From The Network- WWE Summerslam 2014

WWE SummerSlam 2014
8-17-14
Los Angeles, CA

Your hosts are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL.

Hulk Hogan comes out to open the show and he shills the WWE Network. The crowd is now playing along to $9.99 stuff which is pretty funny.

WWE Intercontinental Championship- The Miz © vs. Dolph Ziggler
Miz cuts a promo prior to the match saying that in a Summer of CGI we are graced with a real movie star. He promises to turn Ziggler into the WWE version of the Lakers. Miz overpowers Ziggler to start and Ziggler comes back with a sunset flip for 2. Inside cradle by Ziggler gets 2 and Miz bails. Back in, Ziggler with a Thesz Press and again Miz bails. Ziggler follows out and connects with a clothesline onto the floor. Back in, Ziggler rolls Miz up for 2. Chops by Ziggler but Miz sends Ziggler HARD into the corner abdomen firs to regain control. Miz stomps away and drives his boot into Ziggler for 2. Chinlock by Miz but Ziggler fights out. Big boot by Miz and he hits the corner lariat. Miz goes up and leaps but Ziggler nails Miz on the way down. Ziggler cleans house and hits an Avalanche in the corner. Neckbreaker by Ziggler gets 2. Miz blocks the Fameasser and goes to dump Ziggler but he skins the cat. Miz avoids the superkick and Ziggler rolls him up for 2. They trade counters and Ziggler hits a hard right hand. Superkick by Ziggler gets 2!!! Miz bails and he begins to walk out with the title. Baseball slide by Ziggler and Miz crotches Ziggler as he was coming back in. Figure-4 by Miz but Ziggler makes the ropes to break. Faceasser by Ziggler but Miz comes right back with Skull Crushing Finale for 2!!! Miz misses the basement boot and Ziggler hits the Zig Zag for 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWE Intercontinental Champion- Dolph Ziggler ***1/4 ( Good opener. This is probably the most interesting Miz has been as a character in a long time and I love the way he incorporates his character into his matches. This was a fun back and forth match and it’s nice to see Ziggler get some momentum again. )

Brie Bella says her time in jail gave her time to reflect on things and she promises to take out Stephanie because that is going to be best for business.

WWE Diva’s Championship- AJ Lee © vs. Paige
Paige is skipping to the ring to copy Lee. Lee fires away at Paige to start and Paige bails. Lee actually pulled out some of Paige’s hair!!! Lee goes to kick Paige from the apron but Paige catches her and drops her on the barricade. Back in, Paige throws some head butts at Lee. Chinlock by Paige and she throws some knees at Lee. Paige goes up but AJ stops her and follows up. AJ shoves Paige to the floor and she hits a crossbody to the floor onto Paige!!! Back in, AJ hits the Shining Wizard for 2. Superkick by Paige and she goes for the Page Turner but AJ counters into the Black Widow. Paige counters into the Rampage for 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWE Diva’s Champion- Paige ** ( This was short but it played up their currently storyline and is probably my favorite Paige performance to date, as she was a lot more aggressive and her new character is much more engaging.)

Flag Match- Rusev w/Lana vs. Jack Swagger w/Zeb Colter
Winner gets to hang their countries flag. They have some servicemen come out during Swagger’s entrance to show he is very American. Rusev attacks before the match begins and he knocks the US Flag to the ground. Well, WWE found a way to be offensive in each of Rusev and Swagger’s matches. Swagger catches Rusev in the Patriot Lock but the ref and Colter pull him off since the match didn’t even start. Rusev claims he hurt his ankle and Lana declares there will be no match. The ref starts it anyway and Swagger throws some knees at Rusev. Swagger attacks the leg of Rusev and Rusev bails. Back in, Swagger works the leg again and again, Rusev bails. Swagger clotheslines Rusev on the floor and back in, Swagger goes for the Swagger Bomb but eats knees. Rusev throws some knees and he throws a kick to the back of Swagger. Bear hug by Rusev but Swagger fights out. Rusev blocks the belly to belly suplex and he jumps onto the back of Swagger. Belly to belly suplex by Swagger and both men are down. Rights by Swagger and he hits a clothesline. Avalanche by Swagger and he hits a big boot. Swagger Bomb by Swagger gets 1. Rusev blocks the Patriot Lock and he goes for the superkick but again, Swagger looks for the Patriot Lock. Rusev blocks again and Swagger hits a power slam for 2. Kick to the ribs by Rusev and he hits a superkick. Rusev goes for the Accolade but his leg gives out. Modified Accolade by Rusev but Swagger counters into the Patriot Lock!!! Rusev fights out and Rusev hits a spinning heel kick. Big splash by Rusev and he grabs the Accolade. Swagger passes out. Rusev superkicks Colter as he was checking on Swagger before he hangs the Russian Flag and we hear the Russian National Anthem.
Winner- Rusev **1/2 ( This was better than their Battleground match as the crowd was hot for the whole thing and the crowd was going crazy for all the Patriot Lock attempts. They told a solid story with the ankle of Rusev and it’s surprising how well he sells for a big guy who is portrayed as a monster. )

Video package for Rollins/Ambrose airs.

Lumberjack Match- Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
Back elbow by Ambrose and he stomps away on Rollins in the corner. Rollins tries to bail but the lumberjacks keep him in. Ambrose clotheslines Rollins to the floor and the lumberjacks roll him in again. Ambrose rakes the face of Rollins and Rollins dumps Ambrose to the floor. Ambrose actually fights back against the lumberjacks and back in, Rollins flatlines Ambrose into the corner. Rollins dropkicks Ambrose to the floor and the lumberjacks get some shots in before rolling him back in. Rollins hammers Ambrose on the mat and he slams Ambrose. Knee drop by Rollins gets 1. Rights by Ambrose and he goes up. Rollins crotches him and hangs him in the tree of woe to work him over. Rear cobra clutch by Rollins but Ambrose fights out. Ambrose cleans house and he misses a crossbody. Rollins tries to suplex Ambrose back in but he blocks and suplexes Rollins onto the lumberjacks on the floor!!! Rollins and Ambrose brawl through the lumberjacks and Ambrose backdrops Rollins into the crowd. Ambrose looks to go after him but the lumberjacks throw him back into the ring. Suicide dive to the lumberjacks by Ambrose and he runs across the announce table to dive on Rollins in the crowd!!! They brawl in the crowd and Corporate Kane comes out to order the lumberjacks to go after them. Rollins decides to leave and beats up Sin Cara just because. Some lumberjacks block Rollins exit and they drag Rollins to the ring as well. Ambrose goes up and dives onto all the lumberjacks along with Rollins on the floor!!!! Back in, Rollins blocks Dirty Deeds and he hits an enzuigiri. AMBROSE COMES RIGHT BACK WITH A JAWBREAKER LARIAT FOR 2!!! Curb Stomp by Ambrose gets 1 as Kane saves!!! Goldust confronts Kane, so Kane nails him. This brings in all the lumberjacks to brawl. The Wyatts clear the ring but Ambrose clears the ring of them. Rollins nails Ambrose with the briefcase for 3!!!
Winner- Seth Rollins ***1/4 ( This match was PERFECT for putting over Ambrose’s character. He acted like a lunatic, not caring about himself or the lumberjacks so he could get his hands on Rollins. He got more over as the match progressed and the crowd almost blew the roof off on the lariat near fall. I think a different, more brawl friendly stipulation would have worked better here, but they would top themselves with that style of match the next night on Raw. )

Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho starts on the offensive and hits a back elbow. Springboard shoulder block takes Wyatt off the apron and Jericho sends Wyatt into the barricade. Back in, Jericho goes up and hits a cross body off the top for 1. Jericho works Wyatt over in the corner and he goes up but Wyatt knocks him to the floor. Wyatt works Jericho over on the floor and Wyatt hits a running knee strike into the steps!!! Back in, Wyatt hammers Jericho on the mat and he sends Jericho into the post shoulder first. Wyatt hammers away on Jericho against the post and he charges at Jericho, ramming his head against the post. Chinlock by Wyatt but Jericho fights out. Chops by Jericho and he hits a flying forearm. Enzuigiri by Jericho gets 2. Jericho goes up and leaps but Wyatt moves. Running forearm by Wyatt and he hits the back senton for 2. Wyatt charges but Jericho catches him with a dropkick for 2. Urinage by Wyatt gets 2. Wyatt hammers Jericho on the mat and he goes for Sister Abagail but Jericho counters into a roll-up for 2. Wyatt blocks the Walls of Jericho on the first attempt but Jericho gets him on the second try. Wyatt makes the ropes to break. Wyatt pulls Jericho to the floor and he hits an Apron DDT for 2. Wyatt goes to the second rope but Jericho stops him and follows up. Frankensteiner off the top by Jericho gets 2. Corner clothesline by Jericho and he catches Wyatt with another dropkick. CRABWALK~!!!! Wyatt claims that he can’t die because he is already dead. Codebreaker by Jericho gets 2!!! Baseball slide misses and Wyatt knocks Jericho down. Sister Abagail into the barricade by Wyatt!!!! Back in, Wyatt hits Sister Abagail for 3. Wyatt sings He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands after the match.
Winner- Bray Wyatt *** ( I don’t get why these two don’t have good chemistry. Their matches have been fine, but the crowd isn’t buying into their feud and they don’t do anything that makes it seem like this feud is important or meaningful to either guy. This has cooled off Wyatt’s momentum big time and it’s time for both to just move on. )

Video package for Stephanie/Brie airs.

Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella
This feud has been surprisingly awesome in the build-up so hopefully they give us a decent match to pay it off. Stephanie uses her power to overwhelm Brie to start but Brie comes back with some arm drags. Shoulders to the gut in the corner by Stephanie and she stomps away in the corner. Stephanie tosses Brie down by the hair but Brie catches the arm and goes for the Yes! Lock. Stephanie bails to block the hold and Brie looks to dive but Stephanie nails her on the way out!!! Back in, Stephanie hits a DDT for 2. Mr. Perfect neck snap by Stephanie gets 2. Surfboard by Stephanie and she steps on Brie’s head. She goes back to the surfboard but Brie starts to fight out so Stephanie brings her down by the hair. Thesz press by Brie and she hammers away. Brie throws some kicks to the chest in the corner and she tosses Stephanie down by the hair. Brie stomps away and throws more kicks in the corner. Brie tosses Stephanie down by the hair again and she goes up. Second rope dropkick by Brie gets 2. Brie pulls Stephanie off of the ropes and she hammers away some more. Triple H comes out but Nicki Bella follows. Stephanie goes for the Pedigree but Brie counters into the Yes! Lock!!! Triple H pulls the ref out to save the match so Brie hits a baseball slide to Triple H!!! Nicki enters the ring and Stephanie is caught between the Bella Twins. NICKI NAILS BRIE!!!! Stephanie hits the Pedigree on Brie for 3!!!
Winner- Stephanie McMahon **1/2 ( This turned out to be quite decent despite Stephanie not being in the ring in 10 years and Brie not being the greatest worker in the world. The heat was there for the match and it told a good story of Brie overcoming the bully in Stephanie but got betrayed by her own flesh and blood. I personally feel Brie should have gotten the win here and the next night they do the Nicki turns, as Brie would have gotten her big win and then they could have added another layer to the feud after. As it stands, this feud only served to help Stephanie instead of making a bigger star out of Brie. )

The weirdest commercial in the history of WWE occurred. Jake Tucker, a fan, trained to be a wrestler at the Performance Center and it ended with him making an entrance with dudes in Totino Bold mascots. I have no words.

Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
Rights by Reigns and he knocks Orton down with a head butt. Back elbow by Reigns and he goes for punches in the corner but Orton blocks. Reigns clotheslines Orton to the floor and he follows out. Orton sends Reigns into the steps and back in, he covers for 1. Chinlock by Orton but Reigns fights out. Orton takes him down by the hair and he stomps on every part of Reigns’ body. Reigns goes up but Orton stops him and follows up. Superplex by Orton gets 2. Orton goes to the rear chinlock but Reigns counters into the sleeper. Orton falls back to drive Reigns down to the mat and Reigns catches him in the sleeper again. Orton breaks with a back suplex for 2. Orton goes back to the chinlock but Reigns fights out. Samoan Drop by Reigns and they begin to slug it out. Clothesline by Reigns and he hits a corner clothesline. Straight right by Reigns and he hits the flying kick from the floor. He rams Orton into the barricade and Orton returns the favor by tossing Reigns into the barricade. Orton sends Reigns into the post and back in, he covers for 2. They go to the floor again and Orton hits a back suplex onto the announce table!!! He sends Reigns into the steps and back in, Reigns snaps Orton’s neck off the ropes. They go up and Orton blocks a superplex. Second rope Samoan Drop by Reigns and he covers for 2. SUPERMAN PUNCH~!!!!! Reigns goes for the Spear but Orton counters into the powerslam for 2!!! Hanging DDT by Orton and he goes for the RKO but Reigns blocks. REIGNS GOES FOR A LEAPING CLOTHESLINE BUT ORTON COUNTERS INTO THE RKO FOR 2!!!! Orton misses the punt and Reigns hits the Spear for 3!!!
Winner- Roman Reigns ***1/2 ( The early portion of the match was very dull and pedestrian with Orton resorting to rest holds and a more methodical pace. Reigns needed a great match with Orton on a major PPV to help his push and the early portion of the match concerned me. However, they kicked it into gear and the final stretch was great and the crowd was rocking for Reigns when he won. So it turned out well in the end and the push of Reigns is still on the right path for now.)

Video package for Cena/Lesnar airs.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship- John Cena © vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman
Cena hammers away on Lesnar to start and Lesnar returns the favor. Lesnar hits the F-5 for 2!!! Release German suplex by Lesnar and he follows it up with a second one. Lesnar throws a knee at the ribs of Cena and he hits a suplex. Cena fires away to come back but Lesnar throws a knee to end that. Camel Clutch by Lesnar but Cena fights out so Lesnar brings him down. Cena fires back but Lesnar again throws another knee to kill the momentum on Cena. Lesnar stomps on the hand of Cena and he hits another release German suplex. Brock hits THREE more release German suplexes, making it six at this point!!! Lesnar covers for 2 and he hits the seventh release German suplex on Cena. The eighth release German suplex by Lesnar and he goes for number nine but Cena fights out. Cena charges at Lesnar a few times but Lesnar catches him and goes for the F-5. Cena escapes and hits the AA for 2!!! LESNAR DOES THE UNDERTAKER SIT-UP!!!! Lesnar takes Cena down and he hammers him on the mat. Lesnar hits four more release German suplexes, bringing us to 12!!!!! Lesnar hits THREE more, bringing us to 15!!!!! Cena catches Lesnar in the STF but Lesnar rolls out and hammers Cena on the mat some more. F-5 by Lesnar gets 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion- Brock Lesnar *** ( This was a basically a drawn out squash, so as a match it clearly didn’t live up to the war we expected. However, the decision to have Lesnar just obliterate Cena was genius and it finally put him over as the unstoppable monster he should have been upon his return two years ago. Now the WWE needs to keep this up with Brock and make him look as unbeatable as possible so Roman Reigns can topple him and become the guy as a result.)

The 411: On paper, I thought Summmerslam had a ton of potential. However, while the wrestling was good for the most part, I saw a real lack of consistency with the booking that hindered my enjoyment. There were instances where they booked the right finish and the right winner but the structure of the match didn't allow the right person to shine while on the other hand, there were instances of the booking of the match being good but the finishes made certain people look bad.They had a great chance to use this show to build up the star power of people like Ambrose, Wyatt, Brie, and Reigns and in most cases on this show, they dropped the ball. This show will be memorable due to the pure destruction of John Cena but I felt the show as a whole didn't reach the max potential it had going in.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]