Positives and Negatives from WWE SummerSlam

WWE SummerSlam 2018, despite a few flaws, was an overall success. There were many matches on the card that delivered and some exceeded expectations.

Even though it wasn't able to outdo NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, it was one of the best main roster PPV's of this year, at least in this writer's opinion. Which brings us to RAW and SmackDown after SummerSlam...

It is usually a time to get excited about, mostly because we get to see new rivalries budding or old rivalries get more personal and heat up even more, which will make us look forward to the next pay per view.

Now the question arises as to what was good about RAW and SmackDown after SummerSlam and what was bad about it? Let's take a look--

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NEGATIVES

1: Finn Balor getting his Universal Title shot on RAW

Finn Balor getting his Universal title shot was not a bad thing. He never lost the title in a match, and thus, deserves his rematch. However, it should have turned into a long-running program--It is good that WWE is trying to make Roman into a fighting champion and the Universal Championship being defended on RAW for the first time since Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman, but it could have been anyone other than Balor.

Roman defending his belt right after winning it would make the outcome predictable. At the very least it would have been less predictable, had this match happened at Hell In A Cell 2018. It also doesn't help that Balor could not beat Roman even though the latter got distracted by Strowman.

Unless it leads to Balor turning heel, the match between them was unnecessary and the only thing that made his fans believe that Finn Balor would find himself back in the main event scene is now gone.....

2: Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler feud will continue

There are guys like Chad Gable, Bobby Roode, Bobby Lashley, etc. who are great and refreshing challengers for Rollins' Intercontinental Championship. Logic dictates that Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre could feud with other stars on the roster, rather than continuing their rivalry with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Speaking of which, the rivalry between the Architect and the Show-off should and must end next week, especially if WWE is going to have a Braun Strowman vs The Shield feud

Negatives

3: Still nothing for the Authors of Pain

A burning question on RAW right now, is whether or not there's a long-term plan for the Authors of Pain.

The duo, that destroyed the competition in NXT and won the NXT Tag Team Championship, are being put in a boring and uninteresting program with Titus Worldwide that has gone on for too long.

We are yet to know if the rivalry between Authors of Pain and Titus Worldwide is going to continue, but it sure doesn't seem like they will be in a Tag Team title picture anytime soon, considering the rivalry between the B-Team and The Revival is going to continue. WWE has no excuse for the current state of the RAW Tag Team Division, because they have great teams on RAW that are not doing anything of note.

If things don't change soon, it's only a matter of time before Authors of Pain becomes another group of NXT call-ups who failed in the main roster, unless they are booked better from now on

4: A Mixed Tag-Match announced for Hell In A Cell

The rivalry between Daniel Bryan and The Miz has been great so far. However, a mixed tag match pitting Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella against The Miz and Maryse doesn't look very promising.

It would have been much better if Bryan has Brie in his corner and could possibly lead to another great match at Hell In A Cell that will end with Bryan winning. Maybe the mixed tag match has a chance to be a great match and exceed expectation, but it doesn't look like the mixed tag match is going to be a Match of the Night

5: Becky Lynch should not have turned heel

The rivalry between Becky Lynch and Charlotte looks like it is going to be a great feud, but it feels like a wrong person turned heel. Becky Lynch has a good reason to be frustrated and angry at Charlotte Flair and brought up many valid points, which is why she couldn't turn the fans against her no matter how hard she tries to do so.

No matter how hard WWE tries to make Charlotte look sympathetic, it will not work. Becky Lynch was the one who had to climb back to the SmackDown Women's title picture, not Charlotte--And Charlotte works better as a heel. Granted, a heel turn would give Becky the edge she needs and she could play a great vicious heel.

However, if WWE thought that people would start to hate Becky Lynch and sympathize with Charlotte, then they were wrong.

6: Brock Lesnar was not on RAW

It is understandable that Brock didn't appear on RAW, since he had to start preparing for his UFC match against Daniel Cornier. But would it have really hurt Brock to appear on RAW one last time as Paul Heyman tries to address his loss?

It should also be noted that Brock also attacked Braun Strowman at SummerSlam; making The Monster Among Men looked a tad weak in the process.

Braun Strowman looked like one of the event's biggest losers when SummerSlam ended. It would have been cool if Strowman destroyed Brock Lesnar one last time before Brock possibly leaves WWE again.

It would have validated the fact that Braun is not someone who just moves on from being attacked.

POSITIVES

1: The Shield is back

A lot of people were against the Shield coming back to attack Braun Strowman, the most over babyface of RAW, and prevent a cash-in. They also wonder if the Hounds of Justice turned heel when they attacked the Monster Among Men.

Before we talk about why it's a good thing, let me answer that question. The Shield didn't turn heel and neither did Braun. It's a babyface vs babyface feud. And it's a good thing.

Not only is it refreshing to see a babyface feud, but this is what New Japan Pro Wrestling does too, which most hardcore fans seem to have no problem against. Braun Strowman wants to win the Universal Championship, Roman wants to retain the belt, and his brothers are just helping him.

An unstoppable faction taking on an immovable man is a very intriguing feud and it doesn't matter who is playing a villain

2: Jeff Hardy gets his revenge

After weeks of being attacked by Orton, Jeff Hardy finally got his revenge on him. Jeff Hardy is at his best when he gets aggressive and becomes vicious. He is willing to hurt himself if it means it will end up hurting his enemy.

This rivalry just got a lot more intriguing. It only makes sense if this match had some sort of stipulation at Hell In A Cell.

3: Samoa Joe attacks AJ Styles

This needed to happen to escalate the rivalry between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. Despite their rivalry being personal, their match at SummerSlam lacked a bitter battle it needed to be.

The emotional intensity shown by both Joe and Styles here has elevated the seriousness in their feud. If they would have a Hell In A Cell match, then the rest of their segments needs to be just as intense and personal as this one. That would make their Hell In A Cell match brutal and have people get invested in their match.

Positives

4: Dean Ambrose

Ever since returning, Dean seemed more serious than he used to be. It looked he is not going to play games anymore.

Ambrose has a different aura now, and his match with Dolph Ziggler made us believe that even more. He was using a different repertoire of moves.

Dean Ambrose really did return better than he ever was. It's going to be interesting to see him again.

5: New Day wins the SmackDown Tag Team Championships

The storytelling is what elevated this match. New Day defeated the undefeated Bludgeon Brothers to win the Tag Team Championship, and they didn't need their powerhouse to win the titles.

This was Bludgeon Brother's best match yet. New Day then proceeded to cut a fiery promo after their win.

Although I wish their undefeated streak didn't end in a TV match, it cannot be helped. Eric Rowan injured himself at SummerSlam. He needed to lose the belt so he could go and recover.

Now that the New Day are the champions, they have a lot of new opponents to face. It's going to be interesting to see where they go from here.