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Csonka Reviews This Week’s Free WWE Summerslam Matches (Vol. II)
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Csonka Reviews This Week’s WWE Free Summerslam Matches
OFFICIAL RESULTS
– From Summerslam 2008: US Champion MVP defeated Jeff Hardy @ 10:13 via pin [**½]
– From Summerslam 2008: Champion Triple H defeated The Great Khali @ 9:20 via pin [*]
– From Summerslam 2012: Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H @ 18:30 via submission [***]
– From Summerslam 2016: AJ Styles defeated John Cena @ 23:09 via pin [****¾]
US Champion MVP vs. Jeff Hardy: MVP misses the big kick right away and things pour to the floor. Jeff slams him to the barricade, and they brawl around the ring. Jeff rolls MVP back in and covers for 1. A slam by Jeff, gets a slingshot leg drop and a cover for 2. Arm bar by Jeff, MVP gets to his feet and gets an arm bar, but Jeff holds on and rolls through. Wristlock by Jeff, MVP to the ropes and Jeff has to break. A boot by Jeff, another and then to the corner they go. A right by Jeff, Irish whip and MVP gets an overhead toss to Jeff, who hits hard in the corner. MVP covers for 2. MVP works the butterfly lock and rolls it into a cover for 2. Back to the butterfly lock goes MVP as commentary plays up Jeff landing badly on his neck. Elbows by MVP, and into the camel clutch. Cross face shots by MVP, Jeff gets an arm out and works for the ropes. MVP pulls him back in center, and MVP then rolls sloppily into a single leg crab. He transitions to a knee bar as he tries to keep Jeff grounded, but Jeff gets the ropes to break the hold. MVP with kicks to Jeff, who rolls to the apron. Jeff with rights, goes for a slingshot and eats a right by MVP. He then cannonballs down onto the back of Jeff, and then covers for 2. MVP places Jeff into the tree of woe and then slams him down on top of his head. MVP releases Jeff and covers for 2. Powerbomb try by MVP is countered into a neck breaker by Jeff. Reverse kick by Jeff, goes for the corner dropkick and is kicked away by MVP who covers again for 2. To the corner goes Jeff, dropkick by MVP and then charges in for the Kawada kick but Jeff counters with the wrap up clothesline. Both men are down and working to their feet, Russian Leg Sweep by Jeff and then the leg drop into a pinning combo for 2. To the corner they go, boots by Jeff and MVP catches the corner dropkick, but Jeff with a sunset flip for 2! Whisper in the wind by Jeff! He goes up top…Shelton is out and Jeff DIVES onto him on the floor. Jeff back up top… but the SWAWTON MISSES! Drive By kick by MVP finishes it. MVP defeated Jeff Hardy @ 10:13 via pin [**½] This was a solid, but disappointing match because both were capable of so much more at the time.
WWE Champion Triple H vs. The Great Khali: Khali and Triple H stand off, Khali shoves him and Triple H starts throwing rights. He avoids Khali, lands more rights and looks for the pedigree, no dice. Khali grabs Triple H by the throat, TREE SLAM! Khali stalks Triple H, and locks in the vise grip! Triple H escapes, chop blocks the left leg of Khali and he rolls to the floor. Triple H follows but gets killed by the JUDO CHOP. Khali whips him to the barrier and then tosses him back in the ring. Boots by Khali in the corner, and then just beats TRIPLE H down. Short-armed clothesline by Khali, and a cover with one foot gets 2. Vulcan neck pinch now by Khali as the crowd chants “You can’t wrestle.” He releases the hold and then slams Triple H down. The leg drop follows and a cover for 2. Back to the neck pinch goes Khali, Triple H tries to fight to his feet and does. Elbows to Khali, rights, off the ropes and Triple H kind of gets the knee buster. This is not good at all Khali trapped in the ropes and Triple H charges in, but eats a boot. The ref helps Khali escape the ropes, but Triple H gets a boot, looks for the pedigree and is back-dropped to the floor. Khali breaks the count, grabs Triple H, but he pulls him down and slams his leg off of the steel post. Khali to the floor and as Triple H charges him from the apron he gets swatted down. Both men back in now, and Khali has the vise grip again. Triple H with body shots, but he starts to fall. Triple H now battles back to his feet, breaks the hold but Khali gets it again. Boots by Triple H, Khali tosses him to the corner, but Triple H avoids a charge, kick wham pedigree. Thankfully that’s all. Champion Triple H defeated The Great Khali @ 9:20 via pin [*] This was one of Triple H’s vanity matches, where he tries to be Ric Flair carrying El Gignate to a passable and even good match. It wasn’t the long stuff we’ve gotten recently at Mania, and he tried to make Khali look like a monster, but it was just a struggle to sit through.
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar: They brawl at the bell with Brock looking for the kimura early, Triple H escaping but then Brock beating him down in the corner and then keeps going for the kimura. Triple H would send Brock to the floor, pissing him off and when he returned he dropped the gloves and scored a takedown and started to pummel Triple H. The brawl went to the floor, and Brock hammerlock slammed Triple H onto the announcer’s table; the arm of Triple H Brock “previously broke.” Back in and Brock continued the assault; continually attacking the previously injured arm of Triple H. Triple H avoided the F5, but ate a German and Brock went back to the arm. They traded strikes and Triple H hit the DDT. Brock smartly went right back after the arm, slamming him down on it. They went back to the floor, with Brock slamming Triple H over the announce table. Brock continued the beating because morale hadn’t improved. Back in the ring, Triple H tried to fire up and got a roll up for 2. Brock then leveled him with the clothesline, which pleased Heyman. Triple H then hit the desperation suplex, avoided the corner charge but Brock then sent him to the floor again. He followed Triple H out, but Triple H sent Brock to the table gut first and then attacked THE IT IS. Brock’s selling is really good here, an undersold portion of his game, because when he has to sell he does it very well considering how he’s booked as such a dominant monster. Triple H then focused his attack on the gut of Brock, playing off of his past issues of Diverticulitis and taking Brock down. The spinebuster followed, and then the pedigree for 2. Brock then hit a desperation low blow, and followed with the F5 for the near fall. Brock then locks in the kimura, Triple H struggles and makes the ropes and attacks the stomach and manages to fight out. The pedigree follows as Heyman yells for Brock to fight, and he locks in the kimara center ring and Triple H has to tap. Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H @ 18:30 via submission [***] The match had the right finish, but not the reaction that they wanted. Triple H vs. Brock never felt big time to me. First of all, let’s discuss the match. The match I liked, as much like the Cena match, it felt like a different style than the usual WWE match we were getting at the time. Unfortunately it wasn’t as good as the match with Cena. But while the match was good, the main problem that they had is when Triple H finally got the big heat on Brock. They did it by slamming him into the point of the announcer’s table, and they then played on the past medical history of Lesnar (Diverticulitis). While MMA fans know this, and internet fans know this, and commentary was able to make some mention of it to the PPV audience, it seemed completely lost on the live audience. They became silent at times, not exactly knowing what they were watching. So while the story that they were telling was a good one, the lack of live audience reaction hurt the match. So Triple H gets the advantage, hits a pedigree, and Brock kicks out. Triple H in return kicked out of an F5. The finish was Triple H hitting another pedigree, but Lesnar was able to lock in the Kimura again (which was a theme all match long) and finally made Triple H tap. Brock was victorious as he should have been, and one other note, Paul Heyman was spectacular at ringside in his role. So they leave Triple H in the ring, refusing medical attention as the valiant baby face almost BEGGING for fan approval as their hero for surviving the beast. The goal here was for sympathy and for him to get a big crowd reaction. Instead, the crowd chanted, “you tapped out” at Triple H. They then gave him what I would classify as a “tepid” reaction. He walked away like a sad panda as the commentators discussed that this could be the end for him as an in ring competitor. I would wager to say that this was not the reaction that they were hoping for. Again, they did the right thing with Lesnar winning (he NEVER should have lost to Triple H), and the match was good, but the lack of crowd reactions at times during the match and after that match really took away from the overall presentation of the match.
John Cena vs. AJ Styles: They had a great crowd right away. We got a basic back and forth, Styles hit the dropkick combo but celebrated way too soon, allowing Cena to attack and repeatedly slam Styles to the corner. I think we’re getting INDIE CENA tonight, as he took a suplex on the apron. Back in the ring, Cena fought back with a high backdrop and dropkick for a near fall. They are basically telling the story of the first match here, but this time it is Cena staying a step ahead of Styles now that he knows what he’s getting into. Cena kept rolling, shoulder blocks and the proto bomb, leading to the five-knuckle shuffle. Styles countered the AA and hit a PELE, STYLES CLASH connects, but Cena powers out at 2 (I hate that it has become a transition move). Cena then hit the AA for a near fall. This all happened at 8-minutes in. Cena went for the super AA, but Styles countered into the torture rack and then into a powerbomb for a near fall. Cena countered the clash and then hit a toss up cutter for a near fall. AJ then countered the AA, fought off the STF and hit the ushigoroshi for the near fall. Styles then just beat on Cena, went to the apron and MISSED the springboard 450. Code red by INDIE JOHN scored a near fall. AJ countered the AA into a German suplex and a facebuster for a near fall. Styles went for the springboard forearm, but Cena picked the leg as he flew in and licked in the STF. Styles managed to counter into a crossface; Cena then powered up and went for an AA but Styles rolled into the calf crusher. Cena powered up and rolled back into the STF; this whole sequence has been great. Styles rolled into a pinning combo, and then hit the enziguri but Cena hit a tornado DDT for a near fall. Cena headed up top, hit the fameasser off the top but Styles kicked out. They went to the corner, Cena set Styles up top and looked for the super AA, Styles escaped and hit a springboard RANA off the ropes! Springboard forearm connects for a great near fall. Cena tried to power Styles up for the AA, failed but leveled him with a desperation lariat. He again went for the super AA off the ropes, Styles again fought but Cena hit it but Styles said fuck off with that shit and kicked out! Cena looked amazed that it didn’t work as Styles fought to his feet. Cena went for the AA again, Styles then hit the clash and rolled to the apron. Springboard forearm connects and Cena is DONE. AJ Styles defeated John Cena @ 23:09 via pin [****¾] This was an incredible match with the right finish and man winning and the match hitting the climax at the right time. They played well off of the first match, they set the stage that Styles could not only hang on his own but that he could take everything that Cena has traditionally put people away with, overcome it and win. AJ was a made man after this, delivering big time on one of the biggest shows of the year with Vince’s boy and WWE’s top guy. They did everything right here, Styles and Cena have great chemistry together, and to me this was upper tier MOTY level stuff.
– End scene.
– Thanks for reading.
“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”
