02nd Aug2022

‘WWE Summerslam 2022’ PPV Review

by Phil Wheat

Welcome to this review of WWE’s 2002 edition of Summerslam, which comes hot on the heels of a regime change at the company… Will they use this show to do a reset? Or will we get more of the same? Let’s take a look.

Match #1: Raw Women’s Championship Match – Bianca Belair def. Becky Lynch

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch have collided many times, but the animosity reached a new level as the two Superstars stared each other down with fire in their eyes before the bell. Lynch used her ring skills to avoid the power of Belair, basking in the boos as she focused on the arm of The EST of WWE. After turning the tide with a standing moonsault, Belair hunted down Big Time Becks outside the ring. Belair looked for a K.O.D. on the barricade, but Lynch landed on her feet, hanging Belair across the barricade for a massive leg drop. Lynch countered each attempted rally from Belair until the Raw Women’s Champion caught her opponent in the midst of a second leg drop and leveled her with a tremendous powerslam. Spurred by a raucous hometown crowd, Belair continued to pummel Lynch, dropping her face-first onto the ring apron before pulling her into the ring post for a back body drop onto the arena floor. Reversing a K.O.D. into a Dis-arm-her, Lynch looked to make Belair tap, but the champion rolled out of the ring to break the count and dragged Lynch with her for a jaw-dropping K.O.D. onto the floor. Lynch barely beat the referee’s 10-count, escaping another K.O.D. before pulling Belair off the top turnbuckle by her braid for a Manhandle Slam and a stunning near-fall. Unsure what it would take to put Belair away, Lynch climbed onto the top rope for another Manhandle Slam, but The EST of WWE reversed it into a Spanish Fly before planting Lynch with a K.O.D. to earn the pinfall and her redemption from last year’s Premium Live Event.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #2: Logan Paul def. The Miz

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Miz taunted his former tag team partner, but Logan Paul showcased his boxing skills with a flurry of hands, sending The Miz flying over the ropes with a clothesline and connecting with a stunning moonsault as The Miz finally realized he was in for a fight. A focused Miz caught Paul in the ropes and dropped him with a pair of knees, repeatedly stomping Paul before Ciampa delivered a quick right hand while The Miz distracted the referee. After side-stepping a running knee, Paul rallied to deliver a blockbuster and a running powerslam for a two-count. Paul returned the favor and mocked Miz with his own series of kicks to the chest, tying up The Miz for a Figure-Four Leglock. After Miz reached the ropes, Paul kept his foot on the gas with a top-rope crossbody and a standing moonsault. Ciampa looked to even the score, but he was caught by the referee and ejected from ringside. An irate Ciampa grabbed a nearby chair and refused to leave until AJ Styles’ music hit. As everyone searched for The Phenomenal One, Styles flew in to level Ciampa with a Phenomenal Forearm and chase him backstage. Following the commotion, Paul emulated Styles with a Phenomenal Forearm of his own for a near-fall. Miz rolled out of the ring to recover, and Paul chased his former friend and laid him out across the announce table for a jaw-dropping, top-rope frog splash through the table! Paul rolled Miz back into the ring for the pin, but Maryse hopped up to distract the referee. As she argued with the ref, The Miz attempted to use his necklace to knock out Paul. Miz nearly caught his wife when Paul avoided the blow, and Paul followed up with a Skull-Crushing Finale to pick up the victory.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #3: United States Championship Match – Bobby Lashley def. Theory

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Theory put his Money in the Bank briefcase to use earlier than expected, pummeling Bobby Lashley with it before the bell. Theory jumped on Lashley, not giving him any time to recover, but The All Mighty quickly got back on the attack. Deciding he was above the match, Theory attempted to take his briefcase and walk away, but Lashley stood in his path and tossed him like a ragdoll into the barricade. The two Superstars traded blows in the center of the ring as Nissan Stadium rained down cheers following a running powerslam by Lashley. The All Mighty signaled for the Spear, but Theory vaulted over Lashley, sending him flying into the ring post. Theory went for a rolling dropkick, but Lashley plucked him out of the air and cinched in the Hurt Lock for a quick tapout from Theory to remain the United States Champion.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #4: The Mysterios def. Finn Bálor & Damian Priest

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Still furious from The Judgment Day’s ruthless assault duringRey Mysterio’s 20th anniversary celebration, Rey and Dominik fought through any lingering pain, determined to gain retribution. Damian Priest and Finn Bálor jumped the father-son duo as soon as they stepped in the ring, but the Mysterios quickly cleared the ring by using their high-flying skills to flatten the duo. Bálor tried to bring a steel chair into the match, but Rey caught him and swiped the chair, striking Priest with it before delivering a baseball slide with the chair to smash Bálor. Rey dialed up the 619, but Bálor jumped into action and tagged himself in. Bálor looked for the Coup De Grace, but Dominik prevented it by grabbing his leg on the top rope. The brief distraction was enough for Rey to jump up and send Bálor flying with a hurricanrana. The Mysterios went for a tandem 619, but Rhea Ripley tripped the father-son duo and grabbed Dominik to slam him face-first onto the apron. After a South of Heaven by Priest, Bálor called for another chair, but the lights suddenly cut out. A trail of fire appeared near the entranceway, and Edge rose from the smoke! The Rated-R Superstar charged the ring to Spear Bálor and Priest. He followed up by sending Bálor into the ropes for a 619 and a splash by Rey for the 1-2-3.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #5: Pat McAfee def. Happy Corbin

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Pat McAfee wasn’t laughing during Happy Corbin’s repeated surprise attacks leading up to their SummerSlam match, but the renowned commentator couldn’t help but smile as he made his way to the ring with a choir singing “bum a** Corbin” from the rafters. As the bell rang, Happy Corbin told McAfee to go sit down at the announce table, and McAfee responded with a pinpoint superkick before sending Corbin tumbling to the arena floor. Corbin battered McAfee while yelling at Michael Cole before delivering a Deep Six for a near-fall. The former Indianapolis Colts roommates exchanged rights outside the ring, and Corbin bounced McAfee’s head off the announce table and picked up a headset to berate McAfee. Corbin continued his trash talk to Cole and the fans at ringside, taking his eyes off McAfee, who leapt onto the top rope for a super-plex. Exhausted, McAfee barely evaded a corner spear and flattened Corbin on the arena floor with what McAfee calls the “Swanton Bambini.” After dodging another top-rope maneuver, Corbin charged in for End of The Days, but McAfee flipped out of it and sent Corbin flying into the referee. While the ref recovered, McAfee paid Corbin back for this past Friday with a kick below the belt, climbed to the top rope for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb and got the pinfall before celebrating his win with Cole and an ice-cold beer with a fan at ringside.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #6: Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match – The Usos def. Street Profits

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett made his presence felt early as he tried to keep The Usos and The Street Profits in check while they tore each other apart in another instant classic. Jarrett kept Jimmy and Jey Uso on a short leash, but the tag team champions still took advantage of every situation to deliver a few cheap shots to Angelo Dawkins. A hyped Montez Ford hit the ring like a freight train to take out both Usos, slamming Jey with a standing blockbuster for a near-fall. As The Street Profits rolled, The Usos caught Ford and Dawkins with a series of Superkicks followed swiftly by a top-rope splash. The Usos nearly had the match won following a double splash, but Ford flew in to break up the pin at the last second. As all four Superstars were laid out exhausted in the center of the ring, Jey found his footing first, nearly clocking Jarrett with a Superkick after Dawkins dove out of the way. Jarrett caught the Superkick and spun Jey around for a spinebuster by Dawkins. After Ford argued with Jarrett on a two-count, he went for a dive through the ropes but instead ate a pair of superkicks before being thrown into the Nissan Stadium crowd. The Usos then turned their sights on Dawkins, leveling him with a pair of Superkicks and connecting with a 1-D to record the pinfall victory and retain their titles.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #7: SmackDown Women’s Championship Match – Liv Morgan def. Ronda Rousey

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After one of the most emotional Money in the Bank cash-ins in history, Liv Morgan faced her biggest challenge to date, defending her first-ever SmackDown Women’s Title against a fresh Ronda Rousey. Morgan showed no fear stepping to The Baddest Woman on the Planet, but Rousey quickly dropped Morgan with a running knee and a suplex. Morgan survived the onslaught to deliver a codebreaker, but as she went for the Oblivion, Rousey caught her and tried to cinch in the Armbar. Morgan avoided the submission with one of her own, but Rousey swiftly escaped the hold to lock in the Armbar in the center of the ring. Rousey continued to inflict damage on Morgan’s arm, forcing the trainer to check on the champion, but Morgan would not let them end the match. Rousey continued to attack the arm, but as she locked in another Armbar, Morgan stood up to plant Rousey’s shoulders for the three-count. An irate Rousey argued with the referee after he missed Morgan tapping out before the count of three, and she soon turned her fury on Morgan. Rousey clubbed Morgan from behind, once again trapped her in an Armbar and did the same to the referee until WWE Officials rushed in to break it up.

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #8: Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match – Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

In a match billed as “One last time. One last match,” Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar wrote a brutal and epic final chapter to their historic rivalry. Lesnar smiled as he drove to the ring in a tractor, standing atop the front-end loader to look down on Reigns as he announced himself as “the man who will kick Roman Reigns’ a**.” The Beast wasted little time diving off the tractor to plant Reigns with a Lou Thesz Press to kick off the match. Despite being in his first-ever Last Man Standing Match, The Beast Incarnate looked right at home amongst the carnage, suplexing Reigns onto the arena floor and launching him into the steel steps before tossing Reigns over the ring barricade and suplexing The Head of the Table throughout the crowd. As Lesnar set up a table, Paul Heyman snuck up to distract his former client long enough for Reigns to rally and deliver a Samoan drop to Lesnar through the table for an eight-count. Reigns smashed Lesnar through a second table, but it couldn’t keep Lesnar down as Reigns followed up with a pair of Superman Punches and a Spear. On wobbly legs, Lesnar was able to counter another Spear. Unable to keep Reigns up for an F-5, Lesnar instead drove him through the remnants of a table. While Reigns beat the 10-count, Lesnar maneuvered his tractor for more space before clobbering Reigns with the steel steps and the other half of a table. The Beast carried a weary Reigns over to the tractor and dumped him in the front loader, lifting him up and dropping him back into the ring for a six-count. After a flurry of German Suplexes, The Beast hoisted Reigns up for an F-5, nearly earning the victory as Reigns barely made it to his feet at the count of nine. Furious, Lesnar climbed back into his tractor and lifted the entire ring off the floor as Reigns rolled out the other end! With the ring propped up on one side, Lesnar looked to drive Reigns through the announce table when The Usos bum-rushed The Beast. Lesnar quickly dispatched the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions, but Heyman stepped in to protect his Tribal Chief. Heyman tried to reason with Lesnar, but Lesnar picked up Heyman and F-5’ed him through the announce table before turning around into a Spear by Reigns. With bodies lying everywhere, Theory ran in with his briefcase, smashing Reigns across the face. Before he could cash in, however, Lesnar dropped him with an F-5 and turned around into a pair of Superkicks from The Usos. To Reigns’ shock, Lesnar beat the 10-count following a Spear, so The Head of the Table grabbed Theory’s Money in the Bank briefcase and pummeled The Beast. Lesnar still refused to stay down, so after a second straight strike to the face with a title, Reigns and The Usos buried Lesnar underneath the rubble. Reigns then stood atop the wreckage as the referee counted to 10 to keep the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in The Bloodline.

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

Apart from a couple of matches that was probably one of the best WWE pay-per-views in some time. Why? Because it was over-the-top fun. The opening women’s match delivered in spades and then we got THOSE appearances! That was followed by a shockingly good match from Logan Paul, who displayed that he’s really taking this wrestling thing seriously. The next two matches were rather dull and formulaic but in another shocking turn of events, the Pat McAfee/Happy Corbin match was a ridiculous amount of fun – loved McAfee’s entrance! The men’s tag match was let down by focusing more on the impending split of the Street Profits rather than being a superb match. And the women’s title match suffered from a short running time and that screwy ending. As for the main event… Genius! This was two behemoths going at it and trying to do everything and anything to win. When the WWE do ring damage in a match and they do it well – as it was done here – it makes for a true spectacle. And speaking of spectacles, seeing Lesnar effectively buried alive to give Reigns the win was the cherry on the cake of an OTT match!

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