The 28 Greatest WWE SummerSlam Main Events of All Time

Three decades of August main events, and the ones people still rewatch are not always the ones with the biggest title on the line.

1. 1
   Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (2014)

   Lesnar took the title in a one-sided sixteen-suplex main event that invented Suplex City.
   791pts
2. 2
   Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (2018)

   Reigns finally took the Universal Championship after four attempts.
   565pts
3. 3
   Diesel vs. King Mabel (1995)

   Widely considered the weakest main event the show has ever had.
   565pts
4. 4
   Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker (1998)

   Austin defended the WWF Championship in the peak of the Attitude Era.
   0pts
5. 5
   Edge vs. The Undertaker (2008)

   A Hell in a Cell match that ended with Edge going through the ring in flames.
   0pts
6. 6
   The Mega Powers vs. The Mega Bucks (1988)

   Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage beat André the Giant and Ted DiBiase at Madison Square Garden to close the very first SummerSlam.
7. 7
   Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude (1990)

   The Ultimate Warrior defended the WWF Championship against Ravishing Rick Rude inside a steel cage in Philadelphia.
8. 8
   Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (1992)

   The British Bulldog took Bret Hart's Intercontinental title in front of around 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, a match often called SummerSlam's best ever.
9. 9
   Shawn Michaels vs. Vader (1996)

   Shawn Michaels kept the WWF Championship against Vader in a chaotic Cleveland main event with two restarts before the final pin.
10. 10
    The Undertaker vs. Bret Hart (1997)

    Bret Hart won the WWF Championship when guest referee Shawn Michaels swung a chair that hit the Undertaker instead.
11. 11
    Steve Austin vs. Mankind vs. Triple H (1999)

    Mankind won the WWF Championship in a Minneapolis triple threat refereed by Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura.
12. 12
    The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. Triple H (2000)

    The Rock kept the WWF Championship in a triple threat that played out the Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle love triangle.
13. 13
    The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar (2002)

    Brock Lesnar beat The Rock at Nassau Coliseum to become, at 25, the youngest Undisputed WWE Champion in history.
14. 14
    Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton (2004)

    Randy Orton pinned Chris Benoit in Toronto to become the youngest world champion in WWE history at 24.
15. 15
    John Cena vs. Randy Orton (2007)

    John Cena retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton, starting a rivalry that headlined WWE for the next two years.
16. 16
    Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk (2009)

    CM Punk took the World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Hardy in a TLC match, before the Undertaker returned to close the show.
17. 17
    Team WWE vs. The Nexus (2010)

    A seven-on-seven elimination match in Los Angeles where John Cena outlasted the Nexus to win it for Team WWE.
18. 18
    CM Punk vs. John Cena (2011)

    CM Punk beat John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship, only for Alberto Del Rio to cash in Money in the Bank seconds later.
19. 19
    Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H (2012)

    Brock Lesnar made Triple H tap to the Kimura lock in a no-disqualification grudge match at the Staples Center.
20. 20
    John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan (2013)

    Daniel Bryan pinned John Cena clean for the WWE Championship before Randy Orton cashed in Money in the Bank after Triple H's Pedigree.
21. 21
    Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker (2015)

    The rematch of the WrestleMania streak-breaker, won by the Undertaker at Barclays Center with a disputed submission finish.
22. 22
    Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe (2017)

    Brock Lesnar survived a hard-hitting fatal four-way at Barclays Center to keep the Universal Championship.
23. 23
    Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (2019)

    Seth Rollins beat Brock Lesnar in Toronto to win back the Universal Championship he had lost at Extreme Rules.
24. 24
    Roman Reigns vs. John Cena (2021)

    Roman Reigns kept the Universal Championship against a returning John Cena in front of over 50,000 fans in Las Vegas.
25. 25
    Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (2022)

    A Last Man Standing match in Nashville where Lesnar lifted the ring with a tractor before Reigns kept the undisputed title.
26. 26
    Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso (2023)

    The Tribal Combat match at Ford Field, decided when Jimmy Uso turned on his brother Jey to keep Reigns champion.
27. 27
    CM Punk vs. Gunther (2025)

    CM Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship from Gunther at MetLife Stadium, then lost it minutes later to Seth Rollins' Money in the Bank cash-in.
28. 28
    John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes (2025)

    Cody Rhodes won back the Undisputed WWE Championship from John Cena in a street fight that closed the first two-night SummerSlam.

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