Hiya!

It’s been a very busy weekend for me. Not only did I try to stay up and watch a ton of streamed matches at EVO, I also had to find a way to squeeze in viewing SummerSlam. I really wish the two events wouldn’t clash on the same weekend as it really messes up my schedule. Thankfully, Disney+ in the Philippines were on their A-game as they put up the entire show on Sunday evening. I did scrounge up enough time to go see the 4-hour WWE pay-per-view in smaller portions throughout the week. So, what did I think of the so-called “greatest party of the summer”? We’ve got a lot of matches to go through so let’s not dilly-dally and talk about them.

The first match of the night had Ricochet going against Logan Paul. As much as I dislike Logan Paul, I have to admit he’s really good at playing to his strengths and he’s got a lot of natural athletic ability. This is precisely why I expected this match to be a super entertaining spot-fest, which it was. Some things were a little confusing, like the double Spanish Fly attempt to the outside. However, most of them were fantastic, like Ricochet’s neckbreaker from the top rope and Logan Paul’s split-leg legdrop. I especially loved the sequence where Logan Paul attempted to a 2nd rope moonsault and Richochet snatched him out of the air, only for the Social Media Superstar to reverse it into a tornado DDT.

The finish was smartly written but not exactly to my liking. Ricochet managed to get the upper hand and he tried to hit his 450 splash but Logan Paul rolled out of the way. While the referee checked on Ricochet, someone from the outside handed Logan Paul some brass knuckles and he used it to clock Ricochet to get the pinfall victory.

While this keeps everyone, especially Ricochet, safe as Logan Paul had to cheat to win, it does leave me questioning why no one tried to stop this unknown guy who clearly came from the outside. If Logan Paul rolled to the outside to hug his fiancee and then the woman sneakily slipped him the knuckles, it would’ve been a much cleaner way to bring in the foreign weapon. Instead, it felt a little clumsy. Still, the match itself was good so this little gaffe didn’t affect my enjoyment too much.

The next match of SummerSlam was Cody Rhodes versus Brock Lesnar. As this was the rubber match, I really hope this will be the last one we see these two tangle. Some really good in-ring storytelling with Brock Lesnar tossing Cody Rhodes to the outside and even hitting the American Nightmare with a couple of F5s then screaming at him to “save himself” by just getting counted out. This does come into the aftermath of the finish. However, if I were to talk about the meat of the match, there really wasn’t much to speak of. It felt like your standard resilient face vs. brutal heel kind of bout.

The finish was also kind of weak and weird. Cody mounted a comeback after hitting Brock with the steel steps, which should’ve been an automatic disqualification but the referee saw it and didn’t care. Whatever, it’s wrestling. Cody goes for a couple of Disaster Kicks and Cody Cutters but Brock still kicks out. Brock locks on the Kimura Lock but Cody makes it to the ropes to break the hold. The Beast then tries to nail Cody with an F5 but the American Nightmare escapes and sends Brock into an exposed turnbuckle. Cody locks in a Kimura Lock of his own but Brock counters by slamming his foe to the mat. Brock goes for another F5 but Cody reverses it and nails 3 Cross Rhodes to get the pinfall victory. After the match, Brock removes his gloves and shows respect to Cody by shaking his hand and raising his opponent’s hand in victory.

The match as a whole was good but I expected more as this was supposed to be the final clash between the two. Having Brock to go down to 3 Cross Rhodes, a wimpy looking finisher in my opinion, doesn’t cut it. Also, Cody should’ve been disqualified for the stairs spot, shouldn’t he? I do like the in-ring story of how Brock finally gave Cody some respect after the match as the American Nightmare proved his resiliency. Still, this could’ve and should’ve been much better than it was.

The next match on the card was the SummerSlam Battle Royale. My expectations for this match was pretty low and, honestly, that’s what I got. There were a few highlights, like the Brawling Brutes ganging up on Omos to do the Ten Beats of the Drum spot and Chad Gable grabbing Ludvig Kaiser with headscissors to eliminate the Imperium member. There were also a ton of disappointing moments, like Rick Boogs getting dumped out early by Omos and Ciampa being tossed out by Bronson Reed so unceremoniously. Sad to see guys like this, who need to be promoted, eliminated without any fanfare.

The final four came down to LA Knight, Sheamus, Bronson Reed and AJ Styles. LA Knight managed to eliminate Bronson Reed all by himself by dragging him over the top rope with a headlock while standing on the ring apron. Sheamus goes on a rampage, slamming Styles and LA Knight. The Phenomenal One sidesteps a Brogue Kick and retaliates with a discus clothesline to the Celtic Warrior. Styles then sets up for the Phenomenal Forearm but Karrion Kross, who Styles eliminated earlier, grabs his leg, allowing Sheamus to nail a Brogue Kick and send Styles to the outside, eliminating him.

It’s down to LA Knight and Sheamus now. LA Knight goes for Blunt Force Trauma but Sheamus nails him with a high knee. Sheamus then goes for the Celtic Cross to toss LA Knight over the top rope but Knight gets out of the hold and tries to toss the Celtic Warriors over but Sheamus lands on the apron. Sheamus then stun guns Knight on the top rope. Sheamus then perches on the top turnbuckle but Knight climbs up to deliver a belly-to-belly suplex. LA Knight uses this opportunity to clothesline Sheamus over the top rope to win the SummerSlam Battle Royale.

All-in-all, this was a fine Battle Royale. Nothing really special about it if you really think about it. The only thing which makes this important is LA Knight finally winning something of importance. As he is currently the hottest thing in the WWE, they really had to give him this. Besides that, however, I don’t think I’ll remember what else happened here.

The next match had Ronda Rousey take on Shayna Baszler in an MMA rules fight. They mention the fight can only end by submission and knockout. Correct me if I’m wrong but shouldn’t referee stoppage also be included? Like, if the opponent can’t defend himself or herself, the official can award a technical knockout? Anyway, I don’t like MMA matches because it’s all grabby and punchy with little to no theatrics. So, you can believe I didn’t enjoy this match. Even the supposed big hits, like Shayna’s big kick or Rousey’s high knee, felt really soft here.

The finish came after Baszler dumped herself and Rousey to the outside to escape an armbar. Shayna Baszler is looked by officials to see if she’s okay but, after Rousey starts insulting her, the Submission Magician gets back to her feet and the two start punching each other. Baszler goes for a Kirafuda Clutch but The Baddest Woman on the Planet reverses it into an armbar. Baszler then rolls out of it and locks in an ankle lock. Rousey rolls out and applies a read-naked choke but Baszler gets out of the hold. Rousey then goes for another armbar but Baszler reverses it into another Kirafuda Clutch. This time, however, Rousey is unable to escape and she is rendered unconscious. This gives Shayna Baszler the win. Yawn.

I didn’t come to SummerSlam to watch an MMA fight. It’s like I didn’t watch Wrestlemania to see Bart Gunn and Butterbean get into a boxing match. However, I’m not sure how excited I would be if they two did get into a proper wrestling match anyways. Still, this was dumb and boring. The only good thing about it is maybe Shayna Baszler can get a proper push out of it.

The next match had Gunther defending his Intercontinental Championship against Drew McIntyre. I didn’t really like “big man” matches because they usually don’t involve a lot of finesse and it’s usually just mountains of muscles hammering at each other. However, the WWE did evolve it as these “big men” are a whole lot more agile while still giving off the aura of awesome and unstoppable power. This is what I got during this match and it was glorious. Some clever use of the duo exchanging blows and Drew and Gunther showing off how well they can navigate the top of the turnbuckles despite them supposedly just being powerhouses.

The finish saw The Scottish Warrior dragging the Ring General to the top turnbuckle for a super powerbomb attempt but Gunther shoves McIntyre off and crotches him on the top rope. Gunther then nails as admittedly awkward splash. Gunther follows up with a massive clothesline before hitting his powerbomb to get the pinfall victory and retain his Intercontinental Championship.

This was a fun match as this did feel more than just two big men hitting each other. Some really good in-ring storytelling. The finish did seem to come out of nowhere but, with how high octane the match was in general, I’m fine with that. I kind of needed a breather anyway.

The next match had Seth “Freakin'” Rollins defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor of The Judgement Day. Once again, some really good in-ring storytelling, with Balor focusing on Rollins shoulder as retribution to the injury he suffered 7 years ago when he faced Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship. Some cool moments, like Rollins powering out of an armbar to deliver a couple of buckle bombs to Balor and the quick exchanges of blows near the end of the match.

The finish came after Damien Priest and the rest of the Judgement Day got involved. Priest handed Balor the Money in the Bank briefcase while Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio distracted the referee. Balor didn’t trust that Priest was just handing him the briefcase and he suspected Priest was going to cash it in. This allowed Rollins to connect with a Stomp for a 2-count.

The Visionary then takes out the other Judgement Day members only to eat a slingblade by Balor once he got back in the ring. Balor then manages to hit his Coup de Grace double foot stomp but Rollins was able to kick out!

Balor then starts barking orders at Priest, telling him to leave the briefcase in the ring and then distract the referee, which Priest does begrudgingly. Balor then tries to get to the briefcase but Rollins manages to recover and connects with a Curb Stomp on Balor into the Money in the Bank briefcase. Rollins then goes for the cover and gets the pinfall victory, retaining his WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

This was a good match. The actual wrestling was good but only because Rollins and Balor gave it the intensity it needed to feel like a clash of titans. The finish may come off as screwy, especially with Rollins defying the odds but it does drop hints of The Judgement Day’s possible explosion in the future.

The penultimate match was a Triple Threat bout between Asuka, Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. As good as the competitors are in this match, I just felt something was wrong with how the action was coming off. It was just too… safe. Everyone was hitting their moves but they didn’t look like they actually hurt. Even Charlotte’s chops and Asuka’s kicks sounded like two pillows being fluffed. There were moments where it looked like they were just waiting for their spots, making it looked very planned out. Things just didn’t flow together in a believable way. Well, as believable as professional wrestling gets anyway. Things did pick up by the midpoint as if all the competitors started actually showing some emotion and intensity in their moves. It certainly took them a while to get there!

The finish came after Belair got thrown to the outside and was being carried to the back as she got injured during the fall. The match continued with Flair eventually locking in the Figure Eight on Asuka, only for the hold to be broken up by a returning Belair with a 450 splash on Charlotte. However, The Queen still manages to kick out! Charlotte and the EST get into a slugfest with Belair getting the upper hand and attempting to hit her KOD finisher. Charlotte gets out of the move with an arm drag but, when she tries to follow it up with a strike, the Queen inadvertently hits Asuka, sending the Empress of Tomorrow to the outside. Charlotte then goes for a Figure Eight but Asuka blows green mist into Charlotte’s face, breaking the hold. Asuka then tries to kick Belair but The EST goes for the most devastating move in all of sports entertainment: the rollup. This allows Belair to get the pinfall victory and become the NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion!

However, IYO SKY, the current Money in the Bank briefcase holder, starts running to the ring with Bayley! Bayley uses the briefcase to take out Asuka and Charlotte. Bayley tries to clock Belair with the briefcase but the onslaught is blocked but only for IYO SKY to get the Money in the Bank briefcase to strike Belair’s injured knee and head before cashing in the contract! The Genius of the Sky waits for the bell to be rung and then hits a moonsault, pins Belair to get the pinfall victory and become the NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion! She celebrates her victory along with her fellow Damage CTRL members, Bayley and Dakota Kai, as the fans cheer for the heels.

This match really took it’s time before getting watchable. By the midpoint, I was all ready to give this a thumbs down but, when things did pick up, it got good real fast. Having IYO SKY cash in made it all the more better. If they just started off stronger, I would give this a solid recommendation. However, with the way it went, I say just watch the last half or, at the very least, see IYO SKY’s cash in and celebration.

The final match of the night saw Roman Reigns defending his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Jey Uso under “Tribal Combat” rules, which is essentially just a fancy way of saying it was a No DQ match. However, not only was the belt on the line, but the title of Head of the Family was as well. As this was a No DQ Tribal Combat match, I expected a lot of carnage and there was. Some really cool spots like Jey doing a samoan slam on Reigns from the ring apron through the table which was set up on the outside and how Jey did try to overcome the odds by pulling Solo Sikoa into the path of a Roman Reigns’ spear. This was mostly Jey’s show and he did make it seem like he had a chance to finally beat Reigns. However, the only problem is the match did seem rather slow. Don’t get the wrong. The carnage was riveting. It’s just the moments in between the carnage which seemed to drag thing down. It just felt like there was a lot of time wasted in order to set things up properly.

The finish came when Jey Uso started walloping Reigns and Sikoa with a steel chair. The fight spilled to the outside and Solo nailed Jey with a superkick. Reigns then calls the Enforcer for the Bloodline over and this distracts the Tribal Chief enough for Jey to recover and spear Reigns through the barricade. Jey then sets superkicks Solo and lays him on top of the announcer’s table before diving into him from the ringside barricade. Jey drags Reigns into the ring and spears him in the middle of the ring. Jey then does a samoan splash from the top rope and goes for the pin but a mysterious man from the outside drags Jey to the outside. The man then reveals himself to be Jimmy Uso!

Jimmy then nails his brother with a superkick and tosses Jey into the ring. A confused Reigns looks on as Jimmy exits via the ramp. Reigns still takes the opportunity to spear Jey through a table that was set up in the corner to get the pinfall victory to retain his WWE Undisputed Universal Championship as well as keep his Head of the Table monicker.

Like I said, this was a good match as the brutal moments looked good. However, it was marred by how long some of the spots took to set up. I also hate the finish as having Jimmy betray Jey comes off like a swerve just to trick the audience. Honestly, the WWE should be trying to close out the Bloodline storyline as it’s run its course. This is just adding life support to it now.

All-in-all, I will say this year’s SummerSlam was good. Besides the MMA match between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, there was something worth watching in each match. However, I do think some matches dragged on for a bit too long and, seeing as this year’s SummerSlam was more than 4 hours, I can safely say I’m correct. Still, this is good enough for a viewing and not really something you should skip.

Byee!

What did you think of this year’s SummerSlam? Let me know in the comments section below!