SummerSlam Top 10 Countdown – By Michael Owen
No.7 (19 Points) Triple H vs. The Rock (August 30th, 1998)
The leader of The Nation of Domination pitted against the leader of D-Generation X in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship? You’re damn right it made it into our Countdown.
This match came on the cusp of Triple H and The Rock becoming the top guys in the WWF in the late 90’s. People had yet to see the best days of The Brahma Bull or The Cerebral Assassin but they were about to get a glimmer of what was to come in the following years. Triple H was 28 and The Rock was only 26 at the time of this match, it was amazing to see two of the fastest rising stars within the company become main-eventers before our very eyes.
Looking back at what they went through in this match for what is considered to be a second-tier title within the WWE is amazing. Both athletes understood the significance and importance of holding the Intercontinental Title and also the list of illustrious names that had held it before them. They knew that holding the title was a vital part in being considered for a shot at the WWE Championship.
Jim Ross mentioned the Shawn Michaels-Razor Ramon match as the best ladder match before this one even got underway. Not only did Shawn and Razor have an incredible ladder match at WrestleMania but they also had a return bout at the event namesake that we are covering today. With that said, you’d be hard pushed to argue that this one wasn’t up there with either match after all was said and done.
Both Chyna and Mark Henry were at ringside for their respective stable mate and both would play a pivotal part and add to the drama of this incredible match. Another thing that added to the drama of the match was the incredible commentary from Jim Ross and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, they sold the importance of each move and also how much the Intercontinental Championship meant to each mans career.
Even though it was a ladder match, it had certain elegance and flow that other ladder matches tend to lack, that’s not to say it wasn’t hard hitting and brutal in parts but it is to say that the match was much more than each wrestler taking turns to bash the other with a ladder. For the first five minutes the match took place in the ring and the crowd was rabid. Both men teased grabbing the ladder and it finally came into play seven minutes in. The ferocity of the action picked up from this point and the ladder became the key component of the match. Whilst it played an obvious key role in the match, it’s good to remember that it was used to tell a story and added an incredible amount of suspense each time it was used.
That’s why this match is No.7 on TWM Countdown of the Top 10 matches in SummerSlam History!
Click Below for Number 6!