10 Worst SummerSlam Main Events Ever - According To Dave Meltzer

2. SummerSlam 1995 - Diesel Vs Mabel (1/2*)

Brock Lesnar Randy Orton
WWE

Diesel's much-maligned 1995 WWE Title run is considered disastrous both creatively and commercially, but 'Big Daddy Cool' worked out of his skin to drag a semblance of credibility kicking and screaming out of his woefully under-prepared challenger in their cumbersome and ultimately unrewarding SummerSlam main event.

The Champion had been able to show realistic weakness against Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in outstanding matches earlier in the year, and his big man battles with Sid hadn't been complete crime scenes either. The same couldn't be said for this effort.

Exhausted after his early flurry, Mabel took a plancha (!) from the Champion as he rested on the floor, before retaking control with the match's only heat sequence, managing to legitimately injure Diesel when he dropped every pound of his bulky frame directly onto his back.

A poorly-organised closing sequence didn't help, with Lex Luger returning to television one last time to save the champion from a Men On A Mission beatdown, only for 'Big D' to attack him anyway out of mistrust for his former 'Allied Powers' partner Davey Boy Smith.

Luger ran off Mo eventually, freeing up Diesel to defeat Mabel with a underwhelming second rope clothesline, so completely impossible was a Jackknife on the ungainly challenger.

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