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#2 2015
NXT TAKEOVER: This was a groundbreaking show, the first NXT Takeover show to take place in an arena instead of Full Sail. It was a resounding success for a variety of reasons, prompting WWE to hold such shows in like fashion from there on. The one-time appearance from Japanese wrestling legend Jushin 'Thunder' Liger was an extremely cool moment, as he beat Tyler Breeze in the show's opener.
The card was filled with a host of fun matches and moments. They ranged from Samoa Joe choking Baron Corbin out to the Vaudevillains' Tag Team Championship victory, to the main event ladder match between Finn Balor and Kevin Owens for the NXT Championship. It was an excellent match which was certainly a good fit to main event a show of this importance and magnitude.
However, the night, as well as the entire weekend, was stolen by the blockbuster Women's Championship match between Sasha Banks and Bayley. Much has already been said about this match, but you cannot credit it enough for the role it played in making the change we have seen for the women in WWE. Bayley won after over 20 minutes of supreme storytelling and breathtaking action. This truly was the moment of the weekend, if not the year.
SUMMERSLAM: 2015 gave us the first ever four-hour SummerSlam, showing us what was in store for us and our sleep on future pay-per-view Sundays. There were quite a few moments of note, including Arrow's Stephen Amell teaming with Neville to beat Stardust and King Barrett and the start of the record-breaking 483-day Tag Team Championship reign for The New Day, as they won a four-way tag team match. The undercard certainly had its moments but the big guns were out for this show.
A recurring theme in the biggest matches on this card was that the finishes were inconclusive, confusing and unsatisfying. That is what somewhat ruined the experience of these matches for many viewers. John Cena and Seth Rollins put both their championships on the line in a title-for-title Winner Take All match.
Rollins would capture Cena's United States Championship, and retain his WWE title, with the help of SummerSlam host Jon Stewart. An underwhelming end to a brilliant match.
The chaos continued in the main event, where The Undertaker vowed to avenge the end of his WrestleMania winning streak at the hands of Brock Lesnar. The two heavyweight legends fought a classic battle, leagues ahead of their clash at 'Mania the previous year.
However, the finish was baffling as the bell rang despite the referee never calling for it. As Lesnar was distracted, the Deadman took advantage and low-blowed the Beast, before locking in Hell's Gate to leave SummerSlam victorious.
OTHER HAPPENINGS: While the SummerSlam show did not reach the aspired levels of a WrestleMania, the next night certainly helped its cause. There was some follow-up on the events from the pay-per-view and closing confusing cases like the finish of the Rollins vs Cena match. The Cenation Leader would give Jon Stewart an Attitude Adjustment after he tried to reason out his interference. We also saw Brock Lesnar take out his SummerSlam frustrations on poor Bo Dallas.
The main reason why this Raw felt like the Raw after WrestleMania was the surprise returns and debut. The August 24th, 2015 edition of Raw saw the debut of a one Braun Strowman as part of the Wyatt Family. Literally nobody would have predicted him to become one of the most over babyfaces in the company within three years. Hell, people would hardly have believed that he would be in WWE three years after his debut. It has been an incredible transformation from the Monster Among Men.
However, the biggest moments of the show came in the form of surprise returns. The Dudley Boyz returned to WWE after over ten years and attacked the new Tag Team Champions. The last segment was scheduled to be the unveiling of a statue of Seth Rollins but in place of the statue was Sting, last seen shaking Triple H's hand at WrestleMania.
He went straight after the dual-champion to stake his claim for a WWE Championship match. This would be the final stretch of his legendary career after injuring his neck in the resulting title match.
