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Seth Rollins is one of WWE's top stars and is getting ready for one of the biggest matches of his career against Edge at Summerslam 2021. This won't be the first time the former WWE Champion has been in a huge matchup at the biggest party of the summer. He has regularly been in headline encounters during the summer spectacle.
Rollins is one of the few WWE superstars who can stake a claim to the moniker of "Mr. Summerslam." Since his maiden singles run, the Architect has been at the forefront of some of Summerslam's best battles. Whether it be against arch rivals or for championship gold, Seth's most important moments have taken place at the second biggest pay-per-view of WWE's calendar year.
With his dream match with Edge on the horizon, it seems like a perfect time to remember his greatest bouts in this major event. In this article, let's rank all of the Seth Rollins Summerslam matches from worst to best.
#7. Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight (WWE Summerslam 2020)
Last year's Summerslam featured Seth Rollins facing a rookie in his very first matchup. Seth's rivalry with Rey Mysterio spanned several months and got deeply personal. Rollins defeated Mysterio in an Eye For An Eye Match at the Horror Show At Extreme Rules. He blinded the elder Mysterio, which led to Dominik trying to avenge his father.
Dominik got under Seth's skin and challenged Rollins to a match at Summerslam. Rollins and Murphy attacked Dominik in the leadup in a brutal assault that saw the younger Mysterio take 31 kendo stick shots to the back and chest. This made things even more heated and led to the match being made a Street Fight.
This turned out to be a very good contest with both men turning up the physicality and using a lot of weapons in this grudge match. Dominik Mysterio looked great in his first WWE match and showed that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. The two men told a marvelous story with Seth Rollins standing out due to his amazing character work.
From his Rey Mysterio Halloween Havoc 1997 gear to his facial expressions, Seth Rollins was in rare form at Summerslam 2020. This standout bout against a rookie really shined a brighter light on Seth's exceptional Summerslam track record. Although it was ranked the lowest, this was far from a bad match and truly delivered in the spot that it was in.
#6. Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship (WWE Summerslam 2018)
Summerslam 2018 started off with Dolph Ziggler defending the Intercontinental Championship against Seth Rollins. The two men were in a lengthy feud that started in the summer when Dolph answered Seth's IC Title Open Challenge to beat Rollins for the gold in June. Thanks to Ziggler's association with Drew McIntyre, Seth's journey to regain the title was difficult.
Dolph Ziggler defended the strap against Seth Rollins in a 30-minute Iron Man Match at Extreme Rules 2018. The fans took away from this bout that was well wrestled, but the finish saw Drew McIntyre cause a distraction to help Ziggler retain. It became clear that Seth needed backup to counteract this partnership and he looked to his past.
Dean Ambrose returned from injury to WWE on the go-home Raw ahead of Summerslam 2018. This added a different element with both Ambrose and McIntyre for this opener on the show. It was yet another well wrestled affair that started out slow, but it escalated nicely to a strong closing stretch. It took the fans a while to get into this one, but the closing minutes really had an invested crowd.
Dean Ambrose took out Drew McIntyre on the floor, while Seth hit a succession of moves with the buckle bomb, superkick and finally the Curb Stomp for the win to retain the Intercontinental Championship. This turned out to be one of the better matches on the Summerslam 2018 card and delivered in the opening spot.
#5. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose in a Lumberjack Match (WWE Summerslam 2014)
Heading into Summerslam 2014, the summer was dominated by the breakup of the Shield. On the June 2nd, 2014 episode of WWE Raw, Seth Rollins turned on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, attacking both men with a steel chair, effectively breaking up the Shield. The three men had become one of the most dominant stables in WWE history, but they all also became stars in their own right.
The fallout from the breakup saw Seth Rollins align with the Authority, while Dean Ambrose became a rebel against the group. Rollins used the Authority's Kane to help him screw Ambrose and win the Money In The Bank contract. Following this victory, Ambrose did everything that he could to get under Seth's skin, which eventually led to a showdown between the Shield members at Summerslam 2014.
To make sure that Ambrose and Rollins had a straight-up battle, a Lumberjack Match was made between the two men. This stipulation is usually a hindrance that takes away from great matches. However, the animosity and heat between Seth and Dean helped the quality here.
It became chaotic and ramped up in intensity as the match went on. The Staples Center crowd was fully behind Dean Ambrose at Summerslam 2014. The lumberjacks couldn't stop the men from fighting through the crowd and delivered an awesome visual when Dean hit an elbow off the top onto the pile of superstars at ringside.
Kane once again became a key factor, but Dean fought him off. This led to Seth Rollins using his Money In The Bank briefcase on Ambrose and getting a three count for the win. It was arguably one of the best Lumberjack matches in WWE history.
#4 Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor for the WWE Universal Championship (WWE Summerslam 2016)
Summerslam 2016 marked a historic event with WWE crowning the first Universal Champion. The brand split took place the month prior with superstars being put on either Raw or SmackDown. Dean Ambrose was drafted #1 to SmackDown and brought the WWE Championship with him. Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley introduced the new title to their brand.
Seth Rollins as Raw's #1 overall pick was given a pass to this championship bout with a mini tournament deciding who would face him at Summerslam 2016. Finn Balor was drafted from NXT to Raw and made an immediate impact. He won a Fatal Four Way qualifier and then defeated Roman Reigns to move to the championship match at the pay-per-view.
The Universal Championship Match was a seesaw battle that was a bit of a struggle. Seth gained control by giving Balor a powerbomb into the guardrail, which caused an injury to Finn. Rollins hit a superplex and went for the Pedigree, but Balor made a spirited comeback with shotgun dropkicks and then the Coup de Grace to become the first Universal Champion at Summerslam 2016.
It was a really good encounter with the action going back and forth. The crowd were into the story being told and delivered a solid homestretch. Finn Balor solidified himself as a top guy on the main roster with Seth Rollins holding this together after his injury. They meshed well with each other and helped establish the new title here at Summerslam 2016.
#3. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. The Bar (WWE Summerslam 2017)
As previously mentioned, the breakup of the Shield was impactful and spawned a lengthy feud between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, including their Summerslam 2014 clash. The two men did battle for the next two years after. Following the brand split, they were separated for more than a year before another brand extension put them both on Monday Night Raw.
Despite staying separate for some time, Ambrose and Rollins soon found themselves with mutual enemies in Sheamus and Cesaro of The Bar. Dean Ambrose was extremely hesitant to put his trust back in the man who betrayed him though. Seth Rollins tried to convince his former friend that he had seen the error of his ways, but it took some convincing ahead of Summerslam 2017.
The two men finally mended their differences and aligned with one another to face The Bar with the Raw Tag Team Championships on the line at Summerslam 2017. These four men were some of the best competitors in all of the WWE, so it should come as no surprise that they delivered a great contest.
This contest really turned the event around and delivered nearly 19 minutes of brilliant tag team wrestling. There were excellent double teams, counters and nearfalls throughout that created quite a bit of drama into the closing stretch. Rollins hit a series of superkicks and then a ripcord knee, leading to Ambrose dropping Sheamus with the Dirty Deeds to win the Raw Tag Team Titles.
#2. Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship (WWE Summerslam 2019)
The main event of Summerslam 2019 was the culmination of the feud between WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins. Their saga started at WrestleMania 31 when Seth cashed in the Money In The Bank contract to beat Lesnar and Roman Reigns to win his first WWE Championship. After a brief encounter at Battleground 2015, the two men didn't meet again until 2019.
Seth Rollins used a huge victory in the 2019 Men's Royal Rumble to propel him to a Universal Championship Match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35. Rollins overcame the odds and defeated Lesnar in minutes to win the title. This wasn't the last that Seth saw of the Beast Incarnate though.
Brock returned at Money In The Bank 2019 and walked right into the Men's Ladder Match to win the briefcase. After weeks of taunting, Lesnar defeated Seth Rollins to win the WWE Universal Championship at Extreme Rules. This led to a final showdown between the two rivals at Summerslam 2019 in Toronto.
The crowd was heavily in favor of Brock Lesnar despite Seth Rollins being a fan favorite. However, the course of this bout changed how the fans responded. This contest started out extremely hot with Seth landing on his feet from a German suplex and hitting the Curb Stomp for a nearfall immediately.
Rollins came into the Summerslam 2019 main event with injured ribs that were wrapped, but he kept fighting. Brock brutalized him with suplexes and strikes throughout this battle. It was a fantastic sprint that had non-stop action. Seth once again overcame the odds to hit a superkick and two Curb Stomps to win back the WWE Universal Championship.
#1. Seth Rollins vs. John Cena in a Winner Takes All Match for the WWE and United States Championships (WWE Summerslam 2015)
2015 was the year of Seth Rollins, with Summerslam bringing arguably his biggest match yet. The Architect turned Messiah won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 31 and reigned with the Authority by his side. After a series of bouts against his career rival Dean Ambrose, John Cena stepped up to be his next challenger.
Before Rollins granted Cena an opportunity at his title, he answered Cena's United States Championship Open Challenge. The two men put on a fun television contest with Cena winning, but Seth broke John's nose during the course of the match. Rollins created a hilarious shirt out of this accident.
This sets the stage for Summerslam 2015 and a Winner Takes All Match for both the WWE and United States Championships. Seth Rollins came out in some amazing all-white gear for this one, which is among the best attire he has ever worn. The Brooklyn crowd at the Barclay Center were in Seth's corner and loud, which created a superb atmosphere.
This was a classic WWE-style main event with big moves, counters and nearfalls. All the reversals, twists and turns were out of this world. John Cena always steps up to match his more skilled opponents and this was no different here at Summerslam 2015. Seth Rollins brought all his signature offense and was so crisp in this bout.
Seth even brought out some moves that he doesn't usually use in WWE either, with the Phoenix Splash getting a huge reaction. Cena and Rollins worked the right match to get the most out of the fans in attendance, who responded to everything they delivered. The match was simply phenomenal, but it was hurt by the lame finish with Jon Stewart costing Cena the win.
Although the finish did take a little from this, both men delivered an all-time Summerslam classic that stole the show here. John Cena had a tremendous 2015 with his United States Title run and was consistently producing showstealers on pay-per-view. Despite a so-so WWE Title reign, Rollins was the man of the year. That's why Rollins vs Cena is Seth Rollins' best Summerslam match.
