WWE is getting ready for the 37th installment of SummerSlam! This event is set to take place in Cleveland, Ohio at Cleveland Brown Stadium. SummerSlam has an illustrious history and one that has brought fond memories to wrestling fans for years and years. When you think of some of the best all-time matches, British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart or Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect quickly come to mind. But, what are some of the more underrated matches? Which ones don’t get talked about enough?
I’ll bring you five matches that I feel don’t get enough love amongst fans. Let me know what you think @SBuchanan24.
SummerSlam 1997
The Undertaker (c) vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart with special guest referee Shawn Michaels
Man, this match had a little bit of everything. SummerSlam 1997 had a big-time main event on its hands. This was in the heart of the USA vs. Canada rivalry that WWE was portraying weekly on Raw. The newly formed Hart Foundation was at war with several top “American” wrestlers, including Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. Michaels was appointed the special guest referee for this match with the stipulation that if he showed ANY bias toward either Hart or the Undertaker, he would be banned from wrestling on American soil forever. Likewise, Hart also claimed if he didn’t win the WWF title, he would never wrestle on American soil again.
Now, if you weren’t raised in the 80’s or 90’s and you watch this match for the first time in 2024, you might find it, well, boring. This isn’t your fast-paced, high-flying affair. But, that’s one of the reasons I like it so much. It’s just straight-up wrestling with two masters of their crafts. However, the biggest reason I think this match is underrated is the ripple effect it caused with its ending.
With Hart and Undertaker tangled up in the ring post, Hart is launched into Michaels on the outside. This takes Michaels out of the equation for a few, giving Hart enough time to introduce a steel chair. Once Michaels gets back into the match, he confronts Hart about the chair. Hart responds by spitting a MASSIVE loogie onto Michaels’ face. Michaels, who is sick of this shit, swings the chair at Hart, but Hart ducks and Michaels unintentionally hits The Undertaker. With Taker now out, Hart goes for the pin and Michaels, to his disgust, counts to three. Hart is the new WWF World Champion and the first domino has now fallen.
The ending of this match spurned SO many things that helped launch WWF(E) into its best era in its history. This result would lead Michaels and Undertaker to face off in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match. The brutality of the match was fresh for WWF at the time and shocked audiences. It also gave us one of the best debuts of all time, when Kane burst on the scene to attack his brother, The Undertaker. With Taker now focused on Kane, Michales would go on to face Hart at Survivor Series, which gave us the infamous Montreal Screwjob. The controversial ending also gave us the Mr. McMahon character, even if it wasn’t intentional.
Who would have thought a simple chair shot would start a massive change for WWF as a whole?
SummerSlam 2013
Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Christian
Honestly, this match is a god damn banger. Buried on the card between Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow and Natalya vs. Brie Bella, this match is easily forgotten in the minds of wrestling fans. But, I implore you to give this another watch and I bet you’ll be impressed.
I’m not a Del Rio fan, even before all the crap came out about him behind the scenes. But, give credit where it’s due and he put on an excellent match with the Christian. The final seven minutes of the match are the highlight. These two go back and forth with several near falls that keep this match moving. At one point, Christian goes for a spear on Del Rio but Del Rio catches him with a dropkick to the face. I truly thought that was going to be the end of the match but Christian powers through and kicks out. Del Rio would end up locking in an arm breaker that would force Christian to tap and conclude a great match.
I truly believe if this match had a better placement on the card, we’d talk about it more. Between that and the shocking conclusion of this show which saw Daniel Bryan beat John Cena for the title, only for Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, this match between Del Rio and Christian is easily forgotten about.
SummerSlam 2001
Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. Kurt Angle
When we think about some of Austin’s best matches, the opponents people bring up are usually Hart or The Rock. However, Angle should be in the conversation more and this match is a perfect example of why. I would say this is a Top 5 match for Stone Cold in his WWE career.
I’m not usually a fan of wrestlers kicking out of their opponent’s finishers but this match does it numerous times and it works. Angle and Austin beat the living hell out of each other in this match. At one point, Austin throws Angle into the ring post multiple times, busting him open. The match didn’t need color but it does add another element to it. Austin is simply relentless in this one and I love his brutal, brawling style. He throws some submission moves on Angle as well as if he’s trying to beat him at his own game.
Angle is truly the star of this match. He’s so crisp and smooth from bell to bell and brings the best out of Austin. He kicks out of multiple stunners and delivers one of my favorite moonsaults near the end of the match. There’s a great camera shot of his face after Austin kicks out and he simply looks lost. It’s easy to forget that Angle never intended to be a professional wrestler. He once rejected a reported 10-year deal from WWF because he didn’t accept “scripted losses.” So to see how far he came in such a short period is nothing less than remarkable.
Admittedly, the ending of this match blows. Austin ends up being disqualified after attacking multiple refs in the closing minutes. It was a way to continue this feud as this was amid the WCW vs WWF “war.” These two would meet again on the following Pay-Per-View, Unforgiven, which saw Angle submit Austin to win the WWF title.
SummerSlam 2002
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Unsanctioned Street Fight
SummerSlam 2002 is regarded as the “passing of the torch” to Brock Lesnar after he defeated The Rock for the WWE Championship. But, for me, this show was about Triple H against his former friend, Shawn Michaels.
This storyline started after Michaels returned from a four-year absence and tried to convince Triple H to reform Degeneration-X. While it looked like that’s what would happen, Triple H turned heel and attacked Michaels instead. Then, the following week, Michaels was blindsided in the parking lot by an unknown assailant. This would turn out to be Triple H, and thus, this unsanctioned match was on.
Michaels didn’t show any signs of ring rust in his return. It was as if he never left. I love the small detail of Michaels wearing jeans and cowboy boots for this match, getting away from his normal attire. It just gave the match the “unsanctioned” feel, even with Triple H in his normal attire. They use everything they can get their hands on. Tables, ladders, chairs, steel steps, you name it. Michaels would come away with the victory, as you’d expect, but it was Triple H who walked out of it. After the match, Triple H attacked Michaels with his trademark sledgehammer. Because of the attack, Michaels would be stretched out of the ring. The cherry on top, is a fantastic call from Jim Ross, voicing his disgust with Triple H:
“How in God’s name can that human being be from this planet?!?! Does he have no conscience?!?! Does he have no heart!?!? Do you have no soul, you son of a bitch!!!! Do you realize what you’ve just done?!?!”
We had it so good back then, we just didn’t know it.
SummerSlam 1998
Triple H vs. The Rock (c)
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship
When I think of Summerslam 1998, I’m reminded of the massive disappointment that was Stone Cold vs. The Undertaker. It was a main event hyped to the heavens that unfortunately didn’t deliver. I think that puts a big eye on the whole event, which is a shame. Triple H and The Rock tore the house down in a match that culminated in HHH winning his second Intercontinental title.
One of the problems we have in wrestling currently is that the mid-card titles lack relevancy. Here, the IC title feels huge and the crowd reacted accordingly. This match featured two wrestlers who weren’t exactly known for their high-flying abilities. Yet, it didn’t feel that way as the match progressed. It was a really good mix of wrestling and getting into the more hardcore style. One great spot came mid-match as The Rock was pushed off the ladder and fell to the outside, landing near the apron. Triple H then did a baseball slide to the fallen ladder, which nailed The Rock in the head, busting him open.
Another great spot was Triple H jumping off the ladder, only to be caught by The Rock, who turned it into a Rock Bottom. The match would go on to see Triple H ascend the ladder to grab the title, but not before some help from Chyna. She assisted by delivering a low blow to The Rock while he trying to climb the ladder. This is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it in a while.
