It was hard to gauge the overall satisfaction of this year’s Summerslam until the very end, despite the solid match card and plentiful title changes and swerves.
While the in-ring action was entertaining, there were far too many “Oh my god†moments, away from Nikki Bella’s heel turn and Roman Reigns’ clean win over Randy Orton.
That was until Brock Lesnar’s complete annihilation of WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena, in one of the most one-sided title wins in company history. Make no mistake, this was Lesnar’s moment. Not since his win over The Rock for his first title win, Lesnar is “The Man†for the first time in a decade.
Powered by that one of a kind Main Event, this year’s Summerslam satisfied. But with Lesnar’s full-time status moving forward, there’s no telling where things can go from here.
Matches:
Kick-Off: Rob Van Dam vs. Antonio Cesaro: A solid back and forth that saw Cesaro hit multiple variations of European Uppercuts throughout. Unable to hit the majority of his high-flying offense, RVD was vigilant and sold more than usual. After an exchange of counters, RVD was able to neutralize Cesaro and hit the Five-Star Frog Splash for the win.
Intercontinental Champion Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler: An enjoyable opening match that was highlighted by an awesome Miz counter of the Fame-Asser that led to a Skull-Crushing Finale. Although Miz was in control for a majority of the match, Ziggler hit a bevy of signature maneuvers and ultimately got the win with the Zig-Zag to claim the Intercontinental Title for the second time in his career.
Paige vs. Divas Champion AJ Lee: A physical encounter that will be remembered ultimately for Paige’s nasty new finisher. After she found a way to escape the Black Widow, Paige hit a modified Fisherman-DDT, the Rampage for the win.
Flag Match: Alexander Rusev w/Lana vs. Jack Swagger w/ Zeb Colter: Swagger destroyed Rusev before the match started and continued the onslaught on the outside after the bell. Rusev fought back with strikes, but had an injured ankle throughout the match. With Rusev unable to latch on the Camel Clutch, Swagger continued to work on Rusev’s already weakened ankle. But after he botched a Spinning Wheel Kick, Rusev latched on The Accolade until Swagger passed out to win.
Lumberjack Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins: Another physical match that saw the Lumber Jacks get involved on several occasions. Just when Ambrose had the match won, Kane broke up the pinfall. A few sequences later, Rollins nailed Ambrose with the Money in the Bank briefcase for the win.
Chris Jericho vs. Bray Wyatt: With no Luke Harper and Erik Rowan ringside, Wyatt needed to be on his A-game. Although Jericho hit most of his signature offense, including the Code Breaker (the pinfall after the maneuver was somewhat botched- Wyatt’s leg was supposed to be on the rope during the count, but it wasn’t.) After a Sister Abigail on the outside, Wyatt delivered the move again, this time in the ring, for the win.
Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon: Dressed in a Michael Hayes/Awesome Kong leather outfit, the frumpy McMahon beat on Bella with strikes and even hit a DDT in what proved a better match than expected. Despite the slow, plodding pace, the swerve at the end, which saw Nikki Bella turn on her own sister, made the match memorable. With Brie disabled after the Nikki forearm, (Triple H’s interference when Brie had McMahon in the Yes Lock also played a role) McMahon hit the Pedigree for the win.
Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton: These guys were at war. Trading signature moves the entire match, Orton’s counters, combined with Reign’s top rope Samoan Drop made for an intriguing match. When Reigns kicked out of the RKO, the Staples Center went nuts. When Reigns got the clean win with the Spear, they lost it again.
Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena: A F-5 30 seconds into the match gave Lesnar the early advantage. Lesnar followed up the near-fall with a pair of German Suplexes and a Snap Suplex, but Cena wasn’t done yet. But neither was Lesnar. More German Suplexes and strikes made Cena look vulnerable, but an Attitude Adjustment on Lesnar evened things out, sort of. After a few seconds, Lesnar laughed off the move and soon enough, was beating on Cena again. A dozen or so German Suplexes later, Lesnar was undeniably in control. Even when Cena latched on the STFU, Lesnar rolled out and hit another F-5 for the win.
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