WWE SummerSlam 2017: Brock Lesnar and Biggest Talking Points After Major Event

Brock Lesnar walking out of WWE's 2017 SummerSlam at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, personifies the lengths WWE went to keep fans guessing ahead of and during the event. 

Lesnar, stuck in a Fatal 4-Way with three of WWE's deadliest names and threatening to leave for good if he lost, escaped the winner on a night John Cena opened the show with a short match and several titles changed hands. 

With several notable feuds ending and more about to begin, it's clear hindsight will smile on most of the happenings in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday night. The ball is now fully rolling downhill toward the next set of pay-per-views in the hopes of closing out the year strong, though we won't have a full idea of where it's headed until the dust settles. 

Below, let's look at the results and highlight the biggest talking points. 

WWE SummerSlam 2017

(P) Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz vs. The Miz and The Miztourage

(P) Akira Tozawa vs. Neville (Cruiserweight Championship)

(P) The New Day vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)

John Cena vs. Baron Corbin

Naomi vs. Natalya (SmackDown Women's Championship)

Big  Show vs. Big Cass

Randy Orton vs. Rusev 

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks (Raw Women's Championship)

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins (Raw Tag Team Championships)

AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens (United States Championship)

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Championship)

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman (Fatal 4-Way, Universal Championship)

Bold indicates winner.

Biggest Talking Points 

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins

The partial reunion of The Shield is one of the best payoffs to a WWE story in a long time.

Sunday, there weren't any shenanigans with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins—they didn't have any unexpected clashes, instead simply working as the well-oiled machine of old that fans are more than familiar with. 

Kudos, of course, go to Sheamus and Cesaro for making it an enjoyable match and a great transition for the titles. An extra nod goes to the latter for his assault on a beach ball, both as one of the top moments of the night and a wake-up call to fans that they shouldn't miss what was happening in the ring. 

As they shouldn't have, because Ambrose and Rollins hoisting the titles opens up all kinds of new doors right away. There are high-profile teams for the two to feud with moving forward, and let's not forget both guys wore red ring attire—as did a guy by the name of Roman Reigns in the main event. 

In hindsight, Sunday night might go down as a special starting point for these two moving forward, especially if fans recall how dominant The Shield was over the course of its near two-year run. These two clearly don't need a third to take down the best tag group holding the titles, at least not yet. 

Jinder Mahal and Shinsuke Nakamura

Unexpected finishes lined the SummerSlam card by the end of the night, though none come close to Jinder Mahal besting Shinsuke Nakamura. 

The stage seemed set for Nakamura to take the WWE Championship and headline his SmackDown brand. His besting major names, including Cena cleanly, seemed like WWE's way of building him up as a major threat so everyone could get behind his winning. 

But Mahal clearly remains the bigger threat.

WWE is serious with Mahal. His finisher is deadly, and his outside support runs into roadblocks and keeps playing a part. We can argue about the merits of the Singh Brothers playing a part in most title matches right now, but it's getting a reaction from fans and making fans dislike Mahal even more.

The eventual payoff to Mahal losing the title will be a big moment, even if it seemed like it was coming Sunday night. And Nakamura has plenty of directions he can go as well, though it's hard to imagine he simply fades from the title scene after a quick ascension. 

As an aside, the match itself sans the result was fun because fans hadn't seen these two and their opposing styles in the ring before. The payoff wasn't necessarily there at the end, but there is plenty of room for these two to meet again and expand on it. 

Brock Lesnar and the Rest 

Lesnar remains the final boss. 

Paul Heyman threatening he and Lesnar would leave WWE was a nice swerve. Granted, Lesnar going out on a stretcher after being put through two tables and having another one thrown on top of him guaranteed his return to the match, but it in no way guaranteed he'd actually win. 

The sheer chaos of the match itself is easily the biggest talking point: 

WWE established a few key points in this nonstop battle. Lesnar is still Lesnar, and they're fine with the Universal Championship appearing every now and then on Raw. Braun Strowman is the only guy on equal footing with Lesnar. Samoa Joe is a smooth criminal who will always feel close to capitalizing on a situation and winning a title at any given night. Reigns is still Reigns, though he seems fit for more of an underdog role again as we start barreling toward the end of the year here. 

Other than the sheer entertainment value of the match itself, the endless possibilities stemming from the result won't stop holding the audience's attention. Lesnar and Strowman colliding seems the obvious choice and something WWE can't afford to wait long to execute. Reigns has the Shield connection. Joe, sly and believable as a force as he is, can slip in anywhere and contend for what he wants. 

Raw, over the next couple of weeks, will provide answers to the planned direction for everyone. But as a standalone match, this was a rarity, with WWE's most lethal putting on a show that fans wouldn't dare look away from throughout. 

As a main event should be. With things remaining the same, it's clear these four are just getting started.