WWE SummerSlam 2017 Results: Twitter Reacts to Braun Strowman, Top Moments

Sunday night, WWE presented SummerSlam 2017, a bloated pay-per-view presentation that ran six hours, featured five championship changes and a Match of the Year candidate in the main event.

After a long, somewhat sluggish show full of questionable booking decisions, Twitter came alive for the Fatal 4-Way Elimination match for the Universal Championship that saw Brock Lesnar successfully defend against Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe.

Another Breakout for Braun Strowman

When all is said and done, the biggest story of 2017 may well be the sudden ascension of Strowman to the top of professional wrestling. Sunday night, Twitter exploded following his physically intense, surprisingly dominant manhandling of Brock Lesnar.

Twitter user and WWE fan David Patterson had the best take on Strowman's once-sided ass-kicking of the champion.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful delivered one of the finest tweets of the night, comparing Strowman overturning the announce table on Lesnar to a memorable moment from both classic literature and film.

Podcasters The New Age Insiders were quick to label the bearded wonder the GOAT.

WWE digital content host Cathy Kelley was, as many were, in awe of The Monster Among Men.

"

Cannot take my eyes off the monitors. Braun is not even human  #Summerslam

— Cathy Kelley (@catherinekelley) August 21, 2017"

When the finish came and Strowman was not, in fact, the winner, veteran wrestling writer Scott Fishman made his disappointment apparent.

While his analysis of Reigns is questionable, to say the least, Bleacher Report's Donald Wood supported the idea that Strowman stood head and shoulders above his peers in Sunday's blockbuster main event.

In a year that has seen a great change from WWE, with emphasis on new faces such as Jinder Mahal, Shinsuke Nakamura, Alexa Bliss and even Jason Jordan, Strowman has seized the opportunity presented to him and took one step closer toward immortality and championship glory.

Main Event Quality

To say the overly long SummerSlam broadcast needed an exclamation point to save it from the doldrums of mediocrity was an understatement the size of Strowman's neck muscles. Luckily, the big man and his three opponents delivered a wild and chaotic classic that had Twitter in a tizzy.

Las Vegas Fight Shop bluntly heaped praise upon it.

Former WWE, WCW and ECW star Lance Storm applauded the bout.

So did one-half of NXT's Iconic Duo, Peyton Royce.

Cageside Seats compared the main event of SummerSlam to a match one might see elsewhere on the WWE schedule, while Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin turned to Strowman to emphasize his pleasure with the match.

Former WWE champion and Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, veteran of so many classic brawls, was enthusiastic in his praise for the bout.

B/R's Kevin Berge, Attitude Era scribe Vince Russo, NXT commentator Mauro Ranallo and insider Bryan Alvarez were just a few of the others who were vocal in their appreciation for the demolition derby that was the marquee bout.

Heading into the event, the most buzz revolved around the main event. For the show to truly be a success, that match would have to wow the audience and provide it with the type of physical warfare the audience had come to expect from the talent involved.

It did and, in the process, delivered the first truly phenomenal main roster headliner of the year. It also presented a different type of performance from Lesnar, as WrestlingInc.com and established promoter, on-air personality and television host David Herro pointed out.

Simply put, four elite performers delivered when the lights were brightest, the stage its biggest, and the result was an unforgettable brawl. 

Jinder Mahal Retains the WWE Championship

Mahal successfully retained the WWE Championship—one of few titleholders to do so—defeating Shinsuke Nakamura under more-than-controversial conditions Sunday night.

The outcome left some fans unenthused.

Former Cryme Tyme member JTG was likely thrilled by the decision if this pre-match tweet was any indication.

Others...not so much.

Either way, fans are still reacting to the improbable run, buying The Modern Day Maharaja more time with the gold around his waist.

Awakening The Demon

"The Demon" Finn Balor returned Sunday night as the former Universal champion battled Bray Wyatt.

Noted analyst, podcast personality and longtime fan Kris Zellner was impressed by WWE's patience with the re-emergence of the alter ego.

NXT star, the other half of the Iconic Duo, Billie Kay was simply happy to see the entrance back on WWE Network.

Artist Randi Laing brought the funny, providing some light in an otherwise dark match between two supernatural entities.

Or something like that.

Cesaro vs. The Beach Ball

What happens when a seriously dedicated wrestler catches wind of an obnoxious fan introducing a beach ball in the stands?

He stops mid-match, runs into the audience, grabs the damn thing and tears it to shreds live on pay-per-view.

Cesaro did just that during Sunday's Raw Tag Team Championship match that saw him and Sheamus drop the gold to Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

Twitter praised the heroic efforts of The Swiss Superman.

And rightfully so.

Cesaro: stopping beach ball-toting tomfoolery before it begins.