The Beast is Champion

WOW, SummerSlam 2014 was a complete show. From top to bottom the show was very entertaining. Each match was either good or great and there were no stupid skits, backstage interviews or anything that really didn't belong on the show. WWE started the show off with two title changes with Ziggler becoming the IC Champion while Paige captured the Divas Title, both of them holding their respective titles for the 2nd time. Both wins came as a shock to me as I had both champions retaining. I'm not mad with either decision, just shocked. Ziggler can continue to feud with Miz or start a feud with Bo Dallas if they still have faith in him. Paige and AJ have just scratched the surface of their feudand with Charlotte MAYBE about to lose the NXT Women's Title, maybe she'll finally be called up.

Rusev is NXT's best call up this year. He's really been putting on tough competitive match ups at each PPV and last night was his greatest performance so far. Swagger, while not the big name as some of the other up and comers fought at SummerSlam, is a former World Champion and Rusev made him pass out to The Accolade. Rusev has crushed America's spirit. What's next for Rusev? How about taking the United States Championship and having an actual feud with Sheamus? How awesome would that be? And it makes sense storyline wise AND Sheamus isn't even doing anything. Give the man some darn direction! Ambrose and Rollings may have ended up stealing the show with the craziest Lumberjack match I've ever seen. They literally involved everyone in the match. Ambrose's cross body out into the sea of lumberjacks and Rollings was insane. The ending made sense and only made we want to see a rematch for the two. Will they be able to drag the feud out long enough to do battle inside Hell in a Cell in October? I would love to see it. If anyone is capable of having an intense PG HIAC match, it's those two guys. And now with Ambrose's storyline injury, that option looks most likely now.

Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns continue to climb the WWE ladder with both guys defeating former World Champions. Ironically, they're both guys who unified the titles in their eras. Eerie coincidence right? Anyway, Wyatt's win was impressive as he didn't need Rowan or Harper to beat the former 6 time champ. It ended the same way his match with Bryan at the Rumble did, a Sister Abigail on the barricade then one in the ring. Wyatt and Jericho will probably crank one more match in the feud then Jericho will probably go on his break then. Sky's the limit for Wyatt after facing another big name at ANOTHER big PPV. Bryan at the Rumble, Cena at WrestleMania and now Jericho at SummerSlam. Kid's on a roll.

For Reigns, it was his first big one on one match at a PPV. His performances at the other big events are well known but this was really the first time we could see Reigns tested against a singular opponent. Randy Orton was a good challenge for Reigns and they had a great match. Nice back and forth action, great in ring chemistry and how awesome was that Superman punch counter into the RKO? And how awesome was the surprise kickout? And with that Super Reigns was born. After that, Reigns hit a massive spear for the three count and huge victory. Reigns looked like a star in this match and I'm happy for the guy. He has what it takes to go to the next level and I 'm glad he had this match with Orton. I do want to see Reigns/HHH at NOC IF POSSIBLE. I don't know if Reigns will beat HHH but I'd like to see him try.

Mrs. HHH was in match for the first time in 11 years and guess what? They didn't disappoint either! It's like everyone stepped their game up at the same time. The ending was expected. While the crowd seemed shocked, I was waiting on it. This gives them a storyline to do on Total Divas now. More money for WWE. I guess we'll eventually get Brie VS Nikki on a PPV, which should be interesting nonetheless. Stephanie should wrestle more often. She's obviously gotten better with age and I wouldn't mind seeing her hold the Divas Title once.

Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar DESTROYED John Cena. It wasn't even close as Michael Cole said. Lesnar manhandled Cena. He gave him a F-5 in the first 30 seconds of the match and then proceeded to give him 16 suplexes around the ring. Cena's only offense was his AA and STF, no other moves of doom on display here. It was actually a little scary seeing Cena being thrown on his neck dozens of times. While it won't win match of the year, it certainly was something to see. I've never seen a top star that destroyed in a big time main event. It was new and I loved it. Not just because I don't like Cena but because it made Lesnar look even more unstoppable, which makes the person to beat Lesnar look like a conqueror themselves. I'm of course referring to Roman Reigns when he gets his eventual shot at the gold. I don't know if Lesnar will hold the title to Mania on his part time schedule and limited title defenses but I think he's the one a young guy has to beat to be taken seriously. Reigns VS Lesnar sells itself.



So, where does WWE go from here? Night of Champions is still 5 weeks away. I'm guessing we'll get a SummerSlam rematch between Lesnar/Cena. That's only if they're stacking the card up like they said they were. I don't know how, but we need Reigns/HHH. Reigns has already proved himself against the protege, now it's time to take on the master. Wyatt and Jericho will probably end their feud. Wyatt got his one win in at the biggest stage so I'm looking ahead for him. Rusev looks to be entering a feud with Mark Henry which I think shouldn't happen just yet. Let Rusev win the US Title THEN start taking on the monsters of WWE. Cesaro and Sheamus look to begin ANOTHER feud, which is fine with me. They have already proven they can have good matches so a feud with the belt up for grabs would be nice. At least they're giving Cesaro some direction it seems.

Like I said, SummerSlam was a complete show. The best PPV event WWE has had in years. Not one dull match on the card and I loved the crowd at this event. It was easily the best crowd at SummerSlam since its been there in the last six years. It's kind of like they knew it was their last one. SummerSlam 2015 will be taking place in the NJ/NY area, so either the Barclays Center or the IZOD Center, either one will have a good mark crowd, which means, Cena will be booed heavily when he comes out. It's about time it left LA.

Great PPV. great lead up to the fall events, great night. I look ahead to the rematch between Cena/Lesnar and the NXT event on September 11th. Breeze/Neville/Kidd/Zayn? I'm on board JUST for that but we also get Charlotte VS Bayley in what could be Charlotte's last match if they decide to call her up and the tag champs will face the high flying team of Sin Cara and Kallisto. It should be a really good event and NXT has gone two for two with great events this year. This one should be no different.

The Road to Survivor Series starts now. Looking forward to seeing how the PPV shapes up this year. Hopefully a big SS style match this year pitting Team Rollings VS Team Ambrose, or Team Wyatt VS Team....whoever he feuds with next. What a road it will be...

SummerSlam 2014 Predictions

The biggest party of the summer! In LA, AGAIN. Come on now, there's gotta be other worthy cities out there can host SummerSlam. Us Philadelphians would love it! Anyway, 8 matches on the card but some serious exclusions in Cesaro, US Champion Sheamus and Tag Champions The Usos, who stole the show the last two PPVs. A weird decision but the matches they do have on tap are all looking good! Well, most of them. Let's get into it!

Ziggler/Miz should open the show. These two had a match recently on Raw that was pretty good so I expect more of the same from the two come SummerSlam. Ziggler brings the best out in anyone he faces and I'm sure they'll pull out all the stops for their Intercontinental Championship match. With Miz just winning the championship, I don't think he'll just outright drop it to the first guy that challenges him for it. If it were anyone else but Ziggler, that might have a chance but since it's Ziggler, I'm going with Miz. Hopefully, the match gets enough time to showcase what these two guys can do. Should be a good one! Miz retains. Maybe faces the red hot Heath Slater next?

Paige VS AJ, a rematch from the Battleground PPV. This match has a different dynamic to it. It's not two respected rivals going at it like at Battleground. It's a scorn former champion trying to take back what she thinks is rightfully hers. Paige/AJ at Battleground was ok, but they didn't get NEARLY enough time! I blinked and it was over. I'm not saying they need a half hour, but they need a sizable amount of time to show what they can do. Have Paige play the heel by working a body part, the neck I assume since it's injured, and go from there. These two have the best shot of reviving the Divas division so an excellent match on the summer's biggest stage NEEDS to happen. I don't think they gave AJ the title to just drop it back to Paige so soon so I'm going with AJ my submission in this one. Who's next for AJ? Well, Eva Marie does own a victory over AJ, so maybe she's next? God I hope not. I'm calling it now, AJ VS Charlotte at Survivor Series then Paige/AJ/Charlotte Wrestlemania 31. You heard it here first.

I like Rusev but I don't like this feud too much. I'm sure they're going to have a decent match but I'm looking at what's next for Rusev. Rusev wins but I think a collision with the United States Champion Sheamus is inevitable. If anyone can tear the house down with Rusev, it's Sheamus. This is the guy who had entertaining PPV matches with Big Show AND Mark Henry. Rusev wins leading to a feud with Sheamus. HOPEFULLY. That would certainly put Rusev on the map.

Ambrose and Rollings will finally square off one on one at the biggest event of the Summer. A part of me felt cheated that they didn't wrestle last month at Battleground but the other part of me was excited because they would save an epic encounter for the big PPV. While I understand the match type, I don't agree with it. They could have just as easily had a Cage match but the Lumberjack match allows guys not used to be apart of SummerSlam so kudos to WWE. This should be the show stealer. Two of the internet darlings going head to head. Obviously the gimmick match will play some part in the match but I can't wait to see these two guys finally tear into each other. Ambrose's lunatic style mixing with Rollings technical prowess will make for an amazing match. The MITB winner has a way of losing at SummerSlam but I don't think that will be the case. In a 15 minute showcase of what the future holds for WWE, Seth Rollings will defeat Dean Ambrose. If this isn't the show stealer, I'll be very surprised.

Wyatt and Jericho are the other rematch featured on the SummerSlam card. The sole purpose of Jericho's return is to push the youth. He did it with Fandango, that really didn't work but he did it. This time, he's going against someone who already has the experience, a guy, who in his first year, has victories over former World Champions Kane, Daniel Bryan (during his hot streak) and Superman John Cena. Jericho's opponent is a rookie, but a rookie with credibility and experience. Bray Wyatt can only go up from here so a victory at the PPV he debuted at last year is a must. If Wyatt is to lose, he'll take a serious step backwards. So, while I think it will be a great match, it's a must that Bray Wyatt walks out victorious by pinfall. His future depends on it.

Another young superstar needing a big win is future golden boy Roman Reigns. Reigns has a big match with top star Randy Orton. I don't know what happened to the supposed Reigns/HHH match but this will have to do. This is do or die for Roman Reigns. This is the first big singles PPV match of his career. His breakout performances at big PPVs have been great so far. From eliminating 4 guys on the opposing team at Survivor Series, eliminating 12 guys and breaking a 13 year record at the Royal Rumble to dominating the Attitude Era at Wrestlemania, he's on a roll at big PPVs but now, it's one on one with the Viper. Reigns needs a great performance here. Something that shows that he belongs with the upper class of WWE. A win just won't do it here, he needs a good match. If he wins a stinker of a match, then I don't see the point in the match. Reigns will kick out of a RKO, bank on it and win his first big one on one match. The sky's the limit for the kid. It's all leading to his Royal Rumble victory and main event position at Wrestlemania 31. I know Lesnar/Reigns is the supposed match but I wouldn't mind seeing Cena get that nod instead of Lesnar.

Brie/Stephanie won't be anything pretty. It's not going to be match of the night but it's continuing a storyline that has been going on for just about year now. Mrs. Triple H VS Mrs. Daniel Bryan. I think this is the closest thing we'll ever get to another Bryan/HHH match. Brie's going to give it all see got but I don't think the Hunters will both lose at big PPVs. Will Nikki turn on her sister here, setting up for a Bella clash? I could see it happening for the Total Divas show, so I think that's what will happen. Brie will get distracted by Nikki, setting up for Stephanie to win. Hopefully, we'll get a sweet Pegigree! Stephanie learned well!

The biggest fight of the summer is the third PPV clash between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. The PPV series is tied 1-1 and I can't think of a bigger stage for these two to fight on. Paul Heyman has done a fantastic job of selling what is essentially a rematch between the two mega stars. The promo when they announced Lesnar was getting a title match was the best promo I've seen since Punk's pipebomb. Heyman is really the driving force of the match. The match itself will probably be a war. I'm surprised there's no stipulation added to the match but I'm sure come Sunday, that will change. How does this match go down? Here's the opinion of a person who barely watches wrestling.

I was watching Main Event with my wife and they showed that promo for Lesnar/Cena, you know, the one where Lesnar went off and ended saying he'll have Cena lying in a pool of blood, urine and vomit? So we're watching it and she says, I hope Lesnar wins, I'm sick of Cena. And I asked why, you don't even watch it like that. And she said, that's the point! I only see it every so often and I'm tired of seeing him.

That speaks volumes. A casual fan at best doesn't want to see Cena as champion. How many of us Internet fans are cheering hard for Lesnar come Sunday? I know I am! Anyway, Lesnar is coming off the biggest victory in WWE history, how can he NOT become WWE World Heavyweight Champion? The next person to beat him has to be a guy they have total confidence in that will push the WWE in the future, which is why I guess they're going with Roman Reigns VS Lensar at Wrestlemania 31, which brings up another question. Could a part timer REALLY hold WWE's top prize for 7 months, only making sporadic appearances? There's no way right? Rock being champion and only showing up to a couple of Raws in the two months he was champion was bad enough.

The match itself should be really good. Their match at ER 2012 was a fantastic much hyped main event, as this has no doubt become. I went from not really looking forward to it, to it becoming one of my most looked forward matches, simply because I want to see these two destroy each other. You have The Beast VS The Champ. The match sells itself really.

Cena is on title reign #15 so it's really a lose lose situation if you're a Cena hater. He wins, he discredits Brock Lesnar's ending of the streak. He loses, he's chasing after title reign #16. Personally, I'm a believer that records are meant to be broken. Kane's record was broken this year, Cena's longest reign record was broken, even the immortal Undertaker's streak was ended. John Cena winning 16 World Titles is inevitable, as is him winning #17 as well. If anybody deserves the honor of breaking the record, it's Cena. He's been WWE bred since day one, carrying the company on his back for the last 12 years. So what if he breaks the record? It's all predetermined anyway!

I don't know what the plan is for Lesnar's schedule, but he HAS to defeat John Cena at SummerSlam. You don't give the Undertaker his first loss at WrestleMania only to lose to a guy you beat before.. It doesn't make any sense. Lesnar wins his 4th WWE Title. It's not a prediction, it's a spoiler.

What's next after that? Who knows? I'm sure Cena won't just go away. I'm sure we'll get a rematch and then maybe Cena will go push one of the youth again. Seth Rollings needs some heel credibility, why not him?

Here's another PPV where the youth can shine, specifically the two guys on the verge of breakout Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns. Both have big matches against WWE's elite superstars. Ironically, both were the first double champions of their generations. Rusev has his first chance to shine on a big stage and Ambrose and Rollings have a great chance to show the world just what they can do. This should be a really awesome SummerSlam that not only showcases the future of the WWE but shows that the future is bright.

SummerSlam is Sunday and you can watch it on the WWE Network for.......how much again?

Oh yeah, $9.99!!!