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Hi Dave,
Wanted to leave my thoughts on the Summerslam show. WWE rarely disapoints on PPV, especially this year, I don’t think they’ve had a bad pay per view so far (much like ROH).. Thumbs up for Summerslam Best match was without a doubt Undertaker/Edge, I rank it as the 2nd best Hell in the cell match of all-time. And you’re right, this is probably the best match of 2008 in WWE. Although I think the Royal Rumble bout is a close 2nd. The worst match was Henry/Matt, that’s only because they were given a mere 30 seconds of action, I’m sure it would have been decent otherwise. Anyways, onto my review of the show. The MVP/Jeff Hardy match was good for the 10 minutes it got.. I wish they could have gone 20, the match was alright, but I felt it was missing something, I don’t think Shelton being out there was necessary. I hope they give MVP a shot at working with Triple H next, he deserves it. The mixed tag match was ok too, but I didn’t like that Mickie was the one that took the pinfall, they should have had Beth pin Kofi, since he was the least over of the 4 participants. Maybe they’re giving the belt to Beth to put Mickie James in a position to win the title again in order to get her closer to Trish’s 7 title wins. I just love Mickie and I hope she gets there, she’s a very good worker and has that attractive girl-next-door look which most men love. Anyways, let me wipe the drool and continue. The only aspect of the Jericho/HBK segment that I didn’t like was that it was on PPV, they should do this kind of thing on RAW, it took too much time, where an 8th match could have easily been added. The angle was awesome though. C.M. Punk vs. JBL was surprisingly good, but that head collision was nasty. Triple H did a decent job of getting a subpar match out of Khali, but what can you do, the guy just sucks. Like the vast majority of fans, I really didn’t want to see Cena/Batista at this point in time. WWE could have probably gotten 1.5 million buys had they waited for WM 25 and given it a proper build, but what can you do? WWE and V.K.M. arent exactly known for having patience. The match itself was surprisingly good. I don’t mind telling you that I had low expectations for this. Some of the moves were awesome and the finish was very well done. Great match, maybe 4 stars even. Why they would book Cena to lose in 4 PPVs this year is beyond me though. As I wrote earlier, the main event was a showstopper. 27 minutes of amazing action by two guys at the top of their game, you really have to see this match to truly appreciate it. I’m curious to know what kind of star rating you will give this. I’m guessing somewhere in the 4 ¼ to 5 stars range. The Edge spear on top of the tables was truly awesome. I remember thinking last night “I wonder if someone was watching the Rhino/Christian TNA cage match from last year?” when I saw the Edge spear that broke the cage wall. Hmmnn. Overall it was a great show, one of the best of 2008, Edge would probably have won the MVP of this PPV if such a thing existed. Very happy that I bought the show.
Thanks for reading,
Albert Valenzuela
Hi Dave how are you…
I actually really liked the Henry - Hardy match. Here's why...anyone who has ever been in a fight knows they sometimes end quickly. The same thing happens in UFC. So why not wrestling...?
Why is it so hard to *believe* Hardy couldn't get the best of big Mark at the bell then be lucky enough to hit his finisher and seemingly end it, only for Atlas to break it up...?
I actually wish more matches ended quicker like that…it adds realism to the sport.
You have to be pretty smarky to bitch about that match. You're basically saying you have no clue as to how fighting works, and that's all wrestling really is. Fighting. To think there could never be a quick finish is pretty naive.
Have a good one Dave
Rob Beaubien
Hi Dave, Bryan,
So I actually shelled out the $$ to watch SummerSlam live this year. First one I've paid for this year since Mania, usually I just wait and watch them for free later in the week. I'd give it a thumbs up. Not like it was that great, but it fulfilled my wrestling fix for the evening and kept me entertained.
Best match; I would go with the Hell in a Cell, but to be honest I fell asleep before the ending (my daughter gets me up too early every day so staying up past 10 is often hard for me) so I'll have to wait until I can watch it again to give an informed opinion. For now, although there were many good matches including Punk/JBL I'm voting for Glamorella, as I got the most entertainment out of that match.
Worst match; I was in the bathroom and missed the whole Henry/Hardy match so I can't vote for it. I thought that although many parts of the Cena/Batista match were very good, the chokes on both of their submission moves were absolutely the worst I have ever seen in professional wrestling. I know a big part of it was the cameramen's fault from the way they were shooting it, but my god! I could see daylight between Cena's arms and Batista's chin for long periods of time, and then the same thing when Dave had a choke on Cena. Not being a worker I don't know if that is more the fault of the guy putting on the choke or the guy in it, but they both blew it so bad for me that I vote this for worst. I'm sure most people will call me crazy, but it blew the illusion on that match so bad for me I couldn't enjoy it.
Keep up the good work! Thanks!
-Jotham Stavely
Northampton, MA
Dave and Bryan,
I was very disappointed to read this on your site:
"Vickie Guerrero is absolutely disgusting.She looks like she gained 30 pounds at least, since Eddy died.
Why is she the part of ANY storyline? You mean to tell me that after Edge has Lita, anyone is going to believe that he would go for THAT?"
I realize this is an email from a reader and not the opinion of yourselves, but you didn't need to give this jerk a platform.
The comment is crass, misogynistic, mean-spirited and devoid of any genuine or thoughtful criticism. And whether you wrote it or not, it's published on your site.
For a publication which so often takes others to task for making pro-wrestling fans look like idiots, it's beyond disappointing you would print this garbage.
Discretion is the better part of valor gentlemen,
Sean K. Robb
Hi Dave,
Hope you had a great night last night.
I would give Summerslam a thumbs up.
*Best match by far was Edge vs Taker
*Worst match Henry vs Hardy-brutal
Edge/Taker was a great match. I was surprised that there was no blood. May be one of the rare times no blood in the Cell. I thought when they went thru the cage section, that was the opening to start climbing and I bet you a lot of other people did as well. In a way it was good to see they didn't as the death defying stunts and top this at the top of the cell are putting bodies too much at risk.
I was surprised at the clean finish for Cena/Batista. I thought for sure there would be some controversy to lead to another match at an upcoming PPV. I thought they put together a decent match and they over delivered on what I was expecting.
I thought the Michaels/Jericho confrontation was great. A bit too much time given at the end of Michaels comforting his wife, the hugging on the steps etc but overall a very effective segment.
Glad to see Punk go over JBL with no controversy or snuck in another win finish. No doubt he beat JBL clean and I think he needed that for his credibility.
HHH vs Khali seemed well put together. I think they made the most out of Khali's abilities ad the nerve hold/brain squeeze spots were effective in what they were trying to get across. HHH did a great job in carrying this to a not horrible match.
Glamorella match was good for the entertainment value. Santino's fondling and kissing of the belt was pretty funny.
Enjoy your week.
Grant Zwarych
Official Index of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Thanks for your interest and I look forward to providing you with some fantastic reading soon.
Special prices for buying one year at a time!
Hi Dave,
Wanted to leave my thoughts on the Summerslam show. WWE rarely disapoints on PPV, especially this year, I don’t think they’ve had a bad pay per view so far (much like ROH).. Thumbs up for Summerslam Best match was without a doubt Undertaker/Edge, I rank it as the 2nd best Hell in the cell match of all-time. And you’re right, this is probably the best match of 2008 in WWE. Although I think the Royal Rumble bout is a close 2nd. The worst match was Henry/Matt, that’s only because they were given a mere 30 seconds of action, I’m sure it would have been decent otherwise. Anyways, onto my review of the show. The MVP/Jeff Hardy match was good for the 10 minutes it got.. I wish they could have gone 20, the match was alright, but I felt it was missing something, I don’t think Shelton being out there was necessary. I hope they give MVP a shot at working with Triple H next, he deserves it. The mixed tag match was ok too, but I didn’t like that Mickie was the one that took the pinfall, they should have had Beth pin Kofi, since he was the least over of the 4 participants. Maybe they’re giving the belt to Beth to put Mickie James in a position to win the title again in order to get her closer to Trish’s 7 title wins. I just love Mickie and I hope she gets there, she’s a very good worker and has that attractive girl-next-door look which most men love. Anyways, let me wipe the drool and continue. The only aspect of the Jericho/HBK segment that I didn’t like was that it was on PPV, they should do this kind of thing on RAW, it took too much time, where an 8th match could have easily been added. The angle was awesome though. C.M. Punk vs. JBL was surprisingly good, but that head collision was nasty. Triple H did a decent job of getting a subpar match out of Khali, but what can you do, the guy just sucks. Like the vast majority of fans, I really didn’t want to see Cena/Batista at this point in time. WWE could have probably gotten 1.5 million buys had they waited for WM 25 and given it a proper build, but what can you do? WWE and V.K.M. arent exactly known for having patience. The match itself was surprisingly good. I don’t mind telling you that I had low expectations for this. Some of the moves were awesome and the finish was very well done. Great match, maybe 4 stars even. Why they would book Cena to lose in 4 PPVs this year is beyond me though. As I wrote earlier, the main event was a showstopper. 27 minutes of amazing action by two guys at the top of their game, you really have to see this match to truly appreciate it. I’m curious to know what kind of star rating you will give this. I’m guessing somewhere in the 4 ¼ to 5 stars range. The Edge spear on top of the tables was truly awesome. I remember thinking last night “I wonder if someone was watching the Rhino/Christian TNA cage match from last year?” when I saw the Edge spear that broke the cage wall. Hmmnn. Overall it was a great show, one of the best of 2008, Edge would probably have won the MVP of this PPV if such a thing existed. Very happy that I bought the show.
Thanks for reading,
Albert Valenzuela
Hi Dave how are you…
I actually really liked the Henry - Hardy match. Here's why...anyone who has ever been in a fight knows they sometimes end quickly. The same thing happens in UFC. So why not wrestling...?
Why is it so hard to *believe* Hardy couldn't get the best of big Mark at the bell then be lucky enough to hit his finisher and seemingly end it, only for Atlas to break it up...?
I actually wish more matches ended quicker like that…it adds realism to the sport.
You have to be pretty smarky to bitch about that match. You're basically saying you have no clue as to how fighting works, and that's all wrestling really is. Fighting. To think there could never be a quick finish is pretty naive.
Have a good one Dave
Rob Beaubien
Hi Dave,
Hope you had a great night last night.
I would give Summerslam a thumbs up.
*Best match by far was Edge vs Taker
*Worst match Henry vs Hardy-brutal
Edge/Taker was a great match. I was surprised that there was no blood. May be one of the rare times no blood in the Cell. I thought when they went thru the cage section, that was the opening to start climbing and I bet you a lot of other people did as well. In a way it was good to see they didn't as the death defying stunts and top this at the top of the cell are putting bodies too much at risk.
I was surprised at the clean finish for Cena/Batista. I thought for sure there would be some controversy to lead to another match at an upcoming PPV. I thought they put together a decent match and they over delivered on what I was expecting.
I thought the Michaels/Jericho confrontation was great. A bit too much time given at the end of Michaels comforting his wife, the hugging on the steps etc but overall a very effective segment.
Glad to see Punk go over JBL with no controversy or snuck in another win finish. No doubt he beat JBL clean and I think he needed that for his credibility.
HHH vs Khali seemed well put together. I think they made the most out of Khali's abilities ad the nerve hold/brain squeeze spots were effective in what they were trying to get across. HHH did a great job in carrying this to a not horrible match.
Glamorella match was good for the entertainment value. Santino's fondling and kissing of the belt was pretty funny.
Enjoy your week.
Grant Zwarych
Official Index of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Thumbs in the middle
Best Match: Undertaker vs. Edge
Worst Match: not counting Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy, Triple H vs. Khali
Jeff Hardy vs. MVP was alright, but they could definitely have a much better match if it wasn't for the opening match slot. It's bad how it seems the idea with the opening match used to be to go out, bust your ass, and put on a good match and now it's like, just don't do anything to show up the big stars.
The mixed tag was fun. I was really expecting Beth to decide she'd take the Intercontinental Championship and give Santino the Women's Championship. That was hilarious with her carrying him on her shoulders. I really think this pairing of Santino/Beth is going to produce some great comedy.
Awesome angle with Shawn/Rebecca/Jericho. I thought Shawn throwing the "you'll never, EVER, be Shawn Michaels" at Jericho was great. Props to Rebecca for taking that punch. I was thinking that Jericho should've went for Shawn's eye and started pummelling him, have Rebecca try to pull him off, and then Jericho hit her. Because intentionally punching a woman, as opposed to accidentally, would make him seem that much more terrible. But, looking back at it, the way they did it was perfect, with Jericho's facials and Shawn just glaring at him. I can't wait for this match. I'm thinking maybe a Street Fight at Unforgiven.
Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy - what was the point? Todd Grisham and Matt Striker get flown out to the show for this.
CM Punk vs. JBL wasn't much. Nasty spot where they cracked heads. At least Punk got a clean win. Wonder where he goes from here, because feuding with JBL isn't going to get him over as a credible champion.
Triple H vs. Khali - It went 3 minutes longer than I expected.
Cena vs. Batista was alright. So far the best match on the show. I was glad to see Batista win and I'm not even a Batista fan. I just really don't care for Cena and would rather him not win. Though, I was impressed with Batista tonight. He nailed that Batista Bomb out of mid air perfectly. Will be interesting to see if they continue this feud or hold off on it. I guess they could do a rematch sometime soon, because you know Cena wins that match anyway. Then really build up a rubber match and if done the right way, they could get a lot out of it. I don't know. They should've just not rushed into it so quick but actually taken the time to build it up properly.
Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Edge - Great match, except the finish felt flat to me. Coming off a big spot like the chokeslam through two tables I thought they should've had a few more minutes between that and the finish. Kinda bad that they didn't have Vickie out there; how was Edge going to "take her down to hell with him"? Disappointed with the no blood. Come on, it's Hell in a Cell. I was glad that they got out of the cell at least. I was thinking they could've had Undertaker win, but somehow have Edge go into crazy mode and destroy him afterwards so Edge could really keep up the momentum he has with his new crazy character. They could've done the busting through the mat spot and had Edge, Undertaker, and Vickie down there for the whole "take them to hell with me" thing. Still a great match and definitely one of the best matches of the year.
Jason Seay
Thumbs down
Best match: Batista vs. John Cena
Worst match: Hardy vs. Henry
Hi Dave,
I have to say that I was very let down by this show. Hardy-MVP, and the mixed tag felt like matches that could've been done on tv. Ditto for the HBK-Jericho segment(though the segment was good, if a bit too long). The ECW title match killed Mark Henry. Punk vs. JBL was ok, and better than their first match, but these two really don't click. However, it was good to see Punk get a clean win in a title defense. The Khali-Triple H match was worlds better than it should've been, but it did Khali no favors, as he just destroyed Hunter for the entire match, but one move puts him down. Regardless of how you feel about Khali, this should not have happened.
Cena vs. Batista exceeded my expectations, especially during the closing stretch. I think both guys came out looking strong, and I cant' wait to see them have a rematch with more build, and a better place on the card. As for the Hell in a Cell match, I cannot share in the love. I really thought this was the worst HIAC match since Triple H-Michaels in 2004. They lost me about 15 minutes in, simply because they were doing TOO MUCH. I was watching this match and wondering "why did they do the cell gimmick?", because this just seemed like a standard WWE hardcore or TLC match. I really hate this trend of having a bunch of plunder make it's way into the cell match, simply because the cage is supposed to be what's dangerous, not a bunch of gimmicks in the ring. This really felt like something TNA booked, because it was like "hey, let's have a TLC match...INSIDE OF A CAGE!!"
I'm sure plenty of folks disagree with me, but whatever, the match blew. I really, really miss the simplicity of the Taker-Lesnar HIAC match, because they didn't do all of the nonsense that was present tonight, and it still stands as the best Cell match ever in my book. Less is more sometimes.
Cecil Miller
Hey Dave!
PPV Feedback" Thumbs Down
Best Match: Michaels vs Jericho Showdown
Worst Match: All the rest
I was in at the event in Indy tonight. The crowd was hot for the whole show. From what I could tell, kids really enjoyed it. Having said that I must say I am really disappointed in WWE.
Other than the Cena/Batista match and HIC, I am troubled that this is all they could do for their 2nd or 3rd best PPV of the year??
JBL is great on the mic, but cannot perform at a top level anymore. He made Punk's win look weak.
Cena/Batista was poorly built. Why do these two hate each other???
Undertaker's ring rust was covered by having Edge did all the work to set up all the TLCs only to have UT carry out the punishment on him.
HHH/Kahli was most troubling to me. Why would HHH allow himself to be put in a match with a guy that just does forearm shots, neck pinches, and skull crushes? HHH had to be disappointed with the way this match came off. He is too good at what he does not to be. Why put Kahli in any championship match?
Why no Michaels, no Jericho, no tag team champions, no other womens matches, no Big Show, no Jesse & Festus????
WWE sorely needs competition because their product is really weak. I feel like I wasted my $210 this evening. But hey, the kids around me loved it and I guess that is what Vince wants these days.
Chad Thompson
Brownsburg, IN {plug}
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