8 Match Star Ratings For WWE SummerSlam 2020

7. Bayley Vs. Asuka - SmackDown Women's Title Match

Dominik Mysterio Seth Rollins
WWE.com

The biggest takeaway from a match that's difficult to analyse because it's so familiar, and has been done better on free TV very recently, is how good Sasha Banks is and how crucial connections are in pro wrestling storytelling - provided they don't take this piss - because she was tremendous selling everything with an uncanny naturalism. This of course contrasted superbly with Bayley's inverse performance later in the night.

If only it wasn't undermined.

This was excellent when it peaked; Asuka worked at a scintillating pace to tie things up early ahead of her long night, while Bayley is simply desperate in a chickensh*t heel role she's done very well to master, given the extent to which WWE has leant on it for so bloody long. This manifested in a great, sudden Bayley to Belly that disrupted the usual pattern of a WWE match, putting this over with the urgency the wider story demanded. There was a striking logic throughout the show, incredibly enough.

Watching Asuka was almost f*cking annoying, she was that great. This company did nothing with her for vast stretches of time, and yet she went at Bayley so hard knowing that she had to. She made intelligent in-character decisions that doubled as really cool and convincing pro wrestling moves. We saw during TakeOver: XXX's main event just how deathly dull limb work can be, but Bayley was great here, violently spiking Asuka's knee into the apron and inventively reversing a missile dropkick with perfect timing.

A roll-up finish that didn't press into the temples so hard it hurt your eye sockets, this played directly into the RAW Women's Title match.

All the more reason to fire Sasha up...

Star Rating: ★★★½

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!