10 Worst WWE SummerSlams Ever - According To Dave Meltzer
4. SummerSlam 1997 (2.08)
It's likely this card wouldn't feature on such a list had Owen Hart not inadvertently nearly paralysed Stone Cold Steve Austin, but then much would be different about the industry in general today had 'The Rattlesnake's neck not horrifically folded in on itself on that fateful night.
Match-by-match, it's apparent why Meltzer's ratings leave this one lagging, with the Brian Pillman/Goldust, British Bulldog/Ken Shamrock and Los Boricuas/DOA matches all failing to deliver both a passable match and a satisfying conclusion, but the Observer chief is unnecessarily harsh on the contest that bookend an infamous show.
In only awarding the Steel Cage opener between Triple H and Mankind **1/2, Meltzer neglects the raw emotion exhibited by Foley as he scaled the structure to relive a childhood dream in a nuanced character portrayal that couldn't be further away from the present day product.
And though it's sometimes spurious to debate such things, a mere *** for the epic Bret Hart/Undertaker WWE Title main event seems insane, especially in an era in which he's expanded the ratings system to over double that in the last year alone.