5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SummerSlam 2016
1. Losers: SmackDown
Worse was yet to come for SmackDown, though.
Though the blue brand delivered the night’s best match (AJ Styles vs. John Cena), having their World Championship dragged through the mud was insulting and humiliating. Still, they had a chance to make up ground with the night’s main event, as their own Randy Orton challenged Raw’s Brock Lesnar.
Few gave Orton a chance to win, but a credible performance would’ve at least restored some pride. Instead, Orton was absolutely mauled by the Beast Incarnate, and lost via doctor’s stoppage/TKO shortly after being busted open by one of Lesnar’s elbow strikes.
Orton, who is supposed to be one of SmackDown’s biggest stars, was effectively squashed in the night’s main event, and while the result works well for Brock, WWE have effectively neutered one of SD’s leading lights.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, a concerned Shane McMahon got involved in the aftermath. Worried for Orton’s wellbeing, SmackDown’s Commissioner was F5’d by Raw’s part-time special attraction, which says all you need to know about SD’s place in the pecking order.
SmackDown has been buried. It was always thought that it would never be able to shed it’s “B-show” tag, but SummerSlam confirms WWE have no interest in restoring SmackDown’s credibility. Their title has been devalued, Orton has been obliterated, and their boss was left lying as the PPV went off the air.
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