WWE SummerSlam 2012 Matches: Power Ranking Sunday's Biggest Bouts

With the 2012 edition of WWE’s SummerSlam scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 19, the excitement over the card is as high as the company could ever expect after dedicating most of their resources to the 1,000th edition of RAW.

After not giving the second-biggest pay-per-view the build it needed, the general frenzy around this event is much lower than other years, but there are some really great matches that could save the WWE from their dreadful preparation.

The following five matches are the best on the card, and they are power ranked on their order of build and how much people care about them right now.

Not how much people should care about them, but how much people actually care for them.

Enjoy!

No. 5: World Champion Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio

With this week’s SmackDown putting the world heavyweight title match between Sheamus and Alberto del Rio back on the SummerSlam card, this bout is supposed to mean so much, yet it couldn’t mean any less than it does.

The WWE Universe simply doesn’t care.

The world title is supposed to be a thing of prestige, but the boring title reign from Sheamus has more fans talking about how it reflects a John Cena title run instead of the greatness the WWE wants people to feel.

This may sound odd, but I am pulling for Sheamus to retain so that this feud is over completely, with the caveat that Wade Barrett returns Monday on RAW and destroys Sheamus. That would be a much more interesting feud than the one we currently have, that’s for sure.

No. 4: Kane vs. Daniel Bryan

While not many fans are giving this match a chance, this has the potential to be an amazing display of both men’s talents. As long as Daniel Bryan beats Kane, this will be perfect.

Bryan is the best technical wrestler in the WWE and Kane is one of the top-two big men in wrestling today, so there is no question that—if given the proper amount of time—this match will be great.

The problem is the ending.

With A.J.’s fingerprints all over this match, there is a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that says she will cost Bryan the win after a stellar match. The WWE should not make Bryan into a comedy character; he’s too good for that.

No. 3: WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Big Show

The point of CM Punk’s complaints over the last few weeks have been that he doesn’t get enough respect as the WWE champion. While that’s partially true, the disrespect will continue as he is stuck in a match with no rhyme or reason against John Cena and Big Show.

While the live crowd and the people at home will eat up any match that Cena is in, this is not going to be the main event of the evening. With Triple H and Brock Lesnar squaring off, that has to be the headline act and will relegate Punk back to the co-main event like he was before.

This match could be amazing if Punk begins the full heel turn, but the fact that WWE knows he is still getting so many cheers means they will want him to be on the fence of a face and a heel.

That doesn’t bode well for the results of this match.

No. 2: Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar

Despite the unnecessary inclusion of Shawn Michaels into this battle, the feud between Triple H and Brock Lesnar has been solid for the lack of time it was given.

We can’t forget, though, this was WWE’s trial run with this part-time contract and schedule like Lesnar signed, so it was a learning process. With that said, the buildup wasn’t as bad as the rest of the card.

The addition of Paul Heyman to the mix made this much more exciting, and the match itself is going to be an absolute brawl. With no clear winner—both men have a good chance at winning and have a few reasons behind a win—this should be one of the most anticipated fights in WWE history.

This truly is a dream match.

No. 1: Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

While there are a few good matches on this card, there is no bout that deserves more attention and praise than the one between Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho.

Despite the fact that the ending of this match looks very obvious because of Jericho’s departure after SummerSlam to pursue his musical career, this could easily be a win for Y2J followed by a beat down that leaves him out of action for an extended amount of time.

No matter what the outcome of this match is, this should be a great test to see if Ziggler truly is ready for the main event and a world title run.

As most fans of wrestling already know, he will pass this test with flying colors and likely steal the show once again.

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