7 things WWE subtly told us at SummerSlam 2019: Big mistake in title match, Champions to turn face?

WWE SummerSlam 2019 is in the books and as predicted, it turned out to be a fascinating PPV. It took some time to get running but once Trish Stratus and Charlotte Flair had the crowd in the palm of their hands, it was only an upwards ascent in terms of quality of the show.

There were hardly any negatives with regards to the show and it ended with the sight of Seth Rollins standing triumphantly as the second multi-time Universal Champion. Lesnar's reign was his third and it might just be his last.

It looks as though the Heyman and Bischoff era is going to begin in full swing now. It feels as though we're entering a new era, but all of that is tomorrow. Tonight, we focus on the brilliant PPV that was SummerSlam and all the things that you subtly missed.

#7. Murphy's involvement in the Roman Reigns story isn't over

A moment you may have missed on the Kickoff show

This moment flew under the radar because it was on the pre-show. Buddy Murphy was a last-minute addition on the card as he took on Apollo Crews. It was halted mid-match because Rowan came and viciously assaulted Murphy.

He told Murphy to "keep his name out of his mouth" - referring to this past Tuesday when he revealed to Roman Reigns that Rowan was the man who threw the set on him. It was a heel attacking a heel, but obviously, it makes storyline sense in this case.

What's clear is that Buddy Murphy's involvement in the story is far from over. Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan were absent from the card but it seems as though Murphy will be a recurring character in the storyline between the two top stars.

#6. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross might be babyface fighting champions

Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross aren't even a full week into their Women's Tag Team title reign and they already have half the title defences that The IIconics had in four months with the title.

It was a rare instance of a heel vs. heel match, but in this contest, it was the champions who technically played the role of babyfaces. And to their credit, it was quite a decent bout given the time they had.

However, it was a clean victory and Bliss & Cross seemingly teased a face turn. It wouldn't be surprising if it does happen because Bliss did tease a face turn a couple of months earlier. It would be an interesting directionin in WWE for them to take and hopefully, they make this unlikely dynamic work.

Are you happy with the new champions?

#5. Dolph Ziggler is far more useful to the company than we realize

Goldberg and comedy. Who knew it would work out well?

Dolph Ziggler, as expected, got squashed by Goldberg in a whopping 1 minute and 50 seconds. It was certainly a minute and a half longer than what people anticipated but the highlight wasn't even in the match itself - but the post-match segment.

In short, Dolph Ziggler, after getting squashed, took to the mic to tell Goldberg that he couldn't square up to him "man to man" and was absolutely delusional. He ate a spear and then called Goldberg after he left - only for the legend to return and spear him again. Ziggler continued to mumble on the mic.

Ziggler showcased his comedic aspect in the segment and he surprisingly looked good even when being squashed. It just goes to show how versatile and underrated he is as a performer. This is why WWE values him as they do.

4. The Kofi Kingston-Randy Orton feud is only going to get more intense

Kofi Kingston goes to his family after the match

IIt's safe to say that WWE fans in the arena and across the world weren't happy with the finish of the Kofi Kingston vs Randy Orton match. It was a very important match from a storyline perspective because it was 10 years in the making, so fans expected it to be about Kingston's redemption arc.

Things were building well until the confusing finish where fans didn't even know whether it was a count-out or a DQ. It seemed mistimed and a legitimate mistake but the main point where the match got intense was when Orton was beating down the WWE Champion in front of his family.

Similar to AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe last year at SummerSlam, the dusty finish was done to extend the feud between the two. WWE probably feels they need more time to tell the story and it's only going to get more intense from here.

#3. The end of Stratusfaction

In 2006, Trish Stratus had the most fairytale career-ending that anybody could have asked for - as she retired by winning the Women's Championship for the last time against her career rival Lita in her home country Canada.

She had a dream match against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019 and it was better than anybody could have expected it to be. As she should have, Charlotte Flair was victorious and Stratus seemingly had a second retirement. She did tease this being her final match and there certainly wasn't any better opponent for her in WWE.

And what a way to go out. She had her hometown crowd completely behind her and they validated the match with "This is awesome" chants. The storytelling and psychology were off the charts and it was the match that really got the show kickstarted.

This was very likely the end of Trish Stratus' legendary career.

#2. Bray Wyatt is going to be the best part of WWE programming

Bray Wyatt's return had the anticipation and novelty of Sting's "Crow" character back in the late 90s and his new entrance resembled that of The Undertaker. While the commentators were quick to make The Undertaker comparison, it's clear that this is something completley different.

Bray Wyatt squashed Finn Balor in a fascinating match and when Finn Balor was trying to gather himself post-match, the crowd chanted "That was awesome!" - compeletely awe-struck and mesmerized by what they witnessed.

What we witnessed was not just a showcase of how brilliant WWE can be when creative puts in the effort, but it was a display of the genius mind that is Bray Wyatt. The Fiend character is special in every sense of the word and from the entrance to his new arsenal to his general demeanour, it's all special.

Bray Wyatt is going to be the best part of WWE programming for a while to come and we couldn't be more excited.

#1. Seth Rollins is going to be "The Guy" in the Heyman era

Seth Rollins is a 2-time Universal Champion

Brock Lesnar's 3rd Universal title reign ended in less than 30 days. Seth Rollins took on The Universal Champion and for the first time in four encounters, they finally had a proper match. It was a fantastic match where both superstars looked fantastic and we finally had the privilege of seeing Brock Lesnar put in effort into a match since his Survivor Series clash with Daniel Bryan last year.

At the end of it all, Seth Rollins overcame The Beast Incarnate and unlike his former Shield member Roman Reigns, he scored a clean victory over Brock Lesnar. It was the best decision possible and the perfect way to end WWE SummerSlam 2019.

Tom Colohue of Sportskeeda revealed that Paul Heyman wasn't keen on the idea of Brock Lesnar as Universal Champion and it's clear that he wants to work with full-time superstars. Seth Rollins is going to be "The Guy" under the Heyman era of RAW.

ALSO READ: 5 Things WWE got wrong at SummerSlam 2019