WWE SummerSlam 2012 Review: Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar Saves Lackluster PPV

Everyone knew that SummerSlam was going to be a one-match show. Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H was the only thing on the card that was really going to draw people in.

Looking back on the show, if you paid for Lesnar vs. Triple H, you got your money's worth. 

The unfortunate thing is, the WWE has fallen into this trap of building shows around one match all too often. Therefore, there is always so much pressure on that single match to be an all-time classic. If it isn't, the show ends up feeling like a huge letdown. 

SummerSlam started out promisingly, with Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler having a good match. Things fell off dramatically after that, even though there was nothing that was bad. 

There was just a lot of matches. Some felt like they could have been on Raw, and none of them felt like they mattered. When you don't have something that matters, the crowd isn't going to react. 

Even the Triple H-Lesnar match didn't completely have the crowd, but the way those two told the story was really very good. I don't think it was an all-time classic SummerSlam match that will be remembered for years, but it was exactly what it needed to be. 

Since returning to the company, Lesnar has been positioned as a monster heel who can and will destroy anything and everything that stands in his way. His match with John Cena at Extreme Rules was the perfect re-introduction for his character—at least until he was beaten—and he continued that in this match. 

The WWE has so many guys on the roster who all work the exact same style. Some stars can work it better than others, but for the most part, you know what you are getting when you turn on a WWE match. 

Instead of turning Lesnar into a WWE guy, he has been given the freedom to be the vicious mixed martial artist who can steamroll anyone that gets in his way. 

Give credit where credit is due to Triple H, who has made his name by burying talent for years. He could have put himself in a position to be Lesnar's equal and go over at the end. Instead, Lesnar controlled the match in dominating fashion. Aside from a few offensive flurries here and there, Triple H gave Lesnar the big rub he needed. 

It was great storytelling, even if it wasn't a great match. The WWE can now start building Lesnar toward a WrestleMania showdown with the Undertaker, or possibly bring him back for something at Survivor Series. 

Regardless of where it goes, Lesnar and Triple H saved SummerSlam because of their ability to construct a story and follow through with it in exciting fashion. 

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