10 Worst SummerSlam Main Events Ever - According To Dave Meltzer

9. SummerSlam 2016 - Brock Lesnar Vs Randy Orton (***)

Brock Lesnar Randy Orton
WWE Network

A Brock Lesnar match seemingly for the sake of it, his feud with Randy Orton was less of a rivalry and more of an extremely niche dream match carried predominantly by a UFC-style build-up that promoted the match ahead of selling an emotional reason for the fight.

Ironically, it was Lesnar's recent indiscretion that at last added some fuel to the fire. Brock had been popped by a USADA drug test following his UFC200 fight against Mark Hunt, giving Orton ammunition for his promo at July 2016's Battleground pay-per-view, where he literally dropped the mic after delivering a (laughably hypocritical) 'no enhancement needed' closing line on 'The Beast'.

'The Viper' perhaps regretted the remarks as half of his head spilled out on to the canvas following a series of match-ending strikes by his giant foe. Dragging some drama kicking and screaming out of a listless and uncompetitive encounter, the planned cut delivered the necessary, but didn't make up for the poor match and empty run-up.

In even more horrifying scenes, Brock Lesnar went nose to nose with Shane McMahon to plant seeds for a future bout between the two that thankfully never sprouted.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, 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. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett