WWE SummerSlam 2016: Booking Decisions That Must Be Made at PPV
With the recent brand split, WWE has entered the New Era, and that makes every event more important than ever before, as the execution and results will help define WWE's direction for years to come.
Therefore, SummerSlam 2016—on top of already being the second-biggest show of the year—could be one of the most impactful WWE shows in recent memory.
With multiple money matches and championships hanging in the balance, SummerSlam must be booked correctly to rein in this new direction for the company. So many wrestlers' careers could be affected by this one event and the results that come from it.
As much as the talent can do its best with what it is given, a show is often affected by the booking decisions made backstage. If WWE cannot go in the correct direction to highlight its talent and brands, SummerSlam will fail, even if the wrestlers pull out their best performances.
While reactions to wrestling are often subjective, there are also clear moments of success and failure. These are tied directly to the booking.
Even the most tenured fans cannot easily quantify how great a match is, but it is easier to see how the writing and booking have failed to support the talent. Therefore, it is crucial that WWE puts serious effort into booking a show as big as SummerSlam.
These are the booking decisions that WWE needs to make at SummerSlam this year in order for the show to succeed and for the company to continue to move in a healthy direction in the New Era.
Gallows and Anderson Must End The New Day's Record-Breaking Reign
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The tag team division has grown significantly in the past few months with the debuts of Enzo Amore and Big Cass, The Vaudevillains and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
While the first two teams came up after several years working in NXT, Gallows and Anderson were signed and brought to the main roster instantly due to their experience and success—particularly in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The powerhouse performers dominated NJPW as a team, holding the IWGP Tag Team Championships three times. That is on top of their individual successes before they started teaming in 2013 as members of The Bullet Club.
These two have a dominating presence and impressive ability, which stem from years of experience all over the world.
Despite this, Gallows and Anderson have played the roles of lackeys for much of their time in WWE since they debuted shortly after WrestleMania. Getting thrown around by top guys like John Cena and Roman Reigns has put a spotlight on booking that made them out to be ineffective.
Luckily, they have been separated from those major stories and can now potentially dominate the tag team division.
The New Day is in a prime position to put over a tag team in a major way due to its 350-plus-day reign as WWE tag team champions, making it the longest-reigning tag team in history.
It is time for a change in the tag team division, and The New Day losing to Gallows and Anderson would help solidify the potential of these veteran powerhouses.
WWE Must Avoid Too Many Title Changes
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SummerSlam is dominated by championship matches this year.
The nine-match card already has every major championship being defended—from the United States title (champion Rusev vs. Roman Reigns) to the women's title (champion Sasha Banks battling Charlotte). There is even a new Universal Championship up for grabs between Seth Rollins and Finn Balor.
Since SummerSlam is a major event, WWE could feel the urge to have multiple title changes to make sure people are talking about the event.
However, that would only hurt many of the current champions, as well as their newly crowned challengers. Almost every title match on this card is a new feud that is just beginning to develop.
In particular, SmackDown is in need of credible champions, as WWE champion Dean Ambrose and intercontinental champion The Miz are just starting to make their marks as top members of the brand. While Dolph Ziggler is an accomplished veteran and Apollo Crews is an up-and-coming star, neither is ready to take up that mantle.
For Raw, it would be easy for WWE to throw the United States Championship on Reigns to keep him relevant, but Rusev has earned time to hold that gold.
This could extend to the clash between Rollins and Balor over the Universal Championship, as Rollins feels like the incumbent. It would be a mistake to throw Raw's top title on a newcomer over a proven veteran just for shock value.
Sasha Banks and Charlotte Must Get Main Event Time
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WWE has paid lip service to a revolution in the women's division for over a year now, but there have been only a few genuine moments where the women have been given the spotlight.
However, when the women have been given that time, they have excelled. This has been particularly true for the Women's Championship competitors at SummerSlam, Sasha Banks and Charlotte.
At WrestleMania 32, Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch were given 16 minutes to perform in a Women's Championship Triple Threat match, and they stole the show. Two weeks ago on Raw, Banks and Charlotte were given 16 minutes in a title match, and they stole the show once more.
While there are several top-level matches at this year's event, including Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton, John Cena vs. AJ Styles and two world championship matches, the women have proved themselves deserving of the opportunity to outshine every single one of those contests.
They just need to be given the time to perform.
Banks and Charlotte may not be on the level necessary to be in the main event over Lesnar or Cena just yet, but they deserve at least 16 minutes and the proper spotlight to allow them to perform near that same level.
This isn't just about treating the women fairly. It is about treating two wrestlers with the respect they have earned.
John Cena vs. AJ Styles Must Have a Decisive Finish
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It wasn't that long ago that the idea of Cena vs. Styles was a pipe dream, a matchup everyone knew could be great but had no chance of occurring.
Now we are in the midst of one of the best feuds of the year for WWE, with Styles and Cena knocking every promo out of the park. This rivalry has earned the hype it was given.
While Cena and Styles' match at Money in the Bank was a Match of the Year contender, the bout was somewhat hampered by a messy finish, as Gallows and Anderson got involved and handed Styles the victory. This finish hurt the story leading up to the contest, as well as Styles' credibility, as he was outmatched in the closing stretch.
While Styles has been a great heel since his turn, his alliance with The Club has made his bravado as one of the best in the business feel less than genuine.
This has always been a problem with heels in WWE, as the villains too often rely on the crutch of outside support to pick up wins, taking away their chances to convince fans of their credibility.
It is time to allow Cena and Styles to fight on their own. Even with SummerSlam being a cross-brand show, Styles should not get any support from The Club. This feud needs a clear winner and loser, and SummerSlam deserves to see these two put on their best performances.
Styles can use every solo heel trick in the book, but he must be allowed to win or lose on his own.
Brock Lesnar Must Defeat Randy Orton
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Since his return in 2012, WWE has booked Brock Lesnar as an unstoppable destruction machine. He has not gone undefeated, but he has left every major feud as the absolute victor. His reign of dominance has only been more pronounced since Lesnar defeated Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX, ending The Deadman's illustrious Streak.
Right now, there isn't a more indomitable force in WWE than Lesnar. This makes his appearances major attractions, with everyone looking for the man who can step up to The Beast.
WWE has a real opportunity to build someone up to overcome Lesnar definitively down the road, which will make that wrestler an instant star.
Randy Orton is a legend in the business and a definite WWE Hall of Famer. In many ways, Orton has overachieved. Despite two violations of the wellness policy and numerous attitude issues early in his career, Orton has become a 12-time world champion. He does not need any more notches on his belt to solidify his career.
Particularly with this looking like a one-off match, Orton cannot defeat Lesnar. It would take away from the moment when some young up-and-comer succeeds in dethroning The Beast down the line.
Hopefully they have a great match that reminds us why both wrestlers are legends, but it is not the time for Lesnar to take a loss.
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