Reviewing WWE SummerSlam’s Greatest Matches

WWE.com

WWF SummerSlam 2001

WWF Championship Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. Kurt Angle

Result: Kurt Angle defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin via disqualification. However, Stone Cold Steve Austin retains the WWF Championship.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Angle and Austin began brawling on the ramp to begin this match. Austin threw multiple right hands to get Angle down and threw him into the ring.

Once they got in, Angle took Austin down and clubbed him with plenty of punches and stomps. Austin followed this with chops until Angle came back with a clothesline and cross-body for a near-fall.

Austin came back with a shot to the back of the head and began to work on Angle’s left leg with twisting and stomping on it. Angle would eventually counter with the Ankle Lock before Austin went to the ropes.

Austin and Angle began trading right hands until the latter was tossed out of the ring.

Back in the ring, Austin hit two suplexes and slapped Angle in the head. He hit another suplex for a near-fall.

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Austin would go for another suplex but get hit with seven belly-to-back suplexes by Angle. He went for an Angle Slam but Austin countered and drove Angle into the turnbuckle.

Austin would get Angle on the top rope and chop him. He went for a superplex but got thrown off. Austin would go back up and connect with the superplex this time around to send both men to the mat.

Austin then hit the Stunner out of nowhere but surprisingly did not complete the pin. He complained to the referee and hit another Stunner on Angle but this one led to the Olympic Gold Medalist flying out of the ring. Austin would meet Angle outside the ring and continue to beat him down. He threw him four times into the ring post.

After a fifth shot, Austin began pounding on Angle’s head, busting him open. He leaned Angle on the apron and continued to club him in the face. Austin threw Angle back in the ring and got a near-fall.

Angle got thrown out of the ring by Austin again and was tossed into the ring post for a sixth time. He then slammed Angle’s head into the announcer’s table. As Austin went for another move, Angle countered it and got him over the barricade. This set up a suplex of Angle onto the concrete.

As Austin tried going back to ringside, Angle grabbed Austin’s ankle for the Ankle Lock but got pulled off by the referee. He pulled Austin into the ring and put the submission maneuver on again until Austin climbed to the rope.

The two would go outside the ring again. This time, Angle tossed Austin with a suplex. Austin answered with two punches until Angle suplexed him right on the mat. Angle then took Austin’s head and slammed it into the announcer’s table.

Back in the ring, Angle attempted climbing to the top rope and hit a moonsault for a near-fall.

The two then began countering each other’s moves until Austin put Angle in the Cobra Clutch (going back to his Ringmaster days). This got Angle locked in and onto the ground briefly. Angle got back up and nearly put it into a pinfall.

Austin would lock into Angle again and almost passed out. However, Angle picked up his arm and tossed Austin out of the ring.

Austin would hit third Stunner of the match but Angle kicked out yet again! This infuriated Austin.

Angle tried getting back up and Austin began toying with him. He went for another Stunner but Angle countered it into an Angle Slam! He could only get a near-fall, though.

Austin then released his frustrations and took out out the referee. Angle then hit a DDT on Austin and nearly got the pinfall as a new referee came in to handle this match.

Austin would hit a low blow and hit a Stunner on the new referee. He then ran out of the ring and grabbed his title. He brought it back in the ring but a third referee came out. This one got clubbed in the face by the title.

With Austin distracted, Angle hit another Angle Slam and a fourth referee came out. However, a crooked WCW referee came out and disqualified Austin for abuse to referees. This allowed him to retain the WWF Championship.

Rob’s Note: This is probably one of the more underrated matches of SummerSlam. The messy finish may hurt it in some people’s eyes but it told a great story throughout the 20+ minutes of action.

Next: Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock