Last night, the WWE took over the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for their biggest Brock Lesnar FORCED By Paul Heyman To LOSE Universal Title To Rollins? (WWE SummerSlam 2019 Review)
party of the summer: Summerslam.
The 32nd annual show under the name, the company certainly had a lot to prove after months of
falling attendances, but it seems the fans in the sold out arena got sent home happy thanks to an
exciting, dramatic main event. The rest of the show was hit and miss, depending on your preference.
One issue with the show, was that it played things too safe, a real issue for what is supposed to be
the second biggest Pay Per View of the year. Out of the total seven title matches across the 12
bouts, only one title changed hands, and that came in the main event of the show. But without
further delay, here is our review of WWE Summerslam 2019.
On the kick off show, Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak hoped to keep hold of the title he won at
Extreme Rules, and did just that with a decisive victory over Oney Lorcan.
Lorcan, who became number one contender on the most recent edition of 205 Live, didn’t get much
time to get any of his offence in, as Gulak used a distracted referee to his advantage, punching
Lorcan in the throat when the official’s back was turned.
With Lorcan dazed by the attack, the 205 Live star was easy pick ings for Gulak, who retained the
gold with his Cyclone Crash finisher for the 1, 2, 3.
Next up on the kick off show, fans saw Buddy Murphy take on Apollo Crews, though the match was
more about storytelling than in-ring action.
That’s not to say these two Super stars can’t wrestle, far from it in fact, but the match came to an
abrupt end by the appearance of Erick Rowan, who caused the Australian star to get the win via
disqualification.
This attack stems from the most recent edition of SmackDown Live, when Murphy told an irate
Roman Reigns that it was Rowan responsible for the attack on the Big Dog the week prior with a
lighting rig, as well as recently on RAW in a car accident.
Exhausted from his match with Crews, the former Cruiserweight Champion was easy pickings for
Rowan, who demolished the Australian with a power bomb into the ring post, telling the self-
proclaimed best kept secret “keep my name out of your mouth.”
All of this was looked over by Daniel Bryan, who watched the attack from backstage, as it seems the
quest to find out who really attacked the Big Dog is far from over.
In the main event of the kick off show, new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nikki Cross and
Alexa Bliss defended their gold against former champions The IIconics.
A match added to the card just hours before the kick off show began, this rushed booking was
echoed in the match, as the four didn’t provide anything close to a big match feel, thanks in part to
some in ring sloppiness.
Bliss, a known cosplay enthusiast, wore an attire based on Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear, but
didn’t seem to have the same intensity as the Star command leader, picking up the win
with a right hand and a Twisted Bliss on Peyton Royce, whilst Cross kept Billie Kay at
at bay at ringside.
The title change that occurred on this week’s RAW was reportedly meant to be at Summerslam,
though given the reaction by the fans in the Scotiabank Arena, it seems the red brand’s Executive
Director Paul Heyman made the right call in moving the match.
With the kick off show out of the way, it was time for WWE Summer slam to properly begin, and the
company certainly gave fans a huge opener with RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Natalya.
Meeting in a Submissions Match, the two succeeded in getting the crowd invested emotionally, a
tough feat given the match that had come before.
Naturally, the Toronto crowd were very pro-Natalya at the start, though The Man was able to win
them over during the contest.
Applying Natalya’s own Sharpshooter, Lynch definitely got a big reaction by the crowd, which was
turned up a notch when the Canadian was able to lock in the champ’s own Dis Arm Her to try and
win the title.
Able to lock in her own Sharp shooter mere moments later, Natalya nearly had the match
Becky proved why she is the Man, locking her opponent into the Dis Arm Her for a tap out victory
that certainly popped the crowd.
In a surprising move by WWE, the next match was one of their biggest on the card, as WWE Hall of
Famer Bill Goldberg returned to the ring to take on Dolph Ziggler.
Arguably the most predictable match on the show, the contest had very little story going in, as the
actual match was only made official on this week’s RAW, despite the company teasing a match
between Ziggler and the Miz.
Of course, the bigger story behind this match is what happened at Super Show Down, as Goldberg
couldn’t help but show his age in Jeddah, and was looking to wipe the match with The Undertaker
from the minds of the WWE Universe.
Before he was able to do so though, Ziggler cut an obnoxious promo, calling himself the best damn
thing to happen to pro wrestling, and was able to catch Goldberg off guard with an early superkick
that produced a two count.
From there though, everything went Goldberg’s way, as the former Universal Champion squashed
Ziggler with a stiff looking spear and a jackhammer to get the win.
Post match, things got even stranger, as Ziggler would insult the man who had just beaten him,
disparaging the Hall of Famer’s return to the company, but paid for his insults with not one
but two further beatdowns.
If the WWE was hoping to erase the memory of the match at Super Show Down, then this is certainly
the way to do it, it’s just a shame that Ziggler’s character needed to be demolished so badly for them
Next on the show we saw United States Championship action, as AJ Styles defended the gold against
the same man he beat for it at Extreme Rules, Ricochet.
Entering with the OC, Gallows and Anderson by his side, Styles was oozing confidence heading into
his fourth Summerslam, though this match did seem too similar to the last time the pair met on Pay per view
At Extreme Rules, Styles won the gold thanks to the interference of Gallows and Anderson, and
despite this, Ricochet did nothing to counter the two tag team stars at ringside.
To be fair, the match was definitely one of the better contests of the evening, as the Phenomenal
One and Ricochet once again deliver crisp, entertaining spots, including the former NXT star using
the OC to perform a hurricanrana.
After a hot open though, the match did cool down significantly, as it seems fans in the arena got
disinterested with what was happening in the ring.
Perhaps this is due to the amount of times the pair have faced before, as though the duo always
fun, interesting matches, there’s only so much the WWE Universe can take before they get bored.
What also hurt the match was that it never felt like Ricochet had a chance of winning, as he was
essentially fighting three people at once, all the while selling an injured leg.
Never taking command for an extended period of time, no-one believed the young Superstar was
going to win the gold, and though these two have delivered repeatedly in the ring together, we think
it’s time for Styles and Ricochet to move on to other opponents.
Up next we had the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line as Champion Bayley was able
to retain her title against Ember Moon.
Though it was good to see Moon finally get a shot at gold on the main roster, the match was sadly
nothing special, as it felt like another run of the mill match that could’ve taken place during an
episode of SmackDown instead of the biggest party of the Summer.
One main issue with this feud is that Ember has never looked credible in the run up to this match, as
a fluke roll up win over Charlotte Flair was what won her the number one contendership, and that
came only after Bayley had distracted the Queen.
The following week, Ember lost clean to Alexa Bliss in tag team action, and finished her journey
to Summerslam by being locked in the Sharpshooter by Natalya,
and was only saved by her opponent Bayley.
With all of this negativity, it’s no wonder why fans didn’t buy for a second that Ember was
going to win, and the match was as regular as you can get, a real shame given the talent
of the two women involved.
Speaking of matches fans predicted well in advance, up next we had Kevin Owens
taking on Shane McMahon, in the culmination of an epic feud.
After months of attacking Shane O’Mac, Owens promised to quit WWE if he lost the match, so the
Best in the World stacked the deck in his favour.
With Elias serving as ringside enforcer, things were clearly in Shane’s favour,
and what followed was some rather predictable booking practices
that have been used throughout the years.
During the match, Owens fought off constant interference from the outside, and was nearly counted
out on multiple occasions.
When Owens ducked a McMahon fist that instead hit Elias, it seemed the former Universal
Champion had things won, hitting a frog splash on the Boss, that would’ve been the end, if Elias
hadn’t pulled the ref from the ring.
A running senton was able to take out a referee and Elias for good, though when the former came
to, the official saw the Canadian with a steel chair.
Taking the chair away, this didn’t stop the Prize fighter from fighting dirty, as kicking McMahon Low
with the ref’s back turned allowed Owens to get the Stunner for the win.
An entertaining match for sure, but we can’t help but wonder what’s next for Shane McMahon?
Even though he lost, Shane’s career was never on the line, and given his last name,
the son of the Chairman can go wherever he pleases. It seems with his win,
Owens just earned the opportunity to have to deal with Shane’s antics a little longer.
Though Kevin Owens was able to avoid his career coming to an end, Trish Stratus didn’t have the
same outcome, as win lose or draw, the Canadian promised to hang up her wrestling boots for good
after her match with Charlotte Flair.
With this bombshell announcement, the match had a huge emotional story behind it, and though it
was her final match ever, the 43 year old mother of two bought her A game to the Scotiabank Arena.
Though it’s been many years since Stratus wrestled full time in WWE, Trish held her own against
Flair, as the match became a symbolic passing of the torch, much like the WrestleMania 18 match
between Hulk Hogan and The Rock, that happened in the same city.
A slow burner from the start, the match gradually increased in intensity as Trish’s fighting spirit kept
the heel Charlotte in a foul mood.
Applying more pressure to the Hall of Famer, Stratus was able to withstand an onslaught by the
Queen, as the pair used counters and counter-counters to tell an even matchup.
Eventually, it was Flair who got the win via submission, and though the match wasn’t perfect, with
Corey Graves pointing out Stratus’s shoulders on the mat when Trish locked in the figure eight, these
slight errors didn’t diminish the story that was told.
Arguably the match of the night, Trish proved why she has been considered the greatest female
WWE Superstar for so long, whilst Flair showed just why she is well on her way to taking that
accolade from the master of Stratusfaction.
After such an epic and emotional contest, it seemed the fans needed a cool down match and
definitely got one when WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defended his title against Randy Orton.
Though the story before the match had been great, with many real life issues between the two
playing into the narrative, none of that could help what was essentially a dud of a match that ended
in a double count out finish.
After a lacklustre 16 minutes, the match came to a sad end when Orton trash talked with Kofi’s kids
at ringside, causing the New Day star to retaliate with an attack on the outside,
causing the countout draw.
If this finish seems familiar, that’s because the same tactic was used at last year’s Summerslam
between then WWE Champion AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, and the fans last night clearly didn’t care for
the repeat.
Orton’s actions against his family caused Kofi to snap, and though Kingston battering Orton with a
Kendo Stick should have caused some kind of reaction, it didn’t as the fans were still bitter about the
ridiculous finish to what had been an underwhelming title match.
Though that match had been a dud, the WWE Universe in the Scotiabank Arena certainly came alive
for the next match between Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor.
From the start, the returning Wyatt had fans hooked, with a remixed Broken Out of Love serenading
the Fiend to the ring, with the imagery of Wyatt’s own severed head definitely adding to the
to the creep factor.
Once the match started, things got even better, as the new more demented Wyatt dominated Balor
for the majority of the contest.
Though Balor got some offence in near the end, it was clear that he was no match for the Fiend, as
WWE have pulled out an incredible transformation for a Superstar fans have wanted to see succeed for years.
With 11 matches down, it was finally time for the Main event of the show, as Universal Champion
Brock Lesnar put his title on the line against the man who he took the gold from: Seth Rollins.
Despite what has been a pretty plain build which has seen Rollins get demolished on a weekly basis,
the two put out a better match than anyone expected, as the Architect won the adoration of a
crowd which have been lukewarm to him in recent weeks.
Nursing a rib injury early in the match, Rollins overcome an early beating and plethora of Suplexes to
work his way back into the match with a surprisingly motivated Beast.
The spot of the match, and indeed the night came during the middle of this contest, as a leap from
the top rope saw Seth hit a frog splash onto Lesnar, through an announce table.
Though Rollins would hit a second frog splash in the ring, this didn’t stop Brock from getting Seth in
position for the F5, though the Architect was able to counter into a superkick and his second curb
stomp of the night to get the win.
Slaying the Beast for the second time in four months, Rollins didn’t have to use a low blow like his
first win at WrestleMania, but instead it was the Architect’s tactics and skill that won him
the day, and his second reign as WWE Universal Champion.
So what can we take away from WWE Summerslam 2019? Well, what started out to be an average,
watchable night of wrestling ended up becoming one of the best shows of the year.
Major props have to go for the Fiend’s debut, as well as the performances of Charlotte and
Stratus, as well as the Universal title main event.
The show did have it’s flaws though, as many matches felt way too predictable, especially the US and
SmackDown Women’s title matches, but on the whole, Summerslam was clearly a huge success for
the company, a success that it’s clear WWE needed.
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