This is Will Pruett from “The People’s Column†checking in with a live report from Summerslam and the Sunday session of Summerslam Axxess.
I’ll begin with Axxess. I have never been to Wrestlemania or Wrestlemania Axxess. I was hoping that this would be something like the Wrestlemania version of the event, but I was sadly mistaken. It was a very hot day in Los Angeles and all of Axxess was in direct sunlight. This made for a very warm day. There also just was not enough to do. There were tables for superstar signings, but the lines were far too long to wait in the hot sun for. Beyond that, there were just Q and A’s in the ring and a dunk tank. This was not a satisfying experience and left me pretty bummed out.
Now onto the main event of the day, Summerslam. We were sitting in the lower bowl around the side of the entry way. We had a great view of the ring, but could only see the side of the entry way. The crowd was on fire for the entire night. Normally I am a little disappointed in Southern California crowds because they tend to be quiet and reserved. That was not the case on Sunday night.
The opening match set the arena on fire. Dolph Ziggler vs Rey Mysterio was fast paced, exciting and the near falls that those men put together had everyone on the edge of their seats. From that phenomenal contest we went to the Swagger-MVP match. I believe that the crowd needed some time to recover from the Intercontinental championship match. There was a bit of a lack of reaction for this match.
The JeriShow and Cryme Tyme match was very exciting, however it was overshadowed by a tag match happening later in the evening.  Cryme Tyme was way over and the fans really hated Jericho and Big Show. A few people around my section attempted to get a Y2J chant going, but that was unsuccessful. They ended up getting some of the children in the sections around them to cheer even harder for Cryme Tyme.
I went to the bathroom during Kane and Khali, so all I know is that the merchandise and concessions areas were also busy during this match.
The D-Generation X entrance was amazing. The live crowd was behind DX all the way. In the opening video many people thought we would get to see DX at the top of the show and they popped big for them. Then the entrance took a little while, so the crowd seemed to almost be out of energy by the end of it. DX was still over huge. The Legacy actually had quite a bit of heat behind them. This match was one of the best tag team matches I have ever seen. The finishing sequence did a ton to put over Legacy as threats and still send the crowd home happy with a DX win.
The ECW Championship match was what it was. Kozlov and Jackson (both of whom I met earlier in the day at Axxess) are huge. They could be a legitimate tag team force in the WWE.
Cena vs Orton was very exciting. The crowd was confused a little when Lillian messed up a little bit on the calls, but quickly understood what was happening. The false finishes really got the crowd hot and the “fan interference†looked legitimate. This was a great way for these two men to deliver a fresh match.
Before I get to the TLC match, I want to mention something that I have observed after seeing two TLC matches live. They are not as exciting as they come across on TV. Because some much happens outside the ring, they are difficult to keep track of.
All of that being said, this match was awesome! CM Punk was extraordinarily over as a heel. He was brutal and made Jeff Hardy’s comebacks look like a million bucks. The swanton off of the ladder was a great spot. Jeff Hardy must actually be fearless. The ending, with Punk just knocking Jeff off of the ladder seemed anticlimactic, but there was no way to top Hardy’s flight. The surprise appearance by The Undertaker was crazy. No one knew that it was ‘Taker on the floor. The reaction in the arena when he grabbed CM Punk by the throat was almost deafening.
All in all, a great show. I would strongly recommend going to any WWE Pay Per View if you can. They always deliver some exciting action and a great night. I’ll be back with my usual column Thursday and I would love to read some of your Summerslam thoughts in the comments section.
