Ranking All 30 WWE SummerSlam Main Events
3. 2011 – Cena (C) Vs. Punk (C)
While ranking many of these matches was difficult at times, the top three never really were in doubt. And the order of the matches really comes down to personal preference.
This was an incredible match, pitting CM Punk – who had won the title at Money in the Bank and subsequently “left” WWE – against John Cena, who had beaten Rey Mysterio for a new WWE Championship after Mysterio had won a tournament. Punk and Cena had freakish chemistry together. Their MITB matchup was a barn-burner, and this one equally had fans on the edge of their seats: Would Cena do what he always does and Rise Above a challenger, or would Punk complete his transformation into a new top star?
Punk would win the classic battle, but a Kevin Nash powerbomb would cut the celebration (and reign) short, and Alberto Del Rio would cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the title.
Del Rio and Cena would trade the title back and forth for the next three months before Punk would reclaim his belt and launch a 434-day reign that was the longest in a generation until Brock Lesnar surpassed it this summer.