Does Randy Orton regain the WWE title, or will WWE look to solidify Drew McIntyre’s reign with a victory?
No Disqualification Loser Leaves WWE match: Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose
This has been a tremendous feud between Rose and Deville.
Rose, Deville, Dolph Ziggler, and Otis all contributed to the success of WrestleMania 36, but the focal point of that was the singles match pitting Otis against Ziggler. Four months later, and this program is entirely built around Rose and Deville.
Two nights ago, WWE pivoted from a “Hair vs. Hair” match to a “No DQ Loser Leaves WWE” match. The match was physical, and it was the biggest moment for both Rose and Deville in singles action. Rose emerged victorious, using a brutal knee to the face to knockout Deville. Following the win, Otis, along with the Money in the Bank briefcase, celebrated with Rose.
Deville was the likeliest candidate to lose this match, as she is enduring incredible stress as the victim of a frightening attempted kidnapping case. Hopefully, she is back on WWE programming soon.
As for Rose, the timing is right for her to jump up the card and make a run for the SmackDown title.
****
Second match: WWE Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Andrade and Angel Garza
The Street Profits are extraordinarily talented, but the team has struggled to build momentum since the start of their title reign in March. It didn’t help that their reign has coincided with the empty arena era of wrestling. They also haven’t had a signature opponent, as the backstage/off-site skits with The Viking Raiders did more harm than good to that program.
Andrade and Angel Garza are both very special talents, but they are two wrestlers I would prefer to see in singles action. This tag match has the potential to produce some world champions. Andrade and Montez Ford are both candidates to one day be WWE Champion.
Kevin Owens, who hopefully is in line for a title shot at next week’s Payback pay per view (yes, WWE is airing pay per views on back-to-back Sundays), joined the commentary table for this match. Zelina Vega is ringside for Andrade and Garza, but Bianca Belair did not come to the ring with Ford and Angelo Dawkins.
The match was very good and ended with the Profits retaining the titles. Ford pinned Garza following a beautiful frog splash, one that he turned mid-air. As Owens left the broadcast table, he shared that the KO Show will be back tomorrow night on Raw, and his guest will be Aleister Black.
****
We have come a long way from WWE editing Roman Reigns out of highlight packages.
“The Big Dog” just appeared in a WWE/Hyundai commercial, and he looks healthy, fit, and ready for action. There is no question that WWE wants to improve its SmackDown television rating on Fox, and a return from Reigns would play a big role in doing that.
****
Opening match: Asuka vs. Bayley
The opening match is Bayley defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Asuka.
Bayley has held the title since this past October, which is approaching an eternity in modern-day wrestling. This is a seminal night for Asuka, who has title matches against both Bayley and Sasha Banks, and she was given over 11 minutes in the opener with Bayley.
The match was solid, and Bayley used an inside cradle to pick up the victory. This is only the first half of a two-part story. Constant interference from Banks played a big role in the match, and Bayley rolled up Asuka after Banks was involved. This will also be a key part of the Banks-Asuka match, likely with Bayley’s interference backfiring and costing Banks the belt.
I really like seeing Asuka in the underdog role here, especially with such a big spotlight on her work.
****
WWE takes a major step in its virtual fan era tonight with SummerSlam in the ThunderDome.
This will be unlike any SummerSlam we have seen, and it would have been unbelievable a year ago to think that the 2020 version of the event would be held in an empty Amway Center. But here we are, and WWE has taken a creative approach to the pandemic with its creation of the ThunderDome.
The matches tonight will shape the next three months of WWE programming. Does Randy Orton regain the WWE title, or will WWE look to solidify Drew McIntyre’s reign with a victory? Asuka has title matches against Bayley and Sasha Banks, and there are high expectations for both. Dominik Mysterio makes his debut against Seth Rollins, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville meet in an old-fashioned loser leaves match, and we have what should be the payoff between Braun Strowman and The Fiend for the Universal Championship.
Apollo Crews defeated MVP on the preshow, retaining the United States Championship. Renee Young also waved goodbye to her WWE run as the preshow went off the air.
As for the rest of the night, will we see surprises? Does Keith Lee make his main roster arrival? Is tonight the right time for a Roman Reigns return? Or will the focus remain on the stars currently on the card? It feels like a swerve is coming with Strowman and Bray Wyatt. Considering The Fiend changes all of his opponents (except, of course, Bill Goldberg), perhaps there is more to the story than we see.
SummerSlam starts now, and I’ll be live blogging with updates and results all night. Enjoy the show!
August 24, 2020 at 04:43AM
SummerSlam 2020 Live Blog: Results, Highlights and Analysis
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