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SummerSlam is said to be an important PPV in WWE's calendar as it sets the direction for the last few months of the calendar year in WWE. The 2018 SummerSlam show was a PPV full of firsts in the WWE, and was an exciting show where they swerved and surprised the WWE Universe.
There were 10 title matches in total on the pre-show and the main card, and a few dream matches that were in the making for a long time, including the match between Daniel Bryan and The Miz.
With SummerSlam 2019 just days away, let's recap and take a look at 5 things that you may have forgotten about SummerSlam 2018:
#5 Braun Strowman was the Money in the Bank briefcase holder
Braun Strowman was touted to be in the running for top titles in 2018, and many predicted that he would win the Universal title, but that never happened. Strowman was pushed by WWE last year, where he won the Money in the Bank contract at Money in the Bank PPV in June.
At SummerSlam 2018, Strowman, who still held the Money in the Bank briefcase, had to put it on the line against Kevin Owens. In the match, The Monster Among Men squashed KO in under two minutes after chokeslamming and landing the running powerslam.
Later in the night, in the main event between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, Strowman was waiting to cash-in his Money in the Bank contract but was assaulted by Lesnar which resulted in him not cashing in his contract at the pay-per-view.
The Monster Among Men, though, was not successful when he finally cashed in his contract at Hell in a Cell PPV in September against Roman Reigns as well after interference from Brock Lesnar.
#4 Heels who have turned face and vice versa
Quite a lot has happened in WWE since last year's SummerSlam, as is expected from Vince McMahon's promotion. We have seen quite a few heel and face turns since the show that was held on August 19 last year, with a few surprises.
Dean Ambrose was a part of WWE and was by Seth Rollins' side when The Architect faced off against Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental title. Ambrose turned heel a few months later and then quit WWE, in one of the biggest surprises in WWE over the last few years.
Braun Strowman too turned heel and was part of an alliance with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, but soon turned face once again, while Strowman's opponent at SummerSlam 2018, Kevin Owens, has turned heel and face a few times and is currently a face.
AJ Styles, who had a very personal feud with Samoa Joe last year, which resulted in a match at SummerSlam, recently turned heel, reuniting with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. While The Miz and Daniel Bryan - opponents at SummerSlam, have turned face and heel, respectively.
#3 Becky Lynch's character change
One of the biggest surprises of SummerSlam 2018 and perhaps one that will be looked back as a huge change in women's wrestling was Becky Lynch's heel turn following her match against Charlotte Flair and Carmella.
Lynch faced Flair and Carmella for the SmackDown Women's title which was then held by Carmella. Charlotte won the match after hitting Becky with the Natural Selection and winning the title. Following the match, The Man attacked Charlotte, confirming her heel turn, and she explained her actions on the following week's SmackDown Live show.
Despite being a heel, Becky got the fans to cheer for her which eventually led to a feud with Charlotte and a subsequent face turn, as well as the beginning of The Man gimmick, which was one of the highlights of 2018 as well as 2019.
One year on, Lynch is the RAW Women's Champion, the title she won at WrestleMania 35 when she defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.
#2 Ronda Rousey became first woman Superstar to win titles in WWE and UFC
Ronda Rousey made history at SummerSlam 2018 when she became the first female Superstar to win titles in WWE and UFC, when she defeated Alexa Bliss to win the RAW Women's title.
Rousey, who had signed with WWE in 2018 had a meteoric rise in the business, and just months after debuting at WrestleMania 34, in her fourth match in WWE, won the top women's title at SummerSlam.
She went on to hold the title till WrestleMania 35, where she suffered her first singles loss in WWE at the hands of Becky Lynch. The Man and Rousey had a heated rivalry, which later saw Charlotte Flair be added to the mix, and the trio headlined WrestleMania 35 - the first women to do so in WWE.
The status of Rousey's WWE future is currently not known as she hasn't been on WWE since her loss at WrestleMania.
#1 Roman Reigns won the Universal title for the first time
Roman Reigns, like Rousey, also won a title for the first time in WWE at SummerSlam when he defeated Brock Lesnar and won the Universal title. Reigns had lost twice to Lesnar in 2018 for the Universal title, but The Big Dog found luck the third time around to win the title.
Braun Strowman, who had retained the Money in the Bank contract earlier in the night after defeating Kevin Owens, said that he would cash in his contract on the winner of the match, but was not able to do so after Lesnar attacked Strowman and landed an F5 as well as a few shots with a chair.
This distraction helped Reigns land a spear on The Beast and win the title. Reigns held the title for two more months before relinquishing it after he revealed that he was diagnosed with leukemia.
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