WWE SummerSlam 2015: Greatest Title Matches in PPV's History
Of the Big Four WWE pay-per-views, SummerSlam holds a special place in the affections of many fans. Since its inception in 1988, it's played host to some of the most memorable matches in the history of WWE.
While WrestleMania is about stories, SummerSlam is about the matches themselves. Unbridled by the need to be thought of as the biggest show of the year, fans love the event because it's often used to showcase rivalries that will undoubtedly produce magic between the ropes.
Wrestlers of that standard are always going to be gunning for titles, and as such, there have been a host of memorable contests with gold on the line. Whether it's the world title, the tag titles or one of WWE's other belts, the reward is often apt encouragement to ensure a top-notch match.
If you're looking to prepare yourself for SummerSlam 2015, consider these the best 10 title matches to watch ahead of this year's event. These are the bouts that this year's card will be judged against—and it's a very high standard indeed.
10. Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy at SummerSlam '01
1 of 10
This pairing was always going to produce some raucous action, but it's difficult to imagine a better platform for the unique skills of RVD and Jeff Hardy than a Ladder match for the Hardcore Championship.
After an entertaining display of technique in the opening moments, things got hardcore quickly—and it's terrific fun. We've become desensitized to ladders in modern WWE, but the creativity on show here still has some surprises more than a decade after the match took place.
The WCW/ECW invasion of 2001 didn't come off as planned, but matches like this demonstrate that it did have its moments. When you pair up the best WWE has to offer in a particular style with the best of the rest, you're usually going to get a very good result.
9. Tables, Ladders and Chairs at SummerSlam '00
2 of 10
TLC matches are part of the very fabric of WWE at this point, but in the year 2000, it was a new idea that six talented tag team wrestlers used to establish their division as one of the most exciting elements of the WWE roster of the time.
The follow-up bout at WrestleMania some months later was certainly a bigger and better version of the action on show here, but the original still had its charms. While we've seen plenty of matches of this type since, there's still a sense of danger in these early contests that is rarely matched more recently.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, pro wrestling was tending toward the hardcore—and that produced plenty more bad matches than it did good. However, this bout certainly belongs in the latter category rather than the former.
8. Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock at SummerSlam '02
3 of 10
Brock Lesnar's first WWE run has been somewhat overshadowed by his return. His second tenure with the company has already outlasted his first, and having broken the Streak and gone on a tear with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, he's perhaps achieved more this time around.
However, the impact Lesnar had in 2002 can't be overstated. The Beast had an incredible rookie year, and his match with The Rock at SummerSlam was one of its standout moments.
There's a reason that Lesnar vs. Rock is often mentioned as a possibility for WrestleMania, and it's because this meeting between the two was so good. In fact, even considering the fact that Lesnar is a far better wrestler now that he was back then, it's difficult to see the pair being able to top this bout.
7. X-Pac vs. Tajiri at SummerSlam '01
4 of 10
There's a commonly held assumption that the best pro wrestling matches are the biggest—but the fact is, it takes a varied card to make a great show. The fast-paced action that we witnessed from start to finish in this Cruiserweight Championship-Light Heavyweight Championship unification match proves that point.
The styles of both men mesh perfectly here, with signature techniques from both Tajiri and X-Pac flowing into one another freely via a complex series of counters and feints. Fans still clamour for a return of the cruiserweight division, and revisiting action like this really makes you understand why.
A great cruiserweight match like this is short but taut and offers something wholly different to the rest of the show. The fact that it wasn't the main event shouldn't detract from this bout's status as one of the best title matches ever to take place at SummerSlam—in fact, it's a near-perfect undercard match.
6. Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude at SummerSlam '90
5 of 10
Fresh off an engaging match for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam '89, Rick Rude and Ultimate Warrior would step into a steel cage to contest the world title in 1990.
Today, it's no surprise when a cage match relies on one competitor labouring over the decision whether to exit the structure or inflict more damage on their opponent. However, that trope was played to perfection here, with Rude perhaps proving to be his own downfall as he persistently tried to put Warrior away.
Despite his limitations in the ring, Warrior played his part very well—but someone as talented as Rude is capable of elevating his capabilities to a great match. This match doesn't really get discussed very much these days, but it's well worth a watch if you haven't seen it before.
5. Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena at SummerSlam '13
6 of 10
While WrestleMania 30 will likely be remembered as Daniel Bryan's ultimate underdog performance, there's plenty of reason to argue that his match with John Cena at the 2013 edition of SummerSlam was just as gripping.
Like many great title matches, this one centred on an impossible dream—even the most dedicated fans couldn't quite allow themselves to believe that Bryan could come out on top. The bout itself played up that idea brilliantly, and an engaged crowd backed the drama with an electric atmosphere.
In recent months, Cena's open challenge has made us quite used to seeing the Doctor of Thuganomics put on great matches. However, in 2013, that wasn't the situation—a match of this caliber was far from Cena's norm, which made it all the more satisfying to see.
This was a great match to watch live, and it remains a very entertaining contest to return to. It will certainly go down as an important chapter in Bryan's career, but moreover, it will be looked back on as one of the great SummerSlam main events.
4. Hart Foundation vs. Demolition at SummerSlam 1990
7 of 10
This 2-out-of-3 Falls match is a tag team classic, as you might expect from two of the greatest tag teams of their era. With Demolition pulling out every trick in the book, the onus was on Anvil and the Hitman to somehow stem the flow and take home the gold.
The pair had their work cut out for them, with Crush and Smash resorting to everything from an attack on the referee to an early form of Twin Magic to gain an unfair advantage. However, these shenanigans didn't detract at all from the in-ring competition.
These two teams previously contested the tag titles at SummerSlam two years earlier, and the chemistry between them was difficult to miss. This was during a time when tag team wrestling was given its deserved prominence, and it would be terrific to see a return to it today.
3. Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam '95
8 of 10
SummerSlam has been the site of many excellent Ladder matches over the years, and this rematch is one of the very best. Of course, given that it's the follow-up bout to perhaps the best example of the stipulation ever, that should be of little surprise.
Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels were both eager to stake their claim as being amongst the best the business had to offer in the 1990s, and as it turned out, a ladder was the perfect tool to help them reach the top. Watching their WrestleMania X bout back-to-back with this one demonstrates just how each man was constantly striving to step their game up.
Like many SummerSlam matches, it could be argued this pairing had a better showing at WrestleMania. However, unlike some similar bouts, there's certainly enough to differentiate this contest from the other Razor vs. Michaels Ladder match, giving it an appeal all of its own.
2. British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart at SummerSlam '92
9 of 10
Few matches have ever reached the legendary status of this classic SummerSlam main event. With a lively crowd at Wembley Stadium firmly behind their countryman, it's proof that the Intercontinental Championship can be made to seem like the biggest prize in all of wrestling with the right narrative.
Of course, the storyline isn't what makes this one a classic—it's the performances within. Bret Hart is a true master of the craft, and that's rarely been demonstrated better than it was here. The fans in attendance would have cheered on Davey Boy regardless, but Hart makes sure everyone in attendance is completely invested.
With great technique in the ring, an engaging subplot enhanced by Diana Hart-Smith's presence in the audience and a crowd that's completely invested in what's going on between the ropes, this is a match that lives up to the hype—whether you're revisiting it or seeing it unfold for the first time.
1. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart at SummerSlam '94
10 of 10
Owen and Bret Hart both had plenty of amazing matches, but many would argue they both did their best work when wrestling one another. Between WrestleMania X and this match from SummerSlam later in the year, it's not too difficult to see why.
The Harts' feud was one of the most personal rivalries ever to involve the world title. Owen wanted to step out from his brother's shadow, and there were absolutely no lengths he wouldn't go to do so.
As a result, their matches had a reason to be brutal—and because the pair were brothers, they could make that seem very real in the ring. This cage match was nothing less than a war, with every single manoeuvre executed with venom.
This bout satisfies both as a title fight and a grudge match, with the stipulation adding an element of spectacle to the proceedings for good measure. It delivers on just about every front that you could be looking for, and for that reason, it stands out as the best title match ever to take place at SummerSlam.
What's your favourite SummerSlam title match? Let us know in the comments section below.
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