BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I was looking forward to Summerslam with really low expectations. Some match-ups were well booked and I was intrigued by who won and what direction they’d take, but I had no real emotional investment this time. I think I’ve FINALLY built up enough sense to realize that getting my hopes up for a wrestling show is a bad idea. I think this is the best mentality for being a wrestling fan. The more you invest the lamer you sound when you start complaining about things. Just expect it to be lame and when it’s mildly entertaining you’ll get much more out of it.
It was surprising they started off with the Ring of Fire match. I liked it better when it was called an “Inferno Match”. I REALLY hope that the Wyatt family isn’t just one of those crazy odd ball monster/occult gimmicks that shows up hot and then is killed off in a quick pace. Normally an Undertaker or Kane would be the person to end the gimmick’s run. This better not be the case because Wyatt looked awesome in his win. Cody and Sandow had a pretty solid match. Their feud has been fun, but it doesn’t seem to be as featured as much as it should. There should be more emphasis on it. Alberto Del Rio is becoming one of the best wrestlers in the WWE and most consistent. He needs a great storyline to really showcase how much of a workhorse he is. He’s like the Mexican Bret Hart.
I didn’t watch the divas match. If you watch with a fast forward at your disposal, why would you? Brock and Punk was good, but not great. I’m not huge on either guy so whatever “magic” it had was lost on me. I skipped the mixed tag match, which sucks. Dolph Ziggler is my favorite person to watch these days, but I was in a rush and this match felt skippable. I don’t regret it.
The main event was solid. It was the same main event we’re used to. A slow start, tons of near falls, and random antics. A lot of the same spots as always. It’s basically, the “John Cena Special”. Luckily for the viewer, Daniel Bryan added a great twist to this tired formula. It was the best Cena match I’ve seen in a while except for the fact that he didn’t sell much at all for Daniel Bryan. He just got beat up and eventually lost. But because he’s nursing an injury he’s had for months, we’re supposed to accept that it was a “grueling match”. It felt more like a fluke. In a lot of ways, it was the 1-2-3 Kid beating Razor Ramon, but the 2013 Main Event version.
I called it. I thought Orton was going to be revealed as the McMahon picked champion and I even figured that Triple H would go heel. It was stupid shit and expected. I’m THRILLED that Orton is champion and is heel again, but I’d much rather him be on his own or away from the McMahons. All in all, I’d say it was a solid B pay per view. For the million dollars they charge, you’d think they’d deliver at least a B+.
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