WWE SummerSlam 2016 Results: Top Takeaways from Latest PPV Event
Sunday's WWE SummerSlam 2016 was a packed show, loaded with matches between all the major performers on both Raw and SmackDown. Every championship in WWE was hanging in the balance, with a new world champion for Raw also set to be crowned.
All in all, five major matches went down over the course of the night. Sasha Banks defended her Women's Championship against Charlotte. AJ Styles challenged John Cena to one last clean fight to decide who the better man was.
Dean Ambrose put his WWE Championship on the line against Dolph Ziggler. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor battled for the Universal Championship. Then in the main event, Brock Lesnar fought Randy Orton for the first time at a major event.
With new and old blood mixing, the show had tremendous potential to change up WWE while also giving the company one of its biggest mainstream pay-per-view events to date. While the show did not quite live up to those lofty expectations, it certainly was a night of many moments.
In particular, there are a few significant takeaways from SummerSlam that will help to better understand the road ahead for WWE in the coming months.
The SmackDown Women's Division Is Finally Shaping Up
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During the WWE draft, it seemed clear that Raw was being given the best of the best in WWE, taking the top main eventers, tag teams and women. This left SmackDown scrambling to find enough performers to make up its own divisions.
The women's division in particular seemed to be lacking depth. However, SmackDown has shown far more savvy in using its talent since the very first show post-draft. Becky Lynch, Natalya, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Eva Marie have been given their own stories and rivalries.
However, the roster still lacked top performers. SummerSlam changed that with the return of Nikki Bella.
Joining SmackDown's female heels, Nikki instantly added a credible force to the division that should make it easier for SmackDown to potentially implement their own women's championship in due time.
While there is still more work to be done, the possibilities of a division now headlined by Lynch and Nikki gives far more hope to the women's evolution continuing on both brands.
Sasha Banks Must Learn to Protect Herself
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Speaking of the women in WWE, Banks and Charlotte once again put on a show together at SummerSlam, getting repeatedly creative as Charlotte relentlessly targeted Banks' injured back. It was easily one of the evening's best outings.
The problem that cropped up in this match, one that has been present in previous matches with Banks, is her reckless abandon. As good as Banks is, she seems to consistently reach a bit too far to make an impact, often hurting herself in the process.
At SummerSlam, a bad botch early in the match helped sell the story of Banks' back injury, and later Banks landed poorly again off a top rope headscissors reversal. While it is great to see the two attempt to stand out from the crowd, Banks' haphazard style could do more harm than good.
At only 24, Banks should have a long career ahead of her in WWE, where she can continue to help reshape fans' perception of women's wrestling. She will not get far, though, if she keeps taking unnecessary risks that lead to bad bumps.
AJ Styles Is on Course to Be the Top Star of SmackDown
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There are few things held sacred in WWE. Championships change hands on repeat. Wins and losses often boil down to 50-50 tradeoffs. However, one thing in wrestling that remains certain is that John Cena rarely loses matches cleanly.
When Cena does lose cleanly, fans take notice. It is a major event that puts over the victor. At SummerSlam, AJ Styles managed to defeat Cena straight-up in a fair fight. Despite being the heel, Styles never cheated in the bout, winning with a Phenomenal Forearm.
Wins like this make a wrestler a star. With SmackDown still in need of a real identity after the brand split, it certainly looks like Styles is going to be a major player in the brand's plans, and why wouldn't he be? Styles has been the MVP of WWE in 2016, putting on great matches with everyone.
His latest match with Cena easily stole the show, as the two put on a classic WWE main event showcase, trading finishers until the better man came out on top. While WWE Champion Dean Ambrose may still be set to feud with Dolph Ziggler or Bray Wyatt first, it would seem only right that Styles be the man who dethrones Ambrose and becomes the face of SmackDown.
WWE Has Committed to Finn Balor as a Top Star
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On July 19, Finn Balor was drafted to Raw as the fifth overall pick. One August 21, Balor became Raw's first universal champion. Regardless of the mixed reactions to the championship's name and look, it is the world championship of Raw, considered on par with being WWE champion.
Whether he was ready for such a huge spotlight or not is irrelevant now. Balor is now the champion of Raw, its face, and it certainly looks like he's set to hold it for awhile, given he defeated Seth Rollins cleanly to win the title.
The Irishman made a name for himself in Japan and was one of NXT's most accomplished stars, holding the NXT Championship a record 292 days. Still, Balor is now being asked to be more than he has ever been, and WWE seems confident in taking that leap with the main-roster rookie.
It is not often that WWE truly makes history, but Balor's rise to prominence is truly historic. Hopefully he can live up to such lofty expectations. There's no turning back now.
It Will Take a Monster to Defeat Brock Lesnar
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Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton was supposed to be an epic bout between legends of the Ruthless Aggression era. It was billed as The Beast vs. The Viper, Suplex City vs. Viperville. However, it ended up being a rather one-sided affair.
Lesnar demolished Orton, despite a few RKOs along the way that stunned him. The closing moments of the match saw Lesnar bust Orton open so bad that the match had to be called off. It was a truly brutal showcase of how dominant Lesnar's character still is in WWE.
Who can beat a wrestler who can do that to Orton? It's a question no one really knows the answer to at this point.
Lesnar has already faced most of the best WWE has to offer, from Cena to The Undertaker. All that's left is for WWE to begin truly building a beast to match The Beast, someone who can believably get on a similar roll to Lesnar's and not be beaten down and intimidated.
WWE seems quite confident in continuing Lesnar's roll, letting him destroy everyone in his path, but every story has to have an ending, as Lesnar proved when he first ended The Streak.
Hopefully WWE can find someone to be the monster who can beat the biggest monster in WWE today.
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