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WWE SummerSlam 2020 was one of the better WWE pay-per-views this year. For the first major show inside the WWE ThunderDome, the ultra talented roster showed out with plenty of good matches spread throughout the card. The aesthetics for the ThunderDome definitely helped the show stand out in a very weird year in terms of WWE's biggest shows.
We saw some stories culminate, feuds continued and a huge surprise return. The returning Roman Reigns definitely was the top headline coming out of WWE SummerSlam 2020. It was a genuine surprise that caused a lot of buzz coming out of this event. The edge shown by the Big Dog definitely has gotten well deserved discussion among the wrestling community. However, the overall match quality of WWE SummerSlam has made this a memorable show that will also keep fans talking.
With a jolt of energy from the ThunderDome and quality matches from top to bottom, WWE SummerSlam was definitely a memorable night for the WWE Universe. In this article, we will discuss each match and give star ratings for each.
Apollo Crews vs. MVP for the WWE United States Championship (WWE SummerSlam Kickoff)
On the WWE SummerSlam Kickoff show, the night of action started with the United States Championship Match. The champion, Apollo Crews and challenger, MVP have met a lot of times in the past few months since the latter made his return. This match was originally supposed to take place at last month's WWE Extreme Rules, but due to the effects of Lashley's Full Nelson, Crews was unable to perform. When Crews did return, he defeated MVP on an episode of RAW to set up this rematch on the WWE SummerSlam Kickoff.
The two men know each other very well at this point and that showed here. However, their matches all seem very similar to one another. They have been very solid efforts from the competitors. At the same time, they have not produced anything spectacular between the ropes, which was the same on the WWE SummerSlam Kickoff show.
MVP has been a constant highlight on Monday Night RAW in his role as the leader of The Hurt Business. Although he is still a capable performer in the ring, there was something missing here that left us with the feeling that maybe the wrong member of The Hurt Business was in the ring at WWE SummerSlam. It just felt as if Bobby Lashley should have been in this role instead of MVP. The match was inoffensive, but left something to desire.
Star Rating: **1/2
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Bayley vs. Asuka for the SmackDown Women's Championship
The proper WWE SummerSlam 2020 card kicked off with the SmackDown Women's Championship Match as Bayley defended against Asuka. This was the first of two matches on the night for the Empress of Tomorrow with her opponent for the RAW Women's Championship, Sasha Banks, in Bayley's corner. The story between these three ladies has been a consistent highlight on WWE television over the past few months. This WWE SummerSlam opener was no different.
Both Bayley and Asuka worked very hard to have an entertaining match, which at the same time left enough on the table for Asuka's second contest at WWE SummerSlam later in the night. These two ladies have quite the history with one another as established by the commentary team. They made mention of the fact that it was Asuka who defeated Bayley to end her legendary NXT Women's Championship reign to go along with the ongoing story on the main roster.
The story of Asuka trying to overcome the Golden Role Models was very prevalent here. Sasha would stick her nose in this contest repeatedly to the detriment of the challenger. In her attempt to keep all the gold, Bayley used these distractions from Banks to allow her openings over Asuka. In the conclusion of the contest, we saw this interference finally cost the Empress.
The climax of the WWE SummerSlam opener saw Asuka with the advantage after two particular attempts to distract her from Sasha on the outside. Finally, Asuka set up Bayley against the ropes for her signature running hip attack. However, Sasha moved Bayley out of harm's way and took the blow for her best friend. Using this to her advantage, the SmackDown Women's Champion cradled Asuka in a small package for the victory at WWE SummerSlam.
This match was a very well-wrestled opener to WWE SummerSlam, which highlighted the story heading into the match well and also set up things for later in the night. All three ladies, including Sasha Banks, got their characters over and delivered an entertaining contest to kick off the proper WWE SummerSlam card on the right foot.
Bayley showed off her smart heel character while Asuka worked with her signature relentless aggression. This was one of the better matches on the night and a worthy opening contest. We would also see later in the night that this set things up perfectly for the outcome of the RAW Women's Title match as well.
Star Rating: ***1/2
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza for the RAW Tag Team Championships
The RAW Tag Team Championship match on WWE SummerSlam was one that has been building for quite some time. Zelina Vega's group of men have been feuding with The Street Profits since before WrestleMania 36. At that event, it was Angel Garza teaming with Austin Theory against the RAW Tag Team Champions, but this time Andrade replaced Theory, who has since been removed from the team as well as RAW programming. The story in the lead up to WWE SummerSlam 2020 has become somewhat convoluted, though.
On the August 3rd, 2020 WWE RAW, we witnessed Montez Ford against Andrade. In this match, Ford mysteriously fainted, which was later revealed as him being poisoned. Montez's wife, Bianca Belair, was quick to accuse Zelina Vega behind this act. Zelina was adamant in her denial of having poisoned Ford, but this did not stop Bianca from attacking Vega in the buildup. On the go-home RAW ahead of WWE SummerSlam, we saw video evidence of Zelina Vega putting a hidden substance in Ford's Solo cup, which caused his poisoning. It was a rather lackluster reveal to say the least.
The attire of the challengers made them feel like a genuine team. The Solo cups raining down on the entrance of the Street Profits made this feel like a big-time pay-per-view intro. This WWE SummerSlam match was decent, but it felt as if we have seen this match on several different occasions. Having seen practically every combination of these four competitors in the ring, there was not much new ground for the two teams explore. We also had just seen these two teams meet on WWE RAW a month ago so this had the feeling of a RAW match instead of an encounter worthy of WWE SummerSlam.
All four men worked hard here and there was not anything technically wrong for the most part. Andrade and Garza both worked well as a unit. Although being the most athletic of the competitors in this WWE SummerSlam contest, Montez Ford felt somewhat off on a few occasions here. However, he more than made up for that with the finish of this RAW Tag Team Title match.
Towards the end of this contest, Garza superkicked Ford into Zelina Vega on the apron, which knocked her down to the floor. Andrade, worried for her health, went down to check on her. Then Angelo Dawkins hit a spinebuster, followed by Montez Ford hitting a beautiful spinning frog splash to gain the victory. This furthered the established tension between the challengers, but left something to desire in regards to this matchup.
Star Rating: **1/2
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville in a Loser Leaves WWE No Disqualification Match
This WWE SummerSlam encounter was originally supposed to be a Hair vs. Hair Match. However with the real-life events occurring over the past week, Sonya Deville versus Mandy Rose was turned into a Loser Leaves WWE No DQ contest. Considering the build that started before WrestleMania 36 between the ladies, this was a more than suitable replacement stipulation for WWE SummerSlam.
The two ladies have crafted an intriguing tale throughout 2020. It was revealed prior to WrestleMania that Sonya was the mastermind trying to prevent the union between her best friend, Mandy Rose, and Otis. After this reveal, Mandy Rose helped Otis defeat Dolph Ziggler at the event and started her love connection with Mr. Money In The Bank.
After WrestleMania, Sonya has cut incredible promos explaining her betrayal of Mandy. Deville has felt in the shadow of Mandy and her beauty since the formation of Fire and Desire. Her promo and character work have helped drive this story forward to become one of the best-told on the WWE main roster in a while. This all led to this huge showdown at WWE SummerSlam 2020.
This encounter was a very physical, demanding matchup. The two ladies were both aggressive in a way only two friends would go at it in the ring. We saw a suplex on the steel ramp and many steel chairs involved in this No DQ contest. This made it feel like the blowoff that is needed for a huge event like WWE SummerSlam.
In the conclusion to this Loser Leaves WWE battle, Mandy Rose used her knee strikes to put down Sonya repeatedly. She delivered a double underhook face plant then a final knee strike to gain the victory at WWE SummerSlam and rid the WWE of her former friend. The emotion shown by Sonya in the aftermath elevated the outcome. However, Mandy's Caterpillar attempt with her love, Otis, did take away from the seriousness of the buildup and stipulation here.
All that withstanding, we saw a physical match that blew off one of WWE's best feuds this year. This was the rare story in the company that had a beginning, middle and end. The end here at WWE SummerSlam was worthy of the journey Sonya and Mandy took us on over the past six months. After her stellar character and mic work in 2020, Sonya Deville will be sorely missed. Her departure is understandable.
Star Rating: ***
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio in a Street Fight
In one of the better-built feuds heading into WWE SummerSlam 2020, Seth Rollins met the debuting Dominik Mysterio. The night after WWE Money In The Bank 2020 saw the devious act of Seth Rollins pushing the eye of Rey Mysterio into the steel steps, puncturing the luchador and shelving him for weeks. Then at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, Rollins defeated Mysterio in an Eye For An Eye Match, taking his opponent's eye out of the socket in the process.
The vengeful Dominik Mysterio has been on a mission against Seth Rollins ever since. In the buildup to WWE SummerSlam, we witnessed Seth and his disciple, Murphy, lash Dominik with kendo sticks in a vicious beating. This lashing definitely raised intrigue in Dominik's first official match at WWE SummerSlam 2020.
In his debut match at WWE SummerSlam, Dominik Mysterio showed a lot of skill, displaying his Lucha Libre training that he picked up from his father. At the same time, the match also showed that Dominik was still a rookie as Seth continuously was able to use his experience advantage to cut off his opponent. Prior to this Street Fight, Dominik asked his father to not get involved, saying it was his battle this time at WWE SummerSlam. This made for an entertaining story when Seth had Murphy helping him get weapons to brutalize Mysterio.
Rollins used kendo sticks and steel chairs to beat down his opponent. Finally, Dominik's mother, Angie, could not stand by and watch his beating continue without anyone getting involved. She came to the top of the WWE SummerSlam stage, where Rey stopped her pleading and she returned to the back.
As this happened, Seth had Murphy attempt to puncture Dominik's eye like he had done to his father, as well as Aleister Black, weeks back. This finally led to Rey helping his son and attacking Murphy. Seth and his disciple both jumped Rey and handcuffed him on to the ropes. The finish saw Dominik gain the advantage using his speed to set up Rollins for a 619 and then attempt his second frog splash of the night. However, Seth got his knees up and forced Rey to watch his son receive the Curb Stomp for the win.
A memorable story was told throughout this Street Fight. The lead-up to this WWE SummerSlam encounter was beautifully highlighted in this match. Dominik had one of the better debut matches in WWE history. Seth deserves credit for being a ring general who led Mysterio to one of the best matches on the card.
Star Rating: ****
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship
In the second match for the Empress of Tomorrow on WWE SummerSlam 2020, Asuka faced RAW Women's Champion Sasha Banks. This was a rematch from The Horror Show at Extreme Rules and the July 27th episode of RAW, where Sasha Banks defeated Asuka by count-out to win the title. In the process, Bayley took out Asuka's best friend, Kairi Sane, from the WWE. This added a personal edge to this encounter that was not there before, upping the intensity for this WWE SummerSlam contest.
Here, we witnessed an intense, hard-hitting battle with both ladies trading high impact moves. This WWE SummerSlam contest had so many unique sequences and maneuvers. One of the many highlights included Sasha Banks hitting a crazy sunset power bomb from the ring to the floor as Asuka stood on the apron. The thud of Asuka's body hitting the mat on the outside was nasty. Once back in the ring, the Empress of Tomorrow almost knocked Sasha's head off with a stiff kick.
For the most part, in contrast to the earlier Smackdown Women's Title Match, Bayley did not get involved quite like Sasha did earlier in the night. During the later stages of this WWE SummerSlam match, a distraction from the Role Model helped Sasha gained an advantage, locking in the Banks Statement. Asuka struggled to make the ropes, but this would lead to a callback from the opening contest at WWE SummerSlam.
In the conclusion, Asuka went for her running hip attack to Sasha against the ropes. Bayley got up on the apron to help her friend, but her decision was different from Banks'. Sasha was able to move out of the way of the hip attack like Bayley did, but the SmackDown Women's Champion also moved out of the way. Asuka nailed a spinning back fist to knock her off of the apron, which left her vulnerable to Sasha going for the Backstabber into the Banks Statement. However, Asuka reversed and locked her in the Asuka Lock for the win to become a two-time RAW Women's Champion.
The amazing chemistry between Asuka and Sasha was on full display throughout this 11-plus minute WWE SummerSlam contest. This was an excellent match that made both women look extremely strong in the aftermath. The RAW Women's Title match was the best of the bunch on WWE SummerSlam. The two women elevated this card with their stellar work. This also planted seeds for the eventual breakup of the Golden Role Models.
Star Rating: ****1/4
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
The WWE Championship Match at WWE SummerSlam 2020 was the most anticipated match heading into the event. The stellar buildup of both Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton made for a compelling feud. The WWE Champion has had a strong title reign in which he has performed expertly in and out of the ring. On the other hand, Orton returning to his "Legend Killer" ways has led to a career year that could stand up to any in his 20 years in the business. This made for one of the best-built championship matches for WWE SummerSlam in a long time.
Randy Orton taking out his mentor Ric Flair was definitely the highlight of this build. Orton telling Flair that he was a liability to his career cut deep, but the touching testimony of Flair was a tearjerker and made Orton's betrayal that much harder to watch. That angle ramped up the intensity and intrigue of this rivalry, but also was used in this WWE SummerSlam contest.
This epic encounter was a well wrestled, classic WWE Championship match in every way. The work from both men made it seem as though either man could walk out of WWE SummerSlam with the gold. The sequences were smooth, the strikes were stiff and action peaked at the right time. McIntyre's use of the Figure Four Leg Lock was a beautiful callback to Orton's betrayal of Flair. Both men traded headbutts that cut open both competitors, adding further credence and elevating this encounter. The struggle between Orton and McIntyre made this captivating to watch unfold throughout its duration.
In the end, the finish was one that "you never saw coming" before WWE SummerSlam 2020. A lot of the story of this match was about the two men's finishing maneuvers. This was a rivalry of the RKO versus The Claymore. McIntyre avoided the RKO at every attempt, while Orton used his abilities to evade The Claymore. Randy would avoid a final attempt at The Claymore and go for one more RKO, only for Drew to reverse and surprise him with a backslide for the victory.
This was a superbly worked match by two consummate professionals. Orton and McIntyre delivered a stellar WWE title match that met every expectation set forth for it. This would have fit perfectly in the main event spot, but it still helped to make this WWE SummerSlam card worthy of praise.
Star Rating: ****1/4
WWE SummerSlam 2020: Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt for the WWE Universal Championship
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt have had a long rivalry that started shortly after WrestleMania 36. At The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, things took an interesting turn as Wyatt defeated Braun in the Swamp Fight when The Fiend made his presence known. In the build to WWE SummerSlam, the introduction of Alexa Bliss to this story added an interesting layer to this story. Wyatt tried using the relationship between Bliss and Strowman to play mind games with the champion. This gave Bray an edge prior to WWE SummerSlam, but could it give him the victory?
The late addition of the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation to this WWE SummerSlam main event made for a better match than a standard contest would. However, things seemed to fall apart as the match went on. The encounter started hot, with both men using their formidable strength against one another. It was like two monsters barreling into each other. But when things went to the backstage area, the match slowed down and became tougher to watch.
They made the most of the stipulation to make this feel like a worthy conclusion to WWE SummerSlam. The fight in the backstage Gorilla position gave us a nice visual. However, the two competitors fighting their way back just seemed convoluted and orchestrated. Braun was unable to get the job done with his signature Powerslam so he wanted to take things a step further.
After Wyatt seemingly drowned Strowman back at Extreme Rules, Braun pulling out a toolbox and attempting to use a box cutter seemed appropriate, but Strowman using the tool to just remove the mat was confusing. Exposing the wood underneath the mat opened the door for The Fiend to get up and gain his final advantage.
The Fiend used his Sister Abigail finisher three times on the exposed mat to gain the victory and become WWE Universal Champion for the second time. While the return of Roman Reigns post-match added a sense of excitement to the ending of WWE SummerSlam 2020, the main event left a lot to desire in the ring and out of it.
Both competitors are interesting characters, but as far as workers, they come up short especially considering the three fantastic matches that preceded the WWE SummerSlam closer. Although this did not quite live up to the workrate earlier in the night, SummerSlam was definitely a show that can stand up to any other event in the WWE this year.
Star Rating: **1/4
