Sometimes a wrestler uses a nickname to elevate themselves over the course of their career. Some names are self-anointed. the Miz, for example, called himself “The Most Must See Champion in the WWE” during his WWE Title reign; the problem is, people with Nielsen boxes disagreed. Other wrestlers have nickames that were amenable to their circumstances. When Johnny Nitro’s first nickname happened when he became John Morrison. Then he went from being the “Tuesday Night Delight” on ECWWE to the “Friday Night Delight” on Friday Night Smackdown to “Hey! There’s John Morrison” on Monday Night RAW. 

Other monikers seem to be doled out by the announcers: once Taz(z) referred to Brock Lesnar as “The Next Big Thing,” “The Beast Incarnate” was set on a path destined for the WWE Championship. Michael Cole calling Edge “The Ultimate Opportunist” gave The Rated R Superstar the window he needed to cash in the Money in the Bank not once, but twice. Jim Ross dubbing Triple H “The Cerebral Assassin” somehow let Triple justify breaking Ross’ arm; it was all done to get the attention of Stone Cold Steve Austin (Sorry, JR!).

Even still, there’s a third category of monikers where the quality of your work becomes synonymous with the event itself. Shawn Michaels went from being “The Heartbreak Kid” to “Mr. Wrestlemania.” Personally, an argument can be made that The Undertaker is the real “Mr. Wrestlemania” but he seems pretty content with being referred to as “The Phenom” and being 21 – 0 at that event, which is – pardon the pun – phenomenal. His other nickname, Booger Red, is not a winner though (Sorry again, JR!).

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With the 26th SummerSlam fast approaching, the Wrestlemania of the Summer needs its own flag bearer. Apparently, the “WWE Universe” chose Edge as Mr. SummerSlam. Well, to steal a line from the Rated R Superstar, You’re Wrong. With 5 matches included on WWE.com’s 25 Greatest Matches in SummerSlam History article (7, if you include Honorable Mentions) there is only one person for that honor: Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart!

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Honorable Mention: SummerSlam 1989: Hart Foundation vs the Brain Busters
Honorable Mention: SummerSlam 2010: Team WWE vs Team Nexus
No. 16: SummerSlam 1990: Hart Foundation vs Demolition
No. 12: SummerSlam 1997: Bret Hart vs The Undertaker
No. 04: SummerSlam 1994: Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
No. 02: SummerSlam 1991: Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect
No. 01: SummerSlam 1992: Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog

Look at that list! Considering that Bret Hart has only had 10 SummerSlam matches, it’s a testament to the Excellence of Execution that he garnered 7 mentions by the writers of WWE.com. Also, 3 of these matches are in the top 5! Bret’s contribution to the biggest block party of the summer has not gone unnoticed. And the number 1 match, Bret Hart versus the British Bulldog for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1992, is a constant source of inspiration for wrestlers. It shows up on almost every Intercontinental Title Anthology DVD and is match that is always available – in its entirety – on WWE.com. It’s listed in a SummerSlam Recall; it’s Wade Barrett’s pick for 5 Star Match of the Week: 

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But on top of that, his status was acknowledged but WWE Champion CM Punk who wore tights at SummerSlam 2012 that were an homage to the Hitman.

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So the 5 time WWE Champion, 2 time Intercontinental Champion, 5 Time US Champion, 2 time Tag Team Champion, 2 time King of the Ring (in consecutive years), 2 Time WCW Champion, WCW Tag Team Champion and MY BEST FRIEND has another accolade to his name: Mr. SummerSlam.