WWE SummerSlam 2017: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect and the Best PPV Title Matches

The second biggest WWE pay-per-view may not get the glory and the highlight reel of WrestleMania, but SummerSlam is still incredible in its own right. It's the site of blood feuds and grudge matches, and it's jumpstarted the careers of many WWE superstars and legends.

With the Biggest Party of the Summer on August 20 closing in, here are the greatest title matches in SummerSlam's history—the matches that elevated the performers, the titles and the company.

Brock Lesnar vs. Rock (2002)

Brock Lesnar's first run with WWE culminated at SummerSlam. Lesnar pinned the Rock to become (at the time) the youngest WWE champion in history.

Typically, ever major heel has a weakness; he's athletically gifted, but easily outsmarted. He's clever, but physically vulnerable. But Lesnar, with Paul Heyman by his side, had no weakness. He was a bonafide monster, and this match was a symbolic passing of the torch, from the Attitude Era of old to the Ruthless Aggression Era that followed.

Viewed in hindsight, the match is a needed reminder; Lesnar wasn't always a one-dimensional suplex machine. He knew his craft, and he had far more variability to his move-set than he does today.

Kurt Angle vs. Steve Austin (2001)

Kurt Angle was rarely the babyface—he worked so much better as a heel. But during the Invasion/Alliance storyline, when Angle became the face to Austin's heel, he shone brightly.

Austin and Angle put on a killer clinic at SummerSlam that was the perfect clash of styles—Angle's technical perfection versus Austin's roughneck tactics. Jim Ross and Paul Heyman killed it on commentary. The one downside: It's unfortunate that the WWE championship match ended with a screwjob rather than a clean finish

But this match did lead to a classic WWE moment. The following evening on Raw, a bandaged-up Angle arrived at the arena with a milk truck and proceeded to douse the Alliance in calcium. 

Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (1995)

A forgotten gem, this match is usually overshadowed by Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels' first ladder match at WrestleMania X. But the follow-up for the Intercontinental title at SummerSlam was wonderful in its own right.

One of the great things about this match is how it played with fans' expectations. Shawn Michaels' iconic spot in the Mania ladder match was repeated at SummerSlam, right down to the camera angle. This time, however, Ramon rolled out of the way.

That's the proper way to sell fans on a rematch without making it feel redundant—by purposefully taking signature moments from the first encounter and reframing them during the second.

Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (2014)

From an outsider's perspective, this was a textbook squash match, hardly worthy of praise.

But for WWE fans, this match was shocking. Never before had John Cena been beaten so soundly and so thoroughly on such a public stage, in a title fight no less. Multiple German suplexes. Multiple F-5's. There was a sense of inevitability to the entire affair—that this time, no matter how much heart Cena had, it simply wasn't going to be enough.

A weird sidenote: there's a little kid by ringside who viewers can clearly hear chanting, "Let's go, Cena!" throughout the entire match. This was the perfect juxtaposition to the action in the ring—almost too perfect to be unscripted.

The Hardy Boyz vs. the Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian (2000)

Again, the WrestleMania classic tends to overshadow the SummerSlam classic.

The first TLC match for the tag team titles between the Hardys, the Dudleys and Edge and Christian was beautiful mayhem. There was something poetic about this match; each tag team had its signature, respective hardcore element that they could exploit to its advantage.

The only thing this match lacked, versus the Mania TLC match that proceeded it, was the signature spot—the "Edge spearing Jeff Hardy mid-air" spot that has appropriately, though unfortunately, overshadowed everything else. But that shouldn't take away from the sheer creativity and brutality that was on display that summer evening.

John Cena vs. CM Punk (2011)

This match, as well as the next one on this list, have a great deal in common. Both have the upstarts defeat the top guy in the company. And both matches culminate with a down note, when a different wrestler cashes in the Money in the Bank briefcase and steals the world title.

In 2011, WWE was riding high on the infamous Pipe Bomb promo, where CM Punk blurred the line between fact and fiction by calling out WWE management. This match brought things back to kayfabe and lulled fans into a false sense of security.

First, Triple H missed Cena's foot on the rope, which made fans think that Triple H wouldn't turn on Punk. But then, Kevin Nash showed up and jack-knifed Punk into next week. And then, Alberto del Rio cashed in. It was a straight-up robbery—one that repeated itself, to good effect, two years later.

John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan (2013)

This was even more heartbreaking than the Punk match. Daniel Bryan was the best pure babyface of his generation, and during the buildup to this match, WWE did a great job of building up Bryan's underdog unconventionality, from his undersized body to his oversized beard.

When Bryan beat Cena cleanly, WWE let fans celebrate for a little while before crushing their spirits to a pulp. Triple H Pedigreed Bryan. Orton cashed in and took the title. And everybody cried.

Bryan wouldn't get his revenge until eight months later at WrestleMania 30.

The British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart (1992)

Putting this match on the list was a given. Two Hart Dungeon graduates going toe-to-toe at Wembley? How could this not have been incredible?

WWE has a weird fixation on having hometown heroes lose in their native cities. But this match was a notable exception. Davey Boy Smith clinched the Intercontinental title in front of 80,000 British fans. Every minute of this display was crisp and rehearsed. Every slam, every punch, every high spot looked like it hurt.

And it ended not with a finisher, but with a sunset flip reversal—a wonderful twist that ought to be applied more often in the modern era.

Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart (1994)

This match is what fans get when two wrestlers, who have known each other and wrestled each other all their lives, meet in the ring. Bret and Owen Hart achieved the sort of mind meld that only family are capable of achieving. And the result was an undisputed classic.

The Stampede style is notoriously hard-hitting, and it was made even more so by the steel cage that surrounded the ring. But the most memorable thing about this match was its finish.

It's difficult to find new, innovative ways to win and lose a professional wrestling match, let alone a steel cage match. But getting your leg caught in the cage itself? That was a pretty good one. And the fans, appropriately, went nuts.

Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect

Another symbolic passing of the torch, this match for the Intercontinental title was the best SummerSlam match of all time.

Bret's solo career was gearing up. Mr. Perfect's was winding down; back injuries would keep him confined to the announcer's booth for much of his WWE career. But fans couldn't tell from this match, which told a slow, deliberate story of a cocky veteran versus a gifted newcomer.

There's two spots that are particularly iconic. The first spot was Hart's kick-out from the Perfect-plex. The second spot was one of the most beautiful reversals in history. Hart blocked Perfect's leg from a leg drop, twisted it and hooked it into a Sharpshooter for the win and the title.