10 Best WWE Title Matches In SummerSlam History

5. John Cena vs. CM Punk (2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frPkhgnepLg At the end of June 2011, CM Punk announced that his contract with WWE was coming to an end at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view and that he'd be leaving with the WWE Championship in tow. Little did fans know that it would turn into one of the most exciting angles in years. The following week, Punk aired his grievances in what is now known as the €œpipebomb promo,€ lighting the entire wrestling world on fire. Despite being offered a lucrative contract by Vince McMahon, he refused to re-sign with WWE in the weeks leading up to the anticipated event (both legitimately and in storyline). At Money in the Bank, Punk was successful in defeating Cena, walking out of the Allstate Arena in Chicago as an unemployed champion. He'd make his shocking return to WWE eight days later on WWE, confronting newly crowned champion Cena at the end of the episode to plant the seeds for their unification match at SummerSlam. It marked the first time in history that the company had two champions who had legitimate claims of being the rightful title holder. It was as big of a match as any we had seen in years, especially considering their Money in the Bank encounter had been so well received by fans. Punk and Cena are another set of competitors who could have million matches together and they would never get old. The story they're given to work with may be stronger at times than it is at others, but the excellent in-ring action remains the same. It was in his series of matches with Punk that Cena silenced his critics and proved that he could indeed hang with the best of them. Their match at 2011's SummerSlam event was another gem in their long running rivalry with the momentum shifting between the two competitors. Triple H served as the special guest referee to ensure a definitive winner, but instead played a major role in the fluky finish of the match. After another 30 minute classic, HHH counted the three count for Punk, but failed to catch Cena's foot on the bottom rope. The controversy didn't stop there, however, as a returning Kevin Nash emerged from the crowd and took out Punk, leaving Alberto Del Rio to pick up the scraps and cash in his Money in the Bank contract to win his first WWE title.