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The WWE website has printed a Top 20 list of Superstars who had successful Summers on the list. In my opinion, it is a pretty solid list, with 3 exceptions. They seem to feel obligated to put Triple H, John Cena and Randy Orton on here. Don't get me wrong, all three of these guys managed to have a succesful season during the mid-year in the past. But just not the years that made this list.
20. Nexus (2010)
After Wade Barrett won the first season on NXT, he lead the rest of the contestants in an attack on the Raw set and staff. He formed the Nexus, his own sub-brand on Raw. David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, Darren Young and Skip Sheffield (Ryback) helped Barrett dominate the RAW brand and FCW for the duration of the Summer. The Nexus also main-evented SummerSlam with John Cena, Bret Hart, Edge, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, R-Truth and John Morrison.
19. The Ultimate Warrior (1988)
The Ultimate Warrior was the surprise challenger for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. It took Warrior a minute to end Honky Tonk Man’s record 15 month reign as champion.
18. JBL (2004)
The constant tag team performer finally proved himself as a main eventer. He racially abused Mexican and German fans in his pursuit of the WWE Championship, which he was finally awarded. He founded his own stable, ‘The Cabinet’. He managed to keep the title away from the Undertaker. He was powerbombed through the rough of his own limousine by the Undertaker. His title reign would last 10 months.
17. John Cena (2006)
Not sure why he is listed for this year. He lost the WWE Championship to Rob Van Dam in a double-humiliation. Not only did he lose the title at the pay-per-view designed to launched the ECW brand, but he lost the title to a ‘Money In The Bank’ cash-in for the second time. Despite being a former champion, Edge did not become a true main-eventer until he cost Cena the title. Cena’s biggest wins were against former ECW stars, apart from RVD. The highlight of Cena’s Summer was throwing WWE Champion Edge into a river.
16. The Undertaker (1998)
The Undertaker announced that he was sick of being held-back by the WWE. He managed to re-invent himself and prove why he was one of the most dangerous threats to anyone in the company. He defeated Mankind in a “Hell In A Cell†match, the single match which defined the Attitude Era. He threw Mankind off the top of the cell, through the cell roof, and repeated through thumb-tacks, dislocating his shoulder and removing a tooth in the process. He managed to subdue all of his rivals (Mankind, Paul Bearer and Kane) before main-eventing SummerSlam. His match against WWE Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin is considered one of the very best by both men.
15. Hulk Hogan (1989)
Hogan was the WWE Champion throughout the Summer, beginning his reign at WrestleMania V. He almost never lost a match during this time. He main-evented SummerSlam, teaming with Brutus Beefcake to defeat Macho Man Randy Savage and Zeus (from the Hogan movie ‘No Holds Barred’).
14. Kurt Angle (2003)
Kurt Angle returned to action from a broken neck after only a few months. Angle would quickly win the WWE Championship. He also gave Brock Lesnar his first unquestionable defeat, even forcing him to submit for the first time in his career.
13. Mankind (1996)
Mankind secured to major pay-per-view wins over Undertaker back when Undertaker was at his healthiest. The second win was the first ever Boiler Room Brawl. Mankind celebrated the win by taking Paul Bearer as his manager.
12. Batista (2005)
Batista went from Evolution’s whipping boy to a very deadly World Heavyweight Champion. The inexperienced champion destroyed Triple H in a ‘Hell In A Cell’ match. He was then drafted to SmackDown where he continued to dominate the roster like he did on Raw.
11. Shawn Michaels (1996)
Shawn Michaels’ continued his first reign as WWE Champion by consistently defending the title against much, much heavier opponents who were known for their strength or brutality. His lists of victories include hard-fought wins over Mankind, British Bulldog and Vader.
10. Triple H (2003)
Again, not sure why this was even listed.
Triple H decided to take a long break from being one of the most talented wrestlers in the company. But he decided to hold onto the World Heavyweight Championship during this time. Knowing that he was about to marry Stephanie McMahon (for real this time), Triple H used backstage politics to keep himself on top. He also continued his streak of embarrassing former WCW World Heavyweight Champions. He beat Kevin Nash in a Hell In A Cell. And then ended Goldberg’s undefeated streak (and by default, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Kevin Nash) in an Elimination Chamber match, despite only being in the ring for a few minutes. Triple H remained the top star, even though a severe injury left him barely able to walk.
9. Bret Hart (1997)
Bret Hart had taken on his new persona as a hero to all WWE fans, except the American ones. He reformed the Hart Foundation with Jim Neidhart, adding Brian Pillman, British Bulldog and brother Owen Hart (Bulldog and Neidhart had married into Hart’s family and were now living in Canada). The got an important victory at ‘In Your House: Canadian Stampede’ in his home town. The Hart Foundation beat Team Stone Cold (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk). Hart went on to beat Undertaker for his final WWE Championship at SummerSlam. The conclusion of this match saw American audiences turn on Shawn Michaels, and instigating the beginning of the DeGeneration-X stable.
8. Edge & Christian (2000)
The year 2000 was a fantastic year for the tag team division, and the competition has never been as fierce as it was then. Edge and Christian regained the titles in an elimination match which featured Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty & Grand Master Sexay), The Hardyz (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) and T&A (Test & Albert/Tensai). They defeated the Hardyz and Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) in the first official ‘TLC’ ladder match.
7. Stone Cold Steve Austin (1998)
It is hard enough to succeed at work if your boss doesn’t like you. But 1998 was the year in which Stone Cold Steve Austin turned defying your boss into an artform. Mr. McMahon continued stacking the deck against Austin, only allowing “monsters†to challenge him. He did lose the WWE Championship to Kane, but it was in a ‘First Blood’ match, with Kane having almost every inch of skin covered up. And that match was fraught with outside interference. He would regain the title cleanly only one night later. He continued to battle Kane and a newly re-dedicated Undertaker, and scored solid victories over both.
6. Macho Man Randy Savage (1991)
He had the first official WWEdding. He married Miss Elizabeth live at SummerSlam.
5. Randy Orton (2009)
If there one thing that the WWE used to do far too often, it was give us Randy Orton vs Triple H/John Cena for a major title as a main event match. And 2009 gave us an over indulgence of this. The only redeeming point of this year was that Orton managed to go through the Summer without a disqualification finish, or losing the title. That’s right. He managed to go 4 months without intentionally getting himself disqualified to retain a title.
4. The Rock (2000)
The Rock may be an 8-time WWE Champion, but he does not know the secret to having a long run as champion. Even rarely showing up when you are champion only kept the title around his waist for 2 months.
But the Summer of 2000 was different. Despite winning the title in a controversial tag team match, The Rock managed to retain the title throughout the Summer, lasting 119 days in all. Opponents had to go to great lengths just to come up short. Some could argue that having the WWE Commissioner, CEO and Chief Official as allies can be advantageous.
3. The British Bulldog (1992)
Bulldog pulled off the biggest win of his career. He may have been pulled off the greatest match in SummerSlam history too.
It was the first time that a major WWE pay-per-view was aired from outside of North America. Based in Wembley, England, Bulldog was in the main event. He challenged WWE Champion Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. He powered out of the Hart’s Sharpshooter (which no-one had done at that point) before pinning his brother-in-law.
2. Brock Lesnar (2002)
One night in April, Brock Lesnar made his first appearance on WWE television by attacking Spike Dudley. Three months later, he defeated Rob Van Dam to become the King of the Ring. At this point, Lesnar was not too concerned about his winning streak as referees began stopping matches and disqualified him in order to stop his assaults on opponents. Lesnar then defeated The Rock in the main event of SummerSlam, becoming the youngest winner of the title. For the next 10 years, Lesnar was incorrectly billed as having the shortest time between debut and holding the WWE Championship, but the fact that he did it within 6 months is still impressive.
(Ric Flair became champion inside 3 months of winning the title).
1. CM Punk (2011)
CM Punk took the biggest gamble of his career, and it paid off.
Punk had become frustrated with how underused he had been in the company. He did not understand why so many talented stars were only used to put over already heavily established main-eventers. Punk decided that when his contract expired, he would just let it expire. The WWE asked the Nexus leader to put over one final opponent on his way out; current WWE Champion John Cena.
At the end of a live broadcast of Raw, Punk was supposed to say that he was getting revenge for Cena running his best friend Batista out of the company one year earlier. And he did… but he just phrased it very differently. What followed was Punk’s infamous “Pipe bomb†promo. Instead of criticising Cena, he insulted Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Vince McMahon ordered his microphone to be cut off, and fired Punk that very same night. But it was too late. Punk had just become the single hottest commodity in wrestling.
Punk’s contract was reinstated, and more air-time for Punk lead to increased ratings for Raw. He put Cena through what may be the single greatest match of Cena’s career (and he did not have many to choose from). He left with the WWE Championship… or so we thought. Punk re-emerged one month later, challenging Cena’s claim to be WWE Champion, when Punk had never actually defended his title against anyone yet. The new Chief Operating Officer Triple H booked a showdown in the main event of SummerSlam. Although he beat Cena, he was instantly buried by Kevin Nash, Alberto Del Rio, and then Triple H himself. In spite of this, Punk would still come back as the single most marketable guy in the company.
20. Nexus (2010)
After Wade Barrett won the first season on NXT, he lead the rest of the contestants in an attack on the Raw set and staff. He formed the Nexus, his own sub-brand on Raw. David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, Darren Young and Skip Sheffield (Ryback) helped Barrett dominate the RAW brand and FCW for the duration of the Summer. The Nexus also main-evented SummerSlam with John Cena, Bret Hart, Edge, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, R-Truth and John Morrison.
19. The Ultimate Warrior (1988)
The Ultimate Warrior was the surprise challenger for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. It took Warrior a minute to end Honky Tonk Man’s record 15 month reign as champion.
18. JBL (2004)
The constant tag team performer finally proved himself as a main eventer. He racially abused Mexican and German fans in his pursuit of the WWE Championship, which he was finally awarded. He founded his own stable, ‘The Cabinet’. He managed to keep the title away from the Undertaker. He was powerbombed through the rough of his own limousine by the Undertaker. His title reign would last 10 months.
17. John Cena (2006)
Not sure why he is listed for this year. He lost the WWE Championship to Rob Van Dam in a double-humiliation. Not only did he lose the title at the pay-per-view designed to launched the ECW brand, but he lost the title to a ‘Money In The Bank’ cash-in for the second time. Despite being a former champion, Edge did not become a true main-eventer until he cost Cena the title. Cena’s biggest wins were against former ECW stars, apart from RVD. The highlight of Cena’s Summer was throwing WWE Champion Edge into a river.
16. The Undertaker (1998)
The Undertaker announced that he was sick of being held-back by the WWE. He managed to re-invent himself and prove why he was one of the most dangerous threats to anyone in the company. He defeated Mankind in a “Hell In A Cell†match, the single match which defined the Attitude Era. He threw Mankind off the top of the cell, through the cell roof, and repeated through thumb-tacks, dislocating his shoulder and removing a tooth in the process. He managed to subdue all of his rivals (Mankind, Paul Bearer and Kane) before main-eventing SummerSlam. His match against WWE Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin is considered one of the very best by both men.
15. Hulk Hogan (1989)
Hogan was the WWE Champion throughout the Summer, beginning his reign at WrestleMania V. He almost never lost a match during this time. He main-evented SummerSlam, teaming with Brutus Beefcake to defeat Macho Man Randy Savage and Zeus (from the Hogan movie ‘No Holds Barred’).
14. Kurt Angle (2003)
Kurt Angle returned to action from a broken neck after only a few months. Angle would quickly win the WWE Championship. He also gave Brock Lesnar his first unquestionable defeat, even forcing him to submit for the first time in his career.
13. Mankind (1996)
Mankind secured to major pay-per-view wins over Undertaker back when Undertaker was at his healthiest. The second win was the first ever Boiler Room Brawl. Mankind celebrated the win by taking Paul Bearer as his manager.
12. Batista (2005)
Batista went from Evolution’s whipping boy to a very deadly World Heavyweight Champion. The inexperienced champion destroyed Triple H in a ‘Hell In A Cell’ match. He was then drafted to SmackDown where he continued to dominate the roster like he did on Raw.
11. Shawn Michaels (1996)
Shawn Michaels’ continued his first reign as WWE Champion by consistently defending the title against much, much heavier opponents who were known for their strength or brutality. His lists of victories include hard-fought wins over Mankind, British Bulldog and Vader.
10. Triple H (2003)
Again, not sure why this was even listed.
Triple H decided to take a long break from being one of the most talented wrestlers in the company. But he decided to hold onto the World Heavyweight Championship during this time. Knowing that he was about to marry Stephanie McMahon (for real this time), Triple H used backstage politics to keep himself on top. He also continued his streak of embarrassing former WCW World Heavyweight Champions. He beat Kevin Nash in a Hell In A Cell. And then ended Goldberg’s undefeated streak (and by default, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Kevin Nash) in an Elimination Chamber match, despite only being in the ring for a few minutes. Triple H remained the top star, even though a severe injury left him barely able to walk.
9. Bret Hart (1997)
Bret Hart had taken on his new persona as a hero to all WWE fans, except the American ones. He reformed the Hart Foundation with Jim Neidhart, adding Brian Pillman, British Bulldog and brother Owen Hart (Bulldog and Neidhart had married into Hart’s family and were now living in Canada). The got an important victory at ‘In Your House: Canadian Stampede’ in his home town. The Hart Foundation beat Team Stone Cold (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior Hawk). Hart went on to beat Undertaker for his final WWE Championship at SummerSlam. The conclusion of this match saw American audiences turn on Shawn Michaels, and instigating the beginning of the DeGeneration-X stable.
8. Edge & Christian (2000)
The year 2000 was a fantastic year for the tag team division, and the competition has never been as fierce as it was then. Edge and Christian regained the titles in an elimination match which featured Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty & Grand Master Sexay), The Hardyz (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) and T&A (Test & Albert/Tensai). They defeated the Hardyz and Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley) in the first official ‘TLC’ ladder match.
7. Stone Cold Steve Austin (1998)
It is hard enough to succeed at work if your boss doesn’t like you. But 1998 was the year in which Stone Cold Steve Austin turned defying your boss into an artform. Mr. McMahon continued stacking the deck against Austin, only allowing “monsters†to challenge him. He did lose the WWE Championship to Kane, but it was in a ‘First Blood’ match, with Kane having almost every inch of skin covered up. And that match was fraught with outside interference. He would regain the title cleanly only one night later. He continued to battle Kane and a newly re-dedicated Undertaker, and scored solid victories over both.
6. Macho Man Randy Savage (1991)
He had the first official WWEdding. He married Miss Elizabeth live at SummerSlam.
5. Randy Orton (2009)
If there one thing that the WWE used to do far too often, it was give us Randy Orton vs Triple H/John Cena for a major title as a main event match. And 2009 gave us an over indulgence of this. The only redeeming point of this year was that Orton managed to go through the Summer without a disqualification finish, or losing the title. That’s right. He managed to go 4 months without intentionally getting himself disqualified to retain a title.
4. The Rock (2000)
The Rock may be an 8-time WWE Champion, but he does not know the secret to having a long run as champion. Even rarely showing up when you are champion only kept the title around his waist for 2 months.
But the Summer of 2000 was different. Despite winning the title in a controversial tag team match, The Rock managed to retain the title throughout the Summer, lasting 119 days in all. Opponents had to go to great lengths just to come up short. Some could argue that having the WWE Commissioner, CEO and Chief Official as allies can be advantageous.
3. The British Bulldog (1992)
Bulldog pulled off the biggest win of his career. He may have been pulled off the greatest match in SummerSlam history too.
It was the first time that a major WWE pay-per-view was aired from outside of North America. Based in Wembley, England, Bulldog was in the main event. He challenged WWE Champion Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. He powered out of the Hart’s Sharpshooter (which no-one had done at that point) before pinning his brother-in-law.
2. Brock Lesnar (2002)
One night in April, Brock Lesnar made his first appearance on WWE television by attacking Spike Dudley. Three months later, he defeated Rob Van Dam to become the King of the Ring. At this point, Lesnar was not too concerned about his winning streak as referees began stopping matches and disqualified him in order to stop his assaults on opponents. Lesnar then defeated The Rock in the main event of SummerSlam, becoming the youngest winner of the title. For the next 10 years, Lesnar was incorrectly billed as having the shortest time between debut and holding the WWE Championship, but the fact that he did it within 6 months is still impressive.
(Ric Flair became champion inside 3 months of winning the title).
1. CM Punk (2011)
CM Punk took the biggest gamble of his career, and it paid off.
Punk had become frustrated with how underused he had been in the company. He did not understand why so many talented stars were only used to put over already heavily established main-eventers. Punk decided that when his contract expired, he would just let it expire. The WWE asked the Nexus leader to put over one final opponent on his way out; current WWE Champion John Cena.
At the end of a live broadcast of Raw, Punk was supposed to say that he was getting revenge for Cena running his best friend Batista out of the company one year earlier. And he did… but he just phrased it very differently. What followed was Punk’s infamous “Pipe bomb†promo. Instead of criticising Cena, he insulted Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Vince McMahon ordered his microphone to be cut off, and fired Punk that very same night. But it was too late. Punk had just become the single hottest commodity in wrestling.
Punk’s contract was reinstated, and more air-time for Punk lead to increased ratings for Raw. He put Cena through what may be the single greatest match of Cena’s career (and he did not have many to choose from). He left with the WWE Championship… or so we thought. Punk re-emerged one month later, challenging Cena’s claim to be WWE Champion, when Punk had never actually defended his title against anyone yet. The new Chief Operating Officer Triple H booked a showdown in the main event of SummerSlam. Although he beat Cena, he was instantly buried by Kevin Nash, Alberto Del Rio, and then Triple H himself. In spite of this, Punk would still come back as the single most marketable guy in the company.