Summerslam 2013 Re-Do Review
It has been three months since this PPV took place. So now that the dust has settled, is it still a fantastic show and one of the best Summerslam events ever? Let's find out.
I was gonna review the kickoff match since I missed it the first time around, but it turns out that the Blu Ray Exclusive match is only five minutes long and starts at what looks like ten minutes into it, so that's pissed me off already.
I was looking forward to watching that, you DVD making bastards!
Right lets start the re-do. I've not done one of these for a while, so I hope you still know how they work.
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.
(Unfortunately this would be a pointless feud that did nothing but annoy everybody)
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. *
(Kane wouldn't be seen again until the Hell in a Cell PPV, and soon after that he would turn into corporate Kane. Since this match took place, we found out that Wyatt wasn't a very good wrestler, and that it was in fact Luke Harper that was the talented one in the Wyatt family. Bray was beaten quite easily until the family came in, which didn't make him look too good. Not a very good match, but slightly better than I remembered. *1/2)
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. ***
(I was hoping that these two would have a World Title feud at some point, but now that Sandow has lost the MITB briefcase I doubt it'll happen at all. Cody's face turn would get much better as it went on, thanks to the Authority storyline. Still a good match from these guys and they both looked pretty good coming out of it. ***)
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
(This is currently Christian's last PPV match, as he's been written off of TV thanks to an attack by the authority. Hopefully he'll be back soon. I'd say this is the best match of Del Rio's World Title reign. A great pace was kept throughout the match, and never became boring. The nearfalls were great, and the arm psychology was sound. An incredible championship bout that I need to increase the rating on. ****)
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. *
(I can't hate on this match too much, as we did need a cool down after that awesome World Title match. Plus it wasn't all that bad for a divas match. I think this deserves a higher rating, as it was quite the entertaining little match. *1/2)
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. *****
(I think we were all expecting a four star match here, but boy did they deliver way more than that. Unfortunately the Punk/Heyman feud would grow stale after this, but at least we got this highlight out of it. The video package beforehand was awesome, but then again the guys that do it have always done an amazing job. This is easily Lesnar's best match and could be Punk's, if not for the MITB match. It makes Brock's previous Summerslam match against HHH look like shit. A match truly worthy of the 'this is awesome' chant. I love how it wasn't the usual 'kick out of the other guy's finisher' that we get with these big matches. Phenomenal stuff here. I might have to change this to my match of the year, but we'll see how I feel about the main event soon enough. *****)
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. **
(I do feel bad for these guys having to follow such an amazing match, but the show must go on. Both the guys and the gals performed well here and managed to make an entertaining match even with a quiet crowd. The crowd did liven up towards the end though. Solid match. **1/4)
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.
(This match feels a lot like the Punk/Cena match from MITB, as the crowd was firmly behind the underdog champion and against Cena. I love that HHH didn't try to be the centre of attention until the match was over, we also got a very clean finish for Bryan and a new star was made. What more could you ask for? An amazing Match of the Year? Well it has that going for it too. Basically it's perfect. It's easily Bryan's best match and arguably Cena's best too. I can't decide which match I like more: this or the Punk/Lesnar match. Both are absolute classics. This rightfully stays at *****)
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.
(It sucks that Bryan lost the Title so quickly, but it made him very sympathetic to the crowd, and turned Orton into a great heel)
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!
(Still 9.5/10 and still one of the best PPVs of the last thirty years. I've finally made my mind up: in my opinion (don't forget that part) this is the best Summerslam ever, and also beats the 2002 edition. You get two five star matches and a four star match, and if that wasn't enough, nothing was truly bad and everything was fun, including a good Rhodes/Sandow match. Pick this one up straight away so that WWE can't blame bad sales on Daniel Bryan!
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