By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jon Stewart Opened the Show

I've seen some reports that indicated the crowd wasn't too loud for Stewart during the opening segment, but from where I was sitting, he got a nice reaction from the Brooklyn crowd because they realize he isn't just another "celebrity" and that he's a real fan. The SummerSlam host always kicks off the show, so this was a fine way of opening the event and Mick Foley showing up was a pleasant surprise. When he name-dropped The Rock, I can tell you many people (myself included) got their hopes up for a Rock appearance, but no such luck.


Sheamus def. Randy Orton

I think just about everyone has had their fill of Sheamus vs. Orton matches, but to their credit, they put forth a good effort and had a quality match. I enjoyed their Battleground match slightly more (likely due to the event emanating from Orton's hometown of St. Louis), but I was shocked the crowd didn't try to hijack this match. There were some people behind me chanting "Same Old Shit!" but that was about it. They could have benefited from a stipulation of some kind, but it was still a solid outing. Sheamus winning clean was shocking but I liked it. He needs credible wins, but I'm sure he'll be back to losing matches on the regular in the next few weeks.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jushin "Thunder" Liger def. Tyler Breeze

Breeze always gets fancy entrances at TakeOver, but never wins. Poor guy. Anyway, what a thrill it was to see Liger in his first WWE match in person. The crowd loved both guys and Liger even got a "Holy shit!" before the bell ran. They wrestled a very nice match, but not too great a match that it took away from the rest of the show. Breeze was the perfect opponent for Liger in his in-ring WWE debut, and people who haven't followed his career at all or don't know who he is would never guess he is 50-years-old given what he can get done in the ring. I know there were some complaints about Liger beating the NXT regular, and Breeze definitely deserves better, but it was a feel-good moment for Liger in what might be his only WWE match ever.


The Vaudevillians def. Blake and Murphy to Win the NXT Tag Team Championship

Admittedly, I was never sold on The Vaudevillians, but seeing them for the first time in person made me a fan. Their gimmick is goofy, sure, and there is a definite question of whether they're going to get over on the main roster, but fans love the act and they're very good workers to boot. Then again, not everything in NXT works on Raw and SmackDown, so time will tell. As for this match, it was probably the best tag match I've ever seen in NXT, and I'm not just saying that because I witnessed it live. They put forth an excellent effort, though you had to know it wasn't going to end until the women got involved at ringside. Speaking of whom, Blue Pants was over BIG TIME and received one of the loudest pops of the night. I can't explain why people love her so much; they just do. The finishing sequence was well done and it's about time we crowned new tag team champions. I still have no idea why Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady weren't in those spots instead, but at least they were involved in a match that was taped before the show went live.

By Guest Contributor

It was on a significantly ordinary summer day, last year, that I chose to start a blog. In my first ever column, I ventured into the prediction department and guessed what my favorite pay-per-view of 2014, SummerSlam, would bring us. Although I was not perfect in my pursuit, the event proved to be outstanding, and thus, a blog was born. This year’s four-hour installment looks to be no less entertaining and perhaps more unpredictable than ever before.

Unlike last year, I will not be viewing SummerSlam from the comfort of my own home, but rather I will be in the raucous sea of WWE fanatics live at the Barclay’s Center. Seeing as though this will be my first-ever experience at a WWE Pay-Per-View, my excitement cannot be contained, especially because I will be sitting alongside my buddy, Graham “GSM” Matthews. I'm returning to the prediction department and attempting to foretell what we will witness on August 23rd in Brooklyn, New York, at SummerSlam 2015.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Curtis Axel def. Adam Rose

When it comes to Superstars, I appreciate anything that's out of the ordinary, and I liked how Rose's open challenge to anyone in the back was something new. The Minneapolis crowd popped big for their hometown boy Curtis Axel accepting the offer and this was the most motivated I've seen him in a long while. Then again, this was the first time I've seen him at all because he's hardly been on programming these past few months. He's grown his beard back out as well as his hair, so he switched up his look a bit. The match was decent, but what made it fun was the crowd showing love for Axel and then eating up everything he did. Maybe turning him babyface is the key to having him show the charisma that he's been lacking.


The Ascension def. Fandango and R-Truth

Scratch what I said last week, it looks like the team of Fandango and Jack Swagger won't be a permanent thing going forward. Rather, Fandango will be picking random teammates each week and although it's well-documented I'm no fan of his, R-Truth was a good choice for his partner given their similar dancing gimmicks. The match was fine for what it was, but it had me thinking: why aren't The Ascension in the tag title match at SummerSlam instead of Los Matadores? They aren't the most exciting team, either, but they're much more tolerable than the atrocious Matadores.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Intercontinental Champion Ryback vs. Big Show Ended in a Double Count-out

I don't know what it was, but I enjoyed this encounter between Ryback and Show significantly more than their match from Money in the Bank in June. A lively crowd can make all the difference, I suppose. Not only that, but they never slowed down and kept things interesting throughout, even though it was a brief bout. It was hard-hitting and highly physical, which is exactly what I hope to see in their Triple Threat at SummerSlam. I would have been fine with Show taking a loss here, but I can see why they went with the double count-out finish. I loved how the commentators mentioned that The Miz will benefit from these two being hurt going into their match.


The New Day def. Los Matadores

This might be the only time ever that I didn't completely dread a match involving Los Matadores. Then again, most of that is due to how The New Day manage to make anything they're a part of entertaining. Xavier Woods and El Torito had something brewing for a while, so at least this match wasn't totally worthless. Plus, how can I complain about a match that featured El Torito getting destroyed? How glorious would it be if that spelled the end of El Torito as an on-air character? One can only hope.