WWE Summerslam 2015 Review

The rematch the wrestling world has been anticipating since the most shocking moment in history, The Undertaker looks to avenge his WrestleMania XXX loss against Brock Lesnar in the main event. Also, John Cena and Seth Rollins face off in a title unification match. WWE comes to Brooklyn for the biggest event of the summer.

Match 1: Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
One of these days, I am going to look back and see how many times I have reviewed a singles match between these two. Anyway, after a horrendous opening with the supremely annoying Jon Stewart, these two finally kick off the show. Stiff action and enjoyable to watch with a stupid New York crowd trying their best to hijack the show with old chants. You pretty much know what you are going to get with these two but it felt like the sped things up a bit and gave us a more enthralling effort. Loved the finish that saw Sheamus push Orton off an attempted RKO before following it with two Brogue Kicks. As the Money in the Bank winner, Sheamus needed a big win and one against Randy Orton certainly helps his cause. Orton can take a loss and still be where he was anytime.
Winner: Sheamus
Rating: ***1/4

Match 2: WWE Tag Team Championships - Primetime Players (c) vs. The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores
Nice way to get all these guys on the card as The New Day is riding all the momentum in the world in their efforts to take down three other teams. Glad to see this match get the time it deserved as they certainly made every second count with action that would not stop with Xavier Woods at ringside making hilarious comments and trying to insert himself in the match. Titus O'Neil has come a long way in the WWE and definitely had his star shining here when he literally took out everybody in this match individually. However, a blind tag by Kofi Kingston allowed him to score the win for his team as The New Day are the new champions! Fun tag match here with tons of twists and turns that eventually led to The New Day stealing one. Would have loved to see Primetime Players retain here but there was no doubt that The New Day is the hottest commodity in the tag team division.
Winners: The New Day
Rating: ***3/4

Match 3: Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
Both Dolph Ziggler and Rusev are facing dilemmas with their own ladies and the two face off here with the ladies at ringside. Since losing to John Cena at WrestleMania, definitely felt like much of Rusev's momentum had been lost and nearly derailed at some points. The two had some great exchanges and really good chemistry here as Ziggler did a great job in fighting as an underdog against the stronger and bigger Rusev. A double countout ends the match when Ziggler kicks the living daylights out of Rusev on the outside and isn't able to get himself back into the ring before the final count. Afterwards, the two ladies go at it before being held back by their respective boyfriends. Another solid match on the card and dig the double countout to end the match as it allows for the feud to grow into something bigger from this.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **3/4

Match 4: King Barrett and Stardust vs. Neville and Stephen Amell
Of course, the WWE really wanted to get their movie star on the card as a little shove from Stardust against Stephen Amell on an edition of Raw proved to be the spark to the fire. The Green Arrow teams with the Red Arrow himself to take on the team of King Barrett and Stardust. Credit where it is due, Amell looks to be in great physical shape as was able to more than hold himself well in the ring and look legitimate in his role while also being able to display how was in an uncomfortable league. Cool spot saw Amell dive off the top rope onto the outside as he took out both Barrett and Stardust in the process. Finally, a Red Arrow from the top by Neville proved to be the nail in the coffin as he wins it for his team. Great match and easily one of the better performances from a movie star in the WWE. Crowd wasn't too much into the action but they were certainly paying attention.
Winners: Neville and Stephen Amell
Rating: **

Match 5: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Ryback (c) vs. The Big Show vs. The Miz
Another Summerslam, another random match for The Big Show to be a part of. The Miz is up to his dastardly tricks again by letting Ryback and The Big Show duke it out themselves in the beginning of the match before getting himself involved. For what was such a short match, the guys in the ring packed in as much action necessary to keep the fans invested. Big Show was able to hit a Knockout Punch on Miz before getting clotheslined out of the ring by Ryback. Ryback is able to pin an unconscious Miz to retain his championship. Definitely enjoyed the match for what it was but question the finish, what kind of babyface champion does this make Ryback for basically taking the pin for Big Show putting in the work?
Winner: Ryback
Rating: **1/2

Match 6: The Wyatt Family vs. Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns
Finally reunited with Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper helps Wyatt's cause in taking out both Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. Of course, Wyatt and Harper basically had no chance in winning this one but they still did a great job in selling the match and doing their best to make it look like they had a believable chance. While this certainly felt like a main event match you would expect to see on an episode of Monday Night Raw, the action was fun and the Brooklyn crowd was hot for this one... especially for Reigns. They can boo him and talk all the noise they want, but they are giving him the biggest reaction of the night regardless. Per usual, the chemistry was on point as a Dirty Deeds from Ambrose onto Wyatt leading into a Spear from Reigns capped off the match.
Winners: Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns
Rating: ***1/2

Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - WWE United States Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Seth Rollins (c)
This is certainly a dream match of sorts for me as I recall watching Seth Rollins wrestle as Tyler Black back in the day and wondering what a match against John Cena would look like. So many stories heading into this one with Rollins breaking the nose of Cena on episode of Raw prior to this along with Cena looking to tie Ric Flair as a 16 time world champion. The two brought out their best here with some really innovative spots along with an incredible display of athleticism such as Rollins diving through the ropes three times in succession. One of the coolest points in the match saw Cena lock Rollins in a Figure Four, a callback to Flair. How cool would it be to see Cena tie Flair's record with that submission? Also interesting to note how Rollins has changed his style in the ring after getting injured later in 2015, his style was certainly reminiscent of his days of Ring of Honor with an emphasis on so many dives and big spots. The biggest story from this match was Jon Stewart coming in to hit Cena with a steel chair and letting Rollins plant Cena with a Pedigree on that chair to pick up the win. Rollins becomes the first individual to simultaneously hold both the World Heavyweight and United States Championships. I get that the WWE wanted to get some sort of noteriety with that finish, but man, I really can't be the only one who gets annoyed as hell whenever Stewart is on my television. This is supposed to be one of the biggest matches in WWE history and we have to settle with a political comedian being the deciding factor? Come on! Even still, I will try not to let it spoil the taste in the mouth and understand how great of a contest it was before that.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ****1/4

Match 8: Elimination - Team Bella vs. Team B.A.D. vs. PCB
Around this time is when the Divas Revolution was starting to really come into its own as these three teams get their chance to shine on the summer's biggest stage. Brie Bella is able to pin Tamina to eliminate Team B.A.D. from the equation before going up against the team of Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch of PCB. Once it's down to these two teams, the action certainly picks up a notch. Nonstop action with the six ladies in the ring with Lynch being able to pin Brie to score the win for her side. Great win for the newcomers and placing a new emphasis on PCB. Good match.
Winners: PCB
Rating: **1/2

Match 9: Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens
Super awesome to see these two go at it on such a big stage after years of watching them wrestle on the independents. A true testament to their passion and dedication. Kevin Owens was still fairly new to the scene here and at this point, the company was certainly not too shy from giving him big matches and wins. The chemistry he had with Cesaro was fantastic, perhaps considering how long they have been wrestling against each other, it should not come as a surprise to anyone. Cesaro really proved that he can more than hang with the top dogs of the company here, can't help but marvel at how strong and athletic this guy is. We see him pick up guys every time with ease that we forget what a monster he is. The crowd was hot for both guys and loved seeing Owens hit his Pop-Up Powerbomb to pick up the big win. We need more of this.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Rating: ***1/2

Match 10: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
The rematch 16 months in the making. To put things into perspective, the last time Brock Lesnar had been pinned was at WrestleMania 29 against Triple H. Not waiting, Lesnar attacked The Deadman before he could take his coat off and as Undertaker fended off Lesnar, you just knew that this match had a different type of intensity to it. For as bad as Undertaker looked in his last two WrestleMania matches, he easily made up for them in this match. He looked motivated to make up for those matches and took some ridiculous bumps like an F5 through the announcers table that just looked downright nasty. One thing you will get from a Lesnar match is intensity. And with that intensity, Lesnar eliminates the idea of having a PG match. Let's be honest, the dude could basically say or do whatever he wants in a match and will almost have no repercussions for it. For instance, early on in the match, Lesnar was driven into a turnbuckle and was visibly cut with blood coming out of his forehead. Regardless if he bladed or not, it looked like he couldn't give a damn about the cut and continued his onslaught against Undertaker which added another layer of intensity to the match. The big story for this match was the finish. Lesnar had Undertaker locked in a Kimura which caused The Undertaker to tap out. How many times have you heard that before? The referee never called for the bell but the time keeper immediately rang the bell which caused much confusion. With the referee discounting the ring, Undertaker low blowed Lesnar and put him in a Hell's Gate. Defiant until the end, Lesnar saluted Undertaker with a middle finger as he passed out. The referee called for the bell as The Undertaker had finally avenged his biggest loss. Interesting finish here with Lesnar having an out for his loss and of course, another rematch set down the line inside Hell in a Cell. That is how you book a feud, my friends. What surprises me is how forgotten this match has become, the crowd was hot throughout and the intensity level was high from the start. An incredible effort from both parties.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I loved this edition of Summerslam, a great combination of awesome in-ring action and big moments that give us good reason to go back and rewatch this. Am I in the minority here? Probably, but that doesn't stop me from giving this show two thumbs up. It was an easy watch from the start to the finish and certainly ranks up there as one of my personal favorite Summerslam events.
Rating: 9/10