Once again, for the second year in a row, SummerSlam has failed to live up to the NXT TakeOver event the night before it. SummerSlam was a mixed bag this year and most of the show was hit or miss, you either loved it or you didn’t. There were some booking decisions going into the show that were questioned by fans – Kevin Owens being in a tag match, Sami Zayn being relegated to the pre-show and Dolph Ziggler of all people being in the WWE Championship match.
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Regardless of whether you agree or not, the card was stacked with 13 matches taking place on the night but would it turn out to be quantity over quality? We’ll find out soon. Here are all 13 matches from the night, including the pre-show matches, ranked and rated.
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13: Rusev (C) vs Roman Reigns (for the US Championship)
This match has to be last, on this list since the match never even began. I’m not even going to go into how stupid that decision was. One of the marquee matches of the night was called off after a pre-match brawl? Why couldn’t the match just have been Falls Count Anywhere?
The brawl itself was entertaining but the fact that this ‘match’ went on after the WWE Universal Championship match is an astoundingly stupid decision in hindsight since it was sort of the semi-main-event of the night since it went on second from last. The fact that the match never even got started also means that it’s at the bottom of this list by default.
Grade - F
12: Nikki Bella, Natalya and Alexa Bliss def Becky Lynch, Carmella and Naomi
This match would probably have been more interesting if Eva Marie had been a part of it. Apart from Nikki Bella’s surprise return, the best part of this match was definitely the voiceover doing Eva Marie’s entrance and announcing that she had decided to take a vacation because of the way fans reacted to her.
The match itself was the usual six-person tag match formula with nothing special or memorable happening. The heels won when Nikki Bella pinned Carmella with a TKO. Becky Lynch barely got to show even a fraction of what she can do, and as the top woman on the blue brand, she deserved a lot better. Hopefully, this mistake will be corrected at SmackDown Live’s first exclusive PPV, Backlash.
Grade – D-
11: The Club def. The New Day by DQ (New Day retains the WWE Tag-Team Championships)
This match is one that will divide opinion. The match itself wasn’t bad, but John Stewart’s over-involvement didn’t help and the way the match ended was needless and left a sour taste in the mouth. The Club winning by DQ on the second biggest PPV of the year doesn’t help either team and doesn’t put The Club over at the slightest.
Yes, Big E’s comeback received a huge pop but all this DQ does is make The New Day look like they can’t take on Anderson and Gallows without the man advantage.
Grade – D
10: The Miz (C) def. Apollo Crews (to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship)
The Miz has now been Intercontinental Champion for 5 months, since the night after WrestleMania 32. It has been an underwhelming run, to say the least, and has taken away some of the sheen from the title that had been brought by Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose’s runs with the belt.
Apollo Crews won the battle royal on SmackDown Live a few weeks back to become #1 contender for The Miz’s championship. With Apollo Crews, it’s clear that he needed a few more months in NXT to work on his mic skills. He’s an incredible physical specimen with ungodly athleticism for a guy his size, but unfortunately, he’s also a charisma vacuum with no personality whatsoever.
There was not much heat or storyline behind the match. The match was okay for a title match on your standard episode of Raw but totally underwhelming for a SummerSlam match. The Miz won in the end with a Skull Crushing Finale, but by then no one cared – neither the live audience nor the fans at home.
Grade - D
9: The Usos, American Alpha and The Hype Bros def. Breezango, The Ascension and The Vaudevillains
SmackDown Live had only 5 matches on the SummerSlam card, which means had to get out obligatory multi-man tag match with a host of tag-teams on the roster. We saw 12-man tag match in this case which had to story behind it or consequences to it that lumped every team on the SmackDown Live roster.
The match itself was pretty enjoyable even though it started off slow. American Alpha and The Usos were particularly impressive. The match ended when Jey Uso stole a pin from Chad Gable after a Grad Amplitude and a splash on Simon Gotch. Following the match, there was tension between The Usos and American Alpha which is probably going to lead to a feud between them. Could the Usos turn heel?
Grade - C-
8: 7: Sami Zayn and Neville def. The Dudley Boyz
Sami Zayn and Neville are two of most exciting superstars in the WWE right now. Sami Zayn especially deserves better than being on the pre-show especially after his performance in his match against Kevin Owens at WWE Battleground. Zayn and Neville took on the Dudley Boyz who have not been on the same page for the last few weeks, with miscommunication costing them matches.
Zayn and Neville worked really well together and pulled off some spectacular double team moves. The Dudleyz worked well around the youngsters and this match ended up being much more enjoyable than previously thought. Zayn and Neville pulled off the win in the end after more miscommunication between the Dudleyz.
Grade – C+
7: Sheamus def. Cesaro
What was the point of starting a best of 7 series between Cesaro and Sheamus when they’ve already faced each other so many times in the recent past? Even though this was their best match so far, it’s already the third match they’ve fought recently, and fans won’t care about 6 more matches. Well, better than not being on television I supposed.
This match was a hard-hitting affair and the two definitely went out looking to impress. The match went back and forth for most of the match, with the two men evenly matched. The big issue will that the crowd was dead for most of this match since there are 6 matches still left in this series.
Grade - C+
6: Dean Ambrose (C) def. Dolph Ziggler (to retain the WWE Championship)
Dean Ambrose faced Dolph Ziggler pretty early in the card, considering the fact that this was a WWE Championship match. The build-up to this match had been all about how Dolph Ziggler would steal the show and how he’s been overlooked and underestimated he has been throughout his career. The build-up to the match was also surprisingly good considering how badly fans reacted when Ziggler was first announced as the #1 contender.
The match went back and forth in the beginning but Ambrose ended up dominating long stretches of the match. The champion looked every bit his part and he looked too good for Ziggler. Dolph promised to steal the show in the build-up to the match and it was a resounding failure on his part. Ambrose won the match after blocking a top-rope facebuster which he followed up with the Dirty Deeds for the cocky pin.
Grade - C+
5: Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho def. Enzo and Cass
Enzo and Cass looked to make their New York homecoming a triumphant one when the faced the team of Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens. Enzo and Cass were super over with the Brooklyn crowd and this match was the perfect way to kick off SummerSlam. The opening promo from Enzo was brilliant with Cass even singing a few bars.
The match was expected to be a fast-paced opener to get the crowd going and it definitely delivered in that aspect. It had some memorable moments like Owens’ cannonball to Cass on the outside and the pop-up Codebreaker from Jericho and Owens to Enzo that ended up getting JeriKO the pinfall win. This match was a great way to kick off the show.
Grade - B
4: Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton
The marquee main event of SummerSlam this year was the first ever PPV match between Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton. On paper, the match was definitely worthy of the main event spot, but in reality, it didn’t deliver to the level of a SummerSlam main-event.
Lesnar’s one-dimensional style of being an unstoppable force continued in this match with Orton only getting about 1/5th of the offence in the entire match. Brock dominate most parts of the match but also took a brutal RKO on the announce table before sending Orton through the same table a few moments later.
The match ended with a referee stoppage after a series of vicious elbow blows from Lesnar busted Orton wide open leaving him in a pool of his blood. The ending left the show and the match with a weird feeling from the PPV ending so suddenly and confusingly. Overall, this match just didn’t live up to the hype.
Grade – B+
3: Charlotte def. Sasha Banks (C) (to become the new WWE Women’s Champion)
This match was really good and saw an ending that no one expected while going in. Sasha Banks losing was unthinkable even a few days ago but Charlotte is the one leaving SummerSlam with the WWE Women’s Championship around her waist once again.
As good as this match was, it will be remembered for a couple of really scary botches from Charlotte, including the one where she almost dropped Sasha straight on her neck. Sasha almost pulled off the victory with a couple of Banks Statements but Charlotte managed to get out of them and eventually reversed one to roll Sasha up for the pin.
These two women put on a good show, even though this match was more than a little botchy, mostly due to Charlotte, and they once again proved how far women’s wrestling has really come.
Grade - B+
2: Finn Balor def. Seth Rollins (for the WWE Universal Championship)
First things first, the WWE Universal Championship looks like someone put the WWE Championship on Shinsuke Nakamura’s pants.
The match between Balor and Rollins was fantastic and really should have been the main event. Both wrestlers brought their A-game and these two are the right choice’s to be Raw’s faces in the New Era. Finn Balor won the match clean, which was a slight surprise and a major sign of the WWE putting their faith in Balor.
This match included some absolutely awesome spots from Rollins powerbombing Finn Balor onto the divider at ringside to Balor’s penalty kick on the apron (which Michael Cole shockingly called a knee to the face). This match also had the crowd on fire for most of it, excluding the time the were busy chanting “that belt sucks” and showing their disapproval at the design of the new WWE Universal Championship.
Grade - A-
1: AJ Styles def. John Cena
This match was hands down, the match of the night, and also a contender for match of the year. If you thought their match at Money In The Bank was good, this one blew that out of the water. Both Cena and Style hit each other with everything but the kitchen sink in a match that will go down as an instant classic. Both contestants kicked out from each other’s finishers, including Styles kicking out of a middle-rope Attitude Adjustment. The match finally ended with a Styles Clash from AJ, followed by a Phenomenal Forearm.
Apart from the shock of Styles pinning Cena clean and beating Cena for the second time, Styles winning his rivalry with Cena is a huge deal for AJ Styles and it’s only a matter of time till he earns himself a WWE Championship match. Cena also ended the match by leaving his ‘Never Give Up’ armband inside the ring. Is that a sign?
Grade - A+
Overall SummerSlam Grade - B-
