WWE SummerSlam 2019 final rating: Seth Rollins defies the odds
WWE SummerSlam 2019 has come and gone, and the 32nd installment of the biggest party of the summer offered up several noteworthy matches and moments along the way.
Unlike so many other pay-per-views in recent memory, WWE SummerSlam 2019 finished on a high note and left fans with a good taste in their mouths along with several other solid battles along the way, even with a few shortcomings mixed in at the same time.
The main card kicked off with the Raw Women’s Championship on the line in a submission match when Becky Lynch defended her title against Canada’s own Natalya.
This was a very good match that saw a lot of impressive technical wrestling along the way. Both women tried about every submission trick in the book, even using the other’s primary submission, but in the end, The Man got the last laugh and made Nattie tap out to the dis-arm-her to retain her title.
The unexpected showdown of Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler was up next, and Ziggler started out by talking trash on the mic before Goldberg made his entrance. But after a quick superkick that stunned Goldberg, it was over for Ziggler.
After a massive spear and jackhammer, Goldberg got the win and added a couple more spears to The Showoff after the match thanks to Ziggler’s mouth running wild again. This was exactly what everyone expected it to be.
AJ Styles defended his United States Championship against Ricochet next, and for what many thought could be the match of the night, it didn’t quite live up to that billing.
It was still a solid match, but not match of the night caliber. Styles had the advantage of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson on the outside, and that paid dividends in the end. After being distracted, Ricochet’s high-flying maneuver was countered into a Styles Clash that lifted Styles to the victory.
The SmackDown Women’s Championship was on the line next when Bayley defended against Ember Moon. This felt like the odd match out in terms of the women’s matches on the card, and it wound up being that.
It was pretty good, but it never felt like it clicked and the fans didn’t buy into it. However, Bayley successfully retained her title after a top rope Bayley to Belly that finished off Ember.
The stakes were high for Kevin Owens when he put his WWE employment on the line against Shane McMahon up next. It was far from a technical masterpiece or all-time classic, but for what it was, it was enjoyable.
Shane tried stacking the deck against KO by having Elias as the special enforcer, but after Owens eventually took out Elias, he was able to put down the “best in the world” for good and get a win that should put an end to the Shane O’Mac reign of terror.
It was billed as a dream match and Charlotte Flair’s battle with Trish Stratus next would turn out to greatly resemble that.
Even with Trish past her prime, she put on a fantastic showing against The Queen. The match started out slow, but once it picked up, it was captivating stuff.
Trish looked amazing, in all honesty, and she even threatened to defeat Charlotte, but The Queen finally put Trish away with a Figure Eight to escape with the win in a great match.
The WWE Championship was on the line next when Kofi Kingston defended his title against Randy Orton in a match 10 years in the making. This was a good match, but not a great one and it was plagued by a lazy finish.
With Orton and Kingston both on the outside, Orton eyed Kofi’s family sitting ringside, and it led to both men getting counted out. Kofi attacked Orton after the match, and kept his title in the process, but don’t be surprised to see a rematch soon.
The long-awaited in-ring debut of The Fiend was up next when Bray Wyatt’s alter ego took on Finn Balor in his Wyatt’s first match since debuting the new gimmick.
His entrance was stunning and chilling, setting the mood for what would wind up being nothing more than a glorified squash match. But if there was ever a need for a squash match, this was it and The Fiend defeated Balor after a mandible claw.
The WWE has something special with this gimmick.
Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship against Seth Rollins up next in the night’s main event, and this would be the match of the night.
It looked like it was going to be a dominant Lesnar win, but The Architect wouldn’t stay down. He turned the tide several different times and had Lesnar on the ropes, but it was never quite enough. However, after countering an F5, Rollins hit Lesnar with a third stomp to get the win and capture the Universal Championship once again.
The storytelling was superb in this match and it showed that when Lesnar wants to compete at a high level, he can help put on matches like this.
Overall, this was a good show, it really was. It wasn’t a great show by no means, but it was solid and it left a good taste in everyone’s mouth after the main event. That, in itself, is a win in Vince McMahon’s book because that hasn’t been the case much lately.
Not everything was well-done, but there really wasn’t anything bad. Some fans might not like the couple of squash matches that wound up on the card, but they were both needed in some ways and expected by the majority of the WWE universe.
Not to mention, there were two high-quality women’s matches, an amazing in-ring character debut, a satisfying defeat handed to the “best in the world,” and a great Universal Championship match that crowned a new champion.
Things should get interesting from this point on with rumors swirling about a possible new draft to take place, and possibly the end of the wild card rule. Not to mention, several key storylines have to still take shape, and new ones can start forming as well.
But from top to bottom, SummerSlam was a solid show that should be remembered favorably.
Next. WWE SummerSlam 2019 Results. dark