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THE RETURN
After twelve years of trying, Roman Reigns is finally the babyface star WWE always wanted him to be. What a return this was and immediately, Cody Rhodes might be WWE’s number two babyface, based on this crowd response. Cody Rhodes vs Solo Sikoa was a good match, but I don’t think anyone really bought Sikoa as a real threat to the title. I simply couldn’t buy the near falls. Fitting with the theme of Solo impersonating Roman, this felt like somewhat of a rehash of the Bloodline Rules match between Cody and Roman at Wrestlemania. Which is not a complaint, because it fit the story here. The match came off more as a long angle to set up the Roman return, than a major WWE championship match, and that’s what it will be remembered for. We have no word as of writing on whether or not Jacob Fatu was legitimately hurt, but my guess is that it was an excellently performed and brilliantly thought out sell job to make sure we save the first confrontation between Roman and Fatu for a later date. It would be a major blow if Fatu has any sort of serious injury. This was a major angle for WWE that sets up a whole new direction going forward for so many people, and will kick the Bloodline story into high gear for the remainder of the year and beyond.
BRACELET DRAMA
When Seth Rollins got involved with the CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre rivalry, my fear was that he would become a major distraction from the issue at hand. Unfortunately that is what happened. In my opinion, Rollins was an unnecessary addition to the already molten hot Punk/McIntyre issue, and detracted from it. Instead of this being about two men simply wanting to tear each other apart because of a deeply personal and very real feud, it became more about what Seth Rollins would do. Rollins hamming it up with his ridiculous outfit and over the top mannerisms felt very out of place in the middle of this edgy, shades of grey storyline that plays off so much reality. While the match itself was really good, and told a great story that took us all on a ride, it was not what I expected this to be, or hoped it would be. I wanted a wild, heated brawl all over the building, and instead we got a lot of melo drama revolving around the bracelet, which at times I found hard to buy. At the Summerslam kick off event, Punk promised violence that would make the viewer uncomfortable. A promise that was not delivered on. Punk did look very good in his return to the ring, and there is no doubt that there is a lot more juice left in this story yet, especially after Drew getting the win. We may be heading for that heated brawl with no distractions down the line, maybe Hell in a Cell in October? But for me, while I enjoyed the match a lot, especially seeing Punk back in the ring, this felt needlessly over-thought after such an excellent build over the last six months.
THE SPLIT
Judgment Day finally looks to be no more, at least as we knew it. My main take away from this was just how brilliantly the turns were executed. These were far from the lazy, predictable turns we have seen in pro wrestling for as long as it has existed. These were well thought out and layered, just like much of this story has been.
First we had the outstanding Liv Morgan vs Rhea Ripley match, which was by far the best of Liv’s career. It was a match that we knew would involve Dominik Mysterio, but the drama did not take away from the match itself. It told an excellent story, playing off the Ripley injury, and had a couple of amazing near falls that everyone in the stadium bought. The finish being the same as when Liv won the title, makes us question if this was indeed a plan all along.
Gunther vs Damien Priest was the match of the show for me. Incredible physicality and intensity from both, and maybe Priest’s career best performance. Something I think I said every time he has defended the title, which speaks for his run as champion. What is the difference between WWE now and when Vince was in charge? Damien Priest seeing what Finn Balor did during the replay, just about sums it up. The wrestlers can see what we see, and aren’t stupid. Priest powering out of Gunther’s sleeper to go right for Balor’s throat was an amazing spot, and one that protects Priest in defeat. Gunther is the new World Heavyweight champion. A guy that quite simply, probably would not be here under Vince McMahon. I don’t think anyone has been booked as perfectly as he has over the past two years, and I am looking forward to seeing this man carry the world title.
TITLE CHANGES
Summerslam saw a lot of title changes. The first of which saw Bron Breakker plough throw Sami Zayn in dominant fashion. While this wasn’t a squash, it was decisive, and the sort of title win Bron needed.
Speaking of needing wins. LA Knight had to win the US title, and that he did. This match massively over delivered. It played off the usual Logan Paul match formula, this time with Paul’s friends being cut off. The few minutes in the middle of this that saw Paul hit a wild Asai moonsault, and Knight hit an even wilder superplex were just fantastic stuff. It might be wise to give Logan Paul a break from TV for a while after his awful transphobic comments on X this week. I wonder will the online grifters that jump all over those in AEW that pop up after taking piledrivers on the floor, be as upset over Knight eating brass knuckles and winning the match just seconds later?
I was surprised to see Nia Jax defeat Bayley, and even more surprised that Tiffany Stratton did not cash in on her. I found this match dull and uninteresting for much of it, but it did pick up in the closing few minutes. The Bayley powerbomb, Stratton’s run in and Jax’s devastating looking closing stretch of moves, made this enjoyable in the end. After a strong start at Wrestlemania, this turned out to be an unmemorable title run for Bayley.
This was an excellent Summerslam that rewarded those that watch WWE weekly and are invested in their long term storylines. This show paid off major stories and set up lots for the future in equal measure, and for that, it was a home run.
I can be reached at matthewmacklin90@gmail.com
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