3. SummerSlam ’98
The 1998 edition of SummerSlam felt like a monumental event.
At a time where the company was still rebuilding from the roster holes left by Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and others, they began manufacturing new and exciting characters like crazy. Led by Steve Austin and the “Attitude” formula, the WWF was riding the biggest wave of momentum in a decade. The stacked undercard was highlighted by D-Lo Brown vs. Val Venis, X-Pac vs. Jeff Jarrett, Edge and Sable vs. Marc Mero and Jackie, and an MMA-inspired Lion’s Den match between Ken Shamrock and Owen Hart; while the top two matches involved the eventual “Big Four” of the Attitude Era.
First up was an Intercontinental Ladder Match between The Rock and Triple H, in a gritty, hard-hitting bout that helped catapult both men to the next level. The main event was a huge face vs. face match for the WWF Title – Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker. Austin’s biggest Title defense to date featured intense back-and-forth brawling punctuated by a few high spots like Taker’s gasp-inducing top-rope legdrop through the commentators’ table.
Overall, SummerSlam ’98 was arguably the best edition up to that point, with two four-star main events and a strong collection of undercard bouts. The WWF was on an amazing roll with the success of Steve Austin, and continued to build for the future with numerous young stars ready to rise to the occasion.
