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WWE's biggest event of the summer, SummerSlam, is once again upon us. It is regarded as one of WWE's top four pay-per-views every year, alongside the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and of course WrestleMania.
There have been some spectacular moments and memories created from the SummerSlam anthology. The first-ever SummerSlam event was held at Madison Square Garden in 1988. The 2021 edition is set to be the first time WWE has held the event inside a stadium within North America. Wembley Stadium in London held the mantel for the first-ever SummerSlam stadium event back in 1992.
That being said, in no particular order, let's take a look at ten memorable SummerSlam gimmick matches that are still talked about today.
#10 Randy Orton vs. Christian - No Holds Barred Match - SummerSlam 2011
At SummerSlam pay-per-view in 2011, Christian defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton. It was by far one of the feuds of the year in WWE.
Edge had just retired following WrestleMania, and the World Heavyweight Championship became vacant. Christian won the vacant title by defeating Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match a month later. Christian then lost the world title to Randy Orton on an episode of SmackDown just days later. He was unsuccessful in winning gold back twice before eventually beating Orton at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. This is where things became intense.
At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, there was a stipulation that if Orton got disqualified, he would lose the title. Christian spat in Orton's face during the match, causing The Viper to hit Captain Charisma with a low blow, resulting in a DQ and Orton losing his title. This enraged The Viper.
The feud, of course, culminated in a war for the ages. The announce table, a trash can, another table, and steel steps were used. The match was won when Orton RKO'd Christian onto the steel steps, countering the Sunset Flip from the corner. A unique finish to the end of this story and an intense match.
Christian discussed his epic 2011 feud with Randy Orton on WWE's The Bump:
"We had this crazy chemistry. We had this kind of chemistry that was undeniable. I think, to me, I can make sense of it all in the differences of how we performed. He’s more slow and methodical, and I keep a faster pace. I think with those types – those differences in our styles – it just clicked really well. Yeah, every time we touched, it seemed to be magic." Christian said. (h/t Wrestling Headlines)
#9 Nexus vs. Team WWE - 7-on-7 Elimination Tag Team Match - SummerSlam 2010
This is one SummerSlam result that should have gone the other way. In June 2010, The Nexus made their debut on the main roster, attacking everything in sight during a Raw main event. They demanded guaranteed WWE contracts. The group consisted of eight NXT rookies, including Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, and Darren Young.
Nexus somewhat focused on John Cena and even offered him a place in their group, which he declined. Eventually, we saw a team of WWE superstars rally around to face off against the newcomers at SummerSlam.
It was Team WWE that picked up the victory, but fans have said that it should have been Nexus that should have claimed the win. It has been a topic of discussion for years since the event happened.
John Cena discussed the SummerSlam match during a Q&A in Australia in 2017:
"This has been a topic of debate amongst really hardcore WWE fans for quite some time because it is their sentiment that I should have lost that match. Why did I win that match? Because that is what we did. It’s difficult for me to blur the lines on this… but I show up to work and do what I’m told. I will give you the gratification of this: I don’t pick how the story is told, I get told that. But I do pick what goes on in the story." John Cena said (h/t Wrestling INC)
#8 The Rock vs. Triple H - Ladder Match - SummerSlam 1998
Before the two became megastars, Triple H and The Rock squared off against each other at SummerSlam 1998. The match itself was a Ladder Match with The Rock defending his Intercontinental Championship.
The two were a part of their respective factions. The Rock was a member of the Nation of Domination and Triple H was a part of D-Generation-X. The two settled the score, with The Game coming out on top to win the Intercontinental Championship. It wasn't without controversy as Chyna, another member of DX, got involved in assisting Triple H to pick up the win.
The match itself went down as one of the best matches in SummerSlam history. It will be remembered as a match that showed what both men were capable of before they hit stardom just a year or so later.
#7 Elimination Chamber Match - SummerSlam 2003
The second-ever Elimination Chamber match took place at SummerSlam pay-per-view in 2003. It featured a star-studded line-up including Triple H, Goldberg, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, and Randy Orton.
Triple H was the defending World Heavyweight Champion in the Chamber and came out on top thanks to help from Evolution teammate Ric Flair. Flair passed Triple H a sledgehammer late in the match to use on Goldberg. After the bout, Evolution brutally assaulted Goldberg, who set up the Triple H-Goldberg feud for the months to come.
The match itself was full of action. At the time, the glass used on the chamber doors was significant to real glass, so it smashed just as if it was real. It made for some spectacular moments, especially when Goldberg speared Chris Jericho through it.
#6 Ric Flair vs. Mick Foley - I Quit Match - SummerSlam 2006
This SummerSlam match was a match that had been brewing for some time. Ric Flair has previously accused Mick Foley of just being a 'glorified stuntman' who set the stage for their rivalry.
They previously collided at the Vengeance pay-per-view just two months before SummerSlam. The match itself was a two-out-of-three falls match to see if Mick could hang with 'The Nature Boy' in a wrestling match. Flair won this contested 2-0. They later vowed to settle their feud in an I Quit Match at SummerSlam.
The match saw plenty of hardcore wrestling action, with the dreaded thumbtacks making an appearance. Foley's friend at the time, Melina, came out to try and save him and even threw in the towel at one point. Flair didn't have any of it and continued his beating down on Foley. Eventually, Foley quit just as Flair was about to strike Melina with a barbed wire bat.
#5 The Undertaker vs. Edge - Hell in a Cell - SummerSlam 2008
This feud had everything. A WrestleMania match, several battles, a banished Undertaker, an Edge affair, and of course, the rival-ending Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam.
The match came about when then-Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero caught Edge cheating with their wedding planner, Alicia Fox. The Undertaker had been banished from WWE by Edge because of a previous stipulation. Vickie decided as revenge she would reinstate The Deadman and pit him against Edge inside Hell in a Cell.
It was one of the most brutal Hell in a Cell matches we've witnessed. The Undertaker picked up the victory, delivering his famous Tombstone to finish Edge off. Or had he? As The Undertaker was leaving, he saw Edge moving in the ring on the titantron above him and decided to go back. This time, The Undertaker chokeslammed Edge off a ladder and through the ring canvas. Edge was sent to hell, and The Undertaker was once again on top and the new World Heavyweight Champion.
#4 Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels - Unsanctioned Match - SummerSlam 2002
In 2002, Shawn Michaels made his triumphant return to WWE following a four-year absence due to injury. It was a joyous moment for 'The Heartbreak Kid' and for the WWE Universe.
At the time of Shawn's return, Triple H was given the option to either join Raw or SmackDown. Shawn Michaels convinced Triple H to join on Raw, and they reformed DX for one night before Triple H turned on him. This led to more attacks in the following weeks, with Triple H claiming Shawn Michaels wasn't 100%.
At SummerSlam, the two collided in an iconic unsanctioned match that will be remembered forever. Shawn Michaels picked up the win in an emotional contest. After the bout was over, Triple H hit Shawn with his trademark sledgehammer twice, which saw Shawn being stretchered out.
#3 Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz - Triple Threat TLC Match - SummerSlam 2000
This SummerSlam match goes down in the history books as one of the greatest ever. The three teams involved changed the game with the first-ever Triple Threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match.
It was the first-ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match in the history of the WWE, and what a way to start. The Dudley Boys, The Hardy Boyz, and Edge & Christian will be remembered forever for their daredevil antics during this match. It wasn't the first time they had collided under such rules. They competed earlier in the year in a standard Triangle Ladder Match at WrestleMania 2000. TLC was on a different level.
Edge & Christian came out on top to retain their WWE Tag Team Championship. All three teams battled again in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at WrestleMania 17.
#2 CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy - Tables, Ladders and Chairs match - SummerSlam 2009
Jeff Hardy became a specialist when it came to Ladder Matches and Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches. He main-evented the SummerSlam pay-per-view in 2009, facing CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match even beat Randy Orton vs. John Cena to the main event slot.
Both superstars brought their A-game, and it turned into a spectacular match. One defining moment in the bout came when Jeff Hardy set up a giant ladder outside the ring. It was placed next to the announce table, and Jeff Hardy performed a Swanton Bomb onto the lifeless CM Punk below.
CM Punk said the moment was one of his scariest moments ever in WWE when speaking to The Movie Crypt Podcast:
"I remember wrestling Jeff Hardy in the Staples Center, and he was jumping off a very tall ladder onto me and I just had to kind of lay on a table for an extended period of time, which really makes you think about it.And it's one of those things where I was just looking, I'm like, 'Man, he's really high up there. This sucks,' and you stew in that moment. And I remember being like, 'I should just get up and walk away. Why am I laying here? This is stupid,' and then he finally jumped on me." CM Punk said (h/t Wrestling INC.)
#1 Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio - Custody of Dominik Ladder Match - SummerSlam 2005
One of the most emotive and craziest storylines we have seen concluded at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in 2006. Eddie Guerrero has claimed to be the biological father of Rey's son Dominik.
It was a powerful feud that resulted in a Custody of Dominik Ladder Match. The rules were simple. The first person to retrieve the custody papers suspended above the ring won custody of Dominik. After an interference from Eddie's wife, Vickie, stopped him from claiming the briefcase, Rey Mysterio successfully won the bout.
Dominik Mysterio, now, of course a WWE superstar, told Metro about the storyline in 2020:
"For me, it was harder to have to explain to the kids at school who my dad was. I think that was the most challenging part. 100% people were coming up to me asking me – even teachers, they were like, “Who’s your father, Dominik?” I’d be like, ‘Well it’s Rey Mysterio, this guy right here, Oscar’. It was crazy." Dominik Mysterio said (h/t Wrestling-Edge)
It will go down as one of the most memorable storylines and matches we have witnessed at SummerSlam.
