WWE SummerSlam Highlights
A shock Victory in Women's Division
Anyone that read my prediction posts for SummerSlam will know that the women's championship match between Sasha Banks and challenger Charlotte was one of the matches I was most looking forward too. These are two women who really have revolutionised women's wrestling over the past couple of the years and in their title match the two tore the house down delivering the match of the night and a true stand out bout of twenty sixteen. Heading into this rematch the expectations were very very high. Over the past two years or so we have seen these two girls go one on one against one another on several different occasions and every time they have managed to deliver to such a high standard. Heading into one of the biggest matches of their career the pair were under immense pressure to keep up to their good name and put on another stellar match up. There really was no doubt in my mind that these two could put on a great match and the chances of them putting on one of the stand out bouts of the night was very high also. However, things just didn't go as planned with high risk moves proving to be just too difficult and an early botch changing the pace and general feel of this match. You genuinely couldn't tell if Sasha was legitimately injured or just selling the move. As the match went on however the two just continued to take things to a whole new level fitting in some truly fantastic spots that had the crowd on their feet showing their respects to the pair but what we also saw was Sasha favouring her back more and more and over time it became clear that something just wasn't right. There was an awkward feel to the match and the more it went on the more sloppy it grew. The closing moments truly were unexpected; with Sasha locking in the Banks Statement the match looked to be coming to an end however Charlotte was able to use her weight to roll over just a little and pin Sasha to score the very very unexpected victory. Now, I don't think there was a single person expecting this to happen last night. Most fans including myself were pretty much certain Sasha would be retaining but we cannot ignore the fact the spots used in this match and the botches did come into play and if Sasha really did struggle with her back we have to wonder whether the decision was made right on the spot. Regardless I'm very very interested in seeing what awaits both these women and of course I will be waiting on the edge of my seat for Sasha to take back her title.AJ Styles Picks up a Phenomenal Win
I will be the first to admit that I haven't been the worlds biggest fan of the John Cena VS AJ Styles feud. Sure we have seen some great work and the early staged gave us some fantastic storytelling but over time I found myself loosing interest. In the build up to their match last night I struggled to say interested and focused with the story just lacking originality for me personally. However, the moment those two stepped into the ring last night I was glued to my TV and I can honestly say this was one of my favourite matches of the night and of the weekend. It just had everything you could ask for. These two did not hold back in the slightest and provided us with a truly brilliant wrestling match jam packed with great storytelling and on the edge of your seat action. I know loads of you reading this loved their first one on one match all the way back at the Money in the Bank pay per view but personally I have to go with their match last night as the better of the two. I was watching this with my mum and we were both just glued to the TV yelling at the screen rooting for different stars of course. A lot of time superstars really can struggle to top their previous match when the standard was set so so high but these two took it to a whole new level last night. This time round Styles was out on his own with no Gallows or Anderson by his side thanks to the brand split, and so the pressure was even higher as this time he really did have to prove he had what it takes to beat John Cena and doing it all on his own. It turnt out however that Styles didn't need his buddies by his side at all with the phenomenal one managing to fend off against the fifteen time world champion perfectly fine all on his own. Taking a beating however Styles found himself dealing with a brutal Cena who channelled a whole new attitude. Hitting everything from a Tornado DDT to a leg-drop off the top rope and an Attitude Adjustment from the second rope. Styles however did not give in and after two Styles Clashes and a phenomenal forearm he was able to defeat John yet again on WWE pay per view. In all honesty I was not expecting this. I genuinely believed that it would be Cena walking out with the win but Styles really did earn this and the respect shown from the fans to John was a great touch at the end.
Big E and Nikki Bella Make their WWE Returns
This years SummerSlam pay per view provided us with two much anticipated returns as both Big E and Nikki Bella made a surprise appearance at the show less than twenty four hours. First up we had Big E. After suffering an...injury to his... male regions a thew weeks back the current third of the tag team champions found himself out of action for a while and his injury would be the focus point of the storyline between The New Day and the Club. Last night the two teams did battle for the tag titles in what was an entertaining bout that had be glued to my TV and well and truly entertained. Apart of me was expecting Big E to return last night but in regards to the actual match I had no idea witch team would be walking out as champion and so because of that I had even more if an interest in this match. The closing moments however would see Jon Stewart (Big E's replacement for the night) fall at the hands of the Club who well... threatened to injure his male regions with his young son backstage watching however the balls of Stewart remained in tacked with a returning Big E making a huge return coming out to a thunderous crowd reaction making the save and giving Anderson and Gallows a taste of their own medicine. The match did end in DQ of course but the return of Big E had me on my feet sporting a nice big smile. We then didn't have to wait much longer for our next return as the Smackdown Women's division set to make their own impact. Carmella, Naomi and Becky Lynch formed a brief alliance to take on the team of Alexa Bliss, Natalya and Eva Marie. However, as most of you will know Eva has recently been suspended for thirty days and so rumours of her replacement in this match had been surfacing throughout the night. If you follow me on twitter you will know all too well that I was hopeing to see the longest reigning divas champion Nikki Bella make her return and I was not left disappointed. After being out of action throughout twenty sixteen Nikki finally made her return and what a reaction she picked up. Looking strong throughout the former champion led her team victory showcasing her new finisher Nikki proved to the world that she back and better than ever.
Finn Balor Becomes first ever WWE Universal Champion
The match I personally was most looking forward too last night was the one on one match up between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins to determine the first ever WWE Universal Champion. Here we had two brilliant superstars, two former NXT champion, two stars that will lead the future of the WWE going one on one in one of the biggest and most important matches of the night. A true must see this was one full of high expectations and one no wrestling fan would want to miss out on! We have seen what these two can do, we have seen them both compete in outstanding matches but with this being their first time ever competing against another no one could quite predict just what these two would pull out of the bag bug one thing that did become clear was that they sure were not going to disappoint. Everything about this match was done perfectly. There was character, storytelling, and absolutely fantastic wrestling. In the moments of this match Balor wasted no time jumping right into the action. Barley giving Rollins time to breathe he looked to be closing in on a very very early victory an after Seth was able to find his way Balor remained on top sending himself over the top rope crashing into Rolling. A fast, fun, and thrilling opening had everyone on the edge of their seats. A shift in momentum did soon come in as Rollins was able to find a weak spot targeting the nose of Balor changing things up completely. One of the highlights from this match saw Rollins hit a brilliant flog splash half way across the ring only one example of how well these two showed off their athleticism. Rollins spent a great deal of time in control and with a split crowd, the longer the match went on the more it became difficult to predict just who would be walking out as champion. The action was fast paced, the wrestling was at its best and the back an forth work between the two made this such an exciting match. Both superstars were kicking out of each others best moves until eventually Balor was able to close in on Rollins despite the near falls and would finally pick up the winning victory becoming the first ever WWE Universal Champion. This was easily one of my favourite matches of the night a match I'm sure I will be talking about a lot in the coming weeks! I one hundred percent think the right man won and I believe Finn Balor is going to have an epic and very interesting championship Reign.
Have WWE Got it all Wrong with Reigns again?
Just when you think the WWE have finally got it right with Roman Reigns they go ahead and mess it all up again. Last night the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion was set to take on Rusev for the United States Championship following their three week build up. I mentioned on twitter throughout the past couple of weeks that this was a match I was actually really looking forward too. We have to very different superstars who bring something very different to the table, both able to learn something from the other and so a singles match between the two at one of the grandest stages on the Wrestling calendar was a sure must see in my eyes. I've also mentioned here on my blog in previous RAW highlights that this feud is exactly what Roman has needed from day one. Instead of shoving him in the main event something that he clearly hasn't been ready for and still isn't you put him in a very strong mid card feud chasing a very important and respected title. The problem is however is that the damage may have been done a very very long time ago and we all knew that bouncing back and winning over the fans was always going to be tough for Roman but after last night it defintley feels like one step forward and two steps back, something the WWE always seem to do with Reigns. Before the bell could even ring Rusev was on Reigns attacking the challenger in what was a brutal brawl that saw Reigns eventually take complete control attacking Rusev ten times harder. What I found so odd was why Reigns didn't just bring him back into the ring and let the match start. It made no sense what so ever and he ended up looking like the big bad heel all over again. I honestly hated this part of the show and it once again highlighted that the WWE really have no clue when it comes to booking Reigns and knowing what to do with him next.
Brock Lesnar Makes a Statement
Again, one of the matches I was most looking forward too last night was the huge one on one bout between Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton. Almost fifteen years in the making anyone that grew up watching wrestling around the time these two arrived on the scene saw this as a true must see match and one that despite it being almost four AM in the UK I was going to have to stay awake and tune into. The match itself ended up just how I predicted it to be. Orton managed to fit in very very little offense and the match was completely dominated by Lesnar who seemed to be more aggressive than ever before. Flinging Orton around the ring like a rag doll he gave the former world champion the biggest beating of his life and the closing moments saw the Beast take things just that little too far busting Orton open and refusing to listen to the referee's orders causing a TKO ending. Now, I was disappointed the match ended in TKO but this is Brock Lesnar and it just worked so so well. I would have liked to have seen the match go on just a little bit longer so we could see more action and more storytelling but Lesnar got to send a huge statement last night and he wasn't finished there. With Shane McMahon coming down to stop the beast from further injuring one of Smackdown LIVE's top stars he ended up on the receiving end also taking a huge F-5. I do think this all could have been done even better, I would have loved to have seen both general mangers and commissioners at ringside for this match to push that RAW VS Smackdown feel but Lesnar was just a true beast last night and I of
course enjoy watching him quite literally murder Randy Orton live on TV.
Extras
On the kick off show we saw Sheamus pick up the first win in the best of seven series against Cesaro. I know it wasn't a popular choice but I do really like the idea of Cesaro chasing the victory and in the long run this will turn out to be the best decision. We also got to see the seeds planted for nice little feud between American Alpha and The Usos something that should be rather interesting and strong for Smackdown LIVE. And finally Dean Ambrose kept hold of his WWE World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Dolph Ziggler in what was actually one of the weaker matches of the night.
I thought this was an interesting SummerSlam. There were a couple of booking decisions made that I wasn't a big fan of. However we did get some truly outstanding matches that I will for sure be going back to to re-watch. My personal match of the night had to be John Cena VS AJ Styles. I really did love watching this match and I truly was on the edge of my seat throughout. I did however also really really enjoy Seth Rollins VS Finn Balor witch will for sure be a close second. I of course would love to know what you guys thought so feel free to leave a comment bellow or tweet me at @TezangiVictoria.
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Recent Blog Posts:
NXT Takeover Brooklyn Review
Top 5 WCPW Matches of Season 1
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