SummerSlam drove a tractor through Nashville last night and gave WWE fans our first ever special live event without Vince McMahon calling the shots. We are officially living in the Triple H era now. I’m here for it, and if the live audience and Twitter reactions are any indication, most of the fans are here too. After all, it’s easy to invest when the product is good, and often last night, the product was very good.
At its simplest, wrestling is always about telling a story. Sometimes this story stand alone in the match, but more often than not, the match is just part of a larger story being told. We saw that a little bit last night at SummerSlam, and now we have a better idea of where some of the characters and storylines might go from here.
So, on that note, let’s talk about SummerSlam’s biggest takeaway. Let’s talk about where WWE seems to be headed with some of these characters, and let’s give a few people their flower for some great performances.
Becky Lynch is a face now
I loved Becky’s time as a shoe. She was a mixed mess, and played the role without any reservations. I will fondly remember everything I did this year, but I am ready to root for her again. I think a lot of fans are in the same place too. During the post-match showdown where she joined forces with Bianca Belair against Bayley, Dakota Kai and Aiu Shirai, she was already getting Becky cheers from people seated in the front row.
Last night seemed to suggest we’d be getting Becky and Bianca to work together against this new stable heel, but I’m not entirely convinced that this will happen in the long run. Maybe we’ll see Becky move to Smackdown to work with Ronda. Speaking of this topic…
Ronda Rousey heels now
I have no idea if this was planned for weeks or if Triple H forced this after he took over, but this has been the clear trend for Ronda’s character for about two months. She wasn’t getting over her face. Her mic work left a lot to be desired, and she was having trouble switching between sharpness and positive interactions with fans. After she was booed as a face at Money In The Bank when it looked like Liz Morgan’s cash was going to fail, we officially passed a point of no return.
But now I’m excited again and I think you should be! The wrestling world has collectively focused on some of Ronda’s issues over the past few months, but we can’t forget the number of amazing positives she brings to the ring too! It works in a very reasonable and rough-looking style. She is athletic by nature and unlike a lot of the other famous faces on the WWE roster, she is willing to serve as a regular actor who appears on TV most weeks. As a ruthless aggressor who attacks everyone in her path, she may be the most feared woman on the list once again. This is a fresh start, and I’m here for it!
Logan Paul is a potential future WWE Champion
I really loved everything Logan Paul did at WrestleMania. I loved everything he did here. This comes from a complete hater. I wrote an entire article earlier this week about how stupid it was to make him a face in this match against The Miz. I thought it was pointless and couldn’t see any way the audience was cheering because the social media influencer turned star. Well, I was wrong. The match ended up giving the crowd a huge pop thanks in part to the giant frog spraying from the overhead ropes to the announcer’s table.
I don’t know what the future of Logan Paul is in WWE. We know he’s signed an extended contract, but the question is open as to whether that means he’s due to go on an extended tour where he appears on TV every week. He’d need that level of iteration to sufficiently improve the circuit and beat enough fans to be a potential world champion, but the ceiling is pretty high with this guy. I mean… that was his second real match. He is incredible. I’m not saying he’s going to be the WWE Champion, but if he decides that’s something he wants to do and stick with, he’ll get there.
Miz really scares the good and people need to put respect on his name
How many times does this guy need to over-deliver before we admit how amazing he is? Logan Paul was only participating in his second-ever real WWE match. The crowd was very volatile and they were almost anxious to get into it because they weren’t sure if they were going to boo or boo the YouTuber, because it’s the face of a high-heeled infant. Plus, due to Paul’s busy schedule, the two have only shared the screen to try to build their match a few times since WrestleMania. However, these guys have gone over fourteen minutes. Even more impressive, Logan Paul got cheers after the match
Most people will point to Logan Paul’s frog splash from the top rope into the announcer’s table and rightly so. This was a thing of beauty. But this match doesn’t work without telling a great story in the ring. This match doesn’t work without The Miz very quickly establishing great rhythm and chemistry with a guy who has almost no WWE wrestling experience. This match doesn’t work without The Miz being one of the few representatives in all of wrestling with a background strong enough to get booed against Logan Paul. This guy is his first Hall of Famer vote, and he does an amazing job with whatever material he has to work with. Also, I’d like to give a quick shout-out to Maryse, who always helps take The Miz to another level.
Brock Lesnar can come back any time he wants
Brock Freaking Lesnar, man. Due to all the injuries on the WWE roster, Brock Lesnar was one of the few people who could have a main event at SummerSlam with Roman Reigns and get fans excited. Obviously, the excitement subsided as they faced each other at WrestleMania, but people love Brock and were excited about the main event, even if they complained on Twitter. I was excited too, but I was also worried. I was pretty sure Brock was going to lose, so Roman had the belt at Clash At The Castle, but I didn’t want to see Brock lose again. If you are in a position to be an unstoppable force, you cannot continue to stop.
But I somehow left this guy’s event after another Brock Lesnar loss more excited to see Brock Lesnar again. The man is just an electric factory. He knows exactly how long he should talk into the microphone. He has a lot of fun in the ring, and because there was a lot of hoaxes going on in the ringside and he ended up buried under a pile of rubble, I didn’t really think the loss hurt him that much. I think most people will remember that ridiculous lift of the tractor. That doesn’t mean I want him to take L again against Roman, but if WWE says he’ll be around in the next six months, I’ll be happy. It’s cool, and I’ve been watching it go against anyone on the list.
The future of the women’s department is very exciting
I have no idea if WWE will be able to fix his issues with Sasha Banks and Naomi. I really hope they do, but I don’t think any of us know the full story of what’s going on behind the scenes there. But whether they come back or not, I’m now all in the women’s department. perfectly stacked. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Ronda Rousey and Liv Morgan are collectively the most exciting group of performers in wrestling history, and that doesn’t even include half a dozen or more average ability. The card of a woman who plays her roles well. Now we can throw in Bayley, Io Shirai, and Dakota Kai, who are all back at SummerSlam, and there’s not enough time in the weekly programming to tell all the stories I want to see.
I hope Triple H brings back the women’s team belts. I hope it confuses the surface enough to give all these women opportunities to work with each other. I hope there are plenty of other things, but for the most part, I’ll shut my mouth and trust Triple H to do this division of justice. The future has never been so brighter before, and I can’t wait to see what he has to offer.
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