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Champions League of Summerslam Field of 32 Group A Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H in a Non-Sanctioned Street Fight ('02) (CMV1 note - I've watched this match so many, many times and every time I'm reminded how great it was. I, to this day, don't know how this match could have been any better. Just a great story told with Triple H playing the perfect foil to HBK in his return match. The drama was so real with every HBK fan wondering if his back was going to withstand all the bumps he was taking. He did a brilliant job selling it and playing off our emotions. Trips was at his best in this bout. There weren't any mind blowing near falls, but this was a rare case in which none were needed to advance the story they were telling. Nexus vs. Team WWE (’10) (CMV1 note – This was a very good main-event for Summerslam with the WWE booking it well throughout. Bret Hart had a nice showing, as did Daniel Bryan and Justin Gabriel. At the end, it expectedly came down to Cena standing alone – he played his role well and helped send the crowd home happy with his Superman comeback) Kurt Angle vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (’01) (CMV1 note – A very good, bordering on great match in which these two, pardon my French, beat the absolute shit out of each other. Blood was spilt by Angle in buckets, German suplexes were taken by Austin in handfuls, stunners were given by Austin in trebles, and referees were knocked out of the match galore. One helluva fight that gave Angle credibility to do more than just grapple) Ultimate Warrior vs. Macho Man Randy Savage ('92) (CMV1 note - Despite the lack of a definitive winner, this was quite a nice follow-up to their initial encounter from 18 months prior. Warrior had three great opponents during his run: Hogan, Rude, and Savage. I think it was Savage that brought the absolute best out of him. Rude made him look good, but Savage made him look like he was so much better than he really was) Group B Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog ('92) (CMV1 note - While the IC title match from the year before was a classic, Bret and Davey Boy took it to another level. This is widely regarded amongst many wrestling historians as one of the greatest matches of all time. I wouldn't go that far, personally, but I will say that this match was very special. Wembley Stadium got themselves a memorable match. If the match with Perfect was the one that made Bret a main-event option, this would be the one that made him a virtual lock to become the WWE Champion - which he subsequently did soon after) Triple H vs. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle ('00) (CMV1 note - Thoroughly enjoyable match that really picked up when Angle was able to return from his legitimate early match concussion. Rock and Trips had faced so many times that year already that another battle between the two was more than repetitious, but Angle's inclusion and the storyline that really focused on him freshened things up considerably) Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero in a Ladder Match ('05) (CMV1 note - Not a classic ladder match encounter, as there was a blown spot or two that prevented it from reaching that height. However, this was a great, dramatic match that was the best match in their series of bouts from that year. The custody of Rey's son storyline was silly, but Eddie played it off very well. He was at his heelish best during that feud with Mysterio) Chris Jericho vs. John Cena ('05) (CMV1 note - I believe it was Wevv Mang that referred to this as his 2005 MOTY, so it has received praise in the past. Allow me to heap more praise on it...this was the best match of John Cena's career to that point. It wasn't an overly long encounter, but they fit a lot into a little amount of time to make this feel main-event worthy. The dueling chants from the crowd were the first real sign of what we've been seeing for the last 5 years with the people being split on their opinions of Cena. Jericho and Cena quietly had a great feud in '05 and this match provided the perfect pay off) Group C Undertaker vs. Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match ('08) (CMV1 note - A fantastic match that put the finishing touches on a feud that produced a match on these lists for five out of the last six months. One could argue that this was the best HIAC match of all-time, and it was easily the best since they switched to the new, taller cell. They did a great job of incorporating bits and pieces from each of the matches in their lengthy feud. Really and truly the blueprint for the modern era HIAC match) Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero ('04) (CMV1 note - Not nearly as good as their Mania encounter from earlier that year, but each man went into the match either nursing or still recovering from injury. The crowd was really wild for this match - and the entire event, in general - creating for a unique dynamic where the usually mega-over Eddie was relegated to taking a backseat to the Olympic Hero) Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit ('04) (CMV1 note - The famous match where Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. I always felt this was one jump-out-of-your-seat near fall away from being a classic. As it was, this was still a great match that was supremely well worked by Benoit. Orton responded to the challenge and showed why he was capable of becoming World Champ at that point. I always enjoy seeing the raw emotion of a wrestler like Orton crying after winning a title) Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon in a Ladder Match ('95) (CMV1 note - The first WWE ladder match to feature two ladders, this was a nice play on the original, at times. However, it was not up to par with the classic Mania bout from 17 months prior. It was still a great ladder match, featuring the psychology that's often missing from today's ladder matches. The finish was somewhat botched, as well, with Michaels unable to hold onto the belt when he tried to grab it from the top of the ladder on his first try) Group D The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match ('00) (CMV1 note - Billed as the first TLC match, it was really the second. The first took place at that year's Wrestlemania and it was off the charts in terms of the risks and bumps taken. This was just more of the same. The sequel was quite amazing to watch, yet again, with several cringe worthy stunts made to look fairly simple, but it wasn't as memorable since it wasn't the original) Chris Benoit vs. Rob Van Dam ('02) (CMV1 note - A very good match in which the momentum swung several times. Benoit was the perfect kind of opponent to work a match of this style with RVD. He had the know how to control the match and work RVD's signature spots into it so that each one made a lot of sense and weren't just randomly thrown out there for no psychological purpose) Bret Hart vs. Undertaker ('97) (CMV1 note - This is really bordering on the classic variety via it's rating, to be honest, but I've just never viewed this match in that light. It was a great match that went back and forth and had the added drama of HBK being the guest referee. This match accomplished so much in it's 28-minutes. The match itself and the title change nearly took a back seat to HBK starting a new feud and furthering an old one) Randy Orton vs. John Cena ('07) (CMV1 note - Let me preface my comments by saying that, to me, this was the most anticipated match - from a pure mark perspective - in a very long time for me. I thought they did a great job of building up to this match in the weeks that preceded it and I thought they delivered a very good match that followed right along with the story that they'd been telling in the build-up. It was a bit one-sided, with Orton dominating most of the match, but the drama and emotion made up for it) Group E Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match ('94) (CMV1 note - The most recent comment that I read about this match was that it was "boring and long." Whoever made that comment - and I honestly don't remember where I read that - does not understand storytelling in a wrestling match. This was a phenomenal match contested by arguably the greatest in-ring storyteller in the history of the WWE and his always up to the task brother. This is what a cage match should be all about. One could only win by escaping and they executed a marvelous piece of work revolving around the realistic ways that two guys who wanted to win so badly would go about accomplishing their goal and getting out of the big blue steel structure. A gimmick masterpiece, in my opinion) Undertaker vs. Randy Orton ('05) (CMV1 note - Whereas there Wrestlemania 21 encounter was good, but clunky at times, this was a better match that cut out the sloppiness and a told a good story. It was Orton's matches with Taker that helped him recover from the awful direction his character was taken during his ill-fated run as a babyface) Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan ('05) (CMV1 note - While it has been criticized often for HBK over selling all of Hogan's offensive maneuvers, I thought the same quality was what made this match so great. It was classic heel HBK, and if you like guys like him or Curt Hennig, then you'll love his performance in this match. It was an amazing feud and this match played to all of the little nuances that made the feud special. HBK deserves a medal for this carry job and Hogan deserves credit for still being capable of being carried to a match of this caliber) Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam in a Ladder Match (’01) (CMV1 note – A great ladder match that was one connected spot away from reaching the four-star mark and being a potential classic. Unfortunately, they missed a key spot that was supposed to take them to their finish. Before the botch, they put together a dozen or more nicely performed hardcore spots) Group F Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match (’09) (CMV1 note – The kind of match that you’d hope would end every top WWE feud. A truly classic ladder match, but also just a classic match in general. Many have said that the original ladder match was two guys using a ladder to tell a story and that most modern ladder matches are guys just doing stunts off ladders and telling no story. This was more like the original than the modern, in that sense) Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Mankind in a Steel Cage Match ('97) (CMV1 note - For me, this is the match where I first began to take notice of HHH as a serious contender to rise the ranks and become a major player. While it wound being more about Foley than Trips, it was still a showcase of what Hunter brought to the table and what he was capable of. That leap from the top of the cage from Foley is a classic WWE moment) The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar ('02) (CMV1 note - I flat out LOVE this match. Often overshadowed by the little slice of wrestling Heaven that preceded on the card that night, this bout was 16-minutes of The Rock at his best. It was also the match where Lesnar jumped out of the category for "guy with a ton of potential for down the road" and into the category for "Holy shit! This guy is really good already!" Lesnar was such a quick study in the ring and he rose to the occasion, here. The Nassau Coliseum crowd was awesome, as well) Edge vs. John Cena ('06) (CMV1 note - really good main-event that ended up being the match of the night, easily. This was the match where they began clicking in the ring together. The last few minutes were very exciting and Edge’s dominant offense through the first ten minutes was executed well enough to keep the match from being boring. It was nice to see Edge get a meaningful win and be booked to look strong by getting out of the STFU) Group G Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect ('91) (CMV1 note - One of the all-time classic Intercontinental Championship matches, this was truly one for the ages. This ranks right up there with Savage vs. Steamboat for the best match of the early WWF era that I grew up on. Perfect was the "perfect" opponent for Bret and did a wonderful job putting him over that night at MSG. You can really point to this match as the moment when Bret became a potential main-event option) Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio ('02) (CMV1 note - The absolute best match in the history of wrestling that lasted under ten-minutes. Don't let the rating fool you. This was only an 9-minute match, but what they accomplished in those nine-minutes was fantastic. The pace was quick, the action crisp, the storytelling spot on, the psychology rock solid, and near falls out-of-your-chair scintillating. One of my favorite matches to watch) Undertaker vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin ('98) (CMV1 note - You know, this was not a perfect match by any stretch. There were some downright sloppy moments in this match, in fact. Yet, you have to put into perspective. This was a match of titans; a Mania caliber main-event that went back and forth for 20-minutes and saw them beat the holy hell out of each other in a style typical of the main-events for that era. It was just the right length for a Taker match back then, because if it had gone longer than it would've run the risk of being flat out boring. As it was, they did a nice job of keeping the pace up. A fitting main-event to one of the better Summerslams, which gets moved to classic status by a combination of the atmosphere for the match and the novelty of seeing those two go at it on such a big stage) Degeneration X vs. Legacy (’09) (CMV1 note – easily the best tag team match of the last few years that didn’t involve any gimmicks, bells or whistles. This was just a straight up back and forth, break down the usual formula tag contest that broke away from the usual mold. Thoroughly enjoyable and worth watching on multiple occasions) Group H Triple H vs. The Rock in a Ladder Match ('98) (CMV1 note - Unlike the many ladder matches that happened from 1999 onward, this was the last of the classic, old school ladder matches that actually told a story and weren't just spotfests. Not that this match didn't have some nice spots, but they were told within the confines of the story telling. The crowd at MSG was electric and were into everything that Rock and Trips pulled off. Considering that neither one was in their prime, yet, this was all the more impressive, so you really have to take your hats off to these guys. One of the best stories told in any ladder match, ever) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart ('97) (CMV1 note - Despite the rating, I still consider this to be a great and memorable match. It's most famous for the spot where Owen piledrives Austin's unprotected head into the mat. That move could've killed Austin, and at the very least it started the trickle down effect that ultimately led to Austin's premature retirement. However, it was a very good back and forth match prior to that) Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar ('03) (CMV1 note - I've always liked it when Summerslam's main-event was a rematch of the Wrestlemania main-event from that same year. This wasn't quite as good as the classic Mania XIX match from the two, but it was still a great match. The role heel-face role reversal made things interesting and Brock tapping out was a big surprise...but I never understood why Angle wasn't forced to break the ankle lock when Lesnar repeatedly grabbed the ropes) John Cena vs. Batista ('08) (CMV1 note - I'll never understand why this wasn't saved for Wrestlemania. I think they proved that night that they could've had a great Wrestlemania main-event. The crowd was red hot for the match and the back and forth action kept you guessing who would win. Since neither has ever been known for their forays into the loss column, the unpredictability was at an abnormal high a match involving these two) Group Stage Game Ones Shawn Michaels-Triple H in a Non-Sanctioned Street Fight ('02) VS. Nexus-Team WWE (’10) Kurt Angle-Stone Cold Steve Austin (’01) VS. Ultimate Warrior-Macho Man Randy Savage ('92) Bret Hart-The British Bulldog ('92) VS. Triple H-The Rock-Kurt Angle ('00) Rey Mysterio - Eddie Guerrero in a Ladder Match ('05) VS. Chris Jericho - John Cena ('05) Undertaker - Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match ('08) VS. Kurt Angle - Eddie Guerrero ('04) Randy Orton - Chris Benoit ('04) VS. Shawn Michaels - Razor Ramon in a Ladder Match ('95) The Hardy Boyz - The Dudley Boyz - Edge in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match ('00) VS. Chris Benoit - Rob Van Dam ('02) Bret Hart - Undertaker ('97) VS. Randy Orton - John Cena ('07) Bret Hart -Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match ('94) VS. Undertaker - Randy Orton ('05) Shawn Michaels - Hulk Hogan ('05) VS. Jeff Hardy - Rob Van Dam in a Ladder Match (’01) Jeff Hardy - CM Punk in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match (’09) VS. Hunter Hearst Helmsley - Mankind in a Steel Cage Match ('97) The Rock - Brock Lesnar ('02) VS. Edge - John Cena ('06) Bret Hart - Mr. Perfect ('91) VS. Kurt Angle - Rey Mysterio ('02) Undertaker - Stone Cold Steve Austin ('98) VS. Degeneration X - Legacy (’09) Triple H - The Rock in a Ladder Match ('98) VS. Stone Cold Steve Austin - Owen Hart ('97) Kurt Angle -Brock Lesnar ('03) VS. John Cena - Batista ('08)
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