The best matches of Summerslam, the WWE summer event

The best matches of Summerslam

We are only a week away from Summerslam, the next WWE PPV that will be staged on the Italian night between Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the 34th Summerslam and the first to take place on Saturday since 1992 (on that occasion the PPV was recorded on Saturday but aired on Monday), it will also be the first PPV to be broadcast live in selected cinemas in the United States. For the occasion we revisit some of the best of Summerslam which, we recall, is one of the four "Big Four" or the 4 original WWE PPVs which include WrestleMania, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble.

Summerslam, the story of the PPV

As mentioned above, Summerslam is one of the four original PPVs created by Vince McMahon. More precisely, this is the third PPV ever played by WWE / F after WrestleMania (created in 1985 to counter the NWA Starrcade first and WCW later) and Survivor Series. The first edition of Summerslam was held at Madison Teams Garden in 1988 and its month in the federation's programming has almost always remained that of August following McMahon's strategy of providing the most important events of the year far from those of the great American professional sports. .



Summerslam is not a thematic PPV marked by gimmick matches (although many have been played in its history) but in the course of its decades-long history it has been the scene of some important events not strictly related to the matches fought in the ring. In the 1991 edition, for example, the marriage of Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth was celebrated, in the 2002 edition Shawn Michaels returned to the ring after his first retirement, in the 1997 edition Stone Cold Steve Austin suffered the serious neck injury that will affect his career, in that of 1988 Ultimate Warrior won the Intercontinental Title becoming a star of the first magnitude in the company, in the 2005 edition Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels faced each other for the first time in the ring and finally in that in 2000 the first TLC Match in WWE / F history was played.

The best matches of Summerslam

CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar - No Disqualification Match (SummerSlam 2013) The Hardy Boys vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boys - Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match (Summerslam 2000) Bret Hart vs Owen Hart - Steel Cage Match (Summerslam 1994) AJ Styles vs John Cena (Summerslam 2016) Edge vs The Undertaker - Hell in a Cell Match (Summerslam 2008) Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon - Ladder Match (Summerslam 1995)

CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar - No Disqualification Match (SummerSlam 2013)

The 2013 edition of Summerslam is considered one of the best ever. this incredible No Disqualification Match between CM Punk and Brock Lesnar. Lesnar, who with 10 appearances at Summerslam including 6 in titled matches, faces the new face of the federation and the soon for their meeting are the services of Paul Heyman who had cost Punk the Money in The Bank Ladder Match for a few months first.



The match is structured in a simple but effective way: Lesnar on the attack and Punk who suffers by getting up with each hit received even if there are chairs, kendo sticks and other weapons in between unconventional. The public soon began to take the side of Punk who on more than one occasion seemed to be on the verge of victory. However, Paul Heyman’s intervention and the resulting F5 (Brock Lesnar’s finisher) in a chair gave Lesnar victory. However CM Punk will come out with his head more than high from the meeting (acclaimed loudly by the public) having demonstrated his qualities in the ring and being able to drag the public from his with a match between the best played by both athletes in more recent history. WWE.

The Hardy Boys vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boys - Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match (Summerslam 2000)

After warming up the engines at WrestleMania X8 with a Tables & Ladders Match, the three best tag teams of the modern era of WWE / F or The Hardy Boys, Edge & Christian and The Dudley Boys meet at Summerslam 2000 to compete for the WWF Tag Team Titles in the first, of a long and successful series , Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match. Obviously the match does not disappoint and the adrenaline and dangerousness rate is immediately very high.



The athletes involved do not spare themselves from the first minutes by ringing a series of incredible spots that include a Full Nelson Bomb from the top of the ladder, several falls from the top of the ladder including one by Jeff Hardy carambulating another ladder in the face of an unsuspecting Matt Hardy, another by Christian on a ladder where Edge was trapped and the last show by Bubba Ray on a stack of cleverly arranged ringside tables. In short, a brutal and spectacular spot fest lasting about 19 minutes!

Bret Hart vs Owen Hart - Steel Cage Match (Summerslam 1994)

There are indeed a handful of perfect matches fought in WWE and among these deserves a special place the Steel Cage Match fought at Summerslam 1994 between Bret Hart and Owen Hart. The rivalry between the two had begun at Survivor Series 1993, Owen was then turnato heel facing, and surprisingly defeating, Bret at WrestleMania X. An elaborate storyline to make Bret win the WWF Title in the same historic evening and fuel a rivalry without exclusions of shots (inside the ring and at the microphone) that would culminate in this match that has a peculiarity: it was a traditional Steel Cage and could only be won by escaping from the cage.

The two put together a timeless classic of a good 32 minutes. A perfect match, to say the least, without flaws both from a technical and storytelling point of view in the ring. The stipulation allows them some spectacular bumps (especially for the time), a decidedly unorthodox use of the cage (which we remember is not the most spacious of the Hell in a Cell) and more generally a refinement in the exchanges that today would hardly be repeatable. We are talking about two of the most refined and technical athletes who have ever stepped on a ring and this match is the proof.

AJ Styles vs John Cena (Summerslam 2016)

After debuting in the 2016 Royal Rumble, AJ Styles (at the time considered the best wrestler on the planet) needed to make a name for himself in the WWE ring and the opportunity came at Summerslam 2016 in a rematch against John Cena (their first fight at Money In The Bank 2016 ended in a controversial way) fueled by Styles' incredible turn heel.

This is a spectacular match, lasting over 20 minutes, in which both athletes dig into their entire repertoire and park moves by succeeding to perfectly highlight each other's characteristics by creating a balanced contest capable of involving the public thanks to an ever-sustained pace and the great ability to create exchanges that are never banal and always apparently decisive. The winner will be AJ Styles who in a few months would have also conquered the WWE Title.

Edge vs The Undertaker - Hell in a Cell Match (Summerslam 2008)

2008 is the year marked by one of the best rivalries of all time in WWE, the one between Edge and The Undertaker. After the victories of 'Taker a WM and the subsequent one of Edge, Summerslam 2008 was chosen as the stage for the definitive clash that could not fail to take place against the backdrop of one of the most pleasing stipulations to both athletes: the Hell in a Cell. WWE just entered the PG-14 era, the fear of a bite-free match was soon extinguished by exemplary construction giving Edge ample room with physical and mic attacks against the Deadman.

This obviously did Edge's credibility grow but also Undertaker's "anger" which materialized on the absolutely memorable 27 minutes. Edge hit 'Taker twice with the Spear, first collapsing one side of the cage and then one of the commentary tables, while the Deadman implemented tables, chairs and stairs in the match in several rounds. The match then culminated with two Chokeslam, the first obviously on a table and the second in the center of the ring which collapsed for an absolutely pyrotechnic final in the true sense of the word.

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon - Ladder Match (Summerslam 1995)

After stealing the show from Wrestlemania X with their incredible Ladder Match, Shawn Michaels gave Razor Ramon a rematch at Summerslam 1995 always giving away the Intercontinental title and again in a Ladder Match. The two athletes, now more comfortable with the still relatively unpublished special stipulation, stage a spectacular match that is superior to the one played a few months earlier and which is rightfully included in the Top 10 of all-time WWE / F matches. .

With parts reversed compared to the previous one (Shawn Michaels is now face, while Razor Ramon had started working as a baby face) and, as a great creative and innovator that he was, HBK shuffles the cards almost immediately on the table by introducing more than one ladder during the match and leaving the opponent more room for action and inventiveness which translates into a couple of really convincing bumps including a Razor's Edge (Razor Ramon's finisher) from the top of one of the stairs. The match saw Michaels confirm himself as champion but not before some failed attempts to grab the belt.

Retrieve the WWE: 30 Years Of Summerslam DVD box set on Amazon with the best matches played in the summer PPV par excellence of the WWE.