1. Dean Ambrose and Rob Van Dam should have been on the main show. Ambrose continues to impress every time he’s the one in the spotlight. And RVD continues his streak of good matches since his return to the WWE. I’d love to see more from these two & Ambrose is definitely ready to be featured by himself in a singles’ feud.
2. The “Ring Of Fire” match was exactly what it needed to be and more. The visuals were absolutely phenomenal. Kane dominated most of the match but Wyatt was able to showcase just enough of his unusual offense to make people want to see him in the ring more. While I would have preferred a clean win for Bray Wyatt but I understand why they went the way they did. The post-match beatdown to write Kane off of TV was executed well but the Family carrying Kane out of the arena made it great. Reminded me of when The Undertaker would “bodybag” his opponents after the Tombstone.
3. It looks like we’ll be seeing another Cody Rhodes versus Damien Sandow match on PPV, maybe for the Money In The Bank briefcase. Funny thing is, Sandow showed absolutely no growth in this match while Rhodes seems to be adding new moves & changing up his style enough to be a contender for the World Championship. Hopefully if they do have a match for the briefcase, they switch it to Cody Rhodes if for no other reason than that he’s more ready than Sandow is to be in the main event.
4. While it was a very good match with a clever finish, Alberto Del Rio and Christian still don’t keep me interested when they’re in the ring. Del Rio has been growing on me since losing Richardo Rodriguez & developing his vicious side but I haven’t seen anything new from Christian since his run with Randy Orton… two years ago. Again, this is all personal preference & many may call this match the “match of the night”. Just not me.
5. It’s obvious that Natalya is an odd choice for the Total Divas show and many are disappointed in the WWE for pairing her up with 6 other women who don’t have the training or the in-ring ability she does. The thing is, Total Divas is doing phenomenally well for E! & the WWE and she is a part of it. If it takes a reality show for Nattie to FINALLY get a run for the Divas Championship then I’m all for it.
6. I can only think they are putting CM Punk versus Brock Lesnar on before the mixed tag team match because they’re scared this match will overshadow John Cena vs Daniel Bryan.
7. That match was absolutely epic and will probably go down in history as one of the best SummerSlam matches in history. It was also the first match I’ve seen since his return where Brock Lesnar showed that he deserves the contract that WWE gave him. It helps that this was the one match where Lesnar was able to face someone who understands and trains in BJJ so all of the MMA spots didn’t seem forced. CM Punk & Brock Lesnar put on an instant classic tonight & lived up to the incredibly high standards people had for this match.
8. Big E Langston is a younger, quicker, more agile and possibly stronger Mark Henry. He has all of the tools to become a bigger star than Mark Henry ever did but has to work on his personality. In other words, he needs seasoning and he’ll only get that with time & experience.
9. We always forget how good John Cena can be when he’s in a big time match with a great wrestler like Daniel Bryan. Look at the classic matches Cena has had with guys like Shawn Michaels, Edge, CM Punk and Chris Jericho. He needs a good story and a guy like Daniel Bryan across the ring from him but when he does, Cena really steps it up.
10. A FANTASTIC match between Bryan and Cena with a shocking finish with the running knee. Sure it looked stiff but there wasn’t really any build to it and it seem to come right in the middle of a flurry of offense. It did show that anyone can be pinned when you only need three seconds. I loved the post match celebration they put together as well. Between the confetti, pyro & heartfelt thanks Bryan gave to his mom and dad, everything was built for Daniel Bryan to have his “Shawn Michaels/Boyhood Dream” moment just for Randy Orton to enter at the last possible second. Sure I’ve been touted this was going to happen for months but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable. Now you have Daniel Bryan FIRMLY planted as Raw’s #1 babyface (if Cena does need to take time off) against not only the newly turned WWE Champion Randy Orton but also the entire McMahon family. Essentially, Daniel Bryan is fighting the entirety of the WWE for respect & that’s a cause that fans will STRONGLY rally behind. Just look at the reactions he’s been getting up until and including tonight! And that was when people thought he at least had Triple H’s support! Now the “only” support he’ll have is from the fanbase, making him a stronger & more believable main-eventer. Overall, this was one of the best SummerSlams in the last 10 years or so with solid matches from top to bottom.
