12 Match Star Ratings For WWE SummerSlam 2019

3. Kofi Kingston Vs. Randy Orton - WWE Heavyweight Title Match

Brock Lesnar Seth Rollins
WWE.com

There were matches at Heroes Of Wrestling fought with more urgency and intensity than this. Randy Orton play-fought with his wife on the beach ahead of this match, and it was considerably more entertaining.

And it's a d*mn shame: Orton's character and promo work in the build was legit tremendous. It was by some distance the most well-built match on the card, and then, to quote Bruce Prichard, "the bell rang". Orton simply isn't fit for purpose as an in-ring act in 2019. His style is antagonistically slow. That was that they were going for, presumably: Randy Orton, in a (nominal) heat spot, did the New Day clap spot like his other hand was lava, grinning obnoxiously, knowing full well that the audience wanted him to speed things up.

It wasn't effective storytelling. At all: the layout was designed to frame him as the clinical veteran, but veterans are supposed to know the tricks to generate a reaction years removed from their prime. On this evidence, Orton would be better off playing a librarian in AEW.

Orton isn't terrible. He is marvellous, on a strictly technical level, and he suckered Kingston into the maw of danger in a few logical, dramatic spots, but Jesus wept: this parody of his "methodical" style was punishingly dull.

Star Rating: *3/4

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!