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SummerSlam 2018 has come and gone and has left fans talking about it. Although the event had its good moments, it was really a mixed bag.
The highlights of the event included Ronda Rousey winning her first Women's championship on the main roster by defeating Alexa Bliss. Roman Reigns finally slayed the Beast against all odds to become the Universal Champion once again. Seth Rollins regained the Intercontinental Championship, The Miz scored a victory over his arch-rival, Daniel Bryan, and The Demon showed up to defeat Baron Corbin.
Given that so much of note transpired at SummerSlam,it's time to analyze the positives and negatives of the show. Hence, here are 4 Ups and 4 Downs from SummerSlam 2018.
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#1.Up: A night of great in-ring action
This year's SummerSlam included 3 outstanding matches that could very well be match of the year candidate
Daniel Bryan and The Miz fought in a back and forth encounter that had the fans on the edge of their seats. They went for twenty minutes and beyond and the fans enjoyed every bit of it. Samoa Joe and AJ Styles put on a clinic as expected, but the DQ finish really brought the quality of the match down.
If you discard the finish, you have a sure-fire match of the year candidate. Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler stole the show in a solid, thrilling show-opener. The match was filled with crazy spots. Rollins delivering a stunning inverted suplex was a true OMG! moment. Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura had a fun encounter too.
#2.Down: The Revival's loss
The Revival is one of the best tag-teams in the world right now. However,inspite of enjoying considerable success on NXT, their main roster run has been underwhelming and atrocious. Just as it looked as they were in line for a push after being inserted into the tag-title picture, they lost a crucial match to the B-Team.
With all due respect to the B-Team, The Revival would have been much better champions and would have put on better matches. The B-Team's fairy-tale run at the top of the division has been good to watch, but it was time for that fairy-tale to end. SummerSlam was the perfect place to end that fairy-tale.
#3. Up: The Demon shows up
In an unexpected turn of events, The Demon showed up at SummerSlam unannounced to the cheers of the WWE Universe. Baron Corbin was caught by surprise and the match lasted less than two minutes after Balor squashed Corbin with a Coup De Grace.
This was the Demon's first appearance since TLC last year and it was great to see Balor show up as a demon. The crowd was ecstatic to see the Demon at SummerSlam. The Demon gave Balor a much-needed victory and now Balor looks destined for great things.
#4.Down: Kevin Owens' burial
Remember when Kevin Owens defeated John Cena in his debut match at Elimination Chamber in 2015? Owens was debuted as a monster on the main roster and now he is just a shadow of the man that he was in NXT. His match against Strowman was full proof of that.
Owens tried to avoid Strowman at first. The Monster then absolutely demolished KO in a sickening moment for KO fans. Owens barely got any offense in. This is the same guy that put Sami Zayn on the shelf for four months. Owens has really fallen down the pecking order and SummerSlam didn't prove any good for the Prizefighter.
#5 Up: Ronda Rousey wins her first title
Ronda Rousey almost ripped Alexa Bliss' arm off at SummerSlam to win her first Women's championship at SummerSlam. Her win solidified her as the top star in the women's division. With all due respect to Alexa Bliss, her reign at the top had gotten stale as she has dominated the division for almost two years now. It's great to see a new face at the top of the division.
Rousey will be the champion heading into Evolution, which is a good sign for the women's division as Rousey is capable of putting on great matches. Rousey will definitely be protected as champion and it's likely that she will have a long reign.
#6.Down: Becky Lynch's heel turn
Becky Lynch had finally re-entered the title picture at SummerSlam. She was on a roll prior to the match and many expected her to walk out as champ. However, to the chagrin of the Lass-Kicker's fans, it wasn't meant to be. Charlotte won the title once again in an underwhelming moment.
The crowd was firmly behind Becky Lynch during her ascension to the top and how did WWE award her? They turned her heel. Lynch attacked Charlotte after the match, but the fans were still cheering on Lynch. Lynch was perhaps the best babyface on the women's roster and Charlotte has always done her best work as a heel which is why it would have made sense to turn 'The Queen' heel.
#7.Up: Brock Lesnar is no longer Universal Champion
Now, I know that many people might be upset about the fact that Roman Reigns won the Universal title at SummerSlam. But, look at the bright side, now we have a Universal champion that shows up on WWE programming on a weekly basis.
Fans had grown sick of Lesnar's title reign and WWE made the right decision to take the title off him at SummerSlam, even if it was long overdue. Reigns is expected to have a long reign at the pinnacle of Raw as a fighting Universal champion. It doesn't matter if you like or hate Reigns as the Universal champion, but you should at least be proud that you get to see Raw's top title regularly defended.
#8.Down: Inconclusive finishes
The part that irritated me the most about SummerSlam was the indecisive finishes. The New Day Vs Bludgeon Brothers ended in a disqualification victory for the New Day. Samoa Joe Vs AJ Styles ended in a disqualification victory for Joe after AJ blew a gasket and viciously attacked Joe with a chair. Disqualification finishes are done on weekly television to further intensify feuds, not at a massive event like SummerSlam.
WWE should have had definite winners at the end of every match at a mega pay-per-view. Fans were disappointed at the lazy booking of the finish of Joe Vs Styles. The finish ruined an incredible match-up. The same can be said about the New Day vs Bludgeon Brothers. SummerSlam marks the place where marquee feuds come to an end in convincing and definite fashion, not in inconclusive fashion like disqualification or count-out victories.
