This Saturday sees WWE host SummerSlam, live from the Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Main evented by Roman Reigns putting his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line against Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match, it marks the 35th SummerSlam event.
Over the year’s SummerSlam has played host to some of the most memorable moments and matches in WWE history.
GiveMeSport has gone back in time and picked the best match from every SummerSlam match since 1988…
1988
Mega Powers vs Mega Bucks
WWE headlined the first-ever SummerSlam with the biggest tag-team bout they could book. As Hulk Hogan in his red and yellow pomp teamed with WWE Champion Macho Man Randy Savage to take on Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase and Hogan’s perianal rival of the time, Andre The Giant. The match is best remembered for Miss Elizabeth’s charming distraction and the early seeds being sown of the Mega Powers implosion.
1989
Ultimate Warrior vs Rick Rude
Intercontinental Championship
The Ultimate Warrior was fast becoming one of the biggest names in the company and his took his first step to superstardom with this Intercontinental Championship win. With Rick Rude taking the somewhat formulaic Warrior to one of his best-ever outings inside a WWE ring.
1990
Hart Foundation vs Demolition
WWE Tag Team Championship
Two out of three Falls
A masterclass in tag team wrestling from two of the best-ever to do it. This two out of three falls match saw a classic babyface fightback from Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart who overcame the three members of Demolition, thanks to some classic tag team wrestling and a little help from the Legion of Doom.
1991
Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect
Intercontinental Championship
One year later, Hart continued to define an era and set a benchmark with this classic. Willingly aided by Mr. Perfect, this is a match that still holds up today as one the greatest Intercontinental Title battles in the championship’s history. Bret got the win, but both men and the match is still revered as an all-time must-see outing.
1992
Bret Hart vs British Bulldog
Intercontinental Championship
As iconic as SummerSlam can get. Bret Hart and The British Bulldog headlined SummerSlam 1992 in front of 80,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium. The emotional match saw Bulldog beat his brother-in-law to land his only major singles title and celebrate with his wife – Bret’s sister – to close what is a history-making show.
1993
Shawn Michaels vs Mr. Perfect
Intercontinental Championship
An underrated meeting between two Superstars who never got to strut their stuff side-by-side in a ‘bigger’ spot. A match mixed in styles with HBK and Diesel by his side trying to hang on to the Intercontinental strap against one of cleverest stars around. Eventually it was Big Daddy Cool who assisted in giving Michaels a countout win.
1994
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
WWE Championship
Steel Cage Match
With sibling rivalry simmering thanks to Owen’s win over Bret at WrestleMania, and then Hitman’s recovery to bag the WWE Championship, the brothers met again inside a classic blue cage at SummerSlam. In a storyline driven affair, Bret eventually bested his younger brother by climbing out the cage, before being attacked in the aftermath by Jim Neidhart and a defeated Owen.
1995
Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels
Intercontinental Championship
Ladder Match
A rematch from the iconic ladder bout from WrestleMania X, this sequel was arguably a better match inside the ropes and is only let down by a lack of build and the possible babyface vs babyface dynamic. Nevertheless, it’s still a first-class outing from the two, in which Shawn Michaels gained revenge on the Mania loss by climbing the ladder and retaining the belt.
1996
Shawn Michaels vs Vader
WWE Championship
A classic underdog champion against the monster heel. This time it was Vader, and it’s HBK at his plucky best. WWE president Gorilla Monsoon twice restarted this match after countout and disqualification wins for Vader, but in the end Michaels scrapped his way to the win via a Sweet Chin Music to stay WWE champ.
1997
Undertaker vs Bret Hart
WWE Championship
Not one of the best SummerSlam cards in its history and perhaps best remembered for Stone Cold Steve Austin’s neck injury, but it did all build around the main event and Bret Hart in full heel mode. Aided by the Hart Foundation the Hitman vowed to never wrestle on American soil again if he didn’t beat WWE Champion The Undertaker. In the end he did, in what is still a very decent outing for both men.
1998
Triple H vs The Rock
Intercontinental Championship
Ladder Match
The first chapter in what would be one of WWE’s biggest rivalries going into the next decade and it’s such a great ladder match. Slap bang in the middle of the gang warfare between DX and the Nation of Domination, the two leading lights go to war, with Trips taking the strap off Rock with a little bit of help from Chyna.
1999
Mankind vs Stone Cold Steve Austin v Triple H
WWE Championship
WWE drafted in Jess ‘The Body’ Ventura as guest referee in this match as three of the biggest names of the era fought for the WWE Championship. However, as fun as the match was, it remains one the oddest results booked at SummerSlam. With many expecting a win for Austin or Triple H, Mankind won his third and final WWE Championship win, only to lose the belt the next night on Raw to The Game.
2000
The Hardy Boyz vs Edge and Christian v Dudley Boyz
WWE Tag Team Championships
TLC Match
The three biggest teams of the era met in a WrestleMania rematch, but upped the ante by making it a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. The spot-filled bout showcased the very best of the trio, with Matt Hardy falling through stacked tables, Edge spearing Lita and a finish that saw Jeff left hanging onto the belts before being nudged out the way for an E&C victory.
2001
Rob Van Dam vs Jeff Hardy
Hardcore Championship
Ladder Match
While not quite up to the standards of their Invasion meeting, this ladder match was another all-action bout, perfectly suited to the charms of RVD and Jeff. The opposing brand members used the ladder in a number of fun spots – including Van Dam’s Rolling Thunder – and it resulted in a win for The Alliance’s RVD and a new Hardcore champ.
2002
Shawn Michaels vs Triple H
Unsanctioned Match
HBK returned to the ring in this brutal unsanctioned match against old pal Triple H as part of one the very best SummerSlam cards. With both decked in denim, Michaels rolled back the years he’d been away to deliver a splash through a table on The Game before later rolling-up his former friend for the memorable win.
2003
Triple H vs Goldberg vs Kevin Nash vs Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton vs Shawn Michaels
World Heavyweight Championship
Elimination Chamber
A stellar cast for only the second-ever Elimination Chamber match, where Triple H put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line. It was a match built around Trips’ feud with Goldberg and after Goldberg’s memorable spear through the pod to Chris Jericho the match came down to the two rivals. Where only the results of a sledgehammer saw The Game retain his crown.
2004
Randy Orton vs Chris Benoit
World Heavyweight Championship
A match more about its significance rather then it being an all-time classic, but that’s not taking anything away from a very good main event match. This would be Randy Orton’s first-ever world title win, at the tender age of 24. It signalled his main event status and the beginning of the end for the Evolution stable.
2005
Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero
Ladder Match for custody of Dominik Mysterio
You could never go wrong when you put Rey and Eddie together inside the ropes – even with the bizarre stipulation to the match. Parental confirmation aside, this was another top-notch fast-paced humdinger to add to the catalogue of cracking matches between the two close friends. With Rey thankfully winning and proving who the Daddy really was.
2006
D-Generation X vs Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon
The DX revival certainly wasn’t too everyone tastes (this writer included), but it was fun to see Triple H shed his heel role and team-up with Michaels once again to go against the McMahons. While this isn’t for the wrestling purists, it’s a very SummerSlam-like match that involved the Spirit Squad, Umaga and massive trash can smash to give DX the win.
2007
John Cena vs Randy Orton
WWE Championship
A match that would dominate an era, this was the first one-on-one meeting between the pair and meant the dynamic was still fresh and it was a sign of a new generation headlining major cards. Cena retained his belt in this one, but it’s a match we’d get very, very used to seeing over the next few years.
2008
Edge vs Undertaker
Hell in a Cell Match
The year-long rivalry between Edge and The Undertaker came to end in spectacular fashion in thisbanger of a Hell in a Cell match. During this war, Edge put Taker through both a cell panel and then a table, while the Deadman went to town on the man who got him banished from WWE. Hitting Edge with a TV camera and a con-chair-to before a chokeslam off a ladder and through the canvas finished off the Rated R Superstar for good.
2009
CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy
World Heavyweight Championship
TLC Match
Two completely different individuals who waged war over their beliefs and the World Heavyweight Championship, culminating in this TLC match. The ladder played a starring role as sunset flips and Swanton Bombs were performed off the steel, but Jeff couldn’t put his opponent away and it was Punk who won back the belt.
2010
Team WWE vs The Nexus
Unfortunately, this was the match that all but ended the momentum that had come with the introduction of Wade Barrett and his crew, but who doesn’t love a bit of gang warfare regardless. Daniel Bryan returned to the shock of everyone watching and joined Team WWE alongside Cena, John Morrison, R-Truth, Edge, Chris Jericho and Bret Hart. With Cena getting the W for his side by finally eliminating Barrett.
2011
Christian vs Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship
No Holds Barred Match
Widely regarded as one the most deserving World Championship runs, Christian’s memorable feud with Randy Orton came to close with this SummerSlam barnburner. Given a No Holds Barred stipulation, there table spots and trash can smashes before Orton’s RKO onto the steel steps ended Christian’s moment in the championship sun.
2012
Brock Lesnar vs Triple H
A SummerSlam bereft of a real standout encounter means Brock Lesnar’s win over Triple H gets the nod. It was by no means a dud, and it all centred around the Kimura lock, with Brock having taken out Trips and Shawn Michaels with the move in the build-up. In the end, the match came down to the same manoeuvre, as The Game tapped out to The Beast and left fans wondering if it was the end of the road for Triple H…. (It wasn’t).
2013
Daniel Bryan vs John Cena
WWE Championship
Daniel Bryan had been chosen by the WWE fans as the man they wanted to see dethrone John Cena at SummerSlam and they got their wish in this epic main event. Bryan defied the odds and beat the WWE icon clean to become the new WWE Champion. That was until guest referee Triple H hit Bryan with a pedigree and allowed Randy Orton to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract to ruin Bryan’s big moment.
2014
Brock Lesnar v John Cena
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
The match upon which Suplex City entered the WWE universe’s vocabulary. Brock Lesnar hit WWE Champion John Cena with 16 suplexs in one of the most one-sided championship matches to ever main event a WWE show. It gave birth to the popular catchphrase a cemented Lesnar as an unstoppable force within in the company.
2015
Seth Rollins vs John Cena
WWE World Heavyweight Championship and US Championship
A winner takes all match where we saw just how high the stock was in Seth Rollins as he defeated John Cena to grab both the WWE Championship and US Championship. Donned in all-white, Rollins needed an assist from show host Jon Stewart, but the face of The Authority got the win and took home all he gold.
2016
John Cena vs AJ Styles
Sometimes a combination just works and in Cena and Styles their chemistry was off the charts. Having torn the house down at the Royal Rumble, the rivals did battle again in another classic in Brooklyn. The pair traded near falls and finishers and Cena even delivered a Super AA off the top rope, but it was the Phenomenal One with a Phenomenal Forearm who had the final say.
2017
Brock Lesnar vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman
Universal Championship
Four of the biggest Superstars in the game clashed in a meat-feast of a main event and is one of the best Fata-4-Way’s you’ll see. Strowman dominated and decimated most of the field, and almost eliminated Lesnar from the match completely. However, the Beast Incarnate returned and shrugged off three Superman punches to hit Reigns with the F5 and prove he was king of WWE jungle.
2018
Seth Rollins v Dolph Ziggler
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins continued his claim of being ‘Mr. SummerSlam’ with a killer opener that’s in the conversation for the event’s best curtain jerkers. With McIntyre in Ziggler’s corner and a returning Dean Ambrose supporting his former Shield brother in the other, the pair set the pace for evening and never let up. Rollins scoring the win and his second IC title reign.
2019
Charlotte Flair v Trish Stratus
Trish returned to the ring in her hometown of Toronto, but this was so much more than cheap nostalgic pop. Stratus went toe-to-toe with one of WWE’s very best in Charlotte and put on a display that was up there with the very best matches she’s had as a WWE Superstar. Giving everyone watching some real stratusfaction.
2020
Sasha Banks v Asuka
Raw Women’s Championship
A second outing of the night for Asuka, as she battled both Golden Role Models on the same night. However, after losing to Bayley and missing out on the SmackDown Women’s title, she gained some revenge on the pair by beating Banks and winning the Raw title. In what was the first event to take place in WWE’s Thunderdome, due to the global pandemic.
2021
Edge vs Seth Rollins
2021’s rivalry of the year got it’s SummerSlam slice, as Seth Rollins once again flexed his summer stuff this time against Edge – who went back to his Brood roots for a memorable SummerSlam entrance. Inside the ropes the pair stole the show, and it was Edge who submitted The Visionary to win the first of an memorable trilogy between the two stars.