WWE SummerSlam 2016: Talking points

WWE SummerSlam has indeed lived up to its potential. With such a bloated card, it would have been criminal for the WWE to not deliver a show worth remembering and WWE did indeed deliver on its promises. The show was an absolute ripper and it satisfied majority of the fan circle.

From Cesaro and Sheamus tearing apart each other in the pre-show to Brock Lesnar winning via a TKO in the main event, this edition of SummerSlam left no stone unturned to satisfy the fans. Not only that, it looks like Neville has not lost his touch to amaze fans with his high flying abilities. And most importantly, at long last, the WWE has found a perfect combination of commentators in the likes of JBL, Mauro Raunalo, and Corey Graves, which made the main event even more memorable,

With so much to talk about, here are the five major talking points of the night.

---

#5 Brock Lesnar is unstoppable

Lesnar decimated Orton to prove he is unstoppable

Many expected Randy Orton to take the fight to the Beast Incarnate and he did it too. But, the decisive way in which Brock won the match made it clear to anyone who was watching that there is no one in WWE’s current roster who could match Brock Lesnar in the ring.

Though Orton delivered 2 RKOs, whoever watched the main event will attest to the fact that he was never in the match. There was an ephemeral spot where it looked as if Brock was in trouble, but the memory of it was washed clean when Brock delivered a devastating F5 and proceeded to bust up Orton like a tin can. The way WWE has booked Brock Lesnar seemed to indicate that he is indeed unstoppable.

Brock piled up more heat by repeatedly decimating Orton even after the match was over. He then delivered an F5 to Shane McMahon – who had come to the ring to take a look at Orton, for good measure and let everyone in the arena know that he didn’t care one whit about what people thought of him.

#4 The Samoan Badass is back

This version of Roman has a new edge to him

For a long time, the most persistent problem for WWE is to book Reigns in an effective way that people would accept him. After almost two years of failed experimentation, the WWE had decided to give its fans the version of Roman they liked. But, it is two years too late. Nevertheless, we will take what we can get.

The match between Roman Reigns and Rusev never started, for Rusev attacked Roman before the bell was rung. The resulting fistfight led to the emergence of Roman Reigns – The Samoan Badass, whom we all enjoyed when he beat the living hell out of Triple H so long ago. This version of Roman looked more vicious and he had a mean streak to him that should have been showcased long back.

Whether it is a one-time incident or it spelled a slight character shift in Roman is yet to be seen. But, WWE would do well to book Roman more aggressively like he had been booked tonight. He could be in for a healthy mid-card push if he does finally get over, and if he doesn’t, a full blown heel turn after he wins the U.S. title could blow the door open for some great feuds. Heel or face, a potential feud with Kevin Owens also sounds like a tantalizing option.

#3 The women steal the show

This spot was a thing of beauty!

While Neville amazed the audience on the pre-show with his incredible skills, it was the women who stole the show. Sasha Banks and Charlotte literally tore the roof of Barclays Centre with their incredible performance. Unlike the previous encounters where they showcased their wrestling skills and wowed the audience, this time, they literally stole the show in Jeff Hardy fashion.

Even though the show was filled with several incredible performances and impactful moments, it is the memory of the top rope spots these women pulled off which would be on everyone’s mind when they walked back home. Especially, the spot where Charlotte tried to perform a Razor’s Edge from the second rope which Sasha countered with a Hurricarana left everyone speechless.

Though Sasha was unsuccessful in defending her title at the PPV, both women proved to the world that they can indeed hang in with the best WWE has to offer and even outshine them. It was easily one of the best women’s division match I have watched in my entire life.

#2 New WWE Universal Champion

The Demon King’s era begins

The biggest talking point for the Raw brand from SummerSlam is that it has a new WWE Universal Champion. Finn Balor and Seth Rollins tore each other apart in their match by silencing the audience with their incredible skills.

The match had a new vibe to it. With evenly matched performers, they both worked off each other to deliver one of the stellar bouts of the night. If not for the other performances in the night, this could have been very well the match of the night. And the fun part was that it was easily anyone's match. Finn Balor overcame Seth Rollins’s craftiness to deliver the Coup de Grace and in th process, became the first ever WWE Universal Champion.

The new era of Raw will now begin with Finn Balor as the spearhead and Rollins as his polar opposite. It sure seems to be exciting.

#1 It’s indeed a new era

John Cena is not at the top of the mountain anymore

The most important talking point of the night is the official beginning of new era. Though many (including me) looked sceptical at the mentioning of the new era in WWE, the WWE has walked the talk this time. This SummerSlam can officially be credited as the day new era began.

The dawning of the new era saw John Cena lose cleanly to The Phenomenal One in a high stakes match (which is like a miracle in itself). While the match itself was spectacular to watch with Styles countering most of Cena's move set effectively, and John Cena frustrating Styles with his "Never Give Up" attitude, it was the result that dwarfed the match. Styles exhibited a dogged determination to be the better man and he did come out as the better man.

John Cena left his armband on the mat in a symbolic representation of his loss after the match and signalled the start of the new era. Needless to say, the new era has officially begun and we can expect some great things from here onwards.