What an interesting month August turned out to be, not only did we get consistent episodes of Raw & Smackdown but we also have two excellent PPVs one after the other, a waive of new storylines, characters and a return of nostalgic talent. For many the last month and build to Summerslam even equaled or was better than WrestleMania 31.
So from the get go it was obvious at the start of August where WWE were headed come the 23rd it was the events on Raw that really threw things up in the air. Plus prior to that the storylines and matches were given the required time to build, this is what made for the consistent quality of WWE TV, every match had a reason behind it or gracefully continued onto another scenario which only increased the hype. Alongside WWE you had NXT slowly travelling toward their own and to date biggest PPV NXT TakeOver – Brooklyn on the 22nd the night before Summerslam also at the Barclays Centre.
The main event at TakeOver was the long awaited Kevin Owens/Finn Balor NXT title rematch, this would be the first meeting of the two since the July ‘Beast in the East’ PPV. The match on it’s own would have been worthy of admission but in the week’s prior to the event the match stipulation was changed so when TakeOver arrived the contest had become a Ladder match. When show time arrived the crowd in Brooklyn were at fever pitch, they knew was they were about to see and the excitement couldn’t be contained, the event was also kicked off by Triple H claiming that this was the fan’s revolution, and it had finally arrived on the big stage.
The event itself was well received by fans and critics, social media and various wrestling sites gave rave reviews of the event and praised the talent who gave it everything to make it the best show it could be, High praise especially was given to Sasha Banks and Bayley with many claiming it was the best women’s match in WWE history, Sasha finally dropped the title in the ring to Bayley with the crowd standing on their feet. I was the perfect example of a belt changing hands but neither combatant looking any weaker. Supreme booking by NXT. The NXT title match also lived up to expectations as the two former independent and now WWE stars locked horns in a thrilling, hard hitting technical brawl they only once more displayed the exquisite talent of Finn Balor and Kevin Owens.
As soon as TakeOver ended the preparations for the following evening’s Summerslam PPV started to take shape. The build up to the event was on the scale of WrestleMania in terms of the time given to feuds, discussion, hype, seriousness of the event itself. Much was on the line come Sunday night, reputations, pride, titles, there was lot that could go right or terribly wrong. I think Summerslam delivered what it promised and in doing so feuds were given the correct send off or continuation, most notably Seth Rollins/John Cena & Taker/Brock. The two top matches on the card delivered in different ways.
Seth Rollins I feel gave his most diverse, perfect performance since coming to WWE, he looked every inch the main event star on Sunday, he was Cena’s equal and it showed, my only grievance was the finish which I feel diluted the seriousness of the match. The other main event was the long awaited Taker/Brock rematch, stemming from their epic encounter at Wrestlemaina 30 this match had everything, history, revenge, it had all the ingredients to make it a special attraction. However your writer was left seriously disappointed with the end result of the match, WWE basically booked it to protect Taker who in the weeks prior to and at the event itself played the heel, he cheated to win and I feel in the process he’s damaged his legacy. I can now say with full confidence that the Wrestlemaia 30 match between the two should have been Undertaker’s swan song.
Other mentionable highlights from the PPV include the crowning once more of the most entertaining team in WWE, the New Day. I’m so pleased that the tag champs have finally settled into their act on TV and PPV, it’s done wonders for the careers of all three men, I have nothing but praise……NEW DAY ROCKS!!!!!! I also have to hands down give massive respect for the indie dream match that took place at Summerslam which pitted Kevin Owens against Cesaro, to think five years ago these two would never have been considered as being the in the semi main event place on a major WWE PPV, it was so refreshing. The match itself was pure gold, solid, hard hitting, technical, it had it all, both men went it there and left it all in the ring, the build was slow and steady and although unfortunate for Cesaro the right person won on the night. Coming of the Cena feud Owen’s wasn’t as badly affected as I thought yet he still needed the big win on a major show and at Summerslam he gave another outstanding display.
So with Summerslam over, the hype machine started once more for Monday night Raw the following evening, the rumour mill was going crazy as multiple scenarios were being discussed about what could happen or who might return. The biggest rumours for Raw was a supposed ‘big announcement’ plus Sting was also meant to be making an appearance to maybe set up a potential match with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32. As is normal in wrestling, once the rumours started social media went crazy, everyone had their own idea of what would would be happening, plus thanks to social media we also had the footage of the Deadman collapsing after his obviously gruelling match with Brock Lesnar………….so speaking of the Beast Incarnate it was that very man who along with his advocate Paul Heyman marched out to kick off Raw.
What we witnessed was another blistering promo from arguably the best talker in the business, as Heyman explained the only way he can how the Summerslam result was null and void and that his client never submitted but how it was the Undertaker who tapped out because he couldn’t take it anymore, Lesnar paced like only he can, then unfortunately Bo Dallas made himself known to the Brooklyn crowd and boy did he suffer for his troubles. Bo felt the wrath of Lesnar and became the next tourist to visit Suplex City. We would later find out the Dallas skit was meant to set him up as Brock’s opponent for the MSG special in October. The whole Heyman/Brock segment was again pure gold from two of the best performers in WWE.
Another act who have become a great addition to the roster have been the New Day, and on Raw they once more stole the show with their antics in and out of the ring, what we didn’t expect after their match was the return of the Dudley Boyz. Decked out in their original attire the brothers from Dudleyville returned and laid waste to the newly crowned tag team champions, this scenario although dependent on a nostalgic act offers multiple storylines and matches and should certainly mix up the tag team division in WWE.
Another matter worth discussing is the return of Sting, however his appearance did not include a challenge to the Undertaker at WrestleMania 32, nor did it have anything to do with Bray Wyatt, another wrestler included in the discussion surrounding Sting. The return of the Vigilante coincided with the unveiling of the Seth Rollin’s statue at the very end of Raw, with Seth proclaiming how good he was and Triple H & Stephanie by his side congratulating him, the big moment arrived………………. and so did the Stinger…… he brawled with the current World Champion and new US Champion and sent him packing over the ropes to end the broadcast. As Raw went of the air Sting was standing tall in the ring while holding the World Heavyweight Championship above his head!!!
The next PPV on the calendar is Night of Champions in September and all signs now point towards Sting clashing with Seth Rollins at the event. This potential match has it’s pros and it’s cons, many would argue that a well booked match and win for Rollins would enhance his aura once more, after all Sting is a legend……however the question on the lips of every fan is will WWE allow Sting one last run with the gold?? Personally for me the immediate future for WWE looks very bright indeed.
@Ciaran_1986
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