Summer Slam Review

Prior to the Summer Slam pay-per-view, I was skeptical that a four hour show would be consistently solid, but the show exceeded most fans' expectations with one glaring exception that we will discuss later. I think it should be noted that the event was solid because there was an emphasis on the actual in ring action, which is technically the entire point of a major PPV, it's the culmination of the feuds and the matches are ultimately the selling point.

Sheamus vs. Randy Orton was a decent match and it provided a basic opener for the show. It's good to see that Sheamus got the win because despite being the MITB winner, he has almost no steam behind him to build to an eventual cash in. As I've said before, Orton has name value for the series of main event pushes he had earlier in his career, but his popularity has plateaued in recent years. The tag title match was up next and it provided a solid match with a lot of action, which could be the trademark of the tag division. The New Day won the titles and the trio deserves a lot of credit for turning a generic gimmick into a great heel run. The New Day team has benefited each member tremendously and it essentially gave them a fresh run after they were floundering in his respective roles previously. Specifically, Xavier Woods has been pure entertainment with his shenanigans outside of the ring. As seen on Raw, The Dudley Boys returned to the WWE after a decade absence and it's great to see them on WWE TV again, especially after their somewhat rocky exit from the company. I've said it before and I will say it again, Bubba Ray deserves a tremendous amount of credit for completely reinventing himself as Bully Ray and it's one of the few success stories in TNA. All things considered, The Dudleys are very capable of having a second run in the WWE, instead of being a short term nostalgia act, as what's old is new again, and they can still go in the ring. The return of team also goes helps solidify the tag division and adds a boost to put the spotlight on the tag division again. I wasn't thrilled with the count out during the Rusev/Dolph Ziggler match, as while it continues the feud, non finishes rarely work on PPV and an actual winner would have made more sense because people pay to see who's going to win the match.

I don't watch Arrow and didn't expect much from the Stephen Amell appearance, dismissing it as just another celebrity booking to get as much publicity for the event as possible, which is fine. However, Amell deserves props for his performance and he did a good job during the match. The Stardust character seems to have reached its limit and it might be time for him to transition to Cody Rhodes again to continue to progress his career. The IC title match was okay and it was kept short, which was a good decision. The Dean Ambrose/Roman Reigns vs. The Wyatt family was a solid match and the feud looks to continue from the segments on Raw. So far, the feud is the benefit of both teams and kept them relevant during the multiple angles booked on WWE TV. The Wyatt family added a new member to the faction and it seems to set the stage for an addition to the Ambrose/Reigns team. The Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro match was a great showcase of their talent and the ability they have if they are given a chance to become legitimate stars. Owens started on WWE TV with a major push and had the performances in the ring to justify it with some great PPV matches with John Cena, but his progression was halted after he tapped out at Battleground. The win gets Owens on track to continue working his way up the ladder on Raw and he has all the tools to be a legitimate star for the company. You can say almost say the same thing about Cesaro and hopefully he gets the opportunity he deserves because he proved he could be a main event performer.

The divas match was a good showcase of the potential of the division and the events in Brooklyn certainly helped establish women's wrestling to the WWE audience. More specifically, the Sasha Banks/Bayley match at the NXT event was tremendous and it was one of the best women's match I've seen on WWE TV. The contest raised the bar for women's wrestling in the United States and if the WWE continues to provide the proper platform, the Sasha/Bayley bout could be seen as a pivotal match in the history of women's wrestling. Another great match was the WWE title match and it was another example of Seth Rollins proving he's a legitimate main event star. While the interference from Jon Stewart was a little goofy, it didn't take away from the match and it gave the WWE more publicity following the event.

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar match was solid until there was one of the goofiest finishes in the history of wrestling and despite several explanations, it still doesn't really make sense. How exactly did the time keep see The Undertaker tapping when he was on the other side of the ring? I understand that they were trying to keep Lesnar strong and still set up the possibility of a rematch, but they could've had The Undertaker use the low blow to win the match without a finish that halted the momentum of the show. Regardless of the goofy finish, Summer Slam was a great PPV and the events on Raw set up String vs. Rollins for the title at Night of Champions. Sting's return on Raw was a great segment and it could be the start of a potential WWE title run. I think it would be great for Sting to win the WWE title because it's one of the few things he hasn't done in his legendary career and it would provide an epic moment in wrestling history. Granted, Sting shouldn't have an extended run as the champion considering he's probably close to retirement, but a short run with the title would make wrestling history and provide some interesting segments during the title run.