WWE SummerSlam 2022 Review

It’s the first PPV not under Vince McMahon’s control so this should be VERY interesting.

THEN. NOW. TOGETHER. FORRRRRRREEEEEEEVVVVVVVAAAAA.

The usual stellar video package to open the show. These guys aren’t paid enough because their work is THE BEST.

I’m glad SummerSlam is now a stadium show every year. They have such a big time atmosphere.

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship

Bianca is OVERest in Nashville. Bianca having a fast start played into the story of her being a smarter champion than 12 months ago. Bianca went for a KOD on the barricade but Lynch countered and HIT A STANDING LEG DROP across the barricade. That was awesome. Becky constantly worked on the left arm which isn’t that smart against a power wrestler. She had a vicious control segment with some really nice offense. It was played as an even match which was good storytelling in their trilogy. In match one, Lynch takes advantage of a naive Belair to win in 26 seconds. Match 2: Belair proves herself on the biggest stage. Now, the third match was wrestled as two top wrestlers who know exactly how good they are and how good their opponent is. There was a nice spot where Bianca countered the armbar by carrying Lynch to the outside and hitting the KOD on the floor. Bianca needed to do a better job of selling the arm on offense. She just went on with her power offense with hardly any issues. They had a killer finishing sequence with lots of counters and cool offense. Bianca hit a Spanish Fly and the KOD to retain. Great match once again with these two. The storytelling was superb with lots of great offense too. It’s not on the level of their WrestleMania match but it’s still great.

Winner by pinfall and STILL WWE Raw Women’s Champion: Bianca Belair

Match Rating: ***3/4

Becky offered a handshake after the match and seemingly turned babyface. Bianca accepted and they hugged but hold up, here’s BAYLEY. She didn’t come alone though as both Dakota Kai and Io Shirai joined her on the ramp. Graves made note that Kai was released from the WWE a few months ago. The trio teased an attack on the champion but BECKY STOOD BY BIANCA’S SIDE. The trio decide against it for now. That’s a very interesting stable if booked correctly. We know Triple H loves a good stable so this shouldn’t be that surprising.

BUY SHIRTS AND STUFF NOW.

They hyped Clash at the Castle and WrestleMania travel packages.

Logan Paul vs. The Miz w/Maryse & Ciampa

This got a video package which build up the match better than they have on TV. Thank god for RAW Talk. Logan got heavily booed on his entrance which is the Roman Reigns way of babyfacing so he’ll be a huge star. Logan did really well in what is only his second match ever. His offense is pretty great as a babyface. It’s a shame his personality is in heel city. Miz was in his best role as an overconfident heel. Paul’s offense was a great mix of strikes and high flying which reminds me of someone like AJ Styles. That’s great subtle storytelling as the announcers tease that Paul was being trained at the PC by someone. Paul had a decent Figure Four in this too which was at least on a par to Miz’s. Ciampa got caught on the apron by the referee so he got thrown out. He grabbed a chair and sat down refusing to leave so AJ Styles came out with a flying forearm off the barricade. He beat up Ciampa at ringside and they brawled to the back. The announcers then figured out that Styles was training Paul when Logan hit a Phenomenal Forearm. Awesome story thread. Paul hit a frogsplash on Miz through the announce table to a big pop. I love how he starts the match being booed heavily and then wins them over with his performance. Maryse provided a distraction but Miz nearly hit her and Paul hit the Skull Crushing Finale for the win. Great match that was way better than it had any right to be. Paul is picking this up very quickly and Miz was his usual awesome self. 

Winner by pinfall: Logan Paul

Match Rating: ***1/4

Brock Lesnar hype video because he’s clearly never got that big push in his career.

Maximum Male Models had a segment where they advertised Pure Life water. It was actually really funny in a purposefully cringe way.

Roman Reigns hype video because again, this guy needed the extra attention to get eyes on him. Use these packages to get guys over that need the mainstream eyes like Gunther, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Madcap Moss etc.

Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Theory for the WWE United States Championship

Theory dropped the briefcase during his entrance which was funny. This was about eight minutes and was mainly Lashley on offense. Theory even beat him down prematch with the briefcase but it meant nothing. Reports say this was cut short as the previous match went over it’s time. Theory’s selling was pretty good and Lashley’s offense was solid. He slapped on the Hurt Lock to retain. Why get a guy over in defeat that may be World Champion soon when you can make him look like an idiot? I’m fine with Bobby retaining but this was almost an extended squash.

Winner by submission and STILL WWE United States Champion: Bobby Lashley

Match Rating: **

Judgment Day w/Rhea Ripley vs. The Mysterios

This is No DQ rules. I’m pretty sure the Mysterios had Iron Man based gear on. This was a solid wild brawl that suffered from the same problem all of these type of matches have in WWE. WHY ARE THEY TAGGING IN AND OUT. It’s literally legal to all be in the ring. Bugs me so much. Dominic did well as the face in peril as the heels were typically awesome in control. Rey had a good hot tag and did some cool stuff with a chair. Judgment Day are just missing SOMETHING. I don’t exactly know what but something that absolutely should work just… isn’t. Some Brood type music started and EDGE MADE HIS RETURN. He went after Balor and Priest and the Mysterios hit a double 619 to win. This was fine but nothing amazing. It’ll be interesting to see where everyone goes from here as they all need a refresh.

Winners by pinfall: The Mysterios

Match Rating: **3/4

Kevin Owen’s video package. This one I can forgive as KO has been off TV for a while.

Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee

Pat had a choir singing BUM ASS CORBIN on his entrance which was cool. Cole called this one clearly supporting Pat which makes sense. McAfee is getting better each time he gets in the ring. His offense is fairly crisp and he sold pretty well at times. Corbin continued to be average as in nothing he does is bad but it’s not good either. He did shove Cole at one point so I’m tempted to give this the full five stars for that alone. There was a ref bump so Pat punted Corbin in the dick and hit a sunset flip from the top rope for the win. Nothing wrong here. It’s not Steamboat/Savage but it was never supposed to be. The crowd was into it and it was entertaining. That’s enough.

Winner by pinfall: Pat McAfee

Match Rating: **1/2

They showed footage of the AWESOME Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus match from Smackdown. Drew gets a World Title shot at Clash of the Castle now and he makes his entrance for a promo. He references the fact that lives in Nashville and puts over his match with Sheamus. FAIR. He mocks Brock vs. Roman happening once again tonight and says he doesn’t care who wins. He says he’s taking the titles in Cardiff. He lifts his sword and sets off some pyro. A fine way to start the build to the match and make Drew look like a star.

The Usos (c) vs. Street Profits for the WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championships

Jeff Jarrett is the special guest referee to stop any shenanigans after the ref blew the call in their first match at Money in the Bank. This was pretty great. Lots of great Usos offense and they played up the special ref stuff with lots of well timed cheating. Montez brought his usual babyface fire when he was in but then started showing frustration which has been festering for a few months. He started working a little more seriously and showed us what heel Montez may look like in a few weeks. The pacing of this was smart. They tried to make every move mean something which added to the storytelling of the match. Dawkins was throwing everything at his usual offense and busted out the dive over the top rope. Montez took a different strategy and tried to outsmart the champions. The crowd were maybe dealing with a bit of burnout here as they were weirdly quiet. The work was good though. The Usos hit their double splash for a good near fall as Montez made the save. Ford hit the big frogsplash but hurt his gut and couldn’t cover immediately. That led to more Montez frustration. This was all about building up the upcoming split and heel turn for Ford. He couldn’t get the job done and he didnt’ even eat the pin as Dawkins was beaten by the 1D. It’s coming. One down. One to go for The Bloodline tonight.

Winners by pinfall and STILL WWE Unified Tag Team Champions: The Usos

Match Rating: ***1/2

Charlotte Flair got a video package which is also fine as she’s been off TV since WrestleMania.

Riddle turned up in the ring with a microphone to a big pop. He says he’s not cleared to wrestle but calls out Seth Rollins anyway. The medical staff are at ringside trying to stop Riddle but here comes Rollins with officials trying to hold him back. They brawled but Rollins hit another stomp on the injured Riddle. I’d have preferred to have seen the match but this was a great angle.

Liv Morgan (c) vs. Ronda Rousey for the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship

This is painted as Liv being a huge underdog which is a smart way to frame her. It’s much more of an angle than a match and under five minutes. Rousey dominated the opening but Morgan did everything to block a submission move. It was a bit clunky as they tried to go all out in their short time. Liv pulled out a Rings of Saturn which is great. Ronda eventually got the armbar but Liv got a foot on the rope. She got it on a second time but once again, Liv got to the ropes. It felt like Ronda underestimated Liv’s heart. Doctors checked on Liv’s arm but she pushed them away. Ronda put the armbar on for a third time but Ronda’s shoulders were down for three. At the same time, Liv tapped out so it was a screwy finish. Replays shower Liv tapped before the three count. Good sprint style match with excellent Liv selling.

Winner by pinfall and STILL WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion: Liv Morgan

Match Rating: ***

After the match, Ronda attacked Liv and the referee. I don’t think it was a heel turn but it may be coming which is a great position for Ronda. The announcers put over the idea that Ronda should be champion and Liv got lucky.

Kane came out to announce the attendance and set off his pyro. Okay then.

Roman Reigns (c) w/Paul Heyman vs. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

COUNTRY BOY Lesnar came down to the ring on a frickin’ tractor. This is the wildest match so far of their series. Only WrestleMania 31 has a similar unpredictability due to Brock going mental in his first ever Last Man Standing match. Lesnar leapt off the tractor with a Thesz Press to start the match. This was an absolute BRAWL. They fought around ringside, in the fans and all around the arena. Lesnar tried to do his jump pose on the barricade but slipped off which just made him angrier. Big spots included Reigns hitting a Samoan Drop and a Rock Bottom through tables for seven counts. They told a story of how Reigns kept trying to put Lesnar down but Brock kept getting back up and Reigns got more and more desperate. Brock dumped Reigns into the tractor and threw him into the ring through the lifter. Good near ten count as Brock made Reigns pass out with a Guillotine Choke. Lesnar got back in the tractor and LIFTED ONE HALF OF THE RING IN THE AIR. REIGNS WAS FLUNG TO THE OUTSIDE. HOLY SHIT. This is awesome and I’ve never seen anything like this before. Brock standing on top of the tractor with the ring in a state is an iconic image. The Usos turned up to attack Brock but Lesnar fought them off. Heyman had a go at Lesnar so Brock sent him through the announce table with an F5. Reigns speared Lesnar and collapsed so here comes Theory! He tries to cash in but Lesnar picks him up for an F5. Reigns took control of the match now but Brock kept getting up. Reigns used the briefcase to batter Lesnar but it wasn’t enough. In the end, Reigns hit him with the title and The Bloodline buried Lesnar under rubble at ringside to win the match. Absolute chaos in the best way. I love the best technical matches like Savage/Steamboat or stiff fights but this hokey crazy chaos is just as entertaining.

Winner and STILL Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns

Match Rating: ****

Officials tried to make sense of the carnage as the Bloodline left with the titles to end the show.

Show Rating: 7.5/10

A great show in the first post-Vince PPV era. You could see the little differences in the booking with more layers to the stories in the Paul/Miz, Bianca/Becky and Street Profits/Usos matches. There were no standout all time classics but there were no bad bits either. For a nearly four hour show, that’s a major win.