Welcome to the live coverage of the 26th annual SummerSlam from - TopicsExpress

Welcome to the live coverage of the 26th annual SummerSlam from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Pre – show began with the SummerSlam panel consisting of Vickie Guerrero, Josh Mathews, Booker T and the hall of famer, Shawn Michaels. WWE aired a video package for the Punk – Lesnar/Heyman feud, which was phenomenal. Paul Heyman then cut a promo, and made the Punk – Lesnar match a No DQ bout. Good call by the WWE. Pre – show match: Dean Ambrose vs Rob Van Dam for the WWE United States championship Dean Ambrose and RVD kicked things off. Ambrose took control of the match with the crowd firmly behind Rob Van Dam. RVD made a comeback and this brought out Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Mark Henry and The Big Show made their way out to even the odds as I previously predicted. The match continued with The Shield and Henry/Show at ringside. A loud “ECW” chant by the Los Angeles crowd while Ambrose worked on RVD’s neck. RVD made a comeback with the spinning leg drop with Ambrose on the barricade. RVD then went for the five star frog splash, but Reigns came in and speared RVD for the DQ. Show and Henry then made the save as The Shield retreated. Winner via DQ: Rob Van Dam Rating: ** Analysis: That was sensible booking. WWE can’t take the title off Dean Ambrose just yet, and RVD can’t lose his first singles match on a PPV either. That was a good bout, and the end could lead to a 6 man tag team match on the main show, or the tag team championship match between Rollins/Reigns and Henry/Show later on in the show. Main show: The commentators hyped the Kane – Bray Wyatt match and there was a video package for their bout. Good job as always by the WWE. The main show kicked off with the host of SummerSlam, The Miz welcoming us to the show. He hyped up the Punk – Lesnar bout and the WWE championship match between Daniel Bryan and John Cena with Triple H as the special guest referee. Fandango and Summer Rae interrupted The Miz as they danced circles around him, literally. That was a unique way to open the show. JoJo sang the American national anthem to kick things off. Great job by the Diva and the crowd showed their appreciation Kane vs Bray Wyatt (With Luke and Erick) in a Ring of Fire match Apparently, the only way to win the bout was by pinfall or submission. No setting people on fire, sorry kids. The commentators hyped the bout as if we’ve never seen an inferno match before. Maybe we should forget about it for now. Luke and Erick watched from the outside as Kane and Bray went at it inside the ring surrounded by the flames. “You’re no match for me”, Wyatt yelled at Kane. A huge sidewalk slam by Kane as the flames rose. Erick tried to give Bray the kendo stick but it caught fire and he dropped it. Luke tried to extinguish the fire on the apron, but that didn’t work either. Meanwhile, Kane dropped Bray with a couple of chokeslams. Luke and Erick finally draped the apron with a cloth and made their way into the ring, and took Kane down. Bray Wyatt delivered the swinging spike DDT to Kane to pick up the pinfall victory. Winner: Bray Wyatt Rating: * Analysis: That was underwhelming to say the least. The fire surrounding the ring severely handicapped the competitors to utilize the resources, and since WWE’s PG, they couldn’t set things on fire. But the match fell way short of what I expected. Post match, Luke and Erick sandwiched Kane’s head between the steel steps, as Bray Wyatt looked on. They carried Kane to the back after the attack. That makes sense, since Kane will be taking time off for a while. Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes Damien Sandow cut a promo before his match, calling Cody his side – kick. He asked the crowd to be silent, and called Cody and his father “Dumb and dumber”. Oh, and Cody shaved his moustache (Boo!). Cody and Sandow traded blows to start things off, and Sandow worked on Cody’s leg. Good snap suplex by Sandow earned him a 2 count. Sandow countered a Cross Rhodes attempt and delivered the Elbow of Disdain for another 2 count. Sandow locked a modified Cloverleaf on Rhodes, but Rhodes fought his way out of it. Cody came back with a Muscle Buster, and followed up with a springboard dropkick. Sandow countered a Disaster kick with a swinging neck breaker for a 2 count. Cody connected with the Disaster kick, but Sandow kicked out at 2! Cody then connected with the Cross Rhodes and that is all she wrote! Winner: Cody Rhodes Rating: ** 1/2 Analysis: Correct decision by the WWE to go with a Rhodes’ win. This will enable Rhodes and Sandow to engage in a feud over the Money in the Bank briefcase. They put on a solid match, and Cody picked up a deserving victory. Will this lead to a match over the briefcase at the next PPV? I hope so. Cody and Sandow deserve to be in the spotlight. A video package aired recapping Christian’s career. It was the same video that aired during last week’s RAW. Christian vs Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship The commentators put over the fact that this might very well be Christian’s last chance to fight for the World title. Christian made his way out first, followed by the World Heavyweight champion, Del Rio. Del Rio asked Lillian to introduce him in Spanish, and here we go. Loud “Let’s go Christian” chants rang through the Staples Center, as Alberto Del Rio took control over the match in the early going. A hard flying shining wizard kick to Christian left him in the tree of woe. Del Rio started working on Christian’s injured shoulder, and dropped him with a drop kick. Del Rio went for the cover, but Christian kicked out at 2. There was a small “Ricardo” chant; Del Rio missed a running knee stomp and went flying out of the ring. Christian came back with a huge cross body on the outside, but Del Rio regained control over Captain Charisma. Christian came back with a cross body inside the ring, but was stopped in his tracks with a huge backstabber by Del Rio, which fetched him a 2 count. Christian then delivered a flying elbow to Del Rio and then followed up with a standing Hurricarana. Christian went for the spear, but Del Rio blocked it. Great sequence of near falls followed, as the fans started a “This is awesome” chant. I concur, and Christian went for the spear. Del Rio trapped Christian in the cross arm breaker as Christian tapped out. Winner and still the World Heavyweight champion: Alberto Del Rio Rating: *** 1/4 Post match, ADR cut a promo about representing the Latinos and still being the World Heavyweight champion. Analysis: That was a great PPV match, but I’m disappointed. I wanted Christian to become the new World Heavyweight champion, but it was obvious that he was going to put on a good match with Del Rio. This might lead to Christian being sent back to the mid card, but I hope these two will be involved in a long feud going forward. Backstage, Miz interviewed Maria Menounos. The crowd was dead for this. Fandango’s music played as Fandango came in dancing with Summer. The segment ended with Miz dancing his way out with Maria, leaving Fandango and Summer clueless. If Maria becomes a Diva, I riot. Or not. Natalya (With The Funkadactyles) vs Brie Bella (With Nikki and Eva Marie) Natalya and Brie started “slapping it out”, while the crowd started chanting for JBL, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler. A loud “We want tables” chant started, which didn’t amuse Brie. Brie dominated the bout with a modified choke hold, but Natalya locked in the Sharpshooter. Brie found a way to counter it, as The Funkadactyles took out Nikki. Natalya came back with an Alabama Slam and locked in the Sharpshooter once again, and Brie tapped out! Natalya and Funkadactyles celebrated in the ring as the heels made their way back. Winner: Natalya Rating: * Analysis: That was almost painful to watch. Only a strong willed man would sit through the SummerSlam Axxess match and this match. Anyway, Natalya worked hard to put on a decent match, and was successful to a point. I didn’t see this coming though, but I’m glad the right Diva won. I hope this leads to Natalya becoming the number one contender for the Divas championship. WWE aired the same video package, hyping the feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman/Brock Lesnar. CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar (With Paul Heyman) in a No Disqualification match Brock Lesnar made his way out first with Paul Heyman, followed by CM Punk to a huge pop by the Los Angeles crowd. The highly anticipated bout kicked off with Punk and Lesnar slugging it out, but Lesnar over powered Punk and drove his shoulder into Punk. Lesnar stomped a mud hole into Punk and tossed him around the ring. Punk came back with knees to Lesnar’s face, and took the beast down with a suicide dive. Punk came down with a huge cross body from the top turnbuckle, and tackled Lesnar from the announcer’s table. Punk got distracted by Heyman, enabling Lesnar to make a comeback. Lesnar threw Punk over the announcer’s table and tossed him around as Heyman started to laugh. A belly to belly throw on the outside by Lesnar, as the crowd chanted for CM Punk. The action spilled back into the ring, and Lesnar locked in the bear hug on Punk. Brock started working on Punk’s mid section, driving his knees into his ribs. Punk tried to make a comeback, but Lesnar caught Punk and delivered a Fallaway slam. Lesnar drilled his knees into Punk’s ribs for a 2 count. Lesnar with a chin lock, but Punk countered by biting his ear! Punk came down with a big knee from the top turnbuckle, bringing the beast down. A couple of high knees in the corner by Punk and he caught him with a round house kick! Punk came down with a huge ‘Randy Savage’ elbow for a 2 count! Punk connected with yet another round house kick and went for the GTS, but Lesnar locked in the Kamura key lock! Punk reversed it into the triangle choke! Lesnar lifted Punk and came down with a Powerbomb, but Punk still had Lesnar locked in the triangle choke! Lesnar managed to power out with another power bomb, as the Staples Center crowd started yet another “This is awesome” chant. Brock came back with the Three Amigos, as the fans broke into an “Eddie” chant. That was awesome. Brock brought a chair, but Punk dove right into it! Punk laid a couple of hard shots with the chair on Lesnar, and caught him with a low blow! Punk connected with an elbow drop with the steel chair for a 2 count! Punk connected with a hard chair shot on Lesnar, which brought Heyman onto the apron. Punk got his hands on Heyman, but Lesnar went for the F – 5. Punk countered it into a GTS, but Heyman interrupted the 3 count. Punk locked in the Anaconda Vice, but Heyman brought a steel chair into the ring. Punk got hold of Heyman and locked him in the Anaconda Vice, but Lesnar drilled Punk with a couple of hard chair shots! Lesnar finished Punk off with an F – 5 on the chair to pick up the victory! Wow, what an amazing bout! Exactly what we expected out of these two. Winner: Brock Lesnar Rating: **** 1/4 Analysis: What else did you expect? Punk and Lesnar gave it their everything, and after the match, the fans were on their feet for CM Punk! I expected nothing less from these two phenomenal athletes, as the story was about how Punk was focused more on hurting Heyman than Lesnar, and that cost him in the end. That was an awesome bout between two incredible athletes. I’m glad it ended this way, as it leaves the door open for a rematch between the two going forward. Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn vs AJ Lee and Big E Langston Time for the mixed tag team match. Big E and Dolph started things out, and Big E immediately took control of the match. Big E locked in the abdominal stretch and worked on Ziggler’s mid section, but Ziggler came back with a drop kick. Big E tagged AJ, and this brought Kaitlyn in. AJ dropped Kaitlyn with a beautiful spinning heel kick for a near fall. AJ worked on Kaitlyn’s neck with a chin lock after a snapmare takedown. Kaitlyn fought back as Lawler joked about AJ being a hot potato. Classy, Jerry! Kaitlyn came back with a shoulder block, and this brought Ziggler in along with Big E. Ziggler dropped the ten elbows on Big E,as Kaitlyn interrupted a pin attempt by big E. AJ distracted Ziggler on the outside, but she was taken out with a huge spear by Kaitlyn. In the ring, Big E went for the Big Ending, but Ziggler reversed it and dropped him with the Zig Zag to pick up the victory! Winner (s): Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn Rating: ** Analysis: That was predictable. I hope this ends the feud between Kaitlyn and AJ, but it looks like that won’t happen anytime soon (Ugh!) Dolph worked hard to make it a good match, and I hope he’ll go back into the main event scene now. Backstage, Fandango interrupted The Miz once again, but Miz knocked him down to end the segment. WWE aired the promo for the WWE championship match between John Cena and Daniel Bryan. This is more about Vince McMahon and Triple H than Daniel Bryan, which shouldn’t be the case. Will Bryan win his first WWE championship title tonight? Will Randy Orton cash – in his Money in the Bank contract? What will Triple H’s role be in the main event bout? Let’s find out! John Cena vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE championship with Triple H as the special guest referee Triple H made his way out first, followed by Daniel Bryan to a huge “Yes” chant! There were an awful lot of “Yes” signs in the crowd. John Cena made his way out next to loud jeers from the Los Angeles crowd. Bryan and Cena locked up in the middle of the ring as the crowd chanted for Daniel Bryan. Loud “You can’t wrestle” chants directed at Cena. Cena with a headlock, and took Daniel Bryan down, but Bryan came back with a backslide roll up for a 2 count. Bryan was sent crashing into the announcer’s table as the crowd started yet another “You can’t wrestle” chant. Cena dropped Bryan with a Snap suplex on the outside from the steel steps. Back in the ring, Cena drilled Bryan with hard shots, as the crowd started the dueling chants of “Let’s go Bryan/Let’s go Cena”. Bryan tried to make a come back with some elbows, but Cena cut him in his track. Bryan retaliated with hard kicks to the chest, but Cena came back with shoulder tackles. Bryan countered it with a hard kick to the head. Cena came back with the Five knuckle shuffle and went for the AA, but Bryan countered with a hard kick and a drop kick from the top rope. Bryan started working on Cena’s injured elbow, drilling it with hard kicks. Cena went for the STF, but Bryan countered it with an STF of his own! Bryan delivered a couple of great German suplexes with a bridge, but Cena kicked out at 2! Cena went for the AA, but Bryan countered it into the Yes Lock! Cena tried to fight it off, but Bryan locked in a headlock latching onto Cena. Cena finally countered by flipping Bryan over the ropes and connected with the AA, but Bryan kicked out! The crowd erupted with “Yes” chants! Cena tried to go for the top rope leg drop, but Bryan connected with a dropkick! Bryan dropped Cena with a superplex, and connected with the Swan dive headbutt for a near fall! Bryan tried to go for the suicide dive, but Cena blocked him with his shoulder! Cena connected with the leg drop from the top rope, but Bryan kicked out at 2. Cena went for the AA from the top rope, but Bryan tried to counter it with a Hurricarana. Cena countered with the STF, but Bryan reversed it into the Yes Lock! Cena made it to the ropes, but Bryan came back with a series of drop kicks. Cena stopped Bryan in his path with a huge clothesline that turned Bryan inside out! Wow! The crowd started chanting “This is awesome”, and I agree. Bryan and Cena slugged it out in the middle of the ring, and both men connected with a double crossbody. Cena and Bryan slapped each other to fire themselves up, and Bryan countered with a DDT. Cena went for the AA, but Bryan rolled him up for a close 2 count. Bryan came back with a huge knee to Cena’s face, and that is it! Winner and the new WWE champion: Daniel Bryan Rating: **** Post match, Cena and Bryan shook hands and Cena left. The confetti started falling from the rafters and Bryan celebrated inside the ring. Cue Randy Orton’s music, as he came down with his briefcase. As it looked like he would cash – in, he turned around and started to make his way back, but stopped. In the ring, Triple H delivered a pedigree to Daniel Bryan! Randy Orton came back and cashed – in his briefcase, and pinned Daniel Bryan to become the NEW WWE champion! Winner and the new WWE champion: Randy Orton Analysis: Well, it went just as I suspected. Triple H turned heel after a phenomenal match for the WWE championship, which saw Daniel Bryan realizing his dream of becoming the WWE champion after nearly 15 years of hard work and sacrifice. It was all taken away when Triple H turned on Bryan, and Orton pinned him to become the new WWE champion. This shouldn’t take away the amazing match Bryan and Cena had though, as it now beings the Stone Cold esque journey for Bryan against the WWE management. This isn’t all that bad, as it can arguably escalate into a huge deal heading into WrestleMania! Over – all PPV Rating: **** (Out of 5 stars) Analysis: That was a great PPV! Three matches that mattered delivered, with Christian putting on a great match with Del Rio, Punk slugging it out with Lesnar, and the main event being one of the best this year! Although, the card was pretty predictable, and that took away the “special” feeling from the PPV. In the end, we have a new WWE champion, and Daniel Bryan’s journey from sleeping in his car to becoming the WWE champion was taken away in a split second! What will be the fall out from the PPV? We have to wait for yet another 24 hours to find that out, as we head onto an exciting episode of Monday Night RAW!