Written By: Mark Armstrong
Running Time: 170 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: November 21 2011
To some, SummerSlam 2011 saw one of the hottest angles in years abruptly ended with CM Punk leaving without the WWE Championship. The other way of looking at the situation is how the night ended with more than one surprise, and the main event (Punk vs. John Cena for the title, with Triple H as special guest referee) is not the only top-drawer bout on the card.
The opening six-man tag is a fun way to open proceedings (incidentally, SummerSlam had a six-man bout in 1991, 2001 and 2011; will the trend continue in 2021?), though an injury would make this Rey Mysterio’s final PPV appearance until SummerSlam 2012. Next up, Mark Henry and Sheamus have a decent brawl, which ends with Henry slamming Sheamus through a ringside barricade.
After a random performance by Cee Lo Green, we see Kelly Kelly score an upset win over Beth Phoenix. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett doesn’t have much of a story to it, but it’s a very engaging battle nonetheless.
Christian then defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton under No Holds Barred rules. Christian’s secret weapon is having Edge in his corner, but he backs off, meaning Captain Charisma has to go it alone against The Viper. Though Orton regains the World Title from Christian, it’s a really good match, and a fitting finale to the year’s best in-ring feud.
Punk vs. Cena (with both men entering with a claim to being WWE Champion) is a worthy main event, though it’s not as fondly remembered as their match at Money In The Bank. No doubt, this is because Punk, after beating Cena again, lost the title to Alberto Del Rio on a MITB cash-in following a shock attack by Kevin Nash, but the post-match shenanigans were undoubtedly compelling on the night.
A shade inferior to Money In The Bank, perhaps, but SummerSlam 2011 is still a high-quality event overall, and is one of the hidden gems from the event’s legacy down the years.
Overall Rating: 8/10 – Very Good
