411’s Instant Access 08.14.2011: WWE SummerSlam 2011

Hey kids, I’m Scott, and this is 411’s Instant Access: WWE SummerSlam 2011. Instant Access is the companion piece to 411 Live Pay-Per-View Coverage and features immediate reaction to wrestling pay-per-views. The focus in Instant Access is on first thoughts and initial reactions instead of play-by-play with the goal of providing you with instant access to one two THREE writers’ thoughts on the show. Anyway, here’s the team for Money in the Bank:

• Scott Slimmer, author of Don’t Think Twice.
• Tony Acero, author of 411’s WWE NXT Report and The Low End Theory. Tony is LIVE at SummerSlam, and he’ll be sending in reports from the show throughout the evening.
• Mike Uphoff, author emeritus of 411’s WWE Smackdown Report.

For even more coverage, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @ScottSlimmer.

Okay kids, enough with the explanations. Let’s get to the wrestling.

Six Man Tag Team Match
Rey Mysterio, John Morrison & Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz, R-Truth & Alberto Del Rio
Match Result: Rey Mysterio defeats R-Truth with a top rope splash.
Match Length: 9:40
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: The five matches announced for SummerSlam didn’t seem as though they would be enough to fill a three hour show, so no one was surprised when this impromptu match was announced. This match encompassed most of the mid-card Raw feuds and allowed those feuds to blend so that the mid-card feuds can be reshuffled in the near future. The six-man format allowed the action to be fast-paced and non-stop, and that’s exactly what you want out of your opening match. Having Mysterio pick up the win was a smart choice leading into his WWE Championship match tomorrow night on Raw, and at this point a loss doesn’t really hurt R-Truth. As we would learn later in the evening, it will be Alberto Del Rio defending the title against Mysterio tomorrow night, so that leaves Morrison, Kingston, Miz, and Truth as the core of Raw’s mid-card. There may still be life in the Morrison / Truth feud, and that would leave Kingston to feud with Miz. If Morrison / Truth has run its course, then my guess is that we’ll see a Morrison / Miz feud and a Kingston / Truth feud. Either way, my guess is that Morrison, Kingston, Miz, and Truth will be seeing a lot of each other in various singles and tag team matches over the course of the next few months.
Acero: Hey guys, sorry if a majority of my review is stilted and awkward. iPhone’s weren’t made for up to the minute responses in terms of wrestling….The match started off slow with too many chin locks but picked up quickly with some solid wrestling from all guys. Miz pulled off a bad-ass looking front face lock DDT maneuver on Kofi and when Mysterio got in the ring it was only a matter of time before the home-state hero won the match. The match seemed like all parties were lacking a certain motivation and it was almost apparent how thrown together the match was.
Uphoff: Felt it was a little disjointed and like an episode of RAW when it started. However, it stretched out into a match where each man really got the opportunity to show what they can do. Kofi provided some nice moves, and that high crossbody was right on the money. Mysterio getting the pinfall was the right way to go, emphasizing the importance of his WWE Championship match on RAW. Good stuff from everybody and that neck breaker from the Miz was just SICK. Fun, good-paced opener that really got the crowd going.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***
Acero: **½
Uphoff: ***
Average Match Rating: **¾

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry
Match Result: Mark Henry defeats Sheamus by count-out.
Match Length: 9:22
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Much like last month’s Big Show / Mark Henry match, this was a classic big man match that far exceeded the usual limitations and expectations of a classic big man match. Sheamus has proven himself on numerous occasions over the past two years, so in my mind the real story of this match is that Mark Henry is having the highest quality matches of his entire career. He’s being booked like an absolute beast, and he’s not being carried to good matches. He’s pulling his weight, working his ass off, and absolutely living up to the potential that we’ve spent more than a decade being told that he had. Mark Henry is my pick for most improved wrestler of the year and breakout star of the year, and I have to believe that two dominant wins over the Big Show and Sheamus have put him in line for a World Heavyweight Championship match against Randy Orton next month at Night of Champions.
Acero: We knew out the gate that this was going to be hard hitting but there were a few hits that scared even me! In a good way, of course. Henry running through the ropes atop Sheamus was sweet and the slam into the post THEN flying through a barricade made the crowd explode! And of course, the crowd deflated as soon as the count-out happened. Horrible finish to an otherwise strong match that looks to be moving Henry upwards.
Uphoff: I’m going to be the odd man out here, because I liked the ending to the match. It made sense. Sheamus was kept strong, and Mark Henry won the match as he should have. Sheamus is kept strong because he barely didn’t beat the count back to the ring instead of lying at the barricade. He also worked a really solid power match against Henry, much like the Big Show did a month earlier. That match was a bit better, but that is not a knock against Sheamus. These two put on an enjoyable match that kept the crowd in it.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***
Acero: **½
Uphoff: **¼
Average Match Rating: **½

Divas Championship Match
Kelly Kelly (Champion) w/ Eve Torres vs. Beth Phoenix w/ Natalya
Match Result: Kelly Kelly defeats Beth Phoenix with a roll-up pin after countering the Glam Slam.
Match Length: 6:48
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Losing Kharma earlier this year definitely derailed the new direction of the Divas Division, but the recent heels turns from Beth Phoenix and Natalya have gone a long way toward getting it back on track. Allowing Beth Phoenix to voice her frustrations with the current state of the Divas Division is a mini version of CM Punk’s quest for change in WWE and has given the fans a sense that WWE is aware of some of the systemic problems in the Divas Division. I was among those that expected Beth to win the Divas Championship tonight in order to reboot the Divas Division, but I can see the logic in letting Kelly escape with a victory. WWE almost certainly still sees Kelly as more marketable than Beth, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise that they would want to keep the belt on her. However, Kelly’s roll-up pin makes it a safe bet that we’ll see a re-match at Night of Champions, thus keeping Beth Phoenix in the title picture. In fact, with the Divas Championship serving both Raw and Smackdown, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Natalya become involved in the title picture sooner rather than later. Eve Torres could be brought in to balance the equation, so we may even see a four-way match for the title at Night of Champions.
Acero: Kelly tried to come out with some fire but it resulted in more of a small flicker as her “athleticism” made for some awkward moves. They actually gave Kelly a lot of offense which was surprising, but the largest surprise was Kelly coming out with the win! We got a near crotch shot and even though Kelly started off badly, she ended up having one of her better matches ever.
Uphoff: I was actually expecting this to be not so good, but I was impressed by the effort that Kelly Kelly gave in this match against Beth. Beth is one of the true women’s wrestlers in the WWE, and Kelly Kelly proved that she deserved to be champion with a good performance. It was competently wrestled and executed, and while there may have been a little miscommunication, it was still a perfectly decent match, and not a waste of time.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **
Acero: **
Uphoff: **
Average Match Rating: **

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett
Match Result: Wade Barrett defeats Daniel Bryan with Wasteland.
Match Length: 11:47
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: There seemed to be a certain logic to letting Bryan pick up a win to keep his momentum going after announcing that he would cash in his Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania, but I think it’s important to keep in mind the kind of wrestlers that Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett are and the different ways that they each get find success. Daniel Bryan is one of the best (if not THE best) in-ring technicians in the world. His success will always be measured by the quality of his matches, and he will build fan support based on his in-ring action. Wins and losses simply aren’t as important for his as they are for wrestlers such as Wade Barrett. Barrett has a great look and is solid on the stick, but he’ll never be the kind of in-ring talent that Bryan is. On some level, Barrett needs wins in order to validate his look and his hype. With all of that in mind, I can completely understand the decision to give the win to Barrett in this match. Bryan was able to showcase a wider range of his impressive arsenal, and Barrett was able to gain credibility by defeating a talented opponent. That being said, I’m not sure where these two men stand as we head toward Night of Champions. I can’t see either one of them challenging Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship, but at this point they are both above challenging for the Intercontinental Championship. They may be the odd men out for the next pay-per-view, but solid matches on Smackdown will be more than enough to keep their momentum going for a month or two.
Acero: The crowd was very pro Bryan. This match was better than I expected and I expected a lot. There were plenty of little things such as….I loved how Wade fought against the surfboard, that hardly happens. Bryans flying knee got a nice pop….or maybe that was just me! That shit was beautiful. And those kicks! Good Lord! Wade took ‘me like a champ! When the LeBell lock went on, I thought it was over but no! Barrett got the win. I’m not sure if liked the ending but damn the match was amazing.
Uphoff: This was exactly what I was expecting from the two. It was nice to see them actually wrestle for a little bit, and the surfboard fake into the knee stomp was a nice homage to Danielson’s ROH days. The crotched lariat was nice as well. However, I don’t agree with the result. Your Money in the Bank winner should be kept strong no matter who they are. Having Danielson lose on PPV does nothing for his credibility as a future champion. Sure, it was a great match, but sometimes a great match can be ruined by booking, and that is what happened here. This still was a great match, and Bryan Danielson still has yet to beat Wade Barrett.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***½
Acero: ***½
Uphoff: ***½
Average Match Rating: ***½

No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Christian (Champion) vs. Randy Orton
Match Result: Randy Orton defeats Christian with a mid-air RKO onto the ring steps.
Match Length: 23:48
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Month after month I’ve said that Christian and Randy Orton have phenomenal chemistry with each other, and that was once again on display in this match. Booking two men against each other in one-on-one championship matches at four consecutive PPVs is virtually unheard of in WWE, but Christian and Orton found a way to make each match exciting and distinct. This match seemed poised to be the blow-off match for their feud, and it definitely served to put an explosive capstone on their rivalry. Edge’s denunciation of Christian prior to the match served to foreshadow the Orton reclaiming the championship, and having Orton decisively defeat Christian gives a sense of closure to the entire feud. I suppose that Christian should technically receive a re-match, but I have a feeling that Teddy Long will be more than ready to introduce a new challenge instead. Mark Henry would be my personal pick for Number One Contender, so my guess is that we’ll see Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry at Night of Champions.
Acero: The love for Orton is crazy! Orton had some hard rights in the corner! Ouch!!!! Did you guys hear the “Let’s go Christian/Christian sucks!” Chants? This match was amazing. Seriously, I’m writing before the main event and I’m calling this the match of the night. Christian went through three tables, Orton got spit on his face and they did an amazing job with the weapons. And there was blood!! Great match, great chemistry, great drama! Just great! my only complaint was Christian’s loss. It’s not that big of a deal I guess but I would have likes to see him hold onto it longer.
Uphoff: I want to rate this a little higher, I honestly do. But I can’t. Why would you have Orton win the title back from Christian here? It completely derails Christian’s momentum, as if he had any left. Why give the title to Christian if you are just going to have him lose it? Sure it was a great match between the two (yet again), but stupid booking hurt this match. I loved Edge coming to the ring, and his promo on Christian was great. The match itself was human chess with plunder, which almost always makes for a great match. We got another great match out of these two, with some sick spots in the match. Props to these two for still keeping everything fresh, and props to Christian for taking that RKO on the steel steps from the second rope. I hate to lower a match due to booking, but I have to do it here.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****½
Acero: ****
Uphoff: ****
Average Match Rating: ****¼

Undisputed WWE Championship Match
CM Punk (Champion) vs. John Cena (Champion)
Match Result: CM Punk defeats John Cena with the Go To Sleep.
Match Length: 24:14
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: CM Punk and John Cena had the unenviable task of trying to live up to the standard they set last month at Money in the Bank. Unfortunately for them, last month’s match was one of the greatest matches in WWE history, so they had a virtually impossible task before them tonight. They were well on their way to a great match tonight. It wouldn’t have been as good as last month, but it would have been a great match nonetheless. However, things sort of fell apart at the end. The fact that Punk won with Cena’s foot on the ropes seemed anti-climactic, because I was honestly expecting the match to be re-started. I honestly didn’t think the match was over, and so on some level I didn’t feel like I had gotten a finish to the match. Next up was the random Kevin Nash attack. WWE needs to understand that there is a difference between surprising and random. Edge’s return earlier in the evening was surprising, but it made total sense. The Kevin Nash attack was random, not surprising. I’m sure it will be explained in much more detail tomorrow night on Raw, but that doesn’t mean that it felt any less jarring tonight. Del Rio’s cash-in seemed academic at that point, and I’m sort of just glad that we’ve got it out of the way. I guess it was too much to hope for Punk to walk away with the belt two months in a row, but the over-booking just seemed to go a bit too far tonight. However, all of this does leave us with a rather interesting WWE title picture. Alberto Del Rio is defending the title against Rey Mysterio tomorrow night on Raw. My guess is that Del Rio will retain so as not to look like a complete fluke champion. Punk will almost certainly have a re-match in his future, and that might seem to indicate Del Rio vs. Punk at Night of Champions. However, I have to believe that the only reason that John Cena’s foot was on the ropes when Punk got the three count was to give Cena an argument for a re-match of his own. My guess is that he will get added to the Del Rio / Punk match at Night of Champions. Depending on the outcome of tomorrow night’s title match, it would be easy to add Rey Mysterio to that match as well. Of course, we can’t forget about Triple H and Kevin Nash. Will either of them return to active competition? And if so, will they challenge for the WWE Championship? At this point, I would expect the Night of Champions title match to contain at least four competitors, and that number could grow to as many as six depending on whether or not Triple H or Kevin Nash enter the mix.
Acero: This match was nothing compared to their last encounter, first of all. The first half was boring and a bit plodding. I enjoyed the submission exchanges and everything after that! When I saw Cena throw his leg on the ropes, i thought the match was going to continue and when the match ended I was immediately upset. That all went away quickly after Big Fuckin Daddy Cool came out and powerbombed Punk to all holy hell! This, followed by Del Rio’s cash in made me a happy fan. a very happy fan. I’m not sure where they’re going but this is my guess and I kind of hope I’m wrong. I’m thinking a certain McMahon that was here tonight got some pressure from Daddy to get something to go down which causes chaos to prove that Triple H just isn’t the man for the job. I’m hoping we don’t get any more McMahon than we need to, and that’s just my guess. What do you guys think?
Uphoff: loved this match. Loved everything about it until the end. Why in God’s great name does Cena’s foot need to be on the bottom rope? It didn’t need to happen like that. Cena could have been pinned cleanly just like he was last month, but no, we need to have the fuck finish. Also, I know it will be explained on RAW, but why the FUCK is Kevin Nash on PPV? This was a great match between the two, nearly on the level of their match from last month, if that is even possible. I marked out for the Macho Man elbow drop, and the sequence of reversals of submissions from the Koji Clutch to the STF to the Anaconda Vice to the Crossface was nothing short of phenomenal. This was a great match from beginning to end, and I could smell Del Rio cashing in from a mile away. There was nothing bad about this match, and HHH as referee didn’t take away at all from it either. Absolute greatness and a real wrestling match as well. A half step below their previous match, but even so, a half step below perfection is still flawlessly excellent. I include ¼ star for the Del Rio cash-in, so ****1/2 for the match + ¼* = ****3/4.
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****
Acero: ***
Uphoff: ****¾
Average Match Rating: ****

Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Slimmer: Christian vs. Randy Orton (****½)
Many thought that Punk / Cena would once again steal the show, but the combination of the brutal use of plunder in the Christian / Orton match along with the anti-climactic finish of the Punk / Cena match give the edge to Christian and Orton. This would seem to be the final encounter between Christian and Orton, and they definitely went out in style.
Acero: Christian vs. Randy Orton (****)
While the emotional pull of the main event was prevalent, I can’t deny these guys the match of the night title. Both men have locked up on more than one occasion and yet this still felt fresh and innovative as well as just a balls to the wall brawl. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have said numerous times how well these guys are together in the ring.
Uphoff: CM Punk vs. John Cena (****¾)
Greatness that didn’t need the ending that it had.

Trash of the Night:
Slimmer: None
Just like last month at Money in the Bank, there was nothing on this card that came anywhere near being trash. The Divas Championship match was the lowest rated match on the card, but it was a good Divas match that gave us hope that the Divas Division is moving in the right direction. You simply can’t have a card where every match is a five star classic, but it’s great when you get a card that’s free of trash.
Acero: Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix (**)
But not because it was horrible. It was below average, yes, and there was a lot wrong with it but I still hold to the fact that they tried. The decision for Kelly to win seems odd and not really welcomed by a majority of the people around me. Let’s hope this is just a small bump in an otherwise more fun road.
Uphoff: None.
Every match had something redeemable or enjoyable.

Final Analysis:
Slimmer: SummerSlam wasn’t quite up to the insanely high level of Money in the Bank, but it was still of rock solid show that delivered on almost every level. There was a nice mix of in-ring action and impactful booking, and none of the matches felt rushed or pointless. I would have liked to have seen the evening end with Punk pinning Cena clean in the middle of the ring, but I completely understand that my IWC-mark wet dream may have been a bit unrealistic. WWE is on a roll with a good PPV to follow up an absolutely outstanding PPV, so let’s hope they can keep the momentum going at Night of Champions.
Acero: While the drama and the promotion was all built around one match, there were at least two others that delivered in spades, and one that exceeded at least MY expectations. Bryan and Barrett are the future of the company and I think the future is in good hands. Sheamus and Henry did well for the time given and aside from the finish, it was a good, hard hitting match packed in a tight space. Christian and Orton stole the show, I think and if it weren’t for the GREAT surprise at the end of the show, it would be the MOMENT of the night but that goes to the NEEEWWWW UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPION, ALBERTOOOOO DELLLL RIIIIOOOO!!!!!
Uphoff: I want to say that this PPV was every bit as good as Money in the Bank, and match quality-wise, it would be very hard to disagree. However, the booking at this PPV really hurt it. Beth should have won the Diva’s Title, but that can be forgiven. What cannot be forgiven is the fuck finish at the end of Punk/Cena II, and the outcomes of the World Heavyweight Championship match and the Bryan Danielson/Wade Barrett match. Questionable doesn’t even begin to describe what happened with those matches, and I don’t know why those two matches ended the way they did. They were great matches, but great matches can be marred by bad booking. That was what happened there. I now to turn to Kevin Nash. Why is Kevin Nash returning to PPV? What the hell sort of build was there for him? Not a damn thing. It just hurt the PPV. I’m sure there is an explanation for his actions, but I fail to see why he was needed on SummerSlam. This SummerSlam has been the best one since 2002, but still is a step below MITB. Great effort here by the WWE, but bad booking decisions prevent me from giving a great wrestling PPV the rating it deserves.

Verdict:
Slimmer: ***½
Acero: ****
Uphoff: ****
Average Verdict: ***¾