10 Best WWE SummerSlam Main Events Ever - According To Dave Meltzer

Though the August pay-per-view spectcaular hasn't ever produced a five star match in the eyes of Wrestling Observer doyen Dave Meltzer, the heat of summer hasn't quite melted all of his prestigious snowflakes.

As WWE approaches the thirtieth incarnation of the show with a product rich in match quality but starved of emotional investment, 2017's edition should get the required evocative injection in the Universal Title blockbuster featuring Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman.

The four have spent the past few months destroying one another in matches and segments that have routinely been highlights of Monday Night Raw, and their amalgamation in time for the 'Biggest Party Of The Summer was the flagship show's (and company's) best stab at a main event befitting what many consider to be the second biggest show of the year underneath WrestleMania.

But how will it compare with previous classics? SummerSlam show-closers have been met with high praise in recent years, and the event has played host to some choice era-defining clashes in the 90s and 00s.

A trek through Meltzer's all-time greats won't only showcase the highlights of years gone by, but might also foreshadow what's to be expected from the quarelling quartet on August 20th.

(NOTE: In the event of a tied rating, the most recent match slots in lower on the list. Wrestling evolves at a breakneck pace, and any older contest keeping pace with a contemporary equivalent is deserving of the elevated status)

Perhaps even a little underrated thanks to its competition elsewhere on the card, The Rock's stirring defence of his WWE Title against the backdrop of the Triple H/Kurt Angle/Stephanie McMahon love triangle and an unexpected hurdle of the Olympic Gold Medallist's real life concussion.

Expertly structured throughout, the match opened with 'The Game' tearing into Kurt following Angle's hasty decision to plant a kiss on Stephanie at the end of the go-home edition of SmackDown earlier in the week, but their war almost ended in disaster after the Spanish announce table bearing their weight collapsed before Triple H could hit his Pedigree.

Later revealed by Kurt Angle and clearly visible upon re-watch, 'The Game' had to repeatedly tell his fellow challenger to stay down, such was the concussed Angle's instinct to rise to his feet. Communicating Kurt's state to referee Earl Hebner, Triple H readied himself for what amounted mainly to a singles match with The Rock, unaware if Angle would even make it back for the detailed closing sequence.

The two warred (as they had done all year) for over ten minutes, before cameras cut to the backstage area where Stephanie McMahon begged a clearly still-dazed Kurt to return to ringside and 'help' Triple H.

Walked through every step by Stephanie, Hunter and Rock, Kurt miraculously played his part to perfection, allowing the match to play out as planned and The Rock to retain his title. It was a stunning but frightening exhibition that would thankfully never happen in 2017's concussion-conscious WWE.