WWE SummerSlam 2015: Rebooking Full Card from PPV
The writing team got in its own way at WWE SummerSlam 2015, hampering a thrilling pay-per-view with convoluted climaxes.
Fans should be talking about the great performances that Seth Rollins, John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Undertaker delivered at the marquee event, but instead the discussion has largely been about SummerSlam's narrative misfires. WWE got away from pro wrestling basics in the PPV's main events and missed some opportunities to elevate stars during the midcard bouts.
Re-imagining the outcomes and the story arcs of the 10 SummerSlam clashes is an exercise in seeing what worked and what didn't on Sunday night. It's a chance to explore what might have been had WWE Creative not overthought things.
In this alternate universe, the timekeeper doesn't play a major role in a battle of behemoths and a TV show host's fandom doesn't decide the fate of two WWE championships. The warriors do the storytelling instead.
Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Championship
1 of 10
Winner: The New Day
SummerSlam should have kicked off with this match rather than Randy Orton vs. Sheamus. It's fine to have Orton and Sheamus slug it out in a methodically paced battle—just don't use it as the opener.
The faster, often dizzying action of a tag team title match is the better option to get SummerSlam rolling.
WWE was smart to have The New Day win via trickery. As a result, they come out looking crafty and irritate the crowd with what feels like a cheap victory.
The biggest change would be to have Big E and Kofi Kingston leave more destruction in their wake. These kinds of slippery heel characters work best when they mix in underhanded tactics and displays of viciousness.
In a rebooked version of the bout, Big E leaves Kalisto in need of medical attention after slamming him on the guardrail, and Xavier Woods knocks out Fernando with a cheap shot. The now two-time champs can then leave fans with a memory of their slyness as well as the danger they pose.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
2 of 10
Winner: Rusev
Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev was one of the most disappointing matches at SummerSlam. For one, it focused far more on the love-story element of the feud and didn't play up Ziggler's quest for revenge. Rusev crushed The Show Off's trachea; that should have led to a far more intense collision.
Rather than go the usual Ziggler-takes-a-pounding route, WWE should have had him come out on fire.
Ziggler spends much of the action whipping The Bulgarian Brute, with his fury overflowing. That anger and desire for payback is his undoing, though. Ziggler is unfocused and out of control, and that leads to him nearly getting disqualified a few times.
While arguing with the referee at one point, Ziggler takes a superkick to the jaw. Rusev unveils a new pinning finisher (a variation on Vance Archer's Curtain Call perhaps?) and gets the three-count.
Rusev hopes his win impresses Lana. When she slaps him instead, Summer Rae goes on the attack.
That scenario delivers a definitive finish rather than the underwhelming double count-out that WWE went with. There's still a path to a rematch as Ziggler would still look for revenge and has reason to believe he can get it next time around, if he can just get his emotions in check.
Randy Orton vs. Sheamus
3 of 10
Winner: Sheamus
Having Sheamus win was the right move. Randy Orton can afford a few losses at this point. Establishing The Celtic Warrior as a real threat should be WWE's priority in this feud.
After all, he's all but guaranteed a WWE title run in the next year thanks to his Money in the Bank contract. The stronger he looks now, the more believable and credible he would be as the champion.
A smart change in how the action unfolded, though, would be to give the fans the thrill of seeing Orton hit his famous finisher.
Just as the bell rings, The Viper nails Sheamus with the RKO. The Irish bruiser just happens to have his momentum send him to the edge of the ring, and he rolls out to the floor, escaping a quick defeat.
And rather than have Jon Stewart muck up the WWE title bout, this is the place to insert him.
After Sheamus gets the win, he continues to assault Orton. While he stomps on his foe, Stewart comes out with a steel chair in hand and looks to help out. He smacks Sheamus across the back with the weapon, which only draws a grin from the heel.
WWE could then garner some heat for Sheamus and some buzz in the media afterward with The Celtic Warrior knocking out Stewart.
Stephen Amell and Neville vs. Stardust and King Barrett
4 of 10Winner: Stephen Amell and Neville
WWE largely nailed the booking here. The celebrity guest star got the win, which is the more satisfying story. Amell also provided a major moment for the event when he dove off the top turnbuckle onto King Barrett and Stardust.
This bout needs some tweaking rather than a full rebooking.
It should have focused more on Amell and Stardust's animosity. And Stardust could have come out of it looking more like a maniacal, fearsome villain.
A reworked version of the clash would have Stardust tie up Amell in the ropes and cackle in his face. The Prince of Dark Matter pulls out a superhero mask and slips it over the actor's head, mocking him. At one point, Barrett holds Amell's leg still as Stardust climbs to the top rope.
It looks as if the face-painted freak is going to break Amell's leg, but Neville steps in just in time for the save.
Keep the ending of Neville pinning Barrett. Amell shouldn't go over any Superstars, impressive athleticism or not.
The Miz vs. Big Show vs. Ryback (Intercontinental Championship)
5 of 10Winner: Ryback
Ryback retaining the Intercontinental Championship was not nearly as memorable as it could have been.
Having The Miz play the scavenger looking to steal a win after the two powerhouses knocked each other out was the right move. But WWE missed an opportunity by not exploiting Ryback's injury.
In the pre-show, Byron Saxton talked up how The Big Guy's knee is not 100 percent. WWE simply didn't use that subplot.
The Miz should have gone after the champ's leg early. The announcers could play up how Ryback came back too early and how dangerous it was for him to climb into the ring with these two predators before he was fully healed.
Ryback then spends much of the match limping and battling on one leg. Outside the ring, he slams Big Show through a table. Inside of it, he hits a one-legged Shell Shocked on The Miz for the win.
This version of the title match has Ryback look gutsier and makes his win feel more significant.
Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper
6 of 10
Winner: Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper
For a man who promises so much destruction and chaos, Wyatt sure doesn't win a lot.
WWE hurts the monstrous aura he creates in his promos by having him continue to fall to his foes. It makes more sense to build him up as unstoppable force, a la a backwoods Brock Lesnar.
SummerSlam was a chance to do just that.
A re-imagined "family versus family" match unfold with Wyatt and Harper dominating. They have a hammering blow ready to counter Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose's big moves. They frustrate the babyfaces, causing some tension between them.
That opens the door for Reigns to tease a heel turn. After colliding with Ambrose and nearly losing because of it, Reigns balls up his fist and glares at his own partner.
The split never comes. Instead, The Wyatt Family picks Reigns and Ambrose apart, helped out by the fan favorites' surprising lack of chemistry for the night. Then when WWE unveils Braun Stowman as the newest member of the Wyatt clan, it's an already strong team getting stronger, not a reactionary move by a group familiar with defeat.
As a bonus, WWE keeps Wyatt's SummerSlam record clean at 3-0. The company can choose to play up that streak at some point—something it can't do in reality thanks to Wyatt's loss on Sunday.
Seth Rollins vs. John Cena (United States and WWE World Heavyweight Titles)
7 of 10
Winner: Seth Rollins
SummerSlam got quirky rather than compelling at the close of Rollins vs. John Cena. Jon Stewart worming his way into the action came out of nowhere and hurt the impact of Rollins' win.
Before that, Cena and Rollins put on a fantastic show. To improve the bout overall, the best bet is to keep everything the same up until the point where Stewart wandered in armed with a steel chair.
Insert Sheamus instead. It makes more sense for him to get involved as the opportunist in search of gold.
The Celtic Warrior arrives when both Rollins and Cena are flat on their backs—drained, worn down and vulnerable. Just as Sheamus is about to hand the briefcase over, Cena snatches it from his hands and throws it outside the ring.
Sheamus goes to retrieve it, but Cena's old friend and New York native Zack Ryder rushes out to pick up the briefcase before darting back into the locker room. Sheamus chases him; the action in the ring continues uninterrupted from that point on.
Rollins eventually outlasts Cena, having to hit him with the Phoenix Splash to get the win.
This way the match gets some extracurricular action but not something that steps on the climax. Rollins' win is more meaningful. And as a bonus, Ryder likely earns a big hometown pop for his actions.
PCB vs. Team Bella vs. Team B.A.D. (Elimination)
8 of 10Winner: Team B.A.D.
Start this three-way contest out with an all-out brawl. All three teams stare one another down, and a chaotic scene soon unfolds.
That would have given this match the fire it lacked.
And things should have never really calmed down. Often during the bout, there should have been action outside of the ring as well as the official stuff between the ropes.
This was supposed to be a war of three factions, a struggle for dominance. The real version felt too ordinary.
Giving Team B.A.D. the win sets up a Sasha Banks vs. Nikki Bella showdown. Banks is the hottest act in the division right now. She's been tremendous in the ring, and fans are beginning to chant her name in matches that she isn't in.
But this match should also have resulted in other feuds developing. Should Naomi and Charlotte slug it out in the stands, there's a chance to exploit that individual rivalry afterward. Have Alicia Fox eliminate Becky Lynch with an unseen foreign object to open the door for them to feud as well.
This bout should have been the catalyst for a number of new collisions—the river from which several narrative tributaries emerge.
Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro
9 of 10
Winner: Kevin Owens
This went down just as it should have. There's no need to adjust a thing.
Owens regained momentum after losing to John Cena twice in a row. His win followed a hard-fought battle. He leaves SummerSlam looking dangerous and disrespectful and goes back to being an emerging star moving upward.
Cesaro, meanwhile, didn't exactly get steamrolled. It was an even battle that went nearly 15 minutes.
WWE can now have Owens move on to a new challenge (one of the midcard titles, maybe?) or opt for Cesaro vs. Owens II. That second choice promises to lead to more excellence.
The rebooked SummerSlam leaves Owens vs. Cesaro alone. It's the bout that WWE got right.
Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker
10 of 10
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Main events, at SummerSlam or otherwise, shouldn't end with the timekeeper and the referee standing on center stage. The bout shouldn't leave fans feeling either confused or pissed off.
That's what happened with Lesnar vs. Undertaker. A physical, dramatic matchup tailed off at the end with some overwrought booking.
Throw out that entire controversial ending. Instead, this alternate version of SummerSlam lets the titans clash, no trickery needed.
Undertaker plays the desperate, aging gladiator who realizes that he just can't beat The Beast Incarnate. He pounds Lesnar with his best strikes. He hits him with a Tombstone Piledriver.
Lesnar is woozy and worn out but won't stay down.
The Deadman collides with the referee at one point. It's not clear whether it's on purpose, but the announcers throw out that possibility. With the ref down, Undertaker hits a low blow. It looks as if that is how he'll win, but he instead just gets a near-fall.
And in an inverse of what really happened, Undertaker gives Lesnar the finger as he is locked in the kimura. The Phenom passes out; medical personnel converge to work on his now-injured arm.
This way, WWE can explain Undertaker going into hibernation again. If the company wants to go with a third chapter at WrestleMania, you should get one last crack and end his career by finally felling the Beast.
To give him the victory as early as SummerSlam drains the significance of the one he could have at WrestleMania before he rides off into the proverbial sunset.
Lesnar remains a fearsome, unstoppable force for now. He can add breaking Undertaker's arm to his resume. And a flailing gunslinger resorting to cheap shots is a sadder, more compelling story than one centered on a bell ringing too early.
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