Been waiting for this one for what feels like forever so figured I’d leave some comments. I really enjoyed the opening segment tonight with Ziggler and Steen getting some much needed one on one microphone time. I thought this was really good as we probably haven’t had a hell of a lot of this in awhile between the two. Dolph’s argument for wanting to win was fine, but I enjoyed Steen more, mentioning how Ziggler will always think about what he does and playing on his nightmare gimmick. Ziggler’s last bit was fine to outside of the fat joke. I don’t mind comedy at times but this felt like a real intense segment which didn’t that moment in there. Outside of that, real fun, and the brawl was good as well to make Ziggler looks really strong. A very impressive start to the show.
That Shawn/HHH match at Summerslam 2002 was so damn good!
I just want your Summerslam to be here already. You better not take this long between every show until Summerslam.
Storm/Benjamin opening the show is some fun in ring action. As much as Shelton can go in the ring and is fun, he always had to win this one considering the angle he is in the middle of at the moment. He simply has the higher standing in this thread. A good win here to keep him looking strong for his feud with Roode. Good stuff.
I thought the brawl between Roode and Storm was very well written and I felt myself barracking for Rude throughout the segment. His bit on the mic was fine as well and a Summerslam match between these two was inevitable. Well built feud so far though and this segment continued that, good job.
The Guerrero’s interaction with Layla here was interesting. I’m honestly not completely sure how I feel about it. Playing off her family name, Shaul saying she lied when promising Layla a title shot is fine. The whole threatening to go to Paul Heyman thing felt a bit off though, just because what has Layla really done to deserve a shot? I get the Guerrero’s just not wanting Heyman to get the opportunity to mess with them but something just felt a bit off here. Still, the concept of Layla cashing in tonight is fine and should be fun.
Simple tag match here to hype the four way TLC match at Summerslam which is fine. At this point, this match doesn’t really need anything overly special. I thought you booked this perfectly with the interference causing a No Contest, before the brutal attack from the champs, ending with the table spot. Obviously table spot was very smart considering TLC stipulation at the PPV. Intrigued to see why TMLM didn’t appear although showing them with smiles maybe just shows that they are being smart. Either way, another well booked match here. You’re off to a great start with this show, everything hitting the mark so far.
Interaction between Heyman and Byran was nice, with Heyman laying down the law, and Bryan showing attitude, being a bit of a dick. I don’t expect Bryan to interfere now but that stare down between Bryan and Striker was interesting as hell. Looking forward to seeing what happens from that, good stuff.
Zelina Vega? Awesome. Interested to see what impact Vega and La Oscura have moving forward. It’s been so long between shows I almost forgot about the Cruiserweight Climax lol.
Before I get onto the actual match itself, Vickie got barred from ringside by Heyman? But the Guerrero’s tried so hard for Layla to not get Heyman involved, even though he’s the one who needs to book the matches. Still think that aspect of this angle tonight is probably the only thing I haven’t really liked so far. A smart match/win here for Shaul from a booking perspective as it probably feels like the first time in forever where she hasn’t needed interference. I enjoyed the mean streak by lifting up Layla when the match was already over to land the Gory Bomb. Good stuff, your champ looks great.
I really enjoyed this segment between Morrison and Kofi. Lord Washington trying to convince Morrison not to bother is pretty standard for a heel but was never going to work. The reveal of the partners and both men using somebody from the others past makes things very interesting. The toilet humour here worked to… Good stuff all around, looking forward to this tag match tonight.
KOW against Punk and Ziggler is a huge match. Before I get onto the aftermath, which is really what is important here, I didn’t initially enjoy the booking of this match. I hate when a part time team of two big names like Punk/Ziggler beat or are about to beat a legitimate tag team like KOW. It just hurts the tag team more than needed, in my opinion. I know they didn’t get pinned but they were about to if it wasn’t for Bryan. The aftermath with the attack, followed by Evolution making the save was fun as well. It obviously makes sense what Bryan/Striker spoke about. Heyman making the eight man main event is epic though. More good stuff here.
Joe Hennig interview was completely fine, putting over his match tonight against Gabriel… But more importantly, continuing to put forward his hatred of Cody and crew. I can’t wait for Cody to finally show up.
I actually really enjoyed this tag match here. Playing off Kingston and Morrison both having to wrestle against members of their past in the early stages was a nice trip down memory lane. Kofi not getting into the ring until Morrison is down is standard heel tactics. From here, match was solid and a good win for Kofi. Morrison doesn’t lose anything in defeat, this just leaves us wanting Morrison to get at Kofi even more with how the finish played out. Good stuff.
Rick O’Shea clip? Cool.
The heels all getting a pep talk from Striker and then chiming in with their own bits was all fine. Standard main event hype really, but it’s good to know that they are all getting along.
Another really solid title defence here for Joe Hennig. He has basically looked sensational since I started reading this, continuing to win without letting Cody distract him too much. Another really solid defence here to keep him looking like a strong, fighting champion. Gabriel put up a nice fight though and doesn’t lose anything either, so a win win here. Solid stuff.
Another laughable yet awesome video here from Cody. I love the cut scenes and I couldn’t help but him chuckle at catching his own touchdown pass. The attack afterwards from Cody was nice to as he finally returns. This rivalry has been brewing for ages and with Cody back, I can imagine the next two weeks before Summerslam are going to be crazy. Awesome stuff here mate.
The faces of the eight man huge tag getting a chance to pep talk each other, and show that they are getting along is fine. What everybody said made sense about the united front although Punk’s dialogue came across as really awkward. If he gets his hands on Bryan, he’ll make him regret making it an iron man match at Summerslam? Why? What is so bad about an iron man match? Would have come across much better if he was going to make Bryan regret interfering tonight, any of his previous attacks, being a dick, anything… But using the Iron Man stipulation the way you did here just didn’t read right. Still, a small thing in the scheme of things as the segment did what it needed to.
Another match before the main event? Holy shit, this show has felt long in terms of in ring action. Is this a three hour Raw or something? Either way, Guerrero, AJ Lee and Katilyn hype in this tag match really, with Shaul proving to be the difference maker. Booking 101 with Paige being the one who gets pinned as well.
Shaul’s getting involved and war with Heyman continues as she gets booked to take on Emma. Big time title match and nice booking arch, although Shaul obviously comes out of this with the title.
As mentioned a big time main event and you definitely gave it the detail that it deserved. A nice write up, perfect hype for Summerslam without giving to much away, and a nice win for the faces, especially Evolution who have had it pretty rough in their feud so far. A good way to end the show.
Outside of the length, in terms of matches and what not, show felt VERY long, this was an enjoyable read. Nearly everything did what it needed to and hit the mark. I’d argue this is probably one of the better shows I’ve read from you in my time here, just felt really well organised and written. Keep up the great work, with Summerslam coming up; this is the perfect time to be firing on all cylinders.