10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1997 Facts
4. Austin Let Owen Talk Him Into The Sitdown Tombstone
The Intercontinental title match pitting Owen Hart and Steve Austin was well on its way to being the best match of SummerSlam 1997. Depending on your tastes, it may very well still be. All aspirations toward satisfying the crowd firmly ended when Austin's spine crunched on Owen's sitout piledriver.
Before the match, Owen and Austin had their planning session, and Austin apparently suggested the Tombstone as a way of creating a dramatic false finish. Austin says he inquired to the youngest Hart brother about his method of execution, and Owen told him,"I'm going to drop to my ass", instead of the knees.
Owen had performed the knees-drop version of the move on TV before, most prominently on brother Bret at WrestleMania 10. Why he chose the sitdown method to use on Austin is anyone's guess. Per Austin's recollection, he wasn't comfortable with Owen's plan, but agreed when his opponent assured him that he would be okay.