A week from this Sunday, the WWE will present the 28th annual SummerSlam event live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a night that is sure to add to a rich history of one of the greatest franchises in company history.
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SummerSlam has propelled itself to becoming one of the best events of the year for the WWE with memorable matches and moments that will live on through the WWE Universe for years to come.
While it's become an annual classic, not every SummerSlam has been one to cherish as some events live up to the hype while others falter. This week, we'll delve into the latter category as we begin a three-part series of ranking each SummerSlam.
Best SummerSlam Moments Ranked, 2009-14 Edition
Here are the nine worst SummerSlams ranked from worst (27) to first (19) in Part 1 of our series:
27) SummerSlam 1995: A Main Event Not Fit For A King
Info: Civic Arena; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Aug. 27, 1995
Best Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon
Worst Match: Diesel vs. King Mabel
Analysis: This is one of the worst SummerSlams ever with easily one of the worst main events in WWE history. Vince McMahon hitched his wagon to Mabel by giving him the King of the Ring and having him battle Diesel for the WWE Championship at this edition, and it backfired big time. Luckily, Vinnie Mac had Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels to save the day with a breath-taking Ladder Match that lived up to their WrestleMania X clash. This card was so bad that lifetime jobber Barry Horowitz had a match and actually went over cleanly.
26) SummerSlam 1993: Luger Chokes Again
Info: Palace at Auburn Hills; Auburn Hills, Mich.; Aug. 30, 1993
Best Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect
Worst Match: Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez
Analysis: This is easily one of the worst SummerSlams as the feud building between Lex Luger and Yokozuna had no payoff, with Luger once again choking in a big spot by taking a countout win instead of dethroning the WWE Champion. What made matters worse was the undercard, which featured a god awful, mind-numbing Rest in Peace match between Giant Gonzalez and The Undertaker. Even Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Championship, which was advertised as a classic, didn't live up to the hype.
25) SummerSlam 2007: Cultivating Crap In The Garden State
Info: Continental Airlines Arena; East Rutherford, N.J.; Aug. 26, 2007
Best Match: John Cena vs. Randy Orton
Worst Match: Batista vs. Khali
Analysis: For The Biggest Party of the Summer, this one certainly sucked. This was supposed to be the second biggest card of the year and aside from a decent Cena/Orton match (which ended with Cena YET AGAIN going over) and returns from Triple H and Rey Mysterio, this one was forgettable. No titles changed hands and Batista and Khali fought in a snore-fest that ended in a disqualification.
24) SummerSlam 2003: Why The Hell Did Triple H Go Over?
Info: America West Arena; Phoenix, Ariz.; Aug. 24, 2003
Best Match: Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar
Worst Match: Shane McMahon vs. Eric Bischoff
Analysis: As this event was approaching, it appeared as though Triple H's reign of terror as World Heavyweight Champion where he constantly buried everyone the fans love on the roster was coming to an end -- or so we though. The Game faced five other men in an Elimination Chamber match, which seemingly was only used to get the title onto Goldberg and get four other guys on the card. Instead, Triple H, who was injured, barely participated in the bout as Goldberg tore through everyone else. In the end, The Game used the sledgehammer to knockout Goldberg and win the match. Cue the head-scratching. The card was up-and-down with a terrible Bischoff-McMahon match, but also saved by a classic Lesnar-Angle encounter.
23) SummerSlam 1988: Can't Knock The Original
Info: Madison Square Garden; New York, N.Y.; Aug. 29, 1988
Best Match: The Mega Powers vs. The Mega Bucks
Worst Match: Ken Patera vs. Bad News Brown
Analysis: This one gets a pass mostly for being the first one, but aside from the main event (which featured the blow off to the feud between mega team Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage and their adversaries Andre the Giant and Ted Dibiase) and The Ultimate Warrior humiliating Honky Tonk Man to win the Intercontinental Championship, there's nothing to celebrate here. Most of the card didn't focus on main rivals going head-to-head and the under card was very, very weak with matches like Big Boss Man vs. Koko B. Ware as prime examples.
22) SummerSlam 1996: Opposites Attack
Info: Gund Arena; Cleveland, Ohio; Aug. 18, 1996
Best Match: Undertaker vs. Mankind/Shawn Michaels vs. Vader
Worst Match: Jake Roberts vs. Jerry Lawler
Analysis: This is very much an average show, but it has some great moments with HBK defeating Vader in a solid match and Mankind overcoming The Undertaker after Paul Bearer shockingly turned his back on the Deadman. Owen Hart/Savio Vega is also a solid opener. This event falters with the Jake Roberts and Jerry Lawler stuff and there's nothing else truly memorable about it.
21) SummerSlam 1994: Were They On Crack When They Booked The Main Event?
Info: United Center; Chicago, Ill.; Aug. 29, 1994
Best Match: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
Worst Match: Undertaker vs. Undertaker
Analysis: ::Sigh:: you didn't read that wrong and it wasn't a typo, the WWE actually had Ted Dibiase bring in a fake Undertaker (known to fans as Underfaker) to feud with the real Undertaker. The main event was a train wreck as the crowd appeared to be deader than the actual characters. This event wasn't all bad though, as brothers Bret and Owen Hart had a tremendous WWE Championship bout in a steel cage that lasted over 30 minutes and Razor Ramon topped Diesel for the Intercontinental Championship.
20) SummerSlam 2010: 7-on-7...And Not Much Else
Info: Staples Center; Los Angeles, Calif.; Aug. 15, 2010
Best Match: Team WWE vs. Team Nexus
Worst Match: Melina vs. Alicia Fox
Analysis: This is the definition of a one-match show, but it was a fun one at the very least as Bret Hart wrestled his first SummerSlam match in 13 years by partnering up with Team WWE (John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Chris Jericho, R-Truth and John Morrison) to battle Team Nexus (Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, David Otunga, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver and Darren Young) in a seven-on-seven elimination match. In the end, Cena was the sole survivor by last eliminating Barrett in a memorable match that could have worked better at the Survivor Series. Everything else on the card didn't mean much in the long run.
19) SummerSlam 2006: A Mixed Bag
Info: TD Garden; Boston, Mass.; Aug. 20, 2006
Best Match: Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair
Worst Match: Big Show vs. Sabu
Analysis: This event wasn't bad, but it relied on a lot of old characters as Hulk Hogan faced Randy Orton and DX battled The McMahons in a decent contest. The main event of Edge vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship was very good while Foley vs. Flair in an "I Quit" battle was the highlight of the night. Still as a whole, it doesn't hold up as one of the top SummerSlam events.
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