12 Match Star Ratings For WWE SummerSlam 2019
5. Kevin Owens Vs. Shane McMahon
A whole load of bullsh*t happened, but nowhere near enough to bury the lede.
The prevailing impression, very rare for a first pay-per-view encounter in a new programme, was that Kevin Owens outsmarted the heel. This was enough: so often in the Network era, WWE, to prolong a rivalry, frames the babyface as a hapless dork. This dumbass, lazy approach has killed the Miz's momentum this year - he is now a talk show host who willingly relinquishes a Big 4 PPV payday, if we're meant to think that deeply - but here, Owens definitively defeated Shane McMahon.
The match wasn't great. Shane took too much offence, the role of Elias was very much a passé sports entertainment trope, and KO's internal moralising was more consistent with Johnny Gargano's character than his own. Still, Shane played his role well enough - the little d*ckhead who begged for a chair shot, as opposed to the guy who can easily hang with the new top babyface - and it didn't outstay its welcome.
WWE being WWE, the feeling never quite goes away. Owens didn't win "fairly", which will justify Shane's claim to an inevitable rematch.
Still, this was better than Owens getting his foot stuck in the commentary table, or some sh*t.
Star Rating: **3/4