Ranking and grading every Brock Lesnar SummerSlam match in history from worst to best

Ever since returning to WWE in 2012, Brock Lesnar has been a part-timer. One with name value and an incredible drawing power. The fact that his matches were rare really amped up the special feel of the shows he wrestled on.

Lesnar has always wrestled at WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble, during this part-time run. The quality and success of his matches at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania can be varied, from the brilliance of the 2015 World title triple threat with Cena and Rollins to the two minute dud with The Big Show in 2014. From the critically acclaimed feud-ender with Goldberg to the disaster of a Street Fight with Dean Ambrose. Even the two main event matches at WrestleMania against Roman Reigns are looked at differently.

However inconsistent Lesnar’s performances at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania may be, The Beast Incarnate has pretty much always brought his A-game to SummerSlam. That is when he usually saves his best performance every year.

He has had a lot of success in his SummerSlam matches, even before returning in 2012. Lesnar has wrestled eight matches at the Biggest Party Of The Summer, winning six of them. The two matches that he lost were part of a feud which he ultimately won. But the best part about this run is that all of these matches, except for maybe one or two, were excellent matches.

Brock Lesnar's run of summertime classics is pretty incredible, which really shows how good he can actually be. The current Universal Champion has main evented six SummerSlams, while his other two matches stole the show. This string of fabulous matches could be likened to the latter years of The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania when he went on a run of seven classics in a row at the Showcase Of The Immortals.

Despite a few duds in the middle, Lesnar's SummerSlam catalog is filled with elite match-ups which properly demonstrate how good The Beast can be when he actually cares about what he is doing in the ring.

It was incredibly difficult to rank some of his best matches, as most of them were really good in many ways. But anyway, here are all of Brock Lesnar's SummerSlam matches ranked, from worst to best.

#8 Lesnar vs Randy Orton (2016)

This was the main event of the first pay-per-view after the brand split was in full force again in 2016. Announced before the draft, Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton seemed like a dream match featuring two graduates from the OVW Class of 2002.

The build-up had its moments, including a surprise appearance on Raw from the Viper when he took Lesnar out with an RKO from outta nowhere. It must also be noted that this match took place around a month or two after Brock Lesnar's last UFC fight against Mark Hunt. The Beast became the talk of the town and his showdown with Orton was hotly anticipated. However, the match was disappointing.

It was basically your typical Brock Lesnar match from 2016. He dominated before getting hit with multiple RKOs. Randy Orton attempted the Punt Pick from the wrong side, making it obvious that Lesnar would counter it with an F5. After that, the Beast became unhinged. Swinging punches at a fallen Orton and busting him open. He won the match via technical knockout and the Viper ended up with a concussion.

It was the second unsatisfying ending to a Summerslam in a row, we will get to that, and Randy Orton was back on the shelf after just returning from it a month prior. We expected so much more from this, especially the F5 getting countered into an RKO. A total missed opportunity for WWE.

Grade: D

#7 Lesnar vs Triple H (2012)

This was Brock Lesnar's first Summerslam match since returning to WWE on the night after WrestleMania 28. The story was based on Lesnar breaking Triple H's arm after contractual negotiations had broken down (Sounds familiar, doesn't it). The match was made official on the 1000th episode of Monday Night Raw and quickly became the focal point of the program.

The Beast broke Shawn Michaels' arm in the build-up after HBK had announced that he would be in Triple H's corner. The feud became personal, especially when Stephanie McMahon made an appearance to confront the obnoxious Paul Heyman. This match earned the tagline "The Perfect Storm".

This was not a bad match, just uninspiring compared to most of the other bouts in Brock Lesnar's storied Summerslam sticker book. Lesnar focused on Triple H's arm, while the Game attacked his stomach, a weak area for the Beast. We saw both men kick out of each other's finishers before Lesnar trapped Triple H in the Kimura Lock.

Hunter fought valiantly but had to tap out when his arm got broken for the second time by the Beast. We were led to believe that this would be Triple H's last match for WWE especially when he shaved his famous long hair, but he still wrestles annually. This rivalry would continue going into 2013, but the matches would not be much better than this one. A fine match, but we have seen much better.

Grade: B-

#6 Lesnar vs The Undertaker (2015)

Now the action is starting to get better. Brock Lesnar has feuded with many wrestlers over his time in WWE, none of his feuds is as storied or legendary as his multi-layered feud against The Undertaker. They first went at it in 2002, with the WWE Championship at stake.

Twelve years later, Lesnar beat The Undertaker to end his undefeated streak at WrestleMania. The following year, 'Taker was out for revenge and cost Lesnar the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground.

He turned somewhat heelish in a bold booking decision as he resorted to low blows to take out the Beast. This would be the first and only time the Deadman would be a heel since a very brief run in 2004 after he buried Paul Bearer in cement. Yes, you read that right.

Anyway, the Summerslam bout between the pair was miles better than their match at WrestleMania 30. This had great action and was filled with many cool spots. Lesnar attacked the Undertaker as he had just entered the ring and from then, it only got hotter. The best moment of the match was the one shown in the above image.

It came when both men were down on the mat. Brock Lesnar sat up and laughed at the Undertaker, only for Taker to sit up as well and bombard Lesnar with his own creepy laugh. The finish was screwy and the reason why this match may not have gone further up this list. Lesnar had the Undertaker locked in the Kimura when the timekeeper rang the bell despite no intimation to do so.

Taker was clearly shown tapping out but the referee restarted the match and he took full advantage, hitting a low blow and locking in the Hell's Gate. As Lesnar was fading away, he showed the middle finger to his immortal enemy. After the match ended, Lesnar was left standing in the ring while 'Taker collapsed in the backstage area.

Grade: B+

#5 Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (2003)

This was the other feud that would define Brock Lesnar in the WWE. Although all three matches happened within six months, it still ranks up there as the second best feud that Lesnar has ever had. 2003 was a great year for the WWE Championship. It main evented WrestleMania 19 as the two former amateur wrestlers put on a clinic in an absolutely high-pressure situation.

Kurt Angle wrestled that match with a really bad neck and desperately needed surgery, but it was Lesnar who would come out of the match worse off after he attempted and failed to land a Shooting Star Press. The Beast did reign as WWE Champion as Angle was sidelined for only three months.

He quickly returned and regained the gold in a triple threat match also involving the Big Show. Both Angle and Lesnar were babyfaces and were set to have a respectful match at Summerslam.

However, Lesnar turned heel and aligned with Mr. McMahon. Angle would have the odds stacked against him in this blockbuster WrestleMania rematch. This match was the worst of their stellar series but was by no means bad in any way. It featured a typical great wrestling, a referee bump and heavy interference from Mr. McMahon.

The Olympic Hero countered an F5 and slapped in the Ankle Lock, to which Lesnar tapped out. It was an extremely shocking moment to see the Beast submit, he would never do so again. It also set the tone finely for their unbelievable 1-hour Iron-Man match on Smackdown a month later, where Lesnar regained his WWE Championship. Overall, this was a tried and tested match at Summerslam. It could not go very wrong, but there have been much more stellar matches in Brock's career

Grade: B+

#4 Lesnar vs John Cena (2014)

This match was one of the most shocking in WWE history. Fresh after ending The Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania 30, Brock Lesnar was entitled to an opportunity to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That opportunity came at Summerslam when he was set to go one-on-one with John Cena.

The match was excellently built up to with a perfectly produced video package. Lesnar claimed that he would leave Cena in a pile of blood, urine and vomit. While none of that exactly happened, the Cenation leader was in for the ass-kicking of his life. After the death of the Streak, Brock Lesnar was heavily tipped to win the world title. But nobody expected this match play out in the way that it did.

Brock Lesnar hit an F5 within the first thirty seconds of the match. That is how dominant the Beast was during this match. He would go on to hit John Cena with sixteen German suplexes, sparking the inception of Suplex City. Cena would get the occasional move in, but it was Lesnar who dominated with full force.

Once Lesnar got out of the STF with ease and hit Cena with another F5, it was over. The destruction of John Cena had been complete. Nobody had ever seen him get beaten so badly before, that's what makes this one of Brock Lesnar's best performances since returning to WWE. He banished all the ghosts of Cena's victory at Extreme Rules 2012 in sixteen minutes.

This was unique and masterfully executed. The shocking visual of John Cena being completely brutalized in the middle of the ring was a sight to behold for older fans, while it was a nightmare for the younger ones. This was Lesnar at his best and most destructive self. He truly left Cena beaten, victimized and conquered.

Grade: A-

#3 Lesnar vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman (2017)

Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar

Last year's SummerSlam main event was a highly impressive effort from four of the best heavyweights in the WWE. The all-action style was a major hit with the Brooklyn crowd. This was back during the days when Brock Lesnar's title reign was still somewhat bearable and the Universal Championship actually had some meaning. Now, that title is a joke.

WWE could always redeem the big red belt by having similar matches to this all-out slugfest. All three challengers in this match would have separate matches against Lesnar for the Universal Championship, but none of them was anywhere as good as this combined effort.

After the Great Balls Of Fire pay-per-view, where Strowman outsmarted Reigns but got brutally assaulted for it, and Lesnar beat Joe in a short but impactful main event, all four men would end up duking it out.

The action was brutal, intense and pulsating. We saw chairs being flown, barricades being broken and tables being destroyed. Braun Strowman went on a mid-match tear as he put the Universal champion through two announce tables and dumped the third one onto him. Meanwhile, Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns also put in good shifts.

Lesnar was taken out of the match but returned to cause some more pain. He ended up retaining his title, much to the disappointment of the fans in Brooklyn and elsewhere. But the match was so good, that the result did not matter. We saw four monsters cause a hell of a lot of carnage in New York City.

The rest of his reign might have ruined the credibility of the Universal Championship and blazed it into irrelevance, but this brawl between the four badasses should live long in the memories as an excellent four-way match.

Grade: A

#2 Lesnar vs The Rock (2002)

This was the match that solidified Brock Lesnar as a legitimate main-eventer. Coming into SummerSlam 2002, the Beast was on a massive roll. He had won the King Of The Ring tournament in dominating fashion before absolutely manhandling Hulk Hogan on an episode of Smackdown.

Lesnar was the fastest-rising star in the history of the company. WWE Undisputed Champion The Rock was on his way to Hollywood and would leave after SummerSlam. This caused the fans to turn on him and side with the new blood. Funny how things work around here. SummerSlam was when Brock Lesnar transformed from the Next Big Thing to The Big Thing, as his rapid rise came to a head.

We had a big-match feel for this collision between eras in the Nassau Coliseum. The Rock, who had seen it all in the WWE, against the new big star in town, Brock Lesnar. If there is anything we learnt from this, it is that Brock Lesnar is a freak of nature. But we already knew that.

The Rock gave Paul Heyman a Rock Bottom through the announce table while he traded the same move with Lesnar. It was the Beast who earned the decisive victory when he nailed the People's Champion with a devastating F5 to keep him down for the three-count.

At 25 years of age, Brock Lesnar had become the youngest ever World Champion in WWE history. He remained so until SummerSlam two years later, when a 24-year-old Randy Orton won the World Heavyweight Championship.

Grade: A

#1 Lesnar vs CM Punk (2013)

This is easily the best match of Brock Lesnar's current WWE run, since returning in 2012. The feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman was the definition of hit-miss television. While this first portion of the feud was excellent, the rest of it was a bore and felt forced until the final pay-off, that is.

Heyman had betrayed Punk at Money in the Bank, viciously smashing a ladder on his head. The ensuing weeks would see Punk finding innovative ways to get an upper hand on Brock Lesnar. He knew that it would not be straightforward, trying to take down a 300-pound gorilla, so he went to some extraordinary lengths to get to the Beast.

Punk dressed as a cameraman once as he would send Lesnar retreating. He showed no fear. This was the last truly great thing the Second City Saint had done in the WWE. On a SummerSlam filled with some exciting action, this, along with the main event, blew everything else out of the water.

Brock Lesnar works extremely well as a menacing heel trying to destroy smaller babyface opponents. The matches are always enthralling, as we see the underdog work his way up to the layer of the Beast. It has resulted in some of Lesnar's best matches in the WWE. His match with CM Punk is the perfect illustration of this.

Lesnar has also had similar classics against the likes of Eddie Guerrero and AJ Styles, making us hope that we do get the chance to see him face Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship soon. This match was changed to No Disqualification on the night and it made it even better.

Punk would break down the Beast and come close on multiple occasions, using creativity and experience to do so. However, the menacing Paul Heyman would always provide multiple distractions and interferences.

It would be Punk's obsession with getting his hands on Heyman that would prove to be his undoing, as Brock Lesnar took advantage of the distraction to slam the Chicago-born star with a steel chair before hitting a conclusive F5 on it.

The match was an excellent one, perfectly illustrating the difference between the underdog fighter and the physically superior mercenary. Lesnar may have won this war, but it was CM Punk who won the hearts of the WWE Universe. He put in one hell of a performance, not that Lesnar's wasn't great as well.

That is what makes this match the best from all of Lesnar's big matches in August. Punk rightly received a standing ovation, for his last truly big moment in the WWE before his unceremonious departure in 2014. A perfectly executed match in every sense.

Grade: A+

Edited by Kishan Prasad