Great Summerslam Matches That happened On The Indies
THE GOOD ol’ WWE often refers to Summerslam as the ‘biggest party of the summer’, with some of the biggest matches.
However, for hardcore fans of the indies, some of these stellar matches will seem very familiar.
This is obviously due to the company’s big trend of snapping up independent talent from across the world and bringing them to their worldwide stage.
So in honour of Summerslam and in keeping with our commitment to showcase indie talent, these are the Summerslam matches that were even better on the indies.
AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe - Summerslam 2018
Joe and Styles have a storied rivalry
Credit: Impact Wrestling
We start with a match that took place far more than a handful of times before the pair went head-to-head in a WWE ring.
The two squared off for the WWE Championship with Joe winning but via DQ so Styles retained the title.
The last time the pair went head-to-head in singles action before meeting in WWE was at a TNA House Show in 2010. Joe came out on top in Oklahoma that night.
And the last time they met before that at a typical ‘indie’ show was at NorthEast Wrestling in Pennsylvania way back in 2007, where Joe once again beat Styles.
Kevin Owens vs Antonio Cesaro - Summerslam 2015
Steen beat Castagnoli for the PWG title in a shock win
Credit: PWG
At the biggest party of the summer in 2015 these two put on a cracking contest that showed just why both are so under-appreciated on the WWE main roster.
The two have met five times in indie competition, under the names Kevin Steen and Claudio Castagnoli respectively.
Cesaro is 3-2 up in their indie battles but Owens had the last laugh as Kevin Steen unseated Castagnoli in under two minutes for the PWG Heavyweight Title, shocking the PWG Eight crowd.
AJ Styles vs Ricochet - Summerslam 2019
AJ Styles and Ricochet had a superb match at House of Glory
Credit: House of Glory
The most recent entry on this list, of course this contest lived up to the hype with two such talented performers.
But, surprisingly, the pair have only met ONCE on the indie scene. That bout came at House of Glory in 2014 where the two played out an epic time limit draw as Styles failed to dethrone Ricochet for the HOG Heavyweight Title.
Akira Tozawa vs Neville - Summerslam 2017
PAC and Tozawa went head to head many times
Credit: Dragon Gate USA
On the 2017 Summerslam kick-off show, far further down the card than these two and this match deserved, Neville - now known again as PAC - beat Tozawa for the Cruiserweight Title.
They met plenty of times in WWE, mainly for the CW title, but they had some amazing contents in the indies.
The final singles contest they had before meeting in WWE came at Dragon Gate USA, a familiar meeting ground, as PAC was beaten by Tozawa in a 16-minute contest.
AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens - Summerslam 2017
Look how babyfaced Kevin is!
Credit: House of Hardcore
Also on the 2017 card, and officially multiple entries for both on this list, Styles and Owens put on one of the better matches on the card for that year’s event.
Like with Cesaro, Owens is on the losing end of this feud - only winning two of the six indie matches the pair shared.
The last match was at House of Hardcore V in Philly in 2014, with Styles coming out on top.
But their more memorable meetings came in 2005 when Steen first beat Styles for the PWG Title, before Styles got revenge the next month by beating Steen in second round of the 2005 Battle of Los Angeles.
