12 WWE SummerSlam 2019 Impulse Reactions

7. AJ Styles Vs. Ricochet

Ricochet AJ Styles
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 for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. 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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.