10 Takeaways from SummerSlam

WWE's summer celebration has ended. Here's how the summer's biggest PPV changed the wrestling landscape.

Way back in 1988, a Wrestlemania-bolstered WWE decided to experiment with a summer pay per view. Late summer is often a time of unexpected entertainment successes--as evidenced by the box office success of The Meg. Vince McMahon figured that with summer close to ending and the children set to return to school, they could use one last big celebration.

In order to stack the deck in the WWE's favor, they pulled out all the stops. For over a year Hulk Hogan had been tangling with Ted Dibiase and his hired thug Andre the Giant. After Randy Savage defeated Dibiase at Wrestlemania IV to win the WWE heavyweight title, he was added into the fray. Hogan and Savage would form the Mega Powers, while Dibiase would laugh off their pretentious name and call himself and Andre the Mega Bucks.

It was good vs. evil, hard work vs. buying your way to the top, and it paid off huge. Summerslam not only became an annual event, it inspired wrestling federations all over the world to enter the PPV arena, and led to a growth spurt for the industry.

Summerslam is now WWE's second biggest event of the year, and it always sets the stage for what's likely to come in the remainder of the year and the buildup toward next year's Wrestlemania. Here are ten takeaways from Summerslam 2018.

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#1.The WWE is betting on the B team to revitalize the tag division.

In the late 1990s, the WWE tag team division had grown stale, and fan interest dropped. However, one team would emerge with just the right ingredients to get over with the fans and return their attention to the tag team titles. That team was the New Age Outlaws.

Their act helped return the tag team division to prominence. Now, in 2018, the B team is set to do the same thing. It certainly helps that the internet wrestling community considers Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel to be criminally underused talents, but you can't discount the fact that the wrestling fans love an underdog even more than they love Goldberg-esque destroyer characters. The B team are the ultimate underdogs, and they seem to have hit their stride.

The WWE has taken note of fan reactions to the B Team and now seems intent on pushing them, which is an excellent decision. Their victory over the highly respected Revival only cements the fact that they are the new face of the WWE tag team division on Raw.

#2. Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler are two of the best in the world.

In a slow burn match that turned the heat all the way up to eleven, Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler to win the Intercontinental championship.

Much like Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage stole the show at Wrestlemania III, the duo have left the wrestling world abuzz long after the last fan left the arena. The match was everything their Ironman match should have been, and more.

Perhaps the highlight was when Rollins hit an astounding reverse superplex and smoothly flowed into a spinning Falcon Arrow. The spot had jaws hitting the floor at the arena and those viewing on various devices around the world.

Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins have proven that they can deliver both solid storyline building and fantastic matches. Their performance at Summerslam should lead to elevations for both.

#3. The New Day thrills, but can't overcome the Brothers.

The plethora of high spots and lightning fast booking of this match had the crowd red hot all the way until the unsatisfying ending.

Between Big E's hip-swiveling antics and the Cactus Jack inspired diving elbow to the outside by Xavier Woods, the New Day proved why they are among the most exciting teams the WWE has to offer.

The Bludgeon Brothers were impressive as well, with Harper seemingly slimmed down to a more muscular physique, while Rowan seemed less stiff and awkward. The Brothers disqualified themselves to avoid losing the belts, but continued the beatdown after the match was over. It seems that the feud between the two teams did not end at SummerSlam.

#4. The Bellas are returning to in-ring action.

Brie and Nikki showed up to support Ronda Rousey, and coyly dodged any attempt to pin down their involvement in WWE's upcoming women only PPV Evolution. However, with them standing in the ring with Ronda Rousey after her match it seems as if WWE wants to remind us that they were wrestlers before they became reality television stars.

We won't be surprised if the duo end up booked for Evolution in some capacity.

#5. Braun Strowman proves his dominance.

The current Money in the Bank holder dominated Owens from bell to bell, destroying him with a chokeslam outside the ring and finishing him off with a brutal running powerslam.

Braun Strowman continues his rise into the spot vacated by Undertaker as WWE's best 'big man.' His squash of veteran Owens is proof that WWE is intent on making him one of the next big things in their company.

#6. Becky Lynch gives in to the dark side.

BFFs Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch had a relationship based on mutual respect. Now, that has been shattered after Lynch destroyed Flair with a post match beat down.

Charlotte may have won the title and the battle, but Lynch seems determined to win the war as she brutally attacked her former friend. The move not only makes Lynch's character more interesting, it also gives Smackdown something it sorely needs; A heel in the women's division.

Lynch and Flair will likely continue their feud on a one on on basis, now that Carmella has been written out of the title picture.

#7. The Miz and Daniel Bryan are just getting started.

The Miz and Daniel Bryan continued their eight-year feud at SummerSlam without a decisive winner.

The Miz may have picked up the (tainted) victory over Bryan at the PPV, but nothing was resolved between the two men. Look for their rivalry to continue until at least Survivor Series, if not further.

#8. Bad Blood--literally--between Samoa Joe and AJ Styles.

Not only did the Miz and Bryan not resolve their differences, but the feud between Samoa Joe and AJ Styles has not cooled either. In fact, it boiled over to volcanic proportions!

Those who have followed the two men during the course of their careers have witnessed them do battle many times. This encounter did not disappoint as the two old rivals turned up the savagery and brutality. Styles proved his strength and perseverance by lifting the three hundred pound Joe into a Styles Clash. Joe proved his ruthlessness and villainy by cutting open Styles on the ring steps and then delivering a mid-match verbal smackdown on the bleeding champion.

Styles wound up going ballistic on Joe, beating him with a steel chair and getting himself disqualified. There seems no end in sight either to their hatred or the feud.

#9. The Era of Ronda Rousey has begun.

Rousey largely dominated Bliss throughout her match, cementing the fact that she is a legitimate professional wrestler and is here to stay.

While many feared Rousey would become another celebrity who fails to deliver on her potential, she has silenced those critics and proven that she is worthy to be the face of the Women's division on Raw.

#10. It's Roman's yard now.

Roman Reigns defeated Lesnar in an encounter which was far and away their best to date. Both men worked much harder, and the results showed in a brutal match that didn't go on longer than it needed to.

The insertion of Braun Strowman truly fired up the capacity crowd, and no one was expecting the sudden beatdown delivered by Brock Lesnar. Roman speared Lesnar as the latter seemed intent on using a steel chair to retain his title by disqualification and then pinned the former MMA star cleanly.

With Roman ending Brock's record setting title reign, he stands as the man at the top of the Raw mountain, no questions asked.

There you have it; Ten takeaways from SummerSlam. What was your favorite moment of the event? Please comment and let us know.