It’s time once again for the biggest part of the Summer, WWE’s Summerslam! It’s their first PPV in the new WWE Thunderdome, and they have a stacked card that rivals even this year’s Wrestlemania. Fans will attend via live streams from screens, and that should help in overall enjoyment.
With huge title matches including Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, The Fiend vs. Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship, Asuka going for both the RAW Women’s Champion & Smackdown Women’s Champion in separate matches, and so much more. Let’s see who the winners and losers were, and how these matches land on the rating scale.
WWE United States Title Match: Apollo Crews (c) vs. MVP
The lone pre-show match for Summerslam, MVP gets a second chance to get another reign as United States Champion. Apollo Crews has been champion for 91 days, with this being his fourth defense. Shelton Benjamin & Bobby Lashley would be banned from ringside for this match, helping him immensely.
Crews had to get aggressive to beat the crafty veteran, who bent every rule and controlled the ring. Once Crews would throw his weight around and hit the toss powerbomb? He’d have his fifth defense. Nothing special in this one, just a solid wrestling match.
Rating: 2.5/5 (** ½)
WWE SmackDown Women’s Title Match: Bayley (c) vs. Asuka
Asuka has snapped after losing the RAW Women’s Championship and her tag team partner of Kairi Sane. Tonight, she intends to take both the Smackdown & RAW Championships, having won a Battle Royale to get a shot at Bayley, a chance to end the 317 day reign. As expected with these two, this match was fantastic.
Their clashes in NXT have gone down in history as great matches, but Bayley is better than ever and has become a ring general who can dominate even the likes of Asuka. Asuka brought her A-Game tonight however, and forced Bayley to go very deep in her movepool. It would be the involvement of Sasha Banks, who would be taken off the apron with a hip attack, which allowed Bayley to get a small package for the win.
Rating: 3.5/5 (*** ½)
WWE RAW Tag Team Title Match: The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) (c) vs. Andrade & Angel Garza (w/Zelina Vega)
The Street Profits have been RAW Tag Team Champions for 175 days now, and have notched four defenses. Tonight they face Andrade & Angel Garza, with the added drama of Montez Ford recently being poisoned by Zelina Vega, making this personal.
Street Profits came into this one more serious and focused than usual, and despite a rough opening stretch with Ford getting isolated, they’d make the comeback. Zelina Vega getting knocked off the apron and having Andrade focused on her would allow them to put away Garza to get their fifth defense. Meanwhile, Andrade & Garza continue to drift further away.
Rating: 2.75/5 (** ¾)
Loser Leaves WWE No Disqualification Match: Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville
In one of the longest running angles in WWE today, the former members of Fire & Desire have one final match. It was originally hair vs. hair, but now their careers are on the line with no disqualifications. Their friendship is broken, and now someone is going to be physically broken.
It was a bitter and very personal brawl, with chairs & tables coming into play throughout. A series of running knees in the ring from Mandy Rose would be what ended the match, with Sonya Deville having to now leave WWE. Otis would come to celebrate with Rose after this win, as Sonya stumbled away to check the job listings.
It was the weakest match of the night, but given the personal circumstances of Sonya nearly being kidnapped just under a week ago, it’s understandable that both women were off their game.
Rating: 2/5 (**)
Street Fight: Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio (w/Rey Mysterio)
Dominik Mysterio is making his proper WWE debut tonight, fighting for the honour of his father who lost an eye-for-an-eye match with Rollins at Extreme Rules. He has big hopes after Pat McAfee had a start making performance at NXT Takeover, but he’s up for the challenge in a street fight. Rollins showed up in gear inspired by that of Mysterio from Halloween Havoc 1997, an extra touch in what will be a personal fight.
Dominik Mysterio would show heart, grit and potential as he did his best and took Rollins to his limits. Despite a fantastic showing for his debut match, and leaving Rollins covered in welts due to the kendo stick attack and putting Rollins through a table? It wasn’t enough to stop the Monday Night Messiah who came in with an impossible experience advantage.
Rey Mysterio would try to fight off Murphy but end up being handcuffed to the ring. When focus slipped to Dominiks mother? He snapped and found new life in this match, hitting a 619 but the Frog Splash would be countered, and one stomp later it’d be done.
It was trial by fire, and Dominik Mysterio is going to have to rise from the ashes as Prince Mysterio. However, he’s going to be a star with some more polish.
Rating: 3.25/5 (*** ¼)
WWE RAW Women’s Title Match: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Asuka
Earlier in the show, Asuka would be unsuccessful in taking the Smackdown Women’s Championship from Bayley, due to Sasha Banks at ringside. She wouldn’t have to wait long for revenge however, and despite not being 100% going into this match, she’d be more fired up than ever before.
Much better than their previous encounter, they’d wrestle this one like they were in Japan. Stiff strikes and fast paced back and forth action would provide constant action. The injured left leg would be targeted throughout, but Asuka wouldn’t give in. After a struggle in the middle of the ring where they traded submissions, the Asuka Lock would be applied and we have a new RAW Women’s Champion.
Rating: 3.75/5 (*** ¾)
WWE Title Match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton
Drew McIntyre has been one of the strongest WWE Champions in recent history, but he faces his greatest challenge yet when Randy Orton comes knocking. Orton has been on a roll, perhaps better and more vicious than ever, and McIntyre had a true test ahead of him. Fear is one of Orton’s strongest weapons, second to only the RKO, but McIntyre doesn’t spook easily.
This was a perfectly laid out match from two ring generals, with a slow methodical start, a fast paced middle with them hitting their signature spots, and a dramatic finish. The hard fought fight wouldn’t end by RKO, wouldn’t end by the punt, or even the Claymore. McIntyre would dodge an RKO and nab a quick backslide to steal this one. This feud is far from over, and with how good this match was? Can’t wait to see what comes next.
Rating: ⅘ (****)
WWE Universal Title Falls Count Anywhere Match: Braun Strowman (c) vs. The Fiend
For months now, Braun Strowman & Bray Wyatt have been clashing over the Universal Championship, but The Fiend has been kept at bay until now. Strowman has tapped into his dark side for this match, and falls can happen anywhere in the WWE Thunderdome. With this match as the main event, fans were expecting something very special.
It was a chaotic weapon filled brawl from the start, with Strowman more aggressive than ever before, and it didn’t stay at ringside floating to the backstage. Strowman leaning into being a monster put him on the level of The Fiend, making him less vulnerable than previous foes, mind games not working. A box cutter would be used by Strowman to cut the ring canvas, exposing the boards below. The Fiend would hit a series of moves onto the exposed boards for the win, and we had a new universal champion.
Like most Fiend matches, it will be divisive but it was a fun brawl. In the post match, Roman Reigns would return and lay out both men, picking up right where he left off months ago, chasing the Universal Championship. Otis didn’t cash in, despite a perfect chance.
Rating: 3.5/5 (*** ½)
What was your favorite match or moment from Summerslam? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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