Last Updated on March 15, 2024 by Avik Das
SummerSlam is one of the big four pay-per-views of WWE. As a matter of fact, it is deemed the second grandest event of the company after WrestleMania. Generally held in August, SummerSlam is called ‘Biggest Party of the Summer’, and it is hosted in some big venues all around the United States. WWE also hosted SummerSlam outside the United States in countries like the United Kingdom and Canada.
Starting back in 1988, SummerSlam of WWE has been around for over three decades, with the SummerSlam 2023 being the thirty-sixth edition of the event. In the past thirty-three SummerSlam pay-per-view, WWE delivered some memorable events. From Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin to John Cena, many such incredible legends have competed in the Biggest Party of the Summer.
WWE had many spectacular SummerSlam events, but some of them also didn’t reach expectations.
# 5 Best: SummerSlam 2015
SummerSlam 2015 was packed with several dream matches, including a titanic main event between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, which was the rematch of their previous WrestleMania 30 match. Held at the famous Barclays Center in New York, the show had a total of ten matches, including some title matches. The show opened with an amazing singles match between Sheamus and Randy Orton, which the former won. The Fatal 4-Way Tag Team match was entertaining too, while Stephen Amell gave an incredible guest performance in a tag team match to beat King Barrett and Stardust. With the help of comedian Job Stewart, Seth Rollins won both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE United States Championship against John Cena. In the main event, Undertaker picked up his first only career win against Brock Lesnar, even though the finishing of the match was controversial.
# 5 Worst: SummerSlam 2020
SummerSlam 2020 had huge importance because it was the first show of company inside the WWE Thunderdome, where the fans would watch the event virtually. Amway Center in Orlando, Florida was the host of the event, and WWE was certainly affected by the Covid 19, as a handful of big names were missing from the event. The most notable name was Brock Lesnar, who featured in the big summer event since 2011. Dominic Mysterio’s performance was the most notable one of the night. The debutant was impressive despite losing to Seth Rollins. On the other hand, Bayley beat Asuka, but the match didn’t live up to the hype. While Drew McIntyre retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton, The Fiend dethroned Braun Strowman to win his second Universal Championship. However, Roman Reigns returned after the match and decimated both The Fiend and Strowman. Overall, most matches were below average, and the show didn’t feel like a big pay-per-view.
# 4 Best: SummerSlam 1992
SummerSlam 1992 was a year to remember because it was held at Wembley Stadium in London, UK, making it the first pay-per-view to be held in the United Kingdom. Be overseas, WWE left no stone unturned to make a great star-studded event that consisted of eleven matches. The WWE Championship match between The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage took place, which the former won by count-out despite a brilliant match of nearly half an hour. The Undertaker defeated Kamala in a singles match. The local boy, The British Bulldog, won the WWE Intercontinental Championship after beating Bret Hart in the main event.
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# 4 Worst: SummerSlam 1996
With the rise of WCW, WWE lost big stars to the new rising company in 1996, and the ratings also started shifting to the now-defunct company due to the star power. Therefore, WWE struggled to deliver a good show in 1996, and it lacked notable stars to make it a big and successful show. Sycho Sid and The British Bulldog wrestled in a singles match, which was an ordinary bout. There was a dream match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Yokkzuna, but the former wasn’t a star back then. And the match ended in less than two minutes. The Boiler Room Brawl between Undertaker and Mankind was probably the match of the night, as Paul Bearer turned on The Deadman. Shawn Michaels defeated Vader in the main events.
# 3 Best: SummerSlam 2019
Arguably one of the best SummerSlam events in recent years took place in 2019. Taking place in Ontario, Canada, SummerSlam 2019 was an event to remember with some noteworthy big names, including the likes of Trish Stratus, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar. The event awesome with eleven matches. Becky Lynch, then the RAW Women’s Champion, defeated Natalya in an awe-inspiring submission match to retain the belt. AJ Styles and Ricochet produced a remarkable match, showing high-flying ability and athletism in that fifteen minutes bout. Goldberg destroyed Dolph Ziggler, while Charlotte Flair forced Trish Stratus to submit in a dream match. Bray Wyatt made the debut of The Fiend character. The main event saw Seth Rollins winning the Universal Championship after slaying the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar.
# 3 Worst: SummerSlam 2010
Upon looking at the show of 2010, it didn’t even look like a match card of the second biggest event of the year. There were only seven matches in the event, and none of them was good enough except the main event. The WWE Intercontinental Championship was one the line, which Dolph Ziggler successfully defended against Kofi Kingston. The Divas Championship match between Alicia Fox and Melina wasn’t worth mentioning, while the WWE Championship wasn’t on the line when Sheamus, then the WWE Champion, faced Randy Orton in a Last Chance match. Led by John Cena, Team WWE beat The Nexus in a 7-on-7 Elimination Tag Team match, making it the only decent match.
# 2 Best: SummerSlam 2003
Given how good the year 2003 was for WWE, it was no surprise that SummerSlam was good in the same year. Not only some huge stars were part of the pay-per-view, but also a majority of matches were praiseworthy to be still remembered today. A total of eight matches were on the match card. Undertaker beat A-Train in a singles match, while Eddie Guerrero successfully defended the WWE United States Title in a Fatal 4-Way match, which was an exceptional bout. The WrestleMania 19 rematch between Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle was a great match. But the Elimination Chamber main event certainly stole the show, and the match had six legendary names- Triple H, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Goldberg, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho. Even though Goldberg dominated the match and made a couple of eliminations, Triple H prevailed at the end.
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# 2 Worst: SummerSlam 2007
With three brands, WWE RAW, WWE SmackDown, and WWE ECW participating, SummerSlam in 2007 seemed to be good on paper, but the reality was different. The PPV, unfortunately, was filled with some ordinary matches that shouldn’t have been on a PPV, let alone on a huge show like SummerSlam. Perhaps the only good match of the PPV was in the main event, where John Cena defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton, which the champion won. The World Heavyweight Championship match between The Great Khali and Batista was probably the worst one of the event that ended in disqualification. Out of nine matches, seven matches lasted less than ten minutes, proving the poor booking of the show.
# 1 Best: SummerSlam 2001
The Attitude Era was the best era in WWE history and consequently, this era not only built some greatest names in professional wrestling but also produced some spectacular pay-per-views, including the SummerSlam in 2001. After the fall of WCW, the storyline of Alliance created a huge buzz, and it also continued at 2001. SummerSlam, where a handful of matches took place between Alliance and WWE. Representing WWE, Chris Jericho pinned The Alliance’s Rhyno in a solid singles match. The Hardcore Championship ladder match between RVD and Jeff Hardy was certainly a match to recall from the shows, while The Brothers of Destruction faced Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon in a tag team Steel cage match, which was nothing short of incredible. If they weren’t enough, the fans also saw a dream match between Kurt Angle and Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWE Championship. In the main event, The Rock won the WCW Championship from Alliance’s Booker T.
# 1 Worst: SummerSlam 1993
If 1992 produced one of the best SummerSlam pay-per-views, the very next year the scenario was the opposite. Even after having eleven matches on the card, none of those matches caught attention, especially after the absence or departure of big stars like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Ultimate Warrior affected SummerSlam results. A preponderance of matches failed to last even ten minutes. Razon Ramon beat Ted DiBiase, and The Steiner Brothers prevailed over The Heavenly Bodies, but both matches were average. The Undertaker beat Giant Gonzalez in an embarrassingly slow match. Two powerhouses, Lex Luger and Yokozuna crossed paths for the WWE Championship match in the main event, but the match was substandard like the rest of the event, and the latter remained the champion after a count-out win.
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Avik Das is the founder of Sportsheed. He is a sports lover with broad knowledge of Professional Wrestling, MMA, Football, and Cricket. He has an English major and has previously written articles for various sports and entertainment websites
