WWE SummerSlam 2019: The Greatest Title Matches in PPV's History
For over three decades, WWE SummerSlam has provided fans of professional wrestling with a platform for some of the greatest championship clashes the industry has seen.
Iconic Superstars such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and John Cena have torn houses down with extraordinary feats of athleticism and epic bits of storytelling that have stood the test of time, while modern competitors like Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair have earned credibility through their expectation-shattering performances.
In this first of two installments, relive the championship clashes ranked 11-20 that created stars, bolstered legacies and helped make SummerSlam a breeding ground for some of the greatest title matches in the long and illustrious history of WWE.
Join us Friday for the second part of the countdown, featuring the top 10 greatest matches to unfold at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
20. Intercontinental Title Match: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man (1988)
1 of 10
Take one overbearing heel champion, mix in an unstoppable force of a babyface, and you have the shortest match on our countdown.
For a year, The Honky Tonk Man infuriated audiences with his sneaky, noncompetitive retention of the intercontinental title. He got counted out, disqualified and never met a shortcut he didn't love, all in the name of keeping the gold around his waist.
He was so effective as a heel that Vince McMahon would book him as the B-show headliner because he understood people would pay money in hopes of seeing the Elvis wannabe get his ass kicked.
For one year, it never happened.
Then, in 1988, The Ultimate Warrior answered the arrogant titleholder's open challenge and proceeded to emancipate the WWE fans from the frustrating championship reign in just 31 seconds.
The Madison Square Garden crowd erupted, and Warrior began his journey to sports-entertainment immortality.
What Makes It Great?
Simplicity.
Honky Tonk Man ran his mouth one too many times and paid for it in the form of a quick, sudden and painful ass-whooping, courtesy of Ultimate Warrior. After 12 months of enduring the ridiculousness of the smarmy bad guy, fans had that payoff they so patiently awaited.
The result? The first truly magical moment in SummerSlam history—even if the match lasted just over half a minute.
19. Intercontinental Championship Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler (2009)
2 of 10
Dolph Ziggler had been left for dead, a former member of The Spirit Squad saddled with one of the worst names in WWE history. An unwavering work ethic and ability to bump around the squared circle earned him an opportunity to challenge Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship at Night of Champions in July 2009.
Though he was unsuccessful in that match, his efforts earned him another shot at the gold in the opening match of that year's SummerSlam.
Ziggler withstood an early onslaught from Mysterio to ground him and wrest control of the bout. He slowed Mysterio but ultimately fell prey to a fast-paced babyface comeback and a wicked top-rope hurricanrana. Three seconds later and The Master of the 619 successfully retained his title.
What Makes It Great?
Ziggler's breakthrough performance.
There is no denying the greatness of Mysterio. He carried the match and ensured the event kicked off on the right foot. With that said, it was the coming-of-age performance by The Showoff that was most resounding.
Ziggler bumped all over the squared circle for his smaller opponent, showing flashes of the performer he would become at his peak. It was the first time the dark cloud of the male cheerleader broke, the light shining brightly on a performer who was already infinitely better than he was when he battled Triple H and Shawn Michaels in televised main events.
Even in defeat, his value was readily apparent.
18. WWE Championship Match: The Undertaker vs. Bret Hart (1997)
3 of 10
Take three of the most volatile personalities in WWE history, add in the industry's top prize, and you have a powder keg of a main event.
That was exactly the scenario facing WWE at SummerSlam in 1997 as Bret Hart challenged The Undertaker for the WWE Championship with Shawn Michaels as the guest referee.
The stakes were as high as any title match in company history, with The Hitman vowing never to wrestle in the United States if he could not defeat The Deadman for the title. Michaels would also not be allowed to compete in his home country if he showed any kind of bias to either competitor.
Though the match started slow, it culminated in a blockbuster finish with long-reaching effects on the WWE product in which Hart spat at Michaels, who swung a steel chair that mistakenly smacked off the head of The Undertaker.
Three seconds later, HBK had no choice but to count the fall that would award his rival, Hart, a fifth WWE title.
What Makes It Great?
The finish.
Hart vs. Taker from SummerSlam 1997 is nowhere close to the forgotten classic they would have a month later at the UK-exclusive One Night Only PPV, or some of the other lesser-known battles between them from an overall quality standpoint.
It built slowly and threatened to lose part of the audience early. Once it hit its stride, though, the performers were able to weave a web of storytelling that built to a finish today's writers and producers yearn to be able to execute as flawlessly as the wrestlers did then.
Not only did Michaels' chair shot ignite a rivalry with Undertaker, it ensured his program with Hart would continue, setting up their infamous title bout in Montreal. One finish, which popped the fans in East Rutherford, New Jersey, spawned two high-profile rivalries with lasting influence over the direction the company would take.
17. Raw Women's Championship Match: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair (2016)
4 of 10
The Women's Revolution was in full force when SummerSlam 2016 arrived, and Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair were its two primary standard-bearers.
Their match, which was second on the card, promised to continue building momentum for the female Superstars and the division they championed. The Boss' Raw Women's Championship was also at stake, resulting in a monumental encounter.
Flair worked the back of her opponent, but Banks' never-say-die attitude fueled her comeback. Despite every tease at a trademark maneuver or finisher, it would come down to a good, old-fashioned reversal that earned The Queen victory and brought The Boss' one-month reign to an abrupt end.
What Makes It Great?
The wrestlers' ability to adapt and overcome a sloppy start.
There are many Superstars who do not know how to overcome a match that has gone off the rails.
Once Flair and Banks overcame the clunkiness of the early part of the match, they delivered an intense, hard-fought bout that continued to prove women's wrestlers were just as capable of stealing the show as anyone else.
The only negative? The wrong woman went over and another Banks' title run was unnecessarily cut short.
16. World Heavyweight Championship Match: Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton (2004)
5 of 10
2004 was a banner year for Randy Orton.
Fresh off a star-making performance against Mick Foley at Backlash in April, The Legend Killer rode a wave of momentum into SummerSlam, where he challenged Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship in the night's main event.
The third-generation competitor and breakout star of Evolution withstood a tenacious effort by Benoit and managed to hang with the champion despite being nowhere near the level of a pure technician.
Late in the match, Benoit appeared to be on his way to a successful title defense in his native Canada. The Toronto crowd was red-hot as the match reached its climax.
Benoit, the grizzled veteran, grabbed hold of the arm of his opponent and looked for the Crippler Crossface. However, Orton wisely rolled out and downed the champion with his trademark RKO.
Three seconds later, Orton made history as the youngest world heavyweight champion at the age of 24.
What Makes It Great?
Two things: the tenacious effort put forth by Benoit in what would be the final night of his career as a world champion and the coronation of Orton as the future of the industry.
Benoit was superb on the night, which should be of no real surprise to anyone given the strength of his performances during his career. Fueled by the fans and motivated by the opportunity to put someone over strong, he was excellence personified.
Orton was, too, though.
A lesser performer would have folded under the pressure of winning his first world title at just 24. In the biggest match of his career, he rose to the occasion, matched the quality of Benoit's performance and celebrated a monumental moment in both his career and the Ruthless Aggression Era as a whole.
The imagery of Orton kissing the title remains one of the most vivid in SummerSlam history and a reminder of how much winning a world title for the first time means to the men and women of professional wrestling, no matter the size of the stage.
15. WWE Undisputed Championship Match: The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar (2002)
6 of 10
For five months, Brock Lesnar unleashed hell on WWE, amassing victory after victory and reigning as the 2002 King of the Ring. Winning that tournament earned him a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam and a date with The Rock.
For weeks, the intense training sessions of the two Superstars prepared fans for an epic clash in the main event of The Biggest Party of the Summer. What it did not prepare them for was a loud, opinionated crowd in Long Island that had no problem letting The Great One know what it thought about him abandoning them for Hollywood.
The veteran Rock was met with boos and jeers as the match raged on, yet he still managed to ground the unstoppable force affectionately labeled The Next Big Thing and trap him in the Sharpshooter.
Lesnar powered out, though, and ultimately brought Rock crashing to the mat with an F5 to secure his first reign as world champion, much to the delight of the New York fans.
What Makes It Great?
The unabashedly vocal fanbase and a virtuoso performance by The Rock.
By 2002, there was no denying the greatness of the third-generation performer. Once labeled a "blue chipper" by Jim Ross, he had evolved into one of the biggest stars the industry had produced and a fine in-ring performer.
He carried Lesnar through the SummerSlam main event, made him look like a million bucks by bumping all over for him, then put him over clean in the center of the ring at a time when that rarely happened, thanks to the reign of Triple H.
The fans' rejection of Rock and acceptance of Lesnar not only demonstrated the dissatisfaction with the champion's decision to leave wrestling for acting, but it also suggested the audience was ready for something new, fresh and exciting.
Oh, how things changed some 17 years later, when the idea of another Lesnar title reign ignites the keyboard warriors in all of us.
14. Universal Championship Match: Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins (2016)
7 of 10
The birth of a new championship saw two of the brightest young stars in the company delivering in a historic match—one of the gutsiest performances in recent memory.
Those key elements helped secure the SummerSlam 2016 match between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins to determine the first universal champion a spot on this countdown.
Balor overcame a brutal shoulder injury that would put him out of action for months to defeat Rollins on that night in Los Angeles, etching his name in the history books.
His reign would be short-lived, though, due to said injury. For one night, however, Balor was the centerpiece of the wrestling world and a Superstar on his way to achieving greatness as a part of the WWE main roster.
What Makes It Great?
Balor overcoming the agony of his injury to turn in one of the most courageous performances of his generation.
A powerbomb by Rollins into the guardrail tore the Irishman's pec and bicep, broke the shoulder socket and tore the labrum. One of those injuries alone would have been enough to debilitate a normal athlete. The fact he endured all of that and still managed to wrestle a 20-minute match is a testament to his toughness.
Though Balor has yet to enjoy that sort of push since returning from the injury, his win at SummerSlam remains a banner moment, as much for his gritty performance leading up to it as anything.
13. WWE and United States Title Match: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (2015)
8 of 10
John Cena spent much of the summer of 2015 restoring credibility to the United States Championship through a series of open challenges that featured superb wrestling and the elevation of young talent.
At the same time, Seth Rollins was riding high as the WWE champion, still basking in the spotlight as the company's No. 1 villain.
As had become the trend in WWE by then, Rollins and Cena kept fans in Brooklyn on the edge of their seats, utilizing dramatic near-falls to enhance the crowd reaction.
The back-and-forth match crescendoed when Jon Stewart, the former host of The Daily Show, rushed the ring and betrayed Cena by blasting him with a chair.
Rollins' win was academic from there.
What Makes It Great?
Two Superstars at their peak, competing for two of the most coveted championships in all of WWE.
Rollins and Cena had worked with each other numerous times before, but the enormity of the double-title match, the grandeur of SummerSlam and the red-hot Brooklyn crowd helped make this battle their best.
The styles meshed perfectly, the spots came off seamlessly and even though the finish may not have been ideal given the work that went into it, Stewart lent genuine star power to the proceedings.
12. Fatal 4-Way Match for the Universal Championship (2017)
9 of 10
The most intense competitors on the Raw brand battled in a Fatal 4-Way Match for the Universal Championship to close out SummerSlam 2017, as Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman all sought to slay The Beast Incarnate and leave Brooklyn with his title.
They nearly succeeded, especially when Strowman put Lesnar out of commission following a powerslam through the announce table. With the dominant champion out of the equation, Reigns, Joe and The Monster Among Men battled, with their championship aspirations fueling them.
As he tends to do, Lesnar popped back up like a pimple on prom night, wreaked havoc and ended the threat to his title with an F5 to Reigns. Three seconds later, The Beast had successfully retained his belt.
What Makes It Great?
The sheer carnage unleashed by the competitors.
Strowman was still in the middle of his initial main event run and was booked like a monster way before it became a T-shirt slogan. Joe was the tenacious competitor, repeatedly looking to slap on his Coquina Clutch and walk out of Brooklyn with gold around his waist.
Then there was Reigns who, for all the negativity that surrounded him, was the glue that held the match together. He generated the reactions because the fans were invested in him winning or losing the match.
Lesnar bumped hard to make Strowman look like a threat but like any conquering badass, The Beast marched back into the ring and handled his business en route to another main event win.
11. Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (1995)
10 of 10
When it was determined the 1995 SummerSlam card was a steaming pile of crap late in the booking process, a scheduled match between intercontinental champion Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid was replaced by a rematch of the WrestleMania X classic ladder match between HBK and Razor Ramon.
Despite no logical reasoning for the match's existence beyond "it was awesome the first time," the fans inside Pittsburgh's Igloo were treated to a classic bout that used key spots and moments from the original to create a quality sequel.
Michaels was nearing his peak as a working wrestler and his popularity was at an all-time high as he took to the ring to battle Ramon, who showed heel tendencies for the first time since turning babyface in 1993. The self-described Bad Guy worked over Michaels' knee, hoping to make it impossible for him to make the climb up the ladder to retrieve the title.
A gutsy Michaels fought through the pain, though, and delivered a superkick from the top of one ladder that knocked his opponent off another and set him up for victory.
Unfortunately, uncooperative ladders and a misjudgment of where the belt actually hung from hurt the finish, but HBK still grabbed hold of the gold and left with his reign intact.
What Makes It Great?
Michaels and Ramon's ability to recall certain spots and build on them rather than repeat them.
Today, we are so used to seeing blatantly recycled spots that it no longer fazes us when they occur. In 1995, though, ladder matches were such a rarity that Ramon and HBK essentially had a blank canvas to work on.
Not being aerial artists, they opted to take a more psychological approach, working a body part and playing off spots from their previous encounter. It worked wonders, leading some to trumpet this match as the superior of their two bouts.
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