mentions
Summerslam 1998
This event is remembered for two matches, and two matches only. While the main event between Undertaker and Steve Austin for the WWF Title for a fun affair, the title for the match of the night went to that crazy ladder match between The Rock and Triple H for the Intercontinental Title.
The two future World Champions wrestled one of the most memorable matches for the secondary title in that period and brought legitimacy back to the title. Elsewhere, Jeff Jarrett lost his long locks in a match against X-Pac while Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart had a surprisingly Lion's Den contest.
Summerslam 2015
Had it not been for the screwy finish of both the marquee matches, this edition would have been ranked among the top 3 for sure. While the clash between Undertaker and Brock Lesnar was a stunning good ol' brawl, the title vs title clash between John Cena and Seth Rollins was the epitome of the type of matches that Cena had during that memorable period.
This event is also memorable for New Day started their historic title reign with a victory at Summerslam 2015, and for the underrated performances by the likes of Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns in various matches.
Summerslam 2017
The most recent Summerslam was probably one of the most complex editions in the history of the event. Two of the best matches on the card were on the pre-show, and the main show was a rather dull affair till the last 4 matches on the card. Ambrose and Rollins reached the culmination of their reunion to win the Tag Titles, while AJ Styles and Kevin Owens wrestled the best match of their overall disappointing rivalry for the United States Title.
Even though the WWE Title match sunk big time due to the clumsy in-ring work by Jinder Mahal, the crazy and violent main event for the Universal Title made up for that disaster as Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe wrestled one of the most compelling World Title matches in the history of Summerslam.
#5 Summerslam 2001
Marquee Matches - Steve Austin(c) vs Kurt Angle for WWF Title, Booker T(c) vs The Rock for WCW Title
Taking place only months after the end of the Monday Night Wars and the acquisition of WCW and ECW by WWE and in the midst of the Alliance storyline, the 2001 Edition of Summerslam was more about the matches between superstars who represented the Alliance and WWF than genuine rivalries between superstars.
Every fixture on the card had a WWF wrestler fight a member of the Alliance, but the maximum buzz was around the two World Title matches.
Steve Austin's heel turn at 'Mania X-Seven did not turn out how WWE wanted it to be, but it did produce some of the best in-ring work from The Rattlesnake, and this match against Kurt Angle was inarguably the best WWF Title defense of that reign.
Even though it ended in a disqualification, it was a stunning match till the end and laid stone for Angle's victory in the next pay per view.
While the main event between Rock and Booker T was an average affair, it gave the Rock a much needed World Title win. The rivalry between The Undertaker and DDP came to a sorry end for the inventor of Diamond Cutter as he was literally buried by The Brother of Destruction in a steel cage match, and X-Pac defeated Tajiri to became the first superstar to simultaneously hold WWF Light Heavyweight and WCW Cruiserweight Title in WWE.
#4 Summerslam 2014
Marquee Matches - Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins in a Lumberjack Match, John Cena(c) vs Brock Lesnar for WWE World Heavyweight Title
On Paper, Summerslam seemed like a regular WWE pay per view with only two matches big matches and a series of matches that did not have any special build up to them. However, what we got was a stunning show from the start to the end that had one of the most dominating World Title victories in recent times as the main event.
Officially regarded as the day when the term Suplex City was coined, the main event featured a shocking squash victory by Brock Lesnar over WWE Champion John Cena. In a match where John Cena got almost negligible offense, Lesnar hit 16 German Suplexes on his way to a World Title victory that started a period of sheer dominance by The Beast that is still running wild in the WWE till date.
In the other marquee match, former Shield Brothers Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins wrestled a fun Lumberjack Match that brought a momentary end to their heated rivalry when Rollins successfully pinned Ambrose. Elsewhere, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton exceeded all expectations in a stunning penultimate match, and Stephanie McMahon surprisingly defeated Brie Bella in her first televised match in over a decade.
#3 Summerslam 1992
Marquee Matches - Randy Savage(c) vs The Ultimate Warrior for WWF Title, Bret Hart(c) vs British Bulldog for Intercontinental Title
Summerslam 1992 was not just a pay per view, it was a festival. As the only edition, from the thirty that have taken place so far, to take place outside the USA, Summerslam 1992 was the biggest pay per view for the WWE since WrestleMania 3, and, with over 80,000 fans arriving in Wembley Stadium in London, still holds the record of hosting the largest non-WrestleMania event in the history of WWE.
With two gargantuan matches covering the shortcomings of all other fixtures, the edition holds the unique distinction of being the only Summerslam event where the Intercontinental Title was defended in the main event. In front of his home crowd of UK, The British Bulldog wrestled one of the best professional wrestling matches of all time against Bret Hart, and defeated him to win his only Intercontinental Title.
Adding more grace and charm to this show was Randy Savage's WWF Title defense against The Ultimate Warrior. Despite never being a great in-ring worker, Warrior always gave his best against The Macho Man, and this match, which ended in a draw, was on-par with their legendary retirement match from WrestleMania VII. Even then, the honors of stealing the show went to the Bulldog and the Hitman, who literally brought the house down in London.
#2 Summerslam 2002
Marquee Matches - Shawn Michaels vs Triple H in an Unsanctioned Fight, The Rock(c) vs Brock Lesnar for WWE Undisputed Title
Had it not been for a perfect edition a few years later, the 2002 edition of WWE's second biggest event of the year would have certainly made it to the top of this list. Summerslam 2002, on paper, had it all to be a huge hit, and it indeed ended up being a show that had everything that is needed to be a huge hit - Phenomenal crowd, Sensational matches and A new Top Guy crowned at the end of the show.
It was with his victory in the main event of Summerslam 2002 that Brock Lesnar solidified his stance as the poster boy of the new era of the WWE. His victory over The Rock, who was the Poster Boy of WWE at that time, for the Undisputed Title is a thrilling contest was a true passing of torch moment in WWE. But even that wasn't enough to get the honor of being the match of the night.
Because, as he would do quite often in the subsequent years, that honor went to Shawn Michaels' bloody fight against his buddy-turned-rival in Triple H. A heated contest that was built around Triple H's hatred towards Michaels, the unsanctioned match was so good that it didn't feel for a minute that Michaels had not wrestled a match in over 4 years.
Add to that inarguably the best opening match in Summerslam history in Angle vs Mysterio, the usual majestic work by the likes RVD, Chris Benoit, Edge, Eddie Guerrero and you had the best Summerslam event ever produced by WWE. Till 2013......
#1 Summerslam 2013
Marquee Matches - Alberto Del Rio(c) vs Christian for World Heavyweight Title, CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar in a No Disqualification Match, John Cena(c) vs Daniel Bryan for WWE Title
How can one even argue on which edition of Summerslam is the best when the 2013 edition is miles ahead of all the others. With three matches who could have stolen the show on any other night and a jaw-dropping surprise to end the show, WWE presented a splendid edition of their biggest event of the summer that can easily be regarded as one of the best pay per views in the history of WWE.
It is not easy for three matches to get THIS IS AWESOME chants from the crowd, but Summerslam in 2013 holds that unique distinction. Even though Christian was years behind his peak at that time, his clash with Alberto Del Rio was the biggest surprise of the night. Christian's never say die attitude, coupled with Del Rio's viciousness and the chemistry between the two superstars had the fans on their feet during the closing moments of the match.
Then it was war, as the two pure Paul Heyman guys, CM Punk and Brock Lesnar brought the house down with one of the most violent and personal clash in years. It was Punk's final stunning match before his departure 6 months later and can easily be termed as the best match of Brock Lesnar's second WWE Stint by a huge, huge margin.
Completing this trifecta of show-stealing matches was the other World Title match, where Daniel Bryan finally reached the top of the ladder following his clean victory over John Cena to win the WWE Title after a 27-minute slug fest.
However, it was the aftermath that left a bigger impression, as Triple H turned heel, joined hands with Randy Orton and helped him win the WWE Title in his Money in the Bank cash in, bringing an end to a night that was indeed the most memorable edition of Summerslam.
