SummerSlam 2012: Recapping and Grading the Event

The biggest event of the summer came and went Sunday night, providing fans with title fights, grudge matches and exciting action.

Gracing the card were up-and-comers like Dolph Ziggler, while also showcasing legends such as Triple H and Brock Lesnar. With this type of star power on the card, how did it fare?

Here is a full recap of the event, along with the grades for the matches.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella

I only caught the tail end of the match, but it was a solid pre-show match.

The best part about this match was that Cesaro won the belt. Santino was doing nothing with it and it will give Cesaro a nice push from this point on.

Just for the title change, I will give it a decent mark. Again, I apologize I only saw the last part.

Grade: B

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

Man, do Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler put on a great match day in and day out. Both men put their heart and soul into this match, and the result was an awesome match.

Some of the highlights were the Huricanrana off the top rope by Jericho, the countered Lionsault into a Zig-Zag and the ending sequence.

Jericho slapped on a devastating Walls of Jericho that earned the tap from Ziggler. Kind of wish Ziggler would have been put over, but can't complain about the match.

Grade: A

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

Another solid match, though we have seen it too many times recently.

Kane controlled a majority of the match, though Daniel Bryan had his moments throughout. With a guy Kane's size, Bryan is basically restricted to striking.

The ending was done right, even though I hate roll-up victories. With a guy as big and bad as Kane, the roll-up is the perfect way to end the match because it showed Bryan stole the match.

Afterward, Kane went on a rampage backstage. Not bad, better than I expected actually.

Grade: B+

The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio

I will say one thing. I was always one to criticize The Miz's in-ring ability. But, he and Rey Mysterio put on a very good match.

Even better, the heel won clean here. The last two minutes of the match were a treat, as there were a number of moves that could have won the match. 

The Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale and that was all she wrote. The Miz definitely earned my respect here.

Grade: A-

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio

I wanted to get into this match because I like both Sheamus and Alberto del Rio as workers, but this match and feud is so stale it affected my mindset.

It was a decent match. There were some nice spots throughout the matchup. But, I have seen this matchup so much recently that I couldn't get into it.

The ending was very confusing. Sheamus did not win cleanly, as del Rio had his foot on the rope and the ref did not see it. I wished Dolph Ziggler would have cashed in his briefcase off that finish, but that did not happen.

Again, good spots but the match was way to familiar.

Grade: B

Primetime Players vs. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth

This match was a basic tag team match, but both teams' athleticism and quickness made the match a little bit better.

The ending of the match was frantic and fun to watch. Kofi Kingston hit a huge crossbody to the outside on Titus O'Neil, while R-Truth reversed Darren Young's finisher to hit the Little Jimmy. 

I am kind of surprised Kingston and Truth kept the titles here, but it was the right move. The Primetime Players still need some time to grow.

Grade: B+

CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Big Show

Another PPV, another main event that did not feature the WWE Championship. Even more surprising was the fact that John Cena did not make the main event on the card.

To be honest, for a Triple Threat match, this bout had good fluidity. Yes, Big Show controlled most of the match, but he did not rest as much as he usually does.

At the end, Punk and Cena put Show in their submission maneuvers and Show tapped out. Confusion ensued, causing AJ to come out and restart the match. That, I did not get, it should have been Cena vs. Punk with Show eliminated.

After some more wrestling, Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Big Show. CM Punk then snuck up, threw Cena out of the ring and got the pinfall on Show, retaining his title.

Not a bad match at all.

Grade: B+

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H

This match was well-hyped, but a majority of the match was slow and boring. It sucks to say, because I was actually pumped to see Lesnar compete again. To be honest, the crowd was dead for this match as well.

Toward the end, the battle picked up a bit. Both kicked out of each other's finishers. Then, Lesnar forced a tap from the Kimura, leaving the question if he broke Triple H's arm or not.

The main event was not as great as it could have been, due to the pace. It was okay at best, but at least the right man won.

Grade: C

Conclusion

SummerSlam was pretty good on the whole. The matches were worked hard by the wrestlers and they meant something, for the most part.

While the main event was not nearly the caliber as the other matches, the rest of the card picked up the slack with solid action.

The worst thing of the night was the performance by Kevin Rudolph. In fact, I muted that while I blasted Five Finger Death Punch until it was over.

Going forward, I will be interested to see what storylines come of this. One title changed hands tonight, as Antonio Cesaro is now the United States Champion.

What did you all think? Let me know in the comments below.

Grade: B