WWE Summerslam 2018: Battling a Hostile Brooklyn Crowd

From the desk of:  VINCE SR.'s WORST NIGHTMARE

I first became passionate about wrestling as a single-digit midget back in the mid 1970s when all territories were still under the umbrella of the NWA and kayfabe ruled the day.  Our local territory was then known as the WWWF, and was owned by Vince McMahon Sr.  At the time, his son Vince Jr. was doing little more than cutting promos and ring announcing.  When Daddy Mac decided he'd had enough, he made Vince Jr. promise to not break up the territory system.  So what did Sonny Mac do?  He swallowed up the competition with haste thus ending the territory system.  Vince Jr. would argue in the same spirit that Brett Hart screwed Brett Hart, the various territory owners killed the various territories.  My son and I constantly debate the evolution of wrestling from when I was a kid through today's era of Sports Entertainment.  It is therefore my honor and privilege to introduce to you the newest contributor of the Brooklyn Trolley Blogger, my son, Michael III.

WWE’s biggest party of the summer is right around the corner.  Summerslam will hail from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY and is sure to have a raucous crowd.  Being from Brooklyn myself, I know that we by our very nature are A-holes and if we don’t like something, trust me you will know.  As if they have proved in the past, the WWE Universe loves to crap all over the product if the WWE Creative team does not give them what they want.  That, coupled with the extended times of WWE’s pay per views usually leads to the crowd tuning out of matches, chanting things that make no sense and throwing beach balls at each other.  While this is sometimes hysterical, it is also pretty annoying. The Brooklyn audience is always relentless so the WWE has to ensure that Summerslam is a stacked show that will ensure the WWE Universe, both the live and home audience, enjoys the show.  There are several ways to do this, whether or not WWE follows through or just does whatever they feel like again is up to them.

The Liberation of the WWE Universal Championship

Amelia Earhart, Osama Bin Laden, Brock Lesnar, hide and seek champs.  Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship have been seen so infrequently that people have started to forget Raw has a top world title.  With Lesnar’s imminent return to the UFC, there is finally hope that he will drop the title at Summerslam and give Raw a much needed shot of adrenaline.  Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley are set to battle it out tonight on Raw to see who will face Lesnar at Summerslam. Neither of those matches sound particularly appealing so there will be some sort of shenanigans that take place that will allow both men to challenge Lesnar in a Triple Threat Match.  

No one wants to see Lesnar keep the title hostage, the crowd will hate every second Reigns is in the ring and Lashley hasn’t really earned a main event spot.  So all three men winning the title is a lose lose situation. The only way to make sure the Brooklyn crowd goes home happy is have Braun Strowman cash in his briefcase.  It will be the biggest pop of the night when Strowman lays waste to whoever the winner is and finally claims his spot at the top of the mountain. A Lashley or Reigns heel turn post Summerslam will provide Strowman with a strong feud to carry his title into.  A Strowman win at Summerslam is the perfect ending to the show that will leave everyone happy.

AJ Styles Vs. Samoa Joe

Despite WWE’s insistence that the real top champion is whoever holds the title on Raw, AJ Styles has proved time and time again he is the top world champion in the company.  Styles has seemingly silenced every challenger available to him since he became WWE Championship last year. One of the last few big money feuds Styles has left available to him on Smackdown is a battle against Samoa Joe.  Joe proved he belonged in the main event throughout his tenure in NXT and his battles against Lesnar and Reigns on Raw. Anyone that has seen their battles in TNA know that Styles and Joe have amazing chemistry and can tear the house down.  Their match at Summerslam has the potential to steal the show and can truly make a star out of Samoa Joe. A Joe win can offer some new and fresh matchups in the Smackdown main event scene with Joe taking on top faces like Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy or even a potential dream match with a returning John Cena.  

New Women’s Champs

At Summerslam, Ronda Rousey will challenge Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship and Becky Lynch will most likely challenge Carmella for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.  Bliss and Carmella are two hated heels that play their roles well but both of them have had their time to shine. Becky Lynch, one of the most natural babyfaces on the roster, should finally get her moment and capture the title that has eluded her since she won the inaugural Smackdown Women’s Championship two years ago.  Ronda Rousey has taken the WWE by storm and has gotten over fairly well despite being new to the wrestling scene. Beating such a natural heel in Bliss will allow Rousey to capture the strap and electrify the Brooklyn crowd.

Indie Darlings Get Their Due

WWE loves pushing people that the WWE Universe doesn’t really want to see.  Guys like Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan and Finn Balor have often been overlooked in favor of guys like Roman Reigns and whatever other big guy with long hair Vince McMahon has a chubby for at that moment.  The so called “Indie Darlings” have done fine on their own but most are not allowed to grab the brass ring organically.

Daniel Bryan got over on his own without help from the WWE machine and they refused to push him until they had no other choice.  At Summerslam he appears finally set to battle the Miz who he has had issues with for years. Fans have been waiting for this match ever since D-Bry came back from injury.  There is nothing more that the Barclays Center would love than for Daniel Bryan to give the Miz the absolute beating of a lifetime.

Likewise, guys like Finn Balor and Seth Rollins need to be highlighted and given quality matchups at the big event.  Balor has yet to receive his rematch for the Universal Title and the journey to that match should start with a big showing at Summerslam.  Rollins has been the workhorse of Raw and he should have a big showing at Summerslam, probably against Dolph Ziggler again after they killed it in their IronMan Match last month.  Both Rollins and Balor deserve the spotlight on Raw and with Brock Lesnar most likely heading back to the UFC, opportunities for the Universal Championship will actually begin to come more frequently.