The 10 Best Rivalries in WWE Summerslam History
9. Bret Hart vs Jerry Lawler
If Bret Hart was truly the best in-ring wrestler of his era, then Jerry “The King” Lawler was by far the best wrestling character and mic guy of his era. The 1993 collision between them heading into Summerslam was a perfect storyline if there ever was one.
It all started when Bret Hart won the King of the Ring tournament, prompting Lawler to step up and claim himself as the real King of the WWE, proceeding to attack Hart for wearing a fraudulent crown.
In the coming weeks, Lawler would continue to take out his anger on Hart’s family, going on to berate and attack his own parents.
This would lead to President Jack Tunney booking Hart vs Lawler at Summerslam, but on the night of the show, Lawler showed up on crutches following a car accident, and his court jester Doink the Clown had to fill in for him. But when Hart locked his Sharpshooter on Doink, Lawler revealed he wasn’t injured at all, attacking Hart with a crutch.
Tunney then demanded that Lawler wrestle Hart that night, or he’d be fired. The match happened, and Hart pummeled Lawler. He made him tap out with the Sharpshooter, but because he wouldn’t let go of the submission for four minutes straight, the win was rewarded to Lawler on a DQ. As he was taken to the back on a stretcher, The King kept his hand held high in victory.