SummerSlam was certainly the ‘Biggest Party of the Summer’ last night and lived up to its slogan: “You’ll never see it coming”.
It was a really fun show; made better due to the shorter duration and the fact that WWE didn’t overbook much. The future may be basking in some great matches if SummerSlam has proven where most of the storylines are heading!
Before we move ahead towards Payback – which if you have forgotten is this Sunday – let’s discuss the Six Biggest Takeaways From SummerSlam 2020.
1. Asuka Wins Raw Women’s Championship
Asuka was the busiest wrestler on the show last night. Not only did she have to fight Bayley but she had to face Sasha Banks. It would have been a rough night if she ended with double losses…
The main card actually opened with the Asuka vs Bayley SmackDown Women’s Championship match. It was really exciting, with fans on the edge of their seats anticipating the way ‘Golden Role-Model’s’ would potentially break-up.
Instead of any betrayal teases in this match, they started the show united. Banks managed to assist and distract Asuka to help Bayley retain.
However, when Bayley tried to do the same for ‘The Boss’, it didn’t work out in their favor.
In what I’d say was the match of the night, Asuka beat Banks for the RAW Women’s Championship. Banks’ singles title reign curse continued, but at least she managed to pull off a TakeOver-quality match with the Empress of Tomorrow.
The best move of the bout was when Banks hit a sunset flip to Asuka on the apron, crashing her body onto the ground with a loud thud.
With Asuka being a two-time Raw Women’s Champion, we could be set to see some great rivalries like this one. Likewise, Bayley and Sasha are one step closer to their descension. Payback will host their Women’s Tag Team Title defence against a team that is unknown. I predict that this will see them lose their titles and Bayley will turn on Banks for their thrilling implosion.
2. Dominik Mysterio Loses First WWE Match
SummerSlam has seen huge debuts such as ‘The Fiend’ but one of the biggest debuts to take place on the thirty-three shows was that of Dominik Mysterio. The first to debut in the WWE Thunderdome in fact.
Dominik had a lot to live up too because of who his Father is, similarly to Pat McAfee the night before, he lived up to his potential.
Dominik was doing flips like a purposeful Luchador – proven that his Dad has trained him well. This match was even the longest on the show! His entrance music was cool, he has pretty smart, futuristic ring gear and he tried his best to defy his father’s wishes and beat Seth Rollins.
However, vengeance may have taken him too far. Whenever Dominik seemed close to holding the advantage in the match, the ‘Monday Night Messiah’ would stop him and take over. Rollins pretty much held most of the offence for the entire bout. Dom’s Mom, Angie, even came out, distraught that her son took this challenge head-on.
At the end, Murphy was completely involved in the Street Fight meaning Dominik had to fight off both of them. Rey was quite neglectful, keeping to Dominik’s promise and not interfering – when his father instincts should have kicked in regardless. Rollins handcuffed Rey to watch on to Dominik getting stomped into the mat for his first loss.
This result shouldn’t halt the young career of Dominik. It was against former-Universal Champion Seth Rollins after all. I’d expect Rey to get his wish at Payback; where he would finally tag with his son to face Rollins and disciple Murphy.
3. Sonya Deville Leaves WWE
In a neat conclusion, Mandy Rose beat Sonya Deville in a No DQ match. Therefore, Deville had to stick to the second part of the stipulation – leave WWE.
The match was pretty decent and showcased how great Sonya Deville actually is. It seems she is only taking a break due to the ongoing case regarding the alleged stalker at her home. Once she returns, we must see big things for Deville. She can totally be a top heel champion on the show.
Anyways, once Mandy Rose managed to topple Deville for good and prove she isn’t just a pretty face, she tried to do the caterpillar. No-one can do it as spectacular as Otis though. Rose is another female that can be much higher on the card. She should challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at some point.
4. Drew McIntyre Retains WWE Championship
In an old-school classic, Drew McIntyre retained against Randy Orton.
This match was technical and got bloody very early on. Both men just wanted to outpower the other and clearly emphasise who is the most dominant on the red brand.
One of the best spots of the match was when McIntyre locked in the figure-four on the ‘Legend Killer’. This was a respectful tribute to the ‘Nature Boy’, who Orton betrayed only a few weeks ago.
Surprisingly, this match featured no finishers. Not a single punt, RKO or claymore was hit during the filming of this match. Instead, McIntyre won with a backslide in a poor version of ‘You’ll never see it coming’.
I hate how frequent WWE use unexpected roll-ups. However, they never wanted to derail Orton’s momentum. It is clear from Orton’s facial expressions at the end of the match, this rivalry may be far from over and Orton will definitely challenge McIntyre again. I’d happily see these guys go at it again – perhaps in a quick-paced, goosebumps frenzy next time.
5. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt Wins Universal Championship
It was only last year that “The Fiend” made his presence felt by decimating Finn Balor. At that point, we all knew he was mindblowing, eery and psychopathic. He was going to reinvent Wyatt’s career and take him to heights like never before.
I guess he has catapulted Wyatt’s career of sorts as he has now won his second Universal Championship. After reluctantly trying to keep his ‘demon’ locked away, “The Fiend” emerged at SummerSlam to slay the Monster in a good showing of strength. It was the usual Strowman match with plenty of barricade spots and other things being crushed.
Many key reasons hinted at “The Fiend” walking away victorious here. One: he made his debut at SummerSlam. This is like a playground for him. Two: He beat Seth Rollins to capture his first Universal title at Crown Jewel in a Falls Count Anywhere fight. This match allows him to unleash chaos around the entire arena and electrify the Thunderdome.
At the end of this match, Strowman cut the ring apart, seeking more impact for a brutal power slam. However, instead, “The Fiend” used the most painful part of the ring to hit Sister Abigail for the victory.
Speaking of Sister Abigail, it came as a surprise that Alexa Bliss made no appearance during this bout. She was heavily involved in the feud and therefore, should have resulted in some kind of climax. Albeit this, we may have not got Bliss but we did get someone else…
6. Roman Reigns Returned
After the main event, a figure dressed in black speared the newly-won Universal Champion, revealing himself to be a returning Roman Reigns.
The ‘Big Dog’ has been sorely missed since taking a break from WWE to shield from the pandemic. His last appearance was on SmackDown building to his Championship match with Goldberg. This match wasn’t officially called off until the SmackDown pre-‘Mania!
Therefore, if the pandemic ceased to exist, Reigns would most likely be champion right now. Well, it doesn’t look like we will have to wait much longer as he has been cemented into the Payback advertising kinda conveying that the PPV is there to get the belt on Reigns as quick as possible. It was fun for “The Fiend” while it lasted…
Honestly, though, Wyatt doesn’t need the title to be a creepy megastar. Reigns’ title run has been long overdue; not holding the Universal title since relinquishing it to Leukemia in 2018.
Furthermore, this return was exactly the Reigns we have been begging for. He was just a badass like in his SHIELD days. He came out “wrecked everyone and left” as it stated on his t-shirt.
Many rumours are floating around that this could have potentially been a heel turn for Reigns. He may also be the leader of RETRIBUTION. If this is the case or not, Reigns will indeed freshen up the blue brand and bring some more life to the main event scene.
WWE wasn’t lying when they declared: “You’ll never see it coming”.
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