4. Jerry Lawler vs. Jake Roberts (SummerSlam 1996)
The whole premise for the match between Jerry 'The King' Lawler and Jake 'The Snake' Roberts at SummerSlam 1996 was flawed. By '96, Roberts had put on weight, and his personal life had started to fall apart due to drug and alcohol dependance. Incorporating this into storylines, the WWF had Lawler mock Jake's alcohol addiction, which felt out of place with the rest of the cartoon-like product. Alcoholism is clearly a sensitive issue, and it felt crass that such a real-life situation was being brought into fiction. Mark Henry, who was introduced to provide commentary on the match (in preparation of a feud with Lawler), must have been wondering what the hell he was watching. There was too much stalling during the bout, and the entire segment lasted 20 minutes for a 4 minute wrestling match. To make matters worse, Jake Roberts wasn't even given a big babyface win to shut Lawler up. Instead, the 'King' emerged victorious, which flattened the live crowd. The card desperately needed a babyface win, and this comedy bout was perfect, but it was not to be. The touchy subject matter felt out of place with the comedic stall-fest Lawler and Roberts provided.