Ranking and grading every Brock Lesnar SummerSlam match in history from worst to best
Ever since returning to WWE in 2012, Brock Lesnar has been a part-timer. One with name value and an incredible drawing power. The fact that his matches were rare really amped up the special feel of the shows he wrestled on.
Lesnar has always wrestled at WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble, during this part-time run. The quality and success of his matches at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania can be varied, from the brilliance of the 2015 World title triple threat with Cena and Rollins to the two minute dud with The Big Show in 2014. From the critically acclaimed feud-ender with Goldberg to the disaster of a Street Fight with Dean Ambrose. Even the two main event matches at WrestleMania against Roman Reigns are looked at differently.
However inconsistent Lesnar’s performances at Royal Rumble and WrestleMania may be, The Beast Incarnate has pretty much always brought his A-game to SummerSlam. That is when he usually saves his best performance every year.
He has had a lot of success in his SummerSlam matches, even before returning in 2012. Lesnar has wrestled eight matches at the Biggest Party Of The Summer, winning six of them. The two matches that he lost were part of a feud which he ultimately won. But the best part about this run is that all of these matches, except for maybe one or two, were excellent matches.
Brock Lesnar's run of summertime classics is pretty incredible, which really shows how good he can actually be. The current Universal Champion has main evented six SummerSlams, while his other two matches stole the show. This string of fabulous matches could be likened to the latter years of The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania when he went on a run of seven classics in a row at the Showcase Of The Immortals.
Despite a few duds in the middle, Lesnar's SummerSlam catalog is filled with elite match-ups which properly demonstrate how good The Beast can be when he actually cares about what he is doing in the ring.
It was incredibly difficult to rank some of his best matches, as most of them were really good in many ways. But anyway, here are all of Brock Lesnar's SummerSlam matches ranked, from worst to best.
#8 Lesnar vs Randy Orton (2016)
This was the main event of the first pay-per-view after the brand split was in full force again in 2016. Announced before the draft, Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton seemed like a dream match featuring two graduates from the OVW Class of 2002.
The build-up had its moments, including a surprise appearance on Raw from the Viper when he took Lesnar out with an RKO from outta nowhere. It must also be noted that this match took place around a month or two after Brock Lesnar's last UFC fight against Mark Hunt. The Beast became the talk of the town and his showdown with Orton was hotly anticipated. However, the match was disappointing.
It was basically your typical Brock Lesnar match from 2016. He dominated before getting hit with multiple RKOs. Randy Orton attempted the Punt Pick from the wrong side, making it obvious that Lesnar would counter it with an F5. After that, the Beast became unhinged. Swinging punches at a fallen Orton and busting him open. He won the match via technical knockout and the Viper ended up with a concussion.
It was the second unsatisfying ending to a Summerslam in a row, we will get to that, and Randy Orton was back on the shelf after just returning from it a month prior. We expected so much more from this, especially the F5 getting countered into an RKO. A total missed opportunity for WWE.
Grade: D