Road to Summer Slam 2021 - 2

PART 1

Summer Slam 2021 takes place in Las Vegas.  Here’s the card.

WWF Title: Matt Riddle (w/HBK) v. The God of Carnage Edge (w/Keith Lee)

IC: AJ Styles v. Rey Mysterio

Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley (w/Horsewomen) v. Bianca Belair

Tags: Defiance (Orton/Priest w/Crews) v.

Tyler Black v. Langston (w/Crews/Woods)

No DQ: Roman Reigns v. Bobby Lashley

Becky Lynch/Charlotte Flair v. Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross

Number 1 Contender: Usos v. Hooligans

 

RIDDLE v EDGE:

Matt Riddle won the WWF Title over Bryan Danielson at WM (Danielson then left the territory after losing in a War Games match after flipping to the Cole/Fish/O’Reilly GDI stable; all four men now gone). He’s a member of the Clique, managed by Shawn Michaels – the Clique’s a multi-decade long stable now which has been through multiple iterations.  Central to the identity of the stable is the members often face each other, sometimes brutally so, and that’s revisited here.  Edge beat The Fiend at Mania and assumed ownership of his “God of Carnage” name – and appears to have absorbed some level of supernatural power (either we go super realistic, Edge is a veteran using all his veteran tricks; or we go the other way, most of the time, we go realistic, this time, nah, he’s now the Undertaker).  Lee and Riddle came to WWF together to reboot the Clique under Michaels’ leadership. Riddle beat Lee in a showdown to see which of them would get placed in what turned into a Number One contender’s match at the Rumble – Lee went away for several months, but is back now.  Riddle winds up attacked by…we’re going to say the Viking Raiders, making their return to the promotion – they’re serving as goons for, let’s say Mustafa Ali.  With Riddle needing backup, Lee moves into that role, tag partner/bodyguard/muscle to protect the Champ. That program takes most of the summer (or more likely it leads to another similar program) – as we hit a month before Summer Slam; the number one contender is going to be revealed – and it’s Edge, he cuts slow, “rest in peace-like” promo in a face to face encounter with Riddle – the kicker being that Lee attacks Riddle from behind, leaves him laying – and Lee joins Edge – we get the full intra-Clique fight at Summer Slam.

STYLES v REY

IC is a veteran babyface matchup – both Triple Crown winners – if anything, Rey is a subtle heel here – Rey is the locker room leader, the judge of wrestlers court, the guy with the most respect in the back – and he’s aware of that.  He carries himself with that status.  Rey wears suits with his mask; so when they are doing any sort of a face to face, that’s how you should see Rey.  He’s a babyface, but he carries himself in such a way that might rub some the wrong way.  Primarily though – it’s a match with a couple of Hall of Famers fighting for a title. 

RIPLEY v BELAIR

The Horsewomen are down to 3 after losing the War Games match, Shafir now gone (or maybe it’s Duke, it doesn’t so much matter) – Ripley took the title at Mania; Belair beat Baszler twice and then got the War Games submission, so she comes into this match with a ton of steam (for the build to this match, see the War Games in part 1).  Bad ass heel champ, hot babyface challenger– they meet for the belt. 

HOOLIGANS v USOS

WINNERS v DEFIANCE

It takes two matches to settle the tag titles- Defiance won the belts at Mania, Orton/Priest will be the two members in the ring to defend the belt here (Orton gets to sweep up the pieces of Bray Wyatt over the summer before he leaves the territory to even up that score) they’ll face the winners of the opening tag match between two former champs the babyface Hooligans (McIntyre/Sheamus) and the heel Usos.

LYNCH/FLAIR v. ALEXA/NIKKI

There’s another tag match – it’s a women’s tag – Lynch and Flair returned to the promotion after a year away (see part one) both with new outlooks that were reflected in how well they worked together in that match.  It’s really their feud which resulted in the Montreal Match which ran Lynch from the promotion (until Banks, who “took” Lynch’s career in that match, brought her back) time away caused contemplation – and now they form a tag act, not about winning a belt (there are no women’s tag belts) it's about fighting, it’s about being a fighter and maybe trying to create something in the promotion (both former champs, are there new worlds to conquer?  Maybe there are, and maybe it involves tag team wrestling).  They go against the heel team of Alexa/Nikki.

BLACK v. LANGSTON

GDI goes from having two separate factions to being wiped from the promotion (maybe).

Understandably, losing the 3 top matches at Mania, then having Danielson turn, then having to fight that brutal War Games match has exhausted Black/Steen, the two men left standing (Strong is still in the promotion he’s gonna be enhancement) and its unclear what future they have – they lose a match to the New Day, Langston getting the fall on Black – and that sets up this match between former Shield stablemates; Black is on the backfoot – Langston smells blood – he looks to pick the bones of his former partner. 

REIGNS v LASHLEY

Finally (well, finally for the card, there’s a Dark Ride title match too) is a rematch from Mania, Reigns beat Lashley and now they do it again, here with a garbage stip.  Reigns has been on a monster role, really established during Covid – he challenges really the entire promotion to get on his level – there’s an AEW allusion here, Reigns intimates that maybe everyone in WWF got a little too comfortable being the only game in town – that’s okay, Reigns is here – the Big Dog is here – the Head of the Table – and he's going to force the rest of the promotion to rise to his level. 

Walter is the Dark Ride champ – Samoa Joe is the man who started Dark Ride – Joe left the broadcast team to fight with GDI in the War Games match and that transitions to Joe saying he is resuming his wrestling career and is throwing everything he has at beating Walter to regain his belt – that match will take place as a dark match at Summer Slam.

And that’s the show.

Next month, the top 20 matches in Summer Slam history.  In August – Summer Slam 2021.  

Road to Summer Slam 2021 - Part 1: War Games

Wrestlemania

Summer Slam 2021 is in Las Vegas in August; July will see a top matches in Summer Slam history countdown similar to the one done this year for Mania.  June will be the preview of the card (spoiler, the main event is Matt Riddle defending the WWF Title against fellow Clique Stablemate, the God of Carnage Edge) and this is a special War Games episode of...something, RAW or Fight Night or a standalone special on Peacock, whatever makes the most sense for business.  2 War Games matches, one Women's, one Men's.

Women's War Games: 

The Horsewomen (Ripley/Baszler/Shaffir/Duke) v. Banks/Asuka/Flair/Belair

(it won't be Asuka, she gets taken out and Banks, the team captain, can choose a mystery partner)

Stakes: Whomever submits leaves town

Men's War Games

oGDI (Danielson/Black/Steen) v. GDI (Cole/O'Reilly/Fish/Strong)

(oGDI agrees to the handicap stip)

Stakes: Losing team leaves town

Women's Match:

Ripley took the title from Banks at Mania; Flair returned from a year injury absence caused by the Horsewomen in a postmatch babyface save.  Her hair is short- she has none of the Queen Charlotte affectation, she's here to fight.  Belair and Asuka joined them; Asuka's a two time Women's Champ and was once the clear ace of the division; Belair's steaming her way through the ranks, having beaten former Champ Baszler twice on PPV.  

Asuka doesn't make it - she got taken out by a Horsewoman beating.  Full of hubris, the heel stable says if Banks can find anyone at all willing to risk their career by stepping into the War Games ring with the Horsewomen, she can be the new 4th member of her team.  

It's going to turn out to be Lynch (she'll be last woman to enter, of course) Becky lost the Montreal Match at the Covid Mania, leaving the territory, with the historical caveat being that the one person who could bring her back is the person who submitted her in the match, forcing her to leave.  This, of course, was Banks (we're storytellers, after all) and so Lynch is the mystery partner, reuniting the surviving members of 4-Ground, whose forming and separation, and battles have been the throughline of the modern women's division.  

They stand together in this match as babyfaces with the rising star Belair.  One story to tell is how well Lynch/Flair work together; their feud, their inability to stop fighting each other, was really the impetutus that led to the need for the Montreal Match - but both have been gone for more than a calendar and as we'll learn going forward, sometimes you don't know what you've got til its gone.

Each of them saves the other from a submission hold that would have ended their WWF run - which is a good way to demonstrate some trust - and at the end, it's Belair who submits Shaffir - that's going to earn her a title shot at Summer Slam; Lynch and Flair - they're going to team up in a women's tag match against Alexa/Nikki Cross, who are essentially enhancement.

Men's Match:

We say goodbye to many of our friends here.  

oGDI is gone for a few weeks after Mania; leaving all the promo time for GDI (they do a promo where they dress as oGDI, like DX as the NoD or the NWO as the Horsemen - I'm thinking Cole with a giant beard and crazy hair as Danielson, O'Reilly keeps switching t-shirts to represent Black's switching from stable to stable, and Fish and Strong both in fat suits as dueling Steens).  GDI goes hard not just at oGDI but at the entire generation of guys (save Strong) they go hard enough that it draws an irritated rebuke from Joe - Joe doesn't like any of the oGDI guys, for long established reasons - but the disparagment of the entire generation understably grates.  

oGDI gets one good unified moment upon their return so we can have a full 4 x 3 brawl - but it disintegrates in the subsequent weeks, they can't find the same page in the wake of such a terrible WM (they were all losers in the 3 top matches of the show) there's bickering, there's blame cast, whereas GDI is fully united - oGDI is entirely fractured, that's even more of a problem because the initial stakes (whomever submits leaves town) escalate to the entire losing team leaves town.  

Danielson's heelishness doesn't relent at all (Black and Owens need to soften for this build - we want to root for oGDI, when babyface announcer Joe takes their side, that's our cue to do the same) everyone is still beneath him, the only people less worthy of being in the arena than GDI are the idiot fans.  Even his own stablemates clearly are a lost cause; no one understands his delicate genius.  

Danielson is the primary driver of the escalation of the stakes - and also accepting that it will be a handicap match.  

Pre-match is a stretcher shot from the back - Strong has been taken out - looks like that's how oGDI evened up the odds.  

O'Reilly and Black start.

Then Cole.  Then Steen.

Then Fish.  Then Danielson...

Except....Danielson isn't there to fight with oGDI, he's there to fight for GDI; he attacks Steen and Black to make it 4 x 2; the announcers fill in - it wasn't oGDI that took out Strong, it was GDI that took out Strong so they could replace him with Danielson!  Danielson agreed to the handicap stip - Danielson escalated the stakes of the match - it's a set up - it's diabolical.  

Joe - at the announce - says it isn't happening like this - he tells Sanford and Heyman that he quits.  

He takes off his jacket and shirt -- and he enters the cage and fights with oGDI.

Something set up for several months is despite his being a longtime heel, Black had been in the positon to be on the short end of odds, having to face multiple men and doing so with fighting spirit - so when he's in that position again here, just fully firing up in a babyface way, the fans are primed for that - and it will be Black who submits Danielson -- meaning that he, O'Reilly, Fish and Cole will be leaving the territory.  

There's not a lot of joy here - Black/Steen/Joe stagger off separately - GDI leaves together - leaving just Danielson alone in the ring - the 3 time WWF Champion, the American Dragon Bryan Danielson will be leaving the WWF.

But not quite yet - because there's one more receipt.  

Heyman comes to the ring.  He cuts a pretty scathing promo - for years, for years - Heyman was part of a feud with Danielson based on respect; no matter what the stakes, no matter who won - it was two gladiators giving it all they had.  But Danielson gave that up at the Covid Mania - cheapened his legacy - joined up with those two jackals and ganged up against a man who collectively the 3 of them couldn't lace his boots.  

Danielson thought it was over then.  

Tonight.  Tonight it's over.

And then Lesnar's music hits.  

After over a year away, Brock Lesnar returns to the WWF - he stomps to the ring - Danielson begs off - it doesn't matter - multiple F5s and it is done.  

Dragonmania is dead.  Bryan Danielson leaves the territory and Brock Lesnar returns.

That's part 1. Back in a month