WWE SummerSlam 2020: 5 Booking decisions that could have been done differently

SummerSlam was seen as the reset button for WWE after months of only being able to book shows in the Performance Center and having to think outside the box when it came to pay-per-views. This included an Eye for an Eye match at Extreme Rules, a Boneyard match at WrestleMania, and even the Money in the Bank ladder matches taking place inside WWE's corporate offices.

The Biggest Party of the Summer was where WWE was looking to push forward and start to look at life in what is considered to be "the new normal," and there were certainly fewer issues inside the ThunderDome. Even though SummerSlam was easily the best pay-per-view since the lockdown began, there are some decisions that the company could have changed on the night.

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#5. Why was the finish to SummerSlam's WWE Championship match so lackluster?

Randy Orton has been built up as The Legend Killer over the past few months and it was believed that he could have gone on to become WWE Champion at SummerSlam, but this wasn't the case.

After attacks against Shawn Michaels, Edge, Christian, The Big Show and RIc Flair, it was teased that Orton would finally get what he deserved when he took on Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam.

This didn't happen. Instead, the finish of the match saw Orton dodge the Claymore and was inside stuck in a backslide for the pin. There was no interference and it was the most underwhelming finish of the night. Does this mean that there will be a rematch or was Orton's chance to become a 14-time World Champion squandered?

There was also no interference from any legends, which was a shock since Orton has definitely made enough enemies over the past few weeks.

#4. Mandy Rose vs Sonya Deville needed interference at SummerSlam

Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville have tried to push their personal feud as hard as they could over the past few months and a Hair vs. Hair match perhaps would have been a much better option for them at SummerSlam, since their actual match was very underwhelming.

There wasn't enough bitter resentment or anything that made it seem as though this was a Career vs. Career match. The end just sort of happened and Sonya Deville was shown looking upset at ringside before she left.

Why didn't Dana Brooke have her own SummerSlam moment by interfering and helping Rose win so that there was a reason why Deville was beaten and it didn't make her look weak? This match was no disqualification but the women picked up a few weapons and made it seem as though there was a reason why they were there but hardly even used them.

Mandy Rose took most of the match setting up a table but then didn't even use it. It was a match that needed something else; something was missing. It didn't feel personal and it didn't feel like the women were fighting for their careers, which is disappointing because it has been an interesting feud to watch in recent weeks.

#3. Dominik shouldn't have lost his debut at SummerSlam

Dominik Mysterio shocked a lot of fans when he made his debut at SummerSlam against arguably one of the greatest wrestlers of the current generation. Seth Rollins pushed Dominik to new levels in their match and even though there was a number of small botches, Dominik put on a good showing in his eventual loss.

While in the world of backstage politics it makes sense that Rollins defeats the newcomer in his first match because Dominik needed to work up to his first win, it didn't make sense in the storyline.

Rollins has attacked Dominik's father and cost him an eye, he's hit him with a kendo stick 30 times and last night he tried to approach Dominik's mother. There needed to be some kind of blow back to Rollins for all of the things he has done in recent months.

Dominik has been through so much and still he was unable to defeat Rollins which doesn't send out the right message. Rollins may be the Monday Night Messiah, but he should have lost that match at SummerSlam so that Mysterio could have garnered some kind of revenge.

#2. Sasha Banks was dealt a harsh blow at SummerSlam

Bayley is the longest-reigning SmackDown Women's Champion in the history of the title, so why couldn't Bayley be the one to lose her Championship at SummerSlam inside of Sasha Banks?

Sasha Banks only recently won the RAW Women's Championship and once again, for the fifth time in her career, she failed to defend it successfully. This means that Sasha Banks has been unable to successfully defend the RAW Women's Championship on every occasion that she has held it.

It was Bayley who beat Kairi Sane backstage; surely revenge for Sane would have been for Asuka to take away Bayley's championship. It seems harsh to continue to make Banks look like she's incapable of defending a championship when she has been one of the hardest working women in the company since March.

There were so many options at WWE's disposal at SummerSlam and it appears that the company went for the easiest one, Banks facing Asuka last and losing her title, because it meant that Banks could then head back to SmackDown.

#1. Why didn't Otis tease a cash in at SummerSlam?

Otis appeared last night at SummerSlam to celebrate with Mandy Rose following her victory over Sonya Deville earlier in the night.

The main event match saw The Fiend defeat Braun Strowman to win back his Universal Championship before Roman Reigns made his return to the company and attacked both men.

The Fiend didn't disappear and after two spears he was left lying in the ring. This would have been the perfect time for Otis to at least tease a cash in of his Money in the Bank contract.

Even if it was just Otis surveying the situation and The Fiend then sitting up and Otis running away, this would still have been something that proved that Otis wanted to cash in his contract.

At this point it doesn't seem as though WWE wants Otis to cash in his contract. Otis was in the building at SummerSlam, the Universal Champion was in the middle of the ring just waiting to be pinned and Otis was nowhere to be seen.