WWE SummerSlam 2016: Results That Will Have Biggest Impact Moving Forward

WWE SummerSlam is in the books, and now the creative teams for Raw and SmackDown have their work cut out for them. 

Next month, WWE debuts brand-specific pay-per-views, meaning there's no more crossover storylines or questions about whether titles will serve dual roles on shows. It's up to the individual shows to come up with their own ways to manufacture storylines and angles, and see which brand comes out on top. 

SummerSlam was the beginning of that divergence. Creative teams from both shows will use the results from SummerSlam matches to form new angles that they hope will continue to draw fans to their shows, especially as the summer winds down and they compete with returning prime-time television shows and the NFL for ratings. 

Just which results will have the biggest impact moving forward? Let's take a look.

Finn Balor Injured on Way to Becoming WWE Universal Champion 

Sunday night was supposed to be the beginning of The New Era on Raw. WWE put all its eggs in the basket of Finn Balor, and the payoff was huge, red championship belt be damned. 

Then the other shoe dropped. 

After being photographed after SummerSlam wearing a sling, WWE announced on Monday afternoon that its newest champion had dislocated his shoulder during his match with Seth Rollins, and that further tests "yielded results earlier today showing a possible labrum tear.”  

Later that night, The Demon King relinquished his title after less than 24 hours as champ. 

The last four weeks have been an absolute wash for WWE Creative. A tremendous build and some amazing promo work by Rollins in the lead-up to SummerSlam has resulted little more than one good match. 

The new WWE Universal Championship, which received a less-than-stellar reception to begin its life, is once again a vacant title. Next week on Raw, a Fatal 4-Way match between Rollins, Big Cass, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns will decide the new titleholder.  

Whoever wins that match, however, will be an afterthought to many WWE fans. Most will be waiting patiently for Balor's return, when the Demon King can once again stake a claim to the top prize on WWE's flagship product. 

Charlotte Reclaims WWE Women's Championship, Sasha Banks' Hiatus and Bayley's Debut

Charlotte is now a two-time women's champion thanks to her efforts on Sunday night at SummerSlam. 

There is also a pre-planned hiatus for Sasha Banks to recover from some nagging injuries, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet. With The Legit Boss out of the title picture for the time being, Raw's women's division was searching for a new No. 1 contender to Charlotte's title.

So where does WWE turn? We found out the answer on Monday. And, to steal a line from Bobby Roode, it was glorious:

Bayley's debut on Raw couldn't have come at a better time. With Banks on the sidelines, the pickings for title contenders were slim. Summer Rae and Alicia Fox aren't viable contenders, and Dana Brooke is Charlotte's protege (for the time being).

That left recent NXT call-up Nia Jax, who hasn't wrestled a main-roster talent since her debut following the WWE Draft. While Jax has the makeup to be a threat to Charlotte, it would seem she would need some more seasoning in the ring before challenging for the title.

Bayley immediately jumps into a title scene that's hers for the taking. It will be interesting to see whether WWE uses NXT's formula for Bayley: The lovable underdog who scrapes her way to the top after a long and hard-fought climb. 

AJ Styles Defeats John Cena, Ready to Stake Claim as SmackDown's No. 1 Draw

With AJ Styles soundly and cleanly defeating John Cena at SummerSlam, the next logical move is challenging Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship. 

When you stare down The Face That Runs the Place and put on a Match of the Year contender, there's nowhere else to go. For diehard wrestling fans, it's a foregone conclusion, a decision that should have been made the minute Styles first stepped into a WWE ring.

Now, months removed from those epic battles with Reigns at the Extreme Rules and Payback pay-per-views, Styles' win against Cena finally legitimized him with the all-important casual fans. Beating John Cena isn't something everyone can do, especially in such convincing fashion. 

It doesn't make sense to have a Cena-Styles III a la his feuds with Rusev and Owens. Styles has won twice now. Dragging this feud on longer benefits no one, least of all Styles. It also doesn't benefit Ambrose, who could use a top-flight challenger to either legitimize his title reign or continually feud with to regain his underdog status. 

On SmackDown following SummerSlam, AJ Styles should be allowed to move on from Cena and on to greater things, including a shot at holding WWE gold for the first time in his illustrious career.