SummerSlam 2016 Review

So another SummerSlam has come and gone and at the 29th Annual Summer blockbuster we saw two Championships defended one Championship change hands,and we saw the crowning of the very first WWE Universal Champion. In the main event would Brock Lesnar take a one way trip to Viperville or was Randy Orton the latest superstar to take up residence in Suplex City?

Enzo & Cass v JeriKO

The opening bout of the night saw hometown boys Enzo & Cass take the newly formed team of Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens who have been dubbed "JeriKO". Ultimately this match saw Owens and Jericho dominate Enzo Amore for the most part but when Cass managed to get in he looked ready to go and he kicked ass. 

Once Enzo was back in this match he was isolated from Big Cass and the highlight of the match was when Owens took out the 7-foot tall monster with a cannonball by the announcer's area barricade. The match ended with a Pop-Up Codebreaker.

Sasha Banks v Charlotte 

This was a horrible match from pretty much start to finish. It was a match filled with botches that could have shortened the career of Sasha Banks none more so than when she was dropped back first onto the turnbuckle. However, there was some nice wrestling towards the end of the match when Sasha hit a Backstabber and locked in the Bank Statement but Charlotte managed to escape. 

Then came another maneuver a nice tilt-a-whirl into a second Bank Statement from Sasha Banks only for Charlotte to find a way to roll up The Boss and she regained the Woman's Championship she lost only a few weeks ago.

 The Miz v Apollo Crews

The Miz has embraced his role as Intercontinental Champion to a T. This was a pure back and forth encounter between Miz and Crews but ultimately it was one unfortunate incident that cost Apollo Crews his chance at championship glory.

He had The Miz in the corner and he charged to do a stinger splash but was a bit over-excited and he hit his head on the ring post allowing The Miz to hit a Skull Crushing Finale and just like that it was over.

AJ Styles v John Cena

In what many described as one of the hottest rivalries heading into SummerSlam, AJ Styles, and John Cena delivered one of if not the best match of the night as both men had to use every weapon in their respective arsenals.

Throughout this match, both men went hammer and tongs to try and get the win we saw forearms, AA's, Styles Clashes and more. In the end, it was Styles that picked up the W as he hit a picture perfect Phenomenal Forearm for the second time in the match. Many hope this win will propel Styles to the next level. 

The question now becomes what's next for Cena who looked dejected after this loss but the so-called "Face that Runs the Place" always has something to do on his jam-packed schedule.

Gallows & Anderson v The New Day

Yet another terribly booked match as Gallows and Anderson took on New Day for the Tag Team titles. This match was going along nicely with both sides trading blows big time with Gallows & Anderson looking strong and dominating.

That was of course till Jon Stewart decided to get involved in the match to try and help New Day (why oh why did Mick invite him) and then Gallows & Anderson decided to see if Jon Stewart had ringpostitus only for Big E to return and cause a DQ finish. 

Dean Ambrose v Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler came into this match all fired up having finally been given a chance by WWE to be the top guy. Dean Ambrose was the confident champion as he believed Ziggler to be all style and no substance. This was a grand match as it had a clash of opposite styles. Ziggler used his amateur background to great effect in the early going, Ambrose tried to turn it into a brawl it and was successful for a while. We saw dropkicks, elbows, and spears as both men gave it their all.

The finish to this match was from the top as Ziggler looked for a facebuster only for Ambrose to counter as both men landed on their feet. Ambrose reacted quickest to hit Dirty Deeds and retain his WWE World Championship.

 6 Woman Tag Team Match

Now this match looked like a total mess-up when news broke of Eva Marie's suspension. We got a treat in the form of a returning Nikki Bella who tagged with Natalya and Alexa Bliss against Naomi, Becky Lynch, and Carmella. Not much to speak of really in this match which ended with a TKO from Nikki Bella.

Finn Bálor v Seth Rollins

A great match for a rather bland looking belt as the WWE Universal Championship is essentially a red WWE Title. Which got boos off the WWE Universe throughout the match. Now onto the match itself which was a good match with Balor looking to make things happen fast and often while Seth looked to ground the demon. Both men inflicted huge amounts of damage to one another and it took its toll.

However, as this match came to an end Seth Rollins was looking to end it with a Pedigree but Finn Bálor countered and nailed two corner dropkicks before hitting the patented Coup De Grace and thus the first WWE Universal Champion was crowned and Finn celebrated with his family who were in attendance.

Roman Reigns v Rusev 

Well this one never got going as Roman Reigns just brutalized Rusev at ringside before appearing to walk away and Doctors and trainers came down to the injured Rusev. As they helped him to the back Roman Reigns re-entered and proceeded to spear Rusev out of his boots so the match was thrown out due to Rusev getting injured.

Brock Lesnar v Randy Orton

Well, now what can be taken from this main event? A match supposedly 15 years in the making ending in a TKO. Brock Lesnar dominated this match with 7 German Suplexes, an F5, and an announce table. However, Randy Orton managed to hit an RKO......Outta Nowhere but this only enraged Brock to the point he just plain old pummelled Orton.

Orton was busted open and doctors came down to help Orton only for the attack to continue. Shane McMahon then tried to come to his Smackdown man's aid. It appeared to work for all of a minute when Shane felt the wrath of an F5. Brock had the victory by TKO. This author has been a WWE fan for a long time and has never seen anything as brutal. We have since learned that Randy Orton required 10 stitches on that head wound.

SummerSlam Verdict

6/10 due to the way the PPV was booked, most of the matches just felt like filler and the ambiguous ending.