WWE SummerSlam
Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
August 18, 2013
by Mike Killam
All scores out of a possible five points.
The Miz is our SummerSlam host, and is out first to start the night by wecoming us to the most must-see pay-per-view event of the summer. Fandango cuts him off and does a dance routine on the stage as Miz responds with a few annoyed "really?" catchphrases. Welcome to SummerSlam!
Total Divas star JoJo is out to sing the national anthem. She normally plays the quiet, reserved role on Total Divas, but looks really great all done up and on a big stage. Her voice has a great, natural vibrato.
INFERNO MATCH
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Rating: **
As a segment, this did wonders for the Bray Wyatt and Wyatt Family characters. Their gimmick is so wonderfully creepy. Despite Rowan and Harper looking like Dumb and Dumber on the outside the whole time, the end conclusion was an ominous victory, and Kane being dragged lifelessly out of the arena. I loved it.
The match, unfortunately, just wasn't great. There was no real focus on any kind of storytelling inside the ring; just the shenanigans going on with the Family and the flames. The actual match did very little to showcase Bray, as Kane hit him with two chokeslams (maybe three, the cameras weren't always where they needed to be). They still accomplished what they set out to do – write Kane off television and give the Wyatts a debut victory – but the dark lighting made everything hard to see, and the gimmick didn't quite make up for a lackluster, distracted match.
