10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1997 Facts

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.