Summerslam 2013 Review

Summerslam 2013 Review

Quite the highly anticipated event here, with two hot main events, but did they both deliver?




The Miz starts the show by welcoming us to Summerslam and is interrupted by Fandango. Unfortunately this would be a pointless running joke throughout the night.



Kane vs Bray Wyatt : Ring of Fire Match
Like an Inferno match except you can't set your opponent on fire because this is the PG era. I thought this was a bad decision for the opener as it was quite dull throughout and the fire was only there to make the match seem more interesting. It didn't do Wyatt any favours either since he looked easily beaten and needed his family to help him win. Not a great start to the night. *



Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow
Now this should have been the opening match. I have to say that I love Sandow's new MITB Briefcase. Suits him well. I'd been looking forward to this match for a while, even if it didn't get heat from the buildup, and I'd say that they delivered here. They have great chemistry together and I'd love to see more from them in the future. My only problem is that it was too short. An extra five minutes or so could have made this a much more memorable bout. As it is, it's still a good match. ***



Christian vs Alberto Del Rio
I'm slightly worrying that this could be Christian's last match after the video package. It was like something that would have been made for a Hall of Fame inductee. What was with Del Rio's huge shiner as well? I was worried that the match would be heatless since they had already fought each other a couple of times and the fact that there wasn't much buildup, but they surprised me with a great match. It was back and forth with some nice nearfalls and a great finish. It's a shame that it'll be forgotten thanks to other matches on the show. Worth checking out. ***3/4



Natalya vs Brie Bella
I wondered if this match would have some heat thanks to the Total Divas show, but it's safe to say that the fans couldn't give a shit about it. They spent their time chanting for Zack Ryder and the commentators. The match was actually not bad thanks to the effort from Natalya, and she got the win which was a great decision because she is arguably the best diva in the WWE. Enough of the 'reality' show please. *



CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar
The Best vs The Beast. This one had a great buildup thanks to all three guys putting their hearts into it. I had high expectations for this match and it managed to exceed them hugely. Everything about the match was fantastic, from the brawling, to the reversals and to Heyman's involvement. Quite possibly Lesnar's best match ever! The contest made CM Punk look like the best wrestler in the world and made Lesnar look like the biggest monster in the world, which is all you can ask for. I also love how neither guy kicked out of the other's main finisher, which isn't something you see in most big matchups. Match of the Year candidate for sure. *****



Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs Big E Langston & AJ Lee
I feel bad for these guys having to be the cool down match for that epic contest, but they did well with it. Ziggler bumped around awesomely as usual, and Big E showed that he has a bright future ahead of him as a very athletic big guy. More time and it could have been much better. **



John Cena vs Daniel Bryan
Needless to say, expectations for this match were huge. A lot of people, including myself, were annoyed when HHH was announced as the referee, but he did not hinder the match in the slightest. These two went out there and had a balls to the wall main event match that was reminiscent of the MITB 2011 main event. Bryan showed he deserves to be at the top, and Cena showed that he still has what it takes to be a main eventer. Awesome match all the way through and may be the best Summerslam main event ever and possibly the best Summerslam match ever. Now we can officially say that Bryan has held the WWE Championship! *****. My match of the year for 2013 and I doubt it will be topped.


But unfortunately, Bryan's feel-good moment ends with HHH turning heel and delivering a pedigree. Orton cashes in his briefcase and becomes the new WWE Champion.




9.5/10. Well that's the best PPV of the year so far and quite possibly the best Summerslam of all time. If the two main events had delivered, this would have been a recommended show, but the two main events delivered above and beyond the expectations. Add in a great World Title match, a fun mixed tag match and a good grudge match, and you have an awesome PPV. Get this one now!