This past Sunday, WWE hosted their highly anticipated PPV, SummerSlam, in Las Vegas in front of a packed crowd of fifty-one thousand people. The card looked stacked and excitement was at an all time high. Did WWE manage to hit the jackpot with this PPV? Or did they lose it all? Let’s talk about it.
Credit to WWE
Kickoff Show:
Baron Corbin vs Big E:
Big E took on Baron Corbin in the kickoff show in a fun match. In another layer to Corbin’s hilarious character, we’ve seen him go even lower in his desperation and resort to stealing Big E’s contract and hoping he’ll be able to just cash it in himself. The match itself was exciting enough to get the crowd hyped up for the main show. Nothing too spectacular, but still very decent and enjoyable. Corbin’s character is one of the best things going on in WWE right now and it always gets a huge laugh out of me every time he's on TV. Big E is having a much better time, and he’s now back with his briefcase. It’ll be interesting to see when and who he cashes in on seeing as the landscape of SmackDown is always changing and full of surprises, as we’ll see later on in the show...
Rating: 2.75/5
Credit to WWE
Main Show:
Aj Styles and Omos vs RKBro (Raw Tag Team Championships):
WWE started off the main show with a crowd favorite team going against the tag team champions of Aj Styles and Omos. It seemed like a good way to get the crowd excited for the rest of the night, seeing as how over the unlikely pairing of Riddle and Orton are right now. Styles and Omos were also an unlikely duo when they first started, and have been doing great as champions. I enjoy their dynamic a lot. Omos has been improving and been doing more in the ring rather than letting Styles do most of the wrestling.
The match itself was surprisingly short. It seems this would be a pattern for the rest of the show. RKBro took home the tag titles and left the crowd happy. The match needed what it had to do and no more than that.
Rating: 2.25/5
Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie:
In a match that I had the lowest expectations for, I got exactly what I thought I would. I never expected a 5 star classic from these two. The match was short and was over before I knew it. I expected more supernatural elements, especially from Lily seeing as Eva slapped her around with no consequences. Perhaps it was for the best we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The best moment of the match was Alexa going up to the top rope and holding Lily to the crowd as they cheered for a doll. Alexa won the match and after that we got a nice moment where DuoDrop gets a bit of revenge from last Raw as she announced the loser of the match: Eva MARIEEE and then strutted out in Marie’s robe. It seems DuoDrop is finally standing up for herself more. We can even hear Eva say “I made her!” after DuoDrop walks off. Tension between the two has always been there from the start, and I can’t wait for it to be too much for DuoDrop one day and we can finally say hello to Piper Niven. As for Alexa, who knows what's next for her. Maybe she has her eye on the Raw Women’s championship…
Rating: 0.5/5
Damien Priest vs Sheamus (United States Championship)
One of the more decent and longer matches of the first few hours was Damien Priest vs Sheamus for the United States title. Damien ended up hurting his lower back early on after landing on it weirdly and this seemed to affect him the whole match. Sheamus did a good job of focusing on that and asserting his bruteness and dominance. The match was super hard hitting and showed both men’s desire to win. After ripping off Sheamus’ mask and exposing his broken nose, Damien was able to take advantage and win the United States title. It’ll be interesting to see how his reign plays out. A push for him has been a long time coming since his match teaming with Bad Bunny at WrestleMania. We’ll see how this goes for the Archer of Infamy and if WWE can book some compelling mid card feuds.
Rating: 2.5/5
credit to WWE
The Mysterios vs The Usos (Smackdown Tag Team Championships):
After losing their tag titles to the Usos at MITB, the father and son duo got a chance to regain the titles back. After weeks of Dominik and Rey not seeing eye to eye on Dominiks ways of winning, it was time to see if the two were on the same page. The match was fine. I preferred their match at the MITB pre show to this one. It was more high paced and exciting. I didn’t want a clone copy of that but there was nothing in this match to really write home about. The Usos successfully retained their titles and we’ll have to see what’s next for the twins. A feud and match between the street profits perhaps? As for Rey and Dominik, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with these two. Will Dominik continue to play dirty? Will this escalate to something more? We’ll have to wait and see.
Rating: 2.25/5
Bianca Belair vs Sasha Banks Carmella Becky Lynch (SmackDown Women’s Championship):
One of the most confusing, weirdest, exciting and frustrating moments of the night was the match for the SmackDown women’s championship. It was rumored Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair was not going to happen at Summerslam. First the twos match was cancelled at a live show, then Sasha doesn’t show up last friday for Smackdown. Something was going on. It’s not my place to speculate, so I won’t and I just hope everything is fine with Sasha. However, it is weird that WWE would still advertise the match on SmackDown, on the kick off show, and all the way till Bianca came out. After Bianca did her entrance, it was announced Sasha was not competing and Carmella would replace her. The disappointment on Bianca’s face told it all. The crowd went mild, obviously disappointed to not see Sasha or this Wrestlemania rematch. Plus Carmella vs Bianca was something we’ve seen countless of times. But not to worry because things quickly picked up. It seemed the match was about to start but then Becky Lynch’s music hit. Lynch received an outstanding and deafening reaction. Everyone was happy to see the man back where she belonged. What seemed like what was going to be a great moment quickly went south. Becky took out Carmella, who was just happy to be getting a Summerslam paycheck, and then she challenged Bianca to a match right there. Bianca, being a fighting champion, happily accepted the challenge. The bell rang, Becky hit a rock bottom, and pinned Belair clean. It took under 30 seconds for Bianca’s reign to end.
There’s so much to unpack here. Becky’s return was something that was anticipated for months. As soon as she gave birth, fans were already fantasy booking how she could come back. Fans love Becky and the reaction they gave her proves it. So how on earth could you take a moment like that and turn it sour? You could feel after she won that the energy for the show felt off. Fans didn’t know how to react. After the initial shock and rush of Becky winning left, fans realized what had just happened. Bianca is super over in her own right and has quickly gained the support and adoration of fans. Having her lose in 30 seconds is not going to sit right with folks. In the end, this decision benefits no one. I’ve seen people try and justify this decision by saying this could mean a heel turn for either ladies. Becky will never be boo’d. They’ve tried it before and it didn’t work. Bianca is also very loved and I’d hate to see her character change because of how inspiring it's been to see.
Another reason many fans are upset is because Bianca losing is just another example of WWE mistreating their black superstars. Her losing in the way she did feels very much like how Kofi lost his title to Brock. It seems whenever Black wrestlers get their main event mania moments, WWE takes it away in the worst possible way. After Kofi lost his title, he didn't try and go after it. So you can see why some fans would be pessimistic that Bianca won’t be stuck in limbo after this.
I think the better option would have been to have Bianca squash Carmella and then have Becky come out and have a stare down with Bianca. That way you create hype for a feud and everyone stays looking strong. I’m sure we’re still getting a Bianca and Becky storyline, and I’ll just have to wait and see if they can redeem this, but I think I’m going to keep my expectations low too.
The match was doomed since the beginning. With Sasha not being able to show up to Belair losing her legendary reign in 20 seconds, this whole situation really benefited no one. Now Bianca looks like a fool for losing to one move and Becky’s return is going to be looked down upon for that ending. It is rumored that Becky will be a heel for her return. Which, good luck trying to get one of the most over superstars you’ve ever had, who’s just come back after a long break after becoming a mom, booed. If it happens, WWE deserves all the props.
Rating: ???/5
credit to WWE
Drew McIntyre vs Jinder Mahal:
Keeping in tradition with the night, Drew and Jinder had another quick match where I barely got the chance to fully take in what just happened in the match before and appreciate this match. Drew got the win and almost committed homicide again with his sword. Not much to say about this match, seeing as not much happened. Though I will say it’s nice to see Drew out the title picture and Jinder on the SummerSlam card.
Rating: 1.25/5
Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley vs Nikki Cross (Raw Women’s Championship):
Nikki surprisingly cashed in her MITB contract against Charlotte a few weeks ago. I would have liked to see the women's case be held for more than a week, but I was also pleasantly surprised that Nikki had even won the title. Most thought she was going to unsuccessfully cash it in, but this was not the case. The almost a superhero had won the title and shown everyone when you believe in your own ability, great things can happen. There is no greater power than believing in yourself! It’s feel-good story that sadly came to an end tonight.
I can’t lie, I was pretty excited for this match. Ripley’s and Charlotte’s match at MITB was superb, and I thought with the addition of NIkki this would be really fun. There were a lot of great sequences and moments. It definitely got the crowd invested and after re watching it, I can appreciate it a lot more than at first viewing. The ending did turn me off with Charlotte winning yet another championship, and Nikki’s reign ending so soon. It seems she was only a transitional champion. This leaves me to wonder what happens next. Becky’s on smackdown, so who does this leave Charlotte to feud with? I don’t think I can stand more of her and Rhea, and I wonder where this leaves Nikki. I’d love for NIkki to get more TV time with this character and do some funny backstage skits to hopefully win over more people with her gimmick. Maybe Alexa will challenge the queen next. Maybe we'll see some debuts or call ups. Who knows?
Rating: 3/5
credit to WWE
Edge vs Seth Rollins:
This match was hyped for months with fans excited to see this dream match of Edge and Seth and for the two to finally face off. The build up was excellent and it had enough steam to keep fans intrigued all the way into SummerSlam. This match was exactly what the show needed. It got the fans back invested and on their feet. Edge even came out to his brood theme and entrance. The first part of the match did start off slow, but it did pick and when it did, it got me fully hooked. Easily the best match of the night so far. The match was grueling and had some great close calls. Edge got the win and I’m interested to see if we continue to see this old side of Edge moving on. Maybe we’ll even get to see a modern day heel edge. Edge as a heel was despicable and was so fun to hate back in the day, I wonder if we’ll even get that again...
Rating: 3.75/5
Credit to WWE
Bobby Lashley vs Goldberg (WWE Championship)
Like Corey Graves said on commentary, don't expect a technical masterpeice. This match did what it needed to do. It was two big (meaty) men putting on a show. The match was nothing impressive but served its purpose. The real entertainment came after the match. Bobby had successfully retained his title after the referee claimed Goldberg could not compete anymore. Goldberg’s son ran into the ring and attacked Lashley from behind. Lashley, of course, fought back and put him in the hurt lock before he could see what he had just done. MVP then got a mic and announced that Bobby had no way to know that it was Goldberg’s teenage son who attacked him and then the two quickly left as Goldberg consoled his son and screamed "I'm going to kill you". We’ll definitely see a rematch between the two. My guess is in Saudi Arabia, seeing as WWE advertised the PPV earlier on in the night. If not Bobby vs Goldberg, I can totally see Goldberg winning just for him to walk into Crown Jewel as champion. I hope this is not the case as I'm enjoying this reign from Bobby.
Rating: 2.25/5
Credit to WWE
John Cena vs Roman Reigns (Universal Championship):
The most anticipated match of the night was John Cena vs Roman Reigns for the Universal championship. It was the best of their generation facing off to see who was better. A match and feud we’ve already seen in 2017 but this time it felt much different. This was a completely new Reigns. This was head of the table, the tribal chief Reigns. He was arrogant, cocky, and unstoppable. Cena was back to humble him and put him in his place because no one else could. The promos leading up to this were great, and we saw Cena embarrass Reigns time and time again. But when it counted, Reigns pinned Cena clean in the ring. 1, 2, 3. Of course the match was great, and I didn’t expect anything different. I was fully invested and so many times I thought Cena had actually done it and beat Roman. Roman was his usual arrogant self and dominated most of the match, but Cena gave him a fight. But sadly, it wasn’t enough.
After the match, Reigns started celebrating his win. That’s when Brock Lesnar’s music hit. The crowd exploded as the beast incarnate made his entrance. The beast sported a ponytail and a chippier demeanor than usual. Not so serious Brock is my favorite Brock (Best example is boom box dancing Brock). We’ve seen Reigns vs Lesnar before. But this time it’s different. Reign’s is the heel, and it seems Brock is the face. And now, with the addition of Paul being Reigns manager, things are going to get interesting for sure.
Rating: 3.75/5
Credit to WWE
Final thoughts:
The show’s theme was Up by Cardi B, but it only went down in the beginning matches. There wasn’t anything absolutely horrible by any means. Eva vs Alexa didn’t overstay it’s welcome and even though I hated how they went about it, I am still ecstatic to see Becky back. It was just meh. The matches were either too short for me to fully get invested in or just nothing special to write home about. But it definitely wasn’t a failure by any means because during the last few matches the show did get better and when it delivered, it delivered. We’ve got many feuds and matchups to look forward to and endless possibilities. Although I was left upset about some decisions, I will be watching to see if things play out for the best.
Highlights:
Bum Ass Baron Corbin
DuoDrop getting some tv time
Damien winning the US title
Shinsuke and Boogs coming out to flex the IC title and rock out
Becky returning (before she won)
Edge’s entrance
Edge vs Seth
Bobby fighting children
Roman vs Cena
Brock returning
Credit to WWE
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