WWE SummerSlam: Ranking every main event in history

1. SummerSlam 1992: Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog

The 1992 edition of SummerSlam, which was the fifth time the World Wrestling Federation held the event, wasn’t supposed to be as big of a deal as it turned out to be. The card itself certainly isn’t the greatest in history as the real only other match of note outside of the main event was The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage attempting to recreate their classic match from WrestleMania VII, this time for the WWF title. That magic did not happen as Warrior won via countout in an average bout. However, the main event more than made up for it.

SummerSlam ’92 was actually supposed to be held in Washington, D.C. but as the company was growing, Vince wanted to go bigger and booked Wembley Stadium, which could hold 80,000 or so fans, for the event. And with that in mind, the original plan for Shawn Michaels to face Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship was scrapped and England’s own British Bulldog was booked to face his real-life brother-in-law for the second-biggest title in the company. Don’t tell me Vince doesn’t know what he’s doing when he does these things.

For more than 25 minutes, Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith put on a wrestling clinic. They went back and forth with speed and power and this is what a wrestling match looks like. You didn’t think there was any way that Davey Boy was ever going to lose this match but when Bret slapped on that incredible Sharpshooter, there was some anxiety with the English crowd. I’ve heard plenty of people over the years knock the finish, which came when Bret attempted a sunset flip and Davey Boy just pinned him, but that was perfect for this type of match. Not every match has to end with a typical finisher and that’s one of the reasons why I put this match in the top spot. It was a classic wrestling match with so many different things happening and it was done beautifully.

Next: WWE SummerSlam: 20 best non-world title matches in history

What is your favorite WWE SummerSlam main event of all time? Feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below and be sure to check in with FanSided each and every day for all of your WWE needs. If you’re looking for even more wrestling news and features, head on over to Facebook and like the Sports Illustrated Wrestling page.