SummerSlam Review and Reactions
Before we got any actual wrestling the host of Summer Slam, Jon Stewart kick started the night getting everyone ready for the long night ahead. Of course the crowd had the famous "what" chant after every single word that came out of he's mouth witch had me chuckle a little. I didn't really mind having Jon Stewart as the host. Even though he's not my favourite person in the world It could have been worse and he did a great job last night. One of the highlights of the entire show for me was having Mick Foley make an appearance right at the start. I honestly marked out like mad person at midnight. Seriously, my neighbours put up with a heck of a lot. Anyway, Jon was opening the show claiming that he wanted to interview Brock Lesnar and brought Foley for back up but it didn't quite go that way and to be honest I really liked it. It was a great comedic way to start the night and I was left pumped and ready for a crazy four hour show.
For the past two month or so we have seen Randy Orton and Mr Money in the bank, Sheamus collide time and time again. Back at the Battleground pay per view only five weeks ago we saw them put on what was a great match to open the show. I had nothing but good things to say about it (despite not being a fan of the ending) and when the WWE made it clear that their feud would be going on for at least one more month, heading into Summer Slam and last night we saw them go one on one one more time. As I said in my prediction post, I was really looking forward to this match even though I know that there was a lot of you that wasn't. I know I've said it loads of times before but these guys really do have loads of chemistry and history and whenever they share a ring you can see and feel that. Plus we know from just last month how well these guys work together and deliver a great match so was totally looking forward to seeing what we was going to get from them last night. I was of course backing Sheamus. I felt as though he needed the win more than Orton did and I felt that Summer Slam this year was an important night for Mr Money in the bank. The guys both received a huge reaction from the live crowd in New York last night. Sheamus was majorly over as the big heel. Orton wasted no time in this match and as soon as the bell rang he went straight for that RKO but Sheamus able to get out of the ring quick enough and then he randomly went and got a mic and stated ranting about how everyone but him looks stupid and that we should all "respect the hawk". Even though I love that line I can't help but feel it's the start of something bad and a comedic piss take side out he's character. Anyway, despite the awkward start it didn't take long for Sheamus to gain control of the match and of Orton. What was apparent straight away in this match was the amount of character that Mr Money in the bank brought to this match. He made it all about him and it felt like I was watching the Sheamus show in the early stage of the night. He kept us all very entertained and let everyone know that it was he's night. Even when he wasn't in control it was Sheamus I had my eyes on and was impressing me. You could also really tell in this match how well both superstars knew each other. They had counters for each others counters and knew when the other was about to hit a signature move. We saw just how physical the match was when Orton was busted open fairly early into the match. The guy didn't hold back what so ever and it showed on both bodies. I was surprised with just how many OMG moments there was in this match. We've seen these guys compete time and time against one another but they really opened the show in great style. I'm telling the moment Orton went for that Punt kick I marked out just a little. The closing moments were well done with two Brough kicks to Orton, Mr Money in the bank Sheamus picked up the first win of the night. This might not have been the best match in the world but it was a good one and I really enjoyed it.
Up next the tag team champions, Darren Young and Titus O'Neil, the Prime Time Players defend their championships against New Day, The Lucha Dragons, and Los Matadores. I mentioned in my prediction post that I wasn't supper excited for this match but I was interested in seeing how it was going to play out. I was of course backing the New Day, there's no surprises there but I also liked the fact that there is always that unpredictability factor in the tag team division and that really did keep me interested in the action. Now, trust me when I say the New Day's gear last night was one of my favourite parts of the night. Yeah, small things were pleasing me last night and the ring gear for the New Day was one of them. Also can we just talk about how awesome the rendition of New York/New Day was? I honestly enjoyed it way too much but hey, even my mum got into it so I suppose it really was pretty awesome. These guys give out so much entertainment and in the space of three minuets got me more excited for the match then the past three weeks. Now, a tag team fatal our way match is one of my favourite types of matches witch I don't think I have ever mentioned before but I always love these matches. The start of the match last night reminded us of the rules as for a matter of seconds we had Kofi Kingston and Big E in the ring at the same time and I had completely forgot that if both members from the team are both the legal men then they can pin the other to become the champions. I had to explain it to my mum even though I completely forgot that rule. New Day and the Lucha Dragons were the early stand outs of this match. Big E really did become the man of the match very early on. Honestly, this guy still manages to amaze me with he's wrestling ability and diversity. He was one of the most unpredictable superstars in the march and he kept me most entertained out of everyone in the match. He moved around that ring like he thought he was the size of Daniel Bryan or something. Talking of New Day the were hands down the most over team last night with the live crowd witch of course put a huge smile on my face. The tag team champs did have a great showing. They spent a lot of time in the ring competing and Darren Young in particular took a real beating at the hands of Big E.Titus O'Neil was also very impressive. He's showcase of strength was just mental! He was thrown bodies around of fully grown men like rag dolls! It was freaking epic and every single move looked completely effortless. The match fun, fast paced, energetic, and so much better than I thought it was going to be. These guys put on one of the best tag team matches of the year. I was a little disappointed we didn't see that match of Los Matadores but they had some great spots. The closing moments were amazing. Out of nowhere Kofi Kingston chucked Titus out of the ring to get a quick sneak victory making the New Day two time tag team champion. Their celebration was amazing and the celebration in my house was pretty amazing too.
For the past couple of months now we have seen a great feud between Dolph Ziggler and Lana and Rusev and Summer Rae all based on the split of Lana and Rusev. I wasn't expecting to like this feud in the slightest. I started out absolutely hating it. I felt as though it was stupid, cliché, and I didn't like how the WWE were using Summer Rae but this storyline grew on my big time. The longer it went on and the more attention I paid to it the more interested I was in the whole thing. Honestly, this has become one of my favourite storyline of the past month or so and I never ever saw myself saying that. Lana and Summer Rae have done a great job making this a fun to watch, entertaining storyline and have worked really hard to keep everyone interested. I was expecting a lot from this match once again. These are two super talented superstars and even thought they have quite different styles you just know that because of their styles they are just going to put and epic match and I was hopeing they were going to get a great deal of time just because I know that this could easily have been a match of the year candidate if given the time. It had a great story and build up behind it and so I was really really into this match from the get go. Before we get talking about the match can we talk about how freaking hot Lana and Summer Rae looked last night! Absolutely stunning! Now the match itself was very split from the start but after a short amount of time Rusev took full dominance of the match and took control of Ziggler using he's strength to he's advantage. The former US champion kept Ziggler locked in the bear hug for quite some time, really wearing down the fan favourite and taking the energy out of him. The continuous theme of this match was clear. Whenever Ziggler looked to be gaining some momentum and taking control, it would't take long for Rusev to stop him in he's tracks and regain control again. I loved the facial expressions from Rusev throughout this match and he's athleticism amazed me just like it always does. Rusev really did up he's game last and took it to Ziggler. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny that Rusev is one heck of an all round performer and has some serious athleticism. This was a really really fun match to watch. The entertainment just kept coming and the only thing that disappointed me was the ending. No one likes a double count out ending do they? It just felt like a really weak ending after an amazing match. The work between Lana and Summer was great too and made this match even more entertaining. I would have loved a different ending and a longer match but it was a great match and I really enjoyed what we saw. I cannot wait to see where this feud goes next.
One of the matches I was most looking forward to last night was the tag team match between Stardust and King Barrett and Adrian Neville and Stephen Amell. I haven't stopped talking about this feud from the moment it started. I have absolutely loved the idea of a comic book styled storyline and it has been one of my favourite storyline/feuds for the past month or so. It's kept me beyond entertained and the build up has been great. I did still feel as though Barrett didn't have a place in the match but the little changes they have him worked well and it made him fit in much much better. This was the first time in probably forever that I have been interested and excited for a match that has a celebrity in it. Usually you would see me moaning and bitching about a celebrity who has no wrestling background wrestling at a WWE pay per view but Stephen Amell seemed to be an exception. He's a genuine an with great athleticism and it actually felt like he had a purpose in the match and a reason to be competing. I did have high hopes for this match and after hyping it up or so long I was hopeing I wasn't going to be disappointed in this match Now, can I just say, I freaking loved the video package for this match. It was just freaking awesome and as a mega Comic Book fan this just satisfied all my needs in life and I cannot put into words just how much I freaking loved the promo alone. It really did make Barrett feel One of the matches and it gave him a role and place witch was great. This match was the perfect tale of the Villains VS The Hero's and the story was told perfectly throughout the match. Of course I wasn't expecting a lot from Amell but he really did a great job last night. Unlike most celebrity's that get in the ring, he took a serious beating and actually had some great spots. He struggled to sell and you could tell that he was thinking about ever move he needed to make but he really impressed. The closing moments were predicable but well done and I was impressed with the flying cross body from Amell. Decent match all round and well enjoyed.
Another championship match was up next as Ryback was set to defend he's Intercontinental Championship in a triple threat against The Miz and the Big Show. As we know, this match was suppose to take place last month back at the Battleground pay per view but after Ryback suffered an infection the match was postponed and instead took place last night at Summer Slam. I'll be totally honest, I wasn't really looking forward to this match as much as some of the others. Big Show and Miz did a great job keeping the feud a live and interesting and even though it hasn't been my favourite the fact that the build up was so strong made me have some kind of interest in the up and coming match. I did still feel like The Miz didn't really have a place in the match. He had a great role in the storyline but he took away the seriousness of it all but I kinda like that. I surprised by self a lot by actually backing the Big Show. As I explained in my prediction post, I felt as though he would of brought a lot to the title and I felt as though he deserved one more title reign. Even though this was one of the matches I was least looking forward too I paid a great deal of attention to it and tried my best to get into it. After all, I really do want the Intercontinental Championship to gain some importance and interest back. So far Ryback hasn't really brought much to the championship and I'm hoping we see a change soon. Anyway, the actual match started out with the Big Show taking control and Miz taking on that typical role he plays in matches like this. Hiding and waiting for he's perfect moment. There were times in this match were Miz came right in at the perfect time and took he's opportunity but he always ended up at the hands of the bigger superstars. Ryback was impressive throughout this match, fighting like a true champion but for me it was the Big Show who was the stand out all round. In the end Ryback got the predicable victory. It was a short match and I didn't enjoy it all that much to be totally honest.
Tag team action next as former Shield member's Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns took on Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper. I was really really looking forward to this match. These are four of my current WWE superstars and we have seen over the past year that they have so much chemistry and always always manage to put on an outstanding match up. Let's just take a moment to remember the Shield VS The Wyatt Family match back at Elimination Chamber. It was one of the best matches of twenty fourteen and since then we have seen the four of them compete against one another and with one another so we know what they are capable of. However, because of their history and chemistry we were all expecting a lot from this match, not to mention they were competing at one of the biggest events of the whole year. With all my favourites in one match I let myself sit back and enjoy this one expecting a couple of surprises and an epic match up. After all, in this match we have some of the most unpredictable WWE Superstars in history so anything was possible in this match. From the moment the bell rang for this match the action was mental. Talking of mental, it was next to impossible deciding who was the most crazy team. Anyway, the team work between Reigns and Ambrose at the start and throughout f this match was so so strong. You could tell that these guys have worked with each other for years but the exact same thing could be said for Wyatt and Harper. Both teams had so much fire and worked so well together you couldn't help but be hooked right from the very start. So much happened in the first two minuets the excitement and energy in the arena was insane and that remained throughout. We saw Ambrose try to make the tag near the start of the match but because Reigns was still out by the announce table after Harper took him out there was no one to tag and as a result Ambrose took one heck of a beating at the hands of the double team of Wyatt and Harper. I along with the entire arena grew impatient with Reigns and to be honest Roman had a real bad reaction from the crowd last night witch I wasn't expecting to be honest. These guys freaking hated him and I did feel bad for him. I was expecting the match itself to be longer. For what we got it was a great match but I was expecting more from it and I was expecting a heel turn but I'm not going to moan too much. It was a great match and the ending was done really well of course.
Up next was one of the biggest matches of the night as both the United States Championship and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship were on the line in the same match when John Cena went toe to toe with Seth Rollins. You guys all know how much I have been hating this storyline/ feud. I don't think there has been that has gone by where I haven't moaned about the whole thing. I just really really hate the fact that the WWE have put both titles on the line and are prepared to give both championships to one Superstars. I just think it's the most ridiculous, stupid decision they have made this year and I have hated right from the very start. Like I've said a thousand times already, if they had Cena drop the title to Owens last month at Battleground and then had him take on Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, I would have been much more interested and much more invested in the whole thing. However, that being said, these two do have so much chemistry and have always had great matches against one another so I was looking forward to the actual match. I felt as though it got an amazing build up and the storyline was strong, I just wasn't a fan at all. I think its more than safe to say that we were all expecting a lot from this match. Rollins and Cena have set the bar so so high over the past couple of years and I was expecting this to be another great match of theirs to add to the list. The ring gear of Rollins was different to say the least and I'm not going to pretend that I liked it because I didn't. Anyway, Rollins was the stand out this match right from the get go. He's performance was just as strong as I was expecting it to be. The WWE World Heavyweight Champion pulled out some amazing moves and showed everyone just how wide he's move set is. The match was very fast paced and action packed from the moment it started to the moment it ended. There were a couple of messy moments and botched moves but they were easily forgotten. Everyone in my house was so into this match including myself. It was an amazing match but I could not have been disappointed with the ending. Of course it made sense with the whole Jon Stewart thing but I hated it. I hated that we didn't get a Sheamus cash in, I hated that Jon played such a strong role, and I hated that both championships are on one superstar. Amazing match, disappointing ending again. The one great thing about this was that John Cena didn't get the win and we had something different.
Divas action next and it was time for one of the most anticipated divas match in recent years as team Bella took on team PCB and team BAD. For the past month we have seen a divas revolution. The division has undergone a makeover and there has been a change in the women's wrestling of the WWE. It's been a change that the fans have been waiting for for years and one that the WWE haven't been in a rush to put into action. However, with the NXT divas changing the game and Gives Divas A Chance breaking the internet the WWE had no choice but to start making some changes and to start making them quickly. In July we saw three of the biggest names in NXT arrive on the WWE main roster; Sasha Banks, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch. Over the past year we have seen these girls work their butts off to change thing up in their division and to re-define what it means to be a WWE diva and they have done just that and more. When they came up to the main roster Charlotte and Becky joined forces with former NXT Women's champion and two time Divas Champion Paige to make up team PCB while former NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks aligned herself with Naomi and Tamina to create team BAD. For the past month we have seen some amazing matches from all nine divas on RAW and Smackdown but after NXT Takeover Brooklyn on Saturday the bar had been set even higher. Competing in what is being called the greatest divas match of all time, Sasha Banks and Bayley upped the game even more and so all of the divas were under eminence pressure to deliver last night but I was excited to see how things would play out and what we would see from the women last night at Summer Slam. The team last night to quickly take control and stand out were team BAD.They made frequent tags and Sasha Banks was easily the most over of all nine divas along with Charlotte. Naomi and Banks looked great going over the top rope together. You can only imagine how pissed off I was when they got eliminated only like five minuets into the match. I was freaking fuming and so was everyone in the arena. I couldn't have been more frustrated. The match should have gone on much much longer before they were out of the match. We all wanted to see far more from the team and I did loose some interest after that. It just proved that the match should have been a traditional elimination style. Nikki Bella did have an amazing showing last night. She really did wrestle like a champion and impressed me a heck of a lot. Paige was also super impressive. The match itself was a let down. It was boring, predicable and it wasn't half as good as it should have been. The ending was messy and pretty bad but I'm so glad it was Becky Lynch that got the win and not Paige.
For the past couple of months now we have seen Cesaro and former NXT Champion, Kevin Owens knock seven bells out of one another but last night the two went one on one at the biggest Summer Slam in history. I of course was expecting a heck of a lot from this match. This has been one of my favourite feuds of the past couple of months and these are hands down two of the most gifted, talented, in ring competitors in the WWE today. They both bring something different and something amazing and you just know that when you put them in a ring together your going to get something very very special. The build up was really strong, it was great seeing Cesaro booked so well and I'm still hoping that that continues after last night. Kevin Owens has also been booked really well. We saw him compete in an amazing main event on Saturday against Finn Balor for the NXT Championship in a ladder match, so I have a lot of respect for Owens or competing in two very long, exhausting, physical matches two nights in a row. Anyway, back to last night and the actual match and these guys wasted no time what so ever and went straight at each other. Early stand out was of course Cesaro. He didn't give Owens a single second to have a little moment to himself to get he's breath back. These guys really did put on an incredible match last night and it was probably my favourite match of the night. It was the one match that didn't disappoint and was booked perfectly. They book looked so strong throughout an proved why they are two of the best on the roster right now. The big names backstage may not be mega fans of these guys but they proved last night why the fans love them and why they should be at the very top. It felt like I was watching a main event match that could have headlined Wrestlemania it was that good. The skill, the ability, the diversity, the athleticism, the storytelling all shown in this match was just outstanding. It was the type of match that you would find yourself going back to and watching time and time again. Everything was done so neat and so well timed I couldn't fault it what so ever. And I have to give it to Owens. He had such a huge match the night before and so come out and have another big physical match less than twenty four hours later is just incredible. He picked up such a major, much needed win and I was genuinely really happy for him. Outstanding match.
And finally our main event and what a freaking main event it was. It was the rematch that was too big
The pay per view as a whole was a let down to be totally honest. NXT Takeover Brooklyn was much much better as I predicted it to be. The matches were pretty much all really strong but the booking decisions were really bad and really stupid to be honest. My personal favourite match was the tag team match just because I had so much fun watching it but there were a handful of awesome matches last night. I'm going to rate the show a seven out of ten just because the booking could have been stronger. Let me know what you thought of Summer Slam by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.
NXT Takeover Brooklyn Review and Reactions
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