10 Most Momentous WWE SummerSlam Title Changes In History
1. Bret Hart Wins The WWF Championship (1997)
1997 was not a good time for WWE. They was losing the Monday Night Wars and were in desperate need of a shot in the arm. At SummerSlam 1997, they rolled up their sleeve.
The show's main event was The Undertaker defending the WWF Championship against Bret Hart with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee. Just as his buddy, Triple H, would do sixteen years later, HBK got involved in the match with earth-shattering results. A chair shot intended for Hart accidentally struck Taker instead, allowing Bret to make the cover, forcing a reluctant Michaels to count the pin for his nemesis.
This would lead to a feud between Michaels and Taker that culminated in the first ever Hell in a Cell match in October. As a result of winning that match, Michaels got to face Bret Hart for the WWF title... at Survivor Series... in Montreal...
Yes, the single most industry-shifting moment in wrestling history can trace its roots back to SummerSlam 1997's main event and by that logic, so can the entire Attitude Era. This match may very well be the reason that WWE is still around today - how could it be anywhere else than at the top of this list?