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From The Network: WWE SummerSlam 2016 Review

August 21, 2016 | Posted by Dylan Diot
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From The Network: WWE SummerSlam 2016 Review  

WWE SummerSlam 2016
8-21-16
Brooklyn, NY

Your hosts are Michael Cole, Byron Saxton & Corey Graves for Raw. Mauro Ranallo, JBL & David Otunga for Smackdown Live!

Pre-Show

The Vaudvillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch), The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) & Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fantango) vs. The Hype Bros (Zach Ryder and Mojo Rawley), The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) & American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan)
Gable outwrestles Breeze to start and Jey tags in along with English. Jey slams English and Rawley tags in. He works the arm of English and catches him with a back drop. Tag to Ryder and the Bros hits a suplex/second rope dropkick combo for 2. Everyone comes in to brawl and American Alpha dive onto the Ascension as we go to break.

Back and Gotch grabs an arm bar on Ryder. Tag to Viktor and he grabs a chin lock. Ryder breaks with a jaw breaker but Viktor rams him into the heel corner to prevent the tag. Breeze hits a leg drop for 2 and it’s back to the chin lock. Tag to Fandango and he hits a slingshot leg drop for 2. Tag to Viktor and he grabs a front face lock. Ryder fights out again and he is able to escape the heel corner. Ryder catches Konnor with a neck breaker and Jimmy tags in. He cleans house and catches Breeze with a Samoan Drop. Enzuigiri to Konnor and Jordan bling tags in. He cleans house with overhead belly to belly suplexes. Exploder suplex to Gotch gets 2 as English saves. Sit-out power bomb to Gable and everyone lands their signature stuff on each other. The Usos hit stereo suicide planchas to the floor!!!! Jey Uso blind tags in as American Alpha hit Grand Amplitude on Gotch. He goes up and hits the flying splash for 3.
Winners- The Hype Bros, The Usos & American Alpha **1/2 ( This was fine. It was messy and the heat segment on Ryder was dry but the final stretch was fun and I liked the finish, as it’s time for the Usos to go heel and gives American Alpha real competition when the new tag championships are created. )

Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) vs. Neville & Sami Zayn
Zayn and Neville take turns working the arm of D-Von to start and Neville hits a corkscrew press off of Zayn’s back. Neville dropkicks Bubba to the floor and D-Von trips Neville before he could dive. Back elbow by D-Von gets 1 as we go to break.

Back and Bubba hits a hanging neck breaker on Neville for 2. D-Von grabs a nerve hold but Neville starts to fight out os D-Von cuts him off. Leg drop by D-Von gets 2. Neville tries to fight back again but Bubba cuts him off with a back elbow. Second rope back senton misses and Zayn tags in. He cleans house and he catches D-Von with a dropkick. Blue Thunder Bomb by Zayn gets 2 as Bubba saves. Back suplex/neck breaker combo onto Zayn gets 2 as Neville saves. Bubba goes for a clothesline but misses and hits D-Von by mistake. Helluva Kick by Zayn and Neville goes up. Red Arrow by Neville gets 3.
Winners- Neville & Sami Zayn **1/4 ( This was fine but nothing special. Neville got to shine and they continued to build up dissension with the Dudley Boyz. Sami Zayn deserves better and hopefully this will be his one and only pre-show appearance for awhile.)

Best of Seven Series Match #1- Sheamus vs. Cesaro
Uppercut by Cesaro and he hits a double stomp on Sheamus. He clotheslines Sheamus to the floor and goes for dive but Sheamus blocks. Dropkick by Cesaro gets 1. Uppercuts by Sheamus and he snaps Cesaro’s neck on the ropes. Clothesline on the apron by Sheamus and he hits a suplex for 1. Key lock by Sheamus but Cesaro counters into the Waterslide. Suplex by Cesaro gets 1. Uppercut by Cesaro but Sheamus comes back with the tilt-a-whirl slam for 2 as we go to break.

Back and Sheamus has a chin lock on Cesaro. Cesaro fights out so Sheamus catches him with the Irish Curse for 2. Fireman’s carry roll by Sheamus and they battle for a suplex. Cesaro ends up taking both men crashing down to the floor!!! They make it back in before the 10 count and Sheamus hits some uppercuts. Cesaro returns the favor and he hits a dropkick knocking Sheamus to the apron. Dead lift suplex back in by Cesaro gets 2. Roll-up by Sheamus gets 2 and he counters the Neutralizer into White Noise for 2. Fireman’s carry roll off the second rope by Sheamus gets 2. Big boot by Cesaro and he hits a lariat for 2!!! Cesaro hits a springboard crossbody for 2!!! CESARO SWING~!!!!! Cesaro grabs the Sharpshooter but Sheamus quickly gets to the ropes. Cesaro counters the Brogue Kick and goes for the Sharpshooter but Sheamus pokes the eye. He sends Cesaro shoulder first into the post and hits the Brogue Kick for 3!!!
Winner- Sheamus ***3/4 ( This was a great match, probably the best pre-show match they’ve done. It was intense and felt like the first big fight in what could be an epic series. They didn’t hold back and just went to town on one another. Cesaro was on fire here and continues to show he’s the most underutilized asset in the company. )

PPV

Enzo and Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens
Jericho and Owens attack to start and Jericho hits a suplex on Enzo. Crossbody by Enzo and he hits a face buster for 2. Tag to Cass and Owens. He works over Owens in the corner and he tosses him away. Tag to Enzo and Cass slams him onto Owens for 2. Tag to Jericho and Enzo dropkicks him. Tag to Cass and he launches Enzo into Jericho in the corner. Cass tosses Enzo onto Jericho and Owens on the floor!!!! Back in, Jericho catches Enzo with a second rope dropkick for 2. Tag to Owens and he hits a double stomp. Owens chops away and tags Jericho. He works over Enzo and grabs a chin lock. Enzo fights out so Jericho catches him with a dropkick for 2. Tag to Owens and he hits a gut buster into the back senton for 2. Chin lock by Owens but Enzo fights out again. He fights out of the heel corner and he catches Owens with an enzuigiri on the floor. Jericho prevents the tag just in time and he knocks Cass off the apron with a springboard dropkick. Tag to Owens and he hits a Frog Splash for 2. Owens works over Enzo in the corner and he pulls Enzo off the top rope. Owens misses the Cannonball in the corner and Cass gets the tag. He cleans house and catches Jericho with the Empire Elbow. Jericho goes up and leaps but eats a boot on the way down. Tag to Enzo and Owens crotches him as he goes up. Owens sends Cass into the post and hits a Cannonball against the barricade. Jericho goes up and tries a superplex but Enzo blocks. He catches Jericho with the DDG for 2 as Owens saves. Enzo fires away but Owens presses him into the Codebreaker for 3!!!
Winners- Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens ***1/4 (This followed the basic pattern of Enzo getting his ass beat and Cass getting the hot tag for the final stretch and it made for a solid, fun tag match. Owens antics were fantastic and made the heat segment totally entertaining and I’m excited for what the Owens/Jericho tag run will bring over the next couple of months.)

Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan meet with Mick Foley and Jon Stewart shows up with his kid. Stewart asks Foley why he’s working with Stephanie McMahon and says some harsh words about her. She shows up behind him and she scares him. The New Day shows up and Stewart quickly leaves with them.

Video package for Banks/Charlotte airs.

WWE Women’s Championship- Sasha Banks © vs. Charlotte
Hurricanrana by Banks and she rolls Charlotte into the Banks Statement so Charlotte quickly bails. Charlotte comes back in with a roll-up for 2 and Banks drives Charlotte’s head into the turnbuckle. Charlotte bends Banks’ off the top turnbuckle and she goes for a sidewalk slam on the top turnbuckle but slips and Banks nearly gets dropped on her head!!! Fuck, that wasn’t good. Charlotte covers for 2 and she throws some knees to the back of Banks. Charlotte slips on another maneuver and then grabs the Gory Special on Banks. Banks escapes and throws a knee strike. She cleans house but Charlotte cuts her off with an STO back breaker for 2. They go up but Banks takes her off. She goes for a second rope hurricanrana but Charlotte rolls through. She attempts the Figure-8 but Banks blocks and Charlotte hip tosses her into the tree of woe. They go up and Charlotte goes for a Splash Mountain off the top but Banks counters with a Frankensteiner!!! They trade blows and Banks fires away on Charlotte. She misses a double knee strike in the corner and Charlotte charges but misses and hits the post shoulder first. Half crab in the ropes by Banks and she hits the guillotine double knee drop to the back for 2. They go up but Banks knocks Charlotte to the floor before HITTING A METEORA TO THE FLOOR!!!! Back in, Banks gets the inside cradle for 2. Knee lift by Banks and she goes for the Backstabber but Charlotte blocks. Banks counters Natural Selection into the Banks Statement but Charlotte is able to slip out. Neck breaker by Charlotte and she clips Banks. Natural Selection by Charlotte gets 2!!! Tilt-a-whirl into the Banks Statement by Banks but Charlotte counters into a cover for 3!!!
Winner and NEW WWE Women’s Champion- Charlotte ***1/2 ( Man this was a weird one. Early on, Charlotte was awful, with two horrible botches, one of which nearly killed poor Sasha. However, this was one of the stiffest and hardest hitting women’s matches in a WWE ring in some time. They beat each other up pretty good and tried every trick they could to make this epic. They missed the mark with the early train wreck portion but you have to give up to these two for pulling through and putting on something close to memorable.)

AJ Styles reunites with the Club and they talk about the success they’re going to have. Finn Balor shows up!!!! The Club wants a Too Sweet but Balor walks away.

WWE Intercontinental Championship- The Miz w/Maryse © vs. Apollo Crews
Miz attacks to start and he jumps on Crews in the ropes. Basement boot gets 1. Roll-up by Crews gets 2 and he misses a dropkick. DDT by Miz gets 2 and he grabs a sitting chin lock. Crews fights out but Miz pulls him off the apron to cut off the comeback. Back in, Miz goes up and leaps but Crews dropkicks him on the way down. Crews cleans house and hits a cross body. Olympic Slam by Crews gets 2. Enzuigiri by Crews and he goes for the standing moonsault but it eats knees. Crews presses Miz into the power slam for 2. Corner lariat by Miz but Crews catches him and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Standing moonsault by Crews gets 2. Miz tries to walk out but Crews stops him. Miz cuts him off as he was entering the ring and he goes for the Skull Crushing Finale but Crews counters with a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2. He misses the Stinger Splash in the corner and Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale for 3.
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion- The Miz **1/4 (This was a solid quick comedown match following the women’s match. Crews looked good from an in-ring standpoint but he needs to find that something to connect with the live crowd going forward. )

Video package for Cena/Styles airs.

AJ Styles vs. John Cena
Styles catches Cena with the dropkick and he’s quick to celebrate. Cena drills him for that and he sends Styles sternum first into the corner. He sends Styles hard into the corner again and he works over Styles. Styles catches Cena with a suplex onto the apron!!!! Back in, Cena catches him with a back drop for 1. Chin lock by Cena but Styles fights out so Cena hits a dropkick for 2. Suplex by Cena and he works over Styles. Styles fires back and hits a discus lariat. Basement forearm by Styles but Cena cleans house to come back. Blue Thunder Bomb by Cena and he hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Styles escapes the AA and hits the Pele. Styles Clash by Styles gets 2!!! Cena catches Styles with the AA for 2!!! Cena puts Styles on top and follows up. Styles escapes and catches Cena in the Torture Rack Bomb for 2. Cena catapults him into the corner and he hits the Big Ending for 2. Roll-up by Styles gets 2 and he hits the DVD back breaker for 2!!! Springboard 450 misses and Cena hits the Code Red for 2!!! German suplex into the wheelbarrow facebuster by Styles gets 2. Styles springboards but Cena catches him in the STF. Styles counters into the Crossface!!! Cena powers out so Styles rolls Cena into the Calf Crusher!!! Cena rolls back into the STF!!!! Styles counters into a roll-up for 2 and he catches Cena with an enzuigiri. Tornado DDT by Cena gets 2. Cena goes up and hits the guillotine leg drop for 2!!! They go up and Styles takes Cena off the top with a Frankensteiner. Phenomenal Forearm by Styles gets 2!!! Styles throws a kick to the leg but Cena answers back with a huge clothesline. Cena takes Styles on top with him and he hits a Super AA for 2!!!! Cena is stunned that didn’t get him the win. Cena goes for another AA but Styles counters into the Styles Clash!!!! Phenomenal Forearm by Styles gets 3!!!!
Winner- AJ Styles ****3/4 ( This was incredible. They had a straight up wrestling match build entirely on both men’s desire and NEED to win and it was absolutely fabulous. The counters and trading of finishes worked so well in this context, it was meaningful and every kick out was impactful. That moment where Cena was just in awe and shock a super AA didn’t finish AJ was the perfect touch, it was the realization that AJ was better and Styles put him away in short work afterward. Good luck to everyone else trying to top this. )

Jon Stewart comes out and says he’s glad some idiot didn’t hit Styles or Cena with a chair like last year. He talks about what the Club did to Big E so he decided to join the New Day. He leads the crowd into the opening of their theme song.

WWE Tag Team Championships- The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) w/Jon Stewart © vs. The Club (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows)
Anderson and Kingston start. Back elbow by Kofi and Anderson fires back. Standing double stomp by Kofi gets 2. Tag to Woods and they hit a double basement bulldog for 2. Gallows tags in and Woods dropkicks him in the leg. They deliver the Unicorn Stampede in the corner and Kofi hits a suicide plancha to the floor!!! Back in, Gallows catches Kofi with a high kick while he was going up, bringing him crashing to the mat. Tag to Anderson and he hits a bicycle kick in the corner for 2. Arm bar by Anderson and Gallows tags in. He cuts off a Kofi come back but he misses a big splash. Tag to Woods and he cleans house. Dropkick to the back by Woods gets 2. Enzuigiri from the apron by Woods and he goes up. Flying elbow drop by Woods gets 2. Kofi tags in and the New Day hit a back breaker/double stomp combo for 2 as Gallows saves. Sick Kick by Anderson and he tags Gallows. Magic Killer to Kofi and Stewart enters the ring. He wants a Too Sweet and the distraction allows Woods to attack. Anderson lays out Woods with a spine buster and Stewart tries to bail but gets caught. They go to crotch Stewart against the post but Big E comes out and attacks the Club!!! The ref calls for the bell as Big E tosses the Club all over ringside. The new Day and Stewart celebrate.
Winners by DQ- The Club ** ( The match was nothing to write home about and the stuff involving Stewart was stupid but I guess they needed to put the celebration appearance somewhere. The Big E ass kicking at the end was good and I’m convinced you can break Big E from the group and make him a star down the line. )

Video package for Ambrose/Ziggler airs.

WWE World Championship- Dean Ambrose © vs. Dolph Ziggler
Feeling out process and they slap each other. Roll-up by Ziggler gets 2. Dropkick by Ziggler and Ambrose bails. Ziggler follows out and hits a Stinger Splash against the barricade. Swinging neck breaker by Ziggler and he goes for a DDT but Ambrose dumps him to the floor. Back in, Ambrose puts Ziggler on top and follows up. Butterfly superplex by Ambrose gets 2. Slam by Ambrose gets 2 and he grabs a half crab. Ziggler escapes so Ambrose cuts him off with a back elbow. Suplex by Ambrose gets 1. Ambrose goes up and leaps but Ziggler dropkicks him on the way down!!! Double chickenwing faceplant by Ambrose gets 2. Ziggler escapes Dirty Deeds and he dumps Ambrose to the floor. Back in, Ziggler catches him with the DDT for 2. Ambrose rolls Ziggler up for 2. He charges but misses and hits the post shoulder first. Fameasser by Ziggler gets 2. They collide mid-ring and both men are down. Ambrose cleans house and he hits the corner forearm into the bulldog. Ambrose goes up and he hits the flying standing elbow for 2. Ziggler grabs the sleeper but Ambrose runs to the floor, sending them both crashing. Super kick on the floor by Ziggler and back in, he gets 2. Slap by Ambrose and he goes for the Dirty Deeds but Ziggler counters with the Zig Zag for 2!!! Ziggler throws some elbows at Ambrose and he goes back to the sleeper. Ambrosde rolls out and Ziggler slaps him. Ambrose answers back with the Lunatic Lariat. Ambrose goes up but Ziggler crotches him. He follows up but Ambrose fights him off with a headbutt. Ziggler runs back up and he brings Ambrose back down where Ambrose catches him with Dirty Deeds for 3!!!
Winner and Still WWE World Champion- Dean Ambrose ***1/4 ( They had a solid match but the crowd heat really wasn’t there and this didn’t feel like a major championship match. The crowd still not having recovered from Cena/Styles might have something to do with it but the real problem is that they are at the point of no return trying to elevated Ziggler again. They blew it with him and after being precieved as a loser for months, no matter how good the build to this match was, it’s going to take a total repackaging to get people to buy Ziggler as a major threat again.)

Naomi, Carmella & Becky Lynch vs. Natalya, Alexa Bliss & ???
They do the Eva Marie is no showing gimmick just for kicks. The mystery partner is…Nikki Bella!!! Roll-up by Bliss to Lynch gets 1. Backslide by Lynch gets 2. Knee to the mid section by Bliss but Lynch trips her up to come back. Tag to Naomi and Natalya. Sunset flip by Naomi gets 2. Mule kick by Naomi and Natalya hits a slingshot atomic drop. Split leg drop by Naomi gets 2. Tag to Carmella and she hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Natalya bails but Carmella follows out with a clothesline. Back in, Natalya catches her with the running power slam for 2. Tag to Bella and she hits a suplex for 2. Chin lock by Bella but Carmella fights out so Nikki cuts her off with a spinebuster for 2. Tag to Bliss and she hits a moonsault knee drop for 2. Tag to Natalya and she throws some knees at Carmella. Abdominal stretch by Natalya but Carmella hip tosses out. Natalya cuts off the tag attempt but Carmella fights out of the heel corner. Tag to Lynch and she cleans house. Springboard kicks in the corner for everyone on the heel team and she hits an exploder suplex on Natalya. Roll-up by Natalya gets 2. Enzuigiri by Lynch and she goes up. Flying leg drop by Lynch gets 2 as Nikki saves. Springboard crossbody by Naomi to Bliss and she throws the karate kicks. High kick by Naomi and she goes for a split legged moonsault but misses. Vader Bomb from Bliss eats knees. Tag to Nikki and Carmella hits a super kick. Everyone comes in to brawl and Nikki hits the TKO on Carmella for 3.
Winners- Natalya, Alexa Bliss & Nikki Bella **1/2 ( Not bad at all. They got time to do their thing and some of the action was actually pretty good. Nikki Bella got a good ovation and looked solid in her return, so she’ll be a nice addition to the Smackdown women’s division going forward. )

Rusev says every time he sees Roman Reign’s stupid smirk, he wants to crush him into the ground. He’ll prove Reigns is a joke tonight.

Video package for Rollins/Balor airs.

WWE Universal Championship- Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
Shotgun dropkick by Balor and he goes up. Rollins bails so Balor follows with the summersault plancha to the floor!!! Back in, Balor dropkicks the leg of Rollins and he continues to target the leg. Rolling trips him up on the apron and he suplexes Balor on the floor. Rollins sends Balor into the timekeeper’s era and Balro comes back with a springboard forearm. Back in, Balor hits a basement dropkick for 2. Back to work on the leg goes Balor and he drives Rollins’ knees into the mat. Rollins catches Balor with a power bomb into the barricade!!! Back in, Rollins covers for 2. Back breaker by Rollins gets 2 and he grabs a chin lock. Balor fights out so Rollins hits the Flatliner into the corner for 2. Slam followed by a knee drop from Rollins and he grabs a chin lock. He releases after a bit and Balor fights back. Corner forearm by Rollins and he hits the springboard knee strike. Rollins goes up and hits the Frog Splash for 2. Rollins toys with Balor but Balor catches him with a DDT to come back. Balor cleans house and throws some running chops at Rollins. Basement dropkick by Balor knocks Rollins to the floor. PK Kick from the apron by Balor and back in, he hits the Sling Blade. Rollins catches him with a dropkick and he goes for the Pedigree but Balor counters. Enzuigiri by Rollins but Balor answers back with the Pele. Final Cut by Balor and he hits 1916 for 2. Balor misses the Coup De Grace and Rollins grabs the Triangle Choke. Balor gets to the ropes to break and Balor goes to the floor to recover. Back in, Rollins hits the Buckle Bomb followed by the basement super kick for 2. They trade blows and Rollins catches Balor with the knee. Small Package Driver by Rollins gets 2!!! Balor catches Rollins with the shotgun dropkick on the floor and back in, Balor goes up. Coup De Grace to the back of the neck by Balor gets 2!!!! Balor goes up and misses the Coup De Grace again. Pedigree by Rollins gets 2!!! Rollins goes up and misses the Phoenix Splash. Shotgun dropkick into the corner by Balor and he goes up. Rollins follows up and he hits the superplex. He goes for the Pedigree but Balor counters into the double stomp. Shotgun dropkick to the back and then a second one into the corner by Balor!!! Balor goes up and hits the Coup De Grace for 3!!!!
Winner and the FIRST WWE Universal Champion- Finn Balor **** ( Great match. I worried early in the match cause the crowd was still not as hot as they should have been and I thought this was heading toward disappointment. However, they worked through it and got to an awesome final few minutes where both men went deep into their playbook and Balor utterly destroyed Seth at the finish to become the definitive champion. I’m incredibly happy they have him such a strong clean finish and he’s well on his way to becoming a mega star for Raw.)

WWE US Championship- Rusev w/Lana © vs. Roman Reigns
Rusev attacks right away and they brawl on the floor. Rusev sends Reigns into the steps and he drills Reigns with the steps. Reigns sends Rusev into the timekeeper’s era and he nails Rusev with a SUPERMAN PUNCH~!!! Officials come out and try to separate them as Reigns continues to fire away on Rusev. Reigns attacks Rusev with a chair and he continues to attack Rusev. Officials finally get Reigns away from him as officials check on Rusev. The match won’t take place due to the injuries to Rusev. Reigns runs back out and DRILLS Rusev with a Spear on the floor!!!!

Video package for Lesnar/Orton airs.

Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. Randy Orton
Lesnar rams his shoulder into the midsection of Orton to start and he works Orton over in the corner. Dropkick by Orton and he goes for the RKO but Lesnar blocks. Release German suplex by Brock and he hits a regular one. German suplex #3 by Lesnar and follows right up with #4. Shoulders to the midsection again by Lesnar and he hits #5. #6 from Lesnar and Orton bails. Orton fights back so Lesnar power slams Orton on the announce table to end that!!! Orton falls into the front row so Lesnar TOSSES ORTON FROM THE CROWD THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!!!! Back in, Lesnar hits release German suplex #7 and they head back to the floor. Lesnar takes the announce table apart and Orton catches him with the RKO onto the announce table!!!!! Back in, Orton hits the hanging DDT. RKO by Orton gets 2!!! Orton goes for the Punt but Lesnar catches him with the F-5 for 2!!! Lesnar hammers Orton on the mat and Orton is busted open. The doctor comes in to deal with the blood but Lesnar goes back on the attack. The ref calls for the bell as Orton is unable to continue!!! Lesnar continues his attack and Shane McMahon comes out. Brock won’t let him pass and Shane tells him we’re done. Lesnar lays out Shane with the F-5!!!! Heyman is freaking out and he finally gets Lesnar to leave as the show ends.
Winner- Brock Lesnar ***1/2 ( Well that ending was something. This was the typical Lesnar destructive fun, as he beat the ever loving hell out of Orton. Orton got his moments but Lesnar continues on his path of rage and the hardway blood that Lesnar gave Orton actually served well for a TKO finish, even though doing two injury angles back to back hurt the effectiveness of this one. I have no idea where we go from here after the Shane attack, I’m fine with Lesnar vs. Shane being added attraction for Backlash but we’ll see soon enough. )

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
This was a tale of two shows. The first two hours were awesome, with a couple of strong matches, particularly the Styles/Cena match which was a classic and is probably the best non-NXT match WWE has done this year. The last two hours weren't that good though, as the crowd was burned out from Styles/Cena and never fully recovered. Plus, they went very angle heavy, which is infuriating since this is the second biggest show of the year and this should be the place where things are blown off, not a set-up for Backlash and Clash of Champions. This show is getting a thumbs up because there's enough good wrestling to make it worthwhile, but WWE is struggling to maintain a consistent show in these new marathon formats and they really need to start cutting out some of the fat going forward or these shows will just continue to drag and burn people out.
legend