WWE Summerslam 2012 Results, Review

FIVE TO GO!! Also I’m so excited about this Sunday’s Summerslam. Look for a predictions article to drop also today. It looks like on the rollercoaster of Summerslams we are on the way back up after being at the lowest possible point during these reviews. This Summerslam we have a Pre-Show and it features a title match. I know that most people are upset when title matches aren’t on the main show, however think about why they are doing a pre-show match in the first place. They want to draw those who aren’t buying or on the fence about buying in to actually buy. Give them a good title match for free to entice them and hopefully they buy the event when they wouldn’t otherwise. Brock Lesner is headlining this Summerslam just as he would most after this I believe. It looks like the title match is about to begin so let’s check it out.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella (U.S. Title Match): Think about this for a second. In 2012 this was our U.S. Title match and think about this Sunday’s, we will have A.J. Styles and Kevin Owens. No disrespect to Santino or Antonio Cesaro however that’s two different leagues. Santino goes for the cobra super early in this match. Funny thing is in the group of people who come over there is one guy who absolutely use to mark out EVERY TIME for the cobra. Santino ends up on the outside and Cesaro gains control of the match. The deadlift gut wrench suplex is awesome and always will be. HA! We get a spot where Aksana distracts the cobra sock and you know it’s kind of funny. Cesaro hits the neutralizer for the victory. Short match that was fine for the preshow. You get some comedy with Santino and Cesaro gets to showcase his strength.

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler: This match was built around Ziggler telling Jericho he couldn’t “win the big one”. Which I believe just a few years later would be the build around Ambrose and Ziggler. Man I forgot how much HEAT Vickie Guerrero use to garner. You know if you really wanted to push a guy like Big Cass or Baron Corbin to the next level, give Vickie Guerrero a call. Jericho is out with taped ribs and gets control of the match early on. Ziggler however kicks Jericho in the ribs and starts to work on them. PSYCHOLOGY! OUCH! Jericho takes a nasty spill to the floor from a plancha attempt. We get some back and forth with a fameasser and an enziguri. Now we up it more with multiple near falls after a big DDT and a Lionsault attempt however it was blocked and into a Zig Zag for another near fall. The crowd is REALLY into this match and Jericho this a Code Breaker! However Vickie Guerrero gets involved and Ziggler gets a near fall. Jericho locks in an awesome looking Walls of Jericho for the victory. I guess Jericho finally “won the big one”?

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane: Man think about the history between these two guys. Started here then team Hell No and of course Kane was the last guy Bryan defended the WWE title against. Bryan tries to use his speed early however Kane just overpowers Bryan. It’s also weird not to see the crowd go absolutely bananas when Bryan is in a ring. We get some back and forth and that includes Daniel Bryan diving to the outside. Nice looking buzzsaw kick from Bryan here. Awesome Diving Head butt reversal into a choke slam. Kane then goes for a tombstone however Bryan rolls him up for a victory. Not a bad match at all, however not a Summerslam classic that you should expect from these two.

The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio (Intercontinental Title Match): Looks like Miz has found his spot that he’s still in even at this point. However you can see even here they want to make the IC title seem important. The Miz a former WWE Champ and Rey Mysterio a former WWE Champ battling over the IC title. The dynamic of this match is awesome and think they could have had an awesome feud and still could today. Miz gets control early and they end up outside with Mysterio going into the barricade. Miz dominates this match and works the crowd as a true heel for most of the beginning of this match. Mysterio however gets a glimmer of hope after a crotch shot, we then get a seated senton but Miz cuts him off for control. Mysterio after a two count with a DDT and a diving hurricanrana and a 619. He then went up to drop a dime however Miz moved. Fun match here. Miz gets a snake eyes into a Skull Crushing Finale for the victory. This was a paint by numbers Mysterio match but that’s not a bad thing both men worked well and was fluid another good match on this card.

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio (World Title Match): Is this the feud where Sheamus destroyed his car and called him “Berty” the whole time? These two men are swinging for the fences early and end up on the floor. I will say this about both guys neither are afraid to work stiff and both men always try to make the opponent look good. We get some finisher teases early however but moves were avoided. We are back out onto the floor and Sheamus ends up eating the steel steps. This match is starting red hot. Del Rio mocks Sheamus and goes for a Brogue Kick of his own however Sheamaus blocked it. Del Rio locks in the cross arm breaker which I think was an awesome finisher that he made look great. Sheamus is in this for a while and reverses it into a power bomb. Sheamus. Sheamus hits white noise which is up there for awesome signature moves for me. The crowd is very invested in this match and it’s a good thing because they are working their asses off. Del Rio gets mad at Ricardo which distracts the referee, Rodriguez throws his shoe in the ring (seriously who throws a shoe). Sheamus gets the shoe instead of Del Rio and then hits an urinagi backbreaker for the finish. Del Rio looks like he had his foot on the ropes but the referee didn’t see it. This finish fell flat with the crowd who were kind of mixed on the reaction.

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Prime Time Players (WWE Tag Title Match): Think about this half of the competitors in this match are on the roster but aren’t being used. The other half will both be a part of Summerslam cheering on other people. However right now they are in the tag title match and I always popped for “Millions of Dollas”. R- Truth was the babyface in peril pretty much from the beginning of the match. We get a super early hot tag to Kofi who runs through the heels. Kofi and Titus both end on the floor and Titus gains the upper hand. They beat down Kofi and we get yet another hot tag back to Truth. I guess right now he’s a good R Truth. The crowd is ready for the main event and not into this match at all. Truth gets the pin on Young with his finisher. Low point of the PPV however it’s tolerable. You can tell this was just a filler match.

CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show (WWE Title Match): We are in the midst of the 434 day title reign of CM Punk here. The crowd is very much behind CM Punk as opposed to the other guys and this match doesn’t’ have the same feel as last years did. Big Show dominates this match early until Punk attempts a GTS which well didn’t work out so well for him. Cena then went for the AA on Big Show however Punk breaks it up because he’s a jerk. Man Big Show looks like a million bucks out there just throwing and catching people like no one’s business. Finally Big Show takes a move from Cena, I think it was the protoplex. However before he could hit the five knuckle shuffle Punk broke it up because he’s a jerk. Punk however hits Show with a diving elbow for a two count. Show takes both of the competitors submissions and was able to break out of each of them. We get a series of moves from Punk and Cena which leads to them locking their submissions in at the same time and Big Show taps out. Both men celebrate and out comes crazy AJ Lee. Big Show hits a double chokeslam and both men kickout. This leads to Cena hitting an AA on Show however Punk throws Cena out and steals the pin. CM Punk retains his championship.

Brock Lesner vs. HHH: Are these not two of the most iconic entrances/themes of all time? Say what you will about Lesner however when his music hits you can’t tell me it doesn’t initially get you excited. Brock goes for the Kimora multiple times early on HHH however isn’t able to lock it in. This is getting physical early with Brock taking off his gloves and starts punching the hell out of HHH and they end up on the floor. Cool spot where Lesner slams HHH into the table arm first. PSYCHOLOGY! HHH reverses a F5 however catches a german suplex instead. Brock works on the injured arm now and even throws him arm first into the steps. Awesome looking spot from Brock where he jumps off the announce table for an axe handle move. We get some back and forth and a Pedigree attempt however it’s reversed and HHH ends up back outside. Heyman and Cole are selling Brock’s diverticulitis when HHH gets control of the match working on the stomach. PSYCHOLOGY! We get a back and forth of finisher attempts and HHH hits a Pedigree for a two count WHOA! Count how many people how kicked out of the Pedigree. Brock hits a low blow and the referee doesn’t call for a DQ because everyone has told him not to. (HHH on the preshow and Heyman during the match). We get a cool back and forth and Lesner locks in the Kimora and HHH has to punch his way out of it then hits a Pedigree. Lesner kicks out and locks in another Kimora. HHH tries to punch out of it again however he cannot and he taps out. Very good match to close a good show.

Yet another sneaky good Summerslam back to back for WWE. While nothing pops off the screen, this is a very easy watch and rather enjoyable. This likely doesn’t creep into the top five of show or matches however it’s fun to watch. I’m going to give match of the night to CM Punk vs. Cena vs. Big Show. Although the main event was brutal and physical I liked the story of the title match more. Until next time be awesome.