10 Observations From Attending WWE SummerSlam 2016 Live
2. Two In A Row
The main event of the evening was the highly-anticipated Brock Lesnar versus Randy Orton match, but in a matter of minutes, the wind was taken out of the audience. Early on, it became clear that the bout just wasn't going to be anything special.
SummerSlam 2016 may well be remembered as the evening when "Suplex City" jumped the shark. Brock did his usual shtick, but it was so expected that it didn't mean much (not to mention the fact that "The Beast" was clearly taking it easy on "The Viper's" weak neck). Things finally turned around when Orton gave Brock an RKO on the announcers' table, but the finish - which saw Lesnar win by TKO after breaking Orton's face open with an elbow - came off as flat.
Though the bout's ending felt a bit premature, apparently the plan was almost identical to what happened (albeit without so much blood). That's a pretty awful way to misread the crowd, then, because the Barclays Center fans were not fond of the ending. Fans booed the abrupt and confusing nature of the main event's conclusion.
The same thing happened last year, when The Undertaker beat Brock Lesnar (Lesnar made Undertaker tap out, but the referee didn't see it, so the match continued and 'Taker choked Brock out). At that show, angry fans chanted "Bullsh*t" as the show went off the air. All in all, history repeated itself.