WWE SummerSlam is one of the biggest commodities in WWE. For 36 years it has been pushed as the biggest show of the year, outside of WrestleMania.
The company pulls out all the stops for its show, saving big programs and even bigger celebrities to give SummerSlam that big event feel.
Contributing to their show has always been some of the greatest championship matches in company history. SummerSlam has been home to iconic championship matches featuring the likes of Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, John Cena and The Undertaker to name a few.
They have laid a foundation for the PLE and made it one of the most anticipated of the year.
Surprisingly enough, though, some championship matches have flown under the radar. Matches that have not gotten the love that they deserve in the annals of SummerSlam lore. Below are five of these matches.
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude (Intercontinental Championship Match, SummerSlam 1989)
When The Ultimate Warrior won the IC strap, he needed someone to legitimize his reign. That’s when Rick Rude stepped up to the plate and the two men produced magic.
They had a trio of great matches, but none better than their SummerSlam rematch for the Intercontinental Championship.
This was the best-wrestled match of either man’s career. It was so much more than a match of strength. There was great wrestling and an even better story being told in the ring.
This was about Warrior’s quest to regain his championship and it was fantastic. It was a highlight of the night and a match that should get a second watch.
Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano (WWE Women’s Championship Match, SummerSlam 1994)
The Women’s division was not an important part of WWE programming in 1994. There was no depth and rarely would they get great billing on a show.
That is why a great match, like the one between Alundra Blayze and Bull Nakano, could so easily slip under the radar.
This contest was as physical as one could get. Blayze and Nakano worked a stiff match, stiffer than most of the men’s matches on the card to be honest.
It was not entirely shocking seeing as Nakano was from AJW and that was the norm, but it was still fresh to see on a WWE card.
On a card with a stellar cage match it is easy to overlook one of the best women’s matches in history. But one should take the time to check this great match out.
Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship Match, SummerSlam 2003)
It is hard to imagine that any match featuring two of the best would be overlooked, but who out there can remember their SummerSlam encounter?
There are so many classic matches that these two have wrestled in, but for some reason, this one doesn’t get talked about as much.
The match was exactly what one would come to expect from Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. It varied from other matches from their past but still contained the same great wrestling.
The personal nature of their feud came out during the contest and added another level of intensity to the match. It was also great to see Lesnar tap out for one of the handful of times in his career.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler (Intercontinental Championship Match, SummerSlam 2009)
Dolph Ziggler and Rey Mysterio are two of the most underrated performers in company history. So, it makes sense that a match pitted between the two men would fly under the radar.
Rey Mysterio and Dolph Ziggler put on a banger of a match to open up Summerslam. They had been at odds for a few months prior, so they were able to cut right to the chase without much preamble.
That gave the audience a tight 12 minutes in which they bounced around the ring with the energy of 10 men. There weren’t many others who could have kept up the pace they did, and they were a perfect choice to start the night off on the right foot.
Randy Orton vs. Christian (World Heavyweight Championship Match, SummerSlam 2011)
2011 was the ‘Summer of Punk.’ His strife with WWE dominated programming and was the focus of the majority of WWE programming and the audience.
This is unfortunate because, at the same time, there was a great angle going on between Randy Orton and Christian. An angle that would produce fantastic matches, the best of which being the criminally underrated No Holds Barred Match at SummerSlam.
Orton and Christian were fantastic during their bout. They took a great base they had already built and turned the intensity up to 11. Their hardcore spots were spot on, pun intended, and were just creative enough to set them apart from other no-holds-barred matches.
Then, of course, there was the pitch-perfect finish with an RKO onto the steel steps. A great way to cap off a match everyone needs to see.
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