10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1997 Facts
The Era of Stone Cold nearly ends before it begins, in one regrettable instant.
It could have been worse. Though Stone Cold Steve Austin would continue to battle spinal issues up through his 2003 retirement, he was fortunate that the botched Owen Hart piledriver at SummerSlam 1997 wasn't more destructive than it ended up being. Austin suffered a neurological injury known as a "stinger" whilst taking the move. In the blink of an eye, WWE's entire future was nearly altered.
The 1997 SummerSlam took place around the time WWE began wilfully baring its fangs, showing an eagerness to bite, similar to Mike Tyson's cannibalistic rage that had been demonstrated weeks earlier. The shades-of-gray booking had taken center stage, with faces and heels warring against one another, nobody among the fray truly innocent. WWE had needed this injection of chaos for some time, and was getting closer to finding the necessary rhythm.
It was a night where Shawn Michaels began his foray back to the heel side by costing The Undertaker the WWE Championship. But he still hated Bret Hart, so is he a face? 'Taker wants to kill him, so wouldn't he be a heel? Austin beats up Dude Love, so isn't Austin a heel? The uncertainty bred in WWE storylines was becoming a potent part of their Attitude Era reconfiguration.
Here are ten facts about SummerSlam 1997 you may not have known.
10. It Was The First Televised WWE Event In New Jersey In Eight Years
The Garden State has had a storied history with WWE, with three WrestleManias, a few SummerSlams, and numerous TV tapings taking place within Jersey state lines. SummerSlam 1997 was held in East Rutherford, the same location as the 1989 edition of the show. Coincidentally, that was the last time WWE ran a televised event from the state prior to 1997.
WWE loathed paying the exorbitant taxes that were levied on televised professional wrestling events in New Jersey, and simply chose to take their bigger cards elsewhere during that time frame.
That all changed in 1997, when then-Governor Christie Whitman lifted those taxes in the spring of that year. She even made an appearance at SummerSlam, where nominal figurehead President Gorilla Monsoon gave her a replica championship belt as a token of appreciation.