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Billed to be the biggest event of the summer, WWE SummerSlam 2011 surpassed the expectations of many as it unfolded on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. With seven enthralling matches keeping the excitement level up for the crowd in the arena, the main event was successful in producing the first ever Undisputed WWE Champion. Wait a second. That wasn’t all that happened on that night. We had a new WWE Champion (who fulfilled his destiny, by the way). Read on, to find out more on what happened on that eventful night and my opinion on the matches.
Match 1: The Miz, R-Truth and Alberto Del Rio Vs Rey Mysterio, John Morrison and Kofi Kingston
Six Men Tag – Team Match
Rey Mysterio, after winning the match
Though the participants of this match deserved more than the six man tag team match, they didn’t get a chance to whine about it since this match was really good. All six men gave it their all but it was Rey Mysterio who succeeded, mainly because of his resilience and patience. He’s got a WWE Championship match on Raw this monday which makes it even better for him. I’m not a big fan of six men tag team matches, but this one was exceptionally better which made me a believer of it. This was a fantastic match to kick off the biggest event of the summer – SummerSlam.
Winners: Rey Mysterio, John Morrison and Kofi Kingston
Match Rating: 4/5
Match 2:Sheamus vs. Mark Henry
Singles Match
Sheamus Vs Mark Henry: Not a battle of equals
Sheamus got a huge pop while making his entrance which signalled the fact that his face-turn is coming into full effect. Mark Henry was lethal in the match, brutalizing Sheamus with body blows. Both men put on a good quality match but I felt that it did not match the expectation. The match ending as a count-out victory for Mark Henry was a bitter pill to swallow. But this means that their feud will continue in future and there will be more time to build up for their next big match.
Winner via Count Out: Mark Henry
Match Rating: 3/5
Match 3: Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
WWE Divas Championship Match
A jubiliant Kelly Kelly rejoicing her victory with Eve Torres
The WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly was accompanied by Eve Torres while Beth Phoenix came out with Natalya. Surprisingly, Kelly Kelly dominated the entire match to get the pin fall victory. It was disappointing to see a larger, stronger wrestler in Beth Phoenix go down to a much weak diva like Kelly. Hopefully, this loss intensifies the charge of the Divas of Doom (Natalya and Beth Phoenix) against the blonde dolls in the WWE.
Winner and STILL the WWE Divas Champion: Kelly Kelly
Match Rating: 2/5
Match 4:Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan
Singles Match
Wade Barrett: Gentleman's Victory
The Bareknuckle fighter vs The American Dragon match was a treat to watch. Daniel Bryan’s new theme song “Freefall” by Two step from Hell seems to suit him very well. The match was a fantastic display of wrestling prowess and innate ability by both Wade Barrett and Daniel Bryan. As Michael Cole puts it, these two men put up a clinic. The two future stars of the WWE slugged it out in the ring with everything that they’d got, even if it was a non-title match. In the end, it was Wade Barrett who was victorious after hitting his wasteland finishing move on Daniel Bryan. This would give some sort of momentum to Wade Barrett’s career which had been plummeting for a while after the end his successful stint with the Nexus.
Winner: Wade Barrett
Match Rating: 5/5
Match 4: Christian (c) Vs Randy Orton
World Heavyweight Championship Match
A truimphant Randy Orton
The return of the Rated R Superstar Edge came as a surprise but his remarks against Christian caught me a bit off-guard. These were his exact words addressed to Christian:
“I did not expect my best friend to turn into a whining, moaning little bitch.”
This match also did not disappoint. With Christian having no ally to support him, Randy Orton tore apart Christain during the course of this match. Both men brutally attacked their counter parts with chairs, tables, candlesticks, steps etc. Christian’s awkward landing on a table might have hurt his neck really bad. The match ended soon thereafter as Randy Orton hit the RKO on to Christian on the steel steps. I would have to say that his was the best match between these two men over the past two months. Christian lost the title yet again but this time he lost it fair and square which would make him go nuts.
Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton
Match Rating: 4/5
Match 6: CM Punk (c) vs. John Cena (c)
Undisputed WWE Championship match
Kevin Nash attacking CM Punk
The anticipation and hype for this match was unforeseen in the history of the WWE. With so much anticipation in the air, it was always a difficult job for both competitors to not lose their focus in their match. The crowd was on CM Punk’s side and kept on booing John Cena everytime he hits a punch or does a move. Triple H did a fair job as the referee, but he will be criticized for the mistake that he made in the end by not noticing the fact that John Cena’s legs were over the ropes. The ending spoilt the entire quality of the match that the two stars put on since it was a bit like John Cena was screwed. But I liked the fact the CM Punk bet Cena and became the Undisputed WWE champion. In my opinion this match was better than the Money in the bank main event which was also won by CM Punk.
Winner and UNDISPUTED WWE Champion: CM Punk
Match Rating: 4/5
Match 7: CM Punk (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
WWE Championship Match
Del Rio with the title after defeating CM Punk
Many expected Del Rio to cash in at Summerslam but not many would’ve thought that Kevin Nash would come out and hurt CM Punk. That was the surprise of the night. I expect Kevin Nash to be a part of a feud with CM Punk in the coming weeks. Alberto cashed in his MITB contract immediately after Nash’s attack which left many unanswered questions on the reason for Nash’s attack. Alberto won the match over an energyless CM Punk. I liked the way in which the show ended.
Winner and NEW WWE Champion: Alberto Del Rio
Match Rating: 3/5
The Bottomline:
Good to see the WWE keeping the UNPREDICTABILITY factor up over the last few months. Bring in Kevin Nash into the Punk- Cena feud might not prove to be successful but can be used over the next few weeks. The backstage segements between Stephanie McMahon and CM Punk were hilarious. Cee Loo Green’s live performance was lackluster. But these things do not matter when we take the wrestling quotient into account. Hence, WWE SummerSlam was able to attract a lot of viewers and succeed in the keeping the fans guessed.
