WWE Summerslam 2016 General Discussion & Reviews

[OYDK]

Last night on Raw, WWE announced that Brock Lesnar's Summerslam opponent would be revealed on Thursday night, or, if you're one of my Canadian brethren, on Wednesday night Smackdown. Seems a wee bit early to me to name the opponent almost two months in advance, but, I'm assuming they have some sort of plan... hopefully. I think it would have been smart of them to wait until after his UFC fight on Saturday to gauge who would be the best fit for Brock at Summerslam but it is what it is. At least it gives me a real reason to watch SD this week.

I was pretty adamant that he was going to get a title shot following his appearance at UFC 200, and my opinion hasn't really changed all that much. I can see them naming him the number one contender for one of the titles (assuming they split them before Summerslam). I just wonder how they would logically present that to the fans...

Who do y'all think it's going to be?

 

[Psykohurricane55]

I agree with this, I don't get why they couldn't have waited a week to do that. By doing this, they are painted themselves into a corner because you don't know what's going to happen in his fight against mark hunt on sunday. What if lesnar gets seriously injured and gets a 60 days medical suspension. What then, you can't have him wrestled anymore since the new york athletic comission pretty said it that they will theat lesnar as a fighter and not a pro wrestler and it won't allow lesnar to wrestle at summerslam if las vegas suspend him, which would put them in an akward position.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night on Raw, WWE announced that Brock Lesnar's Summerslam opponent would be revealed on Thursday night, or, if you're one of my Canadian brethren, on Wednesday night Smackdown. Seems a wee bit early to me to name the opponent almost two months in advance, but, I'm assuming they have some sort of plan... hopefully. I think it would have been smart of them to wait until after his UFC fight on Saturday to gauge who would be the best fit for Brock at Summerslam but it is what it is. At least it gives me a real reason to watch SD this week.

Yeah, I think that's a logical assumption. While we don't know for a fact that each brand will have its own World Champion, they do seem to be heading in that direction now that the WWE WHC is simply being referred to as the WWE Championship once again. I'm guessing that Lesnar and his SummerSlam opponent will square off to determine who becomes this new World Champion and maybe they'll officially announce that there's going to be a second World Championship at tonight's tapings. For instance, maybe they'll decide to feed Roman Reigns to Lesnar at SummerSlam, give Lesnar a massively dominant win as part of his punishment.

I was pretty adamant that he was going to get a title shot following his appearance at UFC 200, and my opinion hasn't really changed all that much. I can see them naming him the number one contender for one of the titles (assuming they split them before Summerslam). I just wonder how they would logically present that to the fans...

Who do y'all think it's going to be?

Logic has had little to do with how Lesnar has been presented to fans since his return to WWE. It's all been about using Lesnar as a special attraction and having him decimate anyone put in front of him. It's not been about logic, it's been about Lesnar getting special treatment and it's one of the reasons why a lot of hardcore fans resent him. After all, let's say that Lesnar does challenge for the new World Championship, if one is going to be created, and he wins it, then we'll be in the same spot as a few years ago in which Lesnar shows up to wrestle once every 3 to 4 months.

It's getting to the point where I almost don't really wanna see Lesnar at SummerSlam because WWE all but telegraphs the ending: Lesnar is so dominant that nobody can stand against him. Rather than use this as an opportunity to possibly give some younger talent who may be helping carry the company for the next decade a huge rub, it'll probably be the same old story.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It's an angle, I expect somebody like Kalisto to be announced only for his real opponent to emerge when Lesnar makes his next Raw appearance.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

The outcome of Lesnar's fight with Hunt isn't that important. Ideally he wins so everything is ok in the world but losing is not that big of a deal. UFC and pro wrestling are two completely different universes.

Plus, if he does get hurt at least you got a few more views on this week's SD.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

It's an angle, I expect somebody like Kalisto to be announced only for his real opponent to emerge when Lesnar makes his next Raw appearance.

How far into the atmosphere do you think Brock Lesnar could throw Kalisto? Stratosphere at least.

It'll be Orton, which will be great. Mainly because if he stops giving a shit a quarter way through his match like he does most of the time, Brock will murder him.

See: [YOUTUBE]LAsmkJALy2g[/YOUTUBE]

Bumping like a boss.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I just hope Lesnar loses his UFC fight, and loses badly. A decisive loss there would shatter the casual fans' illusion that WWE has built up, where nobody in the universe is capable of standing up to the invincible Brock Lesnar. Once that illusion is shattered, WWE might actually have something worthwhile with Lesnar, since they can book him to lose clean without having casual fans whine and complain.

As for the SummerSlam opponent, I hope it's Randy Orton. We never got to see that match after Orton became a star. A clean win over Lesnar (which is what SHOULD happen if it's Lesnar/Orton) would give Orton tons of momentum for his return and push him back into the main event ranks instantly. Orton should return on the Draft episode and be one of the top picks for SmackDown, while Lesnar gets taken by RAW, making their match the first huge interpromotional match (which should only happen at the Big Four PPVs).

 

[S.J. Maximus]

I'm definitely in the camp that believes that this announcement should've been held off until after UFC 200, it's an overzealous and bold move on WWE's part. As for the announcement itself, I guess we can read spoilers tonight or wait until Weds/Thurs (depending on where in the world you live) to see what they do with the segment and who they announce.

Another title shot is unnecessary at this point IMO, mostly because I think his last reign and Rock's reign 3 years ago brought a lot of criticism for not having the champ appear every week. Brock has been bigger than the belt ever since he ended the Streak and I don't think the outcome of UFC 200 is going to change that. If they announce Randy Orton it will be one of the most bittersweet moments of my wrestling fandom because that's a dream matchup I've lobbied for ever since Brock returned in 2012 but I opted not to buy tickets to this year's SummerSlam in my homestate of New York due to the disappointment of my experiences at last year's show.

Still though, I'd love to see this confrontation finally go down and we can only wonder if Orton's surgically repaired neck and shoulders will be able to handle the punishment that is Suplex City. Makes for some interesting television and gives Orton the best possible momentum for his return if they decide to go this route.

 

[Azane]

I kind of wonder if WWE thinks this will boost Smackdown ratings, when most of the world has the internet, and sure a lot of people won't read spoilers, but Im not sitting through RAW Rewind for 2 hours to see what direction they're going to take this story.

Because they're announcing it on a taped show, it's not going to be some major debut/redebut sadly.

 

[Hem]

If you ask me, this years Summerslam will be very interesting. For one, we will be coming fresh off of the brand split and the product should be good in the beginning so we will probably get a great show.

The second reason is Brock Lesnar. He will be coming out of a fight in the UFC after making his return to the octagon. He may very well win his match and he may aldo lose the match. Either way, we have an interesting story atcour hands.


If Brock wins, who does he face at SS? Does he become the monster who desimates his opponents or does he give another star a huge rub by losing?

If Brock loses, who does he face at SS? Does he come in looking to beat some ass or is the storyline of has the beast gone sawft? Does he lose his WWE match?

Who does he face?

1) Bray Wyatt
2) Randy Orton
3) Cesaro
4) Baron Corbin

1) Bray might be the most obvious choice as he has had an on and off feud with the beast for quite sometime now and deserves a proper blow off.

2) Orton is speculated to be back by SS and to me this is a dream match which I would love to see. Imagine an F5 into an RKO! The Viper Vs. The Beast just sells itself.

3) Cesaro deserves it. Cesaro constantly puts on his best performance and has really found himself as of late and is very over with the crowd. There are pieces you can use like the Paul Heyman guys but thats too old to touch back on. I think Beast Vs. Superman sounds amazing and the should be awesome as well. One of the only men I see throwing Brock around is Cesaro.

4) Baron Corbin is probably making all of you want to close this window right now. But think about it. Corbin is a young up and coming brawler looking to assert himself as the new generations wolf. The styles match well and Corbin gets a huge rub, even in a losing effort.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

UFC doesn't change the plans. Why should it? If Lesnar loses at UFC, then he's not the beast WWE promots. If he wins, then he is.

A loss at UFC would naturally mean a heel turn for Brock Lesnar. Because Heyman would keep calling him a beast, but that would end up being a big load of crap=lies=heel.

That aside, I'm rooting for Randy Orton. It's a dream match for me. I think the time is right for Orton vs Brock.

Reasons why Orton and not someone else:

1. Orton losing doesn't hurt him.
2. WWE can keep matches like Owens vs Lesnar or Wyatt vs Lesnar for the future, when said wrestlers will be bigger stars, hence the bigger the matches.
3. It's a dream match.
4. The story has already been set for 12 years actually.

How I would book it?
As we all know, Randy Orton is the last World Heavyweight Champion, since he is the one that unified the WWE and WH Championships back in 2013. He also is, the youngest World Heavyweight Champion.

Brock Lesnar is the youngest WWE Champion, but in overall, Orton is the youngest World Champion in the WWE. Lesnar is also a hired gun. Which means that Lesnar will work for the money.

Randy Orton is announced as Lesnar's opponent.

At the draft, we learn from Paul Heyman, that Lesnar will go to the show, that makes the greater offer. Shane McMahon, who will appointed the GM of Smackdown does the following, in order to trick Stephanie:
He books the last WH Champion Randy Orton vs The Hired Beast Brock Lesnar at Summerslam, for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship.

So at Summerslam it would be:

Randy Orton vs Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) in a singles match for Smackdown's vacant World Heavyweight Championship

Who wins? That's the beauty. You don't know. Given Lesnar schedule, this match is totally unpredictable.

EDIT: Fun fact, Lesnar is also the last wrestler to have wold both world titles (at Summerslam 2014).

 

[Woodstuff]

I agree with you 100% that they'll announce Lesnar as the no.1 contender for the world title of whatever show he's drafted to. Then assuming the WWE Champion (probably Ambrose) is staying on Raw, and Lesnar supposedly being moved to Smackdown, his opponent will remain a mystery until the SD world champion is crowned.

As to who that will be, I imagine it will be which ever Shield member is drafted to the blue brand.

 

[Navi]

I don't really care who the opponent is, just that's it's someone who can give him a good fight. Harper put up some offense at Roadblock and I think Lesnar would have trouble with Strowman, but he is too green to throw into this match.

However it is though, hopefully it's a heavyweight. Would really be nice to see a half decent match and not another suplex after suplex after suplex, followed by an F5.

 

[rge2010]

Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton is the match up fans have clamoured for but this is Orton's big return after a long time out. I am not sure Orton returning to lose to Lesnar will do him any favours.

Here is a BIG BAD SHOT IN THE DARK but I haven't see anyone mention Batista? Most of you will scoff at this but you would have done the same if I told you two months ago that Brock was competing at UFC 200.

If WWE are wanting to tap in to some of the UFC audience then Randy Orton won't entice them across. However, Batista is becoming a mainstream name due to his Guardians Of The Galaxy role so maybe Brock vs Batista would be enough to 'entice a few'. Batista also has a MMA fight under his belt.

Maybe even Kurt Angle?

Improbable, but not impossible.

 

[mooseman]

The reason they want to announce thursday before UFC 200 is because you will hear on Saturday promotion on PPV about how you can see Brock Lesnar live on the WWE Network as he takes on Randy Orton (or whoever it will be) at WWE Summer Slam!!!

 

[Aquaman6686]

Someone I just thought of who might be interesting is Rusev. Vince is obsessed with the idea of pushing Brock as a face despite the fact that he's the most natural heel ever, so put him up against Rusev. Both have a manager, they're of similar size, and Rusev was booked as one of the few heels who DIDN'T have to cheat to beat his opponents. Rusev scored consecutive victories over the likes of Big E (a man of roughly equal size and strength), Jack Swagger (an accomplished amateur wrestler), Mark Henry (who should by all rights have been booked as the stronger of the two), and Big Show (same). Rusev is also the first person in over a decade to beat John Cena by submission (even though he passed out, WWE officially declared it a submission victory). Rusev has the size, strength, and credibility to be a threat to Lesnar. And the correct way to book it would be to have Rusev "shock" the world with a clean victory. Have Lesnar call out Rusev as a "second-rate champion" who isn't worthy to fight a "legit" fighter, so have Rusev bound and determined to prove his superiority over Lesnar, and actually does so. Rusev instantly becomes a permanent main event star, and one who will actually be around for many years to come, night in and night out, becoming far more valuable to the company than Lesnar and thus eliminating Vince's overdependence on Lesnar's occasional appearances.

 

[WorstWrestlingExcrement]

UFC doesn't change the plans. Why should it? If Lesnar loses at UFC, then he's not the beast WWE promots. If he wins, then he is.

A loss at UFC would naturally mean a heel turn for Brock Lesnar. Because Heyman would keep calling him a beast, but that would end up being a big load of crap=lies=heel.

That aside, I'm rooting for Randy Orton. It's a dream match for me. I think the time is right for Orton vs Brock.

Reasons why Orton and not someone else:

1. Orton losing doesn't hurt him.
2. WWE can keep matches like Owens vs Lesnar or Wyatt vs Lesnar for the future, when said wrestlers will be bigger stars, hence the bigger the matches.
3. It's a dream match.
4. The story has already been set for 12 years actually.

How I would book it?
As we all know, Randy Orton is the last World Heavyweight Champion, since he is the one that unified the WWE and WH Championships back in 2013. He also is, the youngest World Heavyweight Champion.

Brock Lesnar is the youngest WWE Champion, but in overall, Orton is the youngest World Champion in the WWE. Lesnar is also a hired gun. Which means that Lesnar will work for the money.

Randy Orton is announced as Lesnar's opponent.

At the draft, we learn from Paul Heyman, that Lesnar will go to the show, that makes the greater offer. Shane McMahon, who will appointed the GM of Smackdown does the following, in order to trick Stephanie:
He books the last WH Champion Randy Orton vs The Hired Beast Brock Lesnar at Summerslam, for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship.

So at Summerslam it would be:

Randy Orton vs Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) in a singles match for Smackdown's vacant World Heavyweight Championship

Who wins? That's the beauty. You don't know. Given Lesnar schedule, this match is totally unpredictable.

EDIT: Fun fact, Lesnar is also the last wrestler to have wold both world titles (at Summerslam 2014).

We already saw Brock Lesner vs Randy Orton in 2002 on Smackcrap Lesner beat Orton I think it will be Purple Roman Reign vs Brock Lesner and Brock will beat him as wwe punished Reigns

 

[Jack-Hammer]

We already saw Brock Lesner vs Randy Orton in 2002 on Smackcrap Lesner beat Orton I think it will be Purple Roman Reign vs Brock Lesner and Brock will beat him as wwe punished Reigns

If it does turn out to be Lesnar vs. Orton, I don't see Orton fairing any better than bigger stars like Cena and Taker. Truth be told, since his return, Orton is really the last remaining top tier guy on the roster that Lesnar hasn't faced and I agree that if this bout does go down, it'll be for the vacant SmackDown World Championship.

At any rate though, I expect the match to be pretty dominant on Lesnar's end because...well it's Lesnar. Nobody in WWE history has gotten the sort of preferential treatment he has, with the possible exception of Hulk Hogan back in the 80s, and I just don't see Orton as the one that's ultimately able to "slay" the beast. If he did, most would view it as a waste, me included, as whomever ultimately does definitively defeat Lesnar should, in my opinion, be someone who has something to gain from doing it. Orton had already done everything there was to do in WWE by the time he was 30 whether it was winning tag titles, the IC title, the Royal Rumble and being World Champion.

 

[Navi]

So it's going to be Orton afterall. It was announced on SD tonight. Can't say I'm pleased about it to tell you the truth. There is history between them, but was hoping it would be Rusev.

The one thing that worries me the most is Orton's shoulder and how he will be able to get out of this match without another injury. He's been gone so long now I'm afraid another shoulder injury and that's him done.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

This is the match I wanted to see. Lesnar vs. Orton is going to be great. The F5 countered into an RKO spot is going to be awesome. Obviously Lesnar is going to win, but this should be great regardless of the result. Only question is - will Orton's shoulder hold up? He's been injured a few times in the past, but maybe he will be fully healthy. Hopefully Lesnar will be as well since he will be coming off of UFC 200. IMO Orton was the best possible opponent for Lesnar, so I'm definitely excited for this.

 

[thebarber]

This announcement was solely done to take attention before UFC 200 this weekend. Orton was the only logical option, though how his shoulder will handle Suplex City will be interesting. Im thinking the Viper gets a quick RKO early to steal the win and set up a rematch at Survivor Series. Lesnar needs a name OPPONENT THAT IS ALSO a fresh opponent for Summerslam. Orton fits the bill.

 

[thebarber]

So, I am looking ahead 5 weeks to Summerslam and I was wondering, am I alone in thinking we could have a stacked card that could rival, or better Wrestlemania?
My thought are that the following matches, barring injuries are looking this way:

1. WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
DEAN AMBROSE VS ROMAN REIGNS.
This story rights itself.
2. AJ STYLES VS JOHN CENA
Possibly for the vacant World Heavyweight Title. With Cena getting his win back at Battleground, I see this match, possibly in a steel cage so no interference by The Club.
3. BROCK LESNAR VS RANDY ORTON
Again, we know this is happening, barring UFC200 affecting Lesnars ability to perform.
4. SETH ROLLINS VS TRIPLE H
We know Trips will return soon, and I expect him to interfere and cost Rollins the title at Battleground.

These Four matches can headline any PPV, potentially all 4 on the one card equals a massive PPV.

Now add in where The New Day vs The Wyatts are at, The Club ad Enzo/Cass, Rusev's push should see a title defense,IC and Charlotte vs Sasha Banks on the horizon.

What are your thoughts?

 

[OYDK]

I'm cool with Randy Orton. If it didn't happen now, it likely was never going to happen in the future and this is a match that definitely deserves to happen. I'm really hoping they let them build this feud a month or so in advance and don't just keep both off TV until Summerslam, although I'm unfortunately thinking that will be the case.

I'm with others on the condition of Orton's shoulder though. Talk about throwing one of your top guys to the wolves.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The first thing that popped into my head, as others have mentioned, was Orton's shoulder and how this MIGHT not be a such a great thing for it. After all, we all know Lesnar is stiff and Orton has had issues with his shoulder for years, but here's hoping for the best.

As for the match itself, I get why it's happening, I'm just not all that interested in it as I'm just so bored with the Lesnar formula of doing the same 2 or 3 moves, primarily, for the entire match while the guy taking them sells like Superman after he's been given a Kryptonite suppository. Also, even if Orton was to be the one to beat Lesnar, as I said in my earlier post, it just feels like a wasted opportunity since this could be a great rub for someone fresher.

However, I will keep an open mind as the build for this match might make me interested in seeing it. Orton's character has a ruthlessness about him that does make him stand out from Lesnar's other opponents and that can add an interesting element to the story but I just can't help but feel that it'll be yet another one sided, dominant performance which, if so, is just plain boring to me.

 

[Messiah]

Great 4 matches, but the undercard you mentioned sounds very boring... New Day needs to fuck off already, Sasha bores me to death and Enzo and Cass are the most repetitive tag team they've ever had in WWE, I'm good with them as long as they don't talk.. They better make a better undercard than that.. but the headlining matches should be good at least.