8. Shawn Michaels Vs. Razor Ramon (SummerSlam 1995)
In his first act as fan-friendly WWF President, Gorilla Monsoon booked this rematch of the celebrated WrestleMania X ladder match between Michaels and Ramon, once more for the Intercontinental title. Both men were now on the side of good, and were actually under real-life restrictions not to use the ladder as a weapon. While that might hinder some workers, Michaels and Ramon don't fall into that list. You can overlook the botched finish of Michaels not setting the ladder right during his ostensible victory ascent, and write it off as Michaels being weary from the combat. Mostly, the match equals its WrestleMania X predecessor, featuring a little more deliberate spot work to get around the framework of how the ladder could be used.
7. Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart (SummerSlam 1994)
Simple storytelling: Owen beat Bret cleanly at WrestleMania to prove himself, then won the King of the Ring tournament months after. Bret's WWF Championship would be on the line inside of a steel cage for what was the first event of any kind inside of Chicago's new United Center. Like Canadian Stampede, there would be plenty of Hart relatives seated ringside, including a returning Davey Boy Smith. Much of the match featured valiant and frequent escape attempts from both men, the emphasis firmly on quick maneuvering as opposed to gaudy stunts. There is a superplex from Bret, but it's in the context of preventing Owen's exit. The older brother finally retains the title in a near-photo finish. In the aftermath, Owen and Jim Neidhart assault Bret until all the siblings, plus Davey, run the heels out. Among the top cage matches in history, it's the best of the lesser-violent breed.
Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.
