The Miz def. Rey Mysterio
What I Liked:
Once again, this match was basically a filler and a way to get two more popular superstars on the Summerslam card. Rey sports all black, and The Miz uses his typical black and gold tights. They looked like it was a bigger feel that it actually was, but The Miz does a great job selling early and often to Rey Mysterio. Mysterio starts off the pace with a Hurricanranna, followed by a Baseball Slide to the outside. I thought Rey looked leaner and with more aggression early on in this match. It is so often that he gets beaten down and then comes out of nowhere for the victory. That was not the case, and a nice change. Mysterio really carried a good portion of the offense in this match, and it wasn't until Miz came back with a corner clothesline to get the advantage. The end of the match came with Mysterio hitting 619 and missing the top rope maneuver. Miz would send Mysterio into the turnbuckle face first and hits Skull Crushing Finale for the victory.
What I Disliked:
Although this was a solid match with the in ring action, where is that big moment? You really did not get any here from Mysterio and Miz. This would have been a great match to potentially brawl to the outside, get more physical and personal at the same time. They did not really build a reason to fight, and many people question if Mysterio should have won. So, Miz wins in a predictable match with a predictable ending. I am sick of seeing the heel or the champion look weak throughout the matches. It completely makes a joke out of the title, and Miz as champion really hasn't had a good moment yet. I am holding out hope, but at least build some storylines with the IC Title. They could have done so much more with these two guys.
Grade: C+
Sheamus def. Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
What I Liked:
For the first time in a while, I believed that Del Rio could have an outside shot of winning. I am not sure why, but when he came out it looked like he had more swagger and more believability in himself. The character may be bland, but Del Rio is a great competitor. This match starts on the outside with Del Rio throwing Sheamus into the announcer's table. Both men go back and forth at a quick pace early, but we definitely had the action slow down a bit. Sheamus continues to work on the lower body of Del Rio, but Alberto would counter and kick him in the face. The best moment was Del Rio's kick to the back of Sheamus' head, which really looked great on TV. Both men use their plethora of offense, which showcases Sheamus and his chest chops, and then Del Rio who slows things down with an articulated attack on his opponents shoulder. This is a smart way to weaken the champion, and attempt his Cross Armbreaker finisher. The ending comes when Sheamus hits a Irish Curse Backbreaker, which leads to a pinfall. Del Rio gets his foot on the rope, but Sheamus knocks it off to get the win.
What I Disliked:
This ending to a World Heavyweight Championship match at the second biggest Pay Per View of the year was lame. This stage is set, in Los Angeles, and with a big fight feel thanks to the main event later on. The action was alright, but for the third straight match, there just was something missing. Sheamus should stay as world champion, but why couldn't there be something that got in his way. Hell, even after the match, bring out a Wade Barrett or his next opponent. Instead, you are going to continue a feud that STILL does not connect with the audience. If you cannot fully connect with a crowd as big and popular as Los Angeles, than obviously the feud is not working. I wonder why they book matches like this for big events. If there was some sort of gimmick, that would have greatly helped. At the end of this match, all I could think of was… "Not more matches." We simply do not care or invest our attention to this match on the card. It is just not working with two really different personas.
Grade: C-
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
