Love him or hate him it’s impossible to deny that Brock Lesnar proved he’s still got what it takes at this weekend’s WWE SummerSlam event.
Lesnar was the star of a memorable main event that topped the 13-match card and left the crowd at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center breathless with excitement.
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Lesnar has been strongly tipped for a return to the UFC in the near future, but his effort at SummerSlam brought back memories of why “The Beast” is such a fearsome wrestling competitor.
Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe were the perfect supporting cast, producing multiple high-octane physical moments.
This summer’s top two feuds were combined into a match to remember, with each competitor taking some huge bumps during the contest.
Lesnar, in particular, was on the receiving end from both Reigns and Strowman, with two running powerslams through the announcer tables by the latter drawing huge gasps from the crowd.
Strowman then flipped a third table on top of Lesnar which led to the champion being stretchered away, but he returned to the action to seal a stunning victory.
Reigns hit Lesnar with three straight Superman Punches and moved in for a finishing spear, but the champ caught him to hit an F5 for the pin.
The superb Fatal 4-Way sets up a possible Lesnar-Strowman feud that could headline Survivor Series, while Reigns and Joe will no doubt be eyeing strong runs into WrestleMania 34.
Elsewhere on the card, AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens via pinfall to retain the United States Championship title.
Shane McMahon’s presence as special guest referee added another level to the match, as Styles and Owens went back-and-forth for supremacy throughout.
McMahon took a trio of ref bumps, each one set up by Owens, creating the enthralling prospect of a feud between the duo further down the line.
A shoving match between the pair led directly to the finish, as Styles rolled up Owen for a two count. He followed up with a Pele kick and a Phenomenal Forearm, setting up a Styles Clash for the victory.
Styles recently spoke of his desire to face Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 and that would undoubtedly be a match to savour as he continues to produce strong performances.
Some of the supporting card failed to live up to expectations, with The Miz and The Miztourage’s victory over Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz a particularly lacklustre affair.
The Hardy Boyz looked off the pace, although having to perform in front of a sparse crowd in a preshow spot on the card can’t have helped their motivation. Hopefully they can pick things up again over the coming months.
Other disappointing matches saw Neville defeat Akira Tozawa to regain the Cruiserweight Championship, John Cena’s instantly forgettable victory over Baron Corbin and Big Cass beating Big Show in a big mess of a contest that had the crowd shouting “boring”.
Thankfully the two Tag Team Championship matches both produced entertaining contests, meaning SummerSlam’s plus points far outweighed the minus ones.
The SmackDown contest got off to a slow start but built into a thriller, with The Usos defeating The New Day to become the new title holders.
Raw’s tag team title battle was also a slow-burner, with champions Sheamus and Cesaro looking likely winners over Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins for much of the contest.
However, the Shield emerged victorious with Ambrose hitting Dirty Deeds on Sheamus before getting the cover and the win.
The result was the fifth title change of the night and an extended feud with Sheamus and Cesaro looks highly likely for the new champions.
SummerSlam 2017 results:
Universal Championship Fatal 4-Way Match – Brock Lesnar def. Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman
WWE Championship Match – Jinder Mahal def. Shinsuke Nakamura
United States Championship Match – AJ Styles def. Kevin Owens
Raw Tag Team Championship Match – Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins def. Cesaro and Sheamus (New Champions)
“The Demon” Finn B·lor def. Bray Wyatt
Randy Orton def. Rusev
Raw Women’s Championship Match – Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss (New Champion)
Big Cass def. Big Show
SmackDown Women’s Championship Match – Natalya def. Naomi (New Champion)
John Cena def. Baron Corbin
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Kickoff Match The Usos def. The New Day (New Champions)
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Kickoff Match – Neville def. Akira Tozawa (New Champion)
Six-Man Tag Team Kickoff Match – Intercontinental Champion The Miz and The Miztourage def. Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz
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.
