WWE SummerSlam results: Rollins tops Lesnar for Universal championship
SummerSlam represents a mile marker at the halfway point of WWE’s annual calendar of events. Most of what has happened since WrestleMania typically culminates at the showcase event and influences much of what carries the WWE through the end of the year and the start of the road to WrestleMania in January.
After four years in Brooklyn, SummerSlam moved to Toronto. Sunday’s show at Scotiabank Arena was headlined by Brock Lesnar for the sixth straight year; this time around, he ran back his WrestleMania match against Seth Rollins with the Universal championship on the line.
Tim Fiorvanti and Matt Wilansky recapped the action real time, with Sean Coyle offering ratings for each match on a scale from 0-5.
(c) denotes champion
Since his return to the WWE in 2012, Brock Lesnar has made a habit of making short matches count — most notably in memorable WrestleMania clashes against Seth Rollins and Goldberg. But his tendency to bring shock and awe can overshadow that he’s capable of more in the right scenario. The WrestleMania 35 rematch between Lesnar and Rollins at SummerSlam 2019 will go down as one of the best matches of Lesnar’s career, a testament to both men and the work they can do together in the ring.
This was full throttle from start to finish with no breaks in between. What a showing by both Rollins and Lesnar. That was one heck of a main event.
Storytelling: 1.00
In-ring execution: 1.00
Match psychology: 0.75
Timing: 1.00
Innovation: 0.75
Everything about the build-up to this match pointed to Lesnar making quick work of Rollins and reclaiming his unimpeachable throne atop WWE. The attacks over weeks of Monday Night Raw appearances left Rollins with compromised ribs, and Lesnar has a history of cutting down WWE’s top heroes, especially when they’re already in bad shape.
As Rollins winced before the bell ever rang, sporting a taped up midsection, it had all the makings of a battered hero going out on his sword. That’s a big part of the reason why everything that followed was so effective.
Lesnar went to attack Rollins’ ribs at the start, but Rollins hit a kick to the jaw, flipped out of a German suplex and hit a stomp. But it only earned him a two-count. Lesnar slid to the outside in the aftermath and Rollins lined Lesnar up for a running knee. Lesnar caught a superkick attempt after that, but Rollins flipped out of a German suplex once again.
As Rollins hit two superkicks and lined up another stomp, the match started to take on the feeling of Rollins’ instant win at WrestleMania, but then the tide turned again. Brock nailed an F-5, but staggered back stunned as both men recovered. Lesnar seemed to grab the advantage yet again as he lifted Rollins up by the tape on Rollins’ ribs and swung him around using only the tape as leverage.
A flurry of suplexes inside and outside of the ring brought back shades of Lesnar’s thorough destruction of John Cena at SummerSlam 2014, but then, as Lesnar looked for an F-5 to send Rollins into the ring post ribs-first, Rollins slipped out and smashed Lesnar’s head into the post twice.
Each move had a counter. Rollins hit a springboard knee, but then went to the well one-too-many times and felt the brunt of yet more suplexes. Lesnar removed his gloves to pummel Rollins, and even locked in a bear hug, but then he went to the well too many times and crashed and burned on a running shoulder tackle. Just as Rollins got the edge back with a pair of suicide dives, a third allowed Lesnar to the chance to catch Rollins out of mid-air and send him charging back-first into the ring post.
Rollins seemed to put the last of his energy into an exchange on the outside, and a superkick put Lesnar onto the German commentary table. Rollins climbed to the top of the ring post and hit a flying frog splash from there, through Lesnar and the table. He followed it up with a second frog splash and a second stomp to Lesnar, but yet again, it was only worth a two-count.
When Rollins lined up a third stomp, he was caught on Lesnar’s shoulders in an F-5 position and there was one more moment in which it seemed Lesnar had the match locked up. But once more, Rollins wriggled his way out, nailed a superkick and followed it up with a third stomp which was enough to score the pinfall victory.
There are questions to be asked, in terms of timing and the use of the Money in the Bank briefcase, but those are not questions for today. For now, everything that led up to this match made it everything it ultimately turned out to be — pro wrestling, at its best.
This was not a “Firefly Fun House segment.” This wasn’t a sneak attack on a helpless soul standing in the middle of the ring. This was the official return of Bray Wyatt.
A near impossible match to rate as this was an experience more than an actual match. While the match rating isn’t exceedingly high, the match experience was flawless.
Storytelling: 0.75
In-ring execution: 0.50
Match psychology: 0.75
Timing: 0.50
Innovation: 0.50
For the first time in 2019, Wyatt stepped into a ring with a new and equally disturbing persona. He’s fun, creepy — maybe even a little vile.
The buzz was unmistakable, and for Finn Balor, who knows demonic as well as anyone, he had to endure the pomp and circumstance. Even before the match began, something said this wasn’t going to be his day as Balor came to the ring dressed in an unassuming white jacket and stood still waiting for his foe.
That’s when the lights went dark and Wyatt methodically walked to the ring donning a terrifying mask with dark, gothic music blaring throughout the stadium. More disconcerting, Wyatt, a la Mankind, never lost his mask when the bell rang. That alone seemed to spook Balor.
Wyatt was ruthless. He made Balor look like enhancement talent, which mercifully ended when Wyatt incapacitated Balor with a Mandible Claw.
Moments later, the lights went dark, with Wyatt under the spotlight. When they went on, he was gone and Balor was shown stumbling to his feet. After the long wait, the payoff was worth it. Wyatt is neither a technician nor is he an aerial artist. But he’s terrifying.
But more so, he’s refreshing. And something says, he won’t be losing anytime soon. Maybe not until he has championship gold wrapped around his waist.