25 Greatest Matches In WWE SummerSlam History
Counting down the top hits of summer!
The biggest spectacle of the summer is upon us, and with that comes not only the anticipation of huge matchups at this Sunday's SummerSlam -- such as the long-awaited rematch between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar -- but also some reminiscing about SummerSlams past.
The event has quite the history -- Brock Lesnar, Daniel Bryan, and Randy Orton all first became world champions at SummerSlam, while Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Triple H, The Rock, and many more participated in wild, dazzling ladder matches. Nobody will ever forget Michaels's incredible return at the 2002 event, or Lesnar's complete domination of John Cena in 2014.
This year, SummerSlam is shaping up to be another memorable show. In addition to the Lesnar-Undertaker WrestleMania XXX rematch, John Cena and Seth Rollins will battle for both the WWE World Heavyweight and United States Championships, and Cesaro will take on Kevin Owens in a match that has the potential to steal the show.
Will any of those bouts become instant classics? If they're going to take a spot amongst the top 25 SummerSlam matches of all time, they'll have an uphill battle. Let's take a look at the classic contests that have set the stage for this year's huge event.
25. The Rock Versus Brock Lesnar, SummerSlam 2002
Heading into SummerSlam 2002, Brock Lesnar was a 25-year-old monster with an undefeated streak, while The Rock was the company's top superstar and the most prolific WWE Champion of all-time. Both men prepared for a war, with clip packages showing their training regimens being aired to give the bout a more legitimate feel.
When the main event of the show came, it was indeed a war. Brock Lesnar and The Rock battled back and forth, with Brock dominating in the beginning, but Rock fighting back. When Lesnar's manager Paul Heyman got involved, Rock planted him through the announcers' table with a Rock Bottom. Unfortunately, taking Heyman out of the equation wasn't enough.
Brock managed to hit his devastating F5 finisher, defeating The Rock to become the youngest WWE Champion ever. It was a brutal war that established Brock as a top player in WWE for the rest of his career.