12 Best WWE Title Changes At SummerSlam
3. WWE Undisputed Championship (2002): The Rock (c) Vs. Brock Lesnar
This match also could be known as “How to Make a
Star 101.” In 2002, Brock Lesnar was still known as the Next Big Thing rather
than the Beast. He was a rookie who was tearing his way through WWE superstars
left and right. What happened at SummerSlam 2002 capped that meteoric rise to
the top.
Whether a heel or a face, The Rock had been a top guy in WWE for several years. He’d beaten all comers through the years, having toppled Hulk Hogan a few months earlier at WrestleMania X-8. But Lesnar represented a new challenge for the Brahma Bull.
In a changing-of-the-guard moment, Rock put over Lesnar clean as a sheet to kick off the Next Big Thing’s run on top of WWE. Had Lesnar not left after WrestleMania XX, there’s no telling how big a star he would have been through the 2000s. But for a solid two years, Lesnar was an unstoppable force, and this title win kicked that run into overdrive.