TLC Match Raises the Bar Among Best and Worst WWE SummerSlam Night 2 Booking Results
The first two-night SummerSlam is officially over, and based on social media, every possible opinion has been expressed about it.
Most of Night 1 was predictable and uneventful aside from the conclusion to the main event when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on CM Punk moments after The Best in the World defeated Gunther for the world title.
Looking at the card on paper, it felt like Night 2 had more opportunities to create memorable moments.
As always, some booking decisions were better than others. Let's go through Night 2 and look at the best and worst of the bunch.
Best: WWE Does Away With Press Conferences
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This weekend, WWE opted not to do a post-show press conference with the media, which seems to be how things will be moving forward.
While these press events have produced some funny moments in the past, they have been largely inconsequential overall.
In addition to hard questions being dodged and ignored by management, half the wrestlers give answers in-character, which makes those asking questions part of the show instead of members of the media.
We get so many pre-PLE interviews with WWE Superstars that these post-show conferences rarely produce any new or buzzworthy quotes.
Unless these are going to be conducted without kayfabe playing a role, there was little point in continuing to do them. On top of that, the wrestlers can relax after matches instead of having to worry about answering the same questions over and over.
Best: Naomi's Dad Plays Her to the Ring Ahead of Successful Title Defense
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Night 2 opened with the Women's World Championship match featuring Naomi, Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley.
During the entrances, Naomi's father, guitarist Shawn McCray of the Derek Mack Band, played her to the ring.
After Night 1 ended without a single special entrance, it was great to see Naomi have this moment with her dad, especially on such a big stage.
The Glow has been on a roll in recent months. She won the women's Money in the Bank ladder match, successfully cashed in to win the title and has now opened Night 2 of the first ever two-day SummerSlam alongside her dad.
What followed the entrances was a fantastic Triple Threat match between three of the best WWE has to offer. It felt like this trio of competitors had something to prove, and they succeeded in making sure their match stood out this weekend.
Not only did Naomi have a great entrance, but she also retained her title by pinning Ripley, cementing herself as a worthy champion.
Best: Everything About the TLC Match
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The tag titles on SmackDown have changed hands a few times over the past two years, which has helped make its tag team division feel like the most competitive in WWE.
Sunday night, six of those teams competed in a TLC match with The Hardy Boyz and The Dudleys sitting at ringside to watch the stipulation they made famous 25 years ago.
DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, The Street Profits, Fraxiom and the duo of Andrade and Rey Fenix challenged The Wyatt Sicks in a chaotic contest with 12 competitors in and around the ring causing damage with anything they could find.
Not only did all 12 men take a lot of punishment, but so did Candice LeRae, B-Fab and other members of the Wyatts.
It was mayhem from start to finish, which made it one of the most entertaining things we saw all night. There wasn't a single person who brought less than 100 percent to the ring for this contest.
The Wyatt Sicks retained the titles in the end, but everyone came away from this match having put on one of the best performances of the weekend.
Worst: Too Much Filler
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We have gotten used to WWE events having a little time between each match, but it used to mostly be used to play a video package to hype the next bout.
Now, the company treats it like a commercial break on a regular episode of any of its TV shows.
The product placement was at an all-time high this year. We had logos on the ring, Superstars filming commercials, pre-recorded videos, and just about anything else you could imagine.
Fans in attendance probably enjoy having ample opportunities to go to the bathroom, get snacks and buy merchandise; but for the rest of us watching at home, all of the excess just made the show feel an hour longer than it needed to.
It's even worse if you aren't on the premium tier of Peacock and have to watch regular commercials while the rest get to see hype videos for the matches. Sadly, this probably won't end anytime soon since WWE seems to be making money hand over fist these days.
Best: Booking Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria After TLC; Worst: Those Darn Zip Ties
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Lyra Valkyria and Becky Lynch have had a few matches before this weekend, and the former was one of the few people with a winning record against the latter.
They had the unfortunate task of following an incredible TLC match, but they were fighting without countouts and DQs being a factor, so it allowed them to use some weapons to keep the energy high.
Usually, any bout booked after something like the TLC match we got would suffer greatly, but it was smart to put another hardcore-style contest with fewer competitors so it was a more gradual decline from mayhem back to normal wrestling.
However, there was one moment that stuck out in a bad way. Lynch used zip ties to cuff Valkyria's hands together, and it worked fine for a few minutes.
Then, her hands came free and she willingly put them back in the zip ties in an attempt to cover up the mistake. Unfortunately, the camera was focused right on her at the time, so it was clear when her hands were separated.
This may have been easily covered up had the camera angle been different, but both women worked hard to ensure the rest of the match was great.
Even with Bayley's help, Valkyria was unable to get the win, which means she can never challenge for the IC title while Lynch holds it.
Worst: More Overbooked Bloodline Stuff
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Jacob Fatu vs. Solo Sikoa inside a steel cage would have been worthy of main-eventing its own show, so the fact that WWE felt the need to book yet another interference finish was frustrating.
We all know heels in groups rely on their stablemates a lot. It's been the case for decades, but occasionally you need to let someone shine on their own in order to truly get over.
Sikoa is an incredibly talented guy, and so is Fatu. They didn't need Jimmy Uso, JC Mateo, Talla Tonga and Tanga Loa around to add any drama.
Had this match ended with a definitive winner and no shenanigans, it would have helped solidify Sikoa as a top singles star who can still defeat the toughest competitors on his own. Instead, it feels like just another random match in their story.
Best: Cody Rhodes Wins Clean
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The main event of Night 2 featured Cody Rhodes challenging John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Leading into the bout, Cena seemingly turned babyface during Friday's SmackDown when he said he bought into someone else's idea and wants to go out the right way.
This was the fourth match in a row with a special stipulation following a TLC, No DQ and steel cage matches. The two men had a lot of pressure on them to make this as exciting as most of the others were, but they also had to tell their own story and not just rely on chaos and violence.
They managed to outdo their previous performance in a lot of ways, and the stipulation definitely helped because it gave them a lot more freedom.
A lot of people suspected Cena's face turn would be a ruse, but it wasn't. Rhodes won this match clean to regain the Undisputed WWE Championship. Cena even avoided using the title belt as a weapon when he had the chance.
Even though the face turn felt rushed, this was the only way to make everyone believe it was real. He put Rhodes over in a brutal match that saw both men take multiple finishers. They ended with a hug and a genuine show of respect, but that was not the end of the show.
As Cena was about to leave the ring, Brock Lesnar's music hit and he made his way to the ring. This is going to be a controversial decision among fans for a number of reasons.
The Beast Incarnate went after the 17-time champion and hit an F-5 to end the show, which is setting up a showdown between them before Cena's time is done.
Worst: Brock Lesnar Returns
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Ending the show with the return of a former champion would usually be a great way to begin the build for the next big event. But this time was different.
Brock Lesnar is a polarizing figure for a lot of reasons. He has been booked stronger than any wrestler ever should be, yet the biggest reason a lot of fans are unhappy to see him back is his involvement in a pending lawsuit involving Janel Grant, Vince McMahon and WWE.
At a time when WWE had just pulled off a magnificent main event to cap off a successful two nights that reshuffled the deck up and down the roster, this felt completely unnecessary. Now WWE opens itself up to plenty of backlash its decision.
Instead of Cena working with a couple of young, deserving talents on his way to retirement, he is going to reignite a feud nobody was asking to see again.
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