12 Match Star Ratings For WWE SummerSlam 2019

6. Bayley Vs. Ember Moon - SmackDown Women's Title Match

Brock Lesnar Seth Rollins
WWE.com

This review was written last, under the faint hope an insight might materialise out of nowhere. This was a critic's headache, because it was so uninteresting that it inspired pure word count dread.

Such was the case at Extreme Rules, too, which is an indictment of Bayley's run with the SmackDown Women's Title. After a promising start, which teased sorely-needed character development, WWE at this point needs to settle on a direction one way or the other. Bayley didn't perform with anywhere near enough nuance to pull off a babyface versus babyface match. Nor did Ember Moon: the crowd were not split in sympathy but rather united in their apathy, because neither performer had the range to pull off a difficult dynamic.

The work was competent. The action bordered on very good, or it would have, had the crowd given half a sh*t. A match pitched solely for match quality didn't even deliver that. Ember Moon's athleticism did inform some decent, creative spots, but again, when Bayley rolled out of the ring, it didn't suggest much of anything - cowardice, veteran instincts, nothing. Just a pause in the action.

A disappointment.

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!