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.

WWE: The Return of YEStlemania

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.

Well, it happened.  Hell froze over. Pigs flew.  Cats and Dogs got along. Daniel Bryan finally got cleared by WWE doctors for in-ring competition. 

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

The WWE Universe’s fascination with chants and repetition is about to double now that Daniel Bryan can wrestle again.  After being forced to retire at the peak of his popularity due to concussion issues, D-Bry is finally back in business. Daniel Bryan is without a doubt one of the most popular and lovable WWE Superstars in recent memory.  His underdog spirit and never say die attitude resonate with WWE fans. His real appeal is that this guy should have never been in the top spot at all.

Unlike guys like John Cena, Batista, or Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan was not manufactured by the WWE machine.  Bryan honed his skills all over the world in the indie scene before finally making his way to the big time. Guys like Bryan, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn are seen by the old school higher ups as guys that don’t belong in the main event spot.  Big dudes with big muscles and big hair seem to always be the prototypical main eventers in Vinnie Mac’s eyes, but thank the Lord above that that particular perception has shifted in recent years. Guys the size of Daniel Bryan are seen as solid mid-carders at best and the “system” doesn't want him or any one like him in the top spot.  This way of thinking played out in a very real way on our TV screens during the build up to Wrestlemania 30.

Daniel Bryan was easily the most popular guy in the company at the time.  His Yes! chants took over not only WWE shows but made their way into NFL and NHL stadiums around the country.  No matter how popular he was, unfortunately the WWE did not want to pull the trigger on him. Throughout 2013 and the beginning of 2014, Daniel Bryan established himself as the best in ring worker and most “over” wrestler in the world.  Bryan was phased out in favor of perennial main eventer and charisma vacuum Randy Orton. Triple H put his trusty shovel to Bryan more times than I care to count. Batista got to come back from a stint in Hollywood and step right over Daniel Bryan and into the main event of Wrestlemania.  Hell even Stephanie McMahon was portrayed in a better light than D-Bry. But all of that nonsense was not enough to deter the power of the WWE Universe.

The emperors of ancient Rome knew that when fear wasn’t a good tactic to win over the people, they would actually appeal to what they wanted.  Through the power of the Roman Colosseum, the people of Rome were given a voice over what gladiators they wanted to see live or die, and the powers that be obliged them.  The crowd proved they had power and the system had to cave into what the mob wanted. This is similar to what happened at the beginning of 2014. Daniel Bryan was riding high and the crowd expected him to overthrow the Authority and win the 2014 Royal Rumble.  Not only did he not win, he wasn’t even entered in it. Daniel Bryan, the most popular superstar of the last decade was not entered into a Royal Rumble that from a storyline standpoint he should have 100% won. Oh, and the Rumble was in Philadelphia that year. You know, Philly, the city that burns down whether their sports teams win or lose.  A fanbase that threw things at Santa Claus ... Friggin Santa Claus. The Philly crowd booed the entire Rumble match and even booed Rey Mysterio when he entered at Number 30, the number everyone was holding out for Daniel Bryan to be. How the city of Brotherly Love didn’t burn down that night is still beyond me.

Batista would win just like everyone was hoping he wouldn’t.  The next few weeks saw the fans boycott WWE shows to the point that the company had no choice but to change all their plans for Wrestlemania.  Add to the fact that around this time CM Punk had taken his ball and went home, the original main event plans were completely nixed. Bryan was set to face Triple H with the winner advancing to the main event to challenge Batista and Orton in a triple threat.  Bryan would win both matches and gave the fans a feel good moment that they had not seen in a long time. The scene was similar to what happened 10 years prior when Chris Benoit beat Triple H and HBK in a triple threat in the main event of Mania to finally win the big one.  Although that moment has been all but obliterated from WWE collective memory for obvious reasons, Daniel Bryan gave us another feel good moment to finally be proud of.

It was one of us that was beating the system.  Daniel Bryan is our guy. He’s not a genetic freak like Cena or Reigns, and he’s not the most charismatic guy like say, the Rock.  He’s just Daniel Bryan and that’s honestly enough. As things stand right now, Daniel seems poised to team up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.  That’s a decent match to get him started up but honestly every hardcore fan is salivating for what comes after that. Things have changed drastically since Bryan was forced to retire.  Although the product falters from time to time, the fact is that the WWE has easily their most talented roster of all time at the moment. AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, the Miz, Seth Rollins hell even Roman Reigns.  The amount of quality matches Daniel Bryan can have with the current roster is friggin staggering. That’s not even counting the crop of guys coming up from NXT. Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, and Andrade Almas are all capable of putting on Match of the Year candidates with D-Bry.

Long story, I’m hyped that Daniel Bryan is back and all of the fans are as well.  Vince and Triple H understand the obsession the fans have with Daniel Bryan and hopefully they do everything possible to make sure Daniel Bryan is in a top spot again.  More importantly than what we want though is what’s safest for Daniel Bryan. The risk of getting re-injured is always there but I know everyone involved will make sure to protect this guy while also allowing him to put on the greatest matches possible. 

YEStlemania is back baby, and if everything works out 2018 can be one of the best years for wrestling in a long time.

Michael III

Old School Rebuttal:
I got two words for you: Boy Scout. Bob Backlund was the ultimate boy scout. I loved him. The crowd loved him. He was the new champ for an emerging ten-year old fan base growing up in the post Bruno Sammartino era. He was also the last of the old school champions. Vince Sr. actually caught a lot of heat from the other territory bookers/owners for keeping him over as long as he did. Looking back all these years later, I now understand why the other territories felt Backlund was bad for business. The role of common layman doesn't work unless he's hopelessly oppressed. A series of competitive matches won't be enough to get Daniel Bryan over and keep him over - not with Vince's limited view of welterweights. Bryan needs a ruthless heel by his side in order to continue drawing compassion from the fans. Therefore if WWE does indeed put Daniel Bryan over, I suggest they beat him down every chance they get - perhaps even follow a storyline which mercilessly seeks to once and for all end his career. How can he remain a legitimately sympathetic baby face otherwise? Even then, there's only so much they can wring out of his small frame and over boy scout image. What follows if today's audience is far less patient than my generation was? There's no way in hell this generation could have tolerated six years of Bob Backlund holding onto the belt like mine did. In fact, the Iron Shiek screw job remains fresh in my memory. Fans were up in arms over a perceived miscarriage of squared-circle justice. Wrestlers can't hold a title for three months these days without fans lamenting a script change. And so here we are. Daniel Bryan is today's Bob Backlund. Unfortunately for Bryan, once upon a time a guy named Hulk Hogan emerged on the wrestling scene riding a wave of self-righteous patriotism. It was the 1980's, and he imbued the decade perfectly as one of the many new strains of social disease afflicting the nation. Blame the real American Terry Bollea, aka Hulkamania, for inaugurating the self-absorbed Me! Me! Me! Me! Me! era of sports entertainment. He stabbed Bob Backlund square in the back, but no one seemed to care. I guess we were unknowingly ready for change. In fact, the psuedo vitamin pushing Hulkster ignited a bigger pop than anyone at the time could have imagined. Right then and there, the business changed. We just didn't seem to notice when territories began eradicating their stock of boy scouts. Hulkamania rendered them extinct. And therein lies the potential fate of the next innocuous champion.

Mike II