This years SummerSlam was far from a disappointment in my eyes, but still missed a couple steps from being an all timer. I thought a majority of the matches were actually very enjoyable, but some finishes were a bit lackluster, as well as disappointing.
So here's my full SummerSlam 2023 Review
To start with a match I thought served its purpose, the opener of Logan Paul and Ricochet. This match has been building up since the Royal Rumble and while it was mostly a spot fest I thought it was done very well. I'm glad Ricochet didn't get pinned clean which leaves possibilities for a rematch. (4/5)
The second match of the night was Cody v Brock 3, which I think really could've used a stipulation to elevate the tension. The match showed Brock's dominance while also giving Cody the amount of breathing room to get the edge and scratch and claw his way to victory. We also got one of Cody's best Cody Cutters as well. The two going off script and embracing each other at the end was great as well, but there were many devoid of logic moments where steel steps and an exposed turnbuckle were used which should result in a DQ, but we're not acknowledged which I think deteriorates the match a bit. (3.25/5)
The Men's Slim Jim Battle Royal was actually a lot better than I expected. While I knew it was a match to give LA Knight a little more of a push, it showcased many young stars who could use a little lift, and I was wrong to say a US title match should've taken this spot. The entire final 6 was perfect to me. No need for Theory or Escobar considering they're already going at it, as well as Waller who's already doing pretty well. I will say I wish Chad Gable eliminated Bronson Reed instead of Knight considering he won, but that's my only main complaint. Also huge shoutout to Knight and Sheamus re-doing that spot from last night on Smackdown. That took guts considering if they messed up again it would've been awful, but they took a risk and it paid off. (3.75/5)
The next match was my least favorite, that being Bazler vs Rousey in the MMA Rules match. I think there could've been things like blood or a different fighting environment that could've potentially elevated this match, but even then I don't think this stipulation is entertaining at all considering they're trying to copy an MMA format in the WWE, and trying to find the silver lining just doesn't work without WWE rules in this instance. (1.5/5)
The IC Title Match is another one that didn't disappoint and had a great finish. I love Drew but Gunther deserves to break the record and the way this match was done helped showcase the brut force these two have and also the finish still made sure to not make Drew look weak. I don't think they gave it their all's because I'm sure down the line they'll have a rematch once Gunther has the record, and hopefully then Drew can beat him once and for all. They weren't able to recreate the magic with Sheamus from CATC and WrestleMania, but this match was still a great showcase for both men. (4/5)
Next up is the WHC match with Finn and Seth, which up until the ending was probably my favorite match of the night. Easily the best near falls as well as some great spots with the Judgement Day. Dom selling that stomp and Priest & Balor arguing about the briefcase. It was intense but sadly I thought this was the perfect opportunity to put Balor over after all these years and it was wasted. There's still time for him to win but I feel this was a wasted opportunity, despite this match being great for the most part. (4/5)
The WWE Women's Championship match was easily the one i was most conflicted by. There were a handful of botches in the match where I was shaking my head, then there were some great spots from everyone. But as things heated up, the Bianca "injury" happened and I was absolutely SHOOK. Considering there were already missteps in the match, I genuinely thought she got hurt, and her selling was PERFECT. My heart sunk and then when she started marching back to the ring, I felt so played. The 450 caught me so off guard, and the near fall with Charlotte was excellent. The final moments of the match were stellar as well, with the figure 8 into the mist, into the roll up victory for Bianca. I told myself going in that if Asuka loses I'd be furious, but after that Bianca sell I was completely ok with her winning since it didn't really bury anyone and the finish was so unique.
After all of that took place my mind was so foggy with the injury sell and the ending that I completely forgot about Iyo, then her music hit and I WAS TRIPPING OUT. Seeing her scrambling to the ring gave me goosebumps, and seeing Bayley take the briefcase and start smacking everyone was amazing. Iyo would then go on to win in a cash in that I think is safe to call the greatest ever in the Women's division. Bianca added so much with her injury selling that made this so much better. Reminded me of Alberto's ankle injury when Dolph cashed in. Huge props to her for elevating this moment. While there were some slip ups, I think the key moments took this match to another level, and Iyo's cash in was definitely my favorite moment of SummerSlam 2023. A year removed from their return in 2022, Damage CTRL is reunited with Iyo as champion. Well Deserved. (4.25/5)
Finally, we have Tribal Combat. This match sadly wasn't as great as I expected it to be, but still had some brutal moments with the table spots, the pogo sticks, the chairs, and especially the whip from Jey that messed Roman up. Sadly when they went outside the ring things started to go downhill and the pace was slower as that spot took a good chunk of time out the match as well as Solo once again interfering which has become repetitive. But I can somewhat understand considering Roman is going to play his cards to help him win until he can't anymore. The final couple of minutes when Jey started picking up steam were entertaining, but I have to get to the most controversial moment of the night. Jimmy's betrayal.
It's hard to fully judge this moment since we don't know what Jimmy's full intentions are yet, but I hate to say this the first time in the Bloodline saga that I'm actually somewhat disappointed. This turn kind of came out of nowhere and I wish that it happened after the match instead of during it. Jimmy helping Roman win, whether intentional or not, is very odd to me considering he just turned on him at NOC. Maybe his motivations will clear things up, but I can't think of many scenarios that justify one of the smarter characters in this story making a move like this to the man he's never betrayed after over a decade in this industry. For my final thoughts on the match with all of those things in mind, I still thought the match was solid, but not near its fullest potential from a match and story perspective. (3.25/5)
With that being said, SummerSlam 2023 was certainly not one to forget. It had a very high ceiling that sadly wasn't met, but still had some very memorable moments despite some underwhelming finishes. Roman's reign continues, Iyo Sky's reign begins, and hopefully the official push of LA Knight finally comes to fruition. YEAAHHH!
So here's my full SummerSlam 2023 Review
To start with a match I thought served its purpose, the opener of Logan Paul and Ricochet. This match has been building up since the Royal Rumble and while it was mostly a spot fest I thought it was done very well. I'm glad Ricochet didn't get pinned clean which leaves possibilities for a rematch. (4/5)
The second match of the night was Cody v Brock 3, which I think really could've used a stipulation to elevate the tension. The match showed Brock's dominance while also giving Cody the amount of breathing room to get the edge and scratch and claw his way to victory. We also got one of Cody's best Cody Cutters as well. The two going off script and embracing each other at the end was great as well, but there were many devoid of logic moments where steel steps and an exposed turnbuckle were used which should result in a DQ, but we're not acknowledged which I think deteriorates the match a bit. (3.25/5)
The Men's Slim Jim Battle Royal was actually a lot better than I expected. While I knew it was a match to give LA Knight a little more of a push, it showcased many young stars who could use a little lift, and I was wrong to say a US title match should've taken this spot. The entire final 6 was perfect to me. No need for Theory or Escobar considering they're already going at it, as well as Waller who's already doing pretty well. I will say I wish Chad Gable eliminated Bronson Reed instead of Knight considering he won, but that's my only main complaint. Also huge shoutout to Knight and Sheamus re-doing that spot from last night on Smackdown. That took guts considering if they messed up again it would've been awful, but they took a risk and it paid off. (3.75/5)
The next match was my least favorite, that being Bazler vs Rousey in the MMA Rules match. I think there could've been things like blood or a different fighting environment that could've potentially elevated this match, but even then I don't think this stipulation is entertaining at all considering they're trying to copy an MMA format in the WWE, and trying to find the silver lining just doesn't work without WWE rules in this instance. (1.5/5)
The IC Title Match is another one that didn't disappoint and had a great finish. I love Drew but Gunther deserves to break the record and the way this match was done helped showcase the brut force these two have and also the finish still made sure to not make Drew look weak. I don't think they gave it their all's because I'm sure down the line they'll have a rematch once Gunther has the record, and hopefully then Drew can beat him once and for all. They weren't able to recreate the magic with Sheamus from CATC and WrestleMania, but this match was still a great showcase for both men. (4/5)
Next up is the WHC match with Finn and Seth, which up until the ending was probably my favorite match of the night. Easily the best near falls as well as some great spots with the Judgement Day. Dom selling that stomp and Priest & Balor arguing about the briefcase. It was intense but sadly I thought this was the perfect opportunity to put Balor over after all these years and it was wasted. There's still time for him to win but I feel this was a wasted opportunity, despite this match being great for the most part. (4/5)
The WWE Women's Championship match was easily the one i was most conflicted by. There were a handful of botches in the match where I was shaking my head, then there were some great spots from everyone. But as things heated up, the Bianca "injury" happened and I was absolutely SHOOK. Considering there were already missteps in the match, I genuinely thought she got hurt, and her selling was PERFECT. My heart sunk and then when she started marching back to the ring, I felt so played. The 450 caught me so off guard, and the near fall with Charlotte was excellent. The final moments of the match were stellar as well, with the figure 8 into the mist, into the roll up victory for Bianca. I told myself going in that if Asuka loses I'd be furious, but after that Bianca sell I was completely ok with her winning since it didn't really bury anyone and the finish was so unique.
After all of that took place my mind was so foggy with the injury sell and the ending that I completely forgot about Iyo, then her music hit and I WAS TRIPPING OUT. Seeing her scrambling to the ring gave me goosebumps, and seeing Bayley take the briefcase and start smacking everyone was amazing. Iyo would then go on to win in a cash in that I think is safe to call the greatest ever in the Women's division. Bianca added so much with her injury selling that made this so much better. Reminded me of Alberto's ankle injury when Dolph cashed in. Huge props to her for elevating this moment. While there were some slip ups, I think the key moments took this match to another level, and Iyo's cash in was definitely my favorite moment of SummerSlam 2023. A year removed from their return in 2022, Damage CTRL is reunited with Iyo as champion. Well Deserved. (4.25/5)
Finally, we have Tribal Combat. This match sadly wasn't as great as I expected it to be, but still had some brutal moments with the table spots, the pogo sticks, the chairs, and especially the whip from Jey that messed Roman up. Sadly when they went outside the ring things started to go downhill and the pace was slower as that spot took a good chunk of time out the match as well as Solo once again interfering which has become repetitive. But I can somewhat understand considering Roman is going to play his cards to help him win until he can't anymore. The final couple of minutes when Jey started picking up steam were entertaining, but I have to get to the most controversial moment of the night. Jimmy's betrayal.
It's hard to fully judge this moment since we don't know what Jimmy's full intentions are yet, but I hate to say this the first time in the Bloodline saga that I'm actually somewhat disappointed. This turn kind of came out of nowhere and I wish that it happened after the match instead of during it. Jimmy helping Roman win, whether intentional or not, is very odd to me considering he just turned on him at NOC. Maybe his motivations will clear things up, but I can't think of many scenarios that justify one of the smarter characters in this story making a move like this to the man he's never betrayed after over a decade in this industry. For my final thoughts on the match with all of those things in mind, I still thought the match was solid, but not near its fullest potential from a match and story perspective. (3.25/5)
With that being said, SummerSlam 2023 was certainly not one to forget. It had a very high ceiling that sadly wasn't met, but still had some very memorable moments despite some underwhelming finishes. Roman's reign continues, Iyo Sky's reign begins, and hopefully the official push of LA Knight finally comes to fruition. YEAAHHH!