SUMMERSLAM THIS WEEKEND ON THE WWE NETWORK

By Tarron Coalson

This week SMACKDOWN is live from Austin, Texas as they try to lay the ground work for WWE’s SUMMERSLAM Pay Per View. The show starts out with Shane McMahon, Daniel Bryan talking to Randy Orton about the upcoming match with Brock Lesnar and they’re interrupted by THE HOTTEST FREE AGENT IN SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT, Heath Slater, who just one night earlier, took a beating from Brock Lesnar in trying to win a contract from RAW.

Slater brought a stolen fruit basket for Bob & tried to apologize to McMahon & Bryan as he found out they were trying to offer him a contract before his outburst last week. Daniel Bryan told Slater the offer was no longer valid & Randy Orton jumped in and says he has a solution to the problem.

As we cut in ring to MIZ TV with Miz & Marise, who’s interrupted by WWE World Champ Dean Ambrose & then he’s interrupted by his challenger for this Sunday, Dolph Ziglar. MIZ TV drags on forever & is much too slow-paced but it ends nicely as Ziglar Superkicks Ambrose & lays him out.

During the commercial break, Apollo Crews, the Miz’s challenger for the Intercontinental Title this Sunday at SUMMERSLAM comes out & after The MIZ calls him Apollo CREED, Crews power bombs him & leaves the Miz laying.

Next up is twelve man (yes, that’s twelve) tag team action as The Uso’s, American Alpha & the Hype Bros battled The Vaude Villains, The Ascension & Breezango. Number one, they’re trying to introduce you to all their tag teams for their upcoming tournament. Number two, it looks like they’re going to try to pit The Uso’s against American Alpha. But for this match, American Alpha scores the win with the back suplex/neck bridge finsher.

Following that is Naomi, who looks like the Human Glow Stick now, verses what is supposed to be, the debuting Eva Marie & it’s announced that she’s stuck in traffic & won’t be appearing. Ok, the first week was funny, the second was OK, now it’s getting annoying & needs to stop.

Then they cut to Alberto Del Rio & AJ Styles. Del Rio is wrestling John Cena tonight & Styles is trying to give him a pep talk but Del Rio wants none of it. Then, it’s an interesting promo of the returning Curt Hawkins, who was with WWE a few years ago.

Now it’s Randy Orton, whose solution is to face Heath Slater in ring. So after facing Brock Lesnar on RAW, he gets Orton tonight. Orton lays a beating on Slater who actually mocks Lesnar by giving Slater two suplexes & bouncing back & forth imitating Lesner. Orton continues the beat down until he’s finally DQ’d but lands the RKO for good measure. But your winner is Heath Slater!

Afterwards, Slater is in the medical attention room being offered a contract (again) by McMahon & Bryan, but he’s delirious from the beating..concussion protocol anyone?, and thinks he’s on RAW, calling Bryan, Mick Foley & Shane, Stephanie. They take his contract and leave…again.

The following match is Erick Rowan with Bray Wyatt at ringside vs the WWE World Champ Dean Ambrose with the most interesting things were that #1, Ambrose’s Dirty Deeds finisher is the Jake Roberts DDT of our generation, when he hits it, you don’t kick out and #2, Bray Wyatt leaves Rowan in disgust after he loses to Ambrose. We’ll see how that goes down the road.

Next up is a muddled mess that is the SMACKDOWN women’s division as Becky Lynch and the really bad Carmella face Natalya & Alexa Bliss. Carmella is awful but during the match Eva Marie comes out and then is chased by Naomi thru the ring. Natalya rolls up Becky Lynch, who reverses the roll up into her Arm Breaker submission move & Natalya submits. Got all that? Good, I’m glad someone does…
the camera’s then cut to Baron Corbin beating up Kalisto backstage again & then a video package of Orton/Lesnar, fifteen years in the making which is pretty good.

Lastly, in the main event, it’s Alberto Del Rio verses John Cena with AJ Styles at the commentary table. It’s a good match and I’m always amazed how they can’t find the proper use for a like Del Rio. It’s similar to the situation with Kevin Owens on RAW. Of course, Cena wins with an AA & is immediately hit with the Phenomenal Forearm by AJ Styles who’s continues a verbal assault & is about to leave when he returns to try to land a Styles Clash which Cena reverses into an AA & then throws AJ out and into the steps & then delivers a devastating AA from the entrance steps through the announce table to close the show.

In my opinion, similar to the Reigns/Rusef match on RAW, just bad creative decisions here. If you’re going to show that Cena is the superior wrestler, why am I going to watch the Pay Per View? I don’t get it but we’ll find out this Sunday. Oh, by the way, if your keeping score in this weekly RAW verses SMACKDOWN war, it’s my opinion it’s RAW 3 SMACKDOWN 1. Don’t forget SUMMERSLAM this Sunday on the WWE Network!