WWE Summerslam 2017 Review 08/20/2017

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my Summerslam 2017 review. It’s the biggest party of the Summer and the show is STACKED. There were 13 matches booked for this match but I only caught 12 of them. 3 of them took place on the kick-off show. 8 of the matches were championship matches. The only championship that was not defended was the Intercontinental Champion. Summerslam being one of the big four PPV’s of the year features both Raw and Smackdown superstars. It was a four hour marathon that took place in Brooklyn, so keep in mind that sitting there for four hours straight can get you sour on the event during points of it and even after it. I took some time to digest the event and even watched most of the matches a second time after few hours to really figure out how I felt about the matches. I’m also not one of those people who try to compare NXT Takeover events to WWE events because its like comparing apples to oranges. NXT had a five card show with the ability to make the most of their time and it never feels like we’re sitting through a never ending show. The two shows are just different in so many ways, they can’t be compared side by side but that’s not the discussion here. The discussion here is about this years Summerslam. I was 10-2 with my predictions, which is really good so lets get right to it.

Image via WWE.com
Summerslam 2017 once again comes to us from the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, NY.

Kick-off Show

I missed the first six man tag match with Jason Jordan and The Hardys taking on The Miztourage and didn’t bother going back to watch it because I heard the arena had nobody in it yet. That really sucks and I feel like they should fill that time with the guests and interviews and wait for the arena to get at least half filled before having the matches. That is just my opinion. I’m really curious to what the thought process behind that is. The Miz is the man and The Hardys are legends, so it’s such a shame.

Cruiserweight Championship
Neville def. Akira Tozawa (C) w/ Titus O’ Neil
in 11:45 via pinfall
I shouldn’t be surprised but I hate how the Cruiserweight Championship matches always get put on the kick off show. Mostly when you’re trying to get over the division and their 205 Live exclusive show. The perk of them being on the kick off show is that you know they’ll get a decent amount of time which they did. I personally enjoyed this match and it was just what you expected it to be. I actually think any one of these kick0ff matches would have been better on the main card to kick off the show. Tozawa’s senton got met with knees but Neville retaliated by hitting his red arrow for the win. Neville failed to hit the red arrow on Raw when he lost the title so this just furthers the case that the Red Arrow really is the King of Cruiserweights strongest weapon of offence. The only thing I dislike about all this, is I dislike when the championship is passed back and forth like a hot potato. I don’t see how ending Neville’s eight month reign as champion to a guy he was going to beat to win it back just six days later was the right call. Only reasonable explanations I can think of was to either give Tozawa a championship reign or to have something shocking happen on Raw.
Rating – ***3/4

– The Drifter appears and sings us a song, burying Brooklyn. The crowd shit on him to get revenge and then asked for an encore. So he thusly buried Brooklyn again, it was fantastic.

– Carmella arrives on the pre-show, and Otunga has to bail to take a phone call. Maybe someone else has an illegitimate child. Carmella was again not really using her accent, which is for the best because during promos when she gets really into it she drops it too much.

– Jinder Mahal cuts the same promo he cuts all the time, just changing the names to protect the innocent.

– New Day cuts a promo, promising to retain their tag team titles.

– There was a KFC ad featuring many WWE superstars which ended with Shawn Michaels coming out to the ring dressed up as Colonel Sanders.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship
The Usos def. The New Day (C)
in 19:20 by pinfall
This match was terrific. I would have put this on the main card over Big Cass vs Big Show without a doubt. These teams tore it down and just have great chemistry with each other due to wrestling each other over the years. It started off slow and once it picked up it never slowed down. Xavier was more impressive in this match then I ever remember seeing New Day busted out some new stuff, they had the crowd in a frenzy and delivered awesome near falls down the stretch. him before. The second half was just insane and they really had you believe either team could go over. New Day busted out some new stuff, they had the crowd in a frenzy and delivered awesome near falls down the stretch. I’m not disappointed by The Usos going over because I have been a huge fan of them since they turned heel and I’m a strong believer that The New Day do not need the tag titles because they’re over regardless. The only reason this threw me off was because I was expecting AOP to be coming up to Smackdown Live soon and I doubt they’ll go after a heel tag team. Possibly the Usos and The New Day rivalry continues. They have been holding it down for the Smackdown tag division. This match deserved to be on the main show. One of the highlight matches of the night.
Rating – ***3/4

Main Show

– There was an awesome video package to open the show that focused on all the matches for the night as well as the city of Brooklyn. The Raw announce team of Michael Cole, Booker T and Corey Graves are calling the Raw matches. The Smackdown announce team of Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton and JBL are calling the Smackdown matches.

John Cena def. Baron Corbin
in 10:15 via pinfall
This was just meh. I mean Corbin came into the match with purpose since Cena caused him his MITB briefcase the week before on Smackdown Live. I just couldnt get into the match and wasn’t because of Cena. I have never been that big on Corbin. The one thing I liked about his entire presence was his entrance music and they changed that. This might have only been a great way to open the PPV because Cena was in it but it didn’t set the pace for the rest of the show at all. The outcome was even weird. Who in the blue hell did Corbin piss off? First he loses his briefcase and then loses to Cena the following Sunday at Summerslam clean. I mean rumours were saying Cena was going to Raw after Summerslam and that proved to be true, yet Cena still left Smackdown on top without putting over a potential top hell for Smackdown Live. This felt like a paint by numbers house show match, with Cena selling, Corbin walking and talking a lot before Cena made the big comeback to “send the crowd home happy.” I get Cena ended his Summerslam losing streak which started in 2011 but it still felt like they were going through the motions. It was decent match but nothing special. Poor Corbin.
Rating – **

Smackdown Women’s Championship
Natalya def. Naomi (C)
in 11:10 by submission
Natalaya came out in a jacket reminiscent to the one her dad wore at Summerslam in the past. These two women put on a hell of an effort to put on a solid match. Natalya started off working on Naomi’s leg and that was the story they were going with. The only problem with that is 95% of Naomis offence is her using her athleticism with the use of both of her legs so it felt chopped up a bit. I mean if she’s selling her leg, how the hell is she doing speedball kicks and split leg moonsaults, ya know? Overall they worked a hard fought match and I actually enjoyed it a lot. Natalya picked up the win making Naomi tap out. I think this was the right call. Natalya is long over due for a championship reign. Natalya has been the glue of the womens division for the past decade and never got her fair shot. This was a big moment for her and it happened on the second biggest show of the year. To top it off, she won clean. I also think Carmella cashing in on Natalya will allow Naomi to be a suitable contender after the fact. This was a good championship match.
Rating – **3/4

Enzo in a Shark Cage
Big Cass def. Big Show
in 10:30 via pinfall
What the fuck was this? Seriously? This should have been on the kick off and the Smackdown tag team title match or any of the matches on the kick off should have been on the card. I consider this Big Cass singles run a failure so far but I’ll admit he has gotten better at promos and what not. I have no idea why Big Show is involved in this. Enzo is great at cutting promos but we all know against Cass he’s bound to get his ass kicked. I get giving Big Cass a chance to showcase what he can do on PPV but I’m just not invested in the angle. I found Enzo stripping down, lubing himself up and escaping the shark cage entertaining but their was no pay off to it. He just got met with a big boot. This just lost the crowd and wasn’t good. The highlights of this was Enzo’s segment before the match and him sneaking out of the shark cage but yet he’s made to be the biggest joke.
Rating – *

– Angle and Bryan meet backstage, they bury Miz, and Bryan says Smackdown will out do Raw tonight. They argued, doing the Yes/No chants.

Randy Orton def. Rusev
in :10 by pinfall
This wasn’t a match but rather a segment. To many people this was considered bullshit because it looked like Rusev just got buried. However, to me this in my mind had to have been done due to time constraints and doesn’t hurt Rusev. In my mind the angle goes on and Rusev will eventually get over on Orton. It’s just ironic because last year they ran something similar between Reigns and Rusev due to time constraints. Orton has had a weird year. He won the Royal Rumble, was the WWE Champion, had a great story with Wyatt that consisted of shitty matches, he put over Jinder Mahal losing to him three times in a row, had a string of subpar main events and this might be the WWE’s way to help him gain some of his credibility back. The problem I have with this is that stuff like this is the reason why WWE constantly has to resort to part-timers coming in because they kill all the credibility of their full timers who are full of potential. Instead of building big new star they resort to bringing back already major stars for the Wrestlemania card. Rusev could be a big star by next years Wrestlemania. WWE is capable of building stars like that. For example look at Braun Strowman but yet we get stuff like this. However, I still think Rusev will come out on top in this feud but this was due to time constraints.
Rating – N/A

Raw Women’s Champioship
Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss
in 13:10 via submission
I’m a huge fan of both of these ladies and I give this match a lot more credit than other people who arent as big fans of both ladies. I think the story they told here was that Alexa tried everything in her book to beat Sasha Banks but Sasha had too much heart and resiliency to just stay down to the goddess. Sasha had a couple of curses to break here such as never being able to win or defend the championship on PPV and to win a championship match in Brooklyn in the Barclays centre. However, that was just an underline story us hardcore Salsa fans took into consideration. This match wasn’t the greatest match ever or close to Sasha/Bayley in this same building two years before but it was really good. These two seem to really be rough with each other and it felt more like a brawl at times than a wrestling match. There is actual tension between the two and you can feel it on screen. Alexa was on the offence the majority of the time and showed some great offence like her double knee, moonsault followed by another knee combination. I also liked how whenever Sasha gained the upperhand Alexa found ways to cut her off like pulling the ring skirt. The fans weren’t as into as I wish they would have been because it would have added to the energy of the match and it really hurt it. In the end Sasha took the beatdown throughout the match but came back like super babyface by taking advantage of Alexa having a temper tantrum to lock in the Bank Statement. There was some suspense in the end but eventually Alexa tapped out. Personally I would have been fine with the match going either way but I couldn’t be happier that Sasha Banks is the champion. I think Alexa Bliss will still remain over without the championship moving forward. I can see an angle between Sasha and Bayley starting with Sasha possibly turning heel. As for Alexa, I think anyone who feuds with her next will be elevated and there are a handful of women on Raw who could use that elevation. I watched this match twice and enjoyed it both times.
Rating – ***3/4

Demon Balor def. Bray Wyatt
in 10:40 by pinfall
This was a rivalry that I was really looking forward to when Bray got drafted to Raw during the last superstar shake up. Now, I don’t even know whats going on. The Demon came out and beat the Eater of Worlds and there is not much more of a reason of them to continue this feud is there? The Demon came out, but before he did there was a creepy lady singing “he’s got the whole world in his hands.” It’s also ironic because the last time we saw the Demon was last year at Summerslam in the very same building. As per the match it was good. It started off great with Balor on fire attacking Wyatt like a wild man. Once Wyatt took over control the pace slowed down tremendously. Then the match just felt to drag on. I think if I was more invested in the angle, I would have been more invested in the match. If it was up to me, this wouldn’t have been a match on the show. Not because it was a bad match because it was good, but the angle needed more time to build. I would have given more time to Orton and Rusev and just had a quick segment on Summerslam where Wyatt summons the Demon to come out to face him face to face. Thus, having the Demon return the same place we last saw him. Then continue building to a match between them on the next Raw PPV, No Mercy. That is just my opinion though. Bray beat Balor on Raw and Balor beat Bray here with that classic 50/50 booking in mind. I don’t get how they continue this feud now. Bray tries to find a way to overcome the demon but we know he ultimately won’t? Let Wyatt, his rhymes and riddles move on to the next target. The match itself wasn’t bad but it lacked drama.
Rating – ***1/2

Raw Tag Team Championship
Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose def. Cesaro & Sheamus (C)
in 18:35 by pinfall
This by far was the second best match on the main card. These four guys did exactly what I thought they were going to do and tore down the house. This had to be one of my favourite tag team matches on the main roster in a long time. Both tag team championship matches on this card stood out the most to me. The Bar consisting of Cesaro and Sheamus have been one of the most dominant and top notch tag teams on the Raw roster. They even overcame the legendary Hardy Boyz. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose have been enemies for years and this was their first time teaming together since back then. Instead of putting Ambrose and Rollins against some bogus team for their first match, they put them with a team that has all the credibility in the world. This match was competitive and everything you’d want from a tag match. It really brought the crowd back into the show and honestly was the best match on the main card up to this point. This match had some really great double teams and counters, along with good near falls, I figured Ambrose and Rollins were going to win, but they created enough drama to make the live crowd and myself doubt the outcome down the stretch. The thrill of seeing Ambrose and Rollins working together was great. Cesaro and Sheamus worked the heat in a way that you knew it was going to be really hard for Rollins and Ambrose to overcome them. There were so many great spots and moments during for this match. I think we all popped when Cesaro randomly ran into the crowd to destroy the beach ball the fans were bouncing around. The finish sent the crowd home happy and gave them what they wanted. I do eventually see Ambrose turning heel by turning on Rollins but this slow burn to get there is going to be great because they’re over as fuck as a team. Dean Ambrose is the first Shield member to be a grand slam champion and the youngest one at that too. WATCH THIS MATCH.
Rating – ****

United States Championship
Special Referee – Shane McMahon
AJ Styles (C) def. Kevin Owens
in 17:20 by submission
I’ll admit when the Kevin Owens and AJ Styles rivalry kicked off, I was excited. At this point I feel like we’ve seen them wrestle each other so many times. This time there is the added drama with Shane McMahon as the special referee. The match was good and it told a great story. Both guys had great interactions with Shane McMahon who was more involved in the story of the match than a normal referee would be. The whole line from Kevin Owens about Shane being able to survive falling off buildings but can’t regain consciousness fast enough to count a fall after taking a 450 splash had me cracking up. I knew going into this that this match was going to lead to a feud I’ve wanted to see since Shane recently returned and I saw the chemistry they had together between Shane McMahon and KO. Having that in the back of my mind kind of made Styles and the US Title the background story. However, Styles was the MVP of this match. The work Styles and Owens did here might have been their best but hidden within the overbooking. This match was overbooked but I was invested in the angle enough and over the AJ/KO rivalry that I enjoyed this booking. I’m a fan of all three guys so I enjoyed the story being told and both Styles and KO trying to work around Shane. There were spots that could cause to later issues such as Shane counting three when Styles foot was on the rope but then reversing the decision after noticing the foot. Also, the finish with Owens arguing with Shane over that causing Styles to get back up and catch Owens with his finishing sequence for the win. The only reason people may dislike this match was because they wanted a straight forward match, but I’m okay with this over booking to past their feud.
Rating – ****

WWE Championship
Jinder Mahal (C) w/ The Singh Brothers def. Shinsuke Nakamura
in 11:25 by pinfall
“The Modern Day Maharaja” Jinder Mahal meets his first big challenge after months fighting “The Viper”, in the Japanese sensation and “King of Strong Style” Shinsuke Nakamura. The video package that aired before this match was really well put together and did a great job at hyping up both superstars. The violinist returned for Shinsuke’s entrance which was great. The Singh Brothers are out there with Jinder Mahal and you’d think Bryan would have learnt his lesson by now, allowing them out there. The match started with Jinder Mahal playing the coward heel at first against Nakamura. Eventually it gets into a very back and forth match. A lot of knees, kicks, head butts and punches between the two. This match also felt like it got shafted for time because it never really felt like it took off. It didn’t have those near falls or false finishes we’re used to in big championship matches. It kind of felt like it started and then just ended. They went the same route they have gone previously with Mahal matches. Jinder is in control, the babyface comes back, The Singh Brothers get involved and then Jinder hits his finish for the win. Honestly, the substance of the match wasn’t bad and the final decision who went over was the right decision in my mind. I just kind of wish they picked up the pace for a bit and got a different finish. I mean imagine the Singh Brother interfered, Jinder hit Khallas and then Shinsuke kicked out. Then we get false home that Shinsuke is gonna win the match but Jinder gets himself DQ’d or a second distraction costs Shinsuke the match. Hell, maybe even ref bump that allowed Jinder to clock Shinsuke with the title or something. It was just missing that extra little bit of drama to make the match feel different or special. I do think it was smart to have Jinder Mahal retain because he’s the brands top heel and having him lose here would have accomplished nothing because his only opponent as champion was Orton. This way it allows him to build heat as the top heel because he keeps overcoming the odds. He’ll now always be remembered as the first guy to defeat Nakamura on the main roster. The match had a different pace than the matches that came before but the substance on the match was good. I just wish they came up with a more creative finish that had a bit more controversial drama.
Rating – ***

Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (C) w/ Paul Heyman def. Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe & Braun Strowman
in 20:45 by pinfall
Finally we’ve made it to the match of the night. It was a complete demolition derby of a bout. If there is a match that had people talking about this match after the show was done, even those super casual fans, it was this one. Everyone in their match played their roles perfectly. Brock Lesnar was The Beast who for once in his life had to overcome the odds like he never has had to before. This match gave the potential of Brock dropping the title without actually losing which always adds extra drama and suspense to the story. Braun Strowman played the unstoppable monster who was completely out of control with the intention to destroy. Samoa Joe was the purely athletic one of the four who played the game of sneak up attacked and trying to take down one of the three big men at the most opportune moments. Roman Reigns played the role of Roman Reigns always inserting his Roman Reign ways when we least expected it. I loved Braun absolutely destroying Lesnar to the point where he had to be stretchered out. Lesnar has never been manhandled that way and say what you want about Lesnar but in the last few months he’s done wonders to put over guys like Joe and Braun. This match was everything we could have asked for with these four facing off against other. It was destruction and non stop action. There were times you thought anyone of these guys had it in the bag. In ended when it looked like Roman had the Beast groggy but instead getting caught with a final desperation F5. Lesnar retained the title just like I predicted. Also just like I predicted, it looks like we’re heading to a Lesnar vs Strowman rivalry while WWE may revisit the fact that Reigns has never beat Joe in a one-on-one match to start a rivalry between them. This isn’t the kind of match they can do all the time but it worked here perfectly. It was the highlight of this Summerslam event and really took this event from being decent to good. WATCH THIS MATCH.
Rating – ****1/2

Final Thoughts
I personally really enjoyed this years edition of Summerslam. It was reminiscent of the late 80s and early 90s PPV where they tried to fit as many stars on the roster on the big card. Once again, watching it all in one sitting can make you zone out during some of it and just annoyed because you’re sitting there through a four hour marathon of a show. However, going back to watch a lot of these matches for a second time made me see the silver lining in most of the matches I might have overlooked during the initial sitting of the show. Everyone on the card worked really hard and it showed. Some matches stood out more than others for example the two tag title matches and the main event. There were 5 title changes including both women’s titles, both tag titles and the cruiserweight championship all changing hands. I still believe that if they put any one of the kick-off matches (preferably the tag title match) on the main show to swap with the Big Cass/Big Show match it would have made the main card so much more fufuilling. Also, I still stand behind that the fact that Finn Balor and Wyatt match was forgettable and would have been better as just an angle on the show where the Demon rises. That way we could have gotten time for Orton/Rusev match that would possibly have been better. These are just my opinions though as I sit here armchair quarterbacking. Overall, I don’t think this was the greatest Summerslam of all time but it was really good and worth checking out. Dig It?!
Final Rating – 7.5/10

What were your final thoughts on Summerslam? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.