Roundtable: SummerSlam 2019

Which match are you most looking forward to?

David Gibb: Nothing jumps off this card as must-see, but I’m definitely intrigued by Kofi Kingston facing Randy Orton with the shoe finally on the other foot.

Chad Gelfand: I’ve waited 10 years for Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton to have another feud and so far it’s absolutely delivering. The promos have been on point. The video packages for both competitors have been fantastic. They’re setting this match up to be the ultimate battle of good vs. evil and based off all of that, it should main event the show.

Matthew Smith: This doesn’t feel like the biggest party of the summer. No match really jumps off the page for me. Kofi vs. Orton would be my pick. Kofi has been a great babyface champ, but if they really want to add some depth to his character, have Randy win the title to see if we can get a real fire out of Kofi chasing Orton for weeks to reclaim the title.

Sam Gladen: Bayley vs. Ember Moon for the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Ricochet vs. AJ Styles for the United States Championship. Both of these matches should be high workrate contests with a few incredible spots peppered in. Ricochet and Ember are the perfect opponents to show that Bayley and AJ can still tap into that X factor that made the WWE Universe rally behind them so hard in the early days of their runs.

Anthony Mahalis: I don’t think this is a very good card for, probably, the second biggest show of the year. The Kevin Owens and Shane storyline has been good, though, so I’m looking forward to see how it plays out. In terms of matches, I have to go with AJ Styles vs. Ricochet.

Juan Bautista: Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio. The stipulation being hair vs. mask could mean this is Mysterio’s retirement match. During a year hampered by injuries, this could be an opportunity to allow Andrade to take charge as the next great Hispanic wrestler.

Neal Wagner: The match between Orton and Kofi for the WWE Championship. It’s a good storyline being told for a bit and good that they tied back to an incident from 10 years ago. It’s almost full circle for Kofi’s singles career.

Steven Jackson: AJ Styles vs. Ricochet. These are two of the greatest wrestlers in the industry, and seeing them tear it up on a massive show like SummerSlam is going to be amazing!

John Corrigan: Charlotte vs. Trish Stratus is the only match that has me considering signing up for WWE Network again.

Jack Goodwillie: Three matches have been well booked and might just be the product of the WWE’s recent changes in creative. If that is indeed the case, we’ll take it as a small victory. Of course, I’m talking about Becky Lynch vs. Natalya, Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton and AJ Styles vs. Ricochet. The latter match is less about story for me and more about what both men can do on this size of a stage, but the buildup has been rock solid for the former two championship matches as it really seems the talent have taken matters into their own hands. I don’t think I’ve ever cared about a Natalya match this much and while I still believe Kingston to be a weak champion, it doesn’t hurt at all to rehash his last great storyline under very different circumstances. If I could only see one though, I’d probably say Kingston-Orton. If it were up to me, I’d do a non-finish in Lynch-Natalya to keep the story going, but the fact that it’s a submission match means it might just be a one-and-done.

How do you feel about The O.C.?

Gibb: Never watched it. My wife was a fan, though.

Gelfand: I love the trio of AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows and maybe they can add Finn Balor down the line. However, that name just makes me think of a mid-2000’s teen drama on Fox. Californiaaaa…

Smith: Just a couple of good brothers doing good brother things. It feels good to have a faction with some power back on Raw, besides the reunion burial, they have been booked very strong. I do hope after SummerSlam we can move away from the Usos and let the Machine Gun and Luke mix it up with some new faces.

Gladen: I would feel better about them if they hadn’t already tried this with Balor back at their debut and then dropped it when it didn’t immediately work. I don’t think WWE does well when trying to capitalize on the things that worked for other promotions. Vince McMahon works best when creating his own thing. It can get over, but only if they give the guys the time and creative freedom to make it not just the Bullet Club Lite.

Mahalis: Don’t like the name, but love that they are together and have titles. It’s long overdue.

Bautista: So far, so good from an in-ring perspective, but I’ll wait until Mania to see how it plays out. The name absolutely sucks.

Wagner: The O.C. is the same as it was when The Club was running around three years ago. They have titles now to back them up and a renewed attitude and contracts with the management support system finally behind them. They need a Finn Balor inclusion to finish off the job.

Jackson: I’m really digging The O.C. Gallows, Styles and Anderson have always had flawless chemistry, and their recent work has really engaged me back into WWE. I’m excited to see what is to come.

Corrigan: While anything can be reheated in pro wrestling, the damage has been done for Gallows and Anderson. I see them as nothing more than AJ Styles’ bodyguards at this point. As for Styles’ heel turn, I dig it.

Goodwillie: The best teen drama of its time. Did you know that Chad Michael Murray was originally intended to play Ryan Attwood, but ended up signing on with The WB to star in One Tree Hill instead? I thought Josh Schwartz did a masterful job of writing in humor and levity to some serious storylines and in a weird way, Marissa Cooper dying was the best thing to happen to the show. Oh, wait… you’re talking about The Original Club? Well, that’s not so bad either. It’s a worse O.C. than the teen drama, make no mistake, but it’s nice to see Gallows and Anderson in that spot. They can certainly handle it.

Do you consider Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte a dream match?

Gibb: Not particularly, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it as a SummerSlam attraction either. I’m interested to see what they do.

Gelfand: I never really thought of it as a dream match. I was much more interested in a Sasha Banks/Trish Status match rather than one with Charlotte. That being said, the match should be really good, so I’m looking forward to it.

Smith: Since it kinda came out of nowhere, not really. Am I excited for the match? Hell yeah.

Gladen: I didn’t think so at first, but after thinking about it, I do. I realize most of my issue with Charlotte is that she wins all the damn time, which doesn’t diminish the fact that she’s incredibly talented and will go down as the best women’s wrestler of this generation. I see it as a sort of passing the torch from one generation to another.

Mahalis: Dream match maybe gets overused. This could be a very good match, but if it never happened, I wouldn’t be all that bothered. It will be cool to see Trish back in the ring, though.

Bautista: It’s definitely a clash of generations, but not on the same level as others. The problem with labeling this a dream match is that the company has pushed it – not the fans.

Wagner: Yes, it’s a good match between the 2000s’ biggest female athlete vs. the 2010s’ biggest. Trish at least seems like she’ll still have a few more good matches left in her and Charlotte could have a good match with anybody. It’s time for Charlotte to do this match, then start mixing it up with the men a little bit.

Jackson: Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair is most definitely a dream match! The two most important female wrestlers in WWE history squaring off at SummerSlam is about as much of a dream match as you could get! It might just steal the show.

Corrigan: It’s the only match I want to see at SummerSlam. I just wish there was more buildup than a week and a half.

Goodwillie: Imagine telling someone going into this year that Goldberg and Trish Stratus would be on the SummerSlam card. Now, is it a dream match? If you have to think about it, then it’s probably not a dream match. Charlotte hasn’t done anything meaningful since WrestleMania and it’s BECAUSE WWE is so keen on repeatedly cooling her down that fans question her being in high-leverage situations, having special WrestleMania entrances and SummerSlam matches with Trish Stratus. And as for Trish, the only motivating factor for doing this has to be a substantial paycheck. I guess what I’m really trying to say is, in another timeline, yes, this could be a dream match. But as for the Trish-Charlotte match in this timeline, which felt like it came out of left field, I’m tempering my expectations.

Are you a fan of Bray Wyatt’s new character?

Gibb: The most important thing is that Wyatt found something markedly different to do after his previous incarnation crashed and burned at WrestleMania 33. I like the character, but I’m also scared that if they don’t go all in with a win over Balor, he’ll just be another midcard boogeyman, and that I’m not a fan of.

Gelfand: I love it. The Fiend is genuinely terrifying and Bray Wyatt’s Mr. Rogers-like alter ego is unnerving. Now we just need to see if this new character translates to the ring and if it’s sustainable.

Smith: Absolutely. But time will tell whether they can pull his character off. Less is more goes really well here. After SummerSlam, his attacks as the Fiend need to be limited. His Firefly Funhouse can be used to keep Bray on our screens, while the Fiend comes out once Bray has targeted his victim. The random attacks on legends work for now, but we keep down this road of randomness and the Fiend will be attacking Lucha House Party with his puppets.

Gladen: I am. His character is incredibly weird and may not work in the ring for a traditional match structure, but it shows that the WWE is willing to take a risk on a character and allow it to be creepy and unsettling without sugar coating it. His character is easily one of the most over on the roster without wrestling a match yet. If they handle this right, they’re on the verge of finding a generation-defining heel.

Mahalis: Too early to tell. I am not optimistic about it, though. If he loses at SummerSlam, he will be a failure.

Bautista: Yes, it’s fresh and exciting. When the Fiend comes out, I look forward to it. I hope creative has a chance to let the character breathe considering Vince has been tearing up SmackDown scripts just hours before shows.

Wagner: I love Bray’s new character. The Funhouse skits are funny, but I could go without them. I do feel that they need to not make him an every week occurrence. Maybe a once every three week thing, where he comes and terrorizes people for a few months and then they build a storyline from that.

Jackson: I’ve been disengaged with Bray Wyatt for over five years, so no, I’m not sadly. I really want to see Bray either back with the Wyatt Family or released and able to reinvent himself on the independent scene.

Corrigan: I’m enjoying the random attacks on everybody. Of course, this is all a waste if he loses to Balor at SummerSlam.

Goodwillie: It’s unique, that’s for sure. I need to see more. How does this persona interact with the rest of the talent? Is he a babyface or a heel? Conventionally, this seems like a heel character (because, nightmare fuel) but the fans are going nanners for it and if Bray struggles to get any real semblance of heat by say, September, they should just make him a character babyface. I wouldn’t say that’d be cutting their losses either. There’s considerable potential either way, but it would also be fair to say this is Bray Wyatt’s last chance to show he can be a top guy.

Who wins: Brock Lesnar or Seth Rollins?

Gibb: Brock’s had the title less than a month. It would be a heck of a waste to change it again just to brighten up Seth.

Gelfand: Brock Lesnar wins and this gives Seth Rollins’ character a chance to evolve and do some soul searching. Rollins’ character needs a bit of a revamp as his Universal Title run seemed to lack direction, so hopefully we get to see his next evolution.

Smith: As much as I hate it…Lesnar.

Gladen: I’ve called it since Money In The Bank that Lesnar would take the Universal Title and hold it until after SmackDown premieres on FOX in a few months. He’ll retain either with a squash or very little offense from Seth and be untouchable until Roman beats him to keep the title on SmackDown post-draft.

Mahalis: I don’t know if anyone knew this, but I hate Brock Lesnar. However, it makes no sense for him to lose the title already. If he does, his win at Money in the Banks was worthless. That hasn’t stopped WWE before, but I doubt they do it here.

Bautista: Brock Lesnar wins. Build towards another Survivor Series mega match and just rehabilitate Rollins, so if they want the belt on him, they can do it at the Rumble.

Wagner: Sadly, Brock wins because Seth won at Mania. The fans want to see Seth beat him again, but it almost doesn’t make sense for Brock to destroy Seth as he’s done the past two weeks and then have Seth win “clean.” Yeah, I know he won with a low blow at Mania, but do we even want or need this match, anyway?

Jackson: My ideal scenario in true ROH optimism is that this match ends in a time-limit draw just to swerve everyone! Realistically though, everything is swaying towards Seth Rollins getting some form of redemption after his countless beatings, so I’m going for Seth Rollins…Sorry, John!

Corrigan: Listen Steven, Brock Lesnar is Mr. SummerSlam. He’s walking out with the championship yet again.

Goodwillie: Brock Lesnar, and man am I getting to the point where I’m tired of seeing these two go at it. It’s almost approaching the Reigns-Lesnar stratosphere of redundancy and to say that Rollins is struggling to garner sympathy in his role is an understatement; all of this AFTER he SQUASHED Lesnar at WrestleMania! If that won’t get you over, that’s when you know it’s time to make a change.