12 Match Star Ratings For WWE SummerSlam 2019

8. Goldberg Vs. Dolph Ziggler

Brock Lesnar Seth Rollins
WWE.com

The Undertaker and Goldberg have now both been restored after the calamitous, dangerous main event they struggled to put together on a Saudi Arabia propaganda exercise of a "show". In 2019.

Pro wrestling is wild, and so was Dolph Ziggler's bumping. That is his legacy, really, which made him the perfect victim for this fun-as-hell exercise in atonement. Ziggler isn't a potential headliner; he is established as a midcard act with a certain reputation that can't really suffer significant damage, and so this was atypically astute, flattering, and inspired booking on WWE's part.

It was more layered in drama than the dynamic suggested: Ziggler cracked Goldberg with two Superkicks instantly, which Goldberg, channelling the WCW vintage, shrugged off in a pained way that made him look more badass than boringly indestructible. He than flattened Ziggler with a spear, who took the bump brilliantly. Genuinely, it was superb. Disciplined. He didn't do a daft flip to steal focus at the expense of realism: he just looked like a dude who got drilled out of his boots. And then, after more sh*t-talking, and more sh*t-talking, it happened twice more.

More of a glorified angle than a match proper, this was still outrageously entertaining.

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!