15 WWE SummerSlam 2018 Impulse Reactions

12. Fringe Players

Dolph Ziggler Seth Rollins
WWE

Virtually all the drama between Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler during their SummerSlam opener was garnered from if recent returnee Dean Ambrose would lamp Ziggler's second Drew McIntyre, or perhaps turn on Seth in a frenzied state at the tail end of the clash.

Neither happened, really, but Ambrose' teasing body language from start to finish allowed viewers to think it might.

Rather than decking the baddies, he merely covered Rollins up whenever McIntyre tried to rabble rouse. Even as Rollins celebrated another Intercontinental Title win, Ambrose stood exactly where needed to be to make those expecting a turn think it was coming despite no eventual backstab.

The feud moves forward in ernest now, with various pre-event sources suggesting that a tag team battle between the four awaits at September's Hell In A Cell. It's all set dressing for an implosion between the former Shield members, but great things look set to come to those of us that have patiently waited.

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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.