Lackluster SummerSlam Main Event Saved by Roman Reigns's Return

 

The lackluster main event was saved by Reigns’s return, but the rest of the card was strong. Asuka lost in the opening match to SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, who capitalized off outside interference from Sasha Banks. But Bayley was not able to return the favor. Her distractions backfired in Banks’ match against Asuka, leading to a sequence where Asuka reversed the Banks Statement into the Asuka Lock for the win. One of the most talented wrestlers in WWE, the win represented a great moment for Asuka, who is the new Raw Women’s Champion, as well as elevated tensions between Banks and Bayley, who are still the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Another outstanding was Mandy Rose defeating Sonya Deville in a no disqualification, loser-leaves-WWE match. The original plan for this was a Hair vs. Hair match, but that was scrapped after what Deville has endured in real life as the victim of a frightening kidnapping attempt. Somehow, that stress did not alter her performance, as both Deville and Rose delivered on the stipulation and pieced together a hard-hitting, personal match. These are two emerging stars in WWE, and it has been a pleasure watching their ascent from role players in their story at WrestleMania to genuine stars at SummerSlam.