The 29th annual WWE Summerslam took place this Sunday from Brooklyn, New York.
After an incredible NXT Takeover: Back 2 Brooklyn, the hype surrounding Summerslam reached a new extent and the event didn't fail to deliver. It may not have been the best pay-per-view of the year, but it cannot be denied that the show was enjoyable.
Nonetheless, it is one of the four major events of the WWE and only a few wrestlers get the opportunity to be a part of this. Today, we present to you some of the unseen candid moments of the superstars, that were captured during the event.
1: The shot-callers of Smackdown
SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan were having a discussion backstage and it easily attracted the camera.
One can guess that the smile at Shane’s face may be a result of the positive response for SmackDown. The duo has truly brought in a new era for the blue brand as the show has been more enjoyable than WWE’s flagship’ RAW, run by Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley.
2: The high-flyers
Here we have Sami Zayn and Neville backstage after defeating the nine-time WWE Tag team Champions, Dudley Boyz.
Neville, who returned to action last month, hasn’t been involved in any significant feud. Zayn defeated Kevin Owens in a ‘Match of the year’ contender bout at Battleground but he lost the momentum heading into the big event. As a result, the two ended up in an impromptu tag match at the biggest event of the Summer.
Will the post-Summerslam period change the scenario for these gifted athletes of the RAW roster?
3: The Swiss Superman munching his way to the ring
This candid moment of the Swiss Superman was captured during Summerslam.
At the event, he faced the former World Champion, Sheamus, in the first match of the Best of Seven series. Cesaro returned to the squared circle in April but somehow got lost in the shuffle. The former United States Champion wasn’t even an early pick in the recent WWE Draft.
With the fans rallying behind Cesaro, WWE had to book him for Summerslam. Let’s hope that he will soon be able to get back in the Championship picture.
4: The Miz being himself
WWE Intercontinental Champion, The Miz, is seen here preparing for his title defence at Summerslam, or you could say he’s just being himself.
He cemented his fifth Intercontinental Championship reign by defeating Apollo Crews at the pay-per-view. In the post-WrestleMania RAW, The Miz won the Gold from Zack Ryder, with an assist from Maryse and has been successfully defending the Championship ever since. “The never-ending reign” is now on a 145-day mark and it will be exciting see who steps up next and challenges him for the title.
5: Beauty and the beast
The Bulgarian Brute has been a dominating United States Champion so far. Former World Champion Roman Reigns insulted Rusev and his wife, Lana during their wedding celebration and issued a challenge for the Gold a few weeks ago on Raw. Prior to his title defence at Summerslam, Rusev suffered a loss at the hands of #1 contender. The couple has been in a foul mood since then and this explains the reaction in the above image.
The match was ultimately nixed as a brawl broke out between Rusev and Reigns. As a result, Rusev retained the championship and may defend it again at the upcoming Clash of Champions pay-per-view in September.
6: The 4th unicorn
The Champions were celebrating backstage with Jon Stewart’s son and the sudden click made Xavier Woods imitate The Undertaker.
The New Day retained their WWE Tag team Championship at Summerslam due to an interference by Big E. The guest-host of the event, Jon assissted the Champions at ringside who defended the belts against Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Stewart should also be grateful to Big E for saving him from a possible ‘Ringpostitis’ injury.
7: Brock actually talks to people?
This click highlights one of those rare incidents when Lesnar has been spotted conversing with fellow wrestlers.
Brock Lesnar collided with Randy Orton in the main event of this year’s Summerslam. Although he looks calm in this photo, a few hours later Orton bled profusely due to his vicious elbow strikes and that match ended in a TKO.
Lesnar is rumoured to return to WWE next year, around the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, where he may challenge for the WWE Universal Championship.
8: A ‘Phenomenal’ photograph
The camera captured AJ Styles, who was eagerly waiting at the Gorilla position to make his entrance in his debut Summerslam event.
The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion faced former WWE Champion, John Cena, and delivered the ‘match of the night’. Styles headed the event with a previous victory over Cena and after defeating the Franchise boy again, he may rightfully call himself as the next ‘face, that runs the place’
Styles has the opportunity to solidify his claim if he is successful to win the WWE Championship from Dean Ambrose at WWE Backlash.
9: Lunatic champion
The WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose defended his title against Dolph Ziggler at the biggest event of the summer. In that co-main event bout, the Lunatic fringe retained after an enjoyable back-and-forth match. Moments after, Ambrose was found to pose with his championship in the backstage area.
This impressive victory couldn’t intimidate his next opponent, who is determined to take the championship away from him. Ambrose and the new contender, AJ Styles are going to fight for the most important prize of the company at the upcoming ‘SmackDown exclusive’ BackLash pay-per-view.
10: Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.
Seth Rollins received a huge ovation while making his way to the ring at the pay-per-view. In fact, the Man himself waited for a moment to ‘let that sink in’. Such a massive crowd support must be one of the goals, every WWE Superstar wants to achieve.
At Summerslam, Seth Rollins faced Finn Balor to determine the first ever WWE Universal Champion. He failed to win that match but has earned another shot next week. Will he be able to defeat Roman Reigns, Big Cass and Kevin Owens to become the brand new Champion?
