Summerslam
The Uso’s&The New Day
Kevin Owens fittingly tweeted following these two teams fantastic match that they are ‘really good at the wrestling’. These two teams have fantastic chemistry and have put on the majority of the main roster’s best tag team matches of the year. This match was filled with fantastic action, innovative spots and near falls as well as a title change that not many of us expected at all. All in all this match was possibly the best pre-show match of all time. Going forward that should teach WWE not to have these two teams on the pre-show ever again. While the decision to have the Uso’s win the titles back so quickly may not have been the right call that does not take away from this fantastic series of matches.
Where these two teams go from here is interesting. They may have one more match with one another or perhaps a new team will come and challenge the Uso’s for the belts. Whatever happens these two teams are the perfect candidates to carry Smackdown Live’s tag division to a fantastic run over the next few months. It is rare that a pre-show match is better than nearly all the main card matches, especially not when there are 10 main show matches, however these two fantastic teams pulled it off earning their way onto this list.
Brock Lesnar
Powerslammed through two announce tables. Buried under an announce table. Speared through a barricade. Stretchered out. Lesnar took spears, superman punches and coquina clutches. And in retaining his Universal Championship Lesnar looked absolutely incredible. All eyes are on Brock Lesnar tonight on RAW after the performance he put in on Sunday. Lesnar does not need to do stuff like go through tables and go through barricades, Lesnar could ride the coattails of being Brock Lesnar similar to what Randy Orton does, but he does not do that. Lesnar may not be around on a weekly basis but when he is here he brings the big fight feel, the star power and, in 2017, absolutely fantastic fights.
Jinder Mahal is around on TV and house shows weekly on a full time schedule. He is not a good WWE champion, he does not have good matches and ultimately does not feel like a WWE Champion. Brock Lesnar is around on whenever he feels like it type schedule yet feels like the biggest star in WWE as well as its true champion. WWE laid out this main event match perfectly in nearly every way. While Joe was not as featured as he should have been everything else was outstanding and this may have been one of the best fatal-4-way matches of all time. This was in no small part to the reigning, defending, undisputed Universal Champion BROCK LESNAR.
Seth Rollins&Dean Ambrose
This story was utterly fantastic. This was the best built match for the whole weekend and the match did the story justice. Energetic, fast paced, dramatic and fulfilling with fantastic storytelling and tag team psychology. Sheamus&Cesaro were fantastic too but all eyes are on 2/3 of the Shield. Shemaro are likely to challenge for the belts again however Ambrose&Rollins are likely to carry the division for a long while and where this goes nobody knows but it is very exciting. Maybe Reigns will join the fold or maybe the two implode closer to Wrestlemania, maybe even Survivor Series. The RAW tag team division is in for a very good few months following Summerslam.
The way this story unfolded was fantastic. Rollins and Ambrose together are absolutely fantastic. While they were not the original tag team champions of the Shield they have fantastic chemistry together. This outcome was predictable, but who cares? Predictable does not always mean bad or boring it sometimes is just right, such as this result was. The finishing sequence to this match was fitting and fantastic. The innovative offence which led to the 1-2-3 was perfect. Also, as previously mentioned, how good was it when Cesaro tore up the beach ball? What a ball buster. This feud has one more match left and the Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins story has a full tank of gas and if they keep doing what they did on the build up to and the event of Summerslam, we are in for a treat.
Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman will be the biggest star on RAW within the next year. It is only a matter of time before Strowman captures the Universal championship and tears through the RAW roster unlike ever before. From his pre-show encounter with Paul Heyman to his burial of Brock Lesnar under the announce table, Strowman shone like he has throughout 2017. Braun Strowman can be WWE’s biggest face or biggest heel should WWE book him correctly. At Summerslam he proved that after years of being doubted with good reason he has improved so much that he belongs in the main event of Summerslam with the other men in that match who are already established stars.
From taking out Lesnar to throwing the announcers chair at Joe and other Joe, Strowman’s spots in this match were the most memorable. Strowman’s performance on Sunday was so impressive that the crowd got behind Strowman at points and he even had the crowd thinking he might even win, even though Strowman went into the match the absolute underdog from a smart fan point of view. Strowman will likely face Lesnar for the championship at either No Mercy or Survivor Series and he absolutely deserves too. That match will be huge and utterly fantastic as two behemoths trade fists. After Summerslam there can be no Strowman doubters anymore, he is a star, he will be a star and this weekend he was an MVP.
