WWE SummerSlam: The Full History

SummerSlam is one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year, only behind WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble. The Biggest Party of the Summer, as the event is often called, has a rich history that began all the way back in 1988, during the Golden Era. This year, SummerSlam will be a two-night attraction for the first time ever, as it’s scheduled to take place in East Rutherford on August 2-3.

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In this article, I’ll revisit every single edition of SummerSlam and analyse the match cards, storylines, PPV buyrates (before the WWE Network became a thing) and more, just like I did for Night of Champions and The Great American Bash. There’ve been many great SummerSlams over the years, and there are a few contenders for the greatest ever. And now, without any further ado, enjoy the trip down memory lane!

The Debut Of SummerSlam (1988)

• Date: August 29, 1988
• Location: New York City, New York (Madison Square Garden)
• Cagematch rating: 5.12
• PPV buys: 400,000

WWF SummerSlam 1988 Results

1. The British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith) vs. The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau & Raymond Rougeau) ended in a 20-minute time limit draw
2. Bad News Brown def. Ken Patera
3. Rick Rude def. Junkyard Dog by DQ
4. The Powers of Pain (The Barbarian & The Warlord) def. The Bolsheviks (Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov)
5. The Ultimate Warrior def. The Honky Tonk Man to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
6. Dino Bravo def. Don Muraco
7. Demolition (Ax & Smash) def. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) to retain the WWF World Tag Team Championship
8. The Big Bossman def. Koko B. Ware
9. Jake Roberts def. Hercules
10. The Mega Powers (Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan) def. The Mega Bucks (Ted DiBiase & Andre the Giant) with Jesse Ventura as the special guest referee

The first SummerSlam of all time will forever be relevant and historically important for obvious reasons. And, honestly, all the major matches delivered. Ultimate Warrior finally shutting up the arrogant Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man by ending his long reign in seconds was a phenomenal moment, the tag team title bout between Demolition and The Hart Foundation was my personal favorite match of the entire show, and the big marquee tag match of The Mega Powers vs The Mega Bucks (with Jesse Ventura as the special referee) was extremely entertaining. Those three major matches, along with a pretty good opener between The British Bulldogs and The Fabulous Rougeaus, would be enough to make any pay-per-view a great one.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1988

But watching it back right now, it simply isn’t, and that’s because of the poor undercard. For example, Jake Roberts and Rick Rude had been involved in a heated program for months, quite possibly the most personal and intense program in the entire company at the time. Instead of an obvious clash at SummerSlam, they ended up wrestling random matches against Junkyard Dog and Hercules. Add more heatless midcard matches with obvious outcomes like Bad News Brown vs Ken Patera, Powers of Pain vs The Bolsheviks, Dino Bravo vs Don Muraco and Big Bossman vs Koko B. Ware, now consider the shortest of these filler matches lasted six minutes from bell to bell. What you get is a glorified episode of Prime Time Wrestling in-between the big matches. Don’t get me wrong, SummerSlam ’88 will forever be historic, but it had the potential to be even better.

Can Hulk Hogan Overcome Zeus At SummerSlam!? (1989)

• Date: August 28, 1989
• Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey (Brendan Byrne Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 5.30
• PPV buys: 625,000

WWF SummerSlam 1989 Results

1. The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard) def. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)
2. Dusty Rhodes def. The Honky Tonk Man
3. Mr. Perfect def. The Red Rooster
4. Rick Martel & The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau & Raymond Rougeau) def. Tito Santana & The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)
5. The Ultimate Warrior def. Rick Rude to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
6. Demolition (Ax & Smash) & Jim Duggan def. Andre the Giant & The Twin Towers (The Big Bossman & Akeem)
7. Greg Valentine def. Hercules
8. Ted DiBiase def. Jimmy Snuka by count-out
9. Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake def. Randy Savage & Zeus

I’m not gonna lie, I enjoyed SummerSlam 1989 the last time I watched it. In my opinion, it was easily WWF’s greatest pay-per-view of that year. Is it an all-timer? Absolutely not. But compare it with WrestleMania 5, for example! The marquee storyline heading into the second SummerSlam was Hulk Hogan versus Zeus. After Hogan’s tremendous rivalry with Randy Savage that culminated with Hogan regaining the belt at ‘Mania 5, Zeus joined the WWF in an attempt to kill Hulkamania forever. No matter what the WWF did, everyone with a pair of eyeballs could see the company’s biggest storyline was nothing but a glorified advertisement for that godawful No Holds Barred movie. The biggest problem, among several others, was that Zeus wasn’t a wrestler and a singles match with Hogan would probably be a disaster. Thus, a tag team match was made, with Macho Man joining the monster heel while Hogan’s BFF Brutus Beefcake got a main event paycheck at SummerSlam! Honestly, from bell to bell, the match could’ve been a lot worse. The three trained wrestlers managed to hide Zeus’ weaknesses quite well, with Savage taking all the bumps so Zeus could shine in his big spots. Hogan overcame the giant and won the match for his team, but instead of moving on, the feud with Zeus continued… for whatever reason.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1989

A couple of hours earlier, the show kicked off with a really good tag match that saw The Brain Busters beating The Hart Foundation. For some reason it was a non-title match, even though Anderson & Tully were the champions and won the match anyway, but aside from that it was an awesome bout. One year after losing the Intercontinental Title, Honky Tonk Man fought Dusty Rhodes in a crowd-pleasing midcard bout that relied on comedy. Mr Perfect saw off The Red Rooster in a quick match to continue his perfect undefeated run. Tito Santana and Rick Martel continued their rivalry in a six-man tag match, being joined by The Rockers and The Fabulous Rougeaus, respectively, with the heels winning. Ultimate Warrior regained the Intercontinental Championship from Rick Rude after a pretty good match. Greg Valentine beat Hercules in three minutes, only for special ring announcer Ronnie Garvin to announce Hercules as the winner to continue his program with Valentine. Right before the main event, Ted DiBiase finally won a PPV match for the first time since WrestleMania 4, beating Jimmy Snuka via count-out. Like I said, not the best SummerSlam ever, but I agree with Scott Keith who recommends this show in his review. I certainly think it deserves a much better rating than it currently has on Cagematch (5.30).

Hogan Vs. Earthquake Or Warrior Vs. Rude: Which Is SummerSlam’s True Marquee Match? (1990)

• Date: August 27, 1990
• Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Spectrum)
• Cagematch rating: 5.19
• PPV buys: 507,000

WWF SummerSlam 1990 Results

1. Power and Glory (Hercules & Paul Roma) def. The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)
2. The Texas Tornado def. Mr. Perfect to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
3. Sensational Queen Sherri def. Sapphire by forfeit
4. The Warlord def. Tito Santana
5. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) def. Demolition (Smash & Crush) in a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship
6. Jake Roberts def. Bad News Brown by DQ with The Big Bossman as the special guest referee
7. Jim Duggan & Nikolai Volkoff def. The Orient Express (Sato & Tanaka)
8. Randy Savage def. Dusty Rhodes
9. Hulk Hogan def. Earthquake by count-out
10. The Ultimate Warrior def. Rick Rude in a Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship

At WrestleMania 6, Ultimate Warrior beat Hulk Hogan to win the WWF Championship in a torch-passing moment. Management clearly saw Warrior as the company’s next top star, but The Hulkster was far from done. Throughout 1990, the two megastars spent the entire year battling over who was the top attraction in the World Wrestling Federation. That message comes across when you rewatch that year’s SummerSlam. Warrior defended the gold inside a steel cage against his old rival, Rick Rude. Meanwhile, Hogan was taken out by Earthquake on TV shortly after ‘Mania, and that injury angle couple with the loss to Warrior at WrestleMania built him a lot of sympathy with fans. In the end, both men took down their rivals, with Hogan scoring a hard-fought count-out win over Quake right before Warrior escaped the cage to retain the gold in the main event. The rest of the card featured two title changes, as ‘The Texas Tornado’ Kerry Von Erich beat Mr Perfect to start a forgettable Intercontinental Championship run, and The Hart Foundation won a fantastic two out of three falls bout against Demolition to finally regain the WWF Tag Team Championship.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1990

The undercard wasn’t great, honestly. Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire were involved in the biggest midcard storyline not involving any championships. Still feuding with Randy Savage and Sherri after beating the “king and queen” duo in a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 6, they were now scheduled to face off in two respective singles matches. However, Sapphire not showing up for her match with Sherri led to a series of segments throughout the night, culminating with Sapphire selling out and appearing alongside Ted DiBiase. A distracted Dusty would then lose to Savage in two minutes at SummerSlam, ending that feud so Dusty could move on to a program with The Million Dollar Man. In the opener, Power and Glory won what was essentially a handicap match against Marty Jannetty, The Warlord beat Tito Santana, Bad News Brown was disqualified in a matchup against Jake Roberts with Big Bossman as the special guest referee, and Jim Duggan & Nikolai Volkoff beat The Orient Express in three minutes.

The Match Made In Hell & The Match Made In Heaven Take Over SummerSlam (1991)

• Date: August 26, 1991
• Location: New York City, New York (Madison Square Garden)
• Cagematch rating: 5.91
• PPV buys: 405,000

WWF SummerSlam 1991 Results

1. The British Bulldog, ‘The Dragon’ Ricky Steamboat & The Texas Tornado def. The Warlord & Power and Glory (Hercules & Paul Roma)
2. Bret Hart def. Mr. Perfect to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
3. The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) def. The Bushwhackers (Butch & Luke)
4. Virgil def. Ted DiBiase to win the Million Dollar Championship
5. The Big Bossman def. The Mountie in a Jailhouse Match
6. Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) def. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags) in a Street Fight for the WWF World Tag Team Championship
7. Irwin R. Schyster def. Greg Valentine
8. Hulk Hogan & The Ultimate Warrior def. The Triangle of Terror (Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa & Gen. Adnan) in a Handicap Match with Sid Justice as the special guest referee

SummerSlam 1991 happened at a strange time for the company. A steroid scandal was starting, The Ultimate Warrior was making ridiculous demands and threatening to miss the show, Ric Flair had just made the jump from WCW, and Hulk Hogan was (for whatever reason) still feuding with Sgt. Slaughter and his group of foreign heels months after that controversial feud had cooled off. The show was main evented by “The Match Made in Hell” (Hogan & Warrior vs The Triangle of Terror with WWF newcomer Sid Justice as the referee) followed by “The Match Made in Heaven” (the Randy Savage/Miss Elizabeth wedding). The handicap match was a mess, easily one of the worst SummerSlam main events ever, and the wedding angle was entertaining. Speaking of entertaining, The Mountie (Jacques Rougeau) almost stole the show with his ridiculously funny series of segments as he was “arrested” after losing a Jailhouse Match to The Big Bossman.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1991

The reason why I say he almost stole the show was because of the classic Intercontinental Championship match between Mr. Perfect and Bret Hart. After 18 minutes of great wrestling, The Hitman applied the Sharpshooter to win his first singles WWF title. Another surprising highlight was Virgil’s Million Dollar Title win over his former boss, Ted DiBiase. The opener saw the team of British Bulldog, Texas Tornado & Ricky Steamboat – during his short and weird WWF run as The Dragon – winning a six man tag bout over The Warlord & Power and Glory. Meanwhile, The Bushwhackers (with the returning Andre the Giant in their corner) lost to the newly-formed Natural Disasters team, IRS saw off Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine, and The Legion of Doom won the tag titles from The Nasty Boys in a Street Fight with no extra violence and barely any weapon shots.

Bret Hart & British Bulldog Put On A SummerSlam Classic At Wembley Stadium (1992)

• Date: August 31, 1992 (taped on August 29, 1992)
• Location: London, England (Wembley Stadium)
• Cagematch rating: 7.49
• PPV buys: 280,000

WWF SummerSlam 1992 Results

1. Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) def. Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster)
2. Nailz def. Virgil
3. Shawn Michaels vs. Rick Martel ended in a draw
4. The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) def. The Beverly Brothers (Beau Beverly & Blake Beverly) to retain the WWF World Tag Team Championship
5. Crush def. Repo Man
6. The Ultimate Warrior def. Randy Savage by count-out for the WWF Championship (Randy Savage retained the title)
7. The Undertaker def. Kamala by DQ
8. The British Bulldog def. Bret Hart to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Plus three dark matches that aired on Prime Time Wrestling: Jim Duggan & The Bushwhackers def. The Mountie & The Nasty Boys; Papa Shango def. Tito Santana; Tatanka def. The Berzerker

People still talk about SummerSlam 1992 more than three decades later because of its unforgettable main event. Fighting over the prestigious Intercontinental Championship, Bret Hart and The British Bulldog delivered a five-star classic for the ages. They had total control over the crowd, with Hart smartly adding a little extra mustard to every move he did, getting Bulldog even more sympathy from the fans. The finish was perfect, with Davey Boy Smith reversing a sunset flip attempt with a strong pinning combination, putting all of his weight on Bret’s shoulders to pick up the win. As I mentioned earlier, fans remember SummerSlam ’92 and talk about that show to this day because of this match. One match that “suffered” from being on the same show as Bret vs Davey was the WWF Championship clash between Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior. One year after their WrestleMania 7 classic, they had yet another phenomenal matchup against each other, with Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect adding a lot of drama outside the ring. Macho Man retained the title despite losing via count-out thanks to their interference.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1992

Meanwhile, The Undertaker had his first SummerSlam match at Wembley Stadium, beating Kamala by disqualification to set up a Casket Match at Survivor Series. Shawn Michaels and Rick Martel met in a rare heel vs heel contest. Speaking of rare, they couldn’t hit each other in the face, creating a unique dynamic that made for a fun midcard match. Having said that, though, they could’ve done a lot more in a normal singles match. In the other undercard matches, Legion of Doom knocked off Money Inc. to start the show, Nailz beat Virgil in a horrible match, The Natural Disasters retained the WWF Tag Team Championship against The Beverly Brothers, and Crush defeated Repo Man in a battle of former Demolition partners. There’s no doubt people only remember SummerSlam ’92 because of the epic main event for the IC Title, but another awesome title bout (Savage/Warrior), the atmosphere in the building and a couple of fun midcard bouts make this one of the greatest SummerSlams of all time.

The Dumbest Ending In SummerSlam History (1993)

• Date: August 30, 1993
• Location: Auburn Hills, Michigan (The Palace of Auburn Hills)
• Cagematch rating: 5.07
• PPV buys: 250,000

WWF SummerSlam 1993 Results

1. Razor Ramon def. Ted DiBiase
2. The Steiners (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner) def. The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray & Tom Prichard) to retain the WWF World Tag Team Championship
3. Shawn Michaels def. Mr. Perfect by count-out to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship
4. Irwin R. Schyster def. The 1-2-3 Kid
5. Bret Hart def. Doink the Clown by DQ
6. Jerry Lawler def. Bret Hart by DQ to determine the undisputed “king of the WWF”
7. Ludvig Borga def. Marty Jannetty
8. The Undertaker def. Giant Gonzalez in a Rest in Peace Match
9. Tatanka & The Smoking Gunns (Billy Gunn & Bart Gunn) def. Bam Bam Bigelow & The Headshrinkers (Samu & Fatu)
10. Lex Luger def. Yokozuna by count-out for the WWF Championship (Yokozuna retained the title)

Much like the previous year’s event, SummerSlam 1993 is also only remembered because of the main event. That’s where the similarities start and… that’s where they end! If Bret Hart vs British Bulldog was an all-timer that people still rewatch decades later, Yokozuna vs Lex Luger is still rightfully mocked today because of Luger’s ridiculous post-match celebration. It’s a shame, because the match was actually not bad at all up until the count-out finish. Honestly, even the count-out finish was well done, as Luger knocked out Yokozuna with his FOREARM OF DEATH, and it’s pretty much impossible to drag Yokozuna‘s body back inside the ring! Keep that very same finish, but have Luger sell desperation post-match while a groggy Yokozuna (with Fuji and Cornette by his side) leaves SummerSlam with one hand in his jaw and the other holding his belt, and you might build interest for a rematch down the road!

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1993

Instead, the WWF decided it’d be a good idea to have Luger celebrate what was, for all intents and purposes, a LOSS with confetti falling from the sky. It obviously made Lex Luger look like the world’s biggest idiot. The other marquee match, between Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler, delivered… in a unique way. Their match to determine the “undisputed king of the WWF” ended up being more of an angle than an actual match. Lawler faked an injury and had Doink the Clown competing in his place, only to get involved and cause the DQ. Jack Tunney forced Lawler to compete since he was clearly able to wrestle, and The Hitman proceeded to give him a huge beating. He won with the Sharpshooter at first, but allowed his emotions to get the better of him, getting DQ’d after refusing to release the hold for minutes. As far as the rest of the card goes: Razor Ramon beat Ted DiBiase in the latter’s final WWF match, Shawn Michaels vs Mr Perfect wasn’t the all-time classic that the WWF promised it’d be, The 1-2-3 Kid suffered an unnecessary loss to IRS, Ludvig Borga squashed Marty Jannetty, The Undertaker finally put his horrible feud with Giant Gonzalez behind him, and Tatanka & The Smoking Gunns beat Bam Bam Bigelow & The Headshrinkers in a filler six-man tag match. In other words, not exactly the greatest SummerSlam to rewatch…

The Five-Star Match That Wasn’t Good Enough To Main Event SummerSlam (1994)

• Date: August 29, 1994
• Location: Chicago, Illinois (United Center)
• Cagematch rating: 7.01
• PPV buys: 300,000

WWF SummerSlam 1994 Results

1. The Million Dollar Corporation (Bam Bam Bigelow & Irwin R. Schyster) def. The Headshrinkers (Samu & Fatu) by DQ
2. Alundra Blayze def. Bull Nakano to retain the WWF Women’s Championship
3. Razor Ramon def. Diesel to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
4. Tatanka def. Lex Luger
5. Jeff Jarrett def. Mabel
6. Bret Hart def. Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match to retain the WWF Championship
7. The Undertaker def. “The Undertaker”

There were two major matches heading into the seventh-annual SummerSlam. One was a personal rivalry between two real-life brothers with a lot of emotion, passion and jealousy involved, as well as the World Wrestling Federation Championship. That intense feud finally led to a battle inside of a steel cage with the title up for grabs at SummerSlam. The other featured storyline involved The Undertaker and… The Undertaker. After losing a Casket Match to Yokozuna at the Royal Rumble, ‘Taker was written off television and missed several months of action. Meanwhile, Ted DiBiase claimed he’d bring back The Undertaker, only to introduce a fake version of the character (portrayed by Brian Lee) who’d go on to meet the returning Deadman at SummerSlam. It’s obvious which of these matches closed out the event, right!? Well…

This is mid 1990s WWF, so of course the cartoonish fight between the Undertakers main evented SummerSlam. Needless to say, it was a terrible idea and the match itself absolutely sucked. The cage match, on the other hand, was a true banger that ended with The Hitman retaining his WWF Championship against his talented brother, Owen. It was an incredible matchup that got a five-star rating from both Scott Keith and Dave Meltzer. In a featured midcard bout, Razor Ramon knocked off Diesel to regain the Intercontinental Championship. Tatanka turned heel when he revealed he was secretly working for Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation, beating Lex Luger – far from the main event slot by this point – with the help of his new allies. Speaking of The Million Dollar Corporation Bam Bam Bigelow & IRS – two of its members – beat The Headshrinkers by DQ in the opening bout. Alundra Blayze retained her Women’s Title in a great matchup with Bull Nakano, and Jeff Jarrett defeated Mabel in a “country vs rap” battle.

Shawn Michaels & Razor Ramon Do Their Best To Save A Crappy SummerSlam (1995)

• Date: August 27, 1995
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Civic Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 4.99
• PPV buys: 205,000

WWF SummerSlam 1995 Results

1. Hakushi def. The 1-2-3 Kid
2. Hunter Hearst Helmsley def. Bob Holly
3. The Smoking Gunns (Billy Gunn & Bart Gunn) def. The Blu Brothers (Eli Blu & Jacob Blu)
4. Barry Horowitz def. Skip
5. Bertha Faye def. Alundra Blayze to win the WWF Women’s Championship
6. The Undertaker def. Kama in a Casket Match
7. Bret Hart def. Isaac Yankem DDS by DQ
8. Shawn Michaels def. Razor Ramon in a Ladder Match to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship
9. Diesel def. King Mabel to retain the WWF Championship

In 1995, the World Wrestling Federation was running on Diesel power. Diesel was WWF Champion at that time, and would hold the strap for a year. The main event of that year’s SummerSlam saw King Mabel, the 1995 King of the Ring winner, challenging Big Daddy Cool for the world title. As everyone knows, that match was painful in more ways than one (just ask Kevin Nash!). At least there was the fantastic rematch from WrestleMania 10, with Shawn Michaels getting his win back to retain the Intercontinental Title in yet another legendary Ladder Match between the two Kliq members. Bret Hart and The Undertaker found themselves in strange midcard-level feuds at SummerSlam ’95 with Isaac Yankem DDS and Kama, respectively.

The Deadman, still feuding with The Million Dollar Corporation(!) a year later, put Kama away in an average-at-best Casket Match that lasted way too long. Bret Hart, on the other hand, beat Jerry Lawler’s evil dentist by disqualification in yet another average match. Speaking of average, that’s the perfect word to describe this show. Aside from Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (the great) and Diesel vs Mabel (the awful), everything else was… just there. Hakushi beat The 1-2-3 Kid in an exciting opening contest, but it wasn’t memorable enough to stand out. From there, SummerSlam essentially became a glorified episode of Raw rather than a major PPV, as Hunter Hearst Helmsley – Triple H – made his SummerSlam debut with a win over Bob Holly, The Smoking Gunns beat The Blu Brothers, Barry Horowitz upset Skip and Bertha Faye won the Women’s Title from Alundra Blayze in less than five minutes. Overall, aside from Michaels/Razor, this was an edition of SummerSlam to forget.

Shawn Michaels & Vader Headline SummerSlam (1996)

• Date: August 18, 1996
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio (Gund Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 5.57
• PPV buys: 157,000

WWF SummerSlam 1996 Results

1. Owen Hart def. Savio Vega
2. The Smoking Gunns (Billy Gunn & Bart Gunn) def. The Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn & Phineas I. Godwinn), The Bodydonnas (Skip & Zip) and The New Rockers (Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy) in a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match for the WWF World Tag Team Championship
3. Sycho Sid def. The British Bulldog
4. Goldust def. Marc Mero
5. Jerry Lawler def. Jake Roberts
6. Mankind def. The Undertaker in a Boiler Room Brawl
7. Shawn Michaels def. Vader for the WWF Championship

One year after the infamous Diesel/Mabel main event, neither man was working for the WWF anymore. In fact, a lot of things changed in the company (and in the industry) between both edition of the event. By SummerSlam 1996, Kevin “Diesel” Nash was now in WCW, having just formed the game-changing nWo group alongside fellow former WWF megastars Scott “Razor Ramon” Hall and Hulk Hogan. Meanwhile, the WWF was going through a tough year, with Ultimate Warrior’s failed comeback run not helping things. The talented yet extremely controversial Shawn Michaels was now the World Wrestling Federation Champion after winning a classic Iron Man bout against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12. Speaking of The Hitman, he was out of the SummerSlam card since he took an extended break from television. Michaels’ challenger at SummerSlam 1996 was the former three-time WCW Champion, Vader.

They had a great title bout that is, unfortunately, more remembered for political drama than the in-ring work. After a couple of restarts, HBK finally pinned the big man to retain the WWF Championship. The other notable match at SummerSlam ’96 featured Mankind and The Undertaker – arguably WWF’s best program of 1996 – fighting in a Boiler Room Brawl. Just when The Deadman was about to win, Paul Bearer shockingly turned on him and joined forces with Mankind. The rest of the card was quite underwhelming, with notable active stars such as Steve Austin, that year’s King of the Ring winner, left out. Owen Hart vs Savio Vega, the four-way elimination match for the tag team belts, Sycho Sid vs British Bulldog and Goldust vs Marc Mero were all average-to-decent affairs, while Jerry Lawler vs Jake Roberts had no business being on the card for several reasons.

Shawn Michaels Accidentally Helps Bret Hart Against The Undertaker At SummerSlam (1997)

• Date: August 3, 1997
• Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey (Continental Airlines Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 6.40
• PPV buys: 235,000

WWF SummerSlam 1997 Results

1. Mankind def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a Steel Cage Match
2. Goldust def. Brian Pillman
3. Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) def. The Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn & Phineas I. Godwinn)
4. The British Bulldog def. Ken Shamrock by DQ to retain the WWF European Championship
5. Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez Jr, Jose Estrada Jr & Jesus Castillo) def. The Disciples of Apocalypse (Crush, Chainz, Skull & 8-Ball)
6. Steve Austin def. Owen Hart to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
7. Bret Hart def. The Undertaker for the WWF Championship with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee

SummerSlam 1997 couldn’t have had a stronger main event. Bret Hart, the hottest heel in the business following a flawless feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, challenged The Undertaker for the WWF Championship. To fit his new anti-USA persona, the confident Hitman claimed he’d never wrestle in America again if he lost. Things got even more heated when Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart’s eternal rival, became the special guest referee for the big title match. However, in an attempt to keep Michaels fair throughout the bout, he also had to face the same stipulation/consequence as Bret if he didn’t call it down the middle. After such a wild build, the match had to deliver in the ring, and it did. Undertaker and Bret had a great match, with HBK adding a lot of drama every time he got involved. The ending couldn’t have been better – when Michaels took a chair from Bret’s hands, the challenger smartly waited for ‘Taker to get back up behind him. When the time was right, Hart would spit in Michaels’ face before ducking a chair shot that would hit Undertaker instead. Bret then pinned Undertaker, and Michaels (due to the pre-match stip) could do nothing but count to three.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWF SummerSlam 1997

The ending of this match also led to the beginning of the epic rivalry between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. While Michaels didn’t mean to do it and basically had no choice but to count the pin, the fact is he’d just screwed Undertaker out of the WWF Title. The two would eventually settle the score in the first Hell in a Cell Match at Badd Blood, which featured the debut of Undertaker’s brother, Kane. Even with such a legendary build-up and an unforgettable ending, Bret Hart vs Undertaker is not the reason people talk about this show today. That’s because, right before the main event, a career almost ended. Steve Austin, the fastest rising star in wrestling at the time, broke his neck near the end of his Intercontinental Championship battle with Owen Hart. Austin got hurt after a nasty piledriver from Owen, yet he somehow managed to finish the match and win the IC Title. They were having a really good match up until Stone Cold’s unfortunate injury. Another very good match at SummerSlam ’97 was the opener: a fun Steel Cage Match between Triple H and Mankind, two dance partners who rarely failed to deliver inside the ropes. There’s not much to say about the rest of the card, as the other matches were quite disappointing, personally.

Stone Cold Vs. The Undertaker On The “Highway To Hell” At SummerSlam (1998)

• Date: August 30, 1998
• Location: New York City, New York (Madison Square Garden)
• Cagematch rating: 7.39
• PPV buys: 700,000

WWF SummerSlam 1998 Results

1. D’Lo Brown def. Val Venis by DQ to retain the WWF European Championship
2. The Oddities (Giant Silva, Golga & Kurrgan) def. Kaientai (Taka Michinoku, Sho Funaki, Dick Togo & Men’s Teioh) in a Handicap Match
3. X-Pac def. Jeff Jarrett in a Hair vs. Hair Match
4. Edge & Sable def. Marc Mero & Jacqueline in a Mixed Tag Team Match
5. Ken Shamrock def. Owen Hart in a Lion’s Den Match
6. The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) def. Mankind in a Falls Count Anywhere Handicap Match to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship
7. Triple H def. The Rock in a Ladder Match to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
8. Steve Austin def. The Undertaker to retain the WWF Championship

In the summer of 1998, WCW was starting to struggle in the Monday Night Wars. On the other hand, the WWF’s weekly product only got cooler and, thanks to Steve Austin’s successful run as WWF Champion, the main event picture got stronger and stronger. The number of PPV buys that SummerSlam ’98 got compared to the previous year’s edition of the very same event tells the whole story. We were now in the Attitude Era and the World Wrestling Federation could do no wrong. The main event between Stone Cold and The Undertaker already felt like a big deal, yet WWF’s marketing team made it even bigger. From that promotional poster to getting AC/DC’s Highway to Hell song licensed in order to match the pay-per-view’s theme… every single detail helped this show become the most successful SummerSlam of the traditional PPV era. As far as the match itself goes, it’s one of those wrestling matches that divides fans and critics. Some people loved it, while others (like Steve Austin and Undertaker themselves) thought it was disappointing because Austin got knocked out just minutes into the bout. Here’s what Steve Austin said about it on his The Steve Austin Show podcast a few years ago:

The reason we were not happy with the caliber of that match [was],” Austin continued, “we knew that we could have had a better match. The crowd wasn’t hanging on every single move or every single section of the match. And it wasn’t a cookie cutter, prefab match. We had five [or] six bullet points and the rest was fill in the blanks. We knew that we had not captivated the crowd to the degree that we had them hanging from the rafters, waiting on the next move. Who was going to win? The drama wasn’t high enough. The dare I say, interest, at the proper depth because when you go back to some of the matches that Taker had with Shawn, [or] maybe the one I had with Bret or maybe The Rock, when people were hanging on every single thing you do, we didn’t have that [on] that night. And we knew that we could have done better and we didn’t hook the crowd enough. Bottom line, we didn’t hook the crowd enough. You can ask Taker and he’ll tell you the same thing. (h/t Wrestling Inc.)

The match that stole the show at SummerSlam 1998 was a Ladder Match between The Rock and Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship. Leaders of The Nation of Domination and D-Generation X, respectively, the two young men exceeded expectations and proved they were ready to become major stars. Triple H might’ve been victorious that night, but honestly both guys “won” after such a great performance in MSG. Unlike the previous year, the undercard was pretty fun. Almost every match added something to the show, even if they weren’t necessarily great from a technical wrestling/star rating standpoint. That turned out to be a huge difference maker. The show kicked off with a nice European Title match that, despite the DQ finish, kept the crowd engaged. X-Pac and Jeff Jarrett had a good hair vs hair match. Edge made his PPV debut teaming with Sable to beat Marc Mero & Jacqueline. Ken Shamrock bested Owen Hart in a pretty good physical, gritty and intense Lion’s Den Match. The New Age Outlaws took advantage of Kane no-showing the tag title match, beating Mankind in a Handicap Match to regain the straps. Just pretend Kaientai vs The Oddities didn’t exist, and you have a fantastic show from top to bottom.

Jesse Ventura Returns To Officiate The Main Event Of SummerSlam (1999)

• Date: August 22, 1999
• Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota (Target Center)
• Cagematch rating: 6.27
• PPV buys: 600,000

WWF SummerSlam 1999 Results

1. Jeff Jarrett def. D’Lo Brown to win the WWF European Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship
2. The Acolytes (Bradshaw & Faarooq) def. Edge & Christian, The New Brood (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy), Viscera & Mideon, Droz & Prince Albert and The Holly Cousins (Hardcore Holly & Crash Holly) in a Tag Team Turmoil Match to determine the #1 Contenders for the WWF World Tag Team Championship
3. Al Snow def. The Big Bossman in a Hardcore Match to win the WWF Hardcore Championship
4. Ivory def. Tori to retain the WWF Women’s Championship
5. Ken Shamrock def. Steve Blackman in a Lion’s Den Weapons Match
6. Test def. Shane McMahon in a ‘Love Her or Leave Her’ Greenwich Street Fight
7. The Unholy Alliance (The Undertaker & Big Show) def. Kane & X-Pac to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship
8. The Rock def. Billy Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match
9. Mankind def. Steve Austin and Triple H in a Triple Threat Match for the WWF Championship with Jesse Ventura as the special guest referee

If the main event of SummerSlam ’98 was absolutely iconic and is still talked about to this day, the main event of SummerSlam ’99 was… not. As the show took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, former wrestler/commentator and at the time Governor of Minnesota, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, came back to be the special guest referee for the main event – a triple threat match for the WWF Title with the champion Stone Cold Steve Austin defending against the challengers Triple H and Mankind. The build, as mention at the beginning of this paragraph, was all over the place. At one point, Chyna was the number one contender for the title and she was going to main event SummerSlam, but plans changed. Chyna was out of the title picture and, instead, the Austin/HHH/Mankind three-way was booked. The match was actually quite good from bell to bell, and Jesse was entertaining as always without stealing the spotlight from the participants. However, the odd build-up and Mankind’s equally odd title win (just to lose the strap to Triple H the next night on Raw) is the only reason why fans remember this main event today.

Women’s wrestling might’ve missed out on Chyna getting a historic WWF Title shot in the main event, but the Women’s Championship did return to SummerSlam for the first time in four years. However, the match between Ivory and Tori was quite forgettable. In the opening bout, ‘EuroContinental’ Champion D’Lo Brown lost both titles to Jeff Jarrett after Mark Henry surprisingly turned on him. The Hardcore Title was featured in yet another chaotic and fun hardcore match, this time between Big Bossman and Al Snow, with the latter becoming the new champion. One year after the showdown with the late great Owen Hart, Ken Shamrock found himself in yet another Lion’s Den Match at SummerSlam, this time against Steve Blackman. The match had its moments, even though it wasn’t as good as the bout with Owen one year earlier. Shane McMahon and Test had a pretty good street fight that exceeded all expectations, while Undertaker & Big Show put an end to the fun tag title run of Kane & X-Pac. That year’s King of the Ring tournament winner, Billy ‘Mr. Ass’ Gunn, found himself in a featured match with The Rock at SummerSlam 1999. Unfortunately, the match simply didn’t connect… and that was basically the end of Billy Gunn’s big main event push in the WWF.

SummerSlam Gives Us The Very First TLC Match (2000)

• Date: August 27, 2000
• Location: Raleigh, North Carolina (Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 7.66
• PPV buys: 570,000

WWF SummerSlam 2000 Results

1. Right to Censor (Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather) def. Too Cool (Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hotty & Grandmaster Sexay)
2. X-Pac def. Road Dogg
3. Eddie Guerrero & Chyna def. Val Venis & Trish Stratus in a Mixed Tag Team Match for Venis’ WWF Intercontinental Championship (since Chyna got the pin, she won the title)
4. Jerry Lawler def. Tazz
5. Steve Blackman def. Shane McMahon in a Hardcore Match to win the WWF Hardcore Championship
6. Chris Benoit def. Chris Jericho in a Two Out of Three Falls Match
7. Edge & Christian def. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) and The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) in a Triple Threat TLC Tag Team Match to retain the WWF World Tag Team Championship
8. The Kat def. Terri in a Stinkface Match
9. Kane vs. The Undertaker ended in a draw
10. The Rock def. Triple H and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWF Championship

2000 was one of the greatest years in the entire history of the WWF/E, even with Stone Cold sidelined due to injury for most of the year. The Rock became the top babyface champion during Austin’s absence, while Triple H – with the McMahon Helmsley Faction by his side – was now the hottest heel in the company in what was arguably the best year of his entire career. After many classic confrontations over the WWF Title throughout the spring, including a 60-minute Iron Man Match at Judgment Day, they were now joined by Kurt Angle, who was having one of the best rookie years ever. The 2000 King of the Ring started a “business relationship” with Stephanie McMahon, only for them to get a little too close for Triple H’s liking. That dramatic storyline added a lot of heat into the main event of the first SummerSlam of the new millennium, but it was another match that made it historic. I’m obviously talking about the WWF Tag Team Championship picture, which featured the first TLC Match of all time. That night, the legendary teams of Edge & Christian, The Dudley Boyz and hometown heroes (well, it was close enough!) The Hardy Boyz stole the show with a breathtaking car wreck that is still rewatched over and over again to this day.

Edge & Christian walked in as champions and, against all odds, managed to walk out of that chaotic TLC Match with their belts intact. The show kicked off with the always energetic trio of Too Cool taking on the controversial Right to Censor, who picked up a surprising win over arguably the most charismatic undercard act in the company at the time. The Hardcore Title was on the line in a wild hardcore bout between champion Shane McMahon and challenger Steve Blackman, who won the title after Shane O’Mac took one of the craziest bumps in wrestling history. Another highlight of SummerSlam 2000 was the two out of three falls clash between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit, who delivered yet another good match on pay-per-view, this time with The Rabid Wolverine getting his hand raised after winning 2-1. Meanwhile, Chyna won the Intercontinental Championship for a second time by picking up the winning fall in a tag match alongside Eddie Guerrero against the defending champion Val Venis and Trish Stratus. The Kat and Terri had a forgettable Stinkface “match” where the winner would be the first person to stick their ass in the opponent’s face… X-Pac vs Road Dogg and Tazz vs Jerry Lawler were both too short to either suck or stand out, while the main event ended up delivering from bell to bell despite Kurt Angle getting concussed before The Rock could even make his entrance. In the end, The Great One walked out of Raleigh still the World Wrestling Federation.

The Invasion Storyline Dominates The Last WWF SummerSlam (2001)

• Date: August 19, 2001
• Location: San Jose, California (Compaq Center at San Jose)
• Cagematch rating: 8.01
• PPV buys: 570,000

WWF SummerSlam 2001 Results

1. Edge def. Lance Storm to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship
2. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) & Test def. Spike Dudley & The APA (Bradshaw & Faarooq)
3. X-Pac (Cruiserweight) def. Tajiri (Light H.) in a Winner Takes All Match to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and retain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship
4. Chris Jericho def. Rhyno
5. Rob Van Dam def. Jeff Hardy in a Ladder Match to win the WWF Hardcore Championship
6. The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker & Kane) [WCW] def. DDP & Chris Kanyon [WWF] in a Winners Take All Steel Cage Tag Team Match to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship and retain the WCW Tag Team Championship
7. Kurt Angle def. Steve Austin by DQ for the WWF Championship (Austin retained the title)
8. The Rock def. Booker T to win the WCW Championship

WWF had a spectacular year in 2000 followed by a fabulous road to WrestleMania 17 in early 2001, with the Attitude Era peaking at that ‘Mania. Then, the demise of WCW and Vince McMahon purchasing the rival competition led to the invasion angle, with former WCW (and ECW) wrestlers forming an alliance to take over the World Wrestling Federation. Everyone has talked sh-t about the invasion angle, with some critics calling it the most disappointing storyline of that decade, if not ever. After the red hot Monday Night Wars battle between WWF and WCW, wrestling fans were clearly invested, and the Invasion PPV in July 2001 drawing 775,000 buys (making it the most bought non-WrestleMania PPV in WWF/E history) is a clear sign of that. However, the lack of most of WCW’s biggest stars made the angle a flop right from the beginning, with the likes of Stone Cold or the McMahons joining The Alliance to make it credible. But for all its flaws, the invasion angle did bring incredible talent to WWF’s roster, with names like Rob Van Dam and Booker T already delivering great matches at that year’s SummerSlam. The main event of SummerSlam 2001 was a WCW Championship(!) matchup between Booker T and The Rock, who was competing in his first pay-per-view matchup since WrestleMania.

The two charismatic performers had great chemistry in the ring, delivering a very entertaining bout that ended with Rock becoming the new WCW Champion… something that still feels weird to say all these years later! But while Rock and Booker delivered the goods, they didn’t steal the show. Steve Austin and Kurt Angle did, putting on a 22-minute banger with the World Wrestling Federation Title up for grabs. Not even a DQ ending ruined it, as it did make sense given Austin’s heel persona and the story being told throughout the match. Some have said it’s “almost a five-star match” because of the DQ finish, but in my personal opinion I’d still call it a five-star match. Aside from the two marquee matches, every match was good – in particular RVD and Jeff Hardy, who tore the house down with a great Ladder Match for the Hardcore Championship; and Edge and Lance Storm, who opened the show with a nice Intercontinental Title bout. All the other matches ranged from decent to pretty good, with the exception of the horrible cage match between The Brothers of Destruction and DDP & Kanyon. Thus, with a stacked card like that and several great matches, it’s fair to say the last SummerSlam of the WWF era (the company would ‘get the F out’ and change its name to WWE in May 2002) might’ve actually been the very best SummerSlam under the World Wrestling Federation banner.

The First WWE SummerSlam Was Amazing (2002)

• Date: August 25, 2002
• Location: Uniondale, New York (Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum)
• Cagematch rating: 9.16
• PPV buys: 540,000

WWE SummerSlam 2002 Results

1. Kurt Angle def. Rey Mysterio
2. Ric Flair def. Chris Jericho
3. Edge def. Eddie Guerrero
4. The Un-Americans (Christian & Lance Storm) def. Booker T & Goldust to retain the World Tag Team Championship
5. Rob Van Dam def. Chris Benoit to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
6. The Undertaker def. Test
7. Shawn Michaels def. Triple H in an Unsactioned Street Fight
8. Brock Lesnar def. The Rock to win the WWE Undisputed Championship

2002 was a game-changing year for the renamed World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. With the WWF name, the invasion angle and the Attitude Era firmly in the rearview mirror, we had a badass edition of Summerslam that is considered one of the best ever. With the Ruthless Aggression Era came the first Raw/SmackDown brand extension, which essentially gave us “two main events” at SummerSlam 2002. Raw’s biggest story was a personal rivalry between former best friends and DX partners, Triple H and Shawn Michaels, who wrestled for the first time in a WWE ring since WrestleMania 14. The Heartbreak Kid scored an upset win over The Game, only to get absolutely destroyed with a sledgehammer afterwards. Over on SmackDown, WWE newcomer Brock Lesnar, who’d earned the right to compete for the Undisputed Championship in the main event of SummerSlam 2002 thanks to his King of the Ring tournament win, was going after The Rock’s belt after having written Hulk Hogan off TV. In the main event, Lesnar became the youngest WWE Champion in history after a big F5 to The Great One, winning the top prize after just five months on the main roster. The fact that both matches delivered from bell to bell, particularly the all-time classic emotional rollercoaster that was HHH vs. HBK, is what makes this SummerSlam so awesome.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWE SummerSlam 2002

But those featured matches were far from the only great matches on the card. Rey Mysterio (making his WWE PPV debut) and Kurt Angle had a brilliant nine-minute sprint in the opening contest, won by Angle after forcing Mysterio to tap out to the Ankle Lock. Speaking of submissions, that’s exactly how the second match ended, as Chris Jericho gave up to Ric Flair’s iconic Figure Four Leglock. Next up was yet another battle between ‘SmackDown Six’ members, with Edge picking up a hard-fought victory over Eddie Guerrero. What followed was a fun World Tag Team Championship match that saw Booker T & Goldust, one of the most entertaining acts in WWE at the time, challenging The Un-Americans’ Christian & Lance Storm, one of the most hated acts, for Raw’s World Tag Team Championship. While the match wasn’t a classic, it had a lot of heat due to the charismatic names that were involved. The Intercontinental Championship was on the line in a fantastic interpromotional clash between SmackDown’s Chris Benoit and Raw’s Rob Van Dam. RVD won and brought the soon-to-be-retired IC Title back to the red brand. Finally, The Undertaker bested Test in a predictable yet perfectly watchable eight-minute matchup. Then came the two main events, which were both tremendous in their own different way, as I’ve already said. Looking back, SummerSlam 2002 was unquestionably phenomenal.

Goldberg’s Controversial Elimination Chamber Loss At SummerSlam (2003)

• Date: August 24, 2003
• Location: Phoenix, Arizona (America West Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 7.14
• PPV buys: 465,000

WWE SummerSlam 2003 Results

1. La Resistance (Rene Dupree & Sylvain Grenier) def. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) to retain the World Tag Team Championship
2. The Undertaker def. A-Train
3. Shane McMahon def. Eric Bischoff in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
4. Eddie Guerrero def. Chris Benoit, Tajiri and Rhyno in a Fatal 4 Way Match to retain the WWE United States Championship
5. Kurt Angle def. Brock Lesnar to retain the WWE Championship
6. Kane def. Rob Van Dam in a No Holds Barred Match
7. Triple H def. Goldberg, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Kevin Nash in an Elimination Chamber Match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Immediately after SummerSlam 2002, Brock Lesnar signed an exclusive SmackDown deal, meaning the WWE Championship could only appear on the blue brand. Since Raw was left without a world title, General Manager Eric Bischoff introduced the World Heavyweight Championship in early September and awarded it to Triple H. By the time SummerSlam 2003 arrived, Triple H was still the World Champion, having only been interrupted by Shawn Michaels’ 28-day reign in late 2002. The Heartbreak Kid won the Big Gold Belt by winning the first-ever Elimination Chamber Match at Survivor Series 2002. In the summer of 2003, Eric Bischoff announced The Game would put the title on the line inside the Chamber for a second time at SummerSlam. Triple H‘s opponents were: the winner of the first Elimination Chamber, Shawn Michaels; HBK’s heated rival and first-ever Undisputed Champion, Chris Jericho; the man who’d just fought HHH inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood, Kevin Nash; HHH’s protege and fellow Evolution member, Randy Orton; and the odds-on favorite, Goldberg. Meanwhile, over on SmackDown, Brock Lesnar had just turned heel again after losing the WWE Championship to Kurt Angle in a three-way match at Vengeance, and was now associated with Vince McMahon. The two would meet for the title in a WrestleMania rematch at SummerSlam, now with the face/heel roles reversed.

The Chamber Match was nowhere near as epic as the first one, but it was still a pretty good match, even though it’s just remembered because of its controversial ending. With Nash already gone, Goldberg eliminated three participants (Orton, Michaels and Jericho) in three short minutes! That left him all alone with the World Heavyweight Champion, and it seemed like a matter of time until Da Man won. But instead, Ric Flair tossed a sledgehammer inside the Chamber, and Triple H used it to hit Goldberg while he was going for the Spear, allowing HHH to retain in a deflating finish. Lesnar and Angle, on the other hand, delivered yet another awesome match that ended when The Next Big Thing tapped out to Angle’s Ankle Lock. After the match, Angle delivered an Angle Slam to Vince McMahon onto a seated chair! Another big program heading into SummerSlam ’03 was Kane’s recent unmasking on Raw, which led to two matches at the PPV: a No Holds Barred Match between Kane and his former tag team partner, Rob Van Dam, as well as Shane McMahon vs Eric Bischoff in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. Kane and Shane O’Mac won their respective matches, and would then start feuding with each other. As far as the midcard matches, the first two – The Dudley Boyz vs La Resistance and The Undertaker vs A-Train – were very forgettable, but SmackDown’s United States Championship was showcased in an exciting four-way match. The charismatic defending champion, Eddie Guerrero, successfully defended the gold against Chris Benoit, Rhyno and Tajiri.

Randy Orton Becomes The Youngest World Champion At SummerSlam (2004)

• Date: August 15, 2004
• Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Air Canada Centre)
• Cagematch rating: 6.29
• PPV buys: 320,000

WWE SummerSlam 2004 Results

1. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley & Spike Dudley) def. Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman & Paul London
2. Kane def. Matt Hardy in a “Till Death Do Us Part” Match
3. John Cena def. Booker T in Match #1 of a Best of Five Series for Booker’s WWE United States Championship
4. Edge def. Chris Jericho and Batista in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
5. Kurt Angle def. Eddie Guerrero
6. Triple H def. Eugene
7. WWE Diva Search Divas (Maria, Christy Hemme, Michelle McCool, Joy Giovanni, Amy Weber & Tracie Wright) def. WWE Raw Divas (Trish Stratus, Victoria, Molly Holly, Jazz, Gail Kim, Stacy Keibler & Nidia) in a Diva Dodgeball Contest
8. JBL def. The Undertaker by DQ to retain the WWE Championship
9. Randy Orton def. Chris Benoit to win the World Heavyweight Championship

WWE was in a strange place in the summer of 2004. I mean, just look at the SummerSlam card and you’ll understand what I mean. Diva Dodgeball, seriously!? Eugene of all people taking on Triple H at SummerSlam? Nothing against that angle which was actually quite cool and unique, but… really? The first match of a best of five series that would only end two months later? There’s no other to say it, the card looks extremely weak on paper compared to the previous years, which justifies the considerable decline in PPV buys. The main event saw 24-year-old Randy Orton challenging Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship. Truth be told, history was made when Orton won to become the youngest world champion in WWE history, and they had a spectacular match. But as a SummerSlam main event, it wasn’t the best choice. After all, Orton was still Triple H’s lackey in Evolution. But when you look at the card, what else would you choose to close the show? Triple H vs Eugene was the featured storyline on Raw (and in the company, for that matter) but would you have that match close out SUMMERSLAM? Over on SmackDown, JBL was scheduled to defend the WWE Championship for the first time on pay-per-view against The Undertaker. That match is also not a great choice, especially considering its lame DQ finish. Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle in a WrestleMania rematch? That feud lost a lot of heat without the WWE Title involved.

Even with all the creative issues and weird gimmicks (“Till Death Do Us Part”, anyone…), I can’t call SummerSlam 2004 a bad show. As I already mentioned, Benoit vs Orton was a spectacular World Title bout in terms of in-ring ability. Plus, there were a couple of very good matches – the opening six-man tag team match and Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle – that were enough to make this a solid PPV. The rest of the card was a mixed bag. Cena vs Booker T was basically a heatless six-minute SmackDown match, mostly because, as the first match of a Best of Five series for the United States Championship, everyone knew it wasn’t ending here. If Cena vs Booker was a six-minute TV match, the same can be said about Kane vs Matt Hardy. The ridiculous “Till Death Do Us Part” stipulation that had Lita marrying Kane against her will is the only reason why some fans remember it. Edge vs Chris Jericho vs Batista for the Intercontinental Championship could’ve been great, but ended up falling flat due to the strange crowd reactions, with Edge getting booed out of the building in his own hometown. Triple H vs Eugene was… fine, I guess? Both men worked hard and did everything to make it work, but the whole thing just felt bizarre. And over on the SmackDown side, JBL vs Undertaker wasn’t bad, but the crowd didn’t buy him as champion yet – not helped by a DQ finish that killed the drama. SummerSlam 2004 wasn’t a disaster, but it was a clear sign WWE was stuck between eras, and desperately needed new faces at the top of the card.

Hulk Hogan Returns To SummerSlam & The Custody Of Dominik Is On The Line In A Ladder Match (2005)

• Date: August 21, 2005
• Location: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
• Cagematch rating: 6.89
• PPV buys: 640,000

WWE SummerSlam 2005 Results

1. Chris Benoit def. Orlando Jordan to win the WWE United States Championship
2. Edge def. Matt Hardy via referee stoppage
3. Rey Mysterio def. Eddie Guerrero in a Ladder Match for custody of Dominik
4. Kurt Angle def. Eugene for Angle’s Olympic Medal
5. Randy Orton def. The Undertaker
6. John Cena def. Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship
7. Batista def. JBL in a Street Fight to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
8. Hulk Hogan def. Shawn Michaels

SummerSlam 2005 looked massive on paper. It was a card full of big names, dream matches, and long-term storylines, but the final product ended up being… sort of good. The main event saw two eras collide as Hulk Hogan faced Shawn Michaels in a dream match nobody thought would actually ever happen. The build was excellent, with Michaels turning heel for a month just to feud with Hogan, cutting some of the best promos of his career – that promo in Montreal alone was worth it! But backstage politics reportedly killed a planned trilogy when Hogan refused to lose even once, so HBK responded by bumping around like a pinball in protest. The match became infamous for those oversells, but it was still an entertaining, bloody brawl with a big fight feel. SmackDown’s World Heavyweight Champion Batista retained his title against JBL in a solid Street Fight that was much better than their previous encounter at The Great American Bash. It was kept short and sweet, exactly what it needed to be. John Cena, early into his Raw run, defended the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho in a good match with a strong storyline. Y2J turned heel to put Cena over on his way out of the company, losing a rematch the next night on Raw under “Loser Leaves WWE” rules. He’d only come back in late 2007, more than two years later.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWE SummerSlam 2005

Elsewhere on the card, Randy Orton picked up a clever win over The Undertaker thanks to interference from a disguised “fan” revealed to be his father, Cowboy Bob Orton. Their match featured solid psychology and kept the feud going – it would culminate with a violent Hell in a Cell Match at Armageddon in December. Speaking of long storylines, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero delivered a very good ladder match with one of the most ridiculous stipulations in wrestling history – they fighting for the custody of Rey’s son, Dominik! It was absolute soap opera nonsense, something that could only happen in wrestling. But that’s also what made it fun (in a weird pro wrestling way!). Kurt Angle squashed Eugene to get his Olympic gold medal back in a match that only really existed to set Angle up for a WWE Title program with Cena after Jericho left. Chris Benoit destroyed Orlando Jordan in 25 seconds to finally end Jordan’s crappy reign as United States Champion. And then there was Edge vs. Matt Hardy. Where do I even start with this? It was one of the most personal and highly anticipated matches on the card thanks to the real-life love triangle that fueled the storyline. Sadly, it lasted barely five minutes and ended in a referee stoppage due to blood loss, killing the crowd and leaving fans confused and disappointed. SummerSlam 2005 should’ve been legendary given the talent involved. It ended up being good, don’t get me wrong, but looking back it’s dominated by outside-the-ring factors (Jericho’s departure, Hassan’s recent departure, the Edge/Hardy/Lita love triangle, the political drama between Hogan and Michaels, etc) more than anything else…

Hulk Hogan Competes In His Final WWE Match At SummerSlam Against The Legend Killer (2006)

• Date: August 20, 2006
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts (TD Banknorth Garden)
• Cagematch rating: 6.06
• PPV buys: 541,000

WWE SummerSlam 2006 Results

1. Chavo Guerrero def. Rey Mysterio
2. Big Show def. Sabu in an Extreme Rules Match to retain the ECW World Championship
3. Hulk Hogan def. Randy Orton
4. Ric Flair def. Mick Foley in an I Quit Match
5. Batista def. King Booker by DQ for the World Heavyweight Championship
6. D-Generation X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels) def. The McMahons (Vince McMahon & Shane McMahon)
7. Edge def. John Cena to retain the WWE Championship

SummerSlam 2006 had plenty of star power and big feuds, but the show didn’t quite come together the way it should have. The main event featured Edge defending the WWE Championship against John Cena under the stipulation that if Edge got disqualified, he’d lose the title. That detail added a lot of tension, especially since Edge had recently used that tactic Saturday Night’s Main Event to retain the title. Their feud had been built really well, with personal attacks like Edge slapping Cena’s father in his own house and Cena retaliating by ambushing Edge and Lita at their hotel. The match in Cena’s home state wasn’t a classic, but it was full of urgency and character work because of the pre-match stip. Lita kept trying to cheat, only for Edge to remind her they couldn’t risk it… until she slipped him brass knuckles behind the ref’s back, allowing Edge to knock Cena out cold and retain anyway! The recently reunited DX took on the McMahons in an overbooked but highly entertaining tag match, built off months of DX humiliating Vince, Shan and The Spirit Squad. The crowd ate it up, and it was the right mix of nostalgia and chaos.

Unfortunately, the undercard couldn’t match that energy. Batista and King Booker had a weak World Title match that ended in a DQ, remembered today more for the real-life fight between the two during a commercial shoot than anything that happened in the ring. Hogan vs. Orton could’ve been a massive torch-passing moment for the Legend Killer, but instead followed the usual Hogan formula. And Hogan won, of course. It is Hulk Hogan’s last WWE match to date. Ric Flair and Mick Foley bled buckets in a violent “I Quit” match built around their real-life heat, while Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero delivered a technically solid match that lacked something more to make it memorable, even though Chavo’s win over Rey – who was clearly the bigger star – felt like a big moment for Chavito. Big Show retained the ECW Title over Sabu in a match that existed, and that’s about all you can say for it. SummerSlam 2006 had moments, but a lot of it felt forgettable. A show where almost every match had a better build than a payoff. Would that be fair?

SummerSlam Hosts The First PPV Match Between John Cena & Randy Orton! (2007)

• Date: August 26, 2007
• Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey (Continental Airlines Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 5.05
• PPV buys: 545,000

WWE SummerSlam 2007 Results

1. Kane def. Finlay
2. Umaga def. Carlito and Mr. Kennedy in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
3. Rey Mysterio def. Chavo Guerrero
4. Beth Phoenix won a Battle Royal to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE Women’s Championship
5. John Morrison def. CM Punk to retain the ECW World Championship
6. Triple H def. King Booker
7. Batista def. The Great Khali by DQ for the World Heavyweight Championship (Khali retained the title)
8. John Cena def. Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship

SummerSlam 2007 had a loaded card but ended up being wildly uneven, with a mix of strong main event energy and absolute trash. The main event between John Cena and Randy Orton was easily the match of the night – their first-ever singles clash on pay-per-view, and it delivered big. It felt fresh, intense, and had a genuine big fight atmosphere, with a hot crowd reacting to every move. This was before WWE ran their feud into the ground, so the chemistry and novelty were still there. Earlier in the night, however, Batista vs. The Great Khali for the World Heavyweight Championship was one of the worst title matches in SummerSlam history. Khali could barely walk, much less wrestle, the match ended in a dumb DQ finish, and it was all just a stalling tactic before Batista finally took the belt a month later. Triple H returned from injury to beat King Booker in an average match designed just to give Triple H a win, and John Morrison retained the ECW Title against CM Punk in a decent effort between two guys thrust into a feud after Chris Benoit’s death, who was going to win the ECW Title. Not bad, not great, just there.

Most of the undercard felt like filler. MVP and Matt Hardy had an entertaining feud, but MVP was injured, so they settled for a beer drinking contest. The Divas Battle Royal was completely pointless and had no business being on the show. Rey Mysterio returned from injury to beat Chavo Guerrero in a match that existed mostly to wrap up their long-running feud. It was solid, but very predictable as Chavo had falled down the card and had even lost the Cruiserweight Title to Hornswoggle! The Intercontinental Title match with Umaga, Carlito, and Mr. Kennedy was another throwaway. Umaga was randomly a babyface for a few weeks while Kennedy was stuck between a blown Money in the Bank push and a suspension that would kill his next one. Kane vs Finlay opened the show in what felt like a match ripped from the middle of a random SmackDown. SummerSlam 2007 had the names , but outside of the excellent Cena vs Orton main event, the show just didn’t feel special.

John Cena Vs Batista Finally Happens At SummerSlam (2008)

• Date: August 17, 2008
• Location: Indianapolis, Indiana (Conseco Fieldhouse)
• Cagematch rating: 7.75
• PPV buys: 477,000

WWE SummerSlam 2008 Results

1. MVP def. Jeff Hardy
2. GlaMarella (Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix) def. Kofi Kingston & Mickie James in a Winners Take All Mixed Tag Team Match to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Women’s Championship
3. Matt Hardy def. Mark Henry by DQ for the ECW Championship (Henry retained the title)
4. CM Punk def. JBL to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
5. Triple H def. The Great Khali to retain the WWE Championship
6. Batista def. John Cena
7. The Undertaker def. Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match

SummerSlam 2008 had several meaningful moments, highlighted by a handful of big-time matches and a couple of key storyline developments. The main event was a Hell in a Cell war between The Undertaker and Edge, the culmination of their year-long rivalry that had anchored SmackDown since 2007. It was the first Cell match of the PG Era, meaning no blood or excessive violence, but both guys proved that the stipulation could still deliver under tighter restrictions. It was brutal, dramatic, and smartly worked, the perfect end to a top-tier feud. Earlier in the night, Batista and John Cena finally collided in a one-on-one match years in the making. The two biggest stars of the Ruthless Aggression Era had always been kept apart by the brand split, so this felt massive. The match lived up to the hype, and Batista picked up a clean win, injuring Cena’s neck in the process with a Batista Bomb in midair. CM Punk retained the World Heavyweight Championship against JBL in a stiff, underrated match that gave Punk a gritty win and a little more credibility. The night also featured Shawn Michaels’ “retirement” announcement, which turned into a brilliant segment when Chris Jericho showed up and accidentally punched HBK’s wife in the face – one of the most iconic moments of their incredible feud.

Everything else on the card felt totally skippable. Triple H defended the WWE Championship against The Great Khali in one of Khali’s better matches, which isn’t saying much. MVP vs Jeff Hardy was solid, though it made no sense for Hardy to lose considering he’d be in the WWE Title picture for the rest of the year while MVP spiraled into a long losing streak, for whatever reason. Kofi Kingston and Mickie James lost their titles to Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella in a mixed tag match that was only entertaining because Glamarella was so fun to watch. The ECW Championship match was a total joke: Mark Henry got disqualified after about 30 seconds when Tony Atlas got involved. SummerSlam 2008 had some real highs (Edge vs Undertaker, John Cena vs Batista and the Chris Jericho/Shawn Michaels segment) but some undercard matches felt like a complete afterthought.

CM Punk Ends Jeff Hardy’s World Title Reign In A TLC Match At SummerSlam (2009)

• Date: August 23, 2009
• Location: Los Angeles, California (Staples Center)
• Cagematch rating: 7.61
• PPV buys: 369,000

WWE SummerSlam 2009 Results

1. Rey Mysterio def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
2. MVP def. Jack Swagger
3. Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho & The Big Show) def. Cryme Tyme (JTG & Shad Gaspard) to retain the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
4. Kane def. The Great Khali
5. D-Generation X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels) def. Legacy (Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Jr.)
6. Christian def. William Regal to retain the ECW Championship
7. Randy Orton def. John Cena to retain the WWE Championship
8. CM Punk def. Jeff Hardy in a TLC Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship

SummerSlam 2009 had a strange energy. There was a mix of hot angles, filler matches and one of the most frustratingly overbooked WWE Championship matches in recent memory. The true main event, though, was CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy in a fantastic TLC match for the World Heavyweight Championship. It was a great call to close the show with their matches, as they had the hottest feud going in WWE at the time, with Punk enjoying a tremendous heel run as the straight edge world champion while few stars could match Jeff Hardy’s popularity. They delivered a brutal and creative fight with real emotion behind every move. Punk won the title, only to get Chokeslammed by a returning Undertaker to close the show. A few days later on SmackDown, Punk beat Hardy in a steel cage Loser Leaves WWE match, cementing himself as the top heel on the brand. Meanwhile, John Cena vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship felt like it should’ve been equally epic, but instead turned into a mess. Constant restarts, DQs, and unnecessary overbooking completely derailed the match. Worse, it kicked off four straight PPV singles matches between Cena and Orton for the title, and fans were already burned out by the end of this one.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWE SummerSlam 2009

Elsewhere, the show was a mixed bag. DX made their entrance on a damn tank(!) and had a really good tag match with Legacy that elevated the young Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase Jr. That already felt like a big improvement over DX’s 2006 burial tour. Legacy looked legit in defeat and would get their win back at Breaking Point, setting up a final meeting inside Hell in a Cell. Rey Mysterio opened the show with a fun Intercontinental Title defense against Dolph Ziggler, continuing his excellent run as IC Champion in 2009. MVP beat Jack Swagger in a match that could’ve aired on Raw and no one would notice. Christian beat William Regal in another blink-and-you-miss-it ECW Title “match”. Kane vs The Great Khali was pure garbage, and Jericho & Big Show retained the Unified Tag Team Championship in a serviceable match against Cryme Tyme. SummerSlam 2009 is remembered for the Punk/Hardy war followed by Undertaker’s return. With a better undercard, this edition of SummerSlam could’ve been phenomenal.

John Cena Kills The Nexus’ Momentum In The Main Event Of SummerSlam (2010)

• Date: August 15, 2010
• Location: Los Angeles, California (Staples Center)
• Cagematch rating: 5.10
• PPV buys: 349,000

WWE SummerSlam 2010 Results

1. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Intercontinental Championship ended in a draw (Ziggler retained the title)
2. Melina def. Alicia Fox to win the WWE Divas Championship
3. Big Show def. The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk, Luke Gallows & Joey Mercury) in a Handicap Match
4. Randy Orton def. Sheamus by DQ for the WWE Championship (Sheamus retained the title)
5. Kane def. Rey Mysterio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
6. Team WWE (John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, John Morrison & R-Truth) def. The Nexus (Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, David Otunga & Darren Young) in a 14-Man Elimination Tag Team Match

SummerSlam 2010 is remembered for one thing, and one thing only. The 7-on-7 elimination main event between Team WWE and The Nexus had the potential to be an unforgettable one… and it was, just not in the way anyone wanted. The match itself was actually really good: fast-paced, well-booked for the most part, and the crowd was electric. But the decision to have John Cena kick out of everything and beat both Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett on his own killed Nexus dead in their first pay-per-view bout. These guys had been destroying the entire roster all summer, and this was their chance to be cemented as legit stars. Instead, they had to lose to Super Cena right away, and the angle never recovered. Elsewhere, CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society was also on its last legs, getting squashed 3-on-1 by Big Show. One year after ending Jeff Hardy’s WWE career, Punk had lost all that heat due to terrible booking decisions such as this one. On the Raw side, Sheamus retained the WWE Championship over Randy Orton via DQ in a solid match that deserved a much better payoff given the stage.

The rest of the card had its moments, but nothing that really stood out. Rey Mysterio got his rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship after Kane cashed in Money in the Bank on him, and Kane retained to clear the path for his feud with The Undertaker. Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship didn’t have time to go anywhere before The Nexus stormed the ring to interrupt, which at least kept them looking dangerous… for about an hour! Melina beat Alicia Fox to win the Divas Championship in a sloppy match that only lives on thanks to Cameron calling it “the greatest match of all time” on Tough Enough. LayCool showed up after the match to set up the Divas/Women’s Title unification match at Night of Champions. So, in essence, SummerSlam 2010 wasn’t the worst show in the world, but it’s permanently defined by a main event decision that derailed the most exciting faction WWE had created in years.

The Summer Of Punk Ends After SummerSlam’s Disappointing Ending (2011)

• Date: August 14, 2011
• Location: Los Angeles, California (Staples Center)
• Cagematch rating: 7.67
• PPV buys: 311,000

WWE SummerSlam 2011 Results

1. Rey Mysterio, John Morrison & Kofi Kingston def. Alberto Del Rio, The Miz & R-Truth
2. Mark Henry def. Sheamus by count-out
3. Kelly Kelly def. Beth Phoenix to retain the WWE Divas Championship
4. Wade Barrett def. Daniel Bryan
5. Randy Orton def. Christian in a No Holds Barred Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship
6. CM Punk def. John Cena to become the undisputed WWE Champion with Triple H as the special guest referee
7. Alberto Del Rio def. CM Punk in a Money in the Bank cash-in to win the WWE Championship

SummerSlam 2011 had some seriously strong in-ring work, but it’s mostly remembered for the moment WWE tripped over its own booking and killed “The Summer of Punk” dead in its tracks. CM Punk vs John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship was an excellent match. Sure, it wasn’t as special as Money in the Bank, but still an awesome main event. Unfortunately, the story around it fell apart. Triple H served as special guest referee and “missed” Cena’s foot on the rope during the pin, giving Punk the win in a finish that felt awkward and unnecessary. Then it got worse. Kevin Nash randomly showed up, attacked Punk for no reason and Alberto Del Rio cashed in Money in the Bank to steal the title. Yey!? Punk, the hottest star in the company, would go on to lose PPV matches to Del Rio, Awesome Truth and Triple H before finally regaining the WWE Championship at Survivor Series. A great match with a tone-deaf finish that cooled down one of WWE’s best storylines in years.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWE SummerSlam 2011

The rest of the card was pretty good. Randy Orton and Christian wrapped up their excellent World Heavyweight Championship feud with a brutal No Holds Barred Match that ended with Orton regaining the title in style after a picture-perfect RKO. Daniel Bryan vs Wade Barrett was a nice midcard match, though Bryan losing just a month after winning Money in the Bank felt like weird timing. Kelly Kelly retained the Divas Title against Beth Phoenix in a match that overachieved a little but still wasn’t anything special. Mark Henry and Sheamus beat the hell out of each other in a physical hoss fight that Henry won by count-out to protect both guys. And the opening six-man tag (Rey Mysterio, John Morrison & Kofi Kingston against The Miz, R-Truth & Alberto Del Rio) was a fast-paced crowd-pleasing opener. A strong show on paper and in the ring, but the booking in the main event left a lasting stain that fans never forgot, which is a shame.

Triple H Can’t Stop The Returning Brock Lesnar At SummerSlam (2012)

• Date: August 19, 2012
• Location: Los Angeles, California (Staples Center)
• Cagematch rating: 5.90
• PPV buys: 392,000

WWE SummerSlam 2012 Results

1. Chris Jericho def. Dolph Ziggler
2. Daniel Bryan def. Kane
3. The Miz def. Rey Mysterio to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
4. Sheamus def. Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
5. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth def. The Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O’Neil) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship
6. CM Punk def. John Cena and Big Show in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE Championship
7. Brock Lesnar def. Triple H in a No DQ Match

SummerSlam 2012 had strong matches up and down the card, but something about the overall show still felt oddly flat by the end. It kicked off with a great opener between Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler. It was an energetic match built around Ziggler mocking Jericho for not being able to win the big one. Jericho shut him up here, even though he was leaving WWE right after and would lose to Ziggler the next night on Raw in a much more meaningful rematch – Jericho’s WWE contract vs Ziggler’s Money in the Bank contract. Speaking of matches/storylines that became much bigger after SummerSlam, Daniel Bryan vs Kane was mostly forgettable, but it laid the groundwork for the incredibly fun Team Hell No run that would follow. Rey Mysterio vs The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship was fine. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth retained the WWE Tag Team Championship over The Prime Time Players in a match no one really remembers, especially after AW was fired and the team’s push collapsed. Meanwhile, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio continued their never-ending feud in a decent, hard-hitting match that was hurt by bad booking and overstaying its welcome.

The WWE Championship triple threat told the story of CM Punk demanding respect after his recent heel turn. While the match was solid, it didn’t have the intensity or spark you’d expect from a SummerSlam WWE Title defense. Punk retained by throwing Cena out of the ring after he hit the AA on Big Show, perfectly fitting the new edge to his character. The main event was Brock Lesnar vs Triple H, Lesnar’s second match back since returning from UFC. It was a physical match, but the feud itself felt cold and directionless. Lesnar made Triple H tap to the Kimura Lock and “broke” his arm to write him off TV, setting up the return of a newly bald HHH to resume the feud in early 2013. SummerSlam 2012 wasn’t bad – it had good wrestling and key storyline moments, but it lacked that spark that makes a show feel truly special. And let’s be honest: most people remember this one because it was the last time Triple H had long hair!

The Best SummerSlam Of The Modern Era? (2013)

• Date: August 18, 2013
• Location: Los Angeles, California (Staples Center)
• Cagematch rating: 8.75
• PPV buys: 332,000

WWE SummerSlam 2013 Results

1. Bray Wyatt def. Kane in a Ring of Fire Match
2. Cody Rhodes def. Damien Sandow
3. Alberto Del Rio def. Christian to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
4. Natalya def. Brie Bella
5. Brock Lesnar def. CM Punk in a No DQ Match
6. Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn def. Big E Langston & AJ Lee in a Mixed Tag Team Match
7. Daniel Bryan def. John Cena to win the WWE Championship with Triple H as the special guest referee
8. Randy Orton def. Daniel Bryan in a Money in the Bank cash-in to win the WWE Championship with Triple H as the special guest referee

SummerSlam 2013 was one of the best editions of the event in years, packed with high-level wrestling, a hot crowd and two legit Match of the Year contenders in CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan vs John Cena. Punk vs Lesnar was a masterpiece. Their No Disqualification match branded as “The Best vs The Beast” delivered everything you could want: brutality, drama, emotion and perfect storytelling. It’s a classic that is easily one of the best matches in the legendary careers of both men. Then came Bryan vs Cena for the WWE Championship, an equally amazing bout made even more impressive by the fact that Cena wrestled with a disgusting injury in his elbow. Bryan won clean after debuting the Running Knee finisher, finally winning the WWE Championship for the first time. A few moments later, Triple H (who’d been the special referee for Cena vs Bryan) dropped Bryan with a Pedigree, and Randy Orton cashed in Money in the Bank to take the title, kicking off the Authority storyline. It was a brutal gut punch of a finish, but a damn good angle.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWE SummerSlam 2013

The rest of the show was hit or miss. Alberto Del Rio and Christian had a fantastic World Heavyweight Championship match that would’ve stolen the show on almost any other card. Cody Rhodes beat former partner Damien Sandow in a match that was supposed to kickstart his singles babyface run… or so we thought. Less than a year later, he was Stardust. Bray Wyatt made his in-ring debut by beating Kane in a weird Ring of Fire Match that didn’t really connect. Natalya vs Brie Bella was a glorified ad for Total Divas, and Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs Big E Langston & AJ Lee served as a serviceable wrap-up to several storylines – Ziggler’s relationship with AJ, Big E’s involvement as their bodyguard and the AJ/Kaitlyn Divas Title feud. Still, SummerSlam 2013 was a great show overall, and even with the sour taste of the cash-in, the execution of the angle itself was strong. Fans were furious, but in the best possible way.

Brock Lesnar Squashes John Cena In The Main Event Of SummerSlam (2014)

• Date: August 17, 2014
• Location: Los Angeles, California (Staples Center)
• Cagematch rating: 7.29

WWE SummerSlam 2014 Results

1. Dolph Ziggler def. The Miz to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
2. Paige def. AJ Lee to win the WWE Divas Championship
3. Rusev def. Jack Swagger in a Flag Match
4. Seth Rollins def. Dean Ambrose in a Lumberjack Match
5. Bray Wyatt def. Chris Jericho
6. Stephanie McMahon def. Brie Bella
7. Roman Reigns def. Randy Orton
8. Brock Lesnar def. John Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

SummerSlam 2014 will always be remembered for one of the most shocking and legendary main events in WWE history. Brock Lesnar didn’t just beat John Cena, he destroyed him. Suplex after suplex, total dominance, and barely any offense from Cena. It wasn’t a traditional back-and-forth five-star match, but that’s what made it so iconic. The crowd was into it the whole time, fully aware they were witnessing something different, something historic. Love it or hate it, WWE made a bold move here, and it completely made Lesnar look like the final boss of the company. Roman Reigns also got a big milestone win in his first major singles PPV match, defeating Randy Orton clean. Meanwhile, Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella shocked everyone with a surprisingly entertaining match, won by Stephanie after Nikki Bella turned on her sister.

Elsewhere on the card, Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins was a fun chaotic brawl that kept their feud alive, even if the lumberjack stip hurt more than it helped. Dolph Ziggler beat The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship in yet another title change during the hot potato era, and Paige won back the Divas Title from AJ Lee in a decent-but-too-short match. Rusev continued his undefeated run with a solid match against Jack Swagger, a feud that had surprising heat and overdelivered, in my opinion. Bray Wyatt beat Chris Jericho to even their feud at 1-1. All in all, SummerSlam 2014 was carried by its main event, but the show had a strong undercard and a lot of memorable moments. Also, this night marked the final time we ever saw this:

The Undertaker Wrestles At SummerSlam For The First Time In 7 Years (2015)

• Date: August 23, 2015
• Location: Brooklyn, New York (Barclays Center)
• Cagematch rating: 7.47

WWE SummerSlam 2015 Results

1. Sheamus def. Randy Orton
2. The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) def. The Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O’Neil), The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto & Sin Cara) and Los Matadores (Diego & Fernando) in a Fatal 4 Way Tag Team Match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
3. Rusev vs Dolph Ziggler ended in a draw
4. Stephen Amell & Neville def. Stardust & King Barrett
5. Ryback def. Big Show and The Miz in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
6. Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose def. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper)
7. Seth Rollins (WWE WH) def. John Cena (U.S.) in a Winner Takes All Match for the WWE United States Championship and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
8. Team PCB (Paige, Charlotte & Becky Lynch) def. Team Bella (Nikki Bella, Brie Bella & Alicia Fox) and Team BAD (Naomi, Tamina & Sasha Banks) in a Triple Threat Elimination Tag Team Match
9. Kevin Owens def. Cesaro
10. The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar

SummerSlam 2015 was the first four-hour edition of the show, and boy did they try to cram in as much as possible. In the best match of the night, Seth Rollins defeated John Cena in a fantastic Winner Takes All match to unify the WWE and United States Championships with a little help from The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, of all people. Yes, really. Stewart hit Cena with a chair, citing his loyalty to Ric Flair’s title record the next night, and WWE just rolled with it. Elsewhere, The New Day regained the WWE Tag Team Championship to begin their record-breaking reign, Kevin Owens and Cesaro had a killer match with no crowd energy, and Roman Reigns teamed with Dean Ambrose to defeat the Wyatt Family in a solid tag that no one really remembers… except for the “Roman’s sleeping” chants!

On the downside, there was the brutal Ziggler/Lana/Rusev/Summer Rae love story feud that somehow got a double count-out on PPV to extend that crapfest. Ryback retained the Intercontinental Title in a triple threat no one cared about. Stardust and King Barrett lost to Neville and Stephen Amell, who actually looked decent in the ring, and the Divas Revolution was still in its awkward phase with a messy three-team elimination tag that was basically done to showcase the NXT call-ups Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte. Sheamus bested Randy Orton in a rare win for Sheamus during his time with the Money in the Bank briefcase, and the main event between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker ended in controversy with a legendary middle finger from Lesnar while passing out in the Hell’s Gate. A fun show that had many great moments, but just as many “what the hell is going on?” ones.

AJ Styles Takes Down John Cena At SummerSlam (2016)

• Date: August 21, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, New York (Barclays Center)
• Cagematch rating: 5.91

WWE SummerSlam 2016 Results

1. Jeri-KO (Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens) def. Enzo Amore & Big Cass
2. Charlotte def. Sasha Banks to win the WWE Women’s Championship
3. The Miz def. Apollo Crews to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
4. AJ Styles def. John Cena
5. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) by DQ for the WWE Tag Team Championship (New Day retained the title)
6. Dean Ambrose def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE World Championship
7. Natalya, Nikki Bella & Alexa Bliss def. Naomi, Becky Lynch & Carmella
8. Finn Balor def. Seth Rollins to crown the inaugural WWE Universal Champion
9. Brock Lesnar def. Randy Orton

WWE clearly wanted SummerSlam 2016 to be a mega show – it was four hours long, plus a two-hour pre-show, making it way too bloated. The undercard felt like a series of TV matches stretched across a stadium, with very few standout moments. Sasha Banks vs Charlotte was great bell-to-bell but ruined by the awful booking that gave Sasha her big title win on Raw and had her lose it back here. Finn Balor won the brand-new Universal Championship in a fantastic match against Seth Rollins, but the fans only remembered the hideous red belt design and the fact that Bálor got injured and had to vacate the title the next night. Roman Reigns and Rusev didn’t even have a match. Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Title felt like a midcard bout. It was a weird night.

At least there were a few bright spots. AJ Styles vs. John Cena absolutely ruled and might’ve been the match of the year. It truly put Styles on the map as a top-tier WWE guy. The women’s tag and the U.S. Title nonsense were forgettable, and so was most of the midcard. The main event? Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton had big hype and no payoff. Lesnar elbowed Orton into a pool of blood for a TKO win, then F5’d Shane McMahon in a “was that a shoot?” finish that confused everyone – including Chris Jericho backstage. It was a strange ending to a strange card.

A Really Forgettable SummerSlam With A Badass Main Event! (2017)

• Date: August 20, 2017
• Location: Brooklyn, New York (Barclays Center)
• Cagematch rating: 5.61

WWE SummerSlam 2017 Results

1. John Cena def. Baron Corbin
2. Natalya def. Naomi to win the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
3. Big Cass def. Big Show with Enzo Amore locked inside a shark cage suspended above the ring
4. Randy Orton def. Rusev
5. Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss to win the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
6. ‘The Demon’ Finn Balor def. Bray Wyatt
7. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins def. The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
8. AJ Styles def. Kevin Owens to retain the WWE United States Championship with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee
9. Jinder Mahal def. Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the WWE Championship
10. Brock Lesnar def. Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman in a Fatal 4 Way Match to retain the WWE Universal Championship

SummerSlam 2017 was a mixed bag, but when it hit, it really hit. The undercard had a lot of filler and pointless matches: Enzo Amore in a shark cage, Big Show lumbering around, Rusev losing in ten seconds, and Jinder Mahal somehow still walking around as WWE Champion after beating Shinsuke Nakamura. Sasha Banks winning the Raw Women’s Title just to lose it again shortly afterwards was classic WWE booking of that era. AJ Styles and Kevin Owens were stuck in a feud that should’ve delivered more, and while the match with Shane McMahon as special referee was fine, it was all about setting up Shane vs Owens for the fall.

But the good stuff was great. Rollins and Ambrose winning the Raw Tag Team Titles in a banger against Cesaro & Sheamus was an awesome moment, and Cesaro jumping into the crowd to destroy a beach ball mid-match was a highlight of the night! The main event stole the show: a violent and chaotic four-way battle between Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe that delivered in every possible way. Lesnar retained the Universal Championship in what felt like a true war. It was a great reminder that WWE could still put on a hell of a main event.

Roman Reigns Finally Beats Brock Lesnar At SummerSlam (2018)

• Date: August 19, 2018
• Location: Brooklyn, New York (Barclays Center)
• Cagematch rating: 6.33

WWE SummerSlam 2018 Results

1. Seth Rollins def. Dolph Ziggler to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
2. The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) def. The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper & Rowan) by DQ for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Bludgeon Brothers retained the title)
3. Braun Strowman def. Kevin Owens to retain the Money in the Bank contract
4. Charlotte Flair def. Carmella and Becky Lynch in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
5. Samoa Joe def. AJ Styles by DQ for the WWE Championship (Styles retained the title)
6. The Miz def. Daniel Bryan
7. ‘The Demon’ Finn Balor def. Baron Corbin
8. Shinsuke Nakamura def. Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE United States Championship
9. Ronda Rousey def. Alexa Bliss to win the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
10. Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Universal Championship

WWE SummerSlam 2018 had its fair share of ups and downs, but the overall in-ring product was pretty solid. The Intercontinental Title opener between Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler delivered in a big way, while matches like AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe added drama and great wrestling, even if the booking decisions didn’t always land. Ronda Rousey winning her first championship felt like a major moment, and The Miz vs Daniel Bryan had years of storytelling behind them, but the match quality didn’t quite live up to the hype. As usual by this point, there were way too many matches and the show dragged, especially late in the card.

But looking back at SummerSlam 2018 as a whole, it was a solid show that could’ve been a lot better with a few tweaks here and there. The company made a huge deal out of Braun Strowman’s Money in the Bank briefcase throughout the night, only for it to be used as a fake-out distraction in the Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns main event. Fans were tired of Reigns vs Lesnar by that point, so Strowman’s presence at ringside kept them from chanting “change the channel” or something like that! Roman finally got his win over Brock, but it came four months after anyone still cared. Meanwhile, Becky Lynch’s post-match “heel turn” accidentally created the most organically over star WWE had seen in years, proving that the crowd was more than ready for something new. SummerSlam 2018 was a weird, often frustrating show, but still far from bad.

SummerSlam Ends With Seth Rollins Beating Brock Lesnar For The Universal Title… Again! (2019)

• Date: August 11, 2019
• Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Scotiabank Arena)
• Cagematch rating: 6.10

WWE SummerSlam 2019 Results

1. Becky Lynch def. Natalya in a Submission Match to retain the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
2. Goldberg def. Dolph Ziggler
3. AJ Styles def. Ricochet to retain the WWE United States Championship
4. Bayley def. Ember Moon to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
5. Kevin Owens def. Shane McMahon with Owens being forced to leave WWE if he lost and with Elias as the special guest enforcer
6. Charlotte Flair def. Trish Stratus
7. Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship ended in a draw (Kingston retained the title)
8. ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt def. Finn Balor
9. Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Universal Championship

SummerSlam 2019 was all about moments. While it wasn’t a top-to-bottom classic, there were more than enough cool highlights to make it a solid show. Trish Stratus gave Charlotte Flair a great match in front of a hometown Toronto crowd. Bray Wyatt’s debut as The Fiend was a spectacle – his entrance alone stole the show – and completely reset his career in the eyes of the fans. Kevin Owens got a huge pop beating Shane McMahon, who was long past his expiration date as an on-screen character. The best in the world, anyone? It’s still annoying to think about it today! Even Goldberg got to look like a monster again in a glorified squash against Dolph Ziggler that had no business being that fun.

The main event between Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar brought the intensity you want in a SummerSlam headliner, with great psychology and a satisfying payoff. But it was hard not to feel like this was WWE trying to redo WrestleMania 35 the right way, where Rollins (the babyface) delivered countless low blows to win the title in just three minutes. Kofi Kingston’s title match with Randy Orton ended on a weak double count-out, while other bouts like AJ Styles vs Ricochet and Bayley vs Ember Moon didn’t quite hit the mark. Still, for the major moments and the red-hot Toronto crowd, SummerSlam 2019 held its own.

SummerSlam Meets The WWE ThunderDome Due To The COVID-19 Pandemic (2020)

• Date: August 23, 2020
• Location: Orlando, Florida (WWE ThunderDome at Amway Center)
• Cagematch rating: 7.03

WWE SummerSlam 2020 Results

1. Bayley def. Asuka to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
2. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) def. Andrade & Angel Garza to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
3. Mandy Rose def. Sonya Deville in a No DQ Loser Leaves WWE Match
4. Seth Rollins def. Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight
5. Asuka def. Sasha Banks to win the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
6. Drew McIntyre def. Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship
7. ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt def. Braun Strowman to win the WWE Universal Championship

SummerSlam 2020 was always going to be a strange one, no matter how good or bad it was. After all, it was the first major WWE PPV held at the new ThunderDome with no fans in attendance. It was a night of fresh faces, weird finishes and an absolutely huge return. While the Universal Championship main event match between Braun Strowman and The Fiend fell flat, it became instantly memorable due to Roman Reigns’ shocking return immediately afterwards. The match itself? Average and forgettable. Reigns’ heel turn? Absolutely iconic.

Elsewhere on the card, Dominik Mysterio had a strong debut match against Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre retained the WWE Championship in a really good match against Randy Orton that didn’t need overbooking to be effective. Asuka wrestled twice (against Bayley and Sasha Banks) and came away with the Raw Women’s Championship, continuing her amazing run during the pandemic era. Former tag team partners Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville wrestled in a loser leaves town match that was won by the former. SummerSlam 2020 was always going to be challenging due to the circumstances, but the show had just enough big moments to be worth the ride.

John Cena Returns To Challenge Roman Reigns At SummerSlam (2021)

• Date: August 21, 2021
• Location: Paradise, Nevada (Allegiant Stadium)
• Cagematch rating: 5.06

WWE SummerSlam 2021 Results

1. RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) def. AJ Styles & Omos to win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
2. Alexa Bliss def. Eva Marie
3. Damian Priest def. Sheamus to win the WWE United States Championship
4. The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) def. The Mysterios (Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio) to retain the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
5. Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair to win the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
6. Drew McIntyre def. Jinder Mahal
7. Charlotte Flair def. Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
8. Edge def. Seth Rollins
9. Bobby Lashley def. Goldberg to retain the WWE Championship
10. Roman Reigns def. John Cena to retain the WWE Universal Championship

SummerSlam 2021 was a weird show that had some truly great highs and even more head-scratching lows. Edge vs Seth Rollins was an instant classic that arguably stole the show with smart psychology, great pacing, and great crowd reactions. Roman Reigns vs John Cena delivered exactly what it needed to. It was a big main event between two major stars with a clean finish that established Reigns as the guy. Brock Lesnar’s surprise return with his new look was the cherry on top. RK-Bro’s tag title win got the crowd going early, and Damian Priest vs Sheamus was a rock-solid midcard United States Championship match that did its job perfectly. Even Drew McIntyre vs Jinder Mahal was inoffensive, despite being a glorified Raw match. You could argue that Goldberg’s feud with Lashley was actually one of his better late-career stories, with the Hurt Lock on Gage (Goldberg’s teenage son) leading to a more emotionally charged rematch in Saudi Arabia.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWE SummerSlam 2021

But on the flip side, the show had some seriously baffling decisions. Bianca Belair getting squashed by the returning Becky Lynch completely derailed Bianca’s momentum. Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie was absolutely horrible and a strong contender for one of the worst matches in SummerSlam history, and the Raw Women’s Title scene (Nikki A.S.H., Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley) wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire. While there were some fun moments scattered throughout, the show suffered from uneven pacing and tone, with great matches clashing awkwardly against stuff that felt like it belonged on a low-effort episode of Raw. Still, SummerSlam 2021 was an enjoyable show overall, mostly thanks to Edge/Rollins and Reigns/Cena.

SummerSlam Does Not Happen In August For The First Time Ever (2022)

• Date: July 30, 2022
• Location: Nashville, Tennessee (Nissan Stadium)
• Cagematch rating: 7.53

WWE SummerSlam 2022 Results

1. Bianca Belair def. Becky Lynch to retain the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
2. Logan Paul def. The Miz
3. Bobby Lashley def. Theory to retain the WWE United States Championship
4. The Mysterios (Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio) def. The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) in a No DQ Tag Team Match
5. Pat McAfee def. Happy Corbin
6. The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) def. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship with Jeff Jarrett as the special guest referee
7. Liv Morgan def. Ronda Rousey to retain the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
8. Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

SummerSlam 2022 was an awesome show that overdelivered in a big way. The atmosphere was electric in Nashville and the new creative direction under Triple H was already starting to show: matches got time, things felt less overproduced, and everything had more edge. The main event between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar was absolutely bonkers in the best way. After all, Lesnar drove a damn tractor to the ring, used it to flip the ring itself, and somehow became the biggest babyface in the world just by selling like a madman! Roman retained in this chaotic war with help from his five thousand Samoan cousins, but Brock came out looking like an indestructible force of nature. It was a Last Man Standing match that didn’t overstay its welcome and felt fresh even after years of Lesnar vs Reigns. Logan Paul shocked the world with an awesome performance against The Miz. Meanwhile, matches such as Bobby Lashley vs Theory or The Judgment Day vs The Mysterios weren’t classics, but they filled the card nicely.

The rest of the show delivered or at least made sense. Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair tore the house down to open the event, closing the chapter on their year-long story with a great title bout. Bayley’s surprise return (alongside Dakota Kai and the returning Iyo Sky) instantly brought new life to the women’s division. The tag title match between The Usos and The Street Profits was pretty good. The show wasn’t perfect (Matt Riddle vs Seth Rollins got pulled last-minute and there were a couple of filler segments) but this show felt like the beginning of a new era, and fans felt it. SummerSlam 2022 was a big step in the right direction.

Roman Reigns & Jey Uso Battle In A Tribal Combat At SummerSlam (2023)

• Date: August 5, 2023
• Location: Detroit, Michigan (Ford Field)
• Cagematch rating: 6.52

WWE SummerSlam 2023 Results

1. Logan Paul def. Ricochet
2. Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
3. LA Knight won the Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal
4. Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey under MMA Rules
5. Gunther def. Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
6. Seth “Freakin'” Rollins def. Finn Balor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
7. Bianca Belair def. Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE Women’s Championship
8. Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair in a Money in the Bank cash-in to win the WWE Women’s Championship
9. Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso in a Tribal Combat to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and for the right to be the Tribal Chief of the Anoa’i Family

SummerSlam 2023 was a weird show that had some incredible highs but also major head-scratchers. The Tribal Combat main event between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso had huge expectations after years of phenomenal Bloodline storytelling. It wasn’t a bad match by any means – I mean, it had big drama, great pacing, and strong crowd investment – but the overbooking wore people down. Jimmy Uso’s heel turn felt forced more than shocking, and for many fans it marked the beginning of the Bloodline angle feeling less special. Still, Roman retained and the match accomplished its goal of keeping the story going. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar delivered a badass old-school fight, wrapping up their trilogy with one of the most satisfying WWE finishes of the year. Cody earned Brock’s respect, and the Lesnar post-match handshake/hug felt earned, not cheesy.

The rest of the card had a mix of great wrestling and strange choices. Logan Paul vs Ricochet opened the show with wild athletic spots, and Logan won with brass knuckles in a fun finish that gave him even more heat. The Intercontinental Championship match (Gunther vs Drew McIntyre) featured two bulls smashing each other in what was easily one of the best matches of the night. Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor was good but overbooked with Judgment Day interference. They were clearly planting seeds for Priest’s future cash-in, which would happen at WrestleMania 40. Shayna Baszler vs Ronda Rousey had a cool MMA-styled vibe on paper, but the presentation killed it. The match had no heat, the crowd sat on their hands, and Ronda quietly left WWE after the show. Bianca Belair won the Women’s Title in a triple threat match against Charlotte Flair and Asuka, only for Iyo Sky to cash in Money in the Bank immediately afterwards. Overall, SummerSlam 2023 had great wrestling but the booking wasn’t particularly amazing.

Seth Rollins Referees CM Punk Vs. Drew McIntyre At SummerSlam (2024)

• Date: August 3, 2024
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland Browns Stadium)
• Cagematch rating: 7.05

WWE SummerSlam 2024 Results

1. Liv Morgan def. Rhea Ripley to retain the Women’s World Championship
2. Bron Breakker def. Sami Zayn to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship
3. LA Knight def. Logan Paul to win the WWE United States Championship
4. Nia Jax def. Bayley to win the WWE Women’s Championship
5. Drew McIntyre def. CM Punk with Seth “Freakin'” Rollins as the special guest referee
6. Gunther def. Damian Priest to win the World Heavyweight Championship
7. Cody Rhodes def. Solo Sikoa under Bloodline Rules to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship

SummerSlam 2024 delivered a great balance of storytelling, title changes, and star-making performances in Cleveland. Liv Morgan beat Rhea Ripley in the opener after Dominik Mysterio infamously turned on his “Mami”. Bron Breakker’s dominant Intercontinental Championship win against Sami Zayn and LA Knight’s United States Championship victory over Logan Paul injected new life into WWE’s midcard titles. Nia Jax vs Bayley didn’t set the world on fire but was still decent enough, while Drew McIntyre and CM Punk extended their rivalry in a hard-hitting brawl with Seth Rollins as the special guest referee.

SCOTT KEITH REVIEWS: WWE SummerSlam 2024

Gunther became the new World Heavyweight Champion with a win over Damian Priest via submission. In the Bloodline Rules match between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa, Roman Reigns finally came back after losing the Undisputed WWE Championship to Cody at WrestleMania 40. Reigns helped Cody retain just to show Solo Sikoa that he was the OTC! And then there was Jelly Roll. Sure, predictable booking and lengthy matches popped up, but the combination of big debuts, big returns and a number of great matches made SummerSlam 2024 an enjoyable PLE.

Upcoming: WWE SummerSlam 2025

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Uma publicação partilhada por Paul “Triple H” Levesque (@tripleh)

• Dates: August 2, 2025 & August 3, 2025
• Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey (MetLife Stadium)

And there it is, the entire history of WWE SummerSlam. This year, the event will become a two-night attraction for the first time, which means SummerSlam continues to grow to this day.

Now, it’s your turn to speak. What is your favorite edition of SummerSlam? Do you like SummerSlam more than the Royal Rumble PPV/PLE? Let us know everything in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading.

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