We see the lead to the Intercontinental Championship match next, between the Champion, Owen Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It would start with Owen bragging about being the one to pin Steve Austin at Canadian Stampede. Canadian Stampede was a phenomenal PPV and I covered it in full here. It shows were Austin was “arrested” at the event and does the classic, double bird while wearing the cuffs. “You can put my arms behind my back but you can’t shut up the fingers.” Lastly, it shows Austin saying that if he couldn’t kick Owen’s ass at SummerSlam he would kiss it after the match.

The Intercontinental Champion, Owen Hart, with his Slammys in hand, enters first to a negative response from the crowd. Michael Cole is in the back and trying to get an interview with Steve Austin as he is making his way to the arena entrance. Austin keeps shoving him away as he keeps attempting to ask questions. The camera follows Stone Cold, as the glass breaks and the crowd explodes, through gorilla position. The crowd is in a frenzy as he walks down the aisle and they can’t contain themselves as he hits the corners, in his traditional fashion. Steve Austin flips Owen off, between climbing the corners, and this lead to an early attack from Hart. Owen uses the early attack to go to work on the knees of Austin. Even wrapping it around the ring post a couple times. Stone Cold delivers some blows that lead into a Lou Thesz Press that send the crowd into a frenzy. Its know wonder Austin went on to the success he had, the crowd reactions he would get are just on another level. Stone Cold keeps the pressure on Hart slamming him to the mats with some atomic drop type moves and using Owen’s hair to do so. This leads to a few early cover attempts but Austin only manages the two count both times. The crowd is chanting “Austin” as he has the Greco-Roman knuckle lock applied on Owen and is wearing him down with it. Hart manages to escape the lock and get to his feet but Austin would poke him in the eye and keep the momentum. There is kind of a dull spot next, as they take turns applying wrist locks to each other and escaping in various ways.

The action starts to pick up again after Owen Hart lands a spinning back elbow to face of Austin. Stone Cold rolls to the outside and pulls Owen to the ground, and is trying to use the ring post to his advantage, when Owen pulls Austin into it instead. Hart is on the offensive and is biting the fingers of Steve Austin. I was always a fan of the dirty tactics of Owen Hart, and this is a great one. He continues to try and break the middle finger of Austin, thus preventing him from giving the bird anymore. Owen next crucifies Austin on the ring ropes and continues to work on the finger of Austin, along with some kicks to the midsection. Austin manages to escape and hits the charging Hart with a Stun Gun, dropping him onto the top rope. Hart attempts the hurricanrana next but Steve counters it with a brutal powerbomb. He follows it up by clotheslining Owen Hart to the outside and the crowd is popping once again. Owen raises his hand in a “T”, as to call timeout, and starts heading up the aisle and to the back. Austin stops him at the entrance with a clothesline to the back. Stone Cold leads Owen back to the ring and tosses him in. Owen is in the corner and Steve offers up a handshake but when Hart takes his hand Stone Cold, again, stomps a mudhole into Hart. Owen gets the reversal when he hits a nice belly-to-belly of an Irish whip. Hart maintains the momentum even hitting a nice elbow drop off the top rope, but Austin manages to kick out of the pin attempt. Owen puts Austin in a neck vise and JR mentions the neck problems of Stone Cold throughout his career. This is interesting, as a pivotal spot in Steve Austin’s career happens later in the match that involves his neck. Hart violently whips Steve to the corner but he bounces out with a clothesline that levels Owen. He tries to apply Owen’s own move, The Sharpshooter, but Hart manages to wiggle free first and come off the ground with a clothesline. JR again mentions the damage this can have to the neck. The building is shaking with “Lets Go Austin” chants from the crowd as Owen continues to beat on Austin. Stone Cold reverses an Irish whip to the corner but Owen launches off the second turnbuckle and into a moonsault, that they roll through. Austin comes out on top but only manages a two count. Owen German suplexs Steve Austin into a pin but this too only get a near fall. Vince again mentions the damage to the neck as Owen Hart applies The Camel Clutch. Austin manages to escape but finds himself on the receiving end of a DDT. But yet again he manages to kick out of the cover. The pair trade headlocks on each other and Steve escapes with a neckbreaker, that JR calls a “Jaw-Jacker”. After a little back and forth, Owen is applying pressure with a side headlock and the crowd is again chanting “Austin”. Owen wiggles his way to the ropes so he can apply more pressure by putting his feet on the rope. Things like this make me remember how great Owen Hart was at being a heel and understood how to use ring tactics to do so. Hart releases the hold after being caught by the official. He begins to argue with the ref and this allows Austin to come from behind and start landing some punches. The spot that comes next almost ended the career of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Owen Hart reverses a piledriver, and delivers a piledriver of his own. Instead of the normal piledriver, where the deliverer of the move lands knee first, Owen does a sitting variation of the move. You can see in the photo Austin’s head is below Owen’s legs and this would break Steve Austin’s neck. I just find it ironic, I guess, that this happens after all the talk of Austin’s previous neck injuries, and Owen’s work on the neck of Austin throughout the match. Steve Austin said it was a planned spot but he was nervous about doing it and approached Owen to change it. Owen talked Austin into it, obviously, and was supposed to do a regular piledriver. Austin said he never received an apology for the blown spot before Owen passed away. Austin would still appear on TV while he recovered but would not wrestle, but just stunning people instead. This would lead to the world famous Stone Cold Stunner delivered to Vince McMahon on August 22, 1997, at Madison Square Garden, and kicking off one of the greatest rivalries of all-time in sports, Austin Vs. McMahon. After the piledriver you can see something clearly isn’t right with Austin. Owen Hart is repeating in the ring “He’s Done” and I’m sure this was a very scary moment for all involved. Owen Hart starts to chant “Canada” at the crowd to try and prolong the situation. At this time Austin rolls to his stomach and manages to crawl to Owen, who is facing the crowd. He reaches up and pulls the tights to roll up Owen. It looks really bad but I understand the situation and that it was the only option. Owen looks on in disbelief as Stone Cold Steve Austin is announced as the new Intercontinental Champion but is still not moving much. For reasons I’ll never understand, Earl Hebner, the official, leans Steve Austin up while more officials enter the ring who help Stone Cold walk to the back. I understand kayfabe and that it would have looked bad for The RattleSnake to be stretchered to the back, but this mother*cker clearly has a broken neck and these refs are just moving him around. The match was very good and told a story. The back and forth was great, as were Owen’s dirty tactics throughout the match. It’s a shame that such a good match ended the way it did and we didn’t get to see the true finish. I’m sure it was a pin after a Stone Cold Stunner and beer guzzling in the corners to celebrate the win. Match Time: 16:16

The next clip is the lead to the Main Event, Its shows the feud leading to this point. It starts with Bret Hart saying that if he doesn’t return to Canada with The Heavyweight Title, he would never wrestle on American soil again. The video continues with Shawn Michaels saying “If I lean towards The Undertaker’s side I also will not be able to wrestle in the United States.” There is a clip in here where see Bret go after Vince McMahon, as he is commentating, and this is the start of the Mr. McMahon would change the business. The narrator, Pentigill, finishes with “If the darkside prevails a fallen idol will face exile.” Before the Main Event starts Vince and the guys update us on Stone Cold’s condition, saying that he is, in fact, hurt and they think he has suffered a neck stinger at this time.

Howard Finkel first introduces the challenger, Bret “The Hitman” Hart and he enters waving the Canadian Maple Leaf. This is something the fans, obviously, aren’t happy with. Bret grabs the mic and is welcomed with a sea of “BOOS” from the crowd.  He says that he would like everyone to “stand back and listen to the Canadian National Anthem. “Oh Canada” plays and the crowd is split. Some booing, and others showing respect. Bret Hart was great as a Heel and knew how to turn up the heat with the fans. I think his Heel turn is one that gets overlooked when people speak of the greatest turns in the history of the business. Finkel announces the special guest referee next and the crowd is electric as The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels enters. He is dancing down the aisle and rocking the Zebra stripes. I’ve said it before and will probably say it again, his theme song is straight fire and one of the best ever. We thank you for it Jimmy Hart. For not even competing in the match, this is a classic HBK entrance. Bret and Shawn have a little stare down before the lights go dim and the bells begin to toll, as The Undertaker‘s theme begins to play. The crowd is, once again, on their toes as The WWF Heavyweight Champion, The Undertaker, makes his way to the ring. He raises his arms and the lights come on as he enters the ring, and the Main Event is set to begin!

After Shawn checks the boots of the competitors, he takes the Title, from Taker, and raises it in the middle of the squared circle. As Shawn is showing the Title to Brett, Hart snatches it up and uses it to get an early advantage, by hitting Taker in the back of the head with it. Michaels separates the two and sounds the bell, as Undertaker removes his duster. Hart is going to work on Taker, in the corner, but the Deadman is just absorbing them. This leads to him grabbing the neck of Hart and putting him in the corner, for some punches of his own. After the flurry of punches, Taker whips Bret to the other turnbuckle and meets him there with a clothesline. Bret rolls from the ring next to regain his composure. He meets Bret outside and introduces him to the security railing and ring post. Michaels warns Taker here, threating to call for a DQ. Bret dodges a clothesline attempt, against the ring post, and then introduces Taker to the stairs with an Irish whip. Shawn now warns Bret about his actions and threatens him with the DQ. Bret attempts to drop the elbow from the ring apron but Taker catches him and rams him, back first, into the ring post. This warrants another DQ warning from Shawn, but this doesn’t stop the Deadman and he does it again.

They finally return to the ring and The Undertaker is keeping the momentum. After he delivers a few blows to Hart, he hits a backbreaker but it only manages to lead to a two count. The Undertaker is applying a bear hug, after a few other offensive moves, and Shawn keeps asking him “where he’s at”. I liked this spot for a plain bear hug. Bret escapes the hold by biting the face of Taker and is again warned by Michaels. Taker lands a big boot but misses with the follow-up elbow drop. Bret ducks under a second attempt at the big boot and goes to work trying to kick the legs out from under the Deadman. He continues to work on the left knee, as JR says “with visions of SharpShooters dancing in his head.” Good stuff. After various types of assaults to the knee of Taker, Bret applies the figure four on the downed Deadman. As Shawn is checking Taker for the submission we see Paul Bearer make his way to ringside. This is when we hear the commentators speak of Kane, The Undertaker’s brother, and the fact that he is possibly still alive. It’s interesting that they started to build this storyline so early, as Kane wouldn’t make his debut until October at Badd Blood. Taker, after some time, eventually rolls the figure four over and Shawn is now asking Bret if he gives up. The Hitman reaches the rope and Shawn is forced to break the hold. After some work on the knee of Hart, The Undertaker quickly leaves the ring to assault Bearer. He unleashes a blow to the face if Bearer that lands solid and was a great sell if it wasn’t a real punch. This allows Bret to hit a spear, of sorts, to the backside of Taker. Bret continues to work the knee of Taker on the outside and we see a team of officials lead Paul Bearer to the back. He again applies the figure four but this time threads The Undertaker’s legs around the ring post. Shawn tells him to let go and begins to count. At the count of four Hart releases and gets in the face of Shawn Michaels. They all return to the ring and Bret is still targeting the knee of Taker. At this time we see members of The Hart Foundation enter the arena, Owen Hart and Brian Pillman. He again wraps the leg of Taker around the ring post, and he and Michaels are in each others faces as he receives another warning. The crowd is really giving Bret the business here and he is giving it back. At one point he even sticks the middle finger in the face of fans.

They return to the ring and Bret is applying a knee-wrench and trying to get the submission as Shawn does his best to keep Owen and Pillman at bay. Taker finally manages to escape with some kicks from his undamaged leg. As soon is he is on his feet he exits the ring, with the patented backflip roll over the top, and goes to work on Owen and Pillman, Michaels then exits the ring and send the pair to the back. But back in the ring The Undertaker is delivering the chokeslam and going for the cover. Shawn, who is distracted making sure The Hart Foundation doesn’t return, misses the cover and this angers the Deadman. He lifts Shawn right to the apron by his Zebra shirt but this enrages Michaels, who tells him “I’m the law”. This allows Bret the opportunity to small package the big man, which Michaels promptly counts, but only gets the two. Taker lays Bret out with a clothesline and is in the face of Michaels. He is obviously distraught at Michaels for missing his cover but being quick to count Brett’s. Hart uses this moment to leave the ring and pull the feet out from under Taker. He then rams the lower back of Undertaker into the apron, a few times, and this action receives another warning from Shawn Michaels. Bret obviously has no respect for Michaels, because he would pick Taker up and ram his back into the ring post right after. Again, another warning for Bret and Shawn is threatening to call the match.

Finally they are back in the ring, and Bret Hart delivers his signature double axe handle, to the back of Undertaker. Bret soon goes for the cover but Taker throws him off and sits up in true Taker style. Bret keeps the momentum and soon is on the second turnbuckle to deliver the elbow. Before he does so he gives the crowd the bird and this turns the heat up. This is the little stuff that Bret understood about being a Heel and what made him so great at it. After he lands the elbow he goes for the cover but not before flipping the crowd off again. This was a real lazy kick out and it doesn’t even look like the shoulders are off the mat. Bret lands the DDT and this time Undertaker actually kicks out in time.

Undertaker would stop Bret’s momentum here by lifting Hart with a waist lock and dropping him into the turnbuckle. They exchange blows but Bret comes out ahead after a side Russian leg sweep that he follows up with a leg drop. Brett again gives the crowd the finger before attempting to apply the SharpShooter. Taker foils the attempt by grabbing the throat of The Hitman and returning to his feet. Its not long before Bret has the advantage again after stopping a chokeslam with some boots to the midsection. Undertaker starts to rally after a flurry of punches to Bret’s stomach, allowing him to slow Hart. Bret counters an Irish whip but Taker ducks the clothesline and delivers the flying lariat to the chest of Hart. He whips Bret, chest first, into the turnbuckle but the “sloppy”, per The King, cover only leads to a two count.

Taker lands the big boot and follows it up with the leg drop but, again, only manages a two count. The Hitman would go to the apron next for a breather but Taker doesn’t allow this. He is soon chokeslamming Shawn over the top rope and onto the mat. This is an amazingly executed move but only makes for a two count for the Deadman. Taker is soon leading Hart to the corner by his hand, for what Vince calls “His patented maneuver”. The Hitman foils this attempt by kicking the foot of Undertaker out from under him, when he reached the top rope.  Taker would land on the family jewels and Bret climbs up as to suplex the big man off the top rope. After Taker collapses during the first attempt, they try again and somehow Bret manages to underhook suplex The Undertaker off the top turnbuckle. This was nice.

Bret is first on his feet and is soon applying the SharpShooter in the center of the ring. The arena is shaking in anticipation for The Undertaker to rally back and he soon does so by reversing the hold. The “force” from the reversal sends the Hitman through the ropes and crashing to the floor mats. Bret promptly returns to the ring but Taker lands a clothesline and has the upper hand. He is soon slitting his throat with his thumb and the crowd is popping in anticipation of the Tombstone. Bret manages to slide down the back of Taker thus avoiding the Tombstone Piledriver. Bret quickly grabs the feet of the big man and pulls him back to the ring post. This time he applies the SharpShooter through the ring post and Michaels is counting him down. But as Michaels reaches the count of four Taker reverses and sends Hart crashing into Shawn.

Bret is quick to his feet and is going straight for a chair. He returns to the ring and lands a chairshot to the head of Taker. Shawn, who is now limping, returns to the ring as Bret goes for the cover. After a near three count Bret is in the face of Michaels once again. As Bret returns to beating on Taker, Michaels discover the chair still in the ring and begins to question Hart about it. This is where Bret can be seen saying “F*ck You” to Michaels and then spits into his face. It was a solid loogie too. Michaels would then attempt to plant the chair upside Bret’s head but he would duck and The Undertaker would receive the chairshot instead.

This would lead to Shawn reluctantly counting three and he quickly exits the ring after doing so. Undertaker exits the ring and begins to follow Shawn as the fans litter the ring with trash and “BOO” Hart. Finkel announces Bret “The Hitman” Hart as the new World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion as Bret is seen raising his hand, with all five fingers up. This is because Bret Hart tied Hulk Hogan for most championship reigns at the time, with five. The broadcast goes off air with Bret in the corner raising the Championship in one hand and the Maple Leaf in the other.

This match did a good job at telling a story and setting up the feud between Hart and Michaels. A feud that would ultimately lead to the infamous, “Montreal Screwjob”. The action was pretty slow and if it wasn’t for the in-ring storytelling and Bret’s Heel ability, I would have found the match kind of dull from a pure wrestling perspective. This would be the first time the Heavyweight Title changed hands at a SummerSlam. Match Time 28:10

Overall I thought the PPV was similar to most of the WWF’s PPV at the time, as it was very top heavy, with not much going on in the early card besides the opener. Which I thought was the best match on the card and stole the show. As I always like to do after watching these back, lets see what Dave Meltzer said of the matches. Per www.profightdb.com, Dave didn’t think highly of the PPV. His highest rated match of the evening received a three star rating. He gave the Mankind and Hunter’s cage match only a 2.5, and I strongly disagree and think it was the best one on the card. He gave Austin/Owen the second best rating at 2.75 and think it may have been higher if we seen a proper finish. All and all there is definitely some matches to watch and some to skip.

Join me next time as we look at SummerSlam 98 in The Garden for what looks to be an amazing show as Mankind and Triple H face off for the IC Title in a ladder match and Stone Cold Steve Austin faces The Undertaker for the WWF World Heavyweight Title. And remember always #UseYourHead and give The Chairshot and me a follow on the Twitter.

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