Best Fatal 4-Way Matches in WWE History Ahead of SummerSlam 2017 Main Event
When Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe all smash into each other at WWE SummerSlam 2017, everyone is going to have to tear up their lists of greatest Fatal 4-Way matches in company history.
The Miz, Edge, Vader and others who have delivered some of the most thrilling Fatal 4-Way bouts to date will have to move aside to make room for the four men set to battle at Sunday's pay-per-view for the Universal Championship. The all-hoss showdown is poised to be among the best of its kind.
Many of the best Fatal 4-Way matches have leaned on the same elements: exciting near-falls, a convergence of rivalries, in-match alliances, big spots and furiously-paced action. Bret Hart's hard-fought win in 1997 and The Miz' electric title defense in 2016 are among those clashes to turn these components into something special.
Read on for a ranking of the very best of these gimmick bouts. No Fatal 4-Way tag team matches were considered, only traditional four-warrior matchups.
Honorable Mention
1 of 8- Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho: Over the Limit 2012
- Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose: Payback 2015
Sheamus' World Heavyweight Championship defense saw The Viper go on a memorable RKO rampage and The Celtic Warrior end the bout with a thunderous Brogue Kick. It moved quickly and with great energy.
Three years later, Orton shone in another Fatal 4-Way loss.
This time around, Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns reformed The Shield for mere seconds, just long enough to triple-powerbomb Orton through a table.
The power of that moment and the adrenaline surging through the Over the Limit 2012 matchup weren't enough to put these clashes on the list proper. Other Fatal 4-Way bouts delivered more on both the action and storytelling fronts.
7. Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch: TakeOver Rival
2 of 8The NXT stars known as The Four Horsewomen carved their names in the brand's history books with a memorable performance at Full Sail University.
Charlotte Flair walked in as the unstoppable champion. Each of her foes recognized that and pounced on her. They sent the champ crashing into the LED board to clear The Queen out of the way.
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch's alliance splintering during the showdown provided a strong subplot. Bayley fighting through a bad leg and erupting with fury to a near-win was mighty fun. Dives, haymakers and suplexes across the ring colored the rest of the bout.
In the end, Banks emerged the new champion in a match that helped further the burgeoning revolution for women's wrestling.
6. Finn Balor vs. Cesaro vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens: Raw, July 25, 2016
3 of 8The match that announced Finn Balor's arrival to Raw outdid Flair vs. Lynch vs. Banks vs. Bayley in terms of generating electricity.
Entry into the first Universal Championship match awaited the winner. Balor battled his way past an intriguing collection of rising stars.
Kevin Owens, Rusev, Cesaro and Balor didn't have the kind of history that other Fatal 4-Way combatants have had. They leaned on chemistry and high-octane offense instead.
Rusev and Owens' mid-match game of one-upmanship, Cesaro nailing everyone with European uppercuts and all the fighting near the security barricade were among the best parts of a great contest.
5. Steve Austin vs. Vader vs. Bret Hart vs. Undertaker: In Your House Final Four
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The In Your House: Final Four main event fused together a number of conflicts to create a showdown brimming with animosity.
Undertaker feuded with anyone who aligned themselves with Paul Bearer, the manager who betrayed him. This led to The Deadman tangling with Vader. Steve Austin and Bret Hart had been at each other's throats. Both Hart and Austin had previously had issues with Undertaker.
The match saw the giants collide, Vader spill blood onto the canvas, and the Hart vs. Austin rivalry surge.
The elimination format added drama and made the bout feel like a mini-Royal Rumble. Its star power was plentiful.
It would take ladders and a flurry of high spots to outdo The Hitman's title win years later.
4. Alberto Del Rio vs. Kane vs. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio: TLC 2010
5 of 8Edge's sixth World Heavyweight Championship victory came courtesy of him surviving a four-way battle amid broken steel and cracked wood.
The breathtaking moments came one right after another. The foes smashed each other with ladders. Superstars crashed into tables. Rey Mysterio leaped off a table that hung above the entrance ramp.
Edge, Mysterio, Kane and Alberto Del Rio punctuated the match with TLC-style violence several times over.
That gave the match enough highlights to surpass several Fatal 4-Way contests on this list, but other bouts told more emotionally resonating stories through more traditional means.
3. The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn: Extreme Rules 2016
6 of 8The best stretch of The Miz's career kicked off with what was to that point the best performance of his life.
The A-Lister managed to fend off Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens and keep hold of the Intercontinental Championship. That part wasn't surprising. No one expected that journey to be as tremendous as it was, though.
The IC title match stole the show and was one of 2016's best bouts.
Zayn and Owens' forever feud added an emotional punch. Zayn and Cesaro's exchanges flashed back to their NXT feud. Creative, foot-on-the-gas offense revved up the crowd.
There's an argument to be made that this has been WWE's best Fatal 4-Way bout yet, but a clash in NXT rich in narrative and a star-studded title match from 10 years ago just edges it out in terms of excitement.
2. Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Tyson Kidd: NXT Fatal 4-Way
7 of 8The NXT Championship match at TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way didn't boast the names some of the best Fatal 4-Way matches have, but by the end of the night, this contest changed the conversation around each man.
Adrian Neville (now known only as Neville) and the men vying for his title were out to prove themselves. Tyson Kidd was trying to resurrect his career in the developmental territory. Together with Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn, the wrestlers made a statement for the brand and for themselves.
Neville's high-flying offense thrilled. A number of fun counters and near-falls powered the bout.
The match's true strengths, though, were in how meaningful it was for everyone involved and all the moments it featured. Breeze superkicking everything in sight served as his coming-out party. Neville started the shift toward villainy with a cheap, underhanded win. Zayn getting so painfully close to a win, only to fall short, became fuel for his character.
This was one of the most expertly told stories we've seen from a Fatal 4-Way match.
Even so, Backlash 2007 remains that gimmick bout's benchmark. Thank a Hall of Fame-level field and chemistry most electric.
1. John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels: Backlash 2007
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Cena survived three of his greatest rivals in a thriller for the World Heavyweight Championship.
This bout was a prime example of how to converge rivalries into a single space. Every man had history with each other. Edge and Orton had been tag team partners as had Cena and Michaels.
During the match, chairs clanged against flesh and chemistry crackled.
Wrestlers found themselves caught in double submissions. The Tower of Doom came into play. The action flowed beautifully.
This remains the gold standard for Fatal 4-Way matches. This is the level of drama and pulsing action Lesnar, Strowman, Reigns and Joe have to outdo if they want to compose the best four-way WWE bout ever.
That's going to quite the tough task even for the enthralling bruisers set to charge into SummerSlam.
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