10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About 2023
7. SummerSlam
SummerSlam was a disappointing major show with a brutally dull main event - an event to forget for both WWE and its fanbase, since they'd rather you fill stadiums at least three times per year.
A major stadium show is meant to feel epic, spectacular, bold. A major stadium show is meant to make you curse the fact that you didn't buy a ticket or even fork out for an expensive travel package.
SummerSlam 2023 was not that.
Two attractions while very good to great - Seth Rollins Vs. Finn Bálor and Cody Rhodes Vs. Brock Lesnar - were rematches from B-level PLEs, lending the show a familiar vibe. Shayna Baszler didn't get much of a rub from a departing Ronda Rousey in a miscalculated 'MMA Rules' match, which was a poor idea for the broad stadium setting under ideal circumstances. The match was a boring version of a style that the WWE base isn't enthusiastic about.
GUNTHER Vs. Drew McIntyre was good, but disappointing. It wasn't dissimilar in quality to a televised GUNTHER match. The GUNTHER TV match is very good at a minimum, but on a Big 4 show, true greatness is the ceiling. Logan Paul Vs. Ricochet and Asuka Vs. Bianca Belair Vs. Charlotte Flair were good, but also felt a bit long.
The main event was an interminable parody of a big Roman Reigns match - a whole load of absolutely nothing for 25 whole minutes before the obligatory shenanigans. Jimmy Uso turned on his brother, and before he displayed some decent comedic chops in October, it felt for a while like the cherished 'Saga' had become 1999 nWo.