10 unforgettable moments of WWE SummerSlam from the last decade
SummerSlam 2020 is just over a week away and for the first time, this year's SummerSlam might take place without the WWE Universe. The 33rd annual SummerSlam was supposed to emanate from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor of Boston has announced the suspension of all events that will involve the participation of large crowds.
Although the weekly episodes of WWE RAW, SmackDown, and NXT along with all the PPV events of the past few months have emanated from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with the Performance Center trainees as spectators, WWE declared that The Biggest Party of the Summer will take place at a different venue, the Amway Center, also in Orlando.
Even though the WWE Universe might not be present, this year's SummerSlam still promises to be an exciting event that is bound to create a few unforgettable moments.
As the Superstars of WWE look forward to creating new moments and breaking milestones on August 23 at SummerSlam, we will take a look back at some of the most unforgettable moments from SummerSlam over the last decade. We will focus on a single moment from each SummerSlam starting in 2010 and ending in 2019.
#10 Team WWE vs. Team Nexus - SummerSlam 2010
Heading into 2010's SummerSlam, the most anticipated match of the night was between Wade Barett's Team Nexus against Team WWE led by John Cena in a seven-on-seven Tag Team Elimination match. After causing enough trouble to the Superstars of the WWE locker-room and especially to John Cena, the Leader of the Cenation took a stand and decided to settle things once and for all with The Nexus.
The highlight of the night was Cena announcing Daniel Bryan as the seventh member of his team before the match, who had been previously banished from The Nexus. Towards the end of the match, the last remaining member of Team WWE was Cena, who eliminated Justin Gabriel after the latter missed a 450 splash and then finally eliminated Barrett to secure the victory for his team.
#9 WWE Champion vs. WWE Champion - SummerSlam 2011
The main event of the 2011 SummerSlam saw John Cena and CM Punk, both of whom claimed ownership to the WWE Championship, face each other to determine the undisputed WWE Champion with WWE COO Triple H presiding as the special guest referee for the match. The match was a back-and-forth affair between the two Superstars. Although it might have not been as good as the match they had at the 2011 Money in the Bank, it still had its fair share of unforgettable moments.
Near the end of the match, Cena hit his Attitude Adjustment on Punk for a near-fall but Punk soon rallied back with the Go To Sleep to get the pinfall victory, even though Cena's foot touched the bottom rope. However, Punk's title celebration would be cut short with the return of Kevin Nash, who laid him out with the Jackknife Powerbomb. Shortly after that, Alberto Del Rio — who was that year's RAW Money in the Bank briefcase winner — cashed in his contract and defeated Punk to become the new WWE Champion.