WWE SummerSlam 2019 Results: Reviewing Top Highlights and Low Points
Above all other programming, WWE should never falter when it comes to the "big four" events on the calendar, of which SummerSlam is arguably the second-most important after WrestleMania.
Events like SummerSlam 2019 have to be treated with care, as they are benchmarks for what is to come over the course of the next few months and set the tone with new storylines, champions and directions for the fall.
On paper, this card had lots of potential with matches such as Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton and Charlotte Flair against Trish Stratus, yet there were some underwhelming elements with Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor and some Superstars getting lost in the shuffle.
So how was WWE able to tie it all together? Did The Biggest Party of the Summer go off without a hitch, or were there too many party-poopers who stunk up the joint?
Presented in order of appearance, here is a breakdown of some of the highlights and low points of SummerSlam 2019.
Full Match Results
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WWE SummerSlam 2019 results
- Drew Gulak defeated Oney Lorcan by pinfall to retain the Cruiserweight Championship.
- Buddy Murphy defeated Apollo Crews by disqualification after Rowan attacked Murphy.
- Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defeated The IIconics by pinfall to retain the Women's Tag Team Championships.
- Becky Lynch defeated Natalya by submission to retain the Raw Women's Championship.
- Goldberg defeated Dolph Ziggler by pinfall.
- AJ Styles defeated Ricochet by pinfall to retain the United States Championship.
- Bayley defeated Ember Moon by pinfall to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship.
- Kevin Owens defeated Shane McMahon by pinfall.
- Charlotte Flair defeated Trish Stratus by submission.
- Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton fought to a draw.
- Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Balor by pinfall.
- Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar by pinfall to win the Universal Championship.
Highlight: SummerSlam Kickoff
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Normally, the kickoff drags on and doesn't have much substance to it. This time, though, WWE added a few extra things to the lineup to better utilize the time.
Drew Gulak's renewed vigor from the past few months was equaled by Oney Lorcan's hard-hitting bruiser style in a war of attrition for the Cruiserweight Championship.
While Apollo Crews and Buddy Murphy weren't able to have some grandiose fight, it was good to see Rowan attack Murphy in retaliation for having named him as Roman Reigns' attacker.
Edge's surprise appearance to spear Elias came out of nowhere, and since The Rated R Superstar is always a welcome addition to the card, that was one of the best moments of the night.
Last, but not least, the women's tag titles were thankfully on the line to give closure to The IIconics dropping the belts. Bonus points go to Alexa Bliss for channeling her inner Buzz Lightyear and referencing how ineffective his arm laser is.
Highlight: Raw Women's Championship Match
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Natalya only started to gain momentum over the past few weeks leading up to SummerSlam, and it was easy to write her off as having no chance in this match.
Inevitably, she did come up short, but she put up a good fight in the process, and at times, had Becky Lynch struggling to hold on to her title.
This was a solid opening contest and everything it needed to be, rather than setting a bad tone for the show to follow.
Natalya's loss didn't go over poorly with the Toronto crowd, and seeing The Man walk away limping, but still champion, was how this needed to end.
Highlight: Goldberg vs. Dolph Ziggler
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Given Goldberg's history of wrestling very short matches and completely dominating his opponents, this was never going to be some technical masterpiece.
But what made this particularly fun was not necessarily what happened during the match, but what followed.
After being destroyed, Dolph Ziggler writhed in pain and asked for a microphone so he could talk some trash about how Goldberg wouldn't want to fight him like a man.
This prompted Goldberg to hit him with another spear, but Ziggler still hadn't had enough. After he claimed anyone could get lucky twice, Goldberg speared him a third time to shut him up and make him eat his words.
What could have been a waste of a few minutes was a funny comedy segment that provided a little buffer between two more detailed matches.
Highlight: AJ Styles vs. Ricochet
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AJ Styles and Ricochet have had enough matches against each other by now that there wasn't much of a reason to buzz about this being anything we hadn't seen before.
Then, Ricochet pulls off a maneuver like stepping on the shoulders of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to get past them and give Styles a hurricanrana.
This should be the end of the feud, but at least Ricochet went out looking like a star, rather than just losing in a weak match.
In particular, the finish of the match was probably the best part, with The Phenomenal One catching Ricochet's jump off the ropes and flattening him with a Styles Clash.
Low Point: SmackDown Women's Championship Match
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Bayley's title defense against Ember Moon was the type of match that featured nothing at all offensive or awful, but not a single thing that was memorable, either.
Both Superstars are capable of much better than this, and have had matches of higher quality both in NXT and on the main roster, yet this wasn't their night.
Moon has looked weak in the build to this match and after losing clean, it's going to be hard to buy into her having any chance of winning a title any time soon.
This also really didn't do anything for Bayley for having beaten someone who wasn't on the championship level, so it was ultimately kind of a waste.
Had there been a surprise appearance by Sasha Banks or something to spice this up, that could have saved it from being mediocre.
Highlight: Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon
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Matches with careers on the line are hard to get into when you know a guy like Kevin Owens isn't really in jeopardy, but this match was a lot of fun!
Having Elias as the special guest enforcer brought a different element into play, as the odds were stacked in Shane McMahon's favor and Owens had a bigger obstacle to overcome.
Toying around with the potential of Owens being disqualified, only for him to be able to low-blow McMahon while the referee wasn't paying attention, was the perfect way to end the match.
Now, Owens has had a bit of revenge, retained his career, and came out of this segment looking even cooler and edgier.
Low Point: Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair
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"You've still got it" chanted the fans in attendance for some reason, as Trish Stratus wrestled a slow match against Charlotte Flair that felt longer than it actually was.
Obviously, some ring rust was to be expected but nearly everything about this was underwhelming, and it seemed like it got sloppy once the pace picked up, particularly in the first half of the match.
There was a nice hurricanrana spot, and Stratus used her yoga experience for a flexible Figure Eight, but there were also lots of weak holds and strikes.
This worked a lot better on paper than in execution, and if the WWE Hall of Famer was replaced with anyone on the current roster, people wouldn't be as quick to overrate it.
If this is the last match Stratus will ever have, it's a shame she couldn't go out in a classic.
Low Point: The End of Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton
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Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton had such a great story to tell for this match. It was an underdog tale of Kingston having to prove he's had the tools to be a main-eventer all along by exorcising one of the greatest demons from the past.
All that really needed to happen was for The Viper to be in charge and make it appear he has a superior pedigree, only for Kingston to grit through the pain and muster up the strength to win.
Instead, WWE decided this must be dragged out longer past SummerSlam, and the only way to do that would be with a non-finish, so they fought to a double count-out.
The crowd was not pleased with this at all, so this segment ended with disappointment, rather than cause for celebration.
Kingston has mostly had a fantastic title reign, but this was a rare misstep. Now, fans have to hope the next month heading toward Clash of Champions will be worth stretching this out and the end result will make up for this cop-out.
Highlight: Bray Wyatt's Entrance
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Personally, I'm of the opinion that this Bray Wyatt gimmick still isn't different enough to justify wanting to see a repeat Finn Balor feud, but for this particular night, it was hard not to enjoy The Fiend's entrance.
It was dark and disturbing, and the new rendition of the theme is much more fitting for this version of the character.
I'll still be the buzzkill and say that I don't think it will push him to the next level and earn him another world title in the future, nor am I now suddenly invested in his potential feuds just because of an entrance tweak.
However, I can't ignore that the crowd was chanting "that was awesome" and were super into it.
In the bubble of this show, this was cool. Several weeks and months from now, when it's no longer shocking and has become the norm, we'll see if it holds up or just becomes annoying.
For now, even I have to put it down as a highlight for standing out on the show.
Highlight: Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
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There are only two Brock Lesnar matches that ever happen: a two-move squash, or something where his smaller opponent has to strike with immense fury to stand a chance.
The good news is that this was one of the latter, meaning it was more than just German suplexes and an F-5, and it even ended with an absolutely shocking title change!
I've made it a point to be down on The Beast Incarnate as champion and have had zero interest in seeing him hold this championship for the next stretch of time until WrestleMania 36, so this was beyond a pleasant surprise.
Winning clean this time also helps Rollins stay claim to that Beast Slayer moniker, as there's no question about it anymore, since this victory wasn't tainted in the slightest bit.
This was a fantastic way to end the night, and going forward, it will be interesting to see where the Universal Championship scene goes.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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