10 greatest SummerSlam matches of all time

#2 Bret "The Hitman Hart" vs Owen Hart (WWF Title Steel Cage Match) - SummerSlam 1994

not owen hart delivering a piledriver to bret hart at what i assume is summerslam 1994 https://t.co/AsIlkFDvQv pic.twitter.com/htX85ZBqay

— s🐴r🐴h (@candygirlsmp3) August 3, 2020

"Mr. SummerSlam"'s greatest performance in the event's history came against what possibly may be his greatest rival in his brother, Owen Hart. At the 1994 SummerSlam, Bret Hart defended the WWF Championship against his brother Owen in a Steel Cage match.

The sibling rivalry between the two Hart brothers started back at the 1993 Survivor Series after Owen expressed his frustration feeling his brother caused his elimination. After their Royal Rumble 1994 loss in a WWF Tag Team Title match, Owen kicked Bret's injured leg, which would lead to their first-time encounter in the opener of WrestleMania X. In a technical wrestling master class, Owen defeated his brother, but Bret would go on to become the WWF Champion later in the night.

Owen Hart's skycam showcase! 😍OSW87 WrestleMania X https://t.co/WvSmOyAdqm pic.twitter.com/CRZcpN2wrZ

— OSW Review (@OSWreview) February 3, 2020

After Owen won the 1994 King of the Ring and became the King of Harts, it led to the WWF granting him his first shot at the WWF Championship against his brother, Bret, at SummerSlam to end this feud. The Steel Cage stipulation was made due to the involvement of Jim "The Anvil" Niedhart in helping Owen win the KOTR. With the entire Hart family in attendance, they bared witness to an incredible performance from the Hart brothers in the United Center in Chicago.

The Steel Cage match was known for its bloody wars, but this SummerSlam 1994 Cage Match was different as both brothers created a story about the grueling struggle to escape the cage and gain victory. The attempts from both men to escape as well as stop the other from escaping were exhilarating throughout this contest. The Chicago crowd were on its feet for these escape attempts, and the struggle between the two brothers was spellbinding.

The ending of this SummerSlam classic came when Bret and Owen both scaled the cage, and Bret was able to get Owen's leg caught in the cage to hang him upside down as The Hitman escaped. While Bret won this match, he did not look like a victor for long when The Anvil jumped him afterward. Owen and Niedhart attacked Bret inside the cage while the Hart family tried to get inside to end the beatdown. This would lead to more battles between the Hart Family throughout the fall of 1994.

This is a Wrestling Observer Newsletter five star rated match and won WWF Match of the Year for 1994. Despite those accolades, there is one match on par with this one from an even better SummerSlam event.