WWE Super ShowDown: 5 Superstars who flopped at the PPV and 5 who didn't

WWE Super ShowDown 2020 ended on a controversial note after Goldberg defeated The Fiend to win the Universal Championship. It was one of the titles that changed hands, the other being the SmackDown Tag Team titles that were won by The Miz and John Morrison after they picked a win over The New Day.

The PPV was decent with its ups and downs and it had its fair share of good and bad performances. While some delivered their best despite the result, the others were far from convincing when it came to the in-ring performances.

In this article, we will take a look at five WWE Superstars who flopped at the PPV and five who didn’t.

#5 Flopped: The Viking Raiders

A tiny lapse in judgment proved to be quite costly

In the first match of the pay-per-view, the Viking Raiders squared off against The O.C. while the match started with Erik and Ivar dominating the bout but they even managed to get the better off of the ‘best Tag Team in the world’. There was a constant exchange of blows amidst thunderous cheer from the crowd. However, a few minutes later, things started to take a turn for the worse as far as The Viking Raiders are considered.

Both Erik and Ivar took on Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows respectively but constantly appeared to be the weaker side. Towards the end, the Viking Raiders had one good shot at victory when Ivar had a chance to hit Anderson with a splash. Instead, he decided to go on top of the turnbuckle and perform a moonsault. Unfortunately for him, that gave one half of The O.C. enough time to roll away from the spot.

Ivar’s attempt to squash his opponent was in vain and The O.C. took advantage of the situation. They delivered a Magic Killer to end the match in their favor. You would expect the former Tag Team Champions to refrain from making such a mistake, especially when they are aware of the sneaky moves that Anderson and Gallows can pull off. What could have been an epic Super ShowDown rematch, simply ended up making The Viking Raiders look extremely weak.

#5 Didn’t flop: R-Truth

In one of the most pleasant surprises of Super ShowDown 2020, we saw R-Truth stepping up and delivering one of the best performances of his career. He was easily the one wrestler that everyone counted out of the Gauntlet match for the Tuwaiq trophy. However, he delivered a fairly convincing performance in spite of being one of the biggest underdogs heading into the match.

R-Truth first pinned Bobby Lashley and the latter was so disappointed at his loss, that he decided to take it out on his opponent who won fair and square. Despite being brutalized by Lashley, R-Truth went on to battle against Andrade and managed to pin the United States Champion. Following that, he locked horns with Erick Rowan and still managed to win via DQ after he was hit by a steel chair.

R-Truth’s next opponent was AJ Styles with whom he was involved in a decent exchanged before being pinned by the ‘Phenomenal One’. He may not have won the match but he certainly delivered an impressive performance inside the squared circle.

#4 Flopped: Bobby Lashley

Is Bobby Lashley really the Almighty One?

Despite all the criticism that the Rusev-Lana-Bobby Lashley storyline received, it was expected that all the three Superstars involved in the controversial angle will get a huge push. However, the reality is far away from fiction as neither of the three above-mentioned names has been booked strongly after the conclusion of the adultery angle.

At Super ShowDown, Bobby Lashley appeared as one of the contestants of the Gauntlet match and he squared off against R-Truth. Although he managed to hit the 34-time 24*7 champion a few times, the latter had the final say as he successfully pinned Lashley and eliminated him. An irked Lashley then went on to brutalize R-Truth who was left bleeding inside the ring.

The entire segment involving Lashley made him look extremely weak. He is someone who is always expected to get a push, owing to his stature but here, he couldn’t even manage to put up a convincing fight against an opponent like R-Truth. His appearance made little to no difference when it comes to judging his current position on the roster.

#4 Didn’t flop: AJ Styles

The Phenomenal One has an interesting feud lined up

In one of the most important nights of his career, AJ Styles did what he does best and did a brilliant job in establishing himself as an arrogant heel and initiated a feud with The Undertaker in the process. It all started with the Gauntlet match for the Tuwaiq trophy that was expected to end up with the ‘Phenomenal One’ by the end of the night.

Styles even had everything planned. He pinned R-Truth and was one win away from getting his hands on the trophy. The former WWE Champion was supposed to face Rey Mysterio but the latter never walked out. As it turns out, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows already had a plan in place. They attacked Mysterio backstage which means that he couldn’t compete in the match.

Styles was now rushing the official to declare him as the winner and demanded them to ring the bell. It did but the one that marks the arrival of The Deadman. The leader of the O.C. stood in the middle of the ring, face-to-face with The Undertaker before he was chokeslammed and pinned.

Although Styles lost in an extremely brief encounter with The Undertaker, he played his part and set the tone of their rivalry that will see its conclusion at WrestleMania 36.

#3 Flopped: Andrade

Andrade can certainly do better than this

After serving a 1-month suspension for violation of WWE’s wellness policy, Andrade returned to in-ring action as one of the participants of the Gauntlet match. Ahead of his arrival, the United States Champion was expected to be one of the strongest contenders in the match for the Tuwaiq trophy. However, those expectations died soon after the first few blows were exchanged between him and R-Truth.

You’d expect a reigning champion to look much stronger inside the ring. Andrade, however, appeared to have forgotten the way in which he used to own the space even when he wasn’t wrapped in gold. He looked disinterested for the most part of his encounter with R-Truth and allowed himself to be pinned in a rather easy fashion.

Surely, Andrade could have put up a more convincing performance which would have also added credibility to R-Truth’s victory. Although the Mexican Superstar showed some brutality when he decided to attack his opponent after being eliminated, it was not enough to make up for a sub-par display from the champion.

#3 Didn’t flop: The New Day

It might be unfortunate but it will bear exciting results

At Super ShowDown 2020, the New Day were challenged by The Miz and John Morrison for the SmackDown Tag Team titles. The latter had won the opportunity to go for the tag team gold and made the best of it by dethroning the reigning Champions. Their match started well with both teams showcasing their skills inside the ring.

Kofi Kington and Big E managed to be the better team on several occasions, relying on their high-flying tag-team maneuvers that often saw Miz or Morrison being dragged closer to a loss. They were consistently tagging each other and had their partner’s back, something that you expect from this decorated tag team.

In the end, Morrison hit Kingston with a steel chair when the official was not looking. Miz quickly took advantage of the situation and immediately rolled Kofi up. This booking decision allowed the creatives to get the titles on a fresh team without making The New Day look weak. It will be interesting to see what sort of feuds will unfold on the Blue brand following this huge title change.

#2 Flopped: Ricochet

The Resident Superhero of WWE may not be fond of this type of flying!

This one probably falls on the creatives. However, the fact that it was Ricochet who took the disastrous loss inside the ring, he is included in the list based on the performance. It was always going to be Brock Lesnar who would walk out with the title in a match against WWE’s Resident Superhero. But their bout was simply embarrassing for one of the promising performers on the roster tonight.

Despite knowing the fact that the ‘Beast Incarnate’ can work great matches with high-flying, super-fast performers, WWE decided to go for a squash match once again. In less than two minutes, Ricochet was lying face flat in the middle of the ring after he was pinned by the WWE Champion. The latter managed to get back and glare at the Champion as he was leaving but it was too late to create any memorable moment.

Ricochet didn’t need the title to make a statement, he just needed a good match. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t even get the opportunity to familiarise himself with the environment before he was forced to walk backstage.

#2 Didn’t flop: Mansoor

There's more to him than what meets the eye!

The Single’s match between Mansoor and Dolph Ziggler was one of the few bouts that were added to the Super ShowDown 2020 match card at the last minute. However, given the fact that the show was held in Riyadh, it was expected that Mansoor will make an appearance. He squared off against Ziggler who felt that he was being disrespected by the upcoming talent.

Even before the match began, Robert Roode tried to intimidate Mansoor. Soon after that, Ziggler adapted to a similar technique and continued to attack the NXT star, especially his eyes. The latter finally managed to gain some momentum after The Showoff got a little arrogant about his dominance. The two exchanged a good back and forth before Mansoor used a stunning moonsault to pin Ziggler.

Despite the fact that Mansoor is exclusively seen on the shows held in Saudi Arabia, he appears to be someone who has the potential to carve a niche for himself. WWE should definitely give him more chances to judge his true caliber.

#1 Flopped: The Fiend

Just like Ricochet’s case, the WWE creatives can once again be held responsible for The Fiend’s fate. The Universal Championship was on the line at the Super ShowDown with WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg challenging the company’s best creation of modern time. Everyone expected The Fiend to easily retain his title, completely unaware that WWE has cruel plans in store.

Goldberg and The Fiend started the bout in what seemed to be going in the Champion’s way. But before anyone could realize, Goldberg delivered a spear and an unimpressive Jackhammer to his opponent. He immediately pinned The Fiend, becoming the Universal Champion for the second time and ending The Fiend’s winning streak in the process.

Although the Hall of Famer’s victory is beyond comprehension, it is Bray Wyatt who lost more than his title tonight. It took months of dominance to build up The Fiend’s character as an invincible force only to be shattered within minutes at the hands of a part-timer. It is difficult to predict how he will go about recreating the credibility around his alter-ego after this humiliating loss that ended his title reign.

#1 Didn’t flop: The Street Profits

The Street Profits had a good match and might challenge for the title again

The Street Profits had a shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships and they locked horns with Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy in a good match. Both teams did well and engaged in a fast-paced tag team encounter. Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford went for the attack right from the start. They were also good at reading their opponent’s intentions and came up with great reversals.

Rollins and Murphy allowed a smooth shift of momentum between both teams that accounted for a great story-telling. They finally got the better off the Street Profits by removing Ford from the equation. When the latter tried to land a high-flying move, he was caught mid-air and slammed into the barricade. This granted the number’s advantage to the champions who pinned Dawkins to retain their titles.

Although the Street Profits couldn’t manage to win the RAW Tag Team titles, it was a huge match for them and they did not disappoint. The in-ring athleticism was on point and any lack of interest can be blamed on the weak build-up. It will be interesting to see if they will get another shot at the title in the near future.

Also Read: 5 reasons why AJ Styles should retire The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36