12 WWE SummerSlam 2019 Impulse Reactions

4. Trish Stratus Vs. Charlotte Flair

Trish Stratus
WWE.com

Afforded a stunning farewell (if this is indeed her genuine last stand), Trish Stratus at long last got a singles match that tied her history-making mid-2000s run to the present generation she was born a decade too soon to compete alongside

Charlotte Flair was in phenomenal form as always, but the former "Diva" deserved enormous credit for giving as good as she got throughout. Bumping as if she'd never been out of the ring, Stratus took some substantial punishment from the much larger SmackDown Live star, and bounced back from the worst of the abuse to almost claim a submission win with her stunning take on the Figure Eight.

The dream only extended as far as Stratus getting back into her gear for one last emotional run. Flair fought back and locked her own one in for the tap-out victory, but Stratus received a moment almost as powerful in defeat as her victorious leaving celebration in the same city 13 years earlier. This was more than just "Stratusfaction" - this was vindication.

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.