WWE SummerSlam Review - August 14, 2011

Solid six-man tag team match to kick off the show. It served its purpose in covering Mysterio's knee injury, getting everyone involved in the event, and giving the Master of the 619 some momentum going into his WWE Championship rematch on Raw in his hometown.

Contrary to some people's beliefs, I thought that the Sheamus and Mark Henry match was actually pretty good for the time they got. They certainly could go more and held back last night, but this was only a teaser of what they can accomplish in the future. Henry's attack on Sheamus through the barricade was intense indeed, and the count-out victory keeps Sheamus credible while furthering Henry's monster push.

Although I did take a break to get some food in the convenience of my own home, I didn't think the C-Lo Green segment was all that bad. Sure, he didn't sound as great in person, but he preformed pretty well and the addition of the beautiful Divas were a nice touch. The performance also helps gets WWE some extra mainstream coverage they're always craving.

Surprisingly, the Divas Championship bout between the defending Kelly Kelly and challenger Beth Phoenix was better than expected. That was certainly one of the best Kelly matches I've ever seen, and Phoenix is a good opponent to bring the best out of her. Although I was bit disappointed that the Glamazon didn't walk away with the gold, you can't help but think that Kelly's upset victory helps further a story, something that is unheard of and rare in the Divas division. I can guarantee a rematch at Night of Champions, where Beth hopefully then claims the title.


I've been highly anticipating the eventual confrontation from Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett, and their bout was everything I hoped it to be last night. They have excellent history and chemistry, which can be sampled from the variety of reversals they provided. The only minor miss here is the lack of crowd reaction, but that's typical given the fact that the bout was confirmed for the card at the last minute. I was surprised to see Barrett pick up the victory, but I have no problem with it seeing Barrett needs to regain credibility as a top heel on SmackDown. Hopefully, the rivalry continues with Barrett earning a fair shot at the briefcase at Night of Champions.

Out of all the matches Randy Orton and Christian have contested against each other, this was easily the best with the tremendous suspense, use of the No Holds Barred stipulation, and the pace the two worked at to give us a great 25-minute bout. I was hoping for Christian to finally defeat Orton clean last night, but alas, it was not meant to be, as the Viper once again became World Champion. You can tell from the fan reaction that followed that they weren't all that psyched seeing a new champion. Even though the finish of the contest was extremely awesome, Christian was pretty much buried by this loss and will no longer be featured in main event programs. Edge's appearance prior to the match was a nice surprise, pleased the fans, and settled any speculation with his thoughts on his best friend Christian's antics.

The main event WWE Championship match between CM Punk and John Cena was once again a classic, another match in the running for Match of the Year. The crowd was hot for it the full twenty minutes and both Superstars were able to live up to their infamous Money in the Bank performance last month. I'm glad to be wrong in the fact that Triple H didn't turn heel despite much speculation, but he served his purpose as referee in blowing the call with Cena's foot on the rope, keeping the Cena-Punk on-going saga alive. I absolutely marked out for the return of Kevin Nash, as its about time he was involved in an on-air story-line. I completely forgot about Del Rio at the same, which made for another awesome moment when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. I'm certainly content with the way everything played out, and I'm also glad Del Rio got what he finally deserved.

Overall, a way better show than expected that certainly exceeded my expectations. Every match included solid action, served a purpose, and shocked the WWE Universe with the outcome. The ending of the broadcast was the perfect way to add more intrigue, interest, and suspense into the upcoming Raw show tonight and freshen up the WWE Championship picture.