The Hottest Storylines of the Summer

In this week’s edition of The Wrestling Estate Roundtable, the staff discusses their five favorite summer wrestling storylines and angles.

Steven Jackson’s Favorite Summer Storylines

Kurt Angle’s WrestleMania Revenge Tour (2003)

Leading into Summerslam 2003, Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar was the talk of Smackdown. Would Angle retain the belt or Lesnar regain the gold? It built upon the foundations set at Wrestlemania XIX into something much more special. Their matches were violent affairs, made even more exciting by both men’s legitimate wrestling credentials. What a time to be a fan!

Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair (1989)

If you read my previous views how Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair embodies how great wrestling can be, it was only apt that it was one of my favourite summer storylines. The lead up to the 1989 Great American Bash was fantastic; taken further thanks to the explosive match the two had in the main-event.

Tomoaki Honma and G1-Climax (2014)

The 2014 G1-Climax was special for lots of reasons, but the most special of all was the rise of Honmania! Tomoaki Honma‘s underdog story was magical. While Honma didn’t win a single match, the whole tournament became about him and his quest for victory; Not to win the tournament, but to get that one victory which made all the tough battles worthwhile. It was so emotional, passionate and exciting. A true summer rollercoaster.

The New World Order Takes Over (1996)

WCW in 1996 was hot! The moment Scott Hall strolled down the steps on Nitro things changed and a hostile takeover was about to take place. Then you throw Kevin Nash into the mix, bringing the fight to the WCW locker room and you’ve already got a summer storyline that’s special. How can it get better? Take Hulk Hogan, turn him heel and usher in the start of the New World Order that’s how! Too Sweet!

Los Gringos Locos vs. AAA (1994)

The summer storyline that lit up Lucha Libre was not easily accessible for many years. But thanks to Roy Lucier and the tape traders of the 1990s, we can all now see one of the greatest summer storylines from beginning to end. Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr‘s antics during the Summer of 1994 in AAA are a masterclass in heel psychology. It’s ironic that summer is the hottest time of the year because the amount of ‘heat’ Los Gringos Locos got was molten.

Preceding the nWo takeover by two years, Barr and Guerrero (along with the rest of the Los Gringos Locos stable) were intent on destroying AAA and taking everyone down with them. This storyline ran all the way through the summer, until finally coming to a head at the famous When Worlds Collide PPV, where the emotion and drama was cosmic. If there was ever a storyline that made me realise why I love wrestling, this is the one.

Harvey Garcia’s Favorite Summer Storylines

Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito (2016)

When I think of the summer months in pro wrestling — June, July, August to Western fans — I think of the G1 Climax. In the late 2010’s, NJPW was the promotion to see. And while Kenny Omega/Kazuchika Okada was the big rivalry, I gravitate more towards the chemistry of Omega and Tetsuya Naito. Omega and Naito have had a trilogy across multiple G1’s, but their first encounter in the semi’s of G1 2016 is an all-time classic. Fast-paced, high-impact, and as rough as elite-level matches can be. Omega and Okada’s chemistry may have been grand like a symphony, but Omega and Naito’s chemistry was perfect like a wrestling match.

Shingo Takagi Contends at Battle of the Super Juniors (2019)

I remember being introduced to Shingo Takagi at Best of the Super Juniors 2019 — and loving him straight away. I loved his dominance being the centerpiece of the entire tournament. In lieu of Hiromu Takahashi, the junior division needed that new centerpiece. Which is what made the finals of Shingo Takagi/Will Ospreay so memorable. I was under the impression that Ospreay’s status had already dipped by that point, but only the best matches cement all parties at once.

Jon Moxley in New Japan (2019)

With the new entrance theme, black trunks, and short boots, I don’t think anyone knew what to expect from Jon Moxley in NJPW. We’d get a taste in the G1, with the duality of Moxley/Ishii and Moxley/Yano. But his debut against Juice Robinson for the IWGP US title was all the answer we needed, as the two captured what “Death Rider” was about — brawling and bleeding for the love of wrestling.

CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley (2021)

Of course, when we talk about summer and wrestling, we also think of CM Punk. In fact, the last thing he did before combusting in September last year was partake in a terrific rivalry with Jon Moxley. Punk was the injured World Champion hobbling back to the ring after 3 months. Moxley was the interim champion, fighting every week. They had one of the best brawls in AEW history, and then Moxley destroyed Punk in 3 minutes. And in a perfect world, the story ended there.

AEW, NJPW and the Forbidden Door (2022)

Is it cheating to just lump this entire show into a single storyline? In any case, that is how I see this entire show. A portal to NJPW, or a portal to AEW. A show where wrestlers on one side actually want to wrestle the guys on the other side (or at least, most of them do). And as a fan, I just never grew up having wrestling crossovers where I cared about both sides. So, injury bugs and subpar build-up be damned. I love it.

Juan Bautista’s Favorite Summer Storylines

AEW’s Collision Course (2023)

AEW Collision is one of the more anticipated program debuts since Dynamite it self along with NXT going live. They are presenting it as a program that it will have it’s own feel and look. Live on Saturday Nights it will be intriguing how it is received in addition to what wrestlers appear on the show.

The Re-Return of CM Punk (2023)

It has finally been announced and things are gonna be fun again. There’s so much on the table. They can have a real world championship angle since Punk was never pinned. Adam Cole desperately needs to get away from Chris Jericho. I’m just gonna say this Keep CM Punk the hell away Jericho. Punk has said he wants to work with Samoa Joe again. The summer got a whole lot interesting.

Steve Maclin’s Path of Destruction (2023)

No longer forgotten the current world champion is hell bent on keeping it. Demanding the strap be wrapped around him by the vice president while bearing a crimson mask he’s proven he’s not just a ring filler. As Impact now braces for Slammiversary into the final stretch towards Bound For Glory, Maclin has a take no prisoners attitude. A pending return of Josh Alexander and the arrival of “The National Treasure” Nick Aldis may prove to tough challenges, but a bad boy-esque brand of wrestling may be all he needs for any challenger that comes forward.

The Return of the Age of the Virtuosa (2023)

As Impact approaches 1000 episodes one of corner stones of the company is going through a transition and is there for the taking. As Jordynne Grace future is uncertain as she leaves the company a pack of hungry, talented and determined women look to make a statement over the summer. Deonna Purrazzo is determined to main her spot at the top while Gisele Shaw has arrived and is ready to prove any doubters wrong. The arrival of Trinity Fatu has added a flare to division. Meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich bring a ground and pound style to the division.

Curt Lemon’s Favorite Summer Storylines

Undertaker vs. Undertaker (1994)

After the fake Undertaker returned alongside Ted DiBiase it was soon clear this was not the real deal. Eventually we would see the return of Paul Bearer and a match was announced between the real Undertaker and this new imposter Undertaker and it would take place at Summerslam.

The only issue for me was that I would be on a family cruise when it happened. Back in a time before cell phones and laptops I had to wait patiently until I returned home and hoped that my pay-per-view order went through successfully and then further hope that my VCR scheduled recording worked. Once I saw both Undertakers side by side I knew which one was the REAL Undertaker, because he was taller. The match was pretty bad but the build up and anticipation of seeing it forever remains embedded in my wrestling brain.

SummerSlam ’97 (1997)

The entire card was great top to bottom and the build up was even better. Every member of the Hart Foundation had a stipulation heading into the show, with Jim Neidhart promising to shave his goatee if any single member of the Hart Foundation lost their match. All of them did, besides Bret who captured the WWF championship, yet I can’t recall Neidhart honoring that stipulation. In fact, he didn’t even appear at the event at all.

The entire Bret Vs USA angle was so over, in fact, if Bret lost he would never wrestle in the United States ever again. Brian Pillman was establishing himself as a crazy lunatic in his feud with Goldust and Marlena, where if he lost he would wear her dress. The British Bulldog took on Ken Shamrock and the loser had to eat dog food. Owen Hart memorably lost the Intercontinental title to Steve Austin, in a match where Austin broke his neck. If Austin didn’t get the win he would have to kiss the rear end of the IC champ. Outside of all the Hart Family stuff there was also an excellent cage match between Triple H and Mankind to start the show off right.

Dude Love and the Summer of Love (1997)

We already knew about Mankind’s past as Cactus Jack, but it was Foley’s interviews with Jim Ross where we were first introduced as Dude Love. Dude was foley’s backyard wrestling alter ego something that every wrestling fan since the dawn of time could relate to and empathize with. I don’t think anyone ever expected to see Dude Love in WWF, especially not teaming with the Texas Rattlesnake himself, Steve Austin. It was an episode of Monday Night Raw and Austin had no partner. The cameras cut to the back and we saw a tapping foot making its way closer and closer to the entranceway. Then they went to a commercial break. When they came back an unfamiliar, but really catchy theme song blared over the speakers and Foley’s new (and old) personna made his way down the ramp. The summer of love had begun.

ECW One Night Stand (2005)

It was the earliest months of the summer of 2005, but the feelings of the event would carry over and remain all summer long. It had been four long years since ECW closed, yet it felt like it had been a decade. It was a simple case of WWE giving the fans exactly what they wanted with no outside agenda, just back to basics and listening to their audience. Something that I wish they would go back to.

Shawn Michaels – Heartbreak & Triumph (2002)

As the biggest Shawn Michaels fan, I couldn’t fathom that someone so on top of their game could just be finished. Especially since, before the days of the internet, I had no idea he was forced to retire. Fans might forget, but there was no speech, no announcement. One day, HBK…was just…gone. In the years since WrestleMania 14 he would pop up as a Commissioner or referee and it constantly got my hopes up only for him to vanish once again. I had gotten tickets to SummerSlam 2002 with a few friends because they were cheap and it was close. Then one day on Raw, after Michaels was sneak-attacked by Triple H, they revealed the footage and showed the attacker to be his former DX mate. Michaels announced he would fight HHH at SummerSlam. It took me a few minutes to process that I would be going to the sold out event to watch my favorite wrestler of all time make his comeback, even if it was only for one night.

Jack Goodwillie’s Favorite Summer Storylines

Summer of Punk (2005)

The original Summer of Punk is what established Punk as the countercultural voice in wrestling he is known as today. Rumors ran rampant about Punk, an ROH mainstay, signing a deal with WWE to join Ohio Valley Wrestling. For a man who calls himself, “Punk,” wrestling fans understandably took this as him “selling out to corporate interests.” With Punk having dates to fulfill for ROH before joining WWE, Punk expertly maneuvered into a brief heel turn that summer, shocking fans by beating Austin Aries for the ROH title and steering into the backlash he received for signing with WWE.

In this brief run, Punk blurred the lines between wrestling reality and real reality by “signing his WWE contract” on the ROH world title. He used everything he learned from his time on the indies to get heat from the fans whenever possible. However, he came into his own in the process, so while WWE originally signed CM Punk – The King of Independent Wrestling, they were actually getting an even more polished performer than the one they initially signed. Of course, this didn’t help in WWE (at least initially) but the Summer of Punk absolutely succeeded in elevating both Punk and ROH. Besides, Punk still managed to recoup the big sendoff from the ROH fans.

Summer of Punk (2011)

As much as I admire the second Summer of Punk in 2011, it if fun to think of what could have been if things played out just slightly differently. The gist of this angle was that CM Punk, the newly minted leader of The New Nexus, became increasingly malcontent with WWE management on screen, even making a couple insider teases before unleashing on John Cena with the promo now known as “The Pipebomb.” In said promo, Punk, who was scheduled to face John Cena for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank in Chicago that July, would be leaving WWE following the show with the WWE Championship in hand. The build to the match excelled just as much as the match itself did and painted Punk as a sympathetic, gray character next to Cena, who Punk compared to the New York Yankees.

The storyline could have been one of the greatest in the history of the company. Unfortunately, things hit a snag when Kevin Nash screwed Punk out of the championship at SummerSlam, with the storyline spinning off into a mini-feud between Punk and Triple H before Punk settled in as a babyface world champion. He ended up having a pretty good reign, but the decision to return Punk so quickly after he “left” WWE, in essence, cooled him off. If things played out differently, maybe Punk headlines a WrestleMania and never leaves the company?

The Nexus (2010)

The Nexus Angle may not be The Invasion Angle in terms of the negativity that is routinely showered on it by fans, but the opinion of this storyline seems to be mostly negative and I’m not sure why. The number one criteria for a hot summer angle is one that is going to keep you, as a fan, invested weekly. The Nexus storyline sure did that. As soon as I felt like I was ready to be done watching Raw on a weekly basis, the rookies of NXT shocked the fans by taking matters into their own hands and completely sabotaging the main event match between John Cena and CM Punk (pre-MITB 2011). The angle itself was a stroke of genius. I openly speculated what would become of the NXT rookies after Wade Barrett “won” the show. Would they all fall in line? Would they go back to developmental?

Instead, the rookies banded together and completely tore apart the ring, piece by piece and left Cena and Punk a broken mess in the ring. Barrett, of course, was the ring leader, and while the ultimate success of the angle was always going to boil down to the overall talent of The Nexus, Barrett was a worthy figurehead. I know he would later settle in as a midcarder and be kept there for most of the remainder of his time as an active wrestler, but he could really do it all. He had this big, menacing presence, a posh, intimidating accent that cultivated a mood with his promos, and he could have great matches with the right opponent, particularly when working with those who could brawl. The rest of the group? Hit or miss, Daniel Bryan notwithstanding. Skip Sheffield had potential cosmetically, but was bad in the ring and bad backstage. Same thing goes for Michael Tarver, but to an even lesser extent in the ring. David Otunga‘s personality, presence, and talent never quite matched his physique, and Heath Slater is about the bar for what an average wrestler should be. Justin Gabriel, meanwhile, had plenty of talent, and if I were to resurrect a cruiserweight division at the time, I’d have built it around him.

But ultimately, the lack of overall talent in the group’s underlings, in addition to the terrible booking of the big SummerSlam showdown with Team Cena, cut this storyline at the knees. This does not mean, however, it should be looked back at in a totally negative light.

Shawn Michaels – Heartbreak & Triumph (2002)

I’ll echo everything Curt said about this one, although while the peak was at SummerSlam 2002 (one of the greatest wrestling shows of all time), this storyline really saw itself through to the end of the year when Michaels captured the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series. Nevertheless, this is one of the greatest storylines in wrestling history, and I am more than happy to highlight it when given the chance.

The New World Order Takes Over (1996)

Now THIS is a HOT summer angle. Every summer storyline that has followed has tried to replicate some of, if not the entire initial leg of the nWo storyline in some way. Look at the storylines I’ve mentioned; Both Summer of Punk storylines sought to blur the lines and make people question what was real and what was part of the show. Hulk Hogan joining the nWo did that. The Nexus storyline told the story of an insurgent group looking to take power from those who already had it. The nWo storyline did that. Shawn Michaels’ return to the ring had a compelling, complex villain in Triple H. The nWo WAS that.

John Corrigan’s Favorite Summer Storylines

Who Killed Mr. McMahon? (2006)

Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night was fun, especially with surprise cameos from Jesse Ventura, Bret Hart, Bob Costas and even Captain Lou Albano! But nobody could’ve predicted the finale. That limo explosion was the talk of Greek class summer camp the next day. Unfortunately, we never found out who was behind the murder because of the all-too-real Benoit family tragedy.

The InVasion Angle (2001)

Although this storyline is universally panned (for good reason) as perhaps the biggest dropped ball in pro wrestling history, I loved it as a 9-year-old. I didn’t know anything about WCW, so seeing these renegades like Lance Storm, Mike Awesome and Booker T crash the party every week was thrilling. I was shocked when WWF stars like The Dudleyz and Rhyno betrayed Chris Jericho and Kane on the night The Alliance was born. That epic Raw was somehow topped just weeks later when the “old” Stone Cold opened the biggest can of whoop ass ever…only to defect to the enemy at the pay-per-view!

Hart Family Values (1997)

I wasn’t watching live, but having gone back and watched the summer of 1997, I’d like to think I picked up a few Hart family values. It was such an innovative dynamic of Bret Hart and his brethren being despised in the U.S., but loved everywhere else. The Canadian Stampede will stand the test of time because the emotion was genuine. It was a homecoming of epic proportions, and sadly, in hindsight, the final romp before stallions like Pillman, Owen and Davey Boy were put out to pasture decades too soon.

The New World Order Takes Over (1996)

Another where I wasn’t watching live, but who hasn’t gone back and followed the rise of the New World Order? From Scott Hall declaring war, to Kevin Nash’s grammar lesson, to Eric Bischoff being powerbombed through a table, no invasion has ever been booked better. And brother, when the third man was finally revealed, wrasslin’ was never the same.

Michaels vs. Hogan – Legend vs. Icon (2005)

Here’s one I watched week to week during the summer of 2005. First of all, I was stunned by Shawn Michaels blasting Hulk Hogan with Sweet Chin Music. I’d never experienced heel HBK before, and in fact, thought that dirtbag was dead and buried. But the Showstoppa turned back the clock to ’97, and made RAW must-see TV heading into SummerSlam. Between the Larry King parody and “Who’s Your Daddy, Montreal?,” Michaels felt totally unscripted and unpredictable.

By the time of the match, I didn’t care who won — I never wanted it to end! Sadly, after the Hulkster vanquished the villain, HBK was born again (again) as a respected veteran who the fans adored.

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Jack Goodwillie

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