JehutyRunner
Banned
|OT| thread name suggested by ElectricBlanketFire!
The fourth biggest wrestling event of the weekend after Southpaw Regional Wrestling, NXT Takeover Brooklyn and the Raw after the event (fifth if we include the Smackdown after), it's SummerSlam 2017!
Considered as part of WWE's 'Big Four' events alongside flagship show Wrestlemania, autumn classic Survivor Series and its OTT Royal Rumble and arguably the company's second biggest event after Wrestlemania, SummerSlam comes to you from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York in the second night of a four-night residency (the first happened at NXT Takeover Brooklyn, which was fucking DOPE - OT here).
Watch on the WWE Network: Watch from Sunday, August 19, from 7pm EST/4pm PST/12am UK BST/1am CET (look it up elsewhere if youre outside either of those timezones). If you're not a sub already, you can get up to a three month trial on the Network - which will include NXT Takeover Brooklyn, SummerSlam and the subsequent Raw and Smackdown PPVs plus NXT Takeover Houston and Survivor Series in November - for free! All usually for the mighty low price of
Except for free!*
*For three months
Unlike my NXT Takeover OTs, I won't give you catch ups on the last events, or in this instance last PPVs, because it'd take too long so blame the brand split. Anyway, diving straight into the matches!
Here's whats on tap for SummerSlam.
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Akira Tozawa vs Neville for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
[Kickoff match]
Since winning the title in January from Rich Swann at the Royal Rumble, Neville has been arguably the main saving grace of the WWE's cruiserweight division. It was assumed that his reign may come to an end thanks to Austin Aries at Wrestlemania considering Aries' own rising popularity. However, Neville beat him at Mania and then in a followup match a month later at Payback. And then Aries left the company.
Neville has been running roughshed since. Or should be, had. Enter Akira Tozawa of Titus Worldwide (long story, but lets just say Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews have been his biggest supporters and go AH AH AH a lot) and a participant in last year's Cruiserweight Classic. Towzawa won the Cruiserweight Championship this past Monday on Raw. Since then, Neville's been chomping to become the first 2x Cruiserweight Champion (in its current form) by literally counting down the days on 205 Live and comparing the day before his match 'Christmas Eve' during the NXT Takeover Brooklyn pre-show.
This Neville is out of it since losing the title and one could arguably say its made him...broken. SPEAKING OF BROKEN!...
The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) and Jason Jordan vs The Miztourage (The Miz, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, w Maryse)
[Kickoff match]
The Hardy Boys!? On the kickoff show!? Thats unimpossible! Well, in this OP's opinion, they wouldn't be on the kickoff if their match with The Revival still went ahead. However, thanks to an injury on Scott Dawson which has ruled him out for a considerable period, The Hardys were left with nothing for the show. So why not throw them into a feud between Intercontinental Champion The Miz and his recently-found cronies Bo Dallas and Curits Axel against the recently discovered illegitimate son of Raw General Manager Kurt Angle in Jason Jordan.
You do have to ask, why isn't the IC title not being defended on the main card when there's a match on it that is so undeserving of the honour? Better yet...
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods) vs The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship
[Kickoff match]
Why isn't this on the main card? The match between The New Day and the Usos for the tag titles in July was literally the saving grace of Smackdown PPV Battleground, objectively the worst PPV of the year from WWE. Anyway, as is, it's currently 1-1 between the two (Usos got a win at Money in the Bank via dirty means, The New Day won the belts at Battleground). This could be considered the tiebreaker or we may get more. If so, here's hoping it's been as good as its been so far.
Big Show vs Big Cass (Enzo Amore is stuck above in a shark cage)
OH. MY GOD. WHO. THE HELL. CARES?
No one, that's who
'The Demon' Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt
A year ago, Finn Balor debuted from NXT to Raw with an incredible push. winning two matches - including against company golden boy Roman Reigns - to become the number one contender for Raw's Universal Championship against Seth Rollins. Balor did it and won the title as his demon persona, but suffered a massive injury that ruled him out for the rest of 2016 and for the first few months of 2017, including Wrestlemania.
Since his return at the Raw After Mania, Balor has maintained his "human" Balor Club persona and not used the demon facepaint, although it has been teased once or twice since. After a surprisingly okay, if not good, feud with Elias Sampson (I'M NOT GOING WITH JUST ELIAS, VINCE), Bray Wyatt decided to finally start his war with Balor that was first teased back at the superstar switch the week after Mania.
After a match on Raw this week between the two - who knew, WWE likes to give its PPV matches away on TV - Wyatt doused Balor with a bucket of red paint. A rematch was granted and thus, the Demon Finn Balor - returning to the site of his greatest achievement and biggest failure - will rise for the first time in a year against Bray.
Randy Orton vs Rusev
I was going to make another who cares gag here because I don't care about this match, but that's not fair to Ruru because Ruru deserves better than that. Lets just say Randy Orton is still going through the five stages of grief losing his WWE Championship to Jinder Mahal and its subsequent rematches and is still stuck on anger so decides to pick a fight with Rusev for no reason.
Rusev is, admittedly, not entirely innocent, having lost a silly flag match against John Cena at Battleground. But Rusev is still the best. <3
Naomi vs Natalya for the Smackdown Women's Championship
This was not the match most people expected after the Five-Way Elimination Numer One contender match at Battleground. It's fair to say either Charlotte Flair or even Becky Lynch could have been here considering their support, but don't bat at Natalya, though. A veteran of the 'E for nearly ten years, she's held numerous Divas Championships in the company and arguably put on one of the greatest women's matches of all time against Charlotte at NXT Takeover for the NXT Women's Championship in 2014.
Naomi finally got her chance in the spotlight earlier this year, winning the title off Alexa Bliss at Elimination Chamber, but injury forced her to vacate the title... only to then be back a few weeks later and reclaim the title at Wrestlemania in her home town of Orlando. However, the title hasn't been defended as much as its Raw counterpart which sours any prestige the title may have. But Naomi and Natalya should have a decent match.
The elephant in the room, however, will be Carmella, the first ever Ms Money in the Bank. She still has possession of her briefcase from when she won it in June and it's heavily suggested she could cash in at the end of the match, regardless of who wins.
Alexa Bliss vs Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship
Originally, this was going to be Alexa vs Bayley for the title, the latter beating Sasha Banks in a number one contender's match on Raw. However, the week after, Bayley suffered a shoulder injury and was forced out of the match - it's still unknown how long she will be out for (though did say during the NXT Takeover Brooklyn pre-show a timeline will be known within the next month or so). So after overcoming a triple threat match and then a match with Nia Jax subsequently, Sasha became the new number one contender for the title.
And well, this oughta be good. In fact, a lot of fans were clamouring to see the feud between the two continue after their fantastic match at Raw PPV Great Balls of Fire. Not to mention the supposed real-life heat between the two. This could go either way, honestly, but regardless of the result, expect another great match between the two.
AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship (SmackDown GM Shane McMahon is the special guest referee)
AJ vs KO has been a mixed feud so far. They can put together the goods usually, but their match at Battleground was not as compelling as it was before thanks to the amount of clusterfuckery that went on at the end and whether it was a botched finish (the dirtsheets claiming it was).
This match could be seen as two things. One: a definitive end to the feud. Two: the start of a new one. That's because Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon will be the special guest referee of the match. And he's not had a great history as Kevin Owens has said. In fact, the past few weeks and even months, its felt like they've been building to a Shane-KO feud. If so, that'll be both superstars in this match he's refereeing in this match, the other in Styles, who both put on a surprisingly great match at Mania.
Don't be too surprised if this ends in shenanigans.
John Cena vs Baron Corbin
Big Match John has been on a SummerSlam losing streak since 2011, perhaps to make up pennance for the shitfest of going over the Nexus in 2010. Now he'll hope to break that streak against Baron Corbin.
Except Big Banter's not had the best week. The former Mr Money in the Bank, emphasis on the former, lost his briefcase after attempting to cash-in on Jinder Mahal on Smackdown this week. After a Cena distraction, Mahal rolled up Corbin and ensured his cash-in would be a failure (this also confirmed Cena would be the cause of all three failed cash-ins - his own, Damien Sandow and Corbin).
Cena has been on the run of his career the past few years, including a MOTY contender this year along against AJ Styles to win his 16th World Championship to tie Ric Flair at the Royal Rumble. But can he finally overcome his six-year SummerSlam losing streak? Or can Corbin make it seven in a row?
If nothing else, this moment after Corbin's failed cash-in made it all worthwhile.
The BAR (Sheamus and Cesaro) vs Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins for the RAW Tag Team Championship
One year ago, Sheamus and Cesaro were starting their Best of 7 series at SummerSlam against one another, the winner getting suggestively a Universal Title shot. However, the pair somehow drew the series and, well, ended up being forced together as a tag team by former Raw GM Mick Foley. Since then, after some bumps in the road, the pair have become 2x Raw Tag Team Champions, beating the Hardyz and The New Day to win both of their reigns (the latter ending New Day's record reign).
But the issues between Sheamus and Cesaro had starting out in their relationship are nothing to 'The Dude' and 'The Man'.
Ever since the devastating break-up of The Shield in June 2014 thanks to Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose has understandably not been trusting of his former brother in arms. The two went to war against one another in the aftermath of the breakup and since then, even going so far as to win Money in the Bank and cash-in the same night on Rollins who had just won the title against another former Shield brother in Roman Reigns.
Ever since, there's been teases of a Shield reunion with Roman and Deano still besties and Roman seemingly letting June 2014 go by teaming with Rollins for the latter end of last year and start of this year as well as numerous triple powerbomb spots, the most recent at last year's Survivor Series.
But in what has been a fantastic program between the two, Ambrose's scepticism and lack of trust in Rollins, now on a path of redemption since post-Summerslam last year, has led to the strongest hint a Shield reunion is coming sooner than later. And with last Monday's Raw finally seeing the two fully reconcile after an enticing drawn process, it does seem likely the two will take the titles to maybe perhaps close the chapter on the massive breakup of June 2014.
(Of note, if Ambrose and Rollins win, Ambrose will become the first member of The Shield to win WWE's grand slam: main title (WWE Championship), both secondary titles (US Championship and Intercontinental Championship) and a set of tag belts (Raw Tag Team Championship*))
Jinder Mahal vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship
Close your eyes. Picture the scene.
Imagine me standing in front of you in 2015.
If I said that Jinder Mahal of 3MB would not only return to WWE after a few years away, but would eventually win the WWE Championship and that New Japan superstar Shinsuke Nakamura was in WWE and on the cusp of winning the aforementioned championship from Mahal, you would laugh at me and die from laughing so much.
Lo and behold, that's exactly what's about to happen.
Nakamura earned his place in the match by beating John Cena in a billed dream match (and to be fair, as much as WWE provides hyperbole to the extreme sometimes when it bills its matches, it was a dream match in every sense) to determine the number one contender.
And with no Baron Corbin lurking in the shadows to cash in Money in the Bank anymore, the chances of the former NXT Champion winning the belt have grown big time. But don't rule out the Modern Day Maharajah and the Singh Brothers, who will see to make sure Mahal keeps hold of the belt.
Brock Lesnar vs Samoa Joe vs Braun Strowman vs Roman Reigns in a Fatal 4 Way for the Universal Championship (if Brock Lesnar loses, he and advocate Paul Heyman will leave the WWE)
Like before, close your eyes, picture the scene and go back to 2015. If I had told you Samoa Joe - who was in NXT at the time - would go on to become a main event player in WWE's main roster when it seemed like his ceiling was NXT at most, you would laugh. Likewise, if you had told me someone who used to be one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds and had debuted as a green as hell Wyatt Family member once rumoured to be getting too soon of a push to possibly face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania would become one of the most over superstars currently by roaring BRAAAAAUN, screaming I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU and surviving death itself multiple times by being a big tough bastard... well, you get where this is going.
And yet, there's a 25 percent chance both Joe and Braun Strowman will leave Summerslam with the Universal Championship (somethingsomethingsomethingsteinermathsomethingsomethingspelldisasterforyouatsacrifice). And if you handed it to one of them, you wouldn't begrudge them considering the year they've had, especially Strowman.
On the other hand, the other 50 percent of the match just so happens to be the main event of Wrestlemania 31. Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will be looking to make their stake in the match, the former perhaps arguably moreso because if Lesnar loses his title, him and his advocate/mouthpiece Paul Heyman will leave WWE. This will likely write Lesnar out the rest of the year to possibly get set for a UFC return against Jon Jones at its end of year card, although the fact we've not heard whispers on that front for a while could suggest that isn't now happening meaning Lesnar could retain.
Regardless, this will be beef on beef on beef on beef baybee. And plus, if absolutely nothing else, it'll be fun to see Joe and Lesnar go at it again. And if you ever get tired of Roman and Braun trying to kill each other like they will here again, you are officially tired of life.
Pre-Show:
Two hour-long pre-show across every platform you think of and on the WWE Network Presented by Renee Young, with way too many panellists to name. Starts at 5pm EST/2pm PST/10pm UK BST/11am CET.
More insanity to follow!
ental, 🍻
