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Summerslam is one of the big four pay-per-views in WWE's calendar year. Behind WrestleMania and Royal Rumble, this event has always been the setting for some of the biggest matches in company history. Many WWE superstars and legends have headlined this show in back-to-back years.
Dating back to 1988, Summerslam has featured tag team matches, handicap matches, triple threats and fatal four-way matches in the show closers. There have also been World Heavyweight, Universal and WWE Championship titles up for grabs in the main event. Whether it be for gold or never before seen dream matches, the biggest party of the summer has seen it all.
Excluding those four superstars, there has been a who's who of legends featured in the headline contest on this huge stage. In this article, let's take a look at five WWE superstars that have headlined consecutive Summerslam pay-per-view events.
#10 Hulk Hogan (Summerslam 1988 & 1989)
Summerslam was created on the back of the success of WrestleMania III and IV. Vince McMahon looked to capitalize on the money-drawing duo known as the Mega Powers. WWE Champion Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan were the two top babyfaces in the company. After Savage defeated Ted Dibiase in the main event of WrestleMania IV, they had an evil tag team to be pitted against.
Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase and Andre The Giant devised a plan to get the WWE Championship off of Hulk Hogan, which paid off on Saturday Night's Main Event in January 1988 and caused the tournament at WrestleMania. The two dastardly heels facing off with the two heroes made for a compelling matchup.
With Jesse "The Body" Ventura as the special guest referee, The Mega Powers were victorious over the Mega Bucks. However, the post-match celebration started the build towards The Mega Powers imploding. Macho Man's jealousy over the relationship between Hulk Hogan and Miss Elizabeth led to a main event showdown at WrestleMania V between Savage and Hogan.
Following Hulk Hogan defeating Macho Man in the main event, this would set up another tag team main event at the following year's Summerslam. This time, Macho Man was the Macho King and teamed with a movie villain. Zeus was the antagonist in Hulk Hogan's No Holds Barred movie and aligned with Randy Savage to face Hogan and Brutus Beefcake at the 1989 Summerslam.
Hogan and Beefcake gained the win over Savage and Zeus. Hulk Hogan went on to the main events of the 1991 and 2005 Summerslam pay-per-view events. However, the first two summer stages were headlined by the Immortal One and his former friend.
#9 Macho Man Randy Savage (Summerslam 1988 & 1989)
As previously mentioned in the last entry, The Mega Powers were the building block that Summerslam was built on. Macho Man Randy Savage was the reigning WWE Champion coming into the first pay-per-view in 1988. Savage and Hogan overcame the Mega Bucks team of Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase and Andre The Giant as well as biased guest referee Jesse "The Body" Ventura.
After their victory, Macho Man, Hulk Hogan and Miss Elizabeth celebrated with Hogan accidentally touching the butt of Elizabeth when he lifted her onto Savage's shoulders. This sparked the jealousy of the WWE Champion and led to The Mega Powers imploding. Hulk Hogan defeated Macho Man to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania V.
At the 1989 Summerslam, the two men were back in the main event, but they were on opposite sides this time around. Hulk Hogan teamed Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, while Randy Savage, now known as Macho King, recruited Hogan's No Holds Barred movie enemy, Zeus.
Savage tried to utilize Sensational Sherri's loaded purse, but Hogan took it and used it against Zeus with the referee distracted. He then slammed Zeus and hit the leg drop to get the pin. Hogan and Beefcake were victorious at Summerslam 1989, but their rivalry continued afterwards. Macho Man Randy Savage would appear at a few more SummerSlams, even marrying Miss Elizabeth at the 1991 event.
#8 The Ultimate Warrior (Summerslam 1990 & 1991)
At the 1988 Summerslam, the moment of the night wasn't the aforementioned main event. It was The Ultimate Warrior ending the record-breaking Intercontinental Championship reign of the Honky Tonk Man to a huge reaction from New York City fans at Madison Square Garden. The following year, he defeated Rick Rude to regain that same title.
Warrior and Rude continued their rivalry at the 1990 Summerslam. To finally settle the score between the two men, they faced each other inside a steel cage. Rick Rude got the most out of The Ultimate Warrior throughout their many matches and proved that again here. Warrior defeated Rude to retain the WWE Championship, but he would be right back in the headline match the following year.
The Ultimate Warrior lost the WWE Championship at the 1991 Royal Rumble to Sgt Slaughter thanks to interference from Macho King Randy Savage. He looked set to get revenge for that loss at the 1991 Summerslam. This time, Warrior teamed up with Hulk Hogfor in a two-on-three handicap match against Slaughter, General Adnan and Colonel Mustafa with Sid Justice as the special guest referee.
Hogan and Warrior gained the win after Hogan got the pin for his team. This proved to be a dramatic night behind the scenes for WWE and The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior held up Vince McMahon for money before the event. The Chairman turned around and handed Warrior a suspension as soon as he came backstage following the main event.
#7 The Undertaker (Summerslam 1997 & 1998)
It would be another six years before another WWE superstar main evented back-to-back Summerslam pay-per-views. The Undertaker headlined his first summer spectacle in 1994 when he faced the "Fake" Undertaker. Three years later, The Undertaker came into the event as the WWE Champion.
The Deadman defended his title against Bret "The Hitman" Hart. To make sure there was a decisive winner, WWE named Shawn Michaels the special guest referee. This proved to be a huge mistake. The animosity between Shawn and Bret was firmly established, so if Michaels didn't call this matchup down the middle, he would have never been allowed to compete in the United States again.
It was Shawn Michaels who helped Bret Hart walk out of the 1997 Summerslam with the WWE Championship. Bret spit in Shawn's face and Michaels reacted by swinging the steel chair that Hart wanted to use, nailing Taker for The Hitman to get the pin. This set up a legendary feud between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels that led to the first Hell In A Cell Match.
Taker was right back in the main event of the following year's Summerslam. The Undertaker faced Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWE Championship at the culmination of Highway To Hell at Madison Square Garden. Austin beat Taker to retain the WWE Championship. The Undertaker went on to headline this event again in 2008 and 2015.
#6 Stone Cold Steve Austin (Summerslam 1998 & 1999)
As mentioned in the previous entry, Stone Cold Steve Austin walked into the 1998 Summerslam with the WWE Championship. This meant a lot to the Texas Rattlesnake because the previous year could have ended his career. In an Intercontinental Championship Match against Owen Hart, the youngest Hart brother dropped Austin on his head with a tombstone piledriver.
For Austin, this was a full circle moment. Stone Cold Steve Austin defended his title against The Undertaker after the Highway To Hell buildup. It was a physically intense battle with Taker hitting a breathtaking legdrop off the top rope to Austin on the announce table. Austin won, hitting Stone Cold Stunner to retain the WWE Championship at Summerslam 1998.
Austin continued to be the top star in WWE and walked into the following year's Summerslam as the WWE Champion. The leadup to the 1999 event was chaotic, to say the least. Triple H was supposed to face Austin one-on-one, but Chyna then defeated him to become Number One Contender. Mankind then became the Summerslam opponent, but eventually it became a Triple Threat match.
Jesse "The Body" Ventura was once again the special guest referee for a Summerslam main event. Mankind pinned Stone Cold Steve Austin to beat him and Triple H in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE Championship. Stone Cold defended the WWE Title again in the 2001 edition, which was his last appearance at Summerslam.
#5 Triple H (Summerslam 1999 & 2000)
The 1999 Summerslam was the first to be headlined by a Triple Threat Match. Triple H looked set to get a singles match against Stone Cold Steve Austin at the event, but he was derailed on that opportunity a few times before it became a Triple Threat with Mankind. Mick Foley walked out with the WWE Championship, but Triple H defeated Mankind the following night to win the gold.
The following year's Summerslam saw yet another Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship, but this was one with a deeply captivating story behind it. Triple H's relationship with Stephanie McMahon was at the top of the card for almost a year at that point, but Kurt Angle got in the middle of the husband and wife.
This led to WWE Champion The Rock defending his title against Triple H and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat Match. Mayhem broke out immediately with Triple H upset with Kurt Angle following Angle kissing Stephanie on the SmackDown before the pay-per-view. The Game hit a Pedigree on Angle on the announce table, which gave the Olympic Gold Medalist a concussion.
The Summerslam 2000 main event started out as a singles bout between The Rock and Triple H before Angle eventually joined the fray. It was The Rock who pulled out the victory, hitting the People's Elbow on Triple H to retain the WWE Championship. Triple H went on to headline the 2003 and 2012 editions of the summer spectacle.
#4 The Rock (Summerslam 2000, 2001 & 2002)
The aforementioned Summerslam 2000 centered around the drama between Triple H, Kurt Angle and Stephanie McMahon. However, the WWE Champion heading in was The Rock. The Great One won the title at King of the Ring that same year and had been feuding with the McMahon-Helmsley Regime since late 1999.
The Rock was able to survive his two challengers and walk out of Summerslam 2000 still WWE Champion. At the following yea's WrestleMania, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock to win the WWE Champion thanks to help from Vince McMahon. Despite his animosity toward the Chairman, he stuck with WWE over joining the Alliance upon his return ahead of Summerslam 2001.
The Rock would once again walk out of Summerslam with gold, defeating Booker T to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. This was the first time that two African Americans headlined a major WWE pay-per-view event. The People's Champion would once again return to the main event of Summerslam the following year.
The Rock defeated The Undertaker and Kurt Angle to win the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match at Vengeance 2002. The 2002 King of the Ring, Brock Lesnar, was his challenger at Summerslam. The Next Big Thing made history becoming the youngest WWE Champion, beating The Rock in front of a raucous Nassau Colisseum crowd.
The Rock has truly made a name for himself at the summer spectacle. From his iconic Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match in 1998 to his passing of the torch encounter with Brock Lesnar, The Great One and Summerslam have become synonymous with one another. He was also the first man to headline three consecutive Summerslam events.
#3 John Cena (Summerslam 2006 & 2007; 2010 & 2011; 2013 & 2014)
Heading into Summerslam 2006, John Cena was the unquestionable face of WWE. At the One Night Stand, Edge cost Cena the WWE Championship and helped Rob Van Dam get the win in front of a partisan crowd in the Hammerstein Ballroom. A month later, Edge defeated Cena and Van Dam in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE Championship for the second time.
Edge defended the WWE Championship against John Cena in Cena's hometown of Boston. The Rated R Superstar used a brass knuckle assist from Lita to defeat John Cena in the Summerslam 2006 main event. The following year, Cena was back in the headline match against Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. In a great encounter between the career rivals, Cena beat Orton.
John Cena was back in the main event as a part of Team WWE against the force of the Nexus in a 7 on 7 Elimination Match at Summerslam 2010. Cena picked up the victory for his team. He would then headline the 2011 edition of the event against CM Punk for the WWE Championship. Punk would win, but Alberto Del Rio cashed in the Money In The Bank contract to win the title.
At the 2013 Summerslam, John Cena headlined against Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship. It was a fantastic battle, which Bryan won to win the title for the first time before Randy Orton cashed in the Money In The Bank contract to win the gold.
Cena made it back-to-back main events for the third time at the 2014 Summerslam. His opponent on that night was Brock Lesnar. This would go down as the most one-sided main event in the event's history as Lesnar dominated Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. When Cena doesn't headline, he usually steals the show, making him worthy of any Summerslam list.
#2 Roman Reigns (Summerslam 2017 & 2018)
The top stars always shine bright on the biggest stages and Summerslam is exactly that. Over the past few years, Roman Reigns has been the face of WWE. At the 2017 Summerslam, Reigns was one of four participants in a Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Universal Championship. Brock Lesnar defended the gold against Roman, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman.
It was a non-stop heavyweight slugfest that was hard hitting and physically intense the entire time. Brock Lesnar pinned Reigns to retain the Universal Title. The following year's Summerslam once again had both Roman and Brock in the headline spot.
The rivalry between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns spanned three years at this point. The two men were in the main event of WrestleMania 31, but Seth Rollins cashed in the Money In The Bank contract to interject himself and win the WWE Championship. Brock and Roman were back in the main event once again at WrestleMania 34 with Lesnar beating Reigns on this occasion.
After an inconclusive finish at the Greatest Royal Rumble, Roman and Brock crossed paths again at Summerslam 2018. Despite Braun Strowman seemingly in the waiting to cash in his Money In The Bank contract, Reigns speared Lesnar to win the WWE Universal Championship. Roman made another statement at last year's Summerslam, returning to take out The Fiend and Braun Strowman.
#1 Brock Lesnar (Summerslam 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)
Bret "The Hitman" Hart made a name for himself as the top performer at Summerslam for his phenomenal performances in the summer spectacle from 1990-1997, but Brock Lesnar has secured the mantle over the past decade since his return to WWE.
During his first run with the company, Lesnar defeated The Rock in the main event of the 2002 Summerslam and faced Kurt Angle in a tremendous bout in 2003. The first was a passing of the torch moment that made Lesnar the youngest WWE Champion in company history. The second was one of Lesnar's greatest feuds of his entire career despite taking the loss.
Upon his return to WWE in 2012, Brock Lesnar headlined that year's Summerslam against Triple H. Lesnar looked to regain his momentum after a shocking loss to John Cena at Extreme Rules. Brock dominated Triple H at the 2012 Summerslam, tapping out The Game with his Kimura Lock. He followed that up the following year in an epic clash with CM Punk.
Brock Lesnar started the prolific run of Summerslam main events in WWE history at the 2014 edition. The Beast headlined against John Cena, beating him for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in dominant fashion. He followed that up the next year against The Undertaker. Although he came up short, Brock returned to the headline spot the following year.
At the 2016 Summerslam, Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Orton in a dream match. The Beast brutalized The Legend Killer, busting him open and winning via referee stoppage. Lesnar headlined his fourth consecutive Summerslam event, defeating Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman in a Fatal Four Way Match to retain the Universal Championship.
The following year's Summerslam was headlined by Brock and Roman once again. Reigns defeated Lesnar on this evening to finally win the WWE Universal Championship. The Beast was in his record-breaking eighth and sixth consecutive Summerslam pay-per-view in 2019. Seth Rollins defeated Lesnar to win the Universal Title in a superb closing match.
Whether in the headline spot or in a featured bout, Brock Lesnar has proven to be a stalwart of the summer spectacle. He has won championship gold and had highly anticipated dream matches at the biggest party of the summer. That is why Brock Lesnar has to be considered Mr. Summerslam and one of the greatest performers in the event's history.
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