10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1997 Facts

1. It Was The First SummerSlam Where The WWE Championship Changed Hands

Shawn Michaels bret Hart SummerSlam 1997
WWE.com

It took ten SummerSlams for the big belt to finally swap waists. Hart's victory over Undertaker in 1997 ended a rather-astonishing futility streak for SummerSlam challengers, one that may not be so surprising, given WWE's penchant for long reigns.

In three of the first nine SummerSlams, the World title wasn't even defended: Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan each took part in tag team matches at the 1988, 1989, and 1991 shows as champion. In other years, guys like Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Diesel, and Shawn Michaels received statement victories over established heels, and each of their reigns lasted seven or more months.

The only other examples were the 1992-93 SummerSlams, where the defending champion (Randy Savage and Yokozuna, respectively) lost by countout, retaining the gold by rule.

Thus, Brock Lesnar wasn't the first person to conquer a long-standing streak by beating The Undertaker. "The Hitman" gets those honors.

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Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.