WWE SummerSlam 2019 aired live from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on August 11th.
Kickoff Show Results:
Drew Gulak defeated Loney Orcan to retain the Cruiserweight Championship. Rowan attacked Buddy Murphy during his match against Apollo Crews and told him to keep his name out of his mouth as Daniel Bryan watched from backstage. Elias performed but Edge interrupted him and hit him with a Spear. Bliss & Cross retained the Women’s Tag Team Championships over The IIconics.
Here are 9 takeaways from WWE SummerSlam 2019:
Becky Lynch Tapped Out Natalya With The Dis-Arm-Her
Becky Lynch defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Natalya tonight in a Submission Match. Lynch and Natalya traded slaps to the face to start off the match. Becky beat Natalya down in the corner but Natalya quickly fought back with a Clothesline.
Lynch went for the Dis-Arm-Her but Natalya blocked it. Natalya drove Lynch into the barricade outside the ring. Back in the ring, Natalya controlled the next few minutes and targetted Becky’s left leg. Natalya slammed Becky into the ring post and applied the Sharpshooter on the turnbuckle.
Becky was able to escape and rolled to the floor outside the ring. Lynch slammed Natalya’s shoulder into the announce table and then the steel steps. Back in the ring, Natalya battled back and planted Lynch with a Superplex. Natalya went for a Dropkick but Lynch caught her and locked in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring.
Natalya fought through the pain and bounced Becky’s head off the second turnbuckle to break the hold. Natalya then locked in the Dis-Arm-Her on Becky Lynch and transitioned into the Sharpshooter. Lynch crawled to the apron and escaped the hold. Lynch locked in the Dis-Arm-Her in the middle of the ring and Natalya tapped out.
Lynch and Natalya put on a very good match tonight and SummerSlam was off to a solid start. The crowd was into this match and they added a lot to it.
Goldberg Squashed Ziggler
Goldberg battled Dolph Ziggler in the second match of SummerSlam. Matt Riddle was on WWE Watch Along during the match and poked fun at Goldberg throughout his entrance and the match. Riddle has very publicly criticized Goldberg on social media in the past few weeks.
Ziggler hit Goldberg with a Superkick for a two count to start off the match. Goldberg hit a massive Spear and then the Jackhammer for the pinfall victory. After the match, Dolph Ziggler called Goldberg a baby and told him to come back to the ring and fight him like a man. Goldberg came back down to the ring and hit another Spear.
Dolph once again mocked Goldberg and called him a laughing stock. Goldberg came back down to the ring again and hit a third Spear to mercifully end the segment.
This was a fun segment to those that really love Goldberg’s entrance and just want to watch him walk up and down an entrance ramp several times. If you love actual wrestling, this wasn’t the segment for you. A single Spear and Jackhammer would have sufficed.
AJ Styles Retained The US Title
AJ Styles defend the United States Championship against Ricochet tonight at SummerSlam. RAW Tag Team Champions Gallows and Anderson accompanied Styles to the ring.
Styles controlled the match early but Ricochet battled back with an Enziguri for a near fall. Ricochet sold a leg injury throughout the match and went for a Suplex but his knee gave out. AJ capitalized and locked in the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring.
Ricochet countered into the Anaconda Vice in the middle of the ring. Ricochet connected with a Northern Lights Suplex and went for the cover but Styles kicked out two.
Ricochet hit Gallows with a Moonsault outside the ring and then made his way to the top rope. AJ tripped up Ricochet and joined him on the turnbuckle. Ricochet sent Styles to the canvas with an elbow to the face and then booted Anderson off the apron. Ricochet tried to flip onto Styles but AJ caught him and beautifully transitioned into the Styles Clash for the pinfall victory. After the match, The OC posed in the ring with their titles as Ricochet started to get up. Gallows and Anderson planted Ricochet with the Magic Killer.
I was hoping for a lot more out of this match. It wound up being decent but these two are capable of so much more. This entire feud was a huge letdown in my opinion.
Bayley Retained The SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bayley defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ember Moon. Bayley applied a Headlock to start the match off and then sent Ember to the corner. Ember battled back with a knee to the face and followed it up with a forearm to the face.
Moon connected with a Crossbody and went for the cover but Bayley kicked out at two. Ember went for another Crossbody but Bayley got out of the way and connected with a Clothesline for a near fall.
Bayley connected with a Suplex for another two count. The crowd was dead as Bayley slammed Ember into the turnbuckle. Bayley hung up Ember in the tree of woe and hit an Elbow Drop for another near fall.
Ember dropped Bayley with a Superkick and went for the cover but Bayley rolled out of the ring to avoid it. Moon connected with a Hurricanrana and then Double Knees for a near fall.
Bayley went for the Bayley to Belly but Moon was able to block it. Bayley climbed to the top rope but Moon caught her and planted her with a Powerbomb for a two count. Moon climbed to the top rope but Bayley followed her up there and connected with the Bayley to Belly for the pinfall victory.
The crowd wasn’t into this match and it is hard to blame them. The majority of the matches on the card were poorly built up and it would need to be a special match to get the attention of the crowd. There wasn’t anything special about this match at all.
Kevin Owens Still Has A Job With WWE
Shane McMahon squared off against Kevin Owens tonight. If Owens lost the match, he will be forced to leave WWE. Shane got out of the ring before the match and grabbed the microphone. McMahon announced that Elias will be the special guest enforcer for the match.
Owens chased Shane around the ring and Elias tripped Kevin up. The referee started counting and Owens got back inside at the last moment. Shane attacked Owens in the corner of the ring but Owens fought back with a few punches to the face.
Owens hit Shane with a Cannonball and Clotheslined him out of the ring. Elias distracted Owens again and Shane capitalized by launching Kevin into the barricade. A very loud “Shane you suck!” chant broke out as McMahon hit some jabs to Owens’ face in the corner of the ring.
Shane connected with a DDT and went for the cover but Owens kicked out at two. Owens hit the Pop-Up Powerbomb and went for the pin but Elias distracted the referee. Elias slid a chair into the ring and Owens grabbed it. Shane tried to get Owens to use the chair and get disqualified. Elias hopped up on the apron and Owens started arguing with him. Shane tried to hit Owens from behind but Kevin ducked and McMahon hit Elias.
Owens hit Shane with a Superkick and followed it up with a Frog Splash. Kevin went for the cover but Owens dragged the referee out of the ring. Owens took out Elias and the referee with a Cannonball off the apron. Owens then beat the hell out of Elias with the steel chair and threw Elias into the timekeeper’s area.
Kevin Owens was about to hit Shane with the chair but the official rolled into the ring. Owens handed the referee the chair and then hit Shane with a low blow while the referee was sliding the chair out of the ring. Owens then hit Shane with the Stunner for the pinfall victory.
I enjoyed this match for what it was. Owens got a tremendous reaction from the crowd and hopefully, WWE has big plans for him going forward.
Charlotte Tapped Out Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus faced Charlotte Flair tonight at WWE SummerSlam. Stratus connected with a Hurricanrana to start off the match and posed for the crowd as they chanted “you still got it!”.
Stratus sent Charlotte out of the ring and leaped onto her off the apron. Trish unloaded a flurry of punches before bringing Flair up the steel steps. Charlotte tripped Stratus and Trish fell on the steps.
Charlotte launched Stratus into the barricade and rolled her back into the ring. Charlotte slowed the match down and beat Trish down for the next couple of minutes. Flair connected with a boot to Trish’s face that sent her tumbling out of the ring.
Trish got back into the ring at the last second and Flair went right back on the attack. Charlotte went for a Moonsault but Trish got out of the way and Flair crashed to the canvas.
Flair booted Stratus in the knee but Trish shrugged it off and hit Charlotte with a chop. Stratus and Flair traded punches on the top turnbuckle. Stratus got the better of the exchange and hit a Hurricanrana for a near fall.
Charlotte battled back with a big boot and went for the cover but Trish was able to kick out at two. Stratus locked in the Figure Four on Charlotte in the middle of the ring. Trish bridged into the Figure Eight and Flair screamed in pain.
Flair was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold and then booted Stratus in the knee. Charlotte went for a Spear but Trish dodged it and connected with Stratusfaction for a two count.
Stratus and Charlotte traded shots and Trish got the better of the exchange. Trish connected with the Chick Kick and went for the cover but Flair kicked out at two. Flair booted Stratus in the face and applied the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Charlotte bridged into the Figure Eight and Stratus tapped out. After the match, the crowd cheered for Stratus and chanted “thank you Trish”.
Stratus and Charlotte had a solid match tonight. I would have preferred to see someone that needed this victory in this match other than Flair. I’m not sure what Charlotte gained from this, as she has already accomplished so much in WWE. However, it was cool to see Stratus wrestle one more time and the match turned out well.
The WWE Championship Match Ended In A Double Count-Out
Kofi Kingston defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton at WWE SummerSlam. Orton controlled the match early and sent Kofi flying out of the ring and into the barricade.
Dueling “Kofi is stupid!” and “Randy sucks!” chants broke out as Orton slammed Kingston on top of the announce table. Kingston connected with a Clothesline off the steel steps and rolled Randy back inside the ring.
Orton rolled back to the outside and Kingston went for a Crossbody off the apron. Randy got out of the way and slammed Kingston on top of the announce table once again.
Back in the ring, Orton perched Kingston up on the top rope. Kingston booted Orton away and hit a DDT for a near fall. Kingston followed it up with the Boom Drop and went for Trouble in Paradise but Orton countered into a Backbreaker.
Kingston sent Orton out of the ring and leaped onto him off the top turnbuckle. Back in the ring, Kofi hit a Crossbody off the top turnbuckle for a near fall. Randy hit a DDT while Kingston was caught up in the ropes.
Orton geared up for the RKO but Kingston countered into a backslide pin for a two count. Kingston climbed to the top rope and went for a Crossbody but Orton countered into an RKO.
Randy started laughing as Kingston rolled out of the ring. Orton got distracted by Kingston’s family in the front row and Kofi flipped out. Kingston attacked Orton and the match ended in a double count-out. Kingston hit Orton with a kendo stick several times. Kofi hit Orton with the Trouble in Paradise as the crowd relentlessly booed.
This match was alright, but then everyone turned on it because the ending sucked so much. It looks like this feud will continue and I’m fine with that. However, I’m not a fan of having a title match end like this on a PPV, especially a show as important as SummerSlam. I thought that this match had the best build on the card and it wound up being the most disappointing.
Bray Wyatt’s Return To The Ring Was Epic
Bray Wyatt (The Fiend) faced Finn Balor tonight at SummerSlam. The Fiend’s entrance was epic and the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
Wyatt dominated the match early and planted Balor with a Uranage. Bray went for Sister Abigail but Balor countered into a Slingblade.
Balor hit a Dropkick to the corner and made his way up the top rope. Finn went for the Coup de Grace but Wyatt caught him in the Mandible Claw. Balor passed out and Wyatt won the match. The crowd chanted “that was awesome” as Balor struggled to get up following the match.
WWE hit this one out of the park. Wyatt has always been a great character, he was just misused in the past. Now, Bray has all the momentum in the world and hopefully, WWE doesn’t drop the ball again this time. The entrance and remixed theme were absolutely perfect tonight.
Seth Rollins Captured The Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins in the main event of SummerSlam.
Brock Lesnar went right after Seth’s injured ribs at the beginning of the match. Lesnar went for a German Suplex but Seth landed on his feet. Rollins hit Lesnar with The Stomp and went for the cover but Brock kicked out at two.
Rollins connected with a knee to the face and went for a Superkick but Brock caught him. Lesnar went for another German Suplex but Rollins landed on his feet again. Seth hit a Superkick and went for The Stomp but Lesnar countered into an F-5.
Lesnar stomped on Seth’s ribs and this time hit three German Suplexes in a row. Brock planted Seth with a German Suplex on the outside of the ring and then another one in the ring. Rollins rolled out of the ring but Brock went right after him. Lesnar went for an F5 but Seth escaped and slammed Brock into the ring post.
Back in the ring, Rollins hit another knee to the face and then climbed to the top rope. Seth went for a Crossbody but Lesnar got out of the way and hit another German Suplex.
Brock took his gloves off and launched Seth across the ring. Rollins battled back and hit two Suicide Dives in a row. Rollins went for a third but Brock caught him and slammed Seth into the ring post.
Lesnar cleared off the announce table and turned around into a Superkick from Rollins. Seth climbed to the top rope and connected with a Frog Splash through the table and the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
The two superstars got back in the ring and Seth climbed to the top rope. Rollins hit another Frog Splash and then The Stomp for a near fall. Seth went for another Stomp but Lesnar caught him. Brock went for an F5 but Rollins escaped and hit a Superkick. Seth Rollins hit The Stomp for the pinfall victory and to become the new Universal Champion.
This match was much better than I thought it was going to be. I’m glad the title is off of Lesnar and back on Rollins. I just hope that WWE has something interesting planned for him because his feud with Baron Corbin was terrible. He definitely got a lot of the crowd back on his side after this match tonight.
This year’s SummerSlam felt thrown together and most of the matches suffered from the lack of a proper build. The Universal Championship match was better than expected, yet the WWE Championship match was a letdown. It was one of WWE’s biggest shows of the year and for the majority of the night, it didn’t feel that way.
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