Seven SummerSlam 2017 Standout Performers
Xavier Woods
If you read my post on Monday where I first started reviewing the twenty seventeen SummerSlam pay per view you would have seen how much I enjoyed the kick off show and the Smackdown LIVE tag team championship match between the Usos and the New Day. The match was hands down one of the best of the entire weekend and one of the best tag team matches of the year so far. Throughout the past couple of years we have seen these two teams take each other on in several different occasions and it hasn't mattered who is playing the heel and who is playing the baby face hey always deliver and provide us fans with a killer match worthy of being noted as one of the best we have seen. This past Sunday however the bar was raised to a whole new level and both the New Day and the Usos killed it in the ring setting the standards for the rest of the night with every other match set to follow having to top it and and trust me it proved to be a difficult challenge. Every single man in this match stood out for a different reasons (as you will see later in this post) but there was one man in particular I could not take my eyes off the entire time, Xavier Woods. Again, in recent posts over the past month or so I have spent a great deal of time commenting on Woods and his work and he totally has deserved every bit of attention he has picked up and all the amazing comments he has received. The past month or so Woods has clearly been given more ring time and it's totally payed off. Throughout his career we as fans have been able to see little glimpses of just how much of a talented in ring performer he actually is but he's never been given a real opportunity to go out there and show the extent of just how talented he really is until recently. Performances on Smackdown LIVE have put Woods on another level and last night he did it again.... he shocked the world. Working alongside tag team partner Big E the pair were able to defend their championships against the Usos in what was one of the highlight matches of the night. While they didn't walk out with their titles they certainly made an impact. Woods nailed it in this match! The close calls, near falls, saves and brilliant spots had me on the edge of my seat. He was the man I was focused on more than any during this match and we really got to see just how diverse, interesting, and entertaining his move set is. With the New Day vs the Usos rivalry looking to continue for a little ,longer I really hope we get to see more of Woods in the ring as he continues to show just how well of an all round talent he really is.
Alexa Bliss
SummerSlam weekend was an interesting time for women's wrestling. Over at NXT Takeover Brooklyn Asuka and Ember moon raised the bar in what was an epic women's championship match that put the women up on the main roster on notice. It was clear that that was the match of the night and the two women's championship matches set to take place at the SummerSlam pay per view has a lot to follow. Surprisingly both the RAW and Smackdown LIVE women's championship matches were very well done. The finish of both were interesting and divided opinion to say the least but I can say I really did enjoy both matches. The one on one between Bliss and Banks was for me the better of the two simply because I enjoyed the wrestling a lot more. That's not taking anything away from Nattie and Naomi who worked really well together but I felt the chemistry was stronger and better between Bliss and Banks and I found myself far more interested in what I was seeing. The two women have previously worked a strong match together and I remember that leaving me desperate to see them collide once again and last when they got to finally face off against one another one on one again they didn't disappoint in the slightest. Both women looked really good throughout this match but Bliss in particular did standout a little more for me. Over the past year or so Bliss has been one of the biggest talking points in the world of pro wrestling. Going from the girl with all the potential in NXT to one of the face of the WWE women's divison. Her mic work is something no other women can touch, her character development is insane, and her in ring work is something that is forever improving. This past Sunday it was made so clear just far she has come in the ring, competing in what easily her best performance to date. She looked flawless against Banks. It of course helped that Sasha and her move set compliment Bliss' so well but Alexa went out there ready to prove a point and by the end of the night I didn't have any issues with Alexa dropping the title.Throughout the match she was fast, matches Sasha's strength and looked so slick! Honestly little miss Bliss was on fire in her first SummerSlam singles match. She brought so much character to this match allowing us to believe her and Banks really don't like one another and the wrestling, chemistry and performance from both women worked so well and Bliss really did standout massively. She may not be champion anymore but she remains at the top of the divison after that amazing performance.
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins
One of the matches I was most looking forward to was the RAW tag team championship match between Cesaro and Sheamus and former Shield brothers Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Now, I'm all for a Shield reunion but I had my worries. I wasn't sure what was going to happen and how it would work. For the past month I have spent a lot of time talking about both superstars and I have commented on the fact that I really believed that Rollins moving to Smackdown LIVE was the best next option for him and my opinions stayed the same right up until about two weeks ago where I really jumped on board. The chemistry between Ambrose and Rollins is so strong and they work so amazingly well together that whenever they share a ring magic happens that really did show this past Sunday. Two weeks before SummerSlam I really did start to fall in love with this story. I have wanted to see these two back on good terms working side by side again for years and the story between them has been one of the best told stories of the past decade and will go down as one of the most iconic storyline's in WWE history in years to come. The go home show really did show just how big their reunion was. The crowd reaction spoke volumes and honestly gave me goosebumps! On Sunday night the pair were able to team up to take on Sheamus and Cesaro in what was one of the best matches of the night and for many the single best. Again it was the chemistry and story being told that made this match even more special. Ambrose and Rollins had a brilliant performance on the night and it's why I couldn't just put one in today's list, they both equally had an amazing performance and showed the world why they really are two of the leading faces of this generation in the WWE and why their feud, story, and relationship is one of the most iconic in WWE history.
The Usos
As we have already touched on today, one of my favourite matches of the night came from the pre show which saw the New Day take on the Usos. I don't want to sound like a broken record but the match was honestly bloody brilliant. Both teams had a fantastic showing and competed in what was hands down the best main roster tag team match we have seen all year round. Now, I have touched on the fact that Xavier Woods for me the single standout of this match but as I mentioned in my review the other day, this was an amazing match and every single one of these men had a brilliant performance and had a good all round night but I have to talk about the Usos here. If you have been following me for long enough you will most certainly be aware of the fact that I have never been a fan of the Usos. Time and time again I have took to twitter or mentioned in a blog post that I am the furthest thing from an Usos fan. I hated their work as a baby face and while they were constantly delivering amazing tag team matches their character was so bland and I honestly had zero interest in everything they did. However, the moment they got a change in character this year and a heel turn everything changed and while I tried to deny the fact that I wasn't becoming a fan there was no hiding it. I was genuinely interested in everything they were doing, I was loving their promos and segments and the matches and in ring work we were seeing from them I found myself totally enjoying. This past Sunday the pair had a brilliant showing where they once again totally won me over. They were flawless. Working as the perfect heels their team work was on another level and they pushed the champs to their limit and were able to walk out of SummerSlam the new champs. This time last year the Usos winning a title match against the New Day would have had me fuming but the match was so damn good and I was so impressed with both Jimmy and Jey that I wasn't disappointed at the end result at all and I'm actually super excited to see their title reign.
Braun Strowman
And finally we have the man that inspired this blog post in the first place, the one and only, Braun Strowman. Again, if you follow me on social media or have been reading my blog for long enough you will for sure know about my honest love Braun freaking Strowman. The past year I have honestly spent obsessed with the guy. He is forever showing improvements whether it be in the ring, on the mic or character development and the hard work has payed off and showed for itself. He's booking has remained massively strong competing in fantastic matches against the likes of Roman Reigns and even the Big Show, he is growing populariy with crowd reactions getting stronger and better every single time his music hits and after reaching the middle point of the year he is hands down one of the biggest and best names in the WWE today. His push shows no signs of slowing down and he is forever getting even closer to becoming champion. His performance on Sunday was unlike anything I have ever seen. He went out that and looked like a total monster taking everyone out in sight including the champion Brock Lesnar. Picking him up and carrying him around like he weighed nothing everything looked so effortless for Strowman and he proved himself to be a true match for the beast. Everything he did was perfect and even when he was the one being taken out he didn't stay down for long and he came across like the true star of this match. He of course did not walk out with the title which was a disappointment but the right move for now. The match did show a lot and it gave us a huge insight to the future. After that performance there is no way Strowman will be ending the year without the Universal championship on his shoulder and a one on one match up between him and Lesnar is a total must see!
There were so many other superstars that stood out on Sunday including Neville, Naomi, Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles and more but it was these seven who really took things to a whole new level and I had to include them in this post today having a more in depth look at their work. I do have a couple more posts coming up later this week so keep an eye out for that! For now, you can let me know what you thought of SummerSlam and who you believe were the standouts by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria.
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