10 Greatest Superstars In WWE SummerSlam History

Hulk Hogan may be the reason for SummerSlam's existence but Bret Hart took it from its humble beginnings as a WWE cash grab and made it into an elite wrestling show in which Match of the Year candidates became expected.

'The Hitman' delivered two all-time great matches in consecutive years, beginning in 1991 with his Intercontinental Championship victory over Mr. Perfect, and continuing with a defeat at the hands of 'British Bulldog' Davey Boy Smith in front of 80,000-plus fans in London.

Hart would remain a staple of the event, competing at every SummerSlam from 1988 through 1995 and returning to the event in both 1997 and 2010. As he did so many times over the course of his career, he delivered show-stealing performances from the undercard and ensured fans went home happy when competing in the night's show-closing bout.

In 1994, he revolutionized the Steel Cage match with brother Owen, proving that typically barbaric match can be a bloodless exercise in drama if executed correctly and to its fullest potential.

He brought workrate to the show in the 1990s when Vince McMahon's company was in upheaval. Amongst the cartoon characters and underwhelming workers, he steadied the ship and provided fans a superstar they could trust to give them their money's worth.