14. Bret Hart vs. Undertaker - WWE Championship (1997)
The main-event between Bret Hart and Undertaker at Summerslam 97, with HBK as the special guest referee, was a lot more than just an on-screen storyline. So much animosity existed between Bret and Shawn and, in real life, Taker was one of those balancing forces that kept the locker room melting pot from boiling over. Shawn and Bret may have hated each other, but they both respected the Deadman. While the Bret-Taker title match was a vehicle to start the HBK vs. Taker feud that culminated in the first Hell in a Cell match two months later, it was also a dream match for that era. In a similar fashion as the HHH vs. Taker w/ HBK as ref scenario from Mania 28, Bret and Taker had faced each other numerous times before, but the Summerslam 97 setting was their biggest stage. Adding the HBK dynamic made it a little more intriguing. The three biggest stars of the pre-Austin era; the three guys that had carried the WWE during some of its darkest days in the same ring for one epic Summer Classic title bout that, when you think a little deeper about it, was a 30-minute portrait of the New Generation in review. Bret and Shawn were constantly tiptoeing around each other, with occasional moments of tension rising to the surface and erupting before our very eyes. The Taker was trying to do his best to take the focus away from their confrontations, caught in the middle whether he wanted to be or not.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
