Ranking The 26 WWE SummerSlam Main Events From Worst To Best
13. The Undertaker (c) vs. Bret Hart (WWE Championship) - SummerSlam 1997
In hindsight, maybe Bret Hart should have refused the WWF Championship at SummerSlam. Undertaker and Hart squared off in a main event title match that had the combustible element of Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee, and the stipulations that if Hart lost, he couldnt wrestle in the U.S. and if Michaels favored Taker, he could wrestle in the U.S. again. The match started slow, gaining steam as Shawn and Bret jaw-jacked throughout, and then Taker and HBK got into it. The match famously ended when Bret spit on Shawn and Michaels swung a steel chair and hit Undertaker. Hart covered, and Michaels counted three. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsxVmJ1oBH8 The victory would only be temporary though, as Michaels and Hart would square off three months later at Survivor Series in Montreal.
12. Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. The Undertaker (WWE Championship) - SummerSlam 1998
The Austin Era was in full-swing during the summer of 1998, with only a one-day Kane championship reign to derail the beer-fueled train. Stone Cold Steve Austin would hold the WWF title (save for that one day) for nearly six months, which was an eternity during the late 90s. As part of that reign, Austin battled The Undertaker at SummerSlam, earning his stripes by defeating another main event star on his way to becoming the biggest star of the era. The two fought back and forth, highlighted by a top rope leg drop from Taker through a table. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeMvg0Ll-0M Austin would prevail, but the following month, a double pin on the champ would result in the title being left vacant for two months.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.