Good:
+ It Was All Going So Well…
The logic didn’t quite work, and his recent actions have been odd to say the least, but the very sight of a healthy Undertaker wrestling the man who snapped his WrestleMania streak 16 months ago was still a welcome sight. There were concerns from many that the now-51 year old ‘Taker shouldn’t be competing against a legitimate beast like Brock Lesnar for fear of further punishing his already war-torn body, but ‘The Deadman’ proved all doubters wrong once again. As J.R. was so fond of saying, this match was a complete slobberknocker, enhanced still by some fine psychology, and some truly memorable moments (The double sit-up and duelling laughter sequence might live in the minds of fans forever). However the ending very nearly derailed the entire match. More on that later.
+ Winner Takes All
Another match that has firmly divided just about anyone who watched it. For 20 minutes John Cena and Seth Rollins wrestled a near perfect match. It’s incredible that we’ve been watching Cena for so long yet the man can still produce something completely unique. Rollins and Cena work excellently together, and their mutual devotion to wowing the audience was at its most obvious on Sunday night. Yes, the ending was a little silly, a little too obvious, but it seems that the majority of fans moaning about the match completely forgot about some of the outrageously brilliant moments that came before. Now only the third man to simultaneously hold a primary and secondary title in WWE, finally has a signature victory. His reign up to Sunday night was in dire need to a jump-start, and a victory over the WWE’s true franchise player was just what was needed to fully cement the highly gifted Rollins as a superstar who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
+ Workhorse Classic
I prayed to the Wrestling Gods in the hopes that Kevin Owens and Cesaro would be given the right amount of time and a decent placement on the card, and boy were those prayers answered. Fifteen minutes of pure wrestling gold from two of the WWE’s greatest wrestlers. No real story required, even if there was one, Owens and Cesaro did what they did best...and then some. Since making his main roster bow a couple of months ago, Owens has produced some of the best work in the WWE, let’s hope that backstage rumours of a de-push as false. Cesaro, as horrible as this sounds, has completely benefited from the near death of his tag team partner, and now sits in a much better place than he did a year ago. This rivalry definitely has a future, and I for one, would happily watch them perform every single night.
+ Tag Team Scramble
My have The New Day come a long way. Initially booed out of every building while attempting to develop their gimmick as squeaky-clean babyfaces, the trio soon got their way and eventually began to transition to cocky, snarky heels, just by tweaking their promo delivery. Giving them the belts again seems like the best thing to do at this point considering the fact that they stand above every other team in terms of interest and talent. The match itself was a massive overachiever, an excellent multiple participant affair that really helped get the audience back into the event after the lackluster opening bout. Sure there were a number of botches, but these are commonplace in such a chaotic match type. The New Day rightfully back as the centrepiece of the division, while the former champions (who weren’t pinned to lose the gold) are in a great place to continue their rivalry.
Bad:
- THAT Ending
SummerSlam wasn’t the perfect show, but it was in my opinion the WWE’s best effort of the year so far. I wonder just how many more fans would share this view if the Lesnar/’Taker finish wasn’t so poorly conceived and executed. Not only did a ‘Deadman’ Undertaker tap, which is like John Cena quitting, the timekeeper called the match for the referee? When has that ever happened? A surprisingly excellent main event match had descended into confusion as the referee restarted the match, only to call it off mere minutes later as Lesnar passed out to ‘Taker’s ‘Hell’s Gate’ submission. A really, really dumb ending, but one that makes sense considering the WWE’s efforts to preserve Lesnar as an undefeatable beast. Unfortunately however this was SummerSlam, and not an episode of Superstars. For such a high-profile match, this wasn’t the ending we should have got.
- Divas ‘Revolution’
Having NXT’s TakeOver event the night before a pivotal divas match might not have been the best move in hindsight. Where Bayley and Sasha Banks’ effort the night before stole the show, this mess of a match will barely be remembered in a week’s time. The WWE have been obsessed with this idea that they are pushing change, but the more they attempt to promote this idea the less organic it feels. The ‘Divas Revolution’ is simply a marketing ploy for a company desperate to latch onto the success of the likes of Ronda Rousey, Serena Williams or Alex Morgan. Yes, these nine women are definitely receiving a lot more airtime than before, but the whole concept of warring teams is robbing these talented women of an opportunity to truly make an impact with the same characters that saw them become so revered back in NXT. To make this work the WWE will seriously need to consider revolutionising the ‘Revolution’.
- Infinite Finishers, Zero Progression
When will we see what the WWE sees in Roman Reigns? Right now it seems like Eve Marie has made more progress that the organisation’s ‘golden boy’ in terms of development, and this was painfully obvious in the evening’s disappointing battle between the recently reformed Wyatt Family and Reigns and Ambrose. Flying clothesline. Superman punch. Repeat. Reigns’ moveset isn’t showing any sign of depth and his matches are quickly becoming repetitive and forgetful. Ambrose, Wyatt and Harper are all now falling into a similar predicament as well. It’s a worrying time for the performers originally touted as important elements of a brighter future for the WWE.
- Too Much Filler
A four hour show with a one hour pre-show, SummerSlam failed to match WrestleMania in terms of being a unique and special spectacle, and as a result felt far too long and dragged out. Matches such a Orton and Sheamus, Ziggler and Rusev, and the obligatory celebrity showcase match felt obligatory and on the card to ensure appearances from these superstars. The four hour runtime definitely allowed for some incredible action, but I couldn't help but feel that something was missing. Perhaps a Skylar Grey musical number? I'm kidding. I think.
Full Results and Ratings:
Sheamus def Randy Orton
★★☆☆☆
Fatal 4-Way match for the Tag Team Championship
The New Day def The Prime Time Players (c), Los Matadores & The Lucha Dragons
★★★☆☆
Dolph Ziggler & Rusev fought to a double countout
★★☆☆☆
Stephen Amell & Neville def Stardust & King Barrett
★★★☆☆
Triple Threat match for the Intercontinental Championship
Ryback © def Big Show & The Miz
★★★☆☆
Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose def Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper
★★☆☆☆
Title for Title - Winner Takes All
Seth Rollins (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) def John Cena (US Champion)
★★★★☆
PCB def Team Bella & Team B.A.D.
★★☆☆☆
Kevin Owens def Cesaro
★★★★☆
The Undertaker def Brock Lesnar
★★★☆☆
Moment of the Event: Rollins' top rope suplex into a brainbuster. Eye-popping.
Event MVP: Seth Rollins
Show Rating: ★★★☆☆
What did you think of WWE SummerSlam? Leave your comments below!
All images courtesy of WWE.com
