Summer is here, the fans are back, and COVID is… rising. Irregardless of all circumstances, WWE wasted absolutely no time in getting back to The Usual. Here’s what stood out.
1. NXT U.K. Title: WALTER [c] vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT TakeOver 36 8/22/21)
They pulled it off last year in an empty arena, pulled it off a few times before WWE, and pulled it off again here: epic, MOTY-caliber championship match that seemed to both transcend what modern WWE (even pro wrestling) offers while really keeping it pretty easy. Sometimes this great sport is just hitting and shoving and kicking and taking damage and a hero willing his way into victory — actually that’s probably what it should be most of the time, but here’s a high-level example of it by two of the best (and most interesting!) wrestlers working today.
2. Edge vs. Seth Rollins (SummerSlam 8/21/21)
Edge’s Brood entrance was awesome, and it rules the match was good enough that the entrance isn’t all people will remember. The first 15 minutes of Rollins working over Edge’s neck weren’t much, but at some point you reach such a star power that it doesn’t really matter. They did the Brood entrance, filled some time, and went big on the finish. All their signature moves and big match spots were capitalized on and even these two looked like tough guys by the end. A show stealer.
3. WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 8/21/21)
This is company guy vs. company guy, but for all the generic and overproduced wrestling that guarantees you also have two guys here who understand how to do big pro wrestling… even if it sometimes feels like it belongs in the 70s. Reigns is frustratingly good at wasting time, while Hollywood Cena remains an amazing big match seller.
4. WWE U.S. Title: Sheamus [c] vs. Damian Priest (SummerSlam 8/21/21)
Sheamus reminds us pretty much every time he wrestles that he’s still good, and he does that by being good at wrestling but also powering through whatever half-feud they’ve given him and STILL being good at wrestling. This took some time to hit but once Sheamus started building some offense up it did. Watch Sheamus’ perfectly timed bicep flex during a hold and just embrace how good you have to be to make it look easy.
5. Triple Threat Match – WWE U.S. Title: Damian Priest [c] vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (RAW 8/30/21)
Three studs waiting for Goldberg to move on had a 3-Way Dance that followed a formula but delivered it brilliantly. They built and built and went to commercial then built and built and flipped this crowd out.
6. No DQ Match: Aoife Valkyrie vs. Jinny (NXT UK 8/26/21)
The most energized opener from NXT UK TV in a while, brawling and big spots all around the BT Arena. Valkyrie is a performer and made the most of the environment.
7. No Holds Barred – RAW Women’s Championship Contender’s Match: Nikki ASH vs. Charlotte Flair (RAW 8/2/21)
Similar to the last match, though instead of fake crowd noise at the BT Arena they had to power through an unconvinced crowd at the end of RAW. They did though. Charlotte can do a gimmick main event while Nikki kept it interesting with her likability and willingness to do insane wrestling things.
8. Sarray vs. Dakota Kai (NXT 8/10/21)
Sarray had one singles match on TV this month and it’s nearly as good as anything WWE put out, two excellent kickers kicking each other for a little on TV.
9. Ilja Dragunov vs. Pete Dunne (NXT 8/10/21)
Good pairing in advance of Ilja’a match with WALTER, though it’s kind of just an abbreviated version of a really good match.
10. Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax (RAW 8/30/21)
Maybe (and probably) will be best remembered as unprofessional over awesome, but hey — make the other wrestling interesting and this won’t stand out so much.
Honorable Mentions: NXT Women’s Title: Raquel Gonzalez [c] vs. Dakota Kai (NXT TakeOver 36 8/22/21), 30-Minute Iron Man Match: A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT UK 8/5/21), Ilja Dragunov vs. Roderick Strong (NXT 8/17/21), Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown (NXT UK 8/26/21), NXT Tag Team Title: MSK [c] vs. Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner (NXT 8/17/21), Roderick Strong vs. Ikeman Jiro (NXT 8/31/21)
#1 Contender Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match: Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Carmella vs. Zelina Vega (SmackDown 8/27/21), NXT UK Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura [c] vs. Stevie Turner (NXT UK 8/19/21), NXT UK Tag Team Title: Pretty Deadly [c] vs. Moustache Mountain (NXT UK 8/19/21), Hit Row w/ B-Fab vs. Legado del Fantasma (NXT 8/24/21)
