10 Greatest WWE Pay-Per-Views Of The '90s
9. SummerSlam 1997
Despite being presented as the greatest each year, WrestleMania was a one-match show that failed to capture that "biggest show of the year" feel in 1997. Thanks to the hype, anticipation, and match card, that distinction instead went to SummerSlam.
The event is probably most famous for the injury sustained by Steve Austin at the hands of Owen Hart's botched inverted piledriver (a sit-down Tombstone) as well as the finish to the headlining match featuring Bret Hart challenging The Undertaker for the WWF title.
The event was made even more memorable thanks to the Steel Cage opener between longtime rivals Mankind and Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and the numerous stipulations at play throughout the evening. The British Bulldog would eat a can of dog food if he lost to Ken Shamrock and Brian Pillman promised to wrestle on RAW in a dress if he couldn't defeat Goldust.
The main event featured additional stipulations that threatened both Shawn Michaels (special referee) and Bret Hart's careers in the United States, and was the culmination to the USA vs. Canada feud that had been building since the night after WrestleMania 13.
In perhaps the greatest finish in WWE history, Bret Hart spat on Shawn, who then swung a chair that leveled The Undertaker after the Hitman ducked. With Bret quickly covering the fallen champion, Shawn was forced to count the 1-2-3.