WWE SummerSlam 2012: Pay-Per-View Match Results and Thoughts

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, WWE SummerSlam aired live on pay-per-view Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The event saw plenty of entertaining wrestling matches and one title change. 

Here are the full match results and thoughts of WWE SummerSlam 2012.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Santino Marella to capture the United States Championship.

It was only a matter of time before Marella would see the belt taken off his waist. He enjoyed a decent run, but I hope putting the championship on Cesaro will give his career a lift.

Chris Jericho defeated Dolph Ziggler in a singles match.

If Jericho happened to lose, he would be plagued with losing his wrestling touch and not being able to win the big match anymore. Ziggler did a nice job playing up his character in recent weeks by pushing Jericho to the edge. It made Jericho look like the wrestler of old, as he was able to capture the victory.

Daniel Bryan defeated Kane in a singles match. 

The win gives Bryan a bit of momentum heading into the future, especially defeating a wrestler like Kane. 

The Miz defeated Rey Mysterio to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

There was no need for a title change here. The Miz is just getting started with his Intercontinental championship run and things look bright for him after his return to WWE television. Mysterio was a good challenger for this match but nothing beyond that.

Sheamus defeated Alberto Del Rio to retain the Heavyweight Championship.

I was a little disappointed to see Sheamus retain the title. Del Rio's work as a heel champion has been sharp in the past and would have enjoyed to see him with the belt once again. 

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated The Prime Time Players to retain the Tag Team titles.

This was another match I felt the WWE Tag Team titles needed to be switched. Although Kingston and R-Truth make an enjoyable tag team to watch, the Prime Time Players could have used the victory to gain some steam as champions. Nevertheless, the decision to keep the titles on Kingston and R-Truth was perfectly fine as well.

CM Punk defeated John Cena and the Big Show to retain the WWE Championship.

With the victory, it appears the Punk and Rock feud may very well be happening soon. There was no need to take the title off Punk and put it on Cena or the Big Show. It was interesting to see how the match ended with a restart by Raw General Manager AJ Lee, but the ultimate decision to keep Punk on course as champion is a good one.

Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H in a singles match.

Did the WWE throw a tongue twister at wrestling fans? I had a feeling Triple H would come away with his hand raised but with the loss, it appears fans might be seeing a retirement tease from the former world champion.