WWE SummerSlam 2018: Results, Highlights, and Grades

Photo Source: WWE.com

Intercontinental Championship Match

Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins

Result: Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler via pinfall to become the NEW Intercontinental Champion

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

WWE SummerSlam 2018 proper kicked off with the Intercontinental Championship match, which is a little surprising. I know they say “put your best foot forward,” but I figured this would open hour 716 or something. Anyway, Rollins made some pretty godawful wardrobe choices tonight, with his boots matching his old hairstyle.

Speaking of gear choices, I like the trend of today’s superstars paying tribute to “Ravishing” Rick Rude on a regular basis. We’ve had Velveteen Dream getting the custom airbrush job for all his big matches in NXT for a while, and tonight Ziggler has the Intercontinental Championship blasted across the front of his tights. Well done.

(Hey, when did Daily DDT turn into a fashion blog?)

My fear heading into this match was that it would be an overbooked cluster-you-know-what because of the cornermen, Dean Ambrose and Drew McIntyre. Instead, we got a mostly straightforward story of Ziggler working Rollins’s leg and knee, taking full advantage of the history of knee injuries in Seth’s career. I wouldn’t expect a ton of psychology like that in this match — maybe they found Kenny Omega’s psychology book?

I’ll never complain about a match between these two, because they so often put on a great match. And I’m really glad Ambrose and McIntyre really did, for the most part, just cancel each other out. Leaving Rollins and Ziggler to duke it out themselves was the right call, because they’re just so good and have such good chemistry.

The reverse superplex combo was an amazing spot, and everything after it was equally fantastic. Loved how everything turned out in the end, especially with no turn from Ambrose. Save it for later on, and let it simmer a bit.