THE GOOD
Sting Is Back
Sting’s long-awaited return finally became a reality this week on Raw. Heading into SummerSlam, rumors swirled that the Icon was on the cusp of becoming involved in some way. It would have made sense for him to interfere in the Undertaker’s bout with Brock Lesnar, setting up many wrestling fans’ dream match of Sting vs. the Dead Man at WrestleMania 32. It also would have made some sense to have him join forces with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to take on the Wyatt Family once Erick Rowan became healthy again. Of course, rumors run rampant throughout the industry and many more prove to be wrong than they do right. This one turned out to be right, albeit misguided.
His newfound feud with WWE World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins has WWE fans excited for a couple reasons. The first is obvious: Sting is one of the best performers the world of professional wrestling has ever had to offer. He’s a captivating figure and a household name for older generations and most younger generations. The second reason, and one that may be overlooked, is that tossing Rollins into a storyline involving Sting speaks volumes about the dual champion’s stance with the WWE bigwigs. While Rollins is inarguably the company’s best in-ring competitor, there have been some question marks as to how committed they are to his title reign.
Yes, Rollins beat John Cena to claim a second strap—the WWE United States Championship. But, no, it wasn’t clean, and the ending left so much to be desired. In fact, it was a petty cop-out. It was a half-assed attempt to get Rollins over without, well, actually putting him over. But most wrestling fans would probably tell you they’d be fine with either outcome at Night of Champions. If Rollins retains, that is what is best for business, and best for the long-term outlook of the company. It would be the ultimate vote of confidence for a rare talent, perhaps their most important cog of the future. If Sting wins, then fans are treated to one of the most prolific workers capturing the WWE’s crown for the first and presumably only time.
Prediction? Sheamus gets recruited by Triple H to cash in the Money in the Bank contract to stop Sting from winning, thus ending the Authority’s ties with Rollins in the process.
Welcome Back To Dudleyville
The tag team division has been a blemish on the WWE product all summer. The Prime Time Players are likable, but the WWE creative team did nothing to further develop their characters and their run as champions grew stale quickly. Plus, their matches were often painfully formulaic: Darren Young takes a litany of bumps, makes the hot tag to Titus O’Neil, O’Neil cleans house and the match is over. The New Day rightfully won the WWE Tag Team Championship back at SummerSlam. Big E and Kofi Kingston are gifted in the ring, and Xavier Woods’ humor makes him the perfect third wheel. That said, the division was still in desperate need of a shot in the arm.
So, how does WWE solve this nagging issue? Cue the pyro, the rap-metal theme, and the camouflage.
The Dudley Boyz are back and it feels damn good to type that.
Fans may be in for a treat with one of the most notable tag teams of all time squaring off against easily the best tag team in the company today. The grizzled vets could also help with the slew of young, promising tag teams WWE has stashed down in NXT. Have them work with the Vaudevillians. Have them work with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy. Have them work with Chad Gable and Jason Jordan. Take advantage of the opportunity and hope the Dudleys stick around for as long as possible.
Not-So-Familiar Face
With Erick Rowan nursing an injury, it felt as though something was missing when the Wyatt Family reformed with only two members. Rowan is not a great performer by any stretch, but his red beard and white sheep mask were a Wyatt Family signature. But while the Wyatts have always been portrayed as dangerous and malicious, nothing about Rowan ever fit the bill. Despite his size, he was never all that convincing.
Enter Braun Strowman—the Wyatt Family’s new weapon.
Strowman seems to be a nice upgrade so far and he fills the gap left by Rowan. He clearly looks the part and adds a completely new level of fear. He is essentially being built up as an unmovable force—Bray Wyatt’s strongman and safety blanket—while Luke Harper remains his most reliable option in the ring and his most loyal companion.
Since Strowman dons the black sheep mask, it remains totally possible Rowan still returns as the “white sheep.” In fact, building the Wyatt Family into a larger stable has to be something worth considering. Wyatt gaining new followers only makes him look more powerful and the group more dangerous as a whole. It’s also worth applauding WWE’s ability to keep this under wraps. Strowman’s emergence was so effective because virtually nobody knew who the behemoth was, which coincides with the Family’s mystique.
The Bad
SummerSlam Flop
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn was technically last week, so it will not be discussed in great detail in this piece, although it undoubtedly deserves a mention. The event was near flawless from beginning to end. A goosebump-inducing intro by Triple H followed by nothing but sound wrestling and cohesive storytelling match after match. It was remarkable in its simplicity.
If TakeOver was the highlight of the weekend, SummerSlam came much closer to being a lowlight. The wrestling was entertaining. But for an event that is billed as WWE’s second biggest of the year, the performances felt rather underwhelming and the storytelling sloppy.
The primary gripe can be had with what appears to be just a blatant lack of creativity, to a point of near carelessness. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus was lazily booked at Battleground, so for it to be booked again at SummerSlam approached slapping-the-fans-in-the-face level. One may be hard-pressed to recall another feud this year that was so utterly meaningless and uninteresting.
Has anyone lost more steam this summer than Dolph Zigger? His ongoing storyline with Rusev has done nothing but cause fans to simply become indifferent toward him. Rusev, on the other hand, has at least provided some excellent mic work and remains one of the best mid-card heels on the roster. Either way, there was nothing to see when the two squared off at SummerSlam. It was so poorly constructed that it may be hard for some to recall it even happened. Using a match on the second biggest WWE event of the year as a gateway to the inevitable mixed tag match at Night of Champions is low.
Ryback defending the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Big Show and the Miz was almost certain to draw little interest at Battleground. So when Ryback became hampered by a staph infection and could not perform, the match was recycled and placed on the SummerSlam card. Makes a lot of sense, right? And, surprise, surprise: Ryback and Big Show plodded their way to a predictable outcome. Thankfully, the match featured a bit of comedic relief via the Miz’s continuous attempts at pinning his opponents.
This is not to say every match on the card was lacking. Kevin Owens and Cesaro was never a threat to disappoint, Rollins and Cena turned in a great match before the gimmicky finish, and Undertaker vs. Lesnar was memorable for its sheer brutality. However, these performers do not make up for the overall emptiness of the card.
Divas Revolution?
When Stephanie McMahon introduced the NXT Divas on Raw last month, the future of the Divas division on the main roster looked promising for the first time in a very long time. And while Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte have all proved capable of holding their own to varying degrees, the booking has been a disaster and is foiling what we came to know as the “Diva’s Revolution.”
It’s become a jumbled mess and it is hard to see which Divas, if any, have been coming away as winners. The argument could be made that none of them are better off since making the jump from NXT to the main roster. The staleness of the Bella Twins only adds to the fan’s animosity over the ordeal.
And, upon hearing the boo birds on Raw, Paige and the Bellas took to social media to voice their displeasure with the fans. To say they are pointing their fingers in the wrong direction would be an understatement. Also, this has nothing to do with the tired cliche that women can’t wrestle. Any loyal wrestling junkie knows that is far from the truth. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to proclaim Sasha vs. Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn one of the best matches of the year.
Wrestledelphia.com contributor Tyler Sablich can be reached at . Follow him on Twitter at .
Tyler Sablich
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