Ranking Every SummerSlam Ever
For 30 years, WWE has presented the biggest event of the summer.
For 30 years, WWE has reserved the end of the summer for its second biggest show of the year. Sometimes, it flopped, and other times it was a nice distraction before the return to school. Occasionally, it was pure magic. It’s time to determine the greatest SummerSlam ever.
Here is every SummerSlam ranked…let the binging begin!
34. 2010
Nexus crashed the first match and cut a promo, then midway through Miz cut a promo to accept the 7th spot on Team WWE, and then the big tag team elimination main event ran over a half hour…only for Super Cena to destroy Nexus. When you build an entire show around one thing, and then proceed to kill that thing, it feels like a giant waste of time to the viewer. The furthest you can get from the greatest SummerSlam ever.
33. 2007
There isn’t a single match from this card that you need to see. Instead of being treated like the second biggest pay-per-view of the year, this felt like a place-holder for whatever was coming in the fall. Built around the returns of Rey Mysterio and Triple H, and a dream match that we’ve grown sick of (Cena vs. Orton), SummerSlam 07 was just too predictable.
32. 1995
It has been well-documented how 1995 was the nadir of WWE, with this event as exhibit A. Jobbers and goofy characters filled the card with the main event pitting King Mabel against Diesel in a clusterfuck. This show’s saving grace is the ladder rematch between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon.
31. 2012
Built as the “perfect storm,” Brock Lesnar faced Triple H in only the former’s second match since returning to the company. Slow and plodding, it just didn’t live up to the hype. Aside from the greatest SummerSlam opener with Jericho and Ziggler, the rest of the show felt like a 3-hour RAW.
30. 2017
My, oh my, how much can change in a year? Cena steamrolls Corbin in the opener, the Big Cass/Enzo feud has ended with neither man still in the company, Rusev squashed in seven seconds, Sasha in the title picture, The Bar on TV and Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion. The only reason to relive this is the fatal four way main event, a true Monster’s Ball.
29. 2003
McMahon Mania was running wild as all four family members played a significant role in this snoozefest: Vince tried to help Lesnar win the WWE Title back from Angle, Shane avenged his mother being accosted by Bischoff and Stephanie returned after only a month away to have a catfight with Sable. Despite closing the show with the second Elimination Chamber, it was a huge letdown as Triple H thwarted Goldberg’s momentum and retained the gold.
28. 2018
This was during the neverending WWE PPV era, as SummerSlam 2018 just kept going and going without much of significance happening. That’s weird to say on a show with four title changes, but the only one that mattered long-term was Ronda Rousey winning her first Women’s Championship. The highlight of the night was Becky Lynch finally snapping on Charlotte and morphing into “The Man.”
27. 2004
SummerSlam came to Bizarro World as the Canadians shit all over the faces (even hometown boy Edge) and began the current trend of the crowd ignoring the action and entertaining themselves with antics like doing the wave. When it’s JBL vs. Undertaker for the WWE Title, who can blame them? A rematch between Angle and Guerrero is worth checking out, plus Orton making history as the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history.
26. 2006
Down about 100,000 buys from the previous year, this show came 10 years too late as nostalgia acts stuffed the card: D-X, Hogan, Flair, Foley, Sabu. At least Flair and Foley pulled out all the stops to give a gruesome battle, easily stealing the show. The main event ended on a whimper as Edge retained the WWE Title (thanks to brass knuckles) against Cena in the latter’s hometown.
25. 2021
John Cena returned to challenge a red-hot Roman Reigns for a record-setting 17th world title, but the “Head of the Table” sent his predecessor back to Hollywood. Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch coming back were fun surprises, although Lynch’s squash of Bianca Belair was universally panned. Seth Rollins vs. Edge was arguably the match of the very long night.
24. 1988
The inaugural event relied upon a star-studded main event with the Mega Powers facing the Mega Bucks with Jesse Ventura as the special guest referee. Aside from Ultimate Warrior ending Honkytonk Man’s historic reign, the rest of the card resembled a house show. Not a bad start to the annual summer tradition, though.
23. 1992
A one-match show. Thank God Bret and Davey Boy (who Hart has gone on record to say blew up within minutes and had to be carried for the rest of the match) saved the show because I’d feel awful for those 80,000 Brits who sat through Repo Man, Virgil, Nailz and fucking Rocco.
22. 1990
Perhaps the first WWE pay-per-view marketed as having a double main event. The spotlight was more on the Hulkster seeking revenge on Earthquake rather than the WWE Championship Steel Cage match, so the match order should have been switched. But the undercard had a hot opening, two title changes and the Sapphire saga.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Tnxt1uZn4
21. 2014
Never before had a main eventer, let alone a WWE Champion and the face of the company, get squashed like Lesnar did to Cena. (It wouldn’t happen again until Goldberg squashed Brock at Survivor Series 2016.) The match was built up as the biggest fight of the summer, but Cena took a historic beating that cemented Lesnar’s invincible monster aura. The rest of the show was okay, but forgettable. Except for Nikki Bella screwing her sister.
20. 2020
Emanating from the Thunderdome, SummerSlam 2020 delivered despite the pandemic. Asuka pulled double duty, having good matches with Bayley and Sasha Banks. Drew McIntyre successfully defended against Randy Orton in something akin to a hoss fight. And of course, Roman Reigns returned in the main event to kick off his hottest run as the “Head of the Table.”
19. 2016
It’s a tale of two shows: the first half seemed like the greatest SummerSlam ever with Styles and Cena tearing the house down, along with Charlotte and Sasha as well as the opening tag match being fun. Then there’s the second half where Ambrose and Ziggler disappointed, Balor and Rollins struggled after the Demon King suffered an injury and Lesnar murdered Orton to stunned silence.
18. 1993
Well, you can’t expect a show with the biggest blunder in SummerSlam history to be ranked high. But there are some hidden gems like Steiners vs. Heavenly Bodies, a crazy monster mash six-man tag and the hilarious Jerry Lawler-Bret Hart saga.
17. 2011
The Summer of Punk died on this night as Triple H, Kevin Nash and Alberto Del Rio all conspired to rid the wrestling world of its new savior. Christian and Randy Orton had a great No Holds Barred match, and the opening six-man tag was fun, so there was enough drama to keep you interested through this largely pedestrian offering.
16. 2019
This was a surprisingly fun show. Trish Stratus returned to face Charlotte in a dream match that stole the show. Goldberg also came back (again) to demolish Dolph Ziggler. Seth Rollins slayed “The Beast” (again) and The Fiend arrived before all the goofy shit ruined his mystique.
15. 1996
It’s another double main event as the new monsters (Mankind, Vader) attack the company stalwarts (Undertaker, Shawn Michaels). There were swerves a plenty during the evening, and the WWE Championship match is still talked about due to HBK’s behavior. The undercard isn’t worth seeking out, but the two main matches more than delivered.
14. 2015
The first four-hour SummerSlam moved at a brisk pace, packed with a wide variety of characters in decent action. The two main standouts were title vs. title with Seth Rollins against John Cena, and a tremendous main event (albeit with stupid finish) between Undertaker and Lesnar that had the greatest buildup in recent memory.
13. 2001
We were deep in the war between WWE and The Alliance as every match pitted representatives against each other, with a double main event of The Rock winning the WCW Title from Booker T and Kurt Angle almost winning the WWE Title from Stone Cold. Nearly all of the matches were good, and the crowd was sent home happy, so what else can you ask for?
12. 1989
Zeus in the main event? C’mon now, who booked this shit? Despite the mind-numbing main event, the rest of the show had great action with three must-see matches. Plus, the star power was higher than the previous year, with Dusty, Arn, Tully and Perfect all added to the mix.
11. 1997
The Hart Foundation took over as four members of the faction competed in stipulation matches throughout the evening, keeping a fun pace with high stakes. The crescendo built until The Hitman faced Undertaker in a greatly layered match with one of the hottest endings in WWE history.
10. 2009
Bookended by two great matches, the “biggest event of the summer” marked the transition from the traditional green logo of the 2000s to the current red and yellow theme. A lot of younger, fresh talent had a chance to shine this time around and the Undertaker’s surprise return was a thrilling ending to one of the greatest SummerSlam events of the past 20 years.
9. 1994
On one hand, you’ve got one of the greatest cage matches ever as the Hart brothers collide for the WWE Championship. On the other hand, you’ve got a train wreck as Undertaker meets Underfaker. This show would probably be remembered more fondly if the cage went on last. Oh well, it doesn’t completely tank it as the IC Title and Women’s Title were good matches and the Million Dollar Man pulls a swerve.
8. 2008
The biggest blockbuster of the summer lived up to the hype with a stacked card of Undertaker ending his feud with Edge inside Hell in a Cell, Batista facing Cena for the first time and a red-hot retirement angle with HBK. Hell, even Great Khali was in an enjoyable match!
7. 1998
The Attitude Era was in full blast at Madison Square Garden as Stone Cold collided with the Undertaker on the highway to hell. Plus, The Rock and Triple H tore the house down in a brutal ladder match, Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart went to war in a Lion’s Den and Howard Finkel told New York City to suck it.
6. 1999
This was one of the final Vince Russo-written WWE PPVs, and it has all the elements of his controversial booking: stipulations galore, fresh talent, a swerve or two and title changes. The show never drags, though, and the main event was star-studded as Governor Ventura returned to his roots.
5. 2005
Shawn Michaels turned back the clock to 1997 for the buildup to this extravaganza, embracing his villainous ways one last time to prepare for the Hulkster. The match exceeded expectations, as did the rest of this exciting card. From Benoit’s 25-second win in the opener to Cena slaying Jericho in the latter’s final PPV match for two years, this was a thrill ride worthy of Morey’s Piers.
4. 1991
The greatest SummerSlam of the ’90s. You know about the match made in heaven and the match made in hell, but don’t forget about the classic Intercontinental Championship bout, LOD making history, Virgil earning his freedom and Mountie going to jail!
3. 2013
With two match-of-the-year candidates and a swerve that set up the company’s main storyline to WrestleMania XXX, this was the greatest SummerSlam of the 2010s. In addition to CM Punk and Lesnar’s epic clash, as well as Daniel Bryan dethroning Cena (briefly), Christian and Alberto Del Rio had another good bout, too.
2. 2000
Lust was in the air as Kurt Angle made his intentions known regarding Stephanie McMahon, who by this point was married to Triple H. Three days before this event, Angle had kissed Stephanie so the drama built up throughout the evening, culminating in the triple threat main event. The undercard was stacked with the first TLC, a great Y2J/Benoit battle and Shane O’Mac falling off the Titantron.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brMJwou_iHI
1. 2002
A passing of the torch and a miraculous comeback cement this as the greatest SummerSlam ever. The star power is stacked with Hall of Famers and former world champions in every single match. Plus, there’s really only one match that was shitty, and two that would stand the test of time. If you want more backstory, it was covered somewhat recently on Something To Wrestle With. Highly recommended that you carve out three hours before fall arrives to enjoy the hottest action WWE has to offer.
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