Summerslam Reaction

Hey guys,

After the success of Saturday night's NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, I knew that no matter how hard the main roster tried, they would never be able to reach the standard of NXT. The show produced high quality in all matches put on from the well deserved win for Drew McIntyre, the balls of Nikki Cross, the 100/100 women's championship match AND Adam Cole debut, it seems as if NXT can do now wrong. If I could, I would've reacted to that but it all seemed too good to even criticise!

It was time to see if the main roster could stand up against NXT for one of the biggest PPV of the year!

The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan v The Miz and Miztourage

As much as I am upset that the IC title isn't being defended, I have to be grateful that The Miz (one of my favourites) even has a match. This was a good match, not a main card match but a very good match nevertheless. I didn't doubt that it would've been with legends like The Hardy's and The Miz - it even seemed like Jason Jordan worked weirdly and unexpectedly well with Matt and Jeff, maybe as well as the oddness of the Miztourage.There was nothing bad about the match but there wasn't anything amazing that made me sit a the end of my seat! The Hardys were on top form throughout, yet I found myself disappointed at the lack of ring time The Miz had, maybe frustrations for not being able to defend the IC title with honour.

Akira Tozawa v Neville - CW Championship

I will forever be upset that this championship always seems to be put on the pre-show even though both competitors have shown their skills and ability to put on a show - it's not helping people fall in love with the Cruiserweight division like I have. It seemed as if the smaller audience really was getting into this match and I don't blame them. Tozawa is so energetic and passionate about this business and it showed throughout - it seemed like he never slowed down, even for a breath. Neville seemed to be bringing back his more agile move set with the initial backflip and the piece de resistance of finishing with the stunning Red Arrow. This match really showed off everything I love about the Cruiserweight division with high risk, high flying moves and submissions that keep me glued to the screen. Both characters are loved by the Universe, yes even evil Nev Nev but I agreed with giving the title back to Neville. I really wished that Tozawa would've had a longer run because he is such a talented superstar. However, all hail - the King has returned!

Also, shoutout to Elias Samson for being awesome with his song and encore.

The New Day v The Usos - SD Tag Team Championship

This is another match that I don't get why it's on the pre-show. Both tag teams constantly put on amazing matches and have great chemistry in the ring, as shown by the rap battle. It's another piece of evidence that shows Smackdown as the B-list show, especially after the Wrestlemania women's debacle. It was a surprising lineup of Xavier and Big E but it was still as strong as if it would've been Kofi and Big E - it shows that Woods isn't the New Day weak link like some people think . Woods was the one in the ring for most of the match and he wasn't getting absolutely thrashed, like he normally does but The Usos showed why their change in personality was perfect! People have called this the tag team match of the year and I can't disagree, even with the swift change of title back to the Usos. The match was fast, dynamic and brutal which shows why these two teams are some of the best in tag team history. Match of the night, hands down!

John Cena v Baron Corbin

After the disappointment of Corbin's cash in, I needed WWE to give me some hope that they weren't chucking away Baron's potential. Cena showed some personality in this match and drank in the crowd like he usually does. It initially seemed like Corbin was going out to harm cena with his usual rough and tough style but the WWE golden boy always seems to come out on top. The match is general was okay, it went to and fro so I didn't really know who was going to win until the end. Yet it didn't seem like a way to start summerslam, it would've been better on the pre show. The result sort of just ruined everything we thought WWEwere going to do with Corbin.

Naomi v Natalya - SD Women's Championship

This match has been something I've been looking forward too because Naomi and Natalya are two of my favourites and both two of the longest women WWE wrestlers on the roster. Natalya deserved this one on one match for the title and I didn't have reservations, unlike a lot of people. With the horsemen, I think people forget about how good Natalya is in ring and how good Naomi is getting. I was surprised at the quick pace and risks taken in the match because sometimes, these matches can get repetitious. All I can say is, what a match, what an ending and what a result. The way Natalya took that title, she didn't break character and it was a well. As much as I love Naomi, and it made me cry seeing her cry, it was Natalya's time and it was long deserved. Both ladies deserve praise for this match and, even though a LOT of people aren't happy with the result or the build up, it happened so well have to see where it goes.

Big Show v Big Cass
This feud is another pointless and uninteresting one for me. It's been to and fro yet I haven't seen any story advancement for either Cass or Enzo and especially the veteran Big Show. It was a fight amongst big men but didn't have a big impact. The fact that Big Show was injured basically gave the result away. The match was made worse by Enzo in the cage running his mouth. I normally love Enzo on the mic but you couldn't hear him properly so all I could hear was a constant buzz or rumble of nonsense which made no sense. The highlight was Enzo getting naked and lubing himself to get through the cage. I didn't see the point of the match but I just hope this is over and we can see what Enzo and Cass are going to do solo. 

Randy Orton v Rusev

What. Even. Was. This. Match. That's. All. I'm. Pissed.

Alexa Bliss v Sasha Banks - Raw Women's Championship

Yet another title match with Sasha Banks in it. She is a great worker and has great chemistry with Bliss but I would've liked to see a new face in the picture - yet I did have high expectations because both stars are constantly improving. Alexa is probably one of the most improved superstars in the roster and I'm happy that she had the ability to make her mark as both the raw and SD champion because she is THE queen heel. The match wasn't as dynamic as the SD women's championship but it wasn't boring as both women put their all in. Apart from way too many pin attempts, especially at the beginning, the match was well executed and it helped that both stars have great in ring chemistry. This match and the SD women's match show why women needed more time in matches on ppvs - to let them shine! Let's hope Sasha can have a decent run because, as much as I like variety, she deserves a good title run.

Finn Balor v Bray Wyatt

This has been a disappointing feud for me considering how much I love Balor and his talent. It's had no core to the storyline and it feels like WWE are just throwing it together to give the stars something to do. So, despite the weirdness of the setup, you can't say that Finn doesn't deliver on every match whether he's Finn or the Demon King. From an offensive point, he was dominating a lot of the match with swing blades and suicide dives. Even bray managed to hold his own against the King so the match can't be called boring to any extent. Maybe it was Finn that guided Bray through or the crowd but both worked pretty well together considering how bored I was of this feud. This was the only right result in terms of non title matches and let's hope this another storyline we can move on from.

Sheamus and Cesaro v Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins
Crossfit Jesus plus the hooded lunatic plus two kilt wearing boyfriends equals a dream match. The match showed why the shield was so amazing because Seth and dean work amazingly together. It also shows why Cesaro and sheamus needed to be put together, alone they were floating but together they dominated with their relationship and strength. My only issue was That bloody beachball, it'll be the death of me. Thank god for Cesaro, it might be one of my highlights because cesaro did what every superstar and fan wanted to do! Apart from the glitch, I can't complain about the match and it was one of my favourite of the night with an amazingly shocking result! No one can doubt any of these four superstars wrestling ability so there wasn't a flaw or boring part of the entire match! What a crowd reaction too, let's hope Seth and Dean don't lose the titles too quickly.

AJ Styles v Kevin Owens - US Title

The AJ/ Kevin feud is something that I have been massively invested in as they are two of the best and most enjoyable performers to watch. With the added height of Shane O'Mac being the referee, it was a great way to carry on the feud but bringing it back to WM with Shane and AJ. This match was pure gold from the start when Shane was acting like the disapproving dad as he pulled Kevin away from AJ to start the match. Both wrestlers are so talented and the phenomenal one isn't the face that runs the place for no reason and KO isn't one of the top heels for no reason. Both athletes are agile and the added frustration of Shane as referee made the match a lot more exciting. The move set was so amazing that I was as shocked as Shane! This feud is always fresh and exciting and this match was a great finale to end it. But where are we going from here for both stars? Kevin v Shane or AJ v Jinder - the possibilities are endless. 

Jinder Mahal v Shinsuke Nakamura - WWE Championship

I've never had an issue with Mahal as champion and wouldn't be bothered who won this match. I was surprised with the match when it was announced but with the clashing styles, it was bound to be a match to talk about! This was probably Nakamura's best ppv on the main roster but, compared to the main event, it just didn't have the big pop and effect it should've. The main problem was the repetitiveness with the ending, it seems as if every title match is won by Jinder with help from the Singh brothers. I know it's the point but its getting boring, Jinder should be able to be a great champion without help but he didn't and he retained. This match seemed to be lackluster on Mahal's side and I was disappointed with him considering how dangerous Nakamura seemed to be in this title defence.

Fatal 4 Way Lesnar, Joe, Reigns and Strowman - Universal Championship

This match has been a dream for so many WWE fans and with Lesnar's ultimatum, it was a well deserved main event with four of the biggest men in the company. I was always a bit sceptical as I always am with Brock Lesnar matches but I was surprisingly impressed and actually in awe of this match the entire way through - it had me on the edge of my seat! The MVP of this match had to be Braun Strowman because some of the stuff that man did, well I couldn't believe it. Michael Cole summed it up perfectly, these big men were throwing themselves around like Cruiserweights. The whole table debacle was one of the coolest things I've seen and I have to even give props to Lesnar for getting up and carrying on because that looked damn ass painful. I was surprised at the lack of Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns but hopefully this leads onto something.

Overall, Summerslam was so much better than last year. Most of the matches were of high quality and, whether you agreed with the titles changes or not, it was nice to see some new people with titles and some oldies return to their former glory. Whether it was as good as Takeover can be debated but remember, Summerslam had more matches so it's harder for them all to be perfect!

What did you think about Summerslam 2017? Let me know in the comments below!

Until Next Time,

Bye!