The biggest party of the summer is the second biggest show each year behind WrestleMania, where many top feuds come to a head. Summerslam 2018 saw many championship matches, included some new title reigns. But, which matches were best? Here is every Summerslam 2018 match ranked from worst to best.
10. Braun Strowman (contract holder) vs Kevin Owens – Singles match for the Money in the Bank contract
Braun Strowman successfully defended his Money In The Bank contract against Kevin Owens in a match lasting just 1:50 by performing a chokeslam onto the steel ramp followed by a running power slam. This match could have been so much more, but with less than 2 minutes to tell a story, they didn’t get even started. Sometimes squashes work, but when the loser is someone like Kevin Owens, we could have seen a 15-minute classic.
9. Finn Bálor vs Baron Corbin – Singles match
Another quick man, this time lasting just 1:35. Like the Strowman vs Owens match, you can’t tell a story in 1:35, especially when neither competitors are jobbers so it is hard justifying a squash match. WWE, do better.
8. Alexa Bliss (c) vs Ronda Rousey – Singles match for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship
This quick 4-minute match was a very one-sided affair, with the match seeing Ronda Rousey dominating the match. After rolling out of the ring three times to avoid losing to Rousey, Alexa Bliss was eventually thrown back in and forced to submit to an armbar. Ronda Rousey became the first woman to win a championship in both the UFC and WWE, as well as the second person overall after Brock Lesnar.
7. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs Jeff Hardy – Singles match for the WWE United States Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura defended the United States Championship against Jeff Hardy. Towards the end of the match, Jeff Hardy attempted a Swanton Bomb onto the ring apron, but Nakamura moved out of the way, causing Hardy to land on the hardest part of the ring. Nakamura then got Hardy back in the ring and performed a Kinshasa to retain the title.
6. The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) (c) vs The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods) (with Kofi Kingston) – Tag team match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The New Day won this match by disqualification at just under ten minutes after Rowan used a mallet to hit both Big E and Xavier Woods. The Bludgeon Brothers retained the title due to a championship not changing hands in the event of a disqualification.
5. Brock Lesnar (c) vs Roman Reigns – Singles match for the WWE Universal Championship
In the main event, Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns, with Strowman set to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on the winner. Once the bell rang, Reigns hit Lesnar with three Superman punches and three spears back to back. It wasn’t enough to put away The Beast as Lesnar followed with two German Suplexes to Reigns. After Reigns accidentally hit Strowman outside of the ring, Brock Lesnar decided to try and take out The Monster Among Men to prevent him from cashing in by performing an F-5 and hitting Strowman with the briefcase. At the end of the match, Reigns hit a spear on Lesnar to win the match, ending Brock’s 504-day reign as Universal Champion.
4. Carmella (c) vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch – Triple threat match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
Carmella defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. The 15-minute match was a highlight of the show, with Lynch looking like she was set to win the title after applying a Dis-Arm-Her on Carmella, only for Flair to attack Lynch with Natural Selection, securing the pinfall to once again win the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
3. Dolph Ziggler (c) (with Drew McIntyre) vs Seth Rollins (with Dean Ambrose) – Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
The PPV opener saw Dolph Ziggler defend his Intercontinental Championship against Seth Rollins. The match went on for 22-minutes, which is really unusual for an opener, but when you’ve got two Superstars at the caliber of Ziggler and Rollins, this is when you get the best out of them. Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose were also at ringside during the match and both ended up in a physical encounter with each other. The final moments of the match saw McIntyre attempt to interfere, but Ambrose was able to prevent him from doing so by performing a Dirty Deeds on McIntyre. Rollins then hit a superkick and The Stomp on Ziggler to regain the title for a second time.
2. The Miz vs Daniel Bryan – Singles match
The longest match on the show, going over 23-minutes, saw two of the best in the company face off in a fantastic match and one I can’t recommend enough. The Miz’s wife Maryse got involved towards the end by handing The Miz a pair of brass knuckles. As Bryan attempted a suicide dive, Miz struck Bryan with the brass knuckles to knock out Bryan. The Miz rolled Bryan back in the ring and pinned him to win the match.
1. AJ Styles (c) vs Samoa Joe – Singles match for the WWE Championship
Who’d have thought that one day two TNA stars would be competing against each other for the WWE Championship at Summerslam? Well, it happened and it was as fantastic as expected. AJ Styles and Samoa Joe have incredible chemistry together, as evident by past encounters such as at TNA’s Turning Point in 2005. In this match, the heel Samoa Joe taunted AJ Styles’ wife and child, which angered AJ, leading to him tackling Joe through the barricade. The match ended in a disqualification after Style continued to beat down Joe, using a steel chair on his former friend.The Miz
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