Ranking Every WWE SummerSlam of the Last Decade

Over the last decade, WWE SummerSlam has evolved into a spectacle befitting recognition as the company's second-most important premium live event of the year, behind only WrestleMania.

From unforgettable returns to iconic match-ups, the show has consistently delivered what fans expect from one of the company's biggest extravaganzas.

Ahead of the 2026 offering, relive the last 10 events, ranked from worst to best according to match quality and historical significance.

10. 2021

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SummerSlam returned to a jam-packed stadium for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. In the main event, John Cena looked to become the latest Superstar to dethrone Roman Reigns as Universal champion. He would fall short, but The Tribal Chief would find a new challenger in the form of a returning Brock Lesnar.

A star-studded card supported that blockbuster main event, but never quite reached its fullest potential, despite a few quality surprises, including Becky Lynch's first appearance since taking maternity leave over a year earlier.

Most Notable Match: Edge vs. Seth Rollins

The Rated R Superstar returned to the SummerSlam stage for the first time since 2010, battling Seth Rollins in an intensely personal match-up.

A competitive match that saw each competitor escape, evade, and kick out of their signature maneuvers, it concluded with a vengeful Edge trapping The Architect in a crossface, then slamming his face into the mat to finally elicit the tapout win.

The bout was another great showing from the Hall of Famer that year and an indicator of the incredible in-ring chemistry that existed between him and Rollins, who further established himself as one of the great performers of his generation.

Key Results

• Becky Lynch defeated SmackDown Women's champion Bianca Belair to win the title
• Charlotte Flair defeated Raw Women's champion Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley in a Triple Threat Match to win the title
• WWE champion Bobby Lashley defeated Goldberg via referee stoppage
• Universal champion Roman Reigns defeated John Cena

9. 2017

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Much like its predecessor on this list, the 2017 show suffered only from an undercard that never quite lived up to its potential.

Despite championship matches galore, and several high-profile stars, it lacked a punch that created excitement for a product that had cooled significantly post-WrestleMania.

John Cena sent a message loudly and clearly to Baron Corbin in the night's opening squash match and The Shield's Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose captured tag team gold by knocking off the fantastic duo of Sheamus and Cesaro.

Still, despite a Match of the Year candidate main event, the show remains a mostly forgettable one.

Notable Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe

The Universal Championship was on the line as The Beast defended against three of the most badass challengers he had encountered in his title reign. Lesnar was uncharacteristically beaten and battered before being slammed through the announce table and stretchered out of the arena. Like a true conqueror, he returned, tore through the competition, and retained his title in one of the best matches of his career and an underrated brawl.

Key Results

• John Cena defeated Baron Corbin
• Sasha Banks defeated Raw Women's champion Alexa Bliss to win the title
• "The Demon" Finn Balor defeated Bray Wyatt
• Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins defeated Sheamus and Cesaro to win the Raw Tag Team Championship
• WWE champion Jinder Mahal defeated Shinsuke Nakamura
• Universal champion Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Samoa Joe in a Fatal 4-Way Match

8. 2016

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2016 saw WWE take a big swing, positioning fresh and interesting talent in new positions.

Dean Ambrose won the company's top prize over the summer and defended against Dolph Ziggler while Finn Balor, Becky Lynch, Big Cass, and Enzo Amore all took on expanded roles as members of the latest NXT class to be called up.

With that said, the company still looked to its past and the first Ohio Valley Wrestling class to headline the show with Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar. A frustrating conclusion to that match left a bad taste in the mouths of fans and, unfortunately, hampered an otherwise solid show.

Notable Match: John Cena vs. AJ Styles

Hellbent on proving that he had what it took to be a top-tier Superstar in WWE, The Phenomenal One took to the SummerSlam stage for his match with the face of the company and proceeded to wrestle the best match of 2016 and one of the best matches of his Hall of Fame career.

An extraordinary, five-star classic featuring incredible reversals and counters, and a super character-driven performance from Cena as he found himself in disbelief over Styles' resilience, it proved to be a star-making performance for the TNA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling export and a reaffirmation of the babyface's excellence.

Styles went over, and WWE had its next main event star. Within a month, he would be the WWE champion.

Key Results

• Charlotte Flair defeated Sasha Banks to win the Raw Women's Championship
• WWE champion Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler
• Finn Balor defeated Seth Rollins to win the Universal Championship
• Brock Lesnar defeated Randy Orton via referee stoppage

7. 2018

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The 2018 show features two polar-opposite world title matches.

Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar in the show-closing bout, the culmination of years of The Big Dog attempting to best the Beast Incarnate and his return to the top of the pro wrestling mountain.

Those two products of the WWE machine headlined, but the company's namesake title was on the line between two stars who established their own stars in smaller venues around the world, then in the six-sided ring of TNA, as AJ Styles defended against Samoa Joe.

Elsewhere on the card, Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler set a high bar from the get-go, while The Miz defeated Daniel Bryan in somewhat of a shocking outcome that propelled their heated rivalry forward. Despite all of the stars at play in those bouts, none of the matches stole the show quite like the title bout in the middle of the broadcast.

Notable Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Carmella

Before she was The Man, Lynch was the underutilized hidden gem of the women's division.

That forever changed at the 2018 SummerSlam, when the frustration over The Queen stealing the SmackDown Women's Championship out from underneath her boiled over and resulted in a heel turn that earned a thunderous ovation from the fans in Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

The match was fine, but the instant elevation of Lynch and the start of a magical run that would culminate months later in the main event of WrestleMania 35 was, arguably, the most memorable moment of the entire night.

Key Results

• Seth Rollins defeated Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler to win the Intercontinental Championship
• Samoa Joe defeated WWE champion AJ Styles via disqualification
• The Miz defeated Daniel Bryan
• Ronda Rousey defeated Raw Women's champion Alexa Bliss to win the title
• Roman Reigns defeated Universal champion Brock Lesnar to win the title

6. 2023

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On paper, the 2023 show really should rank in the top two or three on this list. It has, after all, matches such as Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor, Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre, and an emotionally red-hot showdown between Jey Uso and Roman Reigns in the main event.

For the most part, those matches are good, if nothing else.

On a list consisting of SummerSlam events featuring genuinely great matches, though, good only gets the 2023 show so far.

There is one match worth going out of one's way to check out, though, a pivotal point in a certain Superstar's march toward establishing himself as QB1 in WWE.

Notable Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar

In the third match of their 2023 trilogy, The American Nightmare endured a furious onslaught from The Beast Incarnate that included an F-5 through the announce table to defeat Lesnar and put their rivalry in the rear-view mirror.

A key entry in Rhodes' journey back to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship picture, it highlighted the second-generation star's toughness in the face of an unstoppable force.

It once again proved that he could endure tremendous punishment, overcome it, and emerge victoriously, something he would have to do if he were to overcome Roman Reigns down the line.

Key Results

• Intercontinental champion Gunther defeated Drew McIntyre
• World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins defeated Finn Balor
• Bianca Belair defeated Raw Women's champion Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat Match to win the title
• Iyo Sky defeated Raw Women's champion Bianca Belair to win the title
• Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns defeated Jey Uso in Tribal Combat

5. 2020

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When revisiting the SummerSlam events of the last decade, perhaps the biggest surprise is the 2020 show. Smack dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, in what is essentially an empty arena, the Superstars on the card showed up and showed out on a show that greatly exceeded expectations.

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville had a surprisingly good No Disqualification, Loser Leaves WWE Match that culminated a months-long rivalry, and Asuka worked two excellent, championship clashes against Bayley and Sasha Banks, respectively.

Add to that the monumental return of Roman Reigns in his first appearance as the Tribal Chief to close out the show, and you have a broadcast that emerged from a tumultuous time in WWE history as a shining example of what is possible, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it.

Notable Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

Much has been made of McIntyre's time on top of the company and how unfair it was to him that his initial reigns as WWE champion came in front of an audience of none during the COVID pandemic, but his rivalry with Orton was one of the best of the year, and their finest match came at the 2020 event.

A physical war between two big, strong athletes that concluded with The Scottish Warrior catching The Viper with a backslide for the win out of nowhere, it was the best match of McIntyre's main event run to that point and a surprise outcome, as most expected the heel to win the gold.

Arguably the most forgotten gem of the last 10 years of SummerSlam, it is well worth a rewatch and a reminder of how locked in McIntyre was with the gold around his waist.

Key Results

• SmackDown Women's champion Bayley defeated Asuka
• Seth Rollins defeated Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight
• Asuka defeated Raw Women's champion Sasha Banks to win the title
• WWE champion Drew McIntyre defeated Randy Orton
• "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Universal champion Braun Strowman in a Falls Count Anywhere Match to win the title

4. 2022

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Triple H gave fans a taste of what they could expect from him as the creative head of WWE, kicking the 2022 show off with the returns of Dakota Kai and Bayley, and call-up of Iyo Sky, as Damage CTRL moments after Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch in the opening contest.

Setting the tone with that buzz-worthy moment, he delivered a card that featured some great in-ring action up and down the card, a surprising Liv Morgan win over Ronda Rousey, and the Mysterios final triumph before Dominik's shocking heel turn a month later.

Historically significant for setting the tone for a new era of WWE that would take another year or so to really take hold, it is an event that blended in-ring work with spectacle and monumental moments in a manner not experienced in the years prior.

Notable Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

The Beast and The Tribal Chief have squared off so many times in their careers that the idea that they had yet to have a truly great, uninterrupted match seemed outlandish, but that was the case before they clashed in the main event of the 2022 show.

With patience for the feud running thin, the industry icons tore the house down in a truly great brawl that featured hard-hitting moments, crowd-pleasing spots, and the logical use of Paul Heyman and The Usos to stack the deck against Lesnar.

Even after tipping the ring over with a tractor, Lesnar was unable to dethrone Reigns, who benefited from Jimmy and Jey burying his opponent under furniture around the ringside area and retained his title.

A great match with a jaw-dropping spot or two, it was everything the latest battle in a long-running rivalry needed to be.

Key Results

• Raw Women's champion Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch
• Undisputed Tag Team champions The Usos defeated The Street Profits
• SmackDown Women's champion Liv Morgan defeated Ronda Rousey
• Undisputed WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match

3. 2019

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After years of doubt surrounding Seth Rollins' ability to be the guy in WWE, The Architect experienced one of the great moments of his career, winning a second pay-per-view match over Brock Lesnar in the main event of the 2019 broadcast.

That it came in a legitimate Match of the Year candidate only enhanced its significance to the card.

Rollins' triumph is not the only reason to love the final SummerSlam of the 2010s, though. Dolph Ziggler's efforts elevated his match with Goldberg past the typical squash that is synonymous with the Hall of Famer. The women's division showed out, with Becky Lynch and Natalya tearing the house down in a criminally underrated Submission Match.

Throw in the unforgettable debut of The Fiend, Bray Wyatt's demonic alter-ego from Hell, and a high-stakes battle in which Kevin Owens preserved his job by defeating Shane McMahon, and you have a show that had the perfect mix of in-ring excellence, storyline development, and unforgettable moments, all of which helped propel the 2019 show up the countdown.

Notable Match: Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair

WWE Hall of Famer Stratus returned to the squared circle for her first singles match in eight years when she battled The Queen in a showdown of two of the most influential and important women in pro wrestling history.

Competing in front of her hometown fans in Toronto, against the standard-bearer for in-ring performance in the women's division, there was tremendous weight on Stratus to deliver as the face of the Golden Era of women's wrestling.

She did just that, delivering a 16-minute performance that reminded the audience of her excellence. Not once did she look rusty or beyond her abilities against Flair, one of the revolutionaries who helped bring about the women's evolution.

Flair would win the match with her trademark Figure Eight, but Stratus was equally as successful, thanks to a spectacular showing in her return to the squared circle.

Key Results

• Raw Women's champion Becky Lynch defeated Natalya in a Submission Match
• Goldberg defeated Dolph Ziggler
• Kevin Owens defeated Shane McMahon
• WWE champion Kofi Kingston fought Randy Orton to a double count-out
• "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Balor
• Seth Rollins defeated Universal champion Brock Lesnar to win the title

2. 2024

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WWE arrived at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Ohio riding a wave of momentum and in the midst of the hottest, most financially successful period in company history.

SummerSlam, like WrestleMania four months earlier, was the culmination of several red-hot stories, several of which were intertwined with others. Top stars made up a jam-packed card, and the return of Roman Reigns in the closing minutes of the broadcast helped put an exclamation point on the show as a whole.

With strong in-ring content and programs that fans genuinely cared about, providing their latest chapters and developments, it was a major success and the latest thumbs up for the Paul Levesque Era.

Notable Match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

The hottest rivalry entering the show was that of CM Punk and Drew McIntyre. It began with the former's return the prior November, escalated with the Future Shock that resulted in a torn triceps for Punk in January's Royal Rumble, and exploded when the Best in the World attacked The Scottish Warrior and set up Damian Priest's WrestleMania Money in the Bank cash-in.

Throw in Punk costing McIntyre the title on another occasion, and the added element of Seth Rollins, who had unsolved issues with both, as the guest referee, and you had a combustible situation.

Borrowing from the 1997 main event that saw Bret Hart challenge The Undertaker with his hated rival, Shawn Michaels, as the official, the match put a modern spin on the story and captivated fans in Cleveland right up until Punk dropped The Visionary with a Go To Sleep.

McIntyre capitalized on the moment, earned the win, and set in motion the events that would lead to their rematch, the best bout of 2024, two months later at Bad Blood.

Key Results

• Women's World champion Liv Morgan defeated Rhea Ripley
• Nia Jax defeated WWE Women's champion Bayley to win the title
• Gunther defeated World Heavyweight champion Damian Priest to win the title
• Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes defeated Solo Sikoa

1. 2025

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The first-ever two-night SummerSlam spectacular featured two legitimate Match of the Year contenders, an eye-opening performance from recording artist Jelly Roll, continued excellence from the women's division, and one of the most shocking Money in the Bank cash-ins of all time.

Facing fan dissatisfaction with the manner in which John Cena's retirement tour had gone to that point, and mounting frustration over creative trends that would plague the company beyond the summertime tradition, the show afforded WWE a reprieve, thanks to the stellar efforts of its talent.

While Cena and Cody Rhodes delivered an absolute classic brawl around ringside that would have been right at home in the Attitude Era and was key in re-establishing the former as the hero the WWE audience demanded he be, it was a championship clash from the night before that stole the weekend in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Notable Match: CM Punk vs. Gunther

Looking to secure his first world title in over a decade, Punk took to the squared circle for a match with the most unstoppable force in the company, the Ring General, Gunther.

For nearly 30 minutes, Punk absorbed everything the relentless heel threw his way. His body was wrecked, swollen, and red from the unforgiving strikes of the world heavyweight champion, but he refused to give up, creating frustration in Gunther that proved costly.

Punk tripped Gunther up on the commentary table, busting him open in the process. That opening allowed the grizzled veteran to fight his way back into the match, escape the grasp of his opponent's sleeper, and deliver consecutive Go To Sleeps to earn the victory and the title.

Until that is, Seth Rollins emerged from the back, revealed his knee injury to be fake, and successfully cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase to steal the title.

Key Results

• Roman Reigns and Jey Uso defeated Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker
• WWE Women's champion Tiffany Stratton defeated Jade Cargill
• Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul defeated Jelly Roll and Randy Orton
• CM Punk defeated World Heavyweight champion Gunther to win the title
• Seth Rollins defeated World Heavyweight champion CM Punk to win the title
• Women's World champion Naomi defeated Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky
• Cody Rhodes defeated Undisputed WWE champion John Cena in a Street Fight to win the title