SummerSlam (1998)

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SummerSlam 1998: Highway to Hell

SummerSlam 1998 was held on August 30, 1998, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Marketed as Highway to Hell, the show drew 21,588 fans and featured 11 matches (three on the Sunday Night Heat pre-show). It is remembered as a pivotal night in WWF (now WWE) history and is often cited as helping turn the tide in the Monday Night War.

Big moments and results
- Main event: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Undertaker for the WWF Championship. Austin won by pinfall after a low blow and a Stunner, retaining the title. After the match, Undertaker handed the belt to Austin in a sign of mutual respect, while questions about their feud continued in the storyline.
- The Rock vs Triple H in a Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship. Triple H won the lengthy, high-risk bout, solidifying him as a top star in the company.
- Lion’s Den match: Ken Shamrock defeated Owen Hart by submission, in a brutal, cage-style bout.
- Falls Count Anywhere / World Tag Team Championship match: The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) defeated Mankind (in a handicap-style setup due to Kane’s absence) to win the tag titles after a grueling confrontation.
- Mixed tag team match: Edge and Sable defeated Marc Mero and Jacqueline. Edge made his pay-per-view debut in this match, signalling the rise of a future main event star.
- Hair vs. Hair: X-Pac defeated Jeff Jarrett, leading to Jarrett getting shaved bald with help from allies at ringside.
- WWF European Championship: D’Lo Brown (the champion) defeated Val Venis by disqualification, so Brown retained the title.
- The Oddities vs Kai En Tai: The Oddities won a high-energy Handicap match.
- The Ultimate Blood-style match: Jeff Jarrett’s Hair vs. Hair angle concluded with the aforementioned shaved head outcome.
- Other notable moments: The event featured unique matches like the Lion’s Den and high-stakes ladder spots that helped set the tone for the WWF’s ongoing rivalry wave.

Reception and impact
- SummerSlam 1998 is widely praised for its quality, delivering several standout bouts and key storyline developments. Many critics and fans regard it as one of the best SummerSlam events, helping to cement WWF’s momentum in the late 1990s.

Aftermath
- The Austin–Undertaker dynamic continued to drive storylines, with Kane often tied into the Undertaker’s faction and the broader battle against Austin for the title.
- The Rock’s push continued, and Triple H’s rise (including further Intercontinental title storylines) kept DX in the spotlight.
- The show helped accelerate the WWF’s supremacy in the Monday Night War period, shaping major feuds and character arcs into late 1998 and beyond.