10 Best WWE SummerSlams Ever - According To Dave Meltzer

9. SummerSlam 2005 (3.09)

daniel bryan john cena summerslam 2013
WWE.com

Stealing the headlines just so Hulk Hogan couldn't, Shawn Michaels has etched himself into most people's memories of the 2005 August supershow thanks to his overzealous mockery of 'The Hulker's dated offence.

Hilarious but heinous, 'HBK' seamlessly meshed all his best and worst habits into one 21-minute clip show, exhibiting his apparent disdain with Hogan's one-and-done attitude to their programme he'd invested much to.

Forming the spine of the show was a disappointing (for them) ladder match between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. Drowning in storyline (the pair were fighting over custody of Rey's son Dominik), the battle collapsed when Eddie's wife Vickie missed a cue to save Mysterio from defeat, leading to an infamously audible 'WHERE THE F**K WAS VICKIE?!' wail from 'Latino Heat' following an improvised adjustment.

Elsewhere though, SummerSlam 2005 is an engaging show that allows many new performers some crucial big stage experience during a hugely transitional time.

For one of the first times since becoming WWE Champion at WrestleMania that year, John Cena heard sizeable boos for his schtick during a successful effort against Chris Jericho. Conversely, his next challenger Kurt Angle was cheered wildly for his fierce decimation of Eugene, highlighting the company's growing disconnection with the emotional beats of their audience. It would live on to this day as a consistent issue.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett