WWE SummerSlam: Power Ranking Every Show

2002

For me personally, the 2002 edition was my first ever SummerSlam since becoming a fan of professional wrestling, and I was clearly fortunate to enter at this time. Every match was at the very least decent, which is rare when most PPVs often contain one or two turkeys. The final two contests on the card were the highlights, with the main event the culmination of arguably the most dominant debut months in wrestling history. Brock Lesnar defeated the Rock to claim the WWE Championship, an excellent bout made memorable by its stunning crowning of a new, young champion. The other outstanding battle produced a moment for the ages, as Shawn Michaels returned after a four-year absence to best Triple H in a phenomenal street fight.

The return of HBK with such style was an untouchable moment of pure emotion, and still stands as one of the greatest moments in the events history. The rest of the card thus had a lot to live up to, and whilst that was an unreachable border, essentially every match had something to enjoy. Five of the famed SmackDown Six brought their rapid, technical brilliance to SummerSlam through Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio, Edge vs Eddie Guerrero and Christ Benoit vs Rob Van Dam for the Intercontinental Championship. These were all great contests that could easily be the standout clash on a different night, and solid performances by Undertaker, Ric Flair and Chris Jericho make this one of the most consistently strong cards in the event’s history.