3 matches/segments worth rewatching from SummerSlam 2022

After a week of letting the last vestiges of a Vince McMahon-approved product play out on television, fans finally got a glimpse of what a Triple H-led WWE product could look like via the 2022 SummerSlam pay-per-view.

As we’ll discuss a bit later, “The Game” wasted little time leaving his creative mark on this show. Even basic things like having the announcers talk like actual human beings contributed to this show’s enjoyability. It’s a low bar, sure, (one so low that you could tape it to the ground to make a makeshift speedbump) but it certainly beats maintaining the status quo from a creative standpoint.

While SummerSlam failed to reach the heights of Forbidden Door or Death Before Dishonor (or even night one of WrestleMania 38), it was a pretty good show with brief pockets of greatness.

In that spirit, these matches and segments from the 2022 SummerSlam are worth a rewatch.

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch- Raw Women’s Championship (****1/4)

To set a strong tone for the show, SummerSlam opened its proceedings with the Raw Women’s Championship match between Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch, and set the tone this did.

The third singles meeting between these two rivals didn’t quite equal their output at WrestleMania, but their elite chemistry and innovation helped them turn in another Match of the Year contender. It was the sort of performance we’ve come to expect from Lynch and Belair in big matches.

When you see sequences like Belair attempting a K.O.D. at the timekeeper’s area only for Lynch to counter and hit a leg drop, Belair turning another leg drop into a powerbomb, Lynch yanking Belair off the top rope by the hair and hitting the Manhandle Slam, and Lynch’s second-rope Manhandle Slam attempt becoming a second-rope Spanish Fly, you know you’ve seen something special.

Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY appear, Becky Lynch turns babyface

Following that classic match, we got our first glimpses of what the WWE product could look like with Triple H making the decisions, and it looks pretty encouraging.

For starters, we saw Becky Lynch offer a handshake to Bianca Belair, which Belair accepted. The seemingly signaled a long-awaited babyface turn for Lynch, and if that didn’t do the trick, then her standing side-by-side with Belair to face off with the returning Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY certainly did.

In one brief staredown, WWE established three fresh, talented rivals for Belair to face (going from potentially defending the title against Alexa Bliss to facing wrestling either Bayley, Kai, or SKY is a clear upgrade) and finally re-positioned Lynch where she should’ve been when she returned.

While Lynch played her heel role well, no one wanted to boo her, so it was nice to see WWE accept reality and turn her back.

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns- Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (Last Man Standing) (***1/2)

Usually, WWE Last Man Standing matches aren’t for me, and even this one featured plenty of the “hit a move, stand around for nine seconds” spots that inspire my distaste for this stipulation. That said, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns’ effort exceeded their performance at WrestleMania and they mixed in enough unique spots to override the match’s shortcomings.

Yes, we got the expected overbooking, including Theory’s attempted Money in the Bank cash in, but WWE spread those out well enough and it gave Lesnar a thick enough layer of protection in defeat.

Now, can we please find Reigns some new challengers? We know he’s getting Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle, but WWE needs to find other viable opponents to avoid going back to this well.