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Summerslam 2018 is now in the history books, and I would be lying if I said it was not a good show. From top to bottom, the show was good, with only a few disappointing moments throughout the show, and succeeded all expectations that the fans had after the lackluster buildup. WWE finally brought an end to the atrocity that Brock Lesnar's Universal Title Reign was by having Reigns beat him in the middle of the ring in a short but good match.
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Similarly, Ronda Rousey did the same with Alexa Bliss by decimating the Goddess in a short match to win the Raw Women's Title, and bring an end to this feud. The feuds on the blue brand, however, continued, with Styles-Joe and Tag Team Title match ending in disqualification and The Miz sneaking past with a win over Daniel Bryan.
While the whole show won't be remembered for a long time as an all-time classic, it certainly did have a few moments that literally had the jaws drop of the fans. Here are 5 such moments that shocked the fans in Brooklyn.
Jeff Hardy's Kills Himself
No way is Jeff Hardy as gravely injured as the reports are. I agree he is a tad slow in the ring and has not wrestled long matches for quite some time now, but what he did at Summerslam was not something that you expect from a person who is rumored to have nerve issues and back problems.
The match between Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura at Summerslam was..... fine. The crowd was half-dead for the majority of the match and didn't even pop for 90% of the match. However, they had no choice but to react when Hardy climbed to the top rope and tried to hit a Swanton on Shin.
The only difference this time - Nakamura was lying on the apron. Hardy missed the move by an inch and came crashing on the ring-apron in a dangerous move that left the crowd in a state of shock. Even though Hardy has done some pretty insane stuff in the past, watching him do a move like this, at this point of his career when he is dealing with career-threatening injuries, was just too big of a shock for everyone.
The Decimation of Kevin Owens
First of all, let me get one thing clear - I did not like this squash match on a pay per view thing a bit. This was not only a waste of talent of both Strowman and Kevin Owens, but it was also a big waste of time and opportunity.
We get that Strowman is big and is more powerful than everyone in the roster. But that doesn't mean that he can just go around and squash any person that he wants, let alone someone like Owens who wrestled him for over 10 minutes inside a steel cage just a month ago. What has Owens done wrong to deserve this atrocity at a huge event like Summerslam?
Anyhow, about the moment, it was nothing but shock and surprise to see Braun decimate Owens. Fans were expecting Braun to win, but no one was expecting him to do so in just 110 seconds. Two corner clotheslines, two shoulder blocks, one chokeslam and one power slam was all it took for Braun to finish Kevin. What's more shocking is that Owens only got one offense move - a superkick that Braun clearly no sold.
A Move never seen before
Staring Summerslam with the Intercontinental Championship was probably the best option that WWE had for the show. With two highly acclaimed wrestlers like Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler involved in the match, two equally popular stars like Dean Ambrose and Drew McIntyre at ringside and a wide crowd cheering, it was expected to be one of the best matches on the show.
And it was. From the opening bell to the closing bell, the 4 superstars involved presented a sensational story. While the match was somewhat slow during the first half, we can't argue with the fact that last 5-6 minutes were as exciting as any other hot match. Seth Rollins' win was surprising, to say the least, but it certainly wasn't the biggest shock of the match.
That title belonged to that crazy top rope maneuver that brought everyone in the crowd on their feet. We have seen Rollins perform the superplex and falcon arrow combination before, but he took it to a whole new level here. Instead of performing a normal superplex, Rollins climbed to the top rope and launched Ziggler face first onto the mat with a huge reverse superplex, before following it up with a swinging reverse DDT to a close 2 count. While we have seen innovation from time to time in the ring, this move was just mind-bending.
The Demon Resurfaces
Talk about sending the entire crowd into a state of frenzy. While everyone wanted to see Balor appear as the Demon King to finally bury his feud with Constable Corbin at Summerslam, the lack of any advance announcement meant that the chances of watching appearing at Summerslam took a big hit during the build-up of the show.
Kudos to WWE, however, for successfully capitalizing on the situation and surprising the fans with one of the best decisions on the show. Right when everyone was expecting the smiling Balor to emerge, the lights went out and the cryptic version of Catch My Breath started to play. With the cheering and chanting from the crowd, The Demon King resurfaced in the WWE after more than a year.
This was undoubtedly the best way to bring Balor's alter ego back to the WWE. Now darker and more terrifying than ever, The Demon King returned after a gap of almost a year and buried Constable Corbin in just 94 seconds to end this preposterous feud. Just like Undertaker became during the final few years of his Streak, it would be nice if the WWE kept this Demon King appearance exclusive only for Summerslam.
Becky finally Snaps
WWE just dropped a huge, huge bomb with this storyline. Right when everyone thought that Becky Lynch was finally coming full circle and winning the Smackdown Women's Championship at Summerslam, WWE started a whole new phase for her that could end up affecting her entire future career.
After years of fighting under the shadow of Charlotte Flair and watching her steal her lightening from time to time, Becky Lynch finally snapped on her former best friend after she won the Triple Threat Match and the Title at Summerslam. The moment not only light up a much-needed feud between the two, it also gave an unforgettable Summerslam moment.
After hugging Charlotte after her title win, Becky slapped Flair to a massive cheer from the crowd. After unloading her with a series of strikes, she sent her crashing into the Barricade and then over the announce table to a huge 'You Deserve It' and "Becky! Becky!' chants from the fans. While WWE wants to show this as a heel turn, it is hard to accept that considering that it was Charlotte who stole Becky's opportunity. It will be interesting to see how WWE proceeds with this in the future but, as for now, WWE surely shocked the fans in Brooklyn.
