SummerSlam is 39 years old and there have been a lot of Incredible moments that have happened at the second biggest WWE show of the year. From title changes to great matches to shocking moments, it has had it all. SummerSlam 2026 has the chance to add a few of its own.
Let’s look at the Top 5 Moments in SummerSlam history
Brock Lesnar Squashes John Cena for WWE Championship
This is the moment that a lot of WWE fans remember from SummerSlam. This was a shellacking that was never seen before. John Cena was Super Cena for 10 years before this match. He never lost and when he did his opponent would have to do something extraordinary. However this was dominance at its brutal best. Brock Lesnar delivered 16 German Suplexes to John Cena and in 15 minutes gave him 2 F5s and won the WWE Championship. It is safe to say that WWE will never see anything like that ever again.
Shawn Michaels Returns after 4 Years at SummerSlam 2002
Shawn Michaels was out of wrestling for 4 years. He suffered a freak injury and his career was almost over. At SummerSlam 2002, that all changed as he made a great comeback against Triple H in a bloody match. That was chaotic and he won that match. That was one of the most heroic moments in SummerSlam history. He then would go on to wrestle for 8 More years. This night holds a very special place in the heart of Shawn Michaels.
The First Tag Team TLC Match
SummerSlam was witness to the first TLC Match between The Hardy Boys vs The Dudley Boys vs Edge and Christian. This was an absolutely incredible match that set the tone for all future TLC Matches. The three teams in this match put on a show and stole the show. That was one of the matches of the year. SummerSlam was where all the 6 men became stars and they hold a very special place in the history of this event.
SummerSlam 2022
This is something that not a lot of people will talk about. However the 2022 edition of SummerSlam was one of the biggest moments in WWE history. Just days before the event, Vince McMahon was out of WWE creative and Triple H took over the creative duties full time. The 2022 edition of SummerSlam started with the returns of Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai as Damage Ctrl to WWE. That show had the legendary Last Man Standing Match between Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar. WWE was forever changed that day.
Cody Rhodes beat John Cena and Brock Lesnar makes Shocking Return
This moment is from SummerSlam last year. It was John Cena vs Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship. Days before John Cena had turned babyface and this was one of the greatest Matches in the history of SummerSlam. It was two men who gave it their all for 38 minutes and not a single moment was boring. John Cena proved that he still has it and Cody Rhodes beat John Cena and won back his WWE Championship. After the match one of the most shocking moments took place at SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar returned and no one knew anything about it. Such moments are rare in professional wrestling.
