For 28 years, SummerSlam has been the WWE's annual summer blockbuster spectacle and things will be no different this August.
Ranking Brock Lesnar's 5 Past SummerSlam Opponents
The WWE will present SummerSlam live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Aug. 23 as the event returns to New York City for the first time since 1998 (2002 was held on Long Island), breaking the six-year tradition at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker has already been announced to headline the card in a rematch from WrestleMania XXX, but there are several weeks to go before the full card is fleshed out.
Top 5 SummerSlam Opponents For The Undertaker In SummerSlam History
SummerSlam is an event that is rich with history as there have been memorable matches, crazy twists and momentous title changes throughout the nearly three decades the event has been around.
We've determined the best event from each of the first five SummerSlams, which stems from the initial edition in New York City's heralded Madison Square Garden in 1998 to the 1992 event, which emanated from Wembley Stadium in London.
We've also ranked each one of these defining moments to put them into a Top 5.
To view this in slideshow form, CLICK START at the top right of the page.
Here are our favorite moments from each SummerSlam in order of impact:
5) An Ultimate Rude Awakening, SummerSlam 1989
It was through under-handed tactics that Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's client "Ravishing" Rick Rude walked out of WrestleMania V with The Ultimate Warrior's Intercontinental Championship and the heavy fan favorite was looking for vengeance heading into SummerSlam at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. on Aug. 28, 1989.
With help from a distraction by "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, the Warrior gained revenge on Rude and Heenan, hitting the Gorilla Press Slam and pinning The Ravishing One to win the title back.
4) Harts of Gold, SummerSlam 1990
Bret "Hitman" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, collectively known as The Hart Foundation, were working their way up the tag team ranks in the WWE in 1990. At that time, Demolition were on top as champions, but a new member, Crush, began to emerge to help out Ax and Smash.
The score between these two teams was to be settled in a classic two-out-of-three falls match at SummerSlam live from the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Aug. 27, 1990. Though all three members of Demolition to get involved, the Hart Foundation was able to crawl out of a 1-0 hole to win the bout in three falls with some help from the Legion of Doom.
Honorable Mention: The double main event, Hulk Hogan vs. Earthquake; Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude in a cage.
3) Ultimate Surprise, SummerSlam 1988
The Ultimate Warrior makes our list once again as he made his presence known at the inaugural SummerSlam on Aug. 29, 1988, at MSG. For 18 long months, the Honky Tonk Man tortured the WWE's fan base by cheating and doing whatever it took to hang onto the Intercontinental Championship.
When Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake went down with a storyline injury, the Honky Tonk Man was booked to issue an open challenge to anyone. The Warrior, a relatively new Superstar who was gaining popularity with the fans, answered the call. The Warrior defeated HTM in a 31-second squash match to end his 454-day reign as champion and the fans exploded as he picked up his first gold in the company.
Honorable Mention: Miss Elizabeth's surprising reveal in the main event.
2) Hart of a Champion, SummerSlam 1991
Bret Hart split off onto his own heading into this edition of The Biggest Party of the Summer, which emanated from MSG on Aug. 26, 1991. Hart was set to battle another technical wrestler with a rich family background in professional wrestling in Mr. Perfect as he chased his first singles title.
Hart and Perfect wrestled each other in what was an absolute clinic that still holds up to this day as one of the best bouts in SummerSlam history. In the end, Hart made Perfect submit to his infamous Sharpshooter to end a match that spanned over 18 minutes. The Excellence of Execution kicked off what proved to be a Hall of Fame-worthy singles career.
Honorable Mention: The Randy Savage, Miss Elizabeth Wedding
1) A Family Affair, SummerSlam 1992
SummerSlam went international for the first time in its history as the WWE traveled to Wembley Stadium in London on Aug. 29, 1992. England's hometown hero "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith was set to battle his real-life brother-in-law Bret Hart in a bout for the Intercontinental Championship.
It was rare in those days to see two babyfaces go head-to-head, but the fans were solely behind The Bulldog and Hart altered his in-ring style to make sure no one supported him. The match was also rare because it was for the IC belt and it closed the show. The two family members battled it out in an epic contest that spanned over 25 minutes and in the end England's own Bulldog stood tall in front of his home crowd as the new champion.
Bonus Ranking
As we continue this series, we'll rank each SummerSlam event individually as it goes along. While it didn't have the strongest card, the atmosphere and ending to 1992 puts it a step above the rest. The lineup for 1990 was second-best with a memorable double main event while 1991, 1989 and 1988 follow behind.
1) SummerSlam 1992: Despite a nixed Warrior heel turn, Bulldog/Bret and the atomosphere still hold up.
2) SummerSlam 1991 Great undercard, Virgil/Dibiase, Hart/Perfect, Bossman/Mountie. Main event is rough, Savage/Liz wedding memorable
3) SummerSlam 1990 Fun card: Demos/Harts, Double Main Event of Hogan/Earthquake and Warrior/Rude in a cage.
4) SummerSlam 1989 Great card with fantastic six-man tag matches, held down by main event.
5) SummerSlam 1988 Historic for being first ever show, not much of a card. Forgettable aside from Warrior's win and Liz's wardrobe removal.
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