Kofi Kingston and R-Truth def. Prime Time Players to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships
What I Liked:
This is what Tag Team wrestling should look like. There are four guys that look like they belong in a tag team, and not randomly thrown together. I have said it time and time again, there is money to be made with Prime Time Players. They are a really good combination of old school and new school, with strength and speed. Although still young and maturing in front of our eyes, they worked pretty well with Kofi and Truth tonight. The match had a decent build, with some little pieces added on each week. I enjoyed the taunting in the match from PTP, and really was invested into seeing if they actually would put the straps around their waists tonight. Back and forth, neither team really got a good upper hand in the match. We saw Truth and Young carry a good portion of the match. Young is going to be the workhorse for this team, and ultimately the reason if they succeed or not. O'Neil is a beast, with a brute strength in him. You could see that all of these men were given an opportunity and wanted to connect with the crowd. I feel like that was accomplished. Look at the moves that were executed, a basic suplex that O'Neil did with Young to get the pace to slow down to their levels. The end was a little crazy, with Kofi diving onto O'Neil to the outside, and then Truth reversing a move on Young to hit his finisher and pick up the victory.
What I Disliked:
This would have been a perfect time to get PTP the victory and establish themselves in front of the WWE Universe. Although people know them, they still could use the victory on a big stage and really establish themselves as the "it" team. That was my only gripe about this match and it's outcome.
Grade: B
CM Punk def. John Cena and The Big Show to retain the WWE Championship
What I Liked:
Well, we knew this match would not end Summerslam. As soon as I saw where it would be on the card, I knew Punk would retain. They are not going to switch the WWE Championship when it is not the main match of the night. Let's break down what happened in the match first. Big Show starts off by knocking Cena and Punk down, and punches Cena in the ribs. He starts off dominating both men, and shows his abilities in the ring as a super heavyweight. There was a quicker pace than I thought there would be, with Cena and Punk both trying to get the advantage in the match. Punk pushes Cena over, who has Show on his shoulders. The beginning of the match started quickly and kept going at a good rate. This match would get 15-20 minutes of time, and that is really all that they needed to complete the story. The ending came when Punk covered Show after his got hit with an Attitude Adjustment. The match had to be restarted because both men made Show tap out. After that tap out, you have the conclusion wrap up the match pretty quickly, and Punk steals the win.
What I Disliked:
John Cena vs. CM Punk should have been the match. This should have been the rematch from last year's Summerslam. I understand why the Big Show was inserted, but it was not necessary. Summerslam is bigger than Night of Champions, Hell in a Cell, or any other PPV in the near future. Come on, give us a final conclusion of some storylines on the big stage. We did not get that, but got a boring Triple Threat Match that featured more Big Show strengths than the other men. That was not the point of this match, but the way it was booked felt that way. Did anyone really buy Big Show winning this match? Of course not. He was the scapegoat in the Triple Threat Match like he always is. Just look at how he was booked at Wrestlemania 25 with Cena and Edge. It was way too similar, and not creative whatsoever. Moving onto Punk, who put on a good performance considering his opponents. He kept the flow going and kept the offense hidden in his ways. He picked his spots, and showed that he is the more intelligent of the three. He waited patiently and kept his mind on grabbing a victory. John Cena did what he does best, and that is to tease winning the championship. Because he is John Cena, people will always think he will win. He has not won the title in a long time, so the switch would have been alright here. Once again, let Cena and Punk go one-on-one. They have fallen in love with the Punk lengthy title reign because it is different than what the writers have done over the past few years. It can get to a point where there needs to be more than just a character change, and Punk as champion is getting to the point where you have to add Big Show in to "think" it is a fresh idea. The match, once again, was nothing to write home about. I expected it like this, so my expectations were not high.
Grade: C+
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
