5 Things We Learned From WWE SummerSlam

SummerSlam was great last night. Wait, no. Some of SummerSlam was great last night. It’s amazing how much of a 6 hour show we’ve already forgotten. Yet, WWE did give us some images we’ll remember for a while.

All in all, SummerSlam was a decent effort. The Fatal 4-Way was an absolute riot and needs to be re-watched immediately. The same goes for the crown jewel of the pre-show, The Usos vs. The New Day.

But in a big show like this, WWE is forced to really declare themselves. Who’s getting pushed? Who’s getting buried? With a pseudo-WrestleMania in August, WWE has to reveal their direction as the begin their march towards the real thing.

That said, what did WWE’s actions tell us last night? I’m glad you asked – here’s the 5 Things We Learned From SummerSlam:

Tag Team Wrestling Lives

Up until last night it was “cool” to say that WWE’s Tag Team Division was dead. And as pretentious as that critique is, it was at least partially valid.

WWE is loaded with Tag Teams that we couldn’t nor shouldn’t take seriously. Outside of 1 or 2 parings it was obvious that most WWE’s tag teams were going go be a temporary partnership. 

Last night, SummerSlam proved two truths in WWE when it comes to “getting over” with the fans:

1. You must have a great story 

2. You must have incredible matches

The first is why we loved Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose’s match and the second is why we loved the Usos vs. The New Day.

Nothing else WWE’s Tag Team Division remotely approaches these 2 elements and that’s why it’s impossible to care about. 

For now, WWE  has great foundation with Rollins & Abrose, The Usos, and The New Day. Hopefully this is the beginning of great era of tag team wrestling. 

The Jinder Era

As much as we all thought that Jinder was a shameless attempt to penetrate a robust Indian market, WWE seems to be legitimately behind Jinder Mahal. 

While the argument could be made that if not for the Indian fan base Mahal would still be unemployed, it’s not true anymore. Mahal is WWE Champion because the company genuinely likes him. Not to mention – the guy gets a new color of tights every match!

Yes, his promos are worth an eye roll and even his matches look chemically identical, but something is working here. And because of that, WWE gave him a signature win at SummerSlam. 

We’ll get Nakamura/Mahal at Hell in a Cell, but we’d be foolish to think Nakamura’s win is a lock

The Women’s Division Needs Love

I really thought we’d get more from Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss. I’m either overestimating their ability or the amount WWE actually cares about women’s wrestling, but there is a disconnect somewhere.

We’ve seen Sasha Banks tear down the house with Bayley in NXT, so you know she can do it. I think WWE is more to blame here than the actual competitors. The women have no story to beef up their matches. It’s like WWE recognized that Bliss and Banks actaully do not get along and mentioned that a few times aon are anf figured that sufficed. It didn’t.

And poor Natalya and Naomi – they did not have an ounce of story written into their feud. Last night was just two women wrestling for a thing. 

I summon Becky Lynch in an interview with Sporting Times:

“To be perfectly honest, right now it’s in a bit of a bit of a static period, which is perfectly fine,” Becky said. “We’ve come off stuff like two women’s ladder matches, and Hell In A Cells, and we just need the story lines to constantly evolve.”

Indeed, Becky. Indeed.

*SIDE NOTE*

Brooklyn booed Bayley like she was a white supremacist last night. Will this may be alarming, it could be perfect for her character. 

Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar

Braun Strowman became a star last night. To many, he may have already been that, but I think the general wrestling public regarded him as a guy that sometimes fought Roman Reigns.

No, Strowman ia guy that WWE is going to build around. He’ll be fighting Lesnar at No Mercy for the Universal Championship and that will be the most anticipated match of 2017. 

And for the record, anyone who has bad things to say about Brock Lesnar needs to slink back to the cave that birthed them. That guy is one of the most important employees in WWE history. 

SummerSlam Is Too Long

I know millions of us watched it, but no responsible adult truly has room for 6 hours of wrestling in a day. And even if we did, WWE can’t expect us to actually be invested for 6 hours. 

Last night, while fun, was a display of gluttony. WWE is so massive, that it goes unregulated. With WWE being so conscious of their budget, there sure were a lot of matches that did not matter that WWE put on stage last night.

With a show that long, WWE can’t possibly assign a great or even a good story for each match. So instead, we just get wrestling exhibitions. This is a disservice to everyone. 

Bigger is not better in this situation. While it’s fun to devote an entire day to wrestling, it’s WWE’s talent that are being robbed. With such a long show everything gets condensed and the experience, in turn, gets rushed. Matches like Banks/Bliss and Nakamura/Mahal needed 30 minutes, not 12. 

Granted, SummerSlam has become WrestleMania in August, so it’s going to play by different rules. However, that doesn’t mean WWE should continue to put out wholesale matches like this.