WWE’s Summerslam pay-per-view is this Sunday, but I have to say it doesn’t feel as epic as it should be, or it’s not promoted like in the past. Summerslam used to be just as big as Wrestlemania, but now it’s like ‘Mania is number one (and rightfully so) and the other events that make up the “Big Four” are just 1.5. King Of The Ring doesn’t exist anymore, Survivor Series almost got replaced, and the Royal Rumble can be hit or miss anymore. Like the headline says, Summerslam’s tagline was always “WWE’s biggest party of the summer.” WWE is promoting the hell of out Brock Lesnar versus Triple H, and Paul Heyman has been a fantastic addition to keep things running smoothly. You can see what the Wrestlezone staff thinks in this week’s “ThOUghTs” segment, but as much as it has gotten better over the past few weeks, it still doesn’t seem like enough.
Basically, I’m not completely sold on it.
I feel like it’s absolutely been personal enough, and the events from this week’s episode of RAW further escalated things, but it could have had a bit more physical interaction between the two. What I mean is, Brock busted Cena open and brawled with him, and it looked like it hurt and Cena sold it well. In the case of HHH going after Brock during the Stephanie/Heyman segment, it just looked like another wrestling fight that we’ve seen again and again. I want to see the sadistic, “King of Kings” side of HHH in this program, especially if it’s a one-and-done match like it’s expected. HHH went through hell trying to beat the Undertaker at the past two Wrestlemanias, and he might as well have died trying, but it was a great story. I don’t get the same feeling from this current program, and I am hoping the match itself will deliver and surprise people just like Cena/Lesnar did. The Extreme Rules main event was so entertaining that I didn’t care that the WWE Championship wasn’t main eventing, and I didn’t care that Lesnar lost. That match was so entertaining that I didn’t care about the booking side of it; I was glad I bought the pay-per-view and thought the whole show was worth my money.
There are many things to look forward to during this year’s show, and I am sure everyone’s opinion will differ depending on what wrestlers you are a fan of. I like the slow(ish) development of the WWE Championship feud, and all three participants have looked strong through the process. Big Show has looked better this month than the entire time he was with Johnny Ace and had that iron-clad contract. Cena is a good foil for CM Punk, and he isn’t doing anything wrong, but just being himself. Punk sees it differently, and he thinks Cena is a glory hog and wants to be on top by himself. It works so well because he’s saying things some fans already think, and he is out to get respect for himself. I hope Punk wins and I like his transition so far (still think he’s a tweener with a hate me/love me relationship) but I can buy any one of the three guys winning.
Another match to look forward to is Dolph Ziggler versus Chris Jericho, which has been well-built amidst the rumors about Jericho leaving for his Fozzy tour. Jericho could get his revenge and win the “big one” ala Big Show at ‘Mania, or Dolph can prove himself right and send Jericho on his way. No matter what the result, I have no doubt we will see a fantastic match between the two and this may be the one that steals the show. Dolph and Jericho are two guys who will go out and bust their asses to entertain the fans, and they will try to upstage Lesnar/HHH; it’s not like they haven’t done it before.(Cont’d…)
