Another WWE Summerslam is in the books, but like this yearâs WrestleMania 36, it will always have a COVID-19 asterisk next to it. Things have come a long way since April, however. Weâre in the Thunderdome now, which means a sea of fans watching on individual computer screens. It definitely makes WWE look more like pre-pandemic WWE at a glance, and when you really look at whatâs going on it just feels like the future (for good or ill).
And by the way, the name âThunderdomeâ is a strange choice because it really only makes me think of one thing. And now that weâre in Thunderdome, the assumption is that eventually weâll get beyond Thunderdome, which is even more on the nose. Sadly Tina Turnerâs health is apparently too poor these days for her to do appearances, so weâll never get that ultimate tie-in. But Iâm digressing, and thereâs a lot of SummerSlam to talk about.
The show opened with Bayley taking on Asuka for the Smackdown Womenâs Championship. As commentary noted, it was impossible to watch this match without thinking back to 2016, when Asuka took the NXT Title from Bayley by putting her to sleep. Bayleyâs become a whole different person since then, while Asukaâs more or less the same Asuka, just with a cozier relationship with WWE.
Actually, I say Bayleyâs a different person, but what I love about her character is that I think at heart she kind of is still the same awkward, emotionally immature wrestling fangirl she was in NXT. Itâs just that now sheâs built a hard shell around the heart she used to wear on her sleeve, and sheâs thrown herself into being a mean, cackling villain, because sheâs come to see that as the thing that gets you ahead in WWE (and sheâs not wrong there). But when you see the fear in her eyes as she faces someone she knows could beat her, like Asuka, that same nervous little girl is visible.
I also thought Asuka could beat Bayley here, and she would have (or at least thatâs the story) if Sasha Banks hadnât taken a hip attack on the apron that was meant for Bayley, giving Bayley the chance to roll Asuka up and just barely return her Title. This was only part one of the nightâs Womenâs Title drama, and it was already dramatic.
Part two came later in the evening, when Asuka had her second title match of the night, this time against Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Womenâs Championship. This was probably the match of the night. Iâm not one of those people who goes around the internet loudly proclaiming Sasha Banks the greatest female wrestler in the world, but letâs be honest sheâs up there, and so is Asuka. They were both giving it their all here, and the combination of athleticism and high drama was everything pro wrestling is about.
And whereas Sasha took Asukaâs hip attack for Bayley, Bayley was presented with the exact same opportunity in this match and declined, letting Sasha take it and then lose to an Asuka Lock. You could see the tension after the match, but what I liked about that tension is that Bayley wasnât playing a sneaky heel, whoâs secretly happy her best friend now has less belts than her. She was genuinely shocked and upset that Sasha lost. Of course, thatâs not going to stop the breakup from happening (whenever it finally happens).
And Sasha didnât just loseâshe tapped out. That adds another dimension to their eventual rift, where Bayley can counter Sashaâs âYou let me loseâ with a âYou gave up.â When they do turn on each other, Iâm not sure how the alignments are going to shake out, but Iâm really hoping Bayley stays heel and Sasha turns face, mostly because thatâs a dynamic weâve never seen before.
The third womenâs match (a phrase that should make AEW feel deeply embarrassed) pitted Mandy Rose against Sonya Deville in a Loser Leaves WWE Match. It was originally supposed to be Hair vs Hair, but then some creep broke into Sonyaâs house, and according to Dave Meltzer her lawyer didnât want her to shave her head when sheâs going to have to go to court to get that guy put away. That certainly makes sense, but Iâm disappointed that we donât get Buzzcut Sonya out of this. Instead, we donât get Sonya at all for a while, so Iâm holding out hope she gets the push she deserves (and maybe a badass new look too) when she comes back.
As for this match, it was obviously overshadowed by the two matches involving three of the most talented women in WWE, but it was a solid showing. Mandy and Sonya get points for fighting like two people who used to be friends and now hate each other, as opposed to a lot of these big grudge matches that start with wristlocks and other equally non-rage filled wrestling moves. This match began, and immediately Sonya was shoving Mandy and Mandy was driving Sonyaâs face into the steps. Thatâs the drama and emotion we want.
The Raw Tag Team Championship match couldnât compete with that level of pathos, despite the fact that Andrade and Angel Garzaâs manager Zelina Vega recently poisoned Montez Ford of the Street Profits. The real drama came at the end, when Ford accidentally knocked Vega off the apron and Andrade went to check on her, causing him to miss a tag from Garza, which in turn led to him taking the pin. Is there tension between Andrade and Garza? Does it have to do with Andrade caring too much about Zelina? Will this team ever get a name, or do I have to start calling them the VegaBoys (they like to party)?
On the subject of high drama and pathos, Dominik Mysterio made his real legit WWE wrestling debut against Seth Rollins, and seems like he has what it takes. I mean donât get me wrong, Domâs as green as George Steeleâs tongue, but heâs got the tools and the look, not to mention the pedigree. He also had his parents, Rey and Angie Mysterio, with him at SummerSlam, which gave Seth lots of people to direct his heelishness at. Rollins even wore gear based on a classic Rey Mysterio cosplay from WCW, which is probably the most love the movie version of The Phantom has gotten since Rey wore that outfit.
Obviously Seth beat the hell out of Dominik, because that was always going to happen, but the important thing is that Dominik is a wrestler now. Iâm not sure where he goes from here. Is he going to get some time at NXT? Seems like he could probably use it, but with legacy stars you never know. Is he going to turn on his dad and maybe steal his mask? Probably sooner or later.
Obviously Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton had a solid wrestling match for the WWE Championship, because theyâre solid veteran wrestlers. I must admit Iâm one of those who finds it hard to get excited about Randy Orton, so the best thing I can really say is that Drew retained. Then of course Randy turned up on Monday Night Raw and kicked Drew in the head a bunch of times, so I guess this is still happening for a while. Look, if you want to watch two guys who can wrestle having a wrestling match, this is definitely one you can watch.
The WWE Universal Championship match was less of a wrestling exhibition and more of a fight between two big, weird monsters in Braun Strowman and the Fiend Bray Wyatt. The Fiend continues to be hard to put down in that way that strains the limits of a viewerâs suspension of disbelief sometimes, but he also continues to be extremely creepy, which hopefully makes up for it. For a couple of years there, Braun was one of those âwill he ever get the top title?â guys in WWE, and now that heâs finally had a run with it⊠I canât say it really amounted to much. So he lost it to the Fiend, and then the most exciting thing on the show happened.
Roman Reigns, wearing a T-shirt that says âWRECK EVERYONE & LEAVE,â made his surprise return, wrecked everyone, and left. Well, not so much left as stood tall in the ring with the Fiendâs Title over his head. Every fan Iâve talked to was very excited to see him, which hopefully means itâs no longer cool to hate on him. He took a leave of absence early in the pandemic for the sake of his familyâs health, and hopefully that decision isnât compromised by this return.
So here we are: Post SummerSlam, Thunderdome in effect. Roman Reigns is back, the Fiend is Universal Champion, Bayley is still âBayley Dos Strapsâ but Sashaâs no longer âTwo Belts Banks.â Oh, and âRetributionâ is still out there causing chaos, but you couldnât tell that from watching this show. Itâs been a weird year for WWE (and letâs be honest, everybody), between awkward Performance Center shows, layoffs, cinematic matches, and missing talent. But now is looking like time for a reboot, and weâll see how that goes.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/wwe-summerslam-2020-review/
