25 Greatest Matches In WWE SummerSlam History

Chris Benoit captured the World Heavyweight Title in dramatic fashion at WrestleMania XX, but Randy Orton's rise began at the same event when he pinned the legendary Mick Foley. Orton would go on to defeat Foley in a singles match at Backlash, and when July came, he won a Raw battle royal for a title shot at SummerSlam.

It was the first major match between the two men, and as such, there was a feeling-out process. Both men tried to lock in Sharpshooters, but it was Benoit who was successful. Still, Orton held on, as he did when Benoit delivered seven German suplexes. Orton managed to avoid a diving headbutt, and when Benoit locked in the Crippler Crossface, the 24-year-old escaped and hit an RKO for the victory.

The action in the bout was great, and that combined with the fact that Orton had cleanly won his first world title to make the match a classic.