I gotta tell you, I was not looking forward to this show. I've not been keeping huge tabs on the product, and this card, aside for a few standouts, looked pretty poor. Almost in spite of itself, this show did end up entertaining me, but it took a beach ball being torn in half.
SummerSlam 2016 Score: 4/10
- Although I've heard a lot of complaints that this show was too long, I definitely didn't really feel it that much. I did skip most of the pre-show though, so that might be why.
- Hey, remember when Baron Corbin had the Money in the Bank briefcase? Brooklyn remembers. It was a foolish move to get rid of the briefcase to begin with, but it's even worse when you consider that it was done to add heat to this match. This was always going to be a mid-card match, no matter how many cash-in failures you want to throw in. RIP Baron Corbin's push, 2016-2017.
- Natalya and Naomi may have had the match I was least interested in(which is saying something), but I thought they did a pretty good job. Nattie's worked her a** off over the past six to seven years, and has certainly earned a championship run.
- Is there any human being more annoying than Enzo Amore? The talk online has been about his backstage problems, and even his character is getting unbearable. Although it's saying something when a man uses oil and a pair of black gloves to escape a shark cage, and you're still bored to death.
- RIP Rusev. He had a good run.
- Sasha and Alexa had a good match at GBOF, and I was hoping for more of the same here. Unfortunately, lightning just couldn't strike twice, although the match wasn't horrible. Congrats to Sasha though, who got redemption after last year's dumb loss to Charlotte.
- You know what feud could use some more heat? Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt. Finn's dropped a long way since wrestling for the Universal Championship last year, plopped into a meaningless match with Bray, that was really just a cheap excuse to bring the Demon back out.
- Cesaro is a national treasure for destroying that beach ball. Give that man all that championships.
- Man, Dean and Seth's storyline has been told perfectly on Raw, one of the only things I've been consistently following. Throw in my boys Cesaro and Sheamus, and I knew I was in for something special, and special it was. Beyond incredible scenes of beach ball destruction, both teams sold the story of the match perfectly. Throw a vintage ridiculous Shield level Seth Rollins finish, and you have a great match. It goes without saying, six stars.
- I've been very underwhelmed by AJ Styles and Kevin Owens' rivalry over the US Title on SmackDown, but I was pleasantly surprised by this match. Shane as guest ref was a little overdone, but I thought his presence did add well to the story. Overall, a fun match.
- I will say for Jinder Mahal that I do think he has improved over the course of his title run. I thought tonight's performance against Shinsuke was the best he's looked in the ring, and his offense seemed pretty crisp. That said, the biggest knock is that I've yet to be really enthralled in any of his matches, and that continued here. This match never really clicked with me, and another Singh Brothers run-in finish didn't help.
- Raw's main event scene has essentially become NXT's tag team division, where you can throw anyone in and get a classic. What I was really impressed with in this match was just how different it was to the other matches these four guys have been in. Extra credit goes to Brock Lesnar, how made Braun Strowman look like a star, more than almost anyone else has. This was carnage from start to finish, and felt visceral and brutal in a way that not many matches can top. I'm definitely excited for whatever comes next.
4/10
This show had too many incredible moments to be considered a dud, but had too many down moments to be considered a classic. I can definitely say I was entertained, and I never really lost interest, so it has to be considered at least a minor success.
- Hey, remember when Baron Corbin had the Money in the Bank briefcase? Brooklyn remembers. It was a foolish move to get rid of the briefcase to begin with, but it's even worse when you consider that it was done to add heat to this match. This was always going to be a mid-card match, no matter how many cash-in failures you want to throw in. RIP Baron Corbin's push, 2016-2017.
- Natalya and Naomi may have had the match I was least interested in(which is saying something), but I thought they did a pretty good job. Nattie's worked her a** off over the past six to seven years, and has certainly earned a championship run.
- Is there any human being more annoying than Enzo Amore? The talk online has been about his backstage problems, and even his character is getting unbearable. Although it's saying something when a man uses oil and a pair of black gloves to escape a shark cage, and you're still bored to death.
- RIP Rusev. He had a good run.
- Sasha and Alexa had a good match at GBOF, and I was hoping for more of the same here. Unfortunately, lightning just couldn't strike twice, although the match wasn't horrible. Congrats to Sasha though, who got redemption after last year's dumb loss to Charlotte.
- You know what feud could use some more heat? Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt. Finn's dropped a long way since wrestling for the Universal Championship last year, plopped into a meaningless match with Bray, that was really just a cheap excuse to bring the Demon back out.
- Cesaro is a national treasure for destroying that beach ball. Give that man all that championships.
- Man, Dean and Seth's storyline has been told perfectly on Raw, one of the only things I've been consistently following. Throw in my boys Cesaro and Sheamus, and I knew I was in for something special, and special it was. Beyond incredible scenes of beach ball destruction, both teams sold the story of the match perfectly. Throw a vintage ridiculous Shield level Seth Rollins finish, and you have a great match. It goes without saying, six stars.
- I've been very underwhelmed by AJ Styles and Kevin Owens' rivalry over the US Title on SmackDown, but I was pleasantly surprised by this match. Shane as guest ref was a little overdone, but I thought his presence did add well to the story. Overall, a fun match.
- I will say for Jinder Mahal that I do think he has improved over the course of his title run. I thought tonight's performance against Shinsuke was the best he's looked in the ring, and his offense seemed pretty crisp. That said, the biggest knock is that I've yet to be really enthralled in any of his matches, and that continued here. This match never really clicked with me, and another Singh Brothers run-in finish didn't help.
- Raw's main event scene has essentially become NXT's tag team division, where you can throw anyone in and get a classic. What I was really impressed with in this match was just how different it was to the other matches these four guys have been in. Extra credit goes to Brock Lesnar, how made Braun Strowman look like a star, more than almost anyone else has. This was carnage from start to finish, and felt visceral and brutal in a way that not many matches can top. I'm definitely excited for whatever comes next.
4/10
This show had too many incredible moments to be considered a dud, but had too many down moments to be considered a classic. I can definitely say I was entertained, and I never really lost interest, so it has to be considered at least a minor success.
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