WWE SummerSlam 2018

WWE SummerSlam 2018

Brooklyn, NY - August 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Brock Lesnar was the Universal Champion, AJ Styles was the WWE Champion, The B-Team (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel) held the RAW Tag Titles, while The Bludgeon Brothers held the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. Dolph Ziggler was the Intercontinental Champion, Nakamura was the United States Champion, Alexa Bliss held the RAW Women's Champion, and Carmella was the SmackDown Women's Champion.

COMMENTATORS: Graves, Coachman (RAW), Cole (RAW), Saxton (SD), Phillips (SD)

Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler was our kickoff match and while this was no less than good, it didn't stand out compared to any of the other matches they've had in 2018. At one point Coachman noted "Many people thought this match could steal the show" right as Ziggler applied a headlock and you could practically hear Corey Graves' eyes roll. The last 5-6 minutes saved this match for me as they ramped up the urgency and intensity. It didn't hurt that Rollins got cut a little too, the arrival of blood finally giving this feud the flavor it has been lacking since the very first time they locked up: unpredictability. (3/5)

The SmackDown Tag Team Championships were on the line next as The Bludgeon Brothers defended against The New Day. I was really surprised to read later that this match went close to 10 minutes because it felt like just 6-7. I'm a Harper fan and, based on his interview on the Edge & Christian Podcast, he seems happy in his current role, working with The New Day, Usos, and The Bar...but their act is noticeably colder than their days as Bray Wyatt's henchmen and I wonder if the problem is that the WWE has done a piss-poor job building up credible teams aside from the ones mentioned earlier in this (run-on) sentence. There was nothing new or exciting in this match aside from some of Big E's impressive displays of power. Nothing memorable here. (2/5)

One of the big shockers of the evening was how the next match, Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman, played out. I'm not a super Owens fan, but what happened to the strategy and gameplan that he had against Goldberg? Owens should be smart enough not to get squashed in under 2 minutes. Fortunately, wins/losses don't matter anymore so I don't think Owens is "buried forever," but this result and the match's brevity did him no favors and didn't really raise Braun's stock that much higher either because Owens had been presented as not much of a threat anyway. Also, just to put my booking hat on for a sec, I know Sami Zayn is injured for the rest of 2018, but this would've been a good opportunity to give Owens another little buddy (Ellsworth maybe?) to help him outsmart Strowman (or at least attempt to). Owens has proven to be even more entertaining when paired up with a buddy and, with the right finish, faulty interference could've been that "out" that would let Owens maintain a little cred after a loss. (1/5)

Charlotte and Becky Lynch challenged Carmella for her SmackDown Women's Championship in the next bout. I expected Becky to get a larger pop at the start of the match. I also expected Carmella to be a step behind, but this was easily her best match yet. She has improved enough to carry her own in a multi-man and, considering how often these sort of matches happen, that will get her pretty far (I particularly liked some of her spot-on superkicks). This match didn't feature as many of the crazy spots as the Lynch/Banks/Flair match from a few Manias ago, but I still found it entertaining from bell-to-bell. As much as the crowd wanted to see it, I'm not sure Becky needed the win here, especially if this is the next part of a major storyline between her and Charlotte. The post-match was, as expected,a  bit confounding. The crowd was clearly in Becky's corner as she beat down Charlotte and while I haven't watched the SmackDown episode from Tuesday, I'm guessing that large segments of the crowd will continue to support Becky no matter what she does. Will the impending Becky/Charlotte feud still work with Becky as the heel? Yeah, it will, because she's a good worker. But who wants a steak from Golden Corral when you've got one from Peter Luger's right there for the taking? Charlotte is the better heel, Becky is the beloved babyface, why swim against the current? (3/5)

AJ Styles defended his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe in the next contest. There was a big "TNA" chant to start the match, a nod to these two's shared history. While Steve Austin and Wade Keller criticized Styles and Joe for starting the match with some basic, hold-for-hold wrestling (noting that the storyline around this match should've inspired Styles to want to rip Joe's head off from the start), I disagree with that assessment. While the commentators could've painted the picture better, I was okay with Styles actively trying to rein in his wildest impulses and not let Joe "get in his head," knowing that in a brawl situation, Joe would be able to overpower him. As the match went on, the intensity picked up and Styles put on yet another "Best Wrestler on the Planet" performance, fearlessly bumping in and out of the ring. Samoa Joe may not be as quick as he once was, but his offense is still more devastating than 90% of the roster. This was a super physical match that peaked with AJ getting cut open and Samoa Joe grabbing a mic and telling Styles' wife and child that "Daddy won't be coming home" but reassuring them that he could step into the role. This inspired Styles to tackle Joe off the table and through the timekeeper's wall in what was one of the best spots of the entire weekend. Styles then went after him with a chair before eventually being talked down by his signature other and crying daughter. It was an incredibly emotional finale to the match and both Joe and Styles shined in the aftermath, playing their roles perfectly. What makes a match "must see"? Does it require a definitive ending? Of course not. A key part of pro-wrestling is building to the next match and this had me very excited about the future of this rivalry. (4/5)

 The next two segments were filler. First, Elias did his usual schtick but his guitar broke before he could play his song. Were we meant to believe Lashley was behind this? Seemed like a waste of time. Then, The Miz had a backstage moment with his former Miztourage, now the RAW Tag Team Champions, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, The B-Team. The Miztourage turned on The Miz back in late March, but they're "dumb goofs" gimmick is unoriginal, uninspired, and unfunny. Bring back The Fashion Police. 

Another match from the Blue Brand followed: The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan in a grudge match years in the making. I was surprised that the crowd wasn't 100% behind Bryan, a sizable portion of the crowd cheering for The Miz. It wasn't Sid/Michaels from Survivor Series 96' or anything and I'd argue its more of a sign of The Miz finally getting the respect and acceptance from the "hardcore" fans that he earned years ago rather than any sort of D-Bry backlash. I enjoyed the hell out of this match as there were so many small moments of brilliance. I loved Daniel Bryan starting the match with his fist in the air, making it 100% clear that this match wasn't necessarily about winning or losing - it was about punching The Miz in the face repeatedly. The Miz stealing Bryan's Yes Kicks was nothing new, but how about that surfboard? Later, The Miz hit an absolutely nasty clothesline off the top rope, a move that may be basic, but was delivered with such force it was remarkable. Throughout the match, the intensity and animosity was so clear that every moment mattered. While the live crowd didn't seem to be as captivated as I was at home, I also didn't watch this match in one 4+ hour marathon session and I'd wager that future viewers (or re-viewers) will enjoy this match more than the Brooklyn audience seemed to. Bryan's control segments felt cathartic in a way that is incredibly rare in the modern WWE, this match almost reminding me of the kind of meaningful, big match bouts that happened up and down the card back in the 80s and early 90s, when the heel might somehow steal the victory (as Miz did here), but he didn't escape without catching a real ass-kicking (see the Dusty Rhodes/Ted DiBiase feud from 90'/91' for another example). Bryan slapping the shit out of Miz and then hitting him with a stiff Yes Kick right to the chest was excellent, as was The Miz delivering a series of It Kicks to Bryan only for the American Dragon to work his way from his knees to a stand in defiance of the pain. The final minutes were great too, with a nice sequence built around Bryan kicking one of the posts with all his might and Miz locking in a figure four. Eventually, Miz ended up on the outside where his wife helped him screw over Bryan in yet another nod to the old school storytelling this whole match was built around. This match felt timeless, a straight-up fight between two guys that the audience fully believes hate each other. The best match of the weekend and maybe the year.  (4.5/5)

After a commercial for a Triple H/Undertaker match coming from the WWE's Australian Network Special, Finn Balor squashed Baron Corbin in under 3 minutes. Balor was his "Demon" character, which I thought was supposed to be saved for real important feuds? The crowd popped big for his entrance and his victory, but this still felt a bit unnecessary and if you were fast-forwarding through the show and missed it, you didn't miss anything. Point-and-a-half rewarded because the right guy one the match (I guess?) and Balor's entrance was entertaining. (1.5/5)

Jeff Hardy challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States Championship next. This felt like the match we should've got a month ago (when Orton screwed Hardy out of the title and the WWE screwed fans out of a match they were actually excited for). I've read some reviewers call this the best match Nakamura has had for months, but I wouldn't go that far - then again, I'm higher on the series with AJ than most. I liked Nakamura and Hardy taunting each other and Hardy did a great job of making Nakamura's offense look devastating. Say what one may about Hardy's track record, he seemed to understand his role here better than Ziggler or Corbin or whoever did when Nakamura first got the call up and, despite loads of hype, was stuck wrestling 50/50 matches at the most crucial point of his WWE career. This was a good, not great match. I'm not necessarily sure what Randy Orton's cameo was meant to accomplish aside from pointing to an inevitable triple threat math between these three - a match that I'm about as excited for as my next visit to the dentist. Hardy and Nakamura have some good chemistry, but Orton's style, pace, and gimmick seems like an odd flavor to add to the mix. (3/5)

The RAW Women's Championship was on the line in the next match - Alexa Bliss defending the title against Ronda Rousey. This was essentially a total squash, but a much more entertaining and heated one than Balor/Corbin or Strowman/Owens. Those matches felt one-sided to the detriment of the talent involved - Owens is supposed to be smart, Corbin has a distinct size advantage - while this was more like peak-era Goldberg where nobody is safe from Rousey, especially a featherweight like Bliss, once she is in her "zone." This wasn't a match of the night showing, but kudos to Bliss for some of the bumps she took and also to whatever agent came up with the idea of having Rousey literally "call her spots." If part of your gimmick is telling your opponent you're about to judo throw their ass, you really can't knock it as telegraphy. More entertaining than your average match. (3/5)

Main event time - Brock Lesnar defending the WWE Championship against Roman Reigns. Before the match started, we got a lengthy, lengthy, lengthy video package and then a lengthy, lengthy, lengthy intro from Paul Heyman before Braun Strowman arrived and announced that he would be cashing in his briefcase immediately after the math. This was real clever booking as Lesnar and Reigns both got more boos than cheers (at one point there was even a "You Both Suck" chant). Unlike their WrestleMania match from early this year, which had a fantastic start, this one was just spears, Superman Punches, two suplexes, and not much else. As much as fans may be sick of Brock Lesnar, its worth noting that his bumping is still so damn good and spirited that he instantly reminds you why he was once considered an elite-level performer (and may still deserve that sort of recognition). After a few minutes Reigns collided with Strowman and then Lesnar F-5'ed him on the outside (and also tossed his Money In The Briefcase all the way to the stage), signaling that tonight would not end with a cash-in. Reigns then hit Lesnar with one more spear and pinned him cleanly in the middle of the ring. Whoopdee doo. Years of build shouldn't result in a match this lazy and instantly forgettable. A point-and-a-half rewarded for Lesnar's bumping, the "big fight feel" and crowd reactions, and the WWE finally pulling the trigger. This match was like cracking open a can of soda only to realize all the carbonation is already gone. (1.5/5)


As has become the norm for near-every WWE Network Special/pay-per-view (especially the 4+ hour ones), SummerSlam 2018 was a bit of a mixed bag with some good, some bad, and lots of filler. The best matches of the night - Styles/Joe and Bryan/Miz - will likely land on my annual Top 10 Network Matches of the Year list and several other bouts were above-average if not "must see." On the negative side, the main event was "all sizzle and no steak" as Good Ol' JR might put it, a match years in the making that will be more remembered for the brilliant Braun Strowman "swerve" that Vince McMahon engineered to ensure the crowd didn't abandon the show entirely rather than anything Roman or Lesnar did. Finn Balor's return as The Demon popped the live crowd but elicited a yawn from me. The Bludgeon Brothers/New Day match was instantly forgettable and did little to make me excited for SmackDown's tag division. Maybe instead of having the War Machine attack the Undisputed Era on Saturday's NXT show, they should've just had them pull that move on Harper and Rowan? As a whole, with its 2.65-out-of-5 Kwang Score, the show was comparable to WrestleMania XXXIV in that it was a whole ton better than the past couple of editions. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand