10 Best WWE SummerSlams Ever - According To Dave Meltzer

2. SummerSlam 2008 (3.40)

Great Khali Vice Grip Triple H SummerSlam 2008
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The late 2000's are generally considered something of a wilderness period for WWE, with few genuine top talents breaking through from a desperately flagging developmental system and even less upward mobility for stars already on television.

Fortunately, by 2008, what had been established at least was a solid cast of 'new' main eventers. In Batista, John Cena, Edge, Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy, the company had a crew that could be relied upon as Triple H, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Chris Jericho began to reconsider full time employment between the ropes.

Several of these stars feature prominently in one of the most underrated SummerSlam's in company history, with big matches bouyed by talent old and new to create a timelessly entertaining card.

The Undertaker's feud-ending destruction of Edge is a glorious Hell In A Cell peppered with nuances that played to their lengthy rivalry, whilst Cena and Batista looked like megastars in their understated maiden pay-per-view outing. A mid-show segment that saw Chris Jericho punch Shawn Michaels' wife Rebecca was one of the evocative high points in their transcendent rivalry.

And credit must be given to Triple H, who performed superbly in challenging circumstances to give The Great Khali one of his best ever matches. Carrying a talent in a way he hadn't for eight years, Hunter bumped and bounced for the big man, before drawing him in to defeat as all discerning 'Cerebral Assassin's should. It was a masterful display.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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.