Opinion

Mishal’s Top 5 WWE SummerSlam Events

Mishal takes a look at the Top 5 WWE SummerSlam events, does your favorite “Biggest Party Of The Summer” make his list?

Published

5 years ago

August 5, 2020

Mishal Shuhaiber

Mishal takes a look at the Top 5 WWE SummerSlam events, does your favorite “Biggest Party Of The Summer” make his list?

”The biggest party of the summer” is right around the corner. Summerslam has always been an event that comes along at the perfect time of the year, right as everyone is in the midst of their summer holidays, right before schools go back for those of us that attend, right before the work year fluxes back into its chaotic self & for wrestling fans, marks the turning point in the year as Wrestlemania season begins to draw closer & closer.

This year’s event feels different, like every other event we’ve seen since mid-March. Summerslam 2020 doesn’t feel like the celebration it usually does at this time of year, maybe due to the state of the business, product & the fact that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. As a result, Summerslam feels ‘smaller’, and rightfully so with the event being held from the WWE’s Performance Centre this year, much like Wrestlemania was. Rather than be an event that constantly surrounds itself on the spectacle it drags along with it like so many years prior, this year it feels like the company needs to rely more on its actual storytelling, which admittedly hasn’t been the best.

In the past, however, Summerslam has had its fair share of incredible moments that stand as amongst some of the finest in the history of the business to this very day. Summerslam may not be on the level of Wrestlemania, but it holds its place in company history as a historically significant event, one packed with iconic moments, classic matches that stand the test of time & shows that have created stars that continue to be the box office stars we know them to be.

And since there’s no better time to do so, I figured taking a dive into the shows deep history couldn’t be done at a better time than now, with the show just weeks away from going on the air.

So with this article, I’ll be looking at the 5 best shows in the history of Summerslam history. When it comes to making decisions around these lists I consider a wide variety of elements, the historic value, how it caters to the product at the time, its legacy & just how well booked the card is from top to bottom. At the end of the day, this list is my own subjective opinion & any other suggestions or comments are always welcome.

But for now, let’s take a look at the best that Summerslam has to offer.

Honourable mentions: WWE SummerSlam

Summerslam 2014 – If there’s one thing everyone can credit WWE for during the 2014 edition of Summerslam, it was that they dared to book their top commodity, the very face of their brand, in the most decisive squash match in recent wrestling memory. John Cena’s loss to Brock Lesnar grows more iconic with every viewing & never loses its impact no matter how long ago it seems now. The rest of the card is fine but underwhelming. Featuring a solid opening contest, slightly underrated Lumberjack Match, Roman Reigns’ first major singles match & a Stephanie McMahon performance that is nowhere near as bad as you’d imagine it to be.

Summerslam 2001 – Sadly marred by the underwhelming booking of the infamous WCW vs WWE feud, this event is still one everyone can have a blast with. Both main event matches between Steve Austin & Kurt Angle, as well as Booker T & The Rock are excellent in their own right, upgrading a show that is really a victim of the talent it juggles below its main matches. Most of the WCW drafted talent at the time fail to enhance the large chunk of matches they’re involved in, which always results in a lack of tension for any contest against company originals. It’s certainly worth watching for a bonkers crowd & some quality action, but will always be held back by the stories it carried along.

Summerslam 1998 – An all-around fun show that like others in this section, is essentially carried by two marvellous headline matches which featured four of the Attitude Era’s flagship stars. The main event between Steve Austin & Undertaker was an insane, physical match following the very standard formula of that period in time, but it was really the ladder match between Triple H & The Rock that was the standout in my eyes. It was a match that established the two as the future of the business, displaying their chemistry additionally which lead to a match that far exceeds the expectations considering the stipulation. Even though the rest of the card doesn’t really have much to say (aside from a solid Shamrock vs Hart match), it still holds your attention due to a tonne of entertainment value.

Summerslam 2000 – Another Summerslam event with headline matches so ridiculously good it lifts a show above the weaknesses lurking elsewhere. Carried by a brilliant WWE Championship Match, death-defying Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match, a technical masterpiece of a 2-out of-3 falls match & Shane McMahon damn near killing himself in his bout against Steve Blackman. Elsewhere on the show, there is your fair share of entertainment, just nothing that felt like it stood out significantly due to its booking or overall quality. It’s one of those shows that most fans I know would place higher on their list, but sadly isn’t one of those that I hold to that high a standard as opposed to others on this list.

Summerslam 2005 – The most ridiculously over-the-top Summerslam you can find. Everything about this was all about the excess, from a hilariously over-the-top main event, a ladder match for the custody of a child, an opening match that you could blink and miss, a John Cena/Chris Jericho match that would mark the final match for Jericho for the next two years & brutal World Heavyweight Championship bout that pulled out all the stops. While we usually remember this for the main event that’s essentially a meme at this point, it’s severely underrated.

Mishal’s Top 5 WWE SummerSlam Events

5. Summerslam 2009

Summerslam 2009 holds a personal spot in my heart. It was the first event I’d ever watched live at the age of 13 & is still a show that ages wonderfully as time has moved on. While by no means perfect due to a few hiccups, it’s a show that fully lives up to the hype of being ‘The Biggest Party of the Summer’, offering all the spectacle, action & larger-than-life moments you’ve come to expect from an event such as this one. For a show set in Hollywood, this is just as dumb & ridiculously fun as you’d expect in the heart of the entertainment industry.

While most people generally regard the TLC main event between Jeff Hardy & CM Punk as the highlight, it was really the tag-team match between Legacy & the return D-Generation-X that I find myself revisiting so often. Not to take away from the main event, but it’s something about the spectacle of that tag team match, the early days booking of DX upon their return & incredible in-ring action that elevates it to arguably my favourite match the group has ever been involved in. Additionally, there’s plenty of action on the side to drool over as Rey Mysterio’s excellent match against Dolph Ziggler over the Intercontinental Title shines bright, Jeri-Show defend their Tag Team Titles against Cryme Tyme, MVP faces Jack Swagger in a match that is a solid waste of time & Randy Orton battles John Cena in one of the most wonderfully overbooked matches you could find out there, featuring a cameo from Ted Dibiase’s real-life brother that I cannot quite wrap my head around.

If it weren’t for a dreadful match between Kane & The Great Khali, as well as an 8-second ECW Championship Match between Christian & William Regal that did nothing for anyone involved this could be in the Top 3 range of this article, sadly it sits right at the tip of the very best these events have dished out.

4. Summerslam 1992

Isn’t it astonishing how iconic this show is almost three decades removed from when it first occurred?

Summerslam 1992 is special, and it’s very difficult to deny its importance. Despite apparently being a nightmare to set up at the time due to the events scope, audience & oversees location, few shows boast the magnitude this one does. Boasting over 80,000 fans, they were treated to what many (myself included) consider the greatest match in the history of Summerslam between Bret Hart & British Bulldog over the Intercontinental Championship, a match that doesn’t age a single day. It’s a technical masterpiece in everyway, telling an emotional homecoming story, a battle between two best friends & further displaying how the Intercontinental Championship truly was the workhorse title of the 1990s, the fact that it headlined an event of this size is simply astonishing. Even the pop that Bulldog receives following his sudden victory stands as one of the loudest in professional wrestling as a whole, one of the most genuinely enthralling moments the sport has ever bared witness to.

Supporting their incredible effort is a near 30-minute war between Randy Savage & Ultimate Warrior over the WWF Championship that is sadly forgotten about due to its questionable ending, but never takes away from being a damn fine wrestling match before the final bell. Much like other shows, however, this one falls victim to its undercard, which is a bit of mess. While the opening match between Legion of Doom & Money Inc. is pretty great, the rest of the show is either a hit or miss depending on your stance. Most matches fall flat due to stale in-ring action or booking that has no place on a card or show of this size. If the undercard had received a little more attention in its final presentation this could end up being one of the best shows of all-time & while it still bares historcial significance, its quality isn’t always to be praised.

3. Summerslam 2013

Imagine if WWE infused every show they had with this much emotion behind it. Summerslam 2013 isn’t without its flaws, but my goodness does it evoke a lot out of anyone who passionately follows the product.

In particular the three headline matches of the card are a wrestling fans dream, everything you could possibly want a main event-level match to be. John Cena & Daniel Bryan have only wrestled once on PPV together, but the chemistry they put on display makes me clammer for multiple trilogies between the two, and considering Cena wrestled this with a serious tricep injury, it’s all a wonder as to what they could achieve should Cena be at 100% of his potential. Christian & Alberto Del Rio deliver one of the most underrated matches of the last decade or so over the World Heavyweight Championship, exemplifying just how brilliant both men are whenever they enter a ring. But the gold medal goes to Brock Lesnar & CM Punk, who put on to this day, the match I consider Brock’s finest since his WWE comeback in 2012. Each match combined story, action & spectacle in different & unique ways to deliver fans with something for everyone, which is exactly what this business is all about.

Nothing about the midcard is outwardly terrible (bar an Inferno Match that had no business opening the show), but none of it is all that memorable to me. Summerslam has an act of excelling with its main matches, but generally underdelivering on its supporting matches, or vice versa. Matches like Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow had solid stories going in, just never told them in a manner that makes them memorable. It’s a tough task too considering how brilliant the previous matches mentioned truly are in their own right.

Thankfully we have the ending of the show, which started the build to one of the greatest moments of the modern-era just months later.

2. Summerslam 2011

There’s no other way around it, Summerslam 2011 is just a good old fashioned, excellent night of professional wrestling from top to bottom. It’s a near perfectly booked show, without a single bad match in sight, every match either serving a purpose to a wider story or furthering the story of every character involved & most importantly, delivering on excellent action across the board without compromising anyone.

The level of quality this card excudes is rare in todays professional wrestling landscape, because it’s a card that never reaches too far, always feels focused, tight & accomplishes exactly what it wants you to feel. While I give WWE a hard time for overbooking much of their product, this one almost perfectly tells the story it wants to without ever breaking momentum.

John Cena & CM Punk collide in the highly anticipated sequel to their Money in the Bank classic over the WWE Championship, Randy Orton & Christian put on the match of the night in a No Holds Barred Match over the World Heavyweight Championship, Sheamus & Mark Henry beat each other to a pulp at the height of Henry’s career, Wade Barrett displays just how overlooked his talents truly were under the WWE banner, the women are actually given some time to shine even to the smallest of degrees due to the time they were handed & the show ends on a note that leaves you with dozens of questions. It’s exactly what a pay-per-view should be about, leaving you wanting more the next night once it’s all over with & injecting you with that sensation of the unknown, which is hard to accomplish in the days of the internet.

A lot of fans may disagree with me placing this over the 2013 edition, but few shows are this much fun to watch for me personally.

1. Summerslam 2002

And here we have it, the grandaddy of Summerslam events, the standard bearer for Summerslam & one of the very few professional wrestling shows I’d go as far to call virtually perfect.

Everything on this show absolutely rules, and I don’t just mean rules, I mean almost every match on here has the potential to be on some kind of ‘best of’ list. There isn’t a single bad thing on this show, whether it be the matches of the segments that break apart the broadcast, it somehow all works as this beautiful piece of professional wrestling history that you could consider an absolute masterclass in how to book a show.

Summerslam 2002 does everything a show needs to do to be significant in the annals of wrestling. It puts forward the future, shines light on the past, crafts interesting storylines that could carry on for months, provides incredible in-ring action that is almost unmatched & sets up the company for what would become my favourite period in wrestling history as the brand split was soon to become fresh in fans minds with RAW & SmackDown on the verge of forming their own shows.

Simply taking a look at the card itself is overwheling just based on the Wikipedia page. The Rock battling on Brock Lesnar just months after his debut for the WWE Championship, Shawn Michaels & Triple H clashing in one of the most personal, brutal matches in company history, Rey Mysterio & Kurt Angle cramming 30-minutes worth of content into a 10-minute adrenaline rush, Edge & Eddie Guerrero giving us a preview of some of the classics they would end up having, RVD & Chris Benoit facing off in an underrated gem of a contest, Ric Flair & Chris Jericho going toe-to-toe in a match more people need to watch, the Un-Americans colliding with the ever-bizarre team of Booker T & Goldust, heck even Undertaker had a match with Test that wasn’t the mediocre piece of work you’d expect it to be on paper.

It’s a show that never stops giving, ever. Summerslam 2002 is, and always will be my favourite professional wrestling show without question, oozing quality like no other event, setting up talent that are iconic to this very day, providing some of the best professional wrestling action you can find anywhere on the planet & becoming on of the few shows I could watch every single day without ever growing bored of it.

Regardless of what you’re expecting, if this thing doesn’t blow you out of your seat, get your head checked.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: WrestleMania 41 Las Vegas

Time for The Chairshot personalities to put their money where their mouths are! WreslteMania 41 predictions from the “expert” staff at TheChairshot.com and Chairshot Radio Network.

Published

3 days ago

April 18, 2025

PC Tunney

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Chairshot Staff Picks. And what better setting than WrestleMania for this article to return! This 41st edition has one of the most stacked rosters in WWE history. So, without further ado, let us get to the predictions and prognostications…

AJ – The New Day
Andrew – The New Day – No one seems to hold tag titles long anymore.
Dave – The New Day – They have earned it.
DJ – The New Day – Feel tha Powah!
DPP – War Raiders – Big E distraction.
Jason – The New Day – We are not getting E in a working capacity though everyone wants it.
Patrick – The New Day – WWE doesn’t care about this match, so why should I?
Rey – The New Day – Its a New Day, bruh.
Rob – The New Day – New Day rocks and wins!
Greg – The New Day – New. Day wins. New. Day wins!

Tunney’s Take: War Machine – Yes, WAR MACHINE. I have personally had the pleasure of throwing back a few cold ones with these guys on more than one occasion. Not only being tag champs in WWE but defending the titles at Mania and against The New Day is really cool for me as a long-time fan. Would it be fun to see The New Day have another title run.. YES. I think it’s smarter to give the War Raiders a big Mania W.

Chairshot Pick: THE NEW DAY 9-2

AJ – Jade Cargill
Andrew – Jade Cargill – She needs to stay a dominant force.
Dave – Jade Cargill – Gotta gear her up for the long term.
DJ – No contest – Naomi puts another beat down on Jade.
DPP – Jade Cargill – Nervous for how this match will go.
Jason – Naomi – Way more runway with Naomi as a bad guy. Keep it going!
Patrick – Jade Cargill – Jade gets her revenge.
Rey – Jade Cargill – Best non-title feud going. Naomi should win but Jade sneaks by.
Rob – Naomi – Naomi gets help to win.
Greg – Jade Cargill – They ain’t beating Jade here.

Tunney’s Take: Jade Cargill – I imagine WWE sees Jade’s ceiling much higher than Naomi’s. What better way to keep Jade climbing the ladder towards a World Title than to pick up a decisive victory in Vegas!

Chairshot Pick: Jade Cargill 8-2-1

AJ – Jacob Fatu – “AJ does a pretty good LA Knight impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – I’m biased, Jacob for President.
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Getting gold back in the Bloodline is smart.
DJ – Jacob Fatu
DPP – Jacob Fatu
Jason – Jacob Fatu – Thanks for coming pal, YEAH!
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – C’mon cuz! All gas no brakes with it. Yadadamean??
Rob – LA Knight – Solo costs Jacob.
Greg – LA Knight – Solo screws Jacob.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – It has been quite the journey for the Samoan Werewolf. I feel like that journey and the positive turn around it has taken deserves to be rewarded. Let’s see what Jacob can do on his own. Plus, LA Knight is ready to challenge for a World Title.

Chairshot Pick: Jacob Fatu 9-2

AJ – Tiffany Straton
Andrew – Tiffany Straton – I hate Charlotte Flair, no objectivity here.
Dave – Charlotte Flair – Tiffy might be the future, but she kinda failed the litmus test.
DJ – Charlotte Flair – The Queen crowns the freshman.
DPP – Tiffany Stratton
Jason – Charlotte Flair – Tiff wasn’t ready for this spot. Charnos is inevitable.
Patrick – Charlotte Flair – Lol Charlotte wins.
Rey – Charlotte Flair – Tiffany SHOULD win but, if Charlotte can squash, she will.
Rob – Charlotte Flair – Charlotte gets number 15.
Greg – Tiffany Stratton – Lol Charlotte wins. (Actually she doesn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Charlotte Flair – Charlotte needs the title for the first time in her career. Tiffy has had a nice run but now needs to take that all important step of not losing momentum after losing the title. Despite the drama and lackluster build here, I see a really good match coming this weekend from these two.

Chairshot Pick: Charlotte Flair 7-4

AJ – El Grande Americano
Andrew – El Grande Americano – I’d like to see Gable gain some momentum. Rey is Teflon.
Dave – El Grand Americano – He needs a marque win much more than Rey.
DJ – Rey Mysterio
DPP – El Grande Americano – Grande wins with the switcheroo to prove he is not Gable.
Jason – Rey Mysterio – Unmask Grande at the end. It is fun but has a shelf life.
Patrick – El Grande Americano – TOTALLY NOT CHAD GABLE
Rey – Rey Mysterio – Someone’s mask is coming off and it ain’t Rey.
Rob – El Grande Americano
Greg – Rey Mysterio – Hall of Famer wins but doesn’t take the mask.

Tunney’s Take: Rey Mysterio – Go listen to DWI 471. DP, Greg and I lay out exactly what this match should be, FUN! Multiple Americanos!!!

Chairshot Pick: El Grande Americano 6-5

AJ – Jey Uso
Andrew – Jey Uso – Kinda booked themselves into a corner here.
Dave – Jey Uso – It just makes sense.
DJ – Jey Uso – Jey YEETS all over The Ring Genreal.
DPP – Jey Uso – Jey wins after normal Gunther beating.
Jason – Jey Uso – Land the plane man. YEET
Patrick – Jey Uso – Jey has earned this one.
Rey – Jey Uso – YEEEEEEEEEEEET!
Rob – Jey Uso – YEET
Greg – Jey Uso – If Jey loses we riot. We don’t cause he wins.

Tunney’s Take: Jey Uso – ‘Til sweat drop down my balls, ‘Til all these bitches crawl, ‘Til all… YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chairshot Pick: Jey Uso 11-0

AJ – Roman Reigns
Andrew – Seth Rollins – I can see Rollins being the last piece of Team Rock.
Dave – Roman Reigns – I can’t see Roman losing two years in a row.
DJ – Seth Rollins – Paul Heyman is a Seth Freakin Rollins guy.
DPP – Seth Rollins – The Rock helps Rollins.
Jason – Roman Reigns – Seth’s favor is a red herring. Make-A-Wish Brooks got his main, now look at the lights.
Patrick – Seth Rollins – Seth Rollins… Paul Heyman guy.
Rey – Seth Rollins – I smeeeeellllllll a new soul to sell.
Rob – Roman Reigns – Paul Heyman helps Roman win.
Greg – Seth Rollins – Brock Lesnar returns to help Seth win.

Tunney’s Take: CM Punk – I really have no idea here. I picked Punk because nobody else did. This is going to be professional wrestling cinema at its finest. The story is thick and neatly woven. All the participants are legends and so are the potential party crashers. Will The Rock stick his nose in here? Will Brock Lesnar return to play a factor? Obviously, Paul Heyman has a Plan A… but what is it? All these questions and more will be answered Saturday as night 1 will definitely go out with a bang!

Chairshot Pick: Seth Rollins 6-4-1

AJ – Iyo Sky
Andrew – Iyo Sky – Rhea vs Bianca doesn’t need a belt to be compelling.
Dave – Rhea Ripley – Going with Rhea barely, hoping Iyo wins.
DJ – Iyo Sky – Unfinished business.
DPP – Iyo Sky – Rhea and Bianca are too consumed with each other.
Jason – Iyo Sky – More layers to Rhea/Bianca. Iyo rules.
Patrick – Iyo Sky – Iyo stole the build and gets the win.
Rey – Iyo Sky – Smart money is on the underdog champ.
Rob – Iyo Sky – Iyo survives.
Greg – Bianca Belair – Naomi helps Bianca win and turn heel.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – Rhea is the best women’s wrestler in the world. Give her the biggest win on the grandest stage of them all!!! Bianca needs to go full heel. Iyo has been amazing in this build.

Chairshot Pick: Iyo Sky 8-2-1

AJ – Dominik Mysterio
Andrew – Finn Balor – I can see a Judgement Day meltdown incoming.
Dave – Bron Breakker – Bron is about to become a MegaStar.
DJ – Bron Breakker – Judgement Day implodes.
DPP – Dominik Mysterio – Finn take the pin.
Jason – Penta – I literally do not care because the winner is us, the fans.
Patrick – Bron Breakker – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Dominik Mysterio – Only match without a clear winner. I choose chaos.
Rob – Bron Breakker – Finn and Dom cancel each other out.
Greg – Dominik Mysterio – Dom steals the pin from Bron, on Finn.

Tunney’s Take: Bron Breakker – The case can be made for any of these four to walk away with the most prestigious non-World title in pro wrestling history. The short of it is though that the Main Event picture isn’t really readily accessible for Breakker right now. Let this IC reign go through the summer, to SummerSlam.

Chairshot Pick: Bron Breakker 5-4-1-1

AJ – Damian Priest – “AJ does a pretty good Drew impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Drew McIntyre – Priest has not been interesting in this face incarnation.
Dave – Drew McIntyre – Time for Drew to get that win back.
DJ – Fuck finish – To be continued at Backlash.
DPP – Drew McIntyre – Physical matchup!
Jason – Drew McIntyre – Either one is fine here.
Patrick – Drew McIntyre – With two eyes, Drew turns the tide.
Rey – Drew McIntyre – Low key match of the weekend.
Rob – Damien Priest
Greg – Damien Priest – Priest wins, Drew tweets about it half hour later.

Tunney’s Take: Drew McIntyre – With the addition of the Street fight rules, these two behemoths have a really good chance to have one of the best matches of the entire weekend (winks at Rey Ca$h-A-Mania)! I do wonder what is next for both of these talents moving forward. Priest has staled since leaving the Judgement Day and Drew seems stuck in the same cycle for a while now. Very interested to see what the summer holds for this pair.

Chairshot Pick: Drew McIntyre 7-3-1

WHO WILL BE RANDY’S OPPONENT?!?

AJ – Nick Aldis – Orton wins
Andrew – Orton and Aldis vs Solo and Tama – Orton and Aldis win
Dave – Someone is getting an RKO!
DJ – A segment w/ the Wyatt s6cks.
DPP – Rusev – Aldis introduces Rusev who defeats Orton.
Jason – Nick Aldis – You got one more in ya, bubba. Aldis wins!
Patrick – Nick Aldis
Rey – Solo then Rusev – Solo in a squash and Rusev MATCHKA(wins)
Rob – Nick Aldis – Aldis proves himself, Orton wins.
Greg – Nick Aldis – Orton beats Aldis, they shake after.

Tunney’s Take: I would really love to see a singles match between Orton and Aldis. More likely this is some type of involvement with Solo and Tama. Rusev as a surprise challenger would be cool but, I feel that would be better left for RAW. An impromptu Goldberg retirement match would be crazy and fun, yet highly unlikely and illogical. Whatever happens, best believe exactly what Dave Ungar said, “Someone is getting an RKO!”.

AJ – Logan Paul
Andrew – AJ Styles – Logan doesn’t need the rub and should stay upper mid card.
Dave – Logan Paul – It’s the smart move and would be a statement win for Paul.
DJ – Logan Paul – Kross gets involved somewhere.
DPP – AJ Styles – AJ wins a great high-flying match.
Jason – AJ Styles – Just enjoy it or get a beer, nerds.
Patrick – Logan Paul – Logan Paul will main-event Mania sooner than later…
Rey – Logan Paul – Pass the torch, my wily vet.
Rob – Logan Paul – Kross helps Paul win.
Greg – AJ Styles – Styles wins after Paul’s cheating backfires.

Tunney’s Take: Logan Paul – Logan seems to really have dedicated himself to becoming great in this business. Anyone with that type of goal must have a World title on their mind. Beating AJ at Mania will be a great springboard for Logan into the Main Event sooner than later (winks at Patrick O’Dowd).

Chairshot Pick: Logan Paul 7-4

AJ – Liv & Raquel
Andrew – Liv & Raquel – Not really a fan of Lyra, she needs more work.
Dave – Liv & Raquel – This Bayley and Lyra team makes no damn sense.
DJ – Liv & Raquel – Bayley crashes out.
DPP – Liv & Raquel – Bayley continues a potential heel turn tease.
Jason – Bayley & Lyra – Finish the story!
Patrick – Bayley & Lyra – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Liv and Raquel – Bayley want a title but it ain’t the ones in this match.
Rob – Liv & Raquel – Champs retain.
Greg – Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel retain thanks to Carlito and maybe JD.

Tunney’s Take: Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel need to be kept as the cornerstone of the women’s tag division for a lengthier period of time. Building tag teams in this division is difficult enough, let alone without a North Star.

Chairshot Pick: Liv & Raquel 9-2

AJ – Cody Rhodes
Andrew – Cody Rhodes – They are mentioning it so much, I don’t think 17 happens.
Dave – Joh Cena – Record falls and we head to summer with a built-in storyline.
DJ – John Cena – Some kind of Final Boss involvement.
DPP – John Cena – Cena wins and retires on RAW.
Jason – John Cena – Story’s over, “Captain” BIG MATCH JOHN.
Patrick – John Cena – A record breaking night for Cena.
Rey – John Cena – They’d be really stupid to turn John just to lose. (Post-Mania: Rock, Cena, T Scott, Seth & Drew, TEAM Corporate)
Rob – Cody Rhodes – Cody surprises us with the W.
Greg – Cody Rhodes – Cody wins to piss off Rock and set the table for Cena to turn back face. Crowd is behind Cena all the way through.

Tunney’s Take: Cody Rhodes – They had me until the threat of retirement. Been there. Done that. Didn’t fall in love with it back then. I love John Cena. I love this final run. John will get his 17th just not here. I expect nothing less than an absolute GEM of a match here to close WrestleMania 41. This has all been, is, and will continue to be about Cody Rhodes. WM40 defeats Roman Reigns. WM41 defeats John Cena. WM42 defeats The Rock (The Final Boss).

Chairshot Pick: John Cena 6-5

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We wait all year for this so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
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DeMarco: Top 5 Non-Title WrestleMania Matches In WWE History

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show & defined legacies. #WrestleMania #WWEHistory

Published

4 days ago

April 16, 2025

Greg DeMarco

Shawn Michaels Kurt Angle WrestleMania 21

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show and defined legacies.

WrestleMania is the Showcase Of The Immortals, but it’s not always the championship matches that steal the show—or define careers. In fact, some of the most iconic, business-defining, and emotionally resonant contests at the Grandest Stage of Them All didn’t feature a title at all. These matches succeeded because of character work, in-ring execution, and the kind of storytelling that sells tickets and moves merch.

Here are the five best non-title matches in WrestleMania history—at least, according to me!

5. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania X8 (2002)

This was never going to be a five-star technical clinic—but it was always going to be the moment. “Icon vs. Icon” was a tagline, sure, but it was also the reality: the biggest star of the ‘80s vs. the biggest star of the Attitude Era. And Toronto turned it into magic. Hogan walked in a heel but walked out immortal (again), with the SkyDome shaking on every punch, every look, every gesture.

What made this work was its self-awareness. Rock and Hogan read the crowd and flipped roles mid-match—Rock became the arrogant aggressor while Hogan Hulked Up to thunderous applause. It’s not often a non-title match headlines a card emotionally the way this one did, but it dominated every headline and highlight reel.

4. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart – WrestleMania X (1994)

Sibling rivalries don’t usually lead to technical masterpieces, but then again, this wasn’t your average family drama. Owen and Bret opened WrestleMania X with a wrestling clinic that stood tall over a night packed with title changes. Owen needed to prove he was more than Bret’s little brother, and he did it by out-wrestling the best wrestler in the company. Clean. One-two-three.

It wasn’t just a great match—it was perfect storytelling. Owen’s victory, contrasted with Bret’s later world title win, set the tone for an entire year of brother-vs-brother tension. Bret became champion, but Owen had the moral victory—and all the bragging rights. This is proof that opening matches can steal the show.

3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 25 (2009)

If WrestleMania moments could be trademarked, this match would be the reason why. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels wasn’t about championships—it was about legacy. Michaels wanted to be the man who ended The Streak. The build was steeped in biblical imagery: light vs. dark, heaven vs. hell. And the match? Pure perfection. Each man brought everything they had—near-falls, psychology, reversals that had 70,000+ people gasping in unison.

It was 30 minutes of generational storytelling that transcended pro wrestling. And here’s the kicker—it wasn’t even the main event. Yet it dwarfed everything that followed. Meltzer gave it 4.75 stars, fans gave it their hearts, and WWE gave it a sequel the next year. A match so good it forced the company to run it back—because lightning actually struck.

Now, if THIS MATCH is #3, what could possible be #2 and #1…

2. Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – WrestleMania 13 (1997)

This wasn’t just a match—it was the turning point of an era. The Submission Match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was as violent as it was poetic, with Ken Shamrock enforcing the rules and the Chicago crowd growing more frenzied by the second. The brilliance? The shift. Bret Hart, the traditionalist hero, grew darker and more self-righteous by the second, while the disrespectful anti-hero Austin refused to quit, even when drowning in his own blood. There was no title on the line, but the stakes felt bigger than gold.

The infamous double turn changed the business. Austin’s defiance turned him into the voice of a new generation of fans—blue collar, anti-authority, Attitude Era. Meanwhile, Bret would go on to lead the heel Hart Foundation. WWE didn’t need a championship to create a moment that catapulted Austin into superstardom and ignited the company’s hottest era. This match is business-first booking at its absolute best.

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 21 (2005)

Dream matches often disappoint. This one didn’t. At WrestleMania 21, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle went hold-for-hold and spot-for-spot with Mr. WrestleMania himself, and together they delivered a masterclass in in-ring psychology. Every sequence had stakes, every near-fall had meaning. It was a stylistic war: Michaels’ heart vs. Angle’s intensity.

Angle forcing Michaels to tap was a statement—it told fans that pure wrestling, not just spectacle, could still main-event caliber storytelling without any need for a title. Michaels sold the ankle lock like death, and Angle’s post-match collapse sold the moment as a hard-fought war. This is the kind of match that keeps purists up at night, smiling, and leaves the storytelling fans like myself as happy as can be!

10 Honorable Mentions (Not Honorable, Just For The Heck Of It)

Edge vs. Mick Foley – WrestleMania 22 (2006)
A hardcore war that solidified Edge as a top-tier main eventer. That flaming table spear is still played in every Edge highlight reel.
AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 33 (2017)
Everyone expected smoke and mirrors—what they got was a surprisingly technical, high-energy opener that kicked off the show right.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H – WrestleMania 28 (2012)
“End of an Era” wasn’t just a tagline. The Hell in a Cell match, with HBK as referee, was a brutal epilogue to a generation’s legacy.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania XIX (2003)
A student-teacher battle of wills. Jericho’s low blow post-match was the perfect heel punctuation to a career-defining contest.
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 31 (2015)
The greatest RKO of all time. That curb stomp reversal belongs in a museum.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show – WrestleMania XXIV (2008)
More sports-entertainment than wrestling, but a crossover moment that made mainstream headlines and paid off with a great finish.
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis – WrestleMania III (1987)
A retirement match with big heat, a hot crowd, and Piper walking off into the sunset (for a minute).
The Firefly Funhouse Match – John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt – WrestleMania 36 (2020)
Cinematic weirdness at its best. A meta masterstroke that broke Cena down in layers.
Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs. The Miz & John Morrison – WrestleMania 37 (2021)
Bad Bunny stunned everyone. He didn’t just belong—he elevated the show.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio – WrestleMania 39 (2023)
Father vs. son in a grudge match that played perfectly off real-life drama and Hall of Fame weekend emotions.

Some of these matches shaped legacies. Others shifted eras. But all of them proved that the most memorable moments at WrestleMania don’t need a title—they just need truth in the storytelling and fire in the execution.