PWP Nation’s Editor-in-Chief Eron Ramadanov explains seven things that we learned from the 29th WWE SummerSlam event.
Well, WWE SummerSlam is in the books for 2016, but after the big event from the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York, we’re left with more questions than answers and speculation is running wild about a number of different angles and stories coming out of the biggest party of the summer.
We witnessed new champions crowned and warriors go to battle. But what did we learn from it all?
Let’s begin:
#7. We learned… that sometimes less is more.
I think most of you know where I’m going with this one.
WWE SummerSlam in total (including the kickoff show) lasted roughly six and a half hours long, with the main show being over four hours long. Listen, I don’t care what kind of show you have in store for wrestling fans, six hours of sports entertainment is just too much at one time.
As someone who watches and really enjoys New Japan Pro-Wrestling, I can handle long shows. On average, New Japan shows last four hours, but there’s a difference between the two products, obviously. Oddly, what WWE does, it’s harder to keep me entertained for six hours long.
SHOCKER…
I understand the value of being on the air longer, which results in more ad-revenue, but at what cost? At some point, you’re just going to alienate your fanbase. I think we already knew this, but sometimes less is more and maybe it’s about time WWE caught onto that trend.
#6. We learned… WWE values AJ Styles.
I know you’re just as surprised as I am. Yeah, maybe you believed it was going to happen, but not like that. John Cena took a clean, 1-2-3 loss to AJ Styles at WWE SummerSlam. For months, the booking of AJ Styles has been a rollercoaster ride. Playing this tweener, Styles’ character has been lacking that one big win, but he finally got it.
He lost to Roman Reigns several times, Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 32 and needed the Club to beat John Cena the first go around at WWE Money In The Bank. Since arriving in WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble, Styles was lacking that defining moment that legitimized him with the casual fans who had never heard of him before WWE.
Well, he got it at SummerSlam.
Not only did he beat John Cena clean, but he also didn’t have any outside assistance from Luke Gallows or Karl Anderson. As for the match itself, I wasn’t as big a fan as others were. Some called this match a match of the year contender. Eh, I don’t see it, but I can understand that mindset. These guys did bust their asses and did a great job, but the pace of this match never really connected with me. It felt like their time got cut or something like that, because it appeared as if they were rushing their match.
As for the golden boy, Cena is off to reportedly shoot season two of the reality show, “American Grit,” which was renewed by FOX earlier this year. As for Styles, it only makes sense for him to move onto the WWE Champion Dean Ambrose and become the number one contender for the World Championship.
That’ll be phenomenal.
#5. We learned… WWE forgot how to make Championship belts.
Before Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins, WWE unveiled the brand new WWE Universal Championship, which is exclusive to Monday Night Raw. Once revealed to the world, the crowd in Brooklyn reacted the same way I did: in utter and complete shock.
No, not out of joy, but out of horror. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I’d ever mutter the words, “I’d rather have that goddamn spinner belt.”
In all seriousness, I dislike the design and look of the new title. It’s extremely red, which is obviously signifying Monday Night Raw, but does it really have to be THAT red? Even though WWE doesn’t think so, wrestling fans are smart. We don’t need everything to be color coordinated to understand that the Universal Championship is a part of the red brand.
I think we can follow the story…
Some might ask, “Eron, does it even really matter? It’s not that bad.” Yeah, you’re probably right. But, in a world where there are two separate brands, who rant and rave about having their own identities, why would Raw copy SmackDown’s title design? I mean, let’s treat this as if this was all legitimate. Why would Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley design a title that is a replica of the SmackDown World Championship? In what twilight zone world are we living in right now?
Also, another key element to this title discussion is if you’re a wrestling promotion or company, a first impression of a new World Championship is a pretty big deal. And to have the first look of your title be met with laughter, gasp and horror, that’s probably not a good start. In the end, I’m sure people will warm up to it and come around, but being completely serious, I think they could have been a little more creative with the design, especially to establish the difference between the two brands’ world titles.
#4. We learned… Dolph Ziggler is a loser (but we already knew that).
Poor, Dolph Ziggler. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
Let me start by saying I like Ziggler. I think the guy works extremely hard and tries the best he can, but again, if we were treating this like a real life sport, Dolph Ziggler’s character would be the definition of the word, “loser.”
Which is why I think it’s finally time to pull the trigger on a heel turn for the “show off.” We’ve seen Ziggler play the happy-go-lucky, poor man’s Shawn Michaels for a while now, but it’s time for a change. Ziggler’s entire purpose in this story with Dean Ambrose can be broken down into two parts: 1) he wants the WWE Championship and 2) he wants to prove he’s not a loser.
Well, he failed at both.
So with that being said, in character, what does Ziggler have to lose? What can he fall back on to remain who he is and to continue losing. On a brighter note for Dolph, I thought he did a fantastic job in his match with Ambrose and really produced a solid match.
So, with this loss, it’s time for heel Dolph Ziggler to make a comeback.
#3. We learned… that WWE still knows how to pull the trigger.
Usually when WWE goes full throttle with a push, it’s someone the fans are sort of halfhearted about and don’t really want to see said person in that position. Not this time.
Finn Balor defeated Seth Rollins clean in the middle of the ring to become the first ever WWE Universal Champion. No matter how ugly that title is, it’s a huge deal that WWE, Vince McMahon, Paul “Triple H” Levesque and other officials put their faith in Finn Balor and have given him the ball to run with. I’m sure we’ll see Seth Rollins and Finn Balor do battle on several more occasions, but this first one was special.
This match from the start wasn’t as hot as the ending. That was due in part to the crowd’s reaction to the new Universal Championship, which actually led Rollins to vocally scolding the people in attendance later in the night on Twitter saying that he was disappointed in the fans in Brooklyn. Before I give my thoughts on the match, I want to address this.
With all due respect to Seth Freakin’ Rollins, I think he should be aiming the blame elsewhere. Instead of pointing at the fans who were expressing their rights as paying customers, point the finger at the company you’re employed by to produce a better looking prize. Yeah, maybe the fans in Brooklyn should’ve focused more on the match, instead of the title during the actual match, but the fans being that vocal, doesn’t that speak to how bad the title design is? Anyways…
As for the match itself, I thought both guys worked really hard to produce a really good match. Rollins taking the pin clean was a ballsy move by the old man with pencil, but I love that they decided to go all in on the Demon King.
P.S. WWE, please stop calling him that…
#2. We learned… Sasha Banks might have the injury bug.
Before you send me hate mail and release my personal information on Twitter, please hear me out. I’m not saying that Sasha Banks is injury prone; I’m saying that there’s just a small chance she might be. Actually, it doesn’t even matter if in reality she is or isn’t injury prone. What matters is how the company views her.
If Vinny Mac deems you a risk to his long-term booking (if he even has that), ask Christian, Dolph Ziggler and countless others what might happen to you. I’ll break it to you: mid-card for life.
Now, I think Vince McMahon is smart enough to realize that Sasha Banks is an elite talent and among a handful of women who hold tremendous value to the future of wrestling in general, not just the women’s division. But I will say that I think this loss was a good thing for Banks in the long run. Sasha has been dealing with nagging injuries that just won’t go away since before WrestleMania 32. I think it would be best for Banks to take 1-2 months off, recharge the batteries, take a step back and come back 100%.
One thing I’d like to see when she returns is Banks maybe changing up some of her in-ring work. Banks takes risks in matches that I question at times and being smaller in physique, I fear that because of her small frame, nagging injuries might become a common theme in her career. For her sake and the women’s division, Banks should move toward a more mat-based move-set in her return.
#1. We learned… Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton was worth the wait.
Well, I don’t think anyone expected to see puddles of blood in the main event of WWE SummerSlam, now did we? When WWE first announced that Randy Orton would go one-on-one with Brock Lesnar, I wasn’t as excited as others. I had concerns about Orton’s health coming off a serious neck and shoulder injury. I also didn’t really have much interest in the match itself.
Boy, was I wrong or what?
Overall, I felt like this main event was worth the wait. It wasn’t the best match I’ve ever seen, nor was it a mat-wrestling clinic or a cruiserweight aerial showcase. It was a fight, plain and simple. Lesnar did his usual routine where he just throws his opponent around the ring for a majority of the match until it’s time to go into the finish.
And some finish it was. Toward the end, Lesnar started hitting Orton hard, almost like he forgot this wasn’t the UFC. In the process of that, Lesnar came across Orton with a right elbow to the forehead, which led to Orton needing 10 staples in his head as a result.
This left the Brooklyn crowd stunned, as blood drained out of Orton’s head. After the bleeding couldn’t be contained, the referee stopped the match and awarded Brock Lesnar the victor by TKO. It’s unclear at this time if this was a planned spot, if Orton bladed or whatever. Some are speculating that Lesnar did this on purpose because of the PED comment Orton made on the Highlight Reel at WWE Battleground. I think he got cut open the hard way, but I do think this was a planned spot by Orton, Lesnar and even the officials in the back. I don’t think they intended for Orton to get cut open like that, but this I think was the route they were going anyway, so the blood was an added bonus to the finish.
Overall, I enjoyed the realism and “big fight feel” of this match. This match wasn’t some five-star, G1 Climax caliber match, but it had all the things you want in a fight. That’s what this was: a fight.
In the end, the entire show wasn’t half bad. There were some questionable finishes and odd moments, but overall, with Styles and Cena putting on what many thought was a match of the year contender, Orton and Lesnar almost killing each other and Finn Balor and Seth Rollins taring the house down, I’d say WWE SummerSlam was worth the watch.
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