WWE SummerSlam 2016: Why Match Card Order Hurt the Show

The match order on the final card for the biggest party of the summer had some serious pacing issues.

The general consensus for SummerSlam 2016 is that, while it was entertaining, the ending of the show was relatively disappointing. However, what some people have pointed out was the erratic nature of how the card shaped up.

SummerSlam opened up the way you’d expect it to with perennial NY/NJ hometown heroes Enzo and Cass. Enzo and Cass did a tremendous job of kicking off the show and getting the crowd warmed up. In pro-wrestling, it is absolutely critical that you hook the audience with a great opening segment or a match.

But suddenly, from there, the card appeared to have been haphazardly shuffled like a deck of playing cards. The second bout on the main show ended up being the Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte rematch. While not billed as one of the four marquee matches of the night, Sasha and Charlotte definitely deserved to be higher up on the card after their incredible title match on Monday Night Raw.

Instead, the Miz and Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Championship, a match with essentially no build up due in part to WWE’s unclear direction and handling of Crews, was placed higher and as a result, had to follow the gem that Sasha and Charlotte put up again. The crowd, still in shock after Sasha’s title reign ended, was disengaged and out of it. Add to the fact that the audience, in general, has yet to connect or be invested in Apollo Crews as a babyface, the match suffered from silence. Miz and Crews’ placement on the card really hurt the both of them, as well as the prestige of the Intercontinental title that WWE has been attempting to repair.

must read: WWE SummerSlam 2016: Five Worst Moments

Miz and Crews got unfortunately sandwiched between Sasha vs. Charlotte and perhaps the match of the night, and arguably the match of the entire SummerSlam weekend, in John Cena vs. AJ Styles. However, of the ten matches on the main card, an instant classic between Cena and Styles was the fourth from the bottom.

In a rather bizarre booking decision, not counting the ending to Lesnar and Orton, SummerSlam featured two matches that would end in a disqualification and a no contest: New Day vs. The Club for the Tag Team titles and Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States title. The Tag Team title match and the United States title match could have certainly come before both Sasha vs. Charlotte and Cena vs. Styles.

despite Reigns’ supposed de-push, his no-contest was higher on the card even than both Ambrose and Rollins who were competing in high-profile championship matches

From there, despite playing up the importance of the WWE Championship and the significance of it staying and being defended on SmackDown moving forward, the Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler match found itself on the mid-card instead, playing second fiddle to Raw’s Universal Championship match between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins. Furthermore, despite Roman Reigns’ suspension and supposed de-push, Reigns managed to find himself higher on the card even though his match never officially took place, than both Ambrose and Rollins who were competing in high-profile championship matches.

In addition, WWE returned to their old ways in putting a women’s wrestling match between the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship match to allow the crowd to take a breather. Becky, Naomi, and Carmella vs. the returning Nikki Bella, Natalya, and Alexa Bliss suffered from a drained crowd that was still trying to get back into the show after Cena vs. Styles and a disappointingly ho-hum WWE Championship match between Ambrose and Ziggler.

The much-hyped Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton match 15 years in the making was the one to close out the show. It would be Brock’s third consecutive SummerSlam headliner, and his third straight Suplex City-type match, which was to be expected to some degree. But many had hoped that both competitors would put together something worthy of the anticipation that was building up. Even more shocking was the nature of the ending to the match, a rare TKO, which dampered the match further as many wanted to see a barn-burner with a clear winner.

perhaps the Lesnar vs. Orton match should not have closed out SummerSlam. That distinction could have gone to Finn Balor’s incredible title win

In hindsight, perhaps the Lesnar vs. Orton match should not have closed out SummerSlam. That distinction could have gone to Finn Balor’s incredible title win against Seth Rollins, especially when you consider that we are in the New Era. Rollins and Balor exemplify what the New Era is all about, and for two veterans from a previous age to headline SummerSlam, it slows down the progress that the WWE is trying to achieve in regards to its future.

Throw in the fact that Sami Zayn was inexplicably put on the pre-show in a last minute tag team match, as well as Sheamus vs. Cesaro, which could have easily replaced the IC title match on the main card, SummerSlam from a pacing standpoint was a mess.

Next: WWE SummerSlam 2016 Review: Live Results, Analysis, and Grades

It seems in WWE’s recent attempts to put on the biggest 4-5 hour long spectacles possible: SummerSlam 2015, Wrestlemania 32, and now this year’s SummerSlam, the company has often sacrificed logic, pacing, and in some instances, wrestling, in favor of all-out entertainment. WWE must find a way to strike the perfect balance between the two otherwise it will suffer from producing disappointing to average megacards on a regular basis.