8 Ways WWE SummerSlam 2017 Can Outdo WrestleMania 33
Knocking 'The Ultimate Thrill Ride' clean off the tracks.
The second biggest wrestling show of the year is almost upon us. WWE SummerSlam 2017 takes place on 20 August, and while the card is still being finalised, there's already much to look forward to.
The Fatal 4-Way between Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Samoa Joe will likely serve as the main event. It highlights what looks like a strong card, and while SummerSlam disappointment certainly isn't rare (just look at last year's show), there's a good chance the event could outdo WrestleMania, as it has done several times in the past.
'Mania 33 was an extremely imbalanced show. An eventful night, it certainly lived up to its 'Ultimate Thrill Ride' tagline, but each high was tempered by a terrible low, and it closed with one of the saddest matches of The Undertaker's career. A decent enough show, but one that can definitely be surpassed next weekend.
WWE's propensity for ruining great pay-per-view matches with oddball booking makes it difficult to get caught up in the pre-event hype. Still, if the company book SummerSlam logically, there's no reason it can't outdo 'Mania this year. Here's how they can pull it off.
8. Individual Women's Matches
For a company that have spent over a year spouting off about their so-called women's revolution, the way WWE booked the Raw and SmackDown divisions at WrestleMania 33 was disappointing.
Instead of putting time and effort into developing strong, individual storylines for the biggest show of the year, WWE threw as many women into each match as possible. Bayley vs. Charlotte would've made great sense as a singles bout, but WWE booked a crowded Fatal 4-Way instead, and things were even worse for SmackDown, whose women were forced to rush their way through a five-minute six-pack challenge.
It's great that so many performers got a big 'Mania payday, but the cram greatly reduced the match quality. Fortunately, SummerSlam won't suffer from the same problem, and instead of getting two multi-person schmoz-fests, we'll have two singles bouts.
Natalya will challenge for Naomi's SmackDown Women's Title, while Bayley and Alexa Bliss will once again contest the Raw belt, only without a daft 'on a pole' stipulation this time. We probably aren't looking at a set of Match Of The Year candidates, but if given enough time, each should be a clear step forward from what 'Mania served up.