On August 29, 1988, WWE held its first ever SummerSlam pay-per-view, emanating live from the famous Madison Square Garden. Almost four decades later, it has become the second biggest show of the Stamford-based promotion’s calendar year.
Having said that, there have been several enthralling matches that have taken place at the event throughout the years. With SummerSlam 2024 less than a couple of weeks away, here are the ten best matches at the Biggest Party of the Summer from the last decade:
#10: Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins-SummerSlam 2019
Seth Rollins had an intriguing 2019. After deservedly winning the Universal title at WrestleMania, his championship reign did not live up to expectations. Therefore, when Brock Lesnar cashed in and won the belt back, fans were elated. However, leave it to Rollins to turn a hostile crowd reaction in his favor. At SummerSlam, The Architect proved why he’s Mr. Reliable in WWE as he and Lesnar put on an entertaining main event.
Although most of the match is Lesnar’s usual suplexes and F5s, Rollins poses as the perfect David to his opponent’s Goliath. Despite having bruised ribs, he countered The Beast’s offense with his high-risk and pacey skillset. At the end, Rollins delivered a splash on Lesnar through the announce table on the outside. After two Stomps, the former Shield member once again reigned as not only champion but as the top guy on Monday nights.
#9: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair-SummerSlam 2016
Back in 2016, Sasha Banks won her first women’s title on the main roster. In her first title defense, she faced friend-turned-enemy Charlotte Flair. Needless to say, these two did not disappoint on a big stage. At the start of the bout, Banks landed roughly on the top rope and hurt her back in the process. The Queen worked on the injured area as the duo went back and forth to deliver their respective submission maneuvers.
The most noteworthy moment of the bout saw Banks reverse a top rope Razor’s Edge into a Hurricanrana. After a series of big moves, Flair cheekily reversed the Bank Statement and shockingly pinned The Boss to become the new champion. This would end up being the first of several encounters between Banks and Flair, as they feuded until the end of the year. Regardless, this was arguably one of the best singles matches from their rivalry.
#8: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar-SummerSlam 2014
The night when Suplex City was officially born. Brock Lesnar completely decimated John Cena in a squash match for the WWE Championship. The Beast walked into this match on the heels of shockingly breaking The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania. Cena was still the face of WWE, which makes the way this bout panned out even more surprising.
The former UFC fighter toyed with his opponent for 16 minutes, delivering 16 suplexes to The Cenation Leader. The fans in the arena couldn’t believe what had transpired as the ‘Super Cena’ character ended in front of their eyes. Moreover, Lesnar won the WWE World Championship after deciding to put an end to the merciless beating with a F5.
#7: Edge vs. Seth Rollins-SummerSlam 2021
A riveting clash between two icons of different eras. The rivalry between Seth Rollins and Edge was perhaps the best of 2021. Throughout their bout, Rollins worked on Edge’s surgically repaired neck. The Visionary brutalized his opponent with neckbreakers and vicious knees to the back. Despite pulling out the hits from his arsenal, Rollins was not able to put away his opponent.
Edge fought back, most notably spearing The Architect through the ropes to the outside. This shifted the momentum of the match as the Rated-R Superstar planted Rollins with another Spear. However, the latter kicked out, which prompted Edge to deliver a series of submission moves. The Hall of Famer emerged victorious after making Rollins tap out to a crossface-chokehold combination.
#6: Seth Rollins vs. John Cena-SummerSlam 2015
For the majority of 2015, Seth Rollins reigned supreme as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Meanwhile, John Cena had arguably his best year, in-ring-wise. Therefore, fans were excited to see these two clash at the Biggest Party of the Summer that year. In a champion vs. champion battle, Rollins and Cena stole the show with an incredible match.
The Cenation Leader was aiming for history, eyeing his 16th world title, while Rollins wanted to further cement his position at the top. In the closing stretches of the match, Cena hit The Architect with an AA, only for the referee to be knocked down. For some reason, Jon Stewart proved to be the deciding factor as he ambushed Cena with a steel chair, costing him his US title and chance to tie Ric Flair.
#5: Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns-SummerSlam 2017
An absolute car crash of a match took place in the main event of SummerSlam 2017. Straight from the start of the bell, Braun Strowman laid out all three of his opponents. The Monster Among Men went right after Brock Lesnar, powerslaming him through two announce tables and burying him underneath another one. As a result, The Beast was stretchered out to the back.
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe hit each other in a sequence of big moves while taming Strowman as well. Steel chairs and commentary chairs were casually thrown around by the 7ft giant. However, a defiant Lesnar ended up returning to the bout and putting away Reigns with an F5 to retain his Universal Championship.
#4: John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan-SummerSlam 2013
Circa 2013, Daniel Bryan was the hottest babyface in professional wrestling. Pitted against the face of WWE, John Cena, he had a point to prove. The latter, who walked into the match with an injured elbow, tried to neutralize Bryan’s speed and technique with his power. In a back-and-forth encounter, Cena and Bryan took each other to their limits.
During the match, the former ROH World Champion took a page out of his opponent’s book with a STF. Meanwhile, the ever-resilient Cena continued to bring out his big moves, which weren’t enough to put away Bryan. In the end, Bryan hit Cena with a vicious running knee and pinned The Franchise Player clean to become WWE Champion. Although he didn’t hold on to the belt for long, Bryan cemented his place as a main event star in WWE.
#3: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar-SummerSlam 2022
The first ever PLE main event under the Triple H regime provided fans with an insight into what was about to come. Roman Reigns defended his Undisputed Universal title against his longtime rival, Brock Lesnar. The Beast did the unthinkable when he arrived to the ring in his tractor. After trying to subdue Reigns with suplexes and F5s, Lesnar used the tractor to his advantage by flipping the ring!
Michael Cole stood out on commentary as The Usos ran in to save their Tribal Chief. After thwarting an Austin Theory cashin and hitting the F5 on his former advocate, Lesnar fell to a 10-count. It took a series of Spears and belts to tame the Beast as Reigns once again walked out with his championship intact.
#2: AJ Styles vs. John Cena-SummerSlam 2016
A duo that has never failed to deliver in the ring. AJ Styles and John Cena were like a match made in heaven during the rivalry in 2016–17. After debuting at that year’s Royal Rumble, Mr. TNA was on a mission to prove why he was one of the best wrestlers in the world. And what better way to do so than against The Franchise Player of WWE? The fast-paced encounter at SummerSlam blew the roof off the Barclays Center that night.
Big move after big move, these two brought the best out of each other. When Cena hit an Avalanche AA on Styles, everyone thought the match was over. However, The Phenomenal One kicked out to the surprise of almost everyone in the arena, including Cena. At the end, it took a combination of a Styles Clash and a Phenomenal Forearm as AJ Styles pinned John Cena clean!
#1: Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk-SummerSlam 2013
In the summer of 2013, Paul Heyman betrayed his best friend, CM Punk. As such, the ECW legend summoned Brock Lesnar to deal with the fallout. Punk and Lesnar fought in one of the most brutal encounters of the year. In a pace vs. strength battle, both men showcased the best of their abilities.
Lesnar crushed Punk on the outside with suplexes, while the latter used high-risk moves to wear down The Beast. In what was a close bout, Heyman proved to be the point of difference between the two superstars. A couple of interferences by Heyman were enough to distract Punk as he succumbed to a F5 on a steel chair.
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