Mike Reviews WWF SummerSlam 1997 “Hart & Soul”

Happy SummerSlamming Friday Everyone!

I reviewed King of the Ring 1997 a couple of months back and I’ve already reviewed Canadian Stampede 1997 before, so let’s complete the set when it comes to the WWF’s pay per view output for the summer of 1997 with SummerSlam 1997!

The big matches here are Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Mankind meeting in a cage, Owen Hart defending the Intercontinental Title against Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Bret Hart trying to wrest away Undertaker’s WWF Title, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee. If all three of those matches deliver then SummerSlam 1997 should be an easy thumbs up, so lets see if they do.

You can view the full card for SummerSlam 1997 by clicking below;

WWF SummerSlam 1997 Card

SummerSlam is emanating from East Rutherford, New Jersey on the 3rd of August 1997

Calling the action are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

The show opens with the national anthem and folks in the crowd looking proud and stoic seeing as this was during the USA Vs Canada/UK/Rest of the World feud

We get he dramatic opening video package, following the usual theme of 1997 where the general vibe is “things have gone to heck and everything is upside down in the WWF” that made it quite a harrowing year when combined with the rise of WCW and all of the very real backstage chaos

Opening Match
Steel Cage (Escape Rules)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Chyna Vs Mankind

The story here was that Triple H had brutally battered Mankind on route to winning the King of the Ring tournament in June but Mankind had come back to have a disputed finish with him at the July pay per view, leading to both men brawling all over the building. The combination of wild brawls and constant interference from Chyna had led to this match being set up, with the idea being that not only will the cage keep others out but it will also keep the two men in.

This is a good brawl, as both men tee off on one another with Mankind getting the best of it in the early going. Even though Chyna its outside of the cage she still manages to help her client by reaching through the bars and choking Mankind at one stage when he has the Mandible Claw applied to Triple H, and then Chyna attacks Mankind again when he is trying to climb out, which allows Triple H to bring Mankind back into the ring with a Superplex.

This was back when the WWF still had super hard rings as well, so I respect both men for taking that bump. Triple H could potentially walk out following that, but he decides to remain in the cage and inflict more punishment, which continues to evolve his character from a prissy aristocrat into a more hardened bad guy who isn’t afraid to get physical. To be honest, adding Chyna to his act was the moment Triple H really started gaining some traction, as it allowed him to be less gimmicky and just play the role of generic Heel with an imposing bodyguard, which is a character most people can understand and get on board with.

Mankind of course sells well whilst getting worked over and takes some vicious bumps into the hard WWF blue barred cage, which was renowned for having very little give and it sure looks that way. The crowd is really into Mankind and gives his offence a good reception when he eventually starts fighting back, with Triple H doing a good job selling also, as this match has featured some snug believable looking action and a responsive crowd, making it an entertaining watch. I enjoy the work of both guys though so I might potentially be biased.

Triple H eventually ends up trapped in the ropes and that allows Mankind to crawl for the door, but Chyna is waiting and she slams the cage door onto Mankind’s head in brutal fashion. In her defence, Mankind himself would have demanded she make it look good, but MAN, that was some scary looking stuff and Mick Foley went into graphic detail just how much it hurt in his first book. They find a way to eventually bump Chyna without actually hitting her, as Mankind catapults Triple H into the cage whilst she is climbing it and that leads to her taking a spill to the floor for the biggest pop of the match.

They did an excellent job getting Chyna over; as the fans really didn’t like her and were very happy to see her momentarily “get hers” in some form. Sadly Chyna does then come into the ring a little bit too early to help Triple H so he sends her out of the cage again so that we can get the spot the match is perhaps best known for, as Mankind climbs up to the penultimate rung of the cage and then pays homage to his hero Jimmy Snuka with a big elbow drop off the cage. That gets the expected big pop, although Mankind doesn’t quite get to show off his Dude Love tattoo as intended before jumping.

NOW it’s time for Chyna to help Triple H, as she tries to drag his limp body out of the cage door to the floor in order to win whilst Mankind climbs. However, Mankind sees her trying to do this and decides to just jump the rest of the way down the side of the cage in order to win the bout himself, giving us yet another memorable moment from this one. That is of course totally in line with the whole psyche of the Mankind character and worked a treat as a finish.

WINNER: MANKIND
RATING: ****

Thoughts: This is one of the many great matches the two had together, with the brawling inside the cage being good intense action and the finishing sequence being some excellent storytelling

Mankind is out on the floor following that, but Dude Love’s music starts playing and he eventually starts tapping his foot in time with it before strutting to the back. Dude Love was such a good gimmick at making people laugh and be happy, which made it feel a bit out of place in the proto-Attitude Era in some ways, but it gave us some much needed levity at points in what was otherwise quite a grim era, so I’m very grateful for it

Governor Whitman gets the red carpet rolled out by Todd Pettengill, Mosh, Thrasher and Gorilla Monsoon because she lowered taxes in the local area, meaning that the WWF felt it was worthwhile coming back for a pay per view and they decided to make a fuss of her here on SummerSlam. Vince McMahon using his wrestling show in order to further a political cause of his is certainly something you don’t expect to see I must say…

Tiger Ali Singh and Tiger Jeet Singh are sitting in the crowd watching the show, leading to Tiger going on to being one of the worst WWF wrestlers of all-time, bless his tender heart. The reason there’s so much filler here is that this was before the cage came down from the roof so they’ve got to have this in order to kill some time so that the cage can be torn down. In the Peacock Era though these longs breaks between matches are commonplace of course

Match Two
Luchas de Apuestas
Brian Pillman Must Wear A Dress For A Month If He Loses
“Lose Cannon” Brian Pillman Vs “The Bizarre” Goldust w/ Marlena

Pillman was part of the anti-American Hart Foundation stable, whilst Goldust was part of the pro-American contingent of wrestlers doing battle with them, so this match was booked as a result. They’d eventually add in a storyline element where Pillman would start insisting that Goldust and Marlena’s child was actually his, but Pillman died before that could be paid off, meaning we had to wait another 8 years before getting a ladder match for the custody of a child on a WWF/E broadcast.

Pillman had been one of the most athletic and exciting in-ring performers in the business in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, but a car wreck followed by a bungled ankle operation left him a shell of his former self. Rather than just becoming a manager and occasionally working a tag, where he would have probably been a very effective character, Pillman instead insisted on wrestling in order to justify his wages, leading to him struggling through basic matches and having to rely on pain medication just to get to the next show, which probably didn’t help when it came to his eventual early death later on in 1997.

Pillman is clearly working very hard here, and even though he can’t really get around the ring properly, he covers for it for the most part with character work and he actually takes some pretty big bumps, including getting thrown off the top rope onto the ropes at one stage. Pillman eventually uses Marlena as a human shield on the outside and uses the distraction it causes to give Goldust a DDT out on the floor for the cut off. Pillman actually manages to come off the top with a clothesline at one stage, which is pretty darn impressive for someone with a shattered ankle.

Goldust sells well during the heat, and the crowd gets reasonably into the contest. The match has a good intensity to it, with both wrestlers trading slaps at one stage and doing a good job of giving off vibes that they genuinely hate one another. Sadly the finish really goes awry, which is the only time really in the match that Pillman’s physical limitations hurt it. The idea is that Goldust will go for a sunset flip and Pillman will try grabbing onto the ropes for a tainted win, only for Marlena to clock Pillman with her purse so that Goldust can complete the move. However, Pillman can’t stay upright to complete the spot and kind of just collapses as time stands still. Pillman eventually manages to drag himself to the ropes in order to complete the spot and Marlena gets the purse shot in order to let Goldust get the win. The result gets a big pop from the crowd at least.

WINNER: GOLDUST
RATING: *3/4

Thoughts: The finish dragged it down a bit, but the match up to that point was totally fine and the crowd was invested in it

20,213 people are in the crowd apparently. No idea if that was a real figure or not. It’s a wrestling show, so I’m guessing some fudging took place in some form. Building looks full on TV at least

Match Three
The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas) Vs The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal)

The Roadies broke the neck of Henry with their DOOMSday Device finisher on an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, so Henry is now coming back for revenge, as you do. It’s bad enough to suffer a career threatening injury, but even worse for it to happen on one of the weekend syndicated shows when nobody is watching. I think I’ve mentioned in prior reviews when it comes to The Roadies, but booking them against big sluggers like The Godwinns’ wasn’t always the smartest choice because the best way to get a good match out of The Roadies is to book them against smaller Heels who could bump around for them and make them look good. When you put them in there with bigger wrestlers and made them work more like traditional babyfaces, then it kind of went against what made the fans like the team to begin with, and it didn’t play into The Roadies’ skillset.

Everyone is working hard in this one at least, with it actually being an entertaining power match. It helps that Phineas and Henry are happy to bump around a bit. There’s some good psychology on display as well, with The Godwinns’ targeting their attacks on the neck’s of the Road Warriors so that Henry can have vengeance for his injury. The cut off is suitably violent, with Phineas distracting Animal with a cheap shot so that Henry can get the old Cactus Clothesline, leading to Animal being the babyface in peril. Animal sells well during the heat segment, with The Godwinn’s keeping things simple with punches, kicks and rest holds, which all looks fine.

Hawk eventually gets the hot tag and runs wild with the usual array of punches, kicks and power moves. There’s one moment where Henry and Hawk look to have a brief communication issue when Hawk is trying to send Henry off the ropes, but they quickly cover for it. Things breakdown following that, with all four wrestlers going at it and the crowd seeming to enjoy the chaos. Eventually The Roadies catch Henry with a Spiked Piledriver and that’s enough to give Hawk the three count, which is a good way of getting around doing the DOOMsday Device again on the guy with a legit neck injury whilst still doing a finish that plays into the storyline.

WINNERS: THE ROAD WARRIORS
RATING: **

Thoughts: Not the most exciting match ever, but I thought it was fine overall. The story made sense and the wrestling was straightforward, with the live crowd mostly being into it. I’ve seen worse uses of ten minutes

Two competition winners, Ryan Chaddock from Liverpool, New York and Patrick Stevenson from Lafayette, Indiana, are here to try and win a million dollars. They are joined by host Todd Pettengill, who has Sunny and Sable as the two attractive assistants. Man, Sunny here was on another level looks wise and she actually seemed to be having fun goofing around with Todd in the segment too. It’s tragic that she threw it all away, not just for her but for all the people she’s hurt along the way during her steep downward spiral. Anyway, Todd tries to call some folks so that they can take part in the competition as well, and of course either no one answers or the phone line has been disconnected. Has there ever been a phone-in on a wrestling show that hasn’t been a total disaster? At least Rick Rolling hadn’t been invented yet I guess. Finally someone, Michael, does answer the phone, BUT HE ISN’T EVEN WATCHING SUMMERSLAM!! Oh man, poor Todd, you can just see his soul exit his body at that stage whilst Sunny guffaws. Michael does say that it’s due to the cable company not carrying the show rather than him choosing not to watch, and because I don’t have a good enough knowledge of the United States cable system in 1997 I’ll take his word for it. Anyway, Michael picks number 33 but the key doesn’t open the casket filled with a million dollars, so he doesn’t win. Yay. They try one more person, and Rebecca answers. Thankfully they don’t ask her if she’s watching as the segment has gone on long enough anyway and they don’t need more embarrassment. Rebecca picks number 14 and doesn’t win, but she does get $5000 savings bond which, if you will indulge me and allow me to be old and boring for a moment, is actually a great investment and I encourage any of you younger readers out there to set up some kind of savings account as soon as you can because it could prove very useful to you in the future. Anyway, young Ryan from Liverpool doesn’t win either, but he gets a hug from Sable to go along with his 5 grand, so he’s doing fine. Patrick doesn’t win either, but he gets a hug from Sunny. The winning number ended up being 3, and it does indeed open the casket with the money, just so the WWF can prove that the competition was legit I guess. Anyway, this segment was a bit of a disaster but Todd did an excellent job hosting it and the two women looked to be having fun with it all, so there’s that at least.

Match Four
Luchas de Apuestas
Bulldog Must Eat A Tin of Dog Food Should He Lose The Belt
WWF European Title
Champ: “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith Vs “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock

Jim Cornette was involved with the booking at the time of SummerSlam and was going for a Memphis styled “Night of the Stipulations” thing here if you haven’t noticed already. Bulldog had attacked Shamrock during an arm wrestling match and smeared dogfood over Shamrock in order to set this one up. Shamrock is super fired up and angry in the early, stages which you’d expect given the build-up, and that works well enough, although they don’t seem to have much in the way of chemistry as opponents, as there are a few timing issues. Bulldog eventually slows it down with a suplex and a chin lock, as they’re struggling to get the crowd into this one for a bit. Bulldog keeps working the hold and trying to be a jerk about it though, and that does eventually manage to draw some “USA” chants from the crowd. Shamrock starts bleeding from the mouth at one stage, suggesting that some live rounds are being thrown. Shamrock’s selling is decent whilst being worked over, which isn’t something MMA crossover people are always good at, although I believe Shamrock did some Pro Wrestling before moving into the shooting realm, so he might have had a leg up in that area. Bulldog’s work is pretty straightforward, but it looks fine enough, except for some lame exaggerated clubbing he does where he’s stomping his foot whilst punching in the way every non-wrestling fan thinks a wrestling punch looks like. Bulldog stupidly rubs dog food in Shamrock’s face despite controlling the match though, which leads to Shamrock snapping and getting himself DQ’ed.

WINNER BY DQ: BRITISH BULLDOG
RATING: **

Thoughts: Pretty much the only finish they had available to them if they didn’t want Shamrock to get pinned and didn’t want to switch the belt. The match itself was okay. Bulldog kept it simple and Shamrock’s selling was fine, but the crowd never really got that invested in it

Shamrock chokes out Bulldog following the match and then throws around some referees and road agents for good measure when they try to break it up, leading to his iconic “Get out of my way!!!” shout that they used in video packages for him going forwards. Sadly they don’t play his music in order to capitalise on the great crowd reaction his freak out gets, which leads to the heat dissipating a bit

Todd Pettengill interviews Shawn Michaels in the locker room. Shawn says he’s going to be a fair referee tonight and that nothing will get past his keen eyes. Shawn stumbled over his words a bit but his usual charisma was on display

We get a video package detailing how the Gang Warz began thanks to Faarooq firing Savio Vega and Crush from the Nation of Domination

Match Five
Gang Warz 8 Man Tag Team Match
Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Castillo and Jose Estrada Vs The Disciples of Apocalypse (Crush, Skull, 8-Ball and Chainz

The WWF had a faction war going on at the time with Los Boricuas as Puerto Rican street thugs, DOA as angry bikers, Nation of Domination as militant angry African Americans and The Truth Commission as apartheid favouring soldiers. DOA were really the only group close to being babyfaces in all of that, with Savio and Crush both previously being lieutenants for Faarooq but now breaking out on their own to form their own factions. ROH probably did this better in the 2000’s when Generation Next broke up and all formed their own stable (Vulture Squad FTW, TRANSFORM!). Honestly having factions going at it was nothing new and had been a big part of Japanese wrestling for years, with companies like All Japan and New Japan having success when they had factions going at it in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

This one doesn’t have much in the way of crowd reactions, but it’s worked at a quick clip and it never really gets boring because of that. Lots of quick tags and double/triple/quadruple teaming, with the offence mostly being punches and kicks. In defence of that though; it does at least stick with idea of this being a gang war, as you don’t tend to see a lot of arm wringers and Moonsaults in those things but you do see a lot of punching and kicking. The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, Ahmed Johnson, D-Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa) join us at ringside to watch the match, which of course teases them eventually getting involved. Ahmed wasn’t long for The Nation as they’d kick him out because he kept getting injured, but he does look very cool in the Nation attire and it’s a shame that he was such a screw up and we never got to see him in that role for an extended period of time.

Los Boricuas work some heat on one of the Harris Brothers, which the crowd doesn’t really care about, even though they work him over well enough. Chainz ends up getting the lukewarm tag, although Los Boricuas bump all over the place to make him look good. Chainz ends up getting sent to the floor, which leads to Ahmed giving Chainz a Pearl River Plunge out on the floor. The referee does at least miss that because there’s so much chaos going on, so kudos for that. Savio rolls Chainz into the ring and Miguel drops an elbow to pick up the three.

WINNERS: LOS BORICUAS
RATING: *1/2

Thoughts: Bit of a meh match really. Nothing especially wrong with it, the crowd didn’t care and it felt more like a TV match than something you’d see on a pay per view like SummerSlam. Still, it advanced the storyline at least. I think the problem is that they didn’t really devote enough time to giving the 8 guys in the match definable personalities so that we could care about them beyond the basic level of what gang colours they were wearing. The Nation of Domination did a much better job of doing that, especially when The Rock joined, and that’s probably why they are the only one of these groups that is still even remotely remembered with any fondness

Los Boricuas bail following the win and let The Nation and DOA go at it. Hey at least they let one of the minority groups be cunning and intelligent I suppose, so that’s something. Ahmed is limping during the brawl by the way, which I think was yet ANOTHER injury for him

We get a video package hyping up the next match

Match Six
Luchas de Apuestas
Stone Cold Must Kiss Owen’s Bum If He Doesn’t Win The Belt
WWF Intercontinental Title
Champ: “Two Time Slammy Award Winner” Owen Hart Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

Owen had pinned Austin back at Canadian Stampede, so Austin is looking for some payback here and has promised to pucker up if he can’t get the job done. This match is infamous for an incident towards the end where Owen delivers a modified piledriver and ends up dropping Austin on his neck, but prior to that it’s actually a really great match, as they work it at a quick pace and the crowd is really into it. Austin was probably going to end up retiring early anyway due to how bad a condition his knees were in even at this stage in his career, but there’s no doubt that having his neck wrecked here certainly shaved some years off as well.

Austin was a lot more of a technician during this period of his career, with him becoming more of a stand-up brawler following this match in order to limit the amount of bumps he needed to take. Here though we get a lot of work on the mat, with Austin hanging in there just fine with Owen in that area. The crowd has decent patience for the more technical based match as well, which we’d gradually see less and less as the Attitude Era wore on. Owen is at his snide little jerk best at points, especially when he starts biting Austin’s middle finger at one stage.

Austin actually busts out the Stun Gun (the move, not the item) at one stage and even powerbombs Owen as well in a rarely seen move from him, as the crowd is absolutely loving this. Both Owen and Austin were so great during this period, as Owen was still a good snivelling Heel but he also had a slightly harder edge to him as well, which suited the timeframe and also meant you could believe that he could hang with Austin in more of a fight here, whilst Austin was not only on fire as a character but he was also killing it in the ring as well. Owen tries to run away at one stage, but Austin drags him back into the ring, only for Owen to then start working over Austin’s neck, which is why he tries the piledriver.

I believe the story they planned for this one is that Austin would survive three piledrivers from Owen and then go on to rally and get the big come-from-behind victory in order to establish him as a future WWF Champion. However, the first piledriver causes a serious injury, so Owen has to improvise a finish of some kind, because a DQ or Count Out means that Owen keeps the belt and thus Austin has to kiss Owen’s backside, which Austin couldn’t even do at this stage anyway due to him being so hurt. Thus Owen shoves referee Earl Hebner, who promptly shoves Owen back, and Austin gets something approaching a School Boy in order to win the belt in one of the gutsiest displays seen in the WWF that year.

WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
RATING: N/A

In something you probably wouldn’t see today, referees come into the ring and make Austin sit-up before carrying him to the back. These days they’d have medics out there and he’d have his neck stabilised, but 1997 was a different time

Thoughts: It wouldn’t feel right to rate this one due to how it ended, but they were easily in the four star range and approaching even higher until the injury. It’s such a shame; because this could have been an all-time classic contest, but it’s instead remembered for the injury and we never got a chance at a re-do as Austin’s neck was still thrashed when they wrestled at Survivor Series later in the year, and then when Austin wasn’t quite as bad he didn’t trust Owen anymore and refused to work with him, so we never got a healthy Owen Vs Austin match ever again. Thus this match is a tantalising look at what a longer Owen Vs Austin series could have been, and if everything prior to the injury is anything to go off then it might have been one of the best in-ring feuds the WWF ever put on

Main Event
Luchas de Apuestas
WWF Title
Guest Referee: Shawn Michaels
If Bret Hart loses he can no longer wrestle in the USA
If Shawn is a biased ref who causes Bret to lose unfairly, then he can no longer wrestle in the USA
Champ: The Undertaker Vs Bret Hart

Bret had gone heel at WrestleMania 13 and had put together an anti-American heel stable of himself, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart. They had mostly been feuding with Stone Cold Steve Austin and his associated allies, but now that Austin was focusing on a feud with Owen specifically, it led to Bret working himself into the WWF Title picture. Despite being the WWF Champion, the issue here is really more to do with Bret and Shawn not liking each other, which kind of relegates Taker to being a bit of a third wheel.

The only Bret Vs Taker match that I’ve ever enjoyed a lot would be their battle at One Night Only later in this year, with this one being in the middle and the snoozer at Royal Rumble 1996 bringing up the rear. However, it’s been a while since I’ve watched this one so it’s possible it might have aged well. Bret dedicates the match to his fellow Canadians, as well as his international fan base, and demands that the Canadian National Anthem be played. I love how just being proud of his country made him such a big heel in America. Due to Bulldog being part of the team and Bret’s popularity over in Europe, I think a few of us in the UK tended to take The Hart Foundation side in their battles, except for whenever they did battle with Stone Cold. For instance I’m sure Owen Hart gets cheered against Vader at One Night Only in their match and Bret gets his fair share of cheers against Taker.

Taker’s whole “explosion whilst raising the lights” entrance was so cool and I wish they’d’ve brought it back when Taker went back to being all spooky again in 2004. Bret jumpstarts things with a belt shot and we are up and running, with Taker of course fighting back. After the fight on the floor goes Taker’s way, we head back inside where Taker gets a prolonged babyface shine. Everything looks good and Bret sells it well, with them seemingly pushing the idea that Bret’s cheap shot in the early going has gotten Taker all good and riled. Bret responds by targeting the legs, which makes sense from a psychology perspective, as Shawn has been calling it pretty fair thus far.

The crowd is pretty quiet considering the star power in the ring and the fact that Bret was enjoying a good heel run at the time. Paul Bearer comes down to watch and that wakes the crowd up a bit. At this stage Bearer had confirmed that Kane was still alive, but Kane hadn’t debuted as of yet. Taker soon rolls out to clock Bearer, but that allows Bret to chop block him in classic heel style before staying on the legs with the ol’ ring post Figure Four spot. With Bearer dealt with, it’s time for Brian Pillman and Owen Hart to come down to the ring as well, as I’m starting to think that this match is verging on becoming a tad overbooked.

I mean, you have Bret Hart, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels in there; do you really need to jazz that one up with all the cameos? Bret does some nice methodical work on the legs of Taker, and he sells it well, but eventually he is able to break free and heads out to attack Owen and Pillman before rolling in to deliver a choke slam to Bret. However, Shawn is too busy making sure the heels leave, thus meaning he misses the chance to count and earns Taker’s ire in the process. This match had had some very nice spots and exciting moments, but the meat and potatoes of it all has felt kind of flat for whatever reason.

I have enjoyed the work though, with both guys entering a strong performance on that front. I think the issue being more about Bret Vs Shawn hasn’t helped, as it kind of minimises the Bret Vs Taker moments due to the latter being in more of a supporting role to facilitate the issue between the other two. It also feels to me like the match goes on for a bit too long as well, clocking in at over 28 minutes in total. It’s similar to how I felt about the match these two had at Rumble 96 actually. Things do pick up a bit as we enter the home stretch, with Taker choke slamming Bret from the apron back into the ring and Bret replying by managing to give his bigger opponent a superplex.

Taker manages to power out of the Sharpshooter to a big pop and then goes for the Tombstone Piledriver, only for Bret to slip out and go to a previous unseen ring post assisted Sharpshooter of all things. Taker manages to break out of that too, but Shawn takes a bump in the process and that allows Bret to bring a chair into the ring and smash Taker right on the bonce with it for two in a great near fall. Shawn notices the chair once he recovers a bit more and that leads to an argument between he and Bret. Bret spits at Shawn, which causes Shawn to try and take Bret out with the chair, only to clock Taker instead. Bret quickly makes the pin and Shawn reluctantly counts before storming off.

WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: BRET HART
RATING: ***

Thoughts: Oooo the crowd HATED that finish, but in the good “we can’t wait to see Undertaker kill Shawn Michaels and get even with him” way as opposed to “that finish sucked and we’re not watching the show next week” kind of way. The match itself was solid but it was also lacking that something special for me. If they’d shaved it down to 20 minutes instead of going for 28 then they might have had a leaner more exciting outcome. Getting the belt on Bret seemed like a smart idea at the time, but he’d be moved into a secondary position whilst the Shawn and Taker feud took centre stage and the reign itself would end up being pretty forgettable aside from how it ended.

In Conclusion

The opener is great, the Main Event is solid, and the IC Title match was on it’s way to being sensational prior to the unfortunate injury. That’s probably enough to make SummerSlam 1997 a mild thumbs up. With a couple of better matches on the undercard it would be more of a slam dunk. The booking decisions all made sense and Shawn Vs Taker ended up being a great feud for the autumn, so the WWF mostly came out of the show better outside of the horrible Austin injury