SummerSlam drove a tractor through Nashville last night and gave WWE fans our first premium live event without Vince McMahon calling the shots. We’re officially living in a Triple H era now. I am here for it, and if the live crowd and Twitter’s reactions are any indication, most fans are here for it too. After all, it’s easy to be invested when the product is good, and more often than not last night, the product was very good.
At its most basic, wrestling is always about telling a story. Sometimes that story is self-contained within the match, but more often than not, the match is simply a portion of a larger story being told. We saw that quite a bit last night at SummerSlam, and we now have a better idea where some characters and storylines may be going from here.
So, on that note, let’s talk about the biggest takeaways from SummerSlam. Let’s talk about where WWE seems to be heading with some of these personalities, and let’s give a few people their flowers for putting on some incredible performances.
Becky Lynch Is A Face Now
I loved Becky’s time as a heel. She was an unhinged mess, and she played the role without any reservations. I’ll fondly remember everything she’s done this year, but I’m ready to root for her again. I think a lot of fans are in the same place too. During the post-match showdown where she joined Bianca Belair against Bayley, Dakota Kai and Io Shirai, she was already getting Becky chants from people sitting ringside.
Last night seemed to be implying we’ll be getting Becky and Bianca working together against this new heel stable, but I’m not entirely convinced that’ll happen over the long haul. Maybe we’ll see Becky move to Smackdown to work with Ronda. Speaking of which…
Ronda Rousey Is A Heel Now
I have no idea if this has been planned for weeks or if Triple H forced this after he took over, but this has been the obvious direction for Ronda’s character for like two months. She was not getting over as a face. Her microphone work was leaving a lot to be desired, and she was having trouble shifting between intensity and positive interactions with the fans. After she got booed as a face at Money In The Bank when it seemed like Liz Morgan’s cash-in was going to fail, we officially passed the point of no return.
But now I’m excited again and I think you should be too! The wrestling world has collectively focused on some of Ronda’s issues over the past few months, but we can’t forget how many incredible positives she brings into the ring too! She works a very believable and rough-looking style. She’s naturally athletic and unlike a lot of other famous faces on WWE’s roster, is willing to work as a regular performer showing up on TV most weeks. As a merciless aggressor who just attacks everyone in her path, she could be the most feared woman on the roster again. This is a fresh start, and I’m here for it!
Logan Paul Is A Potential Future WWE Champion
I really liked everything Logan Paul did at WrestleMania. I loved everything he did here. And that’s coming from a total hater. I wrote an entire article earlier this week about how stupid it was to make him a face in this match against The Miz. I thought it made no sense and couldn’t see any way the crowd would cheer for the social media influencer turned superstar. Well, I was wrong. The match ended with the crowd giving him a huge pop thanks in part to a giant frog splash from the top ropes to the announcer’s table.
I don’t know what Logan Paul’s future is in WWE. We know he signed an extended contract, but it’s an open question as to whether that means he’s scheduled to do an extended run where he’s on television every week. He would need that level of repetition to improve enough in the ring and get over with fans enough to be a possible world champion, but the ceiling is so high with this dude. I mean… that was his second real match. It’s unbelievable. I’m not saying he’s going to be WWE Champion, but if he decides this is something he wants to do and commits, he’ll get there.
The Miz Is Really Freaking Good And People Need To Put Respect On His Name
How many times does this dude need to over-deliver before we admit how good he is? Logan Paul was only taking part in his second real WWE match ever. The crowd was very skittish and almost apprehensive going into it because they weren’t sure whether to root for or boo the YouTuber, as he’s a heelish baby face. Plus, because of Paul’s busy schedule, the two have only shared the screen to try and build the match a few times total since WrestleMania. And yet, these dudes went over fourteen minutes. And even more impressively, Logan Paul got an eruption of cheers after the match ended
Most people are going to point to Logan Paul’s frog splash from the top rope to the announcer’s table and rightfully so. That was a thing of beauty. But this match doesn’t work without a great story being told in the ring. This match doesn’t work without The Miz very quickly establishing a great rhythm and chemistry with a dude who has almost no WWE wrestling experience. This match doesn’t work without The Miz being one of the few performers in all of wrestling with a strong enough heel background to get boos against Logan Paul. This guy is a first ballot Hall of Famer, and he does a great job with whatever material he has to work with. Also, I’d like to give a quick shoutout to Maryse, who always helps elevate The Miz to another level.
Brock Lesnar Can Come Back Anytime He Wants
Brock Freaking Lesnar, man. Because of all the injuries on WWE’s roster, Brock Lesnar was one of the few people who could have main evented SummerSlam with Roman Reigns and gotten fans excited. Obviously that excitement was muted because they just faced each other at WrestleMania, but people love Brock and were excited for this main event, even if they complained on Twitter. I was excited too, but I was also worried. I was pretty sure Brock was going to lose so Roman had the belt at Clash At The Castle, but I didn’t want any part of seeing Brock lose again. If you’re positioned to be an unstoppable force, you can’t keep getting stopped.
But I somehow left this man event after another Brock Lesnar loss even more excited to see Brock Lesnar again. The dude is just an electric factory. He knows exactly how long he should talk on the microphone. He has so much freaking fun in the ring, and because there were so many shenanigans going on at ringside and he ended up buried under a pile of rubble, I didn’t really think that loss hurt him so much. I think most people will just remember that absurd tractor lift. That’s not to say I want him to take another L against Roman, but if WWE announced he was going to be around for the next six months, I’d be ecstatic. He's awesome, and I would watch him feud with anyone on the roster.
The Future Of The Women’s Division Is So Exciting
I have no idea if WWE will be able to fix its issues with Sasha Banks and Naomi. I really hope they do, but I don’t think any of us know the full story of what’s going on behind the scenes there. But whether they come back or not, I am all-in on the women’s division right now. It is absolutely stacked. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Ronda Rousey and Liv Morgan is collectively the most exciting crop of performers in the history of wrestling, and that’s not even including a half dozen or more extremely capable mid-card women who play their roles well. Now we can throw in Bayley, Io Shirai and Dakota Kai, who all returned at SummerSlam, and there is not enough time on weekly programming to tell all the stories I want to see.
I hope Triple H brings back the women’s tag team belts. I hope he mixes up the deck enough to give all these women chances to work with each other. I hope a ton of other things, but mostly, I’m going to shut my mouth and trust Triple H to do this division justice. The future has never been brighter, and I cannot freaking wait to see what it’s going to deliver.
