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WWE Summerslam 2016 Reaction/Rant

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Written by

Robert Lentini

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Kickoff Show:

Dudley Boyz vs Sami Zayn & Neville

Sami Zayn and Neville defeated the Dudley Boyz in a short match. I can’t help but feel like all four of the performers in this match should be doing something better than this throwaway match. I’m guessing the Dudley Boyz are going to split up soon and maybe Bully Ray will get a run in WWE. I hope this is the case because both Raw and Smackdown could use a new heel. Sami Zayn defeated Kevin Owens and the WWE hyped the hell out of that match. They said it would launch both of their careers in the WWE because their feud was finally over. Instead, both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have gone backwards. Sami Zayn was simply thrown on the card at the last minute and Kevin Owens is in a tag team match that isn’t even for tag titles.

Sheamus vs Cesaro (First Match in Best of 7 Series)

The crowd was taunting Sheamus throughout this match with the “you look stupid!” chant. This was a very solid and physical match. Cesaro hit the Cesaro Swing and then locked in the Sharpshooter but Sheamus was able to get to the bottom rope. Sheamus poked Cesaro in the eye and then hit the Brogue Kick for the victory. Sheamus leads the best of 7 series 1-0 over Cesaro.

Main Card:

 Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho vs Enzo & Cass

Enzo and Big Cass cut an entertaining promo before the match, complete with songs and jokes. This was pretty much a standard Enzo and Cass match. Enzo was getting destroyed by Jericho and Owens and he was trying to get a tag for several minutes. Finally, Enzo made the tag and Big Cass came in and cleaned house for a little bit. Big Cass hit the Empire Elbow on Jericho. Owens knocked Big Cass outside leaving Jericho and Enzo in the ring. While outside the ring, Owens hit a running Cannonball on Big Cass who was laying against the barricade. Enzo hit the DDG on Jericho in the ring and went for the pin but Owens broke it up. Owens then launched Enzo in the air and Jericho hit him with a Codebreaker for the win.

Winners: Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho

Reaction: Enzo seems to constantly take the pinfall in these tag matches. I’m wondering if Big Cass is going to get fed up with it soon and have a single’s run. This was a solid match to start off the main show. Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho were screaming that they love each other after the match.

Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte

Charlotte was dominating the match early on. It appeared that Charlotte was going for a Razor’s Edge off of the top rope but Banks reversed it into a Hurricanrana. This was an awesome sequence in the match. Sasha and Charlotte started trading punches in the ring. Sasha Banks had Charlotte locked in a Boston Crab on the turnbuckle and then followed that up by stomping on Charlotte’s back. Sasha then hit Double Knees from the second turnbuckle onto Charlotte outside the ring. The action spilled back into the ring and Charlotte went for the Natural Selection but Sasha Banks countered into the Bank Statement. Charlotte was able to squirm out of the hold in the center of the ring. Charlotte then hit the Natural Selection but Banks kicked out a two. Charlotte began to get frustrated and shouted at Sasha that she was better than her. Sasha locked in the Bank Statement again but Charlotte countered it into a pinfall for the victory.

Winner and New Women’s Champion: Charlotte

Reaction: Sasha Banks was selling a back injury throughout the match and that came into play in the finish as she didn’t have enough to kick out of the pin. This was a very good match with a finish that nobody saw coming. I thought that Sasha Banks was for sure going to win this match but that was not the case. Sasha Banks had a very short title reign and now she once again has to chase the Women’s Championship. If that leads to more Charlotte and Sasha Banks matches, that sounds good to me. It should also be noted that Sasha Banks was removed from upcoming WWE events. Either she has an injury or something else happened and that may explain the incredibly short title reign she had.

Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz (c) vs Apollo Crews

The Miz came out with a ridiculous Phantom of the Opera mask on his face. The Miz started out this match strong, hitting several kicks and a DDT. The Miz went to hit Crews off of the top rope but Apollo countered with a Dropkick. The Miz tried to head to the back but Apollo Crews stopped him and brought him back to the ring. Apollo Crews went to jump on The Miz in the corner but Miz rolled out of the way. The Miz then hit the Skull Crushing Finale on Crews for the win.

Winner and Still Intercontinental Champion: The Miz

Reaction: You could hear a pin drop in the Barclay’s Center during this match. It is not the crowd’s fault because there was virtually no build for this match. The match itself was short but decent. I have zero clue what the WWE will do with Apollo Crews in the future. Maybe the WWE will continue the feud between Crews and The Miz, only this time actually put some effort into it.

https://twitter.com/xRockNRolla/status/767513069455020032

John Cena vs AJ Styles

Styles came out to a great reaction from the Brooklyn crowd. John Cena came out to the mixed reaction he always gets. There were dueling “AJ Styles!” and “Lets go Cena!” chants at the beginning of the match. Styles hit a Dropkick on Cena and went to the top rope to celebrate. As soon as he got down, Cena punched him right in the face. Cena had the momentum until Styles hit a Suplex and Cena’s back landed right on the ring apron. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment but Styles countered and hit the Styles Clash. Cena kicked out at two and Styles looked frustrated. Cena then hit an Attitude Adjustment but Styles kicked out at two. Cena went for an Attitude Adjectment off the top rope but Styles countered it into a Torture Rack. Styles then spun Cena around and hit him with a Powerbomb but Cena once again kicked out. Styles went for a 450 Splash but Cena rolled out of the way and Styles went flying into the mat. Styles hit a German Suplex and then rolled through and hit a Facebuster on Cena but once again Cena was able to kick out. Cena locked in the STF in the center of the ring but Styles countered into a Crossface. Cena then used his strength and picked up Cena but Styles countered that into a Calf Crusher. Cena then reversed the Calf Crusher into an STF but Styles reversed it into a pinfall. Cena kicked out at two and then landed a Tornado DDT on Styles. Cena then hit a Leg Drop off the top rope onto the back of Styles’ head, but once again Styles kicked out. Styles then hit an amazing Frankensteiner on Cena and followed it up with a Phenomenal Forearm but Cena kicked out at two. Cena hit an Attitude Adjustment off of the second turnbuckle but amazingly Styles kicked out. This caused the Brooklyn crowd to erupt into a “Yes!” chant. Cena looked shocked that Styles was able to kick out. He watched in amazement as Styles tried to get to his feet. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment but Styles countered it into the Styles Clash. Styles then hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Cena for the victory. After the match, Cena kissed his “Never Give Up” wristband and left it in the middle of the ring.

Winner: AJ Styles

Reaction: This was an absolutely terrific wrestling match. AJ Styles got the win clean in impressive fashion. Styles may be lined up for getting a shot at the WWE Championship soon. I used to absolutely hate Cena when I was younger. Ten years ago I was in the Boston crowd at Summerslam 2006 booing the hell out of Cena in his match versus Edge. I was ecstatic when Edge used the brass knuckles and cheated his way to a victory. Now, I have tremendous respect for Cena. I have no idea how he consistently puts on terrific matches. When he was injured recently the product wasn’t nearly as good. Love him or hate him, there is no denying how important Cena is to the WWE. There is also no denying that AJ Styles defeating Cena clean is very significant and could mean big things for Styles in the near future.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Club vs The New Day

Jon Stewart was ringside for this match. He also cut a lame promo before the match. I was watching this match simply hoping Jon Stewart wasn’t involved in the finish. Big E was not involved in this match. It was Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. The beginning of this match was back and forth. Xavier Woods hit a massive Elbow Drop on Karl Anderson, but Anderson kicked out at two. Anderson and Gallows hit the Magic Killer on Kofi Kingston but Jon Stewart ran into the ring. The Club then dragged Stewart to the ring post but Big E came out and saved Stewart. Big E then took out The Club. The referee then called for the bell. The New Day are still the Tag Team Champions.

Winners via DQ: The Club 


Reaction: I hated everything about this. Instead of a real tag team match for the titles at Summerslam, we get Jon Stewart dancing. Even if this happened on Raw I would hate it. I actually thought The Club would win this match. Silly me, I didn’t factor in Jon Stewart. What was I thinking? I also found it amusing that Big E was apparently just hanging around backstage in his wrestling gear instead of joining his team in defending the titles. That is the WWE in a nutshell. You go from a terrific wrestling match to Jon Stewart cutting a promo with a unicorn horn on his head. I have nothing against Jon Stewart. I would just prefer a silly promo rather than him actually getting involved in title matches.

WWE Championship Match: Dean Ambrose (c) vs Dolph Ziggler

Dean Ambrose was toying with Dolph Ziggler during this match. Often times slapping him in the face and trash talking him. Ambrose also did the Shawn Michael’s stomp before the Superkick. Ambrose didn’t Superkick Ziggler though. Instead he just laughed and went for the Dirty Deeds but Ziggler blocked it. Ziggler was finally able to gain some momentum when Ambrose went flying shoulder first into the ring post. Ambrose and Ziggler then ran into each other at full speed and both men were knocked down. Ambrose took control of the match when both Superstars got up. Ambrose hit a Flying Elbow Drop on a standing Ziggler, but Dolph was able to kick out at two. Dean Ambrose once again taunted Ziggler by dancing around in the ring. The crowd even started to boo Ambrose a little bit. The action spilled outside and Ziggler hit a Superkick on Ambrose. Zigger then rolled Ambrose back in the ring for a pinfall but Ambrose kicked out. Ziggler then hit Ambrose with a Zig-Zag but Amrbose kicked out at the last second. Ambrose then hit a viscous Lunatic Lariat on Ziggler. Both men were on the top turnbuckle. Ziggler went for a Facebuster off the top rope but Ambrose blocked it. Ambrose then hit the Dirty Deeds for the victory.

Winner and Still WWE Champion: Dean Ambrose

Reaction: What an awful title match at Summerslam. I thought the build to this match was better than the Finn Balor/Seth Rollins feud. I guess I was wrong about that because the crowd was absolutely dead for this match. This whole match was just a total bummer. Dean Ambrose was goofing around and defeated Ziggler easily. So what was the point? What was the point of building Ziggler up if this was going to be the end result? A non-competitive, lazy WWE Championship match at the second biggest show of the year was the end result of building Ziggler up the past few weeks. This match happened before Roman Reigns and Rusev, which is the United States Championship match. It was pretty clear that it was going to be a throwaway match right away and it was honestly a waste of time. Hopefully, the WWE doesn’t ask people to take Ziggler seriously in the future because that is pretty much impossible now. Dean Ambrose was giggling and dancing around the ring and defeated Ziggler rather easily. If the goal of this match was to bore everyone to tears, have Ambrose look like a goofball and squash any momentum Ziggler had then mission accomplished.

Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss & Natalya vs Naomi, Becky Lynch & Carmella

Eva Marie was scheduled to be in this match but obviously she wasn’t due to being suspended. Nikki Bella replaced her and she got a great reaction from the Brooklyn crowd. Naomi was terrific in this match. Eventually, this match turned into total chaos with everyone in the ring. It came down to Nikki Bella and Carmella in the ring. Nikki Bella hit a TKO on Carmella for the win.

Winners: Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss & Natalya

WWE Universal Championship Match: Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins

This match was also before the Roman Reigns and Rusev match. It was also before the Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton match. The new Universal Championship was revealed. The crowd booed the title when Jojo announced that the match was for the Universal Championship.

The announcer’s kept referring to Finn Balor as “The Demon King” over and over again. Rollins controlled the match early on. He hit a Powerbomb on Balor outside the ring onto the barricade. The crowd didn’t seem into this match either. They were chanting random things throughout. To be fair, this match was remarkably slow. Rollins pretty much dominated Balor for most of the match. Balor finally built some momentum and drove Rollins into the barricade. Finn Balor went for the Coup de Grace but Rollins rolled out of the way and hit the Pedigree. Balor kicked out at two and the crowd actually made noise for the first time in twenty minutes. Finn Balor then was able to hit the Coup de Grace for the victory.

Winner and Universal Champion: Finn Balor

Reaction: This was a good match. People were annoyed with the crowd during this match because they were quiet and when they did make noise they chanted random things. I don’t see it that way. I see the crowd reaction as a result of having to sit through an hour of nothing entertaining and having the WWE and Universal Championship matches in the middle of the card. These matches instantly felt less significant than they should have due to where they were on the card. It made zero sense to me why both of these matches were before the United States Championship match. It is easy to just blame the crowd because it appeared they weren’t into the Universal Championship match. I don’t think that would have been the case if the WWE had a better build for this show. It will be interesting to see where the WWE goes with Finn Balor now. I hope that he doesn’t come out as the “Demon King” every match.

A KFC advertisement aired that featured Dolph Ziggler dressed as Colonel Sanders defeating The Miz dressed as a chicken in a match. Heck of a night for Dolph Ziggler.

WWE United States Championship Match: Rusev (c) vs Roman Reigns

The match never happened. Rusev and Roman Reigns brawled before the match and Rusev got “injured”. Reigns Speared Rusev to end the segment. The crowd chanted “CM Punk”. Wonderful.

Reaction: This show was shaping up to be something great through the Cena and Styles match. After the Cena/Styles match, this show fell off a cliff, walked back to the top of the cliff and fell off of it again. What is there to react to with this Roman Reigns and Rusev “match”? They should have just had Reigns Spear Rusev into a wedding cake. That would have just completed everything.

Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton

This was the main event for some reason. Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley were shown backstage watching Lesnar’s entrance. Orton went for the RKO early but Lesnar blocked it. Lesnar then hit a bunch of German Suplexes. Lesnar tossed Orton through an announcer’s table. Lesnar went to put Orton through another table but Orton hit an RKO out of nowhere. Lesnar was trying to get back into the ring but Orton caught Lesnar and hit him with a DDT. Orton hit Lesnar with another RKO but Lesnar kicked out. Orton went to kick Lesnar in the head but Lesnar caught him and hit the F-5. Orton kicked out at two. Lesnar then got on top of Orton and beat him down. Orton was bleeding badly and the match had to be stopped so the doctors could tend to Orton. As the doctors were trying to help Orton, Lesnar pushed them away and punched Orton some more. The referee then called the match and Lesnar won. Shane McMahon then came down and Lesnar got right in his face. Lesnar hit an F-5 on Shane McMahon.

Winner by TKO: Brock Lesnar

Reaction: This show was a massive disappointment. Dolph Ziggler looked weak. Ambrose looked like a goofball. Both the WWE Championship match and the Universal Championship match took place before the United States Championship match. To add insult to injury, the United States Championship didn’t even happen. The main event was Lesnar versus Orton for some reason. The build to this match in the past week was that each guy beat up Heath Slater. The Women’s Championship and the Styles/Cena match were great. The rest of the show was very bad in my opinion.

What did you think of this year’s Summerslam? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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