25 Greatest Matches In WWE SummerSlam History

Shawn Michaels's boyhood dream came true at WrestleMania XII, when he defeated Bret Hart to become WWE Champion. He defended the title against Diesel and Davey Boy Smith throughout the spring, but at SummerSlam, he was faced with the Mastodon known as Vader. Vader had already captured heavyweight championships in the U.S., Mexico, Germany, and Japan, and it seemed like the WWE Title was next for him.

Michaels fought tooth and nail, but Vader simply overwhelmed him. When both men fought to the outside, Vader press-slammed Michaels on the guardrail, and the champion was subsequently counted out. The match was restarted, but a desperate Michaels soon struck Vader with a weapon and was disqualified.

Once again, the match was restarted, and only then was Michaels able to put Vader away with Sweet Chin Music, ending a match which combined a great mix of styles.