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The first WWE pay-per-view to take place in an arena in five months, SummerSlam certainly did not disappoint. Every match was, at the very least, solid and entertaining to watch. This was a night of consistency and logic with WWE's storytelling, a welcome sight as we look to go full throttle into the ThunderDome era.
There were a couple of title changes, and long-term grudges were settled. And at the end of the night, the 'You'll Never See It Coming' tagline was vindicated with an absolutely shocking moment. But more on that later.
Every match at WWE SummerSlam 2020 was good
SummerSlam from the ThunderDome goes down as a success, with every single match delivering. But what was the best of this stellar bunch? Here is every match from SummerSlam 2020 ranked, from worst to best.
#7 Street Profits vs. Andrade and Angel Garza (RAW Tag Team Championship)
This was a typically solid tag team affair, featuring some great action. Andrade and Angel Garza looked good at SummerSlam, dominating Montez Ford for a portion of the match. The Zelina Vega-led tandem utilized some innovative and logical offense, but it was not enough to put away the RAW Tag Team Champions.
Ford picked up the victory with a beautiful Frog Splash after an inadvertent bump from Vega distracted Andrade. This set up further dissension between Andrade and Garza, while their manager got her comeuppance for poisoning Ford a few weeks ago.
It was a good showing for the Street Profits, with their long RAW Tag Team Championship reign set to cross half a year. However, the main reason why this match is at the bottom of this list was the relative lack of urgency at times during its short length compared to the rest of the SummerSlam card.
It remains to be seen what is next for Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins after SummerSlam, but the future of Angel Garza and Andrade as a team may be more intriguing. The match could have been better, but it did serve its purpose. Also, Kevin Owens on commentary made it more enjoyable.
#6 Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose (No Disqualification Loser Leaves WWE Match)
After a change in stipulation, possibly forced by the real-life situation faced by Sonya Deville, the blowoff clash between the former 'Fire and Desire' at SummerSlam was definitely intense. However, with how the feud was built over the past few months, the match may have been a tad bit underwhelming.
Deville and Mandy Rose still did well in their big SummerSlam match. The action spilled out of the ring almost immediately, with the vast majority of it taking place ringside. We saw multiple chairs being swung and thrown around, as well as a table spot being teased.
However, Deville and Rose did not deliver it despite the table being set up outside the ring. The latter did prove her toughness at SummerSlam, stunning her former best friend with multiple knees to the face. Rose ultimately got the victory with a succession of unreplied moves.
This result means that Deville must now leave WWE, with the former MMA fighter throwing a tantrum outside the ring. It was a satisfying ending to one of the best feuds of the year, especially given the events of the past week.
#5 Bayley vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women's Championship)
SummerSlam kicked off with the story between Asuka and the 'Golden Role Models'. The Empress of Tomorrow took on Bayley in the first of her two Women's Championship matches at the Biggest party of the Summer. This was as solid as one would expect from a match between the two Grand Slam Champions.
Bayley was particularly impressive, especially with Asuka having another match later on. The SmackDown Women's Champion brought her A-game at SummerSlam and executed a wide range of maneuvers from her move set. With all of her terrific character work, it is easy to forget how good Bayley is in the ring.
She countered a lot of Asuka's moves, with a mid-flight knee-bar standing out in particular. The finish came when Sasha Banks took a Hip Attack from Asuka, pushing her best friend out of harm's way. This distracted Asuka long enough for Bayley to catch her in a small package for the victory.
While the RAW Women's Title match later on was better, Bayley and Asuka did well here. This match definitely held it's own as the SummerSlam opener.
#4 Braun Strowman vs 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt (Falls Count Anywhere Match for the Universal Championship)
Not counting the wild post-match events that closed SummerSlam, the Universal Championship match between Braun Strowman and 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt was a decent affair. It was violent and stiff, as one would expect from these two monsters. The fight went all across the ringside area and even reached the Gorilla position at one point.
One of the most brutal spots of the match, and SummerSlam as a whole, was Strowman's devastating chokeslam to The Fiend onto the announce table which did not break. That had to hurt like hell. The rest of this match wasn't much prettier, as Strowman and Wyatt ran each other through barricades and walls.
After his challenger kicked out of a Running Powerslam, Braun Strowman decided to cut up the ring and exposed the wood underneath it. However, while he was doing that, The Fiend rose up and immediately took the Monster Among Men down with a Uranage and two Sister Abigails on the exposed wood. This was enough for him to win the Universal Title.
This Falls Count Anywhere Match was a decent main event for SummerSlam, but not overly exciting or psychotic as the build might have indicated. However, Roman Reigns returning after the match and attacking both Superstars was an excellent moment to end SummerSlam.
#3 Sasha Banks vs. Asuka (RAW Women's Championship)
The second half of Asuka's dual Championship chase against the 'Golden Role Models', this match against Sasha Banks was a typically great showcase of both women over the course of their rivalry for the RAW Women's Championship. This SummerSlam match was an improvement from their previous matches, largely thanks to the fact that there was a proper finish.
Both Superstars hit each other with some stiff moves, including some brutal kicks from Asuka and a terrifying Sunset Flip Powerbomb from Banks. The action was smooth as ever, with the 'Legit Boss' sharing even better chemistry with Asuka than Bayley did earlier in the night.
The 'Role Model' tried to return Banks' favor from the earlier match in a similar way, but Asuka was able to counter this attempt. After quickly trading submission finishers, Asuka finally made Banks tap out with the Asuka Lock. After weeks of frustration, the Empress of Tomorrow has finally avenged Banks and Bayley for running Kairi Sane out of WWE.
It remains to be seen how the events of SummerSlam will affect Sasha Banks and Bayley's relationship going forward. With the ThunderDome up and running, the two of them could begin feuding sooner rather than later.
#2 Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio (Street Fight)
This was one of the more exciting matches at SummerSlam, featuring a great debut. Dominik Mysterio wrestled his first match, taking on Seth Rollins in a violent Street Fight that was rich in storytelling value. The young debutant gave an excellent account of himself, proving that he belongs in the ring.
Rollins was excellent, helping Dominik look as great as he did. The 'Monday Night Messiah' dominated portions of the match, showing his heelish best in front of the onlooking Rey Mysterio. He and his inexperienced opponent used a multitude of weapons on each other, including chairs and kendo sticks.
Dominik produced a highly impressive sequence of moves on Rollins and Murphy but was unable to get the job done at SummerSlam. This was still a tremendous performance from him. He eventually succumbed to a Curb Stomp from Rollins, who took his sweet time to hit it after countering an attempted Frog Splash from Dominik.
This was a wild and intense intense match, as Seth Rollins gave a lot to Dominik Mysterio. He sold a lot for Rey Mysterio's son, despite picking up a convincing victory. This in-ring debut at SummerSlam could not have gone much better for Dominik Mysterio.
#1 Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton (WWE Championship)
While it is understandable that this was not the main event, given how SummerSlam ended, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton had the best match of the night. This was simply a terrific wrestling match that got the basics spot on and progressed from there. There were many things to enjoy from this match.
It began with method and mind games, but the storytelling got better as the match progressed. McIntyre and Orton had to dig deep and hit nearly every move from their arsenal. The Scottish Pscyhopath even hit a top rope clothesline on Orton.
One of the highlights of this match was when McIntyre applied the Figure Four Leg Lock on Orton, a callback to the Viper's assault on Ric Flair two weeks before SummerSlam. And much like the 'Dirtiest Player of the Game', Orton used an eye poke to escape it.
The ending came after both stars countered each other's finishers, culminating in McIntyre catching Orton with a backslide. You could say he never saw it coming. It was a surprising way to end this physical contest, one which caused both men to bleed. The Viper was protected in defeat, though.
What was most astounding about this match was that we got 20 minutes of intense action from two of the best in the business at the moment, without any finishers being hit. It seems like we are headed towards a SummerSlam rematch between Orton and McIntyre at Payback, which would be great.
These two definitely shared the best match at SummerSlam 2020. Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton should definitely headline at least one pay-per-view in the future.
