Top Ten Thursday: Best SummerSlam Matches

It's that time of the year again as SummerSlam is right around the corner. In honor of SummerSlam coming up, this week's top ten is going to focus on the best matches in the 25 year history of the Pay-Per-View. Now before we dive into the top ten, I want to give a shout out to some honorable mentions. In a history as deep as SummerSlam has, there are bound to be more than 10 really good matches. First, I want to mention Randy Orton and Chris Benoit from SummerSlam 2004. This is one of my personal favorites but it's not top ten material. It's often overlooked due to the Benoit situation. Also, some of the better ones would be Rock vs. Brock in 2002, Undertaker vs. Mankind in the Boiler Room Brawl, Triple H and the Rock's Ladder match, Test vs. Shane from 1999 and The Hart Foundation vs. Demolition from 1990. Tag Team wrestling at it's finest right there. Let's jump into the actual list.

10. Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena

After a World Heavyweight Title run in 2012 ended in an 18 second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII, everyone figured that Daniel Bryan would fall to the mid-card and stay there. He got a few WWE Title shots but ended up in a surprisingly entertaining tag team with Kane. He was becoming incredibly popular and after the team split, he wanted to prove that he wasn't a weak link. He beat Randy Orton in a great street fight and had all of the momentum in the world. When John Cena was allowed to hand pick his opponent at SummerSlam, he went with the fans' choice, and chose Daniel Bryan. What followed was a match that he me on the edge of my seat. I wanted my guy since his indy days, to beat the WWE's mega star. In a grueling match, Bryan and Cena were both on their game and Bryan won with a running knee in about 27 minutes. Even if the celebration was short lived, the moment and match were both special.

9. Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker

So, 1997 is probably the best year in the history of the WWE and I've always enjoyed that year's SummerSlam. The main reason why, is the main event. The Undertaker was on fire in 1997, in the midst of a very underrated title run. Bret Hart was also coming off of his excellent feud with Steve Austin. Shawn Michaels was the guest referee as he's hated Bret for a while and was about to get into a huge feud with The Undertaker. 28 minutes of action all came to a head when Michaels questioned the chair in the ring, so Bret despicably spit in his face. Shawn swung the chair, but Bret ducked and he took out the Undertaker. Bret covered and Shawn counted the three, but he was clearly upset about it.

8. Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog

Widely considered as one of the best matches of all time, Bret Hart went toe to toe with his brother in-law the British Bulldog at the 1992 SummerSlam. A few things really made this special. One, this was done in front of the largest crowd in SummerSlam history as over 80,000 fans attended the event in Wembley Stadium in England. It also divided Bret's sister and Bulldog's wife Diana and lastly, it was the only time the Intercontinental Title ever main evented a SummerSlam. I don't consider this the all-time great that some people do, but it's an amazing contest. The crowd was hot for the Bulldog and they got 25 minutes of back and forth action. The end was done right as Bulldog won with a rollup, keeping Bret strong and the family bond intact.

7. Tables, Ladders and Chairs

WrestleMania 2000 hosted the Triangle Ladder Match and WrestleMania X-Seven featured TLC II. The forgotten match sometimes is the original TLC match from SummerSlam 2000, smack dab in the middle. Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boyz one upped themselves from the Triangle Ladder Match and it was great. This is one of my favorite matches of all time and it had some of the best bumps in TLC history. Whether it's Bubba Ray going through four tables or Lita taking a vicious Spear from Edge, everything was exciting and not a moment was wasted. This is a 19 minute thrill ride that you should check out for sure as Edge and Christian won another TLC.

6. Edge vs. The Undertaker

The 2008 SummerSlam was an interesting one. The WWE and World Heavyweight Title matches were in the mid-card as CM Punk vs. JBL and Triple H vs. The Great Khali did not fit the main event feel. Instead, John Cena met Batista for the first time ever in a huge match but even that couldn't go on last. Instead, fans were sent home happy after the final one on one bout in the long rivalry between Edge and The Undertaker. The first Hell in a Cell to ever be held in the PG era, but it was the one that also made the most sense. This was a bitter feud that went back for months and involved the World Title at times. Even with the PG restrictions, they put on a classic and no Hell in a Cell since then has bested it. A 26 minute war between two of the best of all time and Undertaker sent Edge to hell to finish it.

5. CM Punk vs. John Cena

Money in the Bank 2011 was one of the best Pay-Per-Views in WWE history, and it was headlined by the dramatic bout between CM Punk and John Cena. The WWE Championship and John Cena's job were on the line, as well as the threat of CM Punk taking the title and leaving. Punk did just that, forcing the WWE to hold a tournament to determine a new champion. Of course, John Cena got his job back and challenged the tournament winner, Rey Mysterio. He knocked off Rey but his celebration was cut short by "Cult of Personality". CM Punk had returned and there were now "two WWE Champions." Much like every other match these two had, this was a great contest, that went for about 24 minutes. Triple H was the special referee and he missed Cena's foot on the ropes as he counted the three for Punk. 

4. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Bret and Owen are two of my favorite wrestlers in history and their clash to open WrestleMania X is a five star classic in my opinion. As things got even more personal between them, they would get locked inside of a Steel Cage with the WWF Championship on the line at the 1994 SummerSlam. What followed were the greatest 32 minutes ever held in a steel cage as far as I've seen. The cage served the purpose of keeping out the large Hart Family and it was used brilliantly here. Bret would win via escaping the cage as Owen got tangled up in the cage. I still say we should have gotten a third match at Survivor Series to break the tie but that doesn't effect it's rating here.

3. Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk

Since his return in 2012, Brock Lesnar has had some disappointing matches. His match with John Cena was brutal but ended in a dumb way. His bouts with Triple H were underwhelming to say the least. His match with Big Show was laughable and his WrestleMania contest against The Undertaker wasn't very good, but did provide shock value. However, for one night at SummerSlam 2013, everything came together perfectly. This was a complete war for 25 minutes. Brock beat the hell out of Punk, but the "Best in the World" was fearless as he wouldn't give up at all. He even nailed the Go to Sleep and this was what a Brock match should be. The fact that we didn't get rematches and instead were forced to see Punk against Rybaxel is upsetting.

2. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H

In 1998, Shawn Michaels suffered a career-ending back injury and would have to retire. However, in 2002, he returned to the ring to face his former best friend and now bitter rival, Triple H. Everyone wondered if the same HBK would be back. Would he still be the Showstopper? The Main Event? The Icon? In the best match on the best SummerSlam in history, he proved that he wasn't just back as good as he used to be, he was back better than ever. Both men bled and were battered after 27 minutes but Shawn was able to score the pinfall with a rollup. Their feud would continue and Shawn would win the World Title at that year's Survivor Series.

1. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect

As a kid, I used to rent SummerSlam 1991, along with shows from 1992, a lot from my local video store. To be fair, my mom used to love the Macho Man/Miss Elizabeth wedding, but I was all about this Intercontinental Title match. Mr. Perfect was hurting coming into this match but he sold like a champ as it was time for Bret to begin his singles push. Everything was perfect. The arena was Madison Square Garden, we had two of the best workers in history and Bret's legendary parents were in the crowd. This 18 minute contest is in my top five favorite matches of all time. Bret, who could be called Mr. SummerSlam, won with the best looking Sharpshooter in history and the rest was also history.

There you have it, the top ten matches in SummerSlam history. Next week, we'll have a look at the 10 worst SummerSlam matches, which should be fun.

Until next time, follow me on Twitter @the_kevstaaa