12 WWE SummerSlam 2019 Impulse Reactions

7. AJ Styles Vs. Ricochet

The Fiend
WWE.com

A far superior match to their Stomping Grounds original a month earlier, AJ Styles and Ricochet were given far longer and a far kinder spot on the show to make the most of their superlative skillset. In Ricochet's case, he updated his repertoire for the good of the story.

'The Phenomenal One' has been far more interesting since rejoining his old Bullet Club comrades, but the OC's presence at ringside thankfully didn't have too much of a detriment on things until the story (sort of) called for it.

AJ's targeted assault on the Challenger's ankle forced him into springboarding with one leg and reversing a Calf-Killer into an Anaconda Vice rather than plotting out an assault from the skies, but his one big risk was ultimately his undoing.

Mirroring the way in which the United States Champion defeated Kota Ibushi at NJPW Invasion Attack in 2015, Ricochet getting caught with a Styles Clash mid-flight was a gripping way for the US Champion to retain.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett