WWE SummerSlam is the “Biggest Party of the Summer.” It is the premium show on the summer schedule and what WWE uses its best programs for. It fills stadiums and has some of the greatest matches the company has ever seen.
A show of the magnitude of SummerSlam needs to show that it has the best matches—matches that draw a crowd and excite the world. One way WWE has consistently pulled this off is by having some of the best gimmick matches the world has ever seen.
Gimmick matches involving some industry greats have helped create new stars. Below are the best of these gimmick matches at SummerSlam.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WWE Championship Cage Match, SummerSlam 1994)
What can be said about Bret vs Owen that hasn’t already been said? Their feud in the summer of 1994 was a sibling rivalry that dripped with animosity. Every match they had was a fantastic one, but it was their cage match that capped off a great summer.
Cage matches are always going to be intense, but this one was so much more than that. The Hart Brothers beat each other from pillar to post but also sprinkled in some of the best technical wrestling that anyone would see.
It was a perfect blend that not many could have pulled off. It matches their match a highlight of the night and a highlight in SummerSlam history.
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match, SummerSlam 1995)
SummerSlam 1995 was not a good PLE. There wasn’t much to get the fans excited, so HBK and Razor needed to do most of the heavy lifting, and boy did they. Their WrestleMania X ladder match is the one that is talked about, but it may be this one that is the superior of the two.
Razor and HBK were more comfortable in ladder matches when their sequel rolled around. They were able to craft some great spots and their face vs face dynamic presented a new perspective for the audience. There was a little botch near the end of the contest but that shouldn’t take away from just how great their ladder match was.
Mankind vs. The Undertaker (Boiler Room Brawl, SummerSlam 1996)
The Undertaker was a man who had no equal. In his early run, he was an unstoppable force who would evoke fear in every man he stood across the ring from. That is until Mankind debuted and routinely got the best of The Deadman. A run that would lead them to the absolutely brutal Boiler Room Brawl at SummerSlam.
This match was a car wreck if there ever was one. The backdrop of a boiler room gave them ample opportunity to pull off some insane spots. Mankind took the brunt of the violence landing with sickening thuds heard throughout the Gund Arena.
It was a match that no one had ever seen before and set the tone for an upcoming era change.
Triple H vs. Mankind (Cage Match, SummerSlam 1997)
Triple H and Mankind was a feud between the haves and have-nots. Triple H felt that Mankind was beneath him and set out to prove that he was right. For a while, he got the best of Mankind but that soon ended in a great cage match at SummerSlam.
This was what you would expect from a Mankind match. He bumped his butt off to get Triple H over and took some nasty shots. It worked as HHH looked like a beast and a main event guy.
It was also great to see Mankind take home the win with a Superfly Splash from the top of the cage. It added depth to his character and strapped a rocket to his babyface run.
Triple H vs. The Rock (Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match, SummerSlam 1998)
HHH and The Rock’s program was a defining part of the Attitude Era. It was a huge boost to both men’s careers and produced some great matches, with their ladder match being one of the best of the bunch.
This was not your fancy, huge spot spot-filled ladder match. There was a hatred between the men that led to a very intense match. They pounded on each other so much that the ladder became nearly unclimbable with damage.
There wasn’t a single fan in Madison Square Garden that was sitting down when Triple H ascended the ladder to beat The Rock.
Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz (TLC WWE Tag Team Championship Match, SummerSlam 2000)
These three teams defined what a ladder match could be. They had competed in other gimmick matches before their duel in Raleigh. Some of those included great ladder matches, but none matched the creativity and allure of the inaugural TLC.
This is a fondly remembered gimmick match. It was the first TLC and included some of the most awe-inspiring spots in ladder match history. With six men they were able to keep the action at a frantic pace.
There was also creativity in many of the spots that couldn’t have been pulled off with a one-on-one match. It showed the viability of the ladder match gimmick and was the benchmark for every other match to follow it.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (Ladder Match for Custody of Dominik, SummerSlam 2005)
Funny how things have turned out with Dominik, not exactly the sympathetic character that he was in the lead-up to this ladder match. Eddie Guerrero had claimed to be his father while actual Papa Rey Mysterio took issue. It led to their decision to put Dominik’s custody on the line at SummerSlam.
To start this was a fantastically wrestled match. Mysterio and Guerrero were very familiar with one another, so the chemistry was there. Everything was crisp and it was just a solid ladder match all around.
What made this match great was the drama involved. Both men were incredible in their roles and made us feel everything during the match. The sympathy for Rey and the utter contempt for Eddie was a testament to their talent and brought this match from good to great.
The Undertaker vs. Edge (Hell in a Cell Match, SummerSlam 2008)
Edge and The Undertaker engaged in a year-long feud that had them going to battle at a multitude of PLEs. Edge spent his time trying to escape The Undertakers’ wrath, so a Hell in a Cell match was booked for the two at SummerSlam.
A match that would go down as one of the best in history.
In an era where PG dominated programming it was amazing how this match was able to create extreme violence. It was a testament to the talent of both men that they were able to stray away from blood-soaked spots in favour of more creative ones. It was a match designed for a different era and Edge and The Undertaker worked their butts off to make it entertaining.
CM Punk vs, Jeff Hardy (World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match, SummerSlam 2009)
CM Punk and Jeff Hardy put on one hell of a program, in the Summer of 2009. It started with a shocking heel turn, on the part of Punk and led to a perfect ending with their ladder match at SummerSlam. It got personal quickly when Punk consistently referred to Hardy’s substance abuse issues.
When they got into the ring these personal attacks led to Hardy going ballistic on Punk. It was a frenzied start that led to a fantastic match. There was very little downtime to the match, which says a lot about the conditioning of both men.
They wove a fantastic story with great wrestling to put on easily the best match of the summer.
Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio (Street Fight, SummerSlam 2020)
After Rollins dispatched Rey Mysterio he set his sights on his inexperienced son. Dominik Mysterio had been great as a partner to Rey Mysterio, but he hadn’t made much of a splash in the singles division. He got his chance when he was booked against Seth Rollins.
This match was the most entertaining of Summerslam 2020. There wasn’t a ton of expectation put on it, but they were bars that Dominik cleared with ease. Sure, the overbooking and gimmick helped to hide his greenness but that shouldn’t take away from how good Dominik was during this match. He worked beautifully across from Rollins and proved that he belonged.
Also, Rollins was a gem during the match. His heel persona worked perfectly, and he showed true professionalism walking Dominik through a fantastic over-booked street fight.
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