10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 1997 Facts

2. Bret Became The Second Man To Win Five WWE Championships

Shawn Michaels bret Hart SummerSlam 1997
WWE.com

The big story coming out of the SummerSlam 1997 main event was guest referee Shawn Michaels' faux pas that led to Undertaker losing the WWE Championship. Somewhat lost in the hoopla of the sudden storyline shift was the fact that Bret Hart had just won his fifth WWE Championship, tying a then-record.

When Hulk Hogan reached his fifth title in April 1993, it was head-turning, as nobody else had even won three WWE Championships by that time. Hart's fifth in 1997 was equally as impressive.

This preceded the era where title changes became more frequent, and since Hart's SummerSlam victory, six men have passed him with six or more WWE Championship reigns (including Hogan, who rode a wave of nostalgia to win his sixth in 2002).

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.