Every year there are a handful of annual WWE events standing out from the rest based on their placement in the company?s pantheon of PPVs ? cards like Wrestlemania, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, and, of course, SummerSlam. This year?s SummerSlam looked solid on paper but when it came to the actual show, did it actually deliver?
For some, the answer is undoubtedly ?yes??or ?Yes! Yes! Yes!? for you Daniel Bryan fans. For others, it unquestionably resembles Bryan?s recent change in chant. In my eyes, both sides are right, as SummerSlam 2012 had its share of highlights but didn?t measure up to the epic feel a show of its scope should deliver.
The start of the evening was insultingly stupid, which says a lot when you consider some of the product?s past moments, as Santino Marella?s ?cobra? was sold like a conscious being. It, not Marella, was distracted by Antonio Cesaro?s manager (Aksana) and cost him the title. Marella?s character is obviously comically driven but the whole situation reeked of a future ?Are You Serious? episode on YouTube.
Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler turned in a fantastic bout, perhaps even the best of the show, though I?m still waiting for Ziggler?s actual build as legitimate title-contender. I also question WWE?s decision to not include Ziggler?s Money in the Bank status as being on the line since it would have played perfectly into the feud?s storyline about Jericho being unable to still ?win the big one?. What, as if coming out on top while curtain-jerking the show was somehow akin to a major victory? The briefcase could?ve then been returned to Ziggler after a future bout between the two given the chemistry each man clearly has with the other or even used later in the evening by ?Y2J? to pick up Sheamus? title and cement his legacy in the ring.
Bryan?s bout with Kane was somewhat forgettable, as was The Miz?s defense of the Intercontinental title against Rey Mysterio. They weren?t terribly bad by any means. They just weren?t particularly good either. Throw the tag tilt in there as well, and I also want to add the way The Primetime Players are being presented concerns me to an extent, tip-toeing the line between over-the-top and racist caricatures.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the match-up between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio though I swear the ?shoe? gimmick was already used in a like fashion less than a month or two ago. The incompetence of the official not seeing Del Rio?s foot on the ropes was a bit silly too, especially since we saw AJ Lee intervene later in the evening and restart a contest. Where was Booker T on the matter? In fact, where was Booker T at all?!? Beyond that, there have also been plenty of past situations where a referee has restarted a bout under similar circumstances upon discovering the mistake as well. The blatant lack of continuity, while minor to some I suppose, took away from the overall result.
I think the WWE title-fight between CM Punk, Big Show, and John Cena was booked about as perfectly as possible (though I?m losing my love for AJ since her ?crazy dial? has been turned down). Show was portrayed as the ?giant? he should be, eating a number of high knees from Punk without going down and countering Punk/Cena at the same time, while Cena came off as being strong enough to have a victory in front of him but losing it due to Punk?s craftiness. To steal from a blockbuster franchise (and Mysterio?s outfit), their feud combined with The Rock?s pending presence almost has a Dark Knight feel to it in the form of Cena being a powerhouse (Bane) in comparison to Punk?s more cerebral approach (Joker) preparing to play off Rock?s superhero persona (Batman).
As indicated by the headline, even though Triple H ultimately lost the bout to Brock Lesnar he still came out on top as far as I?m concerned. Whether that?s good or bad is up is relative to the individual answering the question. On one hand, it showed HHH is okay with losing face at this stage in his career (good). On the other, it showed he is still the focal point of attention at this stage in his career (bad). HHH exited the fight taking a ton of damage, though strangely not wearing any crimson as I would have suspected given the ?brawl? build the bout was given, but teased his retirement by apologizing to fans for the defeat. The cameras faded out on HHH, not Lesnar i.e. the winner who supposedly broke HHH?s arm again. Good? Bad? Again, it’s all relative. I’d say a mix of both.
In terms of the actual bout between the two, it was mediocre at best and not nearly as violent as it should have been if fans were meant to believe it was a real fight. I?m also bothered by the notion Lesnar only uses one submission (Kimura) as though he doesn?t know any others from his time in Mixed Martial Arts. Why not throw in a Guillotine Choke to sell how dangerous he actually is instead of a standard hold resulting in an obviously-fake injury when applied a certain way?
All in all SummerSlam 2012 was middle-of-the-road when it should have been larger-than-life; a decent effort to be sure but not the mid-year classic from the past.
PHOTO CREDIT – WWE
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