By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Daniel Bryan Interrupted WWE Champion Randy Orton

I realize SmackDown is a taped show and it is very easy for WWE to simply add in reactions, but it seemed Orton was receiving legitimate heat in the opening segment. I was surprised to see him on SmackDown and he cut a good promo here. He and Bryan had an enjoyable exchange, but were able to keep it short and sweet without giving too much away. Orton didn't target the fans too much here, but his arrogant mic work was enough to render him a heel.


Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel def. Cody Rhodes (Non-title)

It was a good match while it lasted, but the commercial break somewhat took away from it. Nonetheless, this was their first match against one another and manage to impress this viewer with their instant chemistry. It was a nice win for Axel, who is desperate for victories at this point, but I was confused as to why Damien Sandow didn't cost him the match in order to further their feud. Paul Heyman's post-match promo was also well done and seemed to tease an Intercontinental Championship match between Axel and CM Punk at some point in the near future, more than likely at Night of Champions.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

James Storm and Gunner Interrupted The Extraordinary Gentlemen Organization

I've been liking the stable of Bobby Roode, Daniels and Kazarian thus far, and it was interesting to see them kick off the show. However, I don't understand why Storm and Gunner of all people decided to interrupt, despite the fact they aren't even a part of the Bound For Glory Series. Storm foreshadowed Roode turning on Daniels and Kaz down the line, which was nicely done, but the tie-in to the match was strange and it felt like the bout should have been held later in the night.


Bobby Roode and Kazarian def. World Tag Team Champions James Storm and Gunner (Non-title)

Wasn't the whole point of splitting Beer Money all those years ago to push them as top stars in singles competition? Anyway, Storm and Roode have great chemistry in the ring together, so this was a good match. I still don't at all understand the pairing of Storm and Gunner, who haven't been regularly featured on television as of late. With this win, I hope Roode and Kaz take the titles off them at some point, for no other reason that they would make for much more entertaining champions than Storm and Gunner would.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Shield def. Kofi Kingston and The Usos

Man, I never get tired of seeing The Shield in six-man tag team matches. Their act might not mean as much as it used to, but there's no denying that their matches are still as entertaining as ever. Their style meshed perfectly with those of Kingston and The Usos, thus making for a match filled with exciting action. It was pretty predictable that The Shield would emerge victorious, but the final few minutes were very well done. I've said this before, but it's a shame to see Kingston back to where he was before he got injured: jobber status.


Divas Champion AJ Lee def. Naomi (Non-title)

If you can recall, these two had arguably one of the best Divas matches of 2010 during the third season of NXT. Although they've both come a long way since then, Naomi is still quite green in the ring. However, her moves are flashy and help cover up her weaknesses, which worked well in this match. It was a nice win for AJ, who seems to be in need of a title challenger for Night of Champions. In all honesty, I'd rather see Naomi contend for the title than Kaitlyn for the millionth time, but that's merely personal preference.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Stephanie McMahon Interrupted Daniel Bryan

Think about this for a minute: John Cena competed in one of the best matches of the year thus far last night with an injured elbow. You have to respect the guy for that and for holding off on surgery until after SummerSlam. Now the event has come and gone, it's good to finally see him take the time off he deserves. Bryan cut a great promo and it was nice to see him tone down his usual antics to take the serious route instead. I was curious as to what side Stephanie would be taking in this feud, but I'm not at all surprised that she'll also be heel going forward. This was one of her better showings on the mic since returning to television and her future confrontations with Bryan should be just as entertaining. The crowd was red hot for Bryan and it left viewers hooked as to whether he'd be appearing again later in the night.


Cody Rhodes def. Daimen Sandow

These two once again provided a nice matchup that was fun while it lasted. It didn't receive any more time than it did at SummerSlam, and I was disappointed that this rematch was given away for free without any real hype. They are obviously telling a story with Rhodes winning here, so I have no problem with Sandow taking another loss. It would make sense for Sandow and Rhodes to fight for the briefcase in their next match against one another seeing how he's earned the right at this point.

By Carson Koschik

Wow. In what was supposed to be WWE's "2nd biggest PPV of the year", WWE easily put on the most exciting and engaging show since Extreme Rules 2012. From the amazing storytelling to the phenomenal match quality, WWE hit all the notes they needed to and made SummerSlam an event that fans will remember for a long time. While I would like the hand out the praises to everybody who participated on the show, it's time to single out the best of the best. 


Best Match Award

Winner: CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar

There have been a lot of instances where the build-up to a match is miles better than the match itself, but rarely has there been a time where the almost impossible to live up to hype is completely exceeded in the match itself. Well, that happened at SummerSlam when CM Punk faced his former best-friends client, Brock Lesnar. The match was filled with brutal spots, amazing wrestling, and above all, perfect story telling. In the end, CM Punk would fall victim to an F-5 on a chair, but even in a loss Punk looked like a million bucks. Lesnar also proved that he may possibly be one of the best big men in history.