WWE SummerSlam: Power Ranking Every Show

2008

The 2008 main event is an undoubted contender for the greatest SummerSlam match in history, as the Undertaker battled Edge inside of Hell in a Cell. This was a fantastic feud which carried SmackDown for most of the year, the Phenom beating Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 24, and then the Rated R Superstar banishing Undertaker from WWE at One Night Stand. Despite the recent PG restrictions established, it was a brutal match where both held nothing back in the pursuit of an amazing encounter. And the lasting image of Edge chokeslammed through the ring was a fitting end to their heated rivalry.

This excellent concluding bout was supported well by the penultimate clash, as Batista defeated John Cena in a battle to show who truly “the man” in WWE was. It needed no further build, and did produce an impressive performance by both men. However, what dragged this card down were the two World Championship matches. CM Punk was in his first World Championship run, but a match with JBL was never going to prove greatly exciting. And, for the second consecutive year, Great Khali found himself in a title match, thankfully losing to Triple H, but definitely not earning any positive plaudits for that.