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FOUR big lads battering each other to a pulp in front of a rabid crowd for the biggest prize in wrestling? Yes, please.
WWE staged a busy weekend in Brooklyn with a marquee heavyweight clash for the ages delivering far beyond expectations.
For all the technical prowess, stamina, speed and athleticism which is very much the calling card for quality across the scene these days, the monsters bit back on Sunday night. It seemed like a blast from the past.
Fans have been spoiled by the relentless quality of New Japan’s G1 tournament in recent weeks, not to mention the excellent independent fare in the UK above all else, so WWE had a tough ask here, despite the glitz and glamour.
Hats off to Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and reigning Universal Champ Brock Lesnar on a fitting main event.
Carnage
That’s not to say it was all plain sailing – in an eye-watering four hours of Summerslam there was cause for concern in several quarters. But the good outweighed the bad on balance. NXT Takeover on Saturday was another excellent show – we shouldn’t be surprised by now.
There was a real sense of carnage in the four-way match – half a tonne of prime beef colliding, a meagre half dozen suplexes, about 45 superman punches from Reigns which weren’t great, and a Boxing Day Sale on the furniture at ringside.
Anyone who tells you that Lesnar isn’t working hard here is full of it.
Yes, he had a few minutes’ rest written into his contract mid-match, but he is taking serious punishment for our entertainment. Strowman is now a star, great to see, Reigns has presence and serious heat, and when you have Samoa Joe as the legitimate “high-flyer” in the match, you know it’s the land of the giants.
The women’s division had a boost with three good matches, Asuka and Ember Moon the pick of the bunch, but well done Natalya – due respect to a hard-working and talented pro.
The tags were excellent throughout. Delighted for Nikki Cross and Killian “Big Damo” Dain on their first WWE titles with SAnitY. The Usos and New Day were great, as were the Shield Lite with Cesaro and Sheamus.
Neville and Tozawa was tight, and well done to our boy who is once more Cruiserweight champ. And to round off a good weekend for the Brits, Ayr’s Drew McIntyre ended the excellent Bobby Roode’s year-long title reign in NXT. What was worrying was the lack of lustre for Bray Wyatt and Finn Balor – both seem to have lost their way. The demonic fringe might need a tweak and a bit of momentum on both fronts.
Nakamura and Jinder was poor but not as much as Cass and Show. Cena and Corbin wasn’t much better and for a character as good as Rusev to lose in 10 seconds to Orton served no purpose. Pointless.
To end on a positive, well done to AJ Styles and Kevin Owens, who delivered a good match. But Owens and Shane doesn’t look a long-term plan. Johnny Gargano and “Cien” Almas were terrific, too, in the NXT opener.
To close, FT would like to point out to the crowd that beach balls, beer snakes and big inflatable bananas are for the cricket, not the wrestling.
¬ÊWWE Summerslam and NXT Takeover Brooklyn III are available at wwe.com/network