10 Awesome Wrestling Matches On Otherwise Terrible WWE Shows

8. Seth Rollins Vs. Brock Lesnar - SummerSlam 2019

The Rock The Undertaker Kurt Angle
WWE.com

SummerSlam 2019 probably wasn't actively terrible, but, again, it was unacceptably mediocre.

AEW had just launched, promising the world to its enthused audience - much of which had lost interest in WWE - and so it was really beyond time that WWE sorted itself out. The range of AEW was a huge selling point, but the intoxicating idea that the talent could become the best versions of themselves stood in bleak contrast to a very bland SummerSlam offering.

As a key example, Ricochet Vs. AJ Styles would have been exponentially more exciting in an AEW ring. In WWE's ring, it was a patterned, methodical, heavily agented gentlemen's three.

If it were possible, Kofi Kingston Vs. Randy Orton was even more of a WWE cliché of a match - a plodding, boring 17 minutes of nothing complete with a double count-out finish that functioned, as most matches back then did, as an excuse for a rematch.

The main event was a cracker, though: Seth Rollins, who had floundered as a babyface, proved that he had the skill-set in the ring, at least. Brock was on imperious form as a bully - he treated Rollins like a hapless geek plaything when swinging him around by the surgical tape wrapped around his waist - and Seth's fiery comeback was the most respectable he looked all year.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!