SummerSlam is the second-biggest show of the year for WWE, with massive implications for the WrestleMania build.
Now, it's the "Biggest Party of the Summer," but it wasn't always an event on-par with WrestleMania. Throughout the years, the WWE crafted the event to be an incredible spectacle where fans could expect the biggest stars and biggest angles.
That's not to say every SummerSlam has been a hit, though. Plenty of times the show was a plodding, dreary mess. There have been dozens of times since its inception in 1988 where SummerSlam was an excellent show, mixing hard-hitting wrestling with entertainment spectacle in a way only WWE does.
Today, we're looking back at the biggest moments in the history of the event.
What Makes a SummerSlam Moment 'Iconic'?
For me, it takes a few things for a moment to be considered iconic, especially in wrestling where "moments" can be a dime a dozen (for better or worse).
The biggest element has to be the reaction of the live crowd. There's nothing quite like a professional wrestling pop. When the fans in the arena get something they wanted, or get surprised, it travels through the television to everyone else watching. That excitement becomes palpable.
Secondly, it has to either be shocking and unexpected (in a good way) or deliver on a payoff the fans have been craving. A swerve for the sake of a swerve has its place, but not on this list.
Last of all, it has to hold up over the course of time. These moments need to be the sort of thing that worked long term. That doesn't mean the match itself had to be a five-star classic, but it needed to be a fitting moment in the overall storyline.
Top SummerSlam Moments of All Time - Honorable Mentions
Stone Cold's Final Glass Shatter (1998): Steve Austin's final glass shattering entrance came on SummerSlam 1998. Not that the audio wouldn't continue, but the actual practical glass shattering would end after this. Just an interesting tidbit.
Brock Lesnar Becomes Youngest WWE Champion (2002): Lesnar defeating The Rock received a massive ovation as it was the coronation of the "Next Big Thing." Unfortunately, it wouldn't last for long as Lesnar would get burnt out and leave just two years later.
The Elimination Chamber (2003): This wasn't the first Elimination Chamber (that was the previous fall at Survivor Series), but this was what many expected to be the crowning of Goldberg. Instead, this became one of the worst moments of Triple H's "reign of terror" with the big gold belt in the early to mid-2000s. Goldberg spearing Chris Jericho through the pod became so iconic that Yuke's put it into SmackDown: Here Comes The Pain (one of the greatest wrestling games of all time). After Goldberg ran roughsod over the other contestants, he broke Triple H out of his pod, only to get hit with a sledgehammer and eat a pin. This included one of Triple H's worst looks ever, the biker shorts) because he was dealing with leg injuries and was limited in the ring. To recap, the fans wanted Goldberg and Triple H was injured, yet Vince McMahon wouldn't pull the trigger. Apparently, this was because Goldberg had been running his mouth about the WWE on some radio shows, with McMahon didn't take kindly to.
Jesse Ventura Returns (1999): Jesse "The Body'"Ventura returned to the WWE as a special guest referee for the Triple Threat between Steve Austin, Triple H and Mankind for the WWE Championship. Ventura was currently serving as the governor of Minnesota (the show was in Minneapolis) and took a significant amount of real-life heat for the appearance. This was the 'I am the game!' era for Triple H, but Austin refused to drop the title to him. As a result, Mankind won the title for one day, dropping it on Raw to Triple H.
Lesnar Decimates John Cena (2014): During the absolute peak of Super Cena, Lesnar destroyed the Leader of the Cenation, hitting him with a dozen suplexes, multiple F-5's and pinned him clean. It was a shocking moment that Cena takes credit for, claiming that the only way to maintain the mystique of The Undertaker (who Lesnar had defeated at WrestleMania XXX earlier that year) was to get squashed.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (2005): Before he was dirty, Dominik Mysterio was struggling to determine the identity of his "real" father. Long story short, a dastardly Guerrero baited Mysterio into putting the custody of his son on the line in a ladder match. Vickie Guerrero missed her cue, but the match was still very good.
Top 10 SummerSlam Moments of All Time
10. Shane-O-Mac's Freefall (2000)
If there was ever a member of the roster who didn't need to put his body on the line, it was Shane McMahon. When you're the son of the boss, the world is your oyster. But Shane-O-Mac loved the business and routinely took insane bumps, including this one off the stage against Steve Blackman.
9. Bulldog Beats Bret in Britain (1992)
Just listen to the incredible pop when Davey Boy Smith rolls up Bret Hart to win the Intercontinental Championship. The roof blows off Wembley Stadium as this was the crowning moment of Smith's career. The match was great, too, which is even more impressive considering Hart claimed in one of his books that Smith was likely high on crack during the event.
8. Demon Finn Balor Becomes First Universal Champion (2016)
The company was all-in on Balor during his debut, as he became the first Universal Champion by defeating Seth Rollins in 2016. Unfortunately, Balor injured his shoulder taking a powerbomb on the barricade and had to vacate the belt. Balor never quite got back to that level, but his win over Rollins was one of the biggest moments in the event's history.
7. HBK vs. Hulk Hogan (2005)
There's a lot to unpack here. Both Shawn Michaels and the Hulkster had a long and well-documented history of politicking behind the scenes. This match, which was once supposed to be the first of three, is a literal peak behind the curtain. Hogan was supposed to lose this match before winning the next two against Michaels, but a few weeks beforehand he decided it was going to be one and done and he was going over. This angered HBK, who cut some hilarious work-shoot-style promos leading up to the event and turned heel. Then, when the bell rang, Michaels turned back the clock to his mid-1990s self, going into business for himself and largely making a mockery of the match with extreme overselling. It made the match hilarious to watch, but the live crowd was still very much into it and it remains a monumental matchup in the history of the company. Michaels has since said numerous times that he regrets how he handled things, but it goes to show you how "That doesn't work for me, brother" later became a meme.
6. The Mega Powers vs. The Mega Bucks (1988)
You'll probably never get a tag team with more star power than Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage as the Mega Powers. This clash at SummerSlam 1988 against Andre the Giant and Ted DiBiase was the duo's first televised match as a tag team and it was a true spectacle to see all that star power in the ring at once. Less than a year later the Mega Powers would explode at WrestleMania V.
5. The First TLC Match (2000)
Everyone remembers the WrestleMania X-7 TLC match (and for good reason), but the first of its kind happened about eight months earlier at SummerSlam 2000. The Dudley Boyz, Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian put on an immaculate car crash match from start to finish, tantalizing fans with unique spots and laying the groundwork for one of the best WrestleMania matches in history.
4. Becky Lynch Turns Heel (2018)
Lynch was a fan favorite and said fans were getting increasingly angry not only that she kept coming up short, but that she was seemingly unbothered by it. Finally, at SummerSlam, Lynch had enough and snapped on Charlotte in a post-match beatdown. The crowd erupted and this turn was the very first step in the creation of Lynch's "The Man" character, which would be the most popular act in wrestling for nearly two years.
3. Roman Reigns Returns (2020)
Reigns left WWE in March 2020 due to concerns about COVID-19 (as he was immunocompromised after battling leukemia), pulling out of his scheduled WrestleMania 36 match with Goldberg. He was off TV for nearly half the year, before a surprising return at SummerSlam. Wearing a "Wreck Everyone & Leave" shirt, Reigns had a new persona and a vicious attitude. He laid out Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman and a week later he beat them both in a Triple Threat for the Universal Championship, which began his historic run as champ.
This moment was cool at the time, but severely hampered by the lack of a live crowd. Reigns returning would've solicited a massive pop from the crowd. Luckily, Reigns got plenty of huge reactions over the next 1,200+ days as champion.
2. Randy Orton's Cash-In (2013)
After Daniel Bryan and John Cena put on an incredible match (which would win the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year award), Triple H turned heel by hitting the Pedigree on Bryan and Orton would cash-in his Money in the Bank contract. This not only formed The Authority, but also began one of the best storylines the WWE has ever done. Bryan would get his revenge via the YES! Movement and would defeat Triple H, Orton and Batista at WrestleMania XXX.
1. Shawn Michaels Returns (2002)
After retiring in 1998, Michaels returned in 2002 and ignited a feud with Triple H. HBK had clipped his back on a casket during a match with The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble in 1998 and called it quits after dropping the belt to Stone Cold at WrestleMania XIV later that year.
When HBK returned in 2002 he did so as a member of the NWO, but at this point the group was dead in the water. Hogan had already turned face and donned the red and yellow again and the group was cycling through members like it was going out of style.
Michaels convinced Triple H to leave SmackDown and come to Raw in order to reform DX. Triple H agreed, but the celebration was short lived as he hit Michaels with a Pedigree. The next week he sent HBK's head through a car window and declared that his career was over.
At SummerSlam the two battled in an unsanctioned contest, going 28 minutes. Triple H played the heel to perfection and Michaels looked better than ever in the ring (probably due to him overcoming his substance abuse issues). The match is one of the greatest ever and HBK's comeback run is probably the best ever.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Biggest Moments in SummerSlam History.