Summerslam/NXT Takeover 36 Review

The WWE had a big weekend with Summerslam on Saturday night and NXT Takeover 36 on Sunday night made it a potentially big weekend for the company, especially after AEW’s big Friday night success with the return of CM Punk putting some possible pressure on WWE. So, here’s some of the good, the meh and what the hell moments of the weekend.

The Good

Roman Reigns vs. John Cena: The main event of Saturday night did not disappoint as Roman Reigns defended his universal title successfully against John Cena remaining our Tribal Chief until the return of Brock Lesnar upset Reigns and Heyman but sets a possible great feud where the roles are reversed.

Edge vs. Seth Rollins:  This match was everything it was supposed to be and personally has me wanting more between Rollins and Edge. Great storytelling in the match which is what is missing in professional wrestling today but hopefully we’ll get more from this feud.

WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov: One of the big matches from NXT Takeover 36 was for the NXT UK title where WALTER and Ilja Dragunov squared off for the second time and was a absolute show stealer that was hard hitting from start to finish where Dragunov came out victorious by tapping out WALTER to become champion.

The Meh

Karrion Kross vs. Samoa Joe: The grudge match between NXT champion Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe did live up to expectation but the match was a little flat probably a slight clash of styles but the end result made it count with Joe becoming the first 3X NXT champion and awaiting like the rest of us on what the “New NXT” will look like.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly Undisputed Finale:  This match lived up to hype in ring and was another show stopper but the aftermath news took away from it as Kyle O’Reilly was victorious but it was also quite possibly the last time, we see Adam Cole (BAY BAY) in NXT especially with the news that no contract was resigned meaning there’s a chance Adam Cole could be All Elite in the short future if he wants to be.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai: This match sadly fell a little short as the blood feud between Gonzalez and Kai didn’t totally live up to what it was supposed to be for some especially with Gonzalez coming out victorious. Despite the surprise appearance of former NXT UK women’s champion Kay Lee Ray to challenge Gonzalez potentially the match just felt a little flat.

Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley:  This match was another to be expected as Goldberg (Oldberg as I like to call him) again made a mess of the match hurting his knee and just another indication that he shouldn’t be in the ring anymore before he hurts himself or someone else regardless what little star power he has left but a good or respectable win for the Almighty Lashley who hopefully is on to bigger and better things.

The Bad

Nikki A.S.H. vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley: The RAW women’s title match was what we sadly expected as Charlotte Flair in Thanos gear (how fitting) came out victorious becoming RAW women’s champion again and potentially killing this new Nikki A.S.H. gimmick.

Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks:  This may have taken the cake for the weekend! As the long-awaited rematch between Smackdown women’s champion Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks DID NOT HAPPEN! Why? We may never know unfortunately but Banks was unable to compete and her replacement came out in… Carmella again, Belair slowly accepts the substitute match until the music of The Man hit and Becky Lynch returned to massive pop. Lynch then takes out Carmella to then challenge Belair for the title where a sucker punch and manhandle slam later Lynch is the new Smackdown Women’s champion in less than a minute.

This result left many of us scratching our heads wondering what the hell happened and why do Belair like that? This could be a potential angle teaching Belair always be prepared for the unexpected or Belair is going to be on the move RAW very soon only time will tell us what’s next here with this entire situation.

Overall, the weekend was good for the WWE with the returns of Lesnar and Lynch this could keep some fans from switching over to AEW but not all of them but hopefully this will be a good spot for the creative to get creative again and start regaining the interest of the fans in their product.