12 Match Star Ratings For WWE SummerSlam 2019
2. The Fiend Vs. Finn Bálor
Holy sh*t was that entrance something.
Finn sold it like the rest of us (typical that he resembled a human being minutes before his sabbatical). Arriving to the ring with a Jeepers Creepers-esque, decapitated head of the old Bray Wyatt character, his new lantern, the soundtrack was pure evil. Discordant and terrifying, this was genuinely awe-inspiring. Unsettling. Wyatt has somehow conspired to perfect a gimmick archetype once thought as dead as the foreign menace.
In the (mostly) one-sided squash this needed to be, Wyatt debuted his new arsenal. He launched a headbutt at Bálor's neck after an Irish whip. He landed a clubbing lariat to the back of his head. In a spot that is just audacious enough for this incredible new character to carry, the Fiend did the old horror movie monster neck-snap.
Bálor got some licks in, which might prove controversial - but this worked, subjectively. This is a new breed of monster, and this display of weakness was consistent with his tormented, unhinged new character. Besides which, the Fiend took a dominant win in just 3:25, in a squash match of layered drama, following the Mandible Claw finish.
The exact opposite of his SummerSlam '13 debut, this was an outstanding, unforgettable reintroduction.
Star Rating: ***