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WWE SummerSlam turned out to be one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year. WWE remained unmoved by what was going on around the wrestling industry and continued to deliver some of the biggest and best matches of the year.
The Usos and The Mysterios battled for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships once again at SummerSlam. Will Dominik Mysterio turn on his father to give fans a rare father vs. son match in the months to come?
RK-Bro was also successful in winning the RAW Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam. Who will stand up to the new leaders of the tag team division?
Sasha Banks was unable to compete at SummerSlam, but Becky Lynch returned to take down Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Meanwhile, Bobby Lashley cheated to bring his match against Goldberg to a bizarre end.
Seth Rollins suffered another pay-per-view defeat on Saturday night. What will The Drip King do following his loss to Edge at The Biggest Party of the Summer?
A few surprises lit up SummerSlam, while fans were left with many big questions after the show. Take a look at the five biggest questions from this year’s WWE SummerSlam.
#5. Why did RAW host such short and lackluster matches at SummerSlam?
WWE RAW hosted a few matches on this year’s SummerSlam card. Bobby Lashley put his title on the line against Goldberg, while Nikki A.S.H. defended her title in a Triple Threat Match.
There were also a few non-title matches from the red brand at The Biggest Party of the Summer. Alexa Bliss took on Eva Marie on the main show in the only non-title women’s match at the pay-per-view.
Bliss defeated Maire after just a handful of moves in a match that was not very well received. Why did WWE book such a short and uneventful match between Bliss and Marie for a big show like SummerSlam?
Meanwhile, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal also competed in a non-title grudge match on the show. As expected, The Scottish Warrior was dominant from start to finish and defeated The Modern Day Maharaja in less than five minutes.
Should WWE have just saved this match for the main event of RAW following SummerSlam? Would it have been better to give the two men more time to settle a rivalry that could have given fans a match similar to Edge vs. Seth Rollins?
RAW failed to cash in on the brand's non-title matches at SummerSlam. It will be interesting to see if the creative team continues these rivalries on RAW after the pay-per-view.
#4. Why was Nikki A.S.H.’s RAW Women’s Championship reign cut short at SummerSlam?
Nikki A.S.H. defended her RAW Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair at WWE SummerSlam. Nikki won the title after cashing in her Money in the Bank contract and pinning Flair.
After winning the title, fans started to get behind A.S.H. The victory led many to believe that WWE would have some confidence in her abilities and give her a decisive win at SummerSlam.
However, many were proved wrong as the creative team once again gave Charlotte Flair the victory at a major pay-per-view. The victory allowed Flair to win her sixth RAW Women’s Championship reign.
Did WWE run the entire angle to simply increase the number of title reigns Flair has in WWE? Was it the right decision to take the title off Nikki so early after giving her some initial momentum?
It would have been better to give Nikki a longer reign and build her as a competent superstar on RAW. She could have become an even bigger merchandise mover for the company with her new gimmick. However, it looks like the creative team have other plans in mind.
#3. Why did WWE hand Bianca Belair such a short loss at SummerSlam?
Nikki A.S.H. wasn’t the only one to lose her title at WWE SummerSlam. Bianca Belair came out for her advertised SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Sasha Banks.
Only after reaching the ring did Belair find out that Banks was unable to compete at SummerSlam. Instead, Carmella made her way out to take on The EST. Before the match began, another swerve helped WWE bring back one of the biggest superstars of this generation.
Becky Lynch came out to put away Carmella and challenge Belair to a match. Lynch defeated The EST within 30 seconds to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.
While it was good to see Lynch back in the ring, why did WWE throw Belair under the wheel at SummerSlam? Belair had been one of the most dominant champions in WWE since WrestleMania 37. She won all of her big matches without any underhanded tactics.
Should WWE have given Belair and The Man a longer match before having the title change hands? Did the creative team look to cover Lynch’s ring rust by giving her a very short match?
Only time will tell why Belair was squashed by Lynch at SummerSlam. Right now, not many fans are happy with the way the match went.
#2. Did WWE manage to turn Goldberg babyface at SummerSlam?
Goldberg returned to WWE for a match against Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam. In the build-up to the match, WWE tried to portray Goldberg as the babyface in the rivalry.
The plan did not work out too well as fans cheered The All Mighty at SummerSlam. Many fans could be heard booing the WWE Hall of Famer during the show.
However, MVP helped Lashley take out Goldberg’s leg, rendering him unable to complete the match. This resulted in a win for Lashley without having to pin or submit the Hall of Famer.
Lashley continued to do more damage to Goldberg’s leg after the match. He also attacked his son to make a bold statement. It was an effective way to build some sympathy for the WWE veteran at SummerSlam.
Did WWE just use the angle at SummerSlam to establish Goldberg as a clear babyface? Did Lashley attack Gage Goldberg to bring more heat towards his character while making way for a rematch?
WWE will be heading to Saudi Arabia again in October this year. The outcome here will likely help WWE take Goldberg along to The Kingdom for a rematch between the two superstars. Are Lashley’s days at the top numbered following this angle?
#1. Why didn’t Brock Lesnar return to confront Bobby Lashley at SummerSlam?
Roman Reigns picked up a decisive victory over John Cena at WWE SummerSlam. The Franchise Player had returned to WWE to push Reigns back down to earth but failed to do so at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
After Reigns’ victory, Brock Lesnar made a surprise return to WWE. The Beast entered the ring and got in The Tribal Chief’s face before beating down Cena to make a statement.
Reigns and Lesnar have a lot of history with one another, and The Beast could become the first man to pin Reigns in his new character.
However, would it have been better for Lesnar to confront Bobby Lashley following his return at SummerSlam? Would it have been more exciting to build a dream match between The All Mighty and The Beast for Saudi Arabia?
Fans have been waiting to watch Lesnar take on Lashley for years now. This could have been the perfect time for the company to build an angle between the two men.
A first-time-ever match surely sounds more tempting than a rehashed rivalry. However, Reigns’ new heel character could help give a completely different angle to another rivalry against Lesnar.
