WWE SummerSlam: Power Ranking Every Show

2012

It seems inconceivable that a show headlined by Brock Lesnar would be so low on this selection of events. Yet, following his immediate loss to John Cena at Extreme Rules, the Beast did not hold the same drawing power for his match with Triple H that he holds today. At least Paul Heyman was by his side, and the match proved solid. Nothing spectacular, which was a shame considering the talent of both performers, it at least had an ideal finish, as Lesnar broke the Game’s arm in earning a submission victory.

With that as the main draw, the remainder of the matches on offer did little to attract additional buyers. CM Punk defended his WWE Championship against John Cena and Big Show in a really below par fixture for all three involved, as they really struggled to tell an appealing story in the ring. Sheamus was in the middle of his dull World Heavyweight Championship run, which produced some excellent performances but very little intrigue, and pairing him with Alberto Del Rio had zero chance of improving that situation. Overall, the most compelling contest was the opening bout between Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler, and the rest of the card couldn’t keep up from that moment on.