25 Greatest WWE SummerSlam Matches EVER

19. The Undertaker Vs Bret Hart (SummerSlam 1997)

Undertaker Bret Hart HBK
WWE.com

An unappreciated classic from an unappreciated WWE Championship run, The Undertaker's loss to Bret Hart is fondly remembered for an incredible finish that serviced 'The Hitman's heated rivalry with Shawn Michaels as well as 'HBK's impending heel turn for his run against The Undertaker.

Before the breathtaking conclusion, the Champion and Challenger delivered one of their best ever matches together, destroying the dull dud they'd assembled at the 1996 Royal Rumble thanks to Hart's wicked timing on offense as a heel.

With everything to play for (Bret would never wrestle in America again had he lost, Shawn couldn't either if he showed bias against his hated rival whilst Undertaker simply wanted to retain his title) the tension ramped up fabulously well, climaxing with one of the greatest multi-purpose finishes in the history of the organisation.

The result marked the end of Undertaker's critically acclaimed run as champion, but his superb work only foreshadowed what was still to come with rattled referee Michaels.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.