Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.
This week, Dallas Allsopp, Greg Coleman and Ben Williams review WWE SummerSlam 2021.
SummerSlam 2021 was supposed to be the hottest show of the summer, however, it came across as nothing more than a damp squib. Which matches were the best and worst of the night? Has Bianca Belair been damaged? And just what is in store for Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns?
Question 1: Which match did you most enjoy? Which contest was the worst of the night?
ALLSOPP: Edge vs Seth Rollins was clearly the best match of the night, but in terms of pure enjoyment, I much preferred Bobby Lashley pummelling Goldberg half to death with a steel chair. Their match was awful and poorly paced, but the post match segment more than made up for this.
The worst match was simply Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie, which was an absolute shower of shit. This match didn’t even deserve to be on an episode of Raw, never mind disgracing one of the biggest shows of the year.
COLEMAN: The match that I enjoyed the most was Edge vs Seth Rollins. These two men have been delivering outside of the ring with their promos and creativity. Going back to the beginning of the 7 year story between Edge and Rollins and highlighting their similarities throughout their careers was excellent. Edge’s call back to The Brood to tap into a darker side he had locked away, but had been forced to go back to because of threats made by Rollins, was also excellent. Lastly, the right guy won as Edge needed a win in a high profile match to not become a legend who just shows up to put younger guys over, but instead is a living legend who fans could see have another title run.
The worst match of the night, and I use the word match loosely, was the 25 second assassination of Bianca Belair’s SmackDown Women’s Championship reign and her entire 2021. It was just terrible booking, embarrassing, and it’s a black eye for WWE. This was 10 times worse than what happened between Brock Lesnar and Kofi Kingston, and I feel terrible for Belair.
WILLIAMS: Edge vs Seth Rollins was an absolute show stealer for me! Considering the hype surrounding this match and the pressure they had on their shoulders to deliver, I think they definitely met fans expectations. From Edge’s brood entrance to Rollins’ consistent ability to put on great matches with just about anyone, this match was a rare glimmer of hope across a pretty dismal SummerSlam card.
The worst so called match of the night was probably either Alexa Bliss vs Eva Marie (I was willing to give this story a chance but wow that was rough), or Drew Mcintyre vs Jinder Mahal, which almost certainly should’ve occurred on Raw about a month ago, and was nowhere close to a pay-per-view level match.
Question 2: Should WWE have addressed Sasha Banks’ absence differently? Has Bianca Belair lost her credibility with such a decisive loss to Becky Lynch?
COLEMAN: Hell yes, WWE should’ve addressed Sasha Banks being out! What they should’ve done is actually have been professionals who moved with some professional integrity and announced that Banks wouldn’t be participating. Matches in combat sports get changed all the time. Ironically, a high level boxing match that was held on the same night had to be changed 11 days ago when Errol Spence couldn’t fight Manny Pacquiao due to injury. Fans then were allowed the freedom to decide if they cared about Pacquiao fighting Ugas, or if they would rather not order the pay-per-view because the main event changed. The minute they knew Banks wasn’t cleared and wasn’t going to perform, they should have made the announcement and pivoted!
Bianca Belair was in the midst of one of the greatest years any wrestler has ever had. In January, she won the women’s Royal Rumble, becoming the fourth woman to win the Rumble joining Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair. She also became the first black wrestler to win the Royal Rumble match in over 20 years. She went on to headline Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 against arguably the greatest women’s wrestler in the world today, who is also a black woman in Banks. Those two made history at WrestleMania 37, becoming the first time two black women have not only competed at WrestleMania for a Women’s Championship, but also only the second time in WrestleMania history that women closed the show. Belair followed up her title win by feuding with Bayley who is an all-time great like Banks, and is the first ever women’s Grand Slam champion in WWE history.
Oh, and then this Summer just as a trinket, Belair wins a freakin’ ESPY with Banks for their historical match at WrestleMania 37. Belair accomplished all of this over the past seven months, only to have Becky Lynch sucker punch her, give her a Rock Bottom, and end her reign in under 30 seconds. Andreas Hale of the Sporting News said WWE dimmed Belair’s light last night. I replied to him that they did something far worse than that: they cut her power off. I don’t see how Belair recovers from this. This was completely uncalled for. It was embarrassing. It was disrespectful. It was unfair to Belair. The irony of it is what happened to Belair was the exact illness that CM Punk referenced in his promo on AEW Rampage that forced him to leave WWE. Belair deserved better.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely, WWE should have addressed Sasha Banks absence differently! Whether they knew she would be unable to compete a week or an hour before the show started, the fact that they were still advertising the match literally as Bianca Belair was making her entrance was a disgrace. They clearly capitalised on the fact that Banks fans bring in a massive audience and allowed that fanbase to give its viewership to SummerSlam, just to be completely swerved at the last second. Belair has lost every ounce of credibility she worked so hard to build up in my eyes, as everything she achieved in 2021 has been virtually wiped clean after being completely squashed by a woman who isn’t a SmackDown competitor, has recently given birth, and is also supposed to be a top babyface. Do better WWE!
ALLSOPP: Of course! This was clear bait and switch, and was such a colossal fuck up! It was clear from her absence on SmackDown that Sasha Banks would not be appearing, but rather than set up an alternative in advance, Bianca Belair was fed to the wolves by a returning Becky Lynch. I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but WWE just ruined Belair’s character in less than 30 seconds.
Question 3: Brock Lesnar appears to have returned to WWE as a face to take on Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship. Is this an interesting dynamic for their feud, and should Lesnar be the guy to finally dethrone The Tribal Chief?
WILLIAMS: Whilst I can’t say I’m thrilled at the prospect of Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns again, the change in dynamic could potentially make for an interesting story if WWE decides to go in that direction. The addition of Paul Heyman will probably be the core to whether this feud is a massive fail as it has been before, or if it can be a legit money match come Extreme Rules.
ALLSOPP: I like the dynamic here, as a face Brock Lesnar is something we haven’t seen in years! However, there is no way in hell that he should defeat Roman Reigns. I fear that his return has been expedited by CM Punk debuting in AEW, which convinced me that Vince McMahon is going back to the well with Lesnar as WWE Universal Champion. Although he is not the worst candidate for the title, it should categorically not come at the expense of Reigns.
COLEMAN: Brock Lesnar shouldn’t be the guy who ends the reign of The Tribal Chief. That honour should go to someone who can use that moment to elevate themselves to new heights. It shouldn’t be given to someone who will just add it as another bullet point on their resume. Lesnar should lose to Roman Reigns, and then attack Reigns after the match to allow Big E to cash in and end the reign of The Tribal Chief to become WWE Universal Champion for the first time! The most interesting dynamic of the feud could be Paul Heyman turning on Reigns in favor of Lesnar.
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
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