Summerslam 2013 - Superstars of the show

Christian

Summerslam ’13 was one of the best pay-per-views I have seen in a very long time. In fact, I don’t remember seeing a WWE event as good as this one the last time! Whether in terms of in-ring action, or in terms of the angles surrounding the various matches or even the hype building up to the event, this event was special and truly exceeded expectations on almost all counts.

The Ziggler/Kaitlyn – Langston/AJ and the Cody Rhodes – Damien Sandow matches were fun while, both the championship matches were excellent and the Punk-Lesnar match was outstanding. My MOTY candidate already! The performers were all in full form and every match had a big-match feel to it…. well almost every match (The divas match and the Wyatt-Kane matches didn’t do much for me). But like I said, it didn’t really matter and instead of the usual standard operating procedure of rating the superstars as per the individual performances, considering how awesome this event was, I have gone with the top superstars in context to their matches. So, the superstars in the list are in pairs, as per the matches they were involved in. Here we go….

Christian/Alberto Del Rio

This was an instant classic and to be honest, I wasn’t surprised at all. I was expecting nothing less. Del Rio is one of the best pure wrestlers in the company and Christian is the perfect sympathetic babyface for the champion’s aggressive ruthless offensive style. In the best match till that point, both men showed what it is to be like when you wrestle the much-ignored old-school wrestling style. Things like sequencing, in-ring psychology, and more importantly utilisation of sensible offence was on full display as the two battled it out for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Christian is so great at selling that every time ADR would get close to him, I would cringe. Hallmark of a great match and the ability of the performers to get the fans invested in the ongoing proceedings. Like with most of his matches, ADR targeted Christian’s left arm and some of his kicks were so vicious that Christian’s yelps seemed legit. But he recovered to deliver a spear, which could have done it for him had his arm not been hurt and that was enough for the champ to lock in his finishing hold and with a classic heelish move of a rake to the eye, the champ left the challenger with no choice but to tap out and bring an end to the back & forth battle.

John Cena/Daniel Bryan

This was the most anticipated bout of the night and despite the humongous expectations it carried, it certainly lived upto all of it. Cena, his arm heavily taped up to cover for the elbow injury he has been carrying, is known to perform well on the big stage and tonight was no different. But he was far from the crowd favourite. That was Daniel Bryan ladies & gentlemen!

In one of the most heartwarming moments ever, as Daniel Bryan made his way to the ring, his smile implied what it meant to him that the WWE universe had catapulted him to the main-event of the biggest WWE event of the summer. In a match that has been months in the making, both men traded their best shots and gave everything they had for the vociferous crowd. Daniel Bryan, expectedly, was superb, setting the pace of the match to a level that only he can carry and Cena was never a step behind.

When the ending did come with Bryan pinning Cena out of nowhere, it almost seemed unplanned and shocking as it was done through a flying knee. But keeping with the tone of the match and the fact that both men had exhausted their set of moves, it was perfect. And the majorly partisan crowd embraced the title change, but it wasn’t for long. That’s a different story altogether though.

CM Punk/Brock Lesnar

Anytime Brock Lesnar is involved in the proceedings, things have to get exciting. He is not your regular or even a good athlete. He is a great athlete who on a given night can be one of the best performers in the world. And there is CM Punk. Smart and tenacious, but at the end of the day, a thoroughbred wrestler. When both of them were paired up, I was already salivating and last night’s match proved me right and showed what wrestling should be in today’s day and age of increased exposure and competition from other combat sports.

In one of the most physical matches of all time, both men pulled out all stops and gave us an edge-of-the-seat thriller which lived up to it’s billing of being a duel between ‘The Best’ vs ‘The Beast’. Lesnar started off the match, imposing his will over Punk and ragdolling him all over the ring and the announce tables with ease. Punk wouldn’t be denied though, as he kept getting the monster down with stiff kicks, knees and aerial moves. The match itself was a perfect combination of amazing wrestling moves and relatable MMA holds. The sequence wherein both guys reversed each others’ holds was a delight for all of the MMA aficionados, such as myself and brought a sense of legitimacy to the proceedings.

By the time Paul Heyman got involved, he was able to do the impossible and generate more heat towards the match. But that didn’t take away from the finishing sequence at all and even though Lesnar had his hand raised in victory, the WWE universe knew they were the real winners having been a part of such an epic match.