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How WWE Should Book: SummerSlam 2022 PREMIUM LIVE EVENT! |
> MY "SUMMERSLAM" FANTASY BOOKING POSTS OF PREVIOUS YEARS:
> MAIN SHOW:
* Summer is a time for fun, to jump and play in the sun! Swimming, sandcastles, slip-and-slides, bumper cars and thrilling rides! Summer is a time for fun, to eat a hotdog on a bun! Camping and amusement parks, bright fireworks in the dark! Summer is a time for fun, to blow bubbles and then pop each one! Shells, sandals, and the seashore, sprinklers, picnics, and BIG STRONG MUSCULAR MEN AND WOMEN IN THEIR UNDERWEAR GRUNTING HEAVILY AS THEY TRY TO LAY ON EACH OTHER HARD ENOUGH FOR 3 SECONDS HELL YEAH IT'S THE BIGGEST PARTY OF THE SUMMER, SUMMERSLAM!
WWE's second biggest premium-pay-per-live-event-view is here once again and you might as well be calling it WrestleMania 38: Night 3 because holy heatwave there's a whole lot of rematches on this card. But it is a card. It's a card I'm gonna book. And a book I'm gonna card.
From the match made and Heaven and the match made in Hell, to Bret's classic's against Perfect in '91 and SummerSlam traveling to Wembley in '92 as Bret and Bulldog main-evented in a classic for the IC title, to the battle of Undertakers, one real and one fake, to ladder rematches between HBK and Razor on the same show as a main event from Mabel, to Boiler Room brawls, to Highways to Hell, to 2002's GOAT show, to youngest world champions in 2004, overselling in 2005, Orton/Cena, to the burial of the Nexus, to Punk and Cena champion vs. champion, to the Perfect storm, to the Best vs. the Beast, to Lesnar squashing Cena, to a return to Toronto, to a venture to the Thunderdome, to returns of Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar back around again, let's get into the 35th anniversary edition of the event, SummerSlam 2022! Now with 100% less Vince!
1ST MATCH: The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) by Pinfall (Tag Team match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships with Jeff Jarrett as Special Guest Referee)
- After our show-opening pyro and official rundown of the match card by all our commentators, special referee for the match, J-E-DOUBLE F, J-A-DOUBLE T, E-DOUBLE T. Then, The Street Profits are out first, followed by The Usos. The match gets 20 minutes in our opener. Jarrett holds both sets of belts up in the air, and then the bell rings to start the action. These two teams were made for each other, casually just had what was in my opinion one of the best tag team matches in the history of the company at MITB when nobody asked them to, they just went out there and did. I thought from the beginning that the whole guest referee stipulation for this match was a bit unnecessary, either up the stakes from the last match by making it 2/3 Falls or a tag team ladder match of some kind. But, we're in Nashville, so here's your obligatory dose of Jeff Jarrett. Ain't he great. No really, ain't he? Guys? Anyone!!?? Anyways, I don't bother to write the kickoff/pre-shows for these PPV booking posts anymore like I used to because they're mostly used for panel discussion nowadays with barely any matches put on them anymore, so I don't feel it's worth my time to invest in. Perhaps you could stick Gunther/Shinsuke on there for the IC Title, even though I feel that's deserving of a better spot. However, one storyline thread leading into this match that started on SmackDown and would advance here would be what is appearing to be the growing divide between The Usos and this match's referee Double J. On Friday night, in the midst of the scuffle between the two teams, Usos accidentally sent Jarrett standing on his head with a mistimed superkick where Jarrett was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Accident or no, it happened, Jarrett shoved both Usos back, and everything seemed to pointing in the direction that Jarrett was siding with the babyfaces Street Profits in what is supposed to be his completely unbiased referee position. But, you and I, I'm sure, have watched and studied professional wrestling for far too long not to see what this actually means. We get at least one segment on the pre-show to the event where the referees who will be assigned to matches on the show are having one group meeting with Jarrett, and we hear a knock on the door. The Usos come in and intimidate all other referees and clear the room. Jarrett goes to leave too but Jimmy and Jey block his way, and "just wanna have a talk". They want to clear the air about what happened on SmackDown and ensure that Jarrett knows it was a freak accident. Jarrett kind of shryly acknowledges it but Usos stop him again. They need him to accept their apology, and give them his word that despite that, everything will be called right down the middle in their Tag Titles match, or by god, they'll take Double J to get SMASHED by the Tribal Chief so hard that he won't be able to spell his damn name ever again. Jarrett continues to get intimidated and pressured by Jimmy and Jey to call it their way on the pre-show, and this continues all the way until we get to this match in the opener of the PPV. They take advantage of every second they're given and put on a show to light Nashville on fire right from the jump. Speaking of jump, at one point Montez even gets high enough in the air to hit a Frogsplash to one of the Usos, sailing right over Jeff Jarrett who is in the middle of the ring trying to break up a volatile situation between Dawkins and Uso. That gets a near fall. The end of the match comes when, at this point, both teams have knocked Jarrett down for the ref bump at certain points in the match. Both times, each team has gotten the phantom-count spot, where they've just hit their big finishing move, but no, the referee is out of commission and has to be woken up as the crowd counts to infinity. Things wrap up and we go home at a point where after all this, Jarrett looks like he's had enough. Somehow, someway, a guitar has emerged and been introduced into the equation and situation. We get the tease of who Jarrett will screw. About to screw Usos, then swerve turns around and screw Profits, smash a guitar over Montez head, Montez falls outside the ring, then double superkick to Dawkins who looks stunned and frozen after what he's just seen, followed by a double Uso splash, and our champions going in are STILL are champions coming out. Double J plays a factor after all in Nashville, and this would even work to push Jarrett farther as a heel going into Ric Flair's last match the following day. Would give the fans there all the more reason to boo him going into that event. After all the tease and storyline buildup, Jarrett sides with The Usos, the future of the Street Profits is uncertain, and we get another chapter written in this beautiful in-ring rivalry to get SummerSlam starting off sizzling.
WINNERS by PINFALL and STILL WWE Undisputed Tag Team Champions: The Usos
2ND MATCH: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Austin Theory (Singles match for the WWE Untied States Championship)
- Theory is out first with his briefcase, followed by the United States Champion Bobby Lashley, with his... well.. championship of the United States. The match gets 10 minutes. This goes on in the 2nd match of the card; with Theory's cash-in being teased so heavily for later on in the main event of the night, it's just like Rollins was on the show he cashed-in WM31; lost to Orton in the second match, cashed in on Brock vs. Roman back then. Could Theory take nearly an identical road as his former Disciple? It's a general standard match between these two, we get the big power moves but out of everything I feel like this is the one with least interest and potential to be comparatively one of the worse matches on the card. The match ends when Lashley looks like he has it won, after hitting a Dominator and then calling for the Hurt Lock, but Theory, desperate, attacks and beatdown with the MITB briefcase for the DQ. DQ so neither has to lose. No reason to play hot potato with this belt after Lashley won it last month and he's doing just fine. He doesn't have to get pinned, and neither does Theory if you want it believable that he's world title material and intends to cash-in imminently. Theory, realizing he's about to lose, comes to the realization that tonight is the night he's gonna do it. He could be Undisputed WWE Universal Champion by the end of the night. He doesn't need to take any more damage from Lashley that could hinder his plan and opportune timing later on; he comes to the conclusion that the US title isn't worth it for him, as he has bigger plans, so to freshen his body up he takes the cowardly way out and bloodies Lashley with the briefcase, finally doling out the punishment with that case that he couldn't to Lesnar over the past few weeks. This could all be explained by Theory in a backstage interview later on in the show.
WINNER by DISQUALIFICATION and STILL WWE United States Champion: Bobby Lashley
3RD MATCH: Logan Paul vs. The Miz (Singles match)
- The Miz is out first followed by Logan Paul. The match gets 10 minutes. It seems to many that is an impossibility that Logan Paul could possibly ever get cheered or babyface reactions from the crowd. I don't see such a world exists. The suicide forest thing or whatever other dumb shit this guy has done isn't worldwide knowledge. There are probably plenty of people who know this man solely from his young career in WWE so far. And with him almost surely being better here than The Miz if his WrestleMania 38 performance is anything to go off and he can only be improving from there, expect ol' LP to be leading the match and calling spots. After Logan Paul calls an audible like The Rock at Mania 18 as the Nashville crowd is just far too raucous and cheering the leader of the Logang like the second coming of Christ, Miz hits the SCF but Paul kicks out. Miz then goes to work wrapping Paul's leg around the post and works the leg. This leads to Miz attempting to lock in the Figure Four, but Paul's leg strength supersedes this and Miz is send crashing shoulder first into the ring post. He slowly slinkies out of there and back onto the ring like a pile of goo and he's in perfect position for one of Paul's famous frogsplashes. After LP hits the Frogsplash, Miz kicks out, then Logan threatens to stomp Miz's giant balls, Miz forfeits the match, Paul does it anyway to a big pop. Like Cena AA'ing Batista off the ambulance in 2010 anyways even after he said I Quit. Miz has to be helped to the back and wears a cup over his trunks as he walks to the back. Miz's balls storyline is paid off, in some weird, sick and twisted way, and Logan Paul picks up the win and makes headlines.
WINNER by FORFEIT: Logan Paul
4TH MATCH: The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) (w/ Rhea Ripley) vs. The Mysterio Family (Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio) (No Disqualification Tag Team match)
- The Mysterios are out first, followed by The Judgment Day. The match gets 15 minutes. I will never understand why WWE randomly decided to remove the E from the word JUDGEMENT in Judgement Day, whether with the PPV itself as it used to be, and now with this stable. Okay, WWE, you win, "Judg"ment. This is the most recent match added to the card, and it's very weird. Not quite sure what the point of it is as JUDGment day are already dead and The Mysterios have minimal momentum. It's still crazy to me to think about Dominik wrestling on the same event that he was having his custody fought for almost two decades earlier, but here we are. Wrestling is strange and unbelievable. There are two scenarios I can think of here, Dominik turns on Rey? No, not yet. If we are going to do that match, it's a Mania match. And it should be Rey's retirement for sure, as he loses and passes on the mask to Dominik. It's too early right now, we can start that story around Royal Rumble if that's the plan. Other than that, option 2 sees Edge coming back after the fiendish vignettes that have been airing and interfering in the match to sway the favor in one way or another. I say after a physical No DQ tag that sees all 4 men punishing each other with such torture weapons as the kendo stick, Edge comes back, tease he'll go back and reconcile with "JUDGment" Day, shakes Priest's hand, then hits an Edgecution. Balor eats a Spear, Edge helps Mysterios, double 619 on Balor and the babyfaces get the win after Rey's 20th anniversary celebration week that started on RAW. This would lead to the Mysterios moving on to get in the tag titles hunt again, and to wrap up the Edge/J.D. turmoil, we would go down the road of Edge vs. Balor, one on one, in a dream match for Edge before he hangs it up and goes out on his own terms in this second wind run of his. I'll have my full card for Clash at the Castle at the end of this post.
WINNERS by PINFALL: Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio
5TH MATCH: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Ronda Rousey (Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship)
- Rousey is out first, followed by the champion Liv Morgan. The match gets 15 minutes. Liv is underdog, proves her worth and gets the win with Oblivion after a hard fought match. She was simply the better woman on this night. She is a great champion. Make new stars look strong. Ronda looks like she doesn't ever wanna be there, just let Liv win. She is the better woman on this night. Simple as that. Not a fluke. If she's still around, Ronda will go to RAW in draft. Maybe a Ronda heel turn would help
WINNER by PINFALL and STILL WWE SmackDown Women's Champion: Liv Morgan
6TH MATCH: Riddle (???) or a Mystery Opponent vs. Seth Rollins (Singles match)
- Seth Rollins comes out. I had an idea planned out in my head for him and Riddle, but a kayfabe injury was suffered to the .... uh... bronhcial.. broncial... bro-.. br-... bronchial plexus? I know what that is. I am a doctor, why do you ask? I guess I'll just have to book two separate scenarios that are possible, like in the Lashley/McIntyre match in my WM37 post. Go search around for that to see what I'm talking about. Regardless of what Rollins does here or who he does or does not wrestle, Rollins hasn't won on PPV not counting DQ win against Roman at Rumble, since Survivor Series '21! Rollins needs win, he's bigger than Riddle, Riddle is going to be floating in obscurity waiting until Orton comes back to do their program anyway. Rollins is a more immediate issue, needs the win here and now. I do think it's cool and I am always in favor of long-term storytelling as HHH has made the executive decision to push the match back reportedly to CATC so that we can get more story build that wouldn't have either guy losing potentially. So, who will our new bossman, lord and savior The Man of Three H's have in store for us? The Fiend? Johnny Gargano? Carmelo Hayes? If you can't go with Riddle coming out resilient, against doctor's orders, fighting and gaining respect of the fans by taking the match anyways, then I think someone like a Carmelo Hayes sounds like a fantastic idea. Maybe you feel he's not well established to a wide audience enough yet though, and that's fine. Gargano would be a good pick, and imagine the match they would have there. For this one I can only say that we'll have to leave it up for the surprise to HHH, and see what our new regime brings us on. Here's another idea, Gargano's music hits, but it's really Ciampa who comes out, another prime HHH guy, and that can be the spark that reignites Ciampa v. Gargano if you wanna run that back on the main roster. We've never got Ciampa and Rollins before, it would be just as good a match as any of the others. In that case honestly, I am having Ciampa win.
WINNER by PINFALL: Seth Rollins
7TH MATCH: Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee (Singles match)
- Pat McAfee is out first, to SEVEN NATION ARMY once again because his entrance with that at WrestleMania was fucking awesome. Out next is... *ahem*, BUUUMMMMM AAAAAASSSSSSSSSS COORRRRRRRRRRBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNN. This feud buildup has been very fun. Pat can make anything work. What a hire. Corbin is also fantastic, and you know it. A superplex after a vertical leap to the top rope by Pat. I imagine that even with how similar this show is to Mania in many ways with it even being called WrestleMania 38: Night 3, that this time around it won't be immediately followed up by McAfee facing Vince McMahon in a hush money in the bank match. Pat wins, Corbin ragdolls him over announce table onto Cole at one point, Swanton Bomb, Corbin kicks out for a near fall, Pat wins when Corbin goes for End of Days, Pat rotates over onto his feet, low kick below the belt, then Pat backs up to the corner, Cole removes headset and sneaks Pat an Indianapolis Colts branded NFL football from under the announce table, then McAfee punts it into head of Corbin on his hands and knees for the win; Bum Ass poor Corbin returns after this cause that gimmick was infinitely better than Happy. We get the payback on Corbin disrupting commentary past few weeks and throwing Cole into the line of fire earlier in the match, some comeuppance as the dynamic duo of Cole and McAfee work together in tandem to establish their victory.
WINNER by PINFALL: Pat McAfee
8TH MATCH: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch ("Loser Leaves RAW" (Street Fight?) for the WWE RAW Women's Championship)
- Becky is out first, followed by the EST of WWE and the RAW Women's Champion. These two have the capability of putting on great matches like at Mania but it's getting almost as old and repeated as Brock/Reigns at this point. To ensure this match never happens again for at least one or two weeks, Adam Pearce comes out pre-match, drops 2 bombshell announcements. since Becky was so cocky full of herself on raw saying she deserved to be front of the line cause she was able to beat Asuka in a street fight, this match will now be a street fight also. additionally, to ensure that tonight sees the final chapter of this long-standing rivalry and end of an era, Nashville will make history as loser leaves raw. Finish comes as Becky ties Bianca's braid up in the top rope on stage side of the ring, ref is distracted trying to get her untangled unstuck, Becky runs ropes she's gonna try for a big move but Lynch is tripped by Bayley on the outside of the ring announce table side, Becky turns around, Bayley smiles waves, Bianca is untangled now, looks angry approaches Becky from behind, Becky is scared, turns around, KOD for the pin, win, and retain. We got the No DQ tag, this becoming a Loser Leaves RAW Street Fight, and a LMS in the main event. Is this two many of practically the same no-rules kind of stipulation on the same show? Maybe, but fuck you, I had this particular match changing to this before the No DQ tag was even announced, so I'm sticking with it, and they can all still be different in their own ways if the match agents work with them to structure it that way, and it's not like WWE is any stranger to acting like three of the same stip are different matches under altered names. Don't you remember those app votes for whether you'd like to see a No DQ match, No Holds Barred, Extreme Rules match, Anything Goes, or Hardcore? Oh my god we were spoiled for choice!! This accomplishes a lot here, Bianca retains and cements her legacy as a credible champion in the new age, Becky continues her slide to rock bottom storyline, we separate these two for pastures and feuds anew, we get a great match out of it doing big business, Bianca definitively wins the feud, and we return Bayley in a big way. Win, win, win, win, win, win.
WINNER by PINFALL and STILL WWE RAW Women's Champion: Bianca Belair; Becky Lynch must leave Monday Night RAW, and Bayley has returned
9TH MATCH: Roman Reigns (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Brock Lesnar (Last Man Standing match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship)
- Lesnar is out first, followed by Roman Reigns and his special counsel, the wise man, Paul Helloman. The match gets 15 minutes. Was thinking of 20 mins, but looking at their previous match times for big PPV's and they've never come anywhere close to 20 mins one on one, lol. So let's say 15 mins to be more hyperrealistic. It's your usual formula match between them. Heyman fingerprints all over it. Big move, kickout, finisher, kickout, spam finishers, spam kickouts as the crowd slowly dies a thousand deaths. This match goes all around the arena to differentiate it from the Street Fight before. Roman retains when something happens. Reigns stands tall to end the night, that is until he's greeted with a Claymore Kick from Drew McIntyre who holds up the unified title belts as we get the big sell for CATC. You can have Theory cash in and fail at this point, he's really a non-factor in all this and I don't think he's the guy at all. He's just plain boring. I think Roman had a point on Monday when he said it's not looking bright for him now that his daddy is gone, he got straight up buried verbally. Theory has been set up to fail his cash-in. It's not even on my radar right now, straight into business with Roman/Drew in Wales. Tyson Fury as special guest enforcer, check out my card for that show coming up. Don't let Reigns lose yet. Fans don't want to see one part-time champion switched out for another. would mean Roman took all his momentum and gave it to a guy who didn't need it, making it all pointless. as far as the match at CATC goes, Drew vs. Roman, Do WrestleMania 14 here. Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed Universal Title, Tyson Fury as special outside enforcer. Have Fury look like he's on the side of Roman like Mike Tyson was with DX, ultimately to come to Drew's aid for the babyface victory. on the night
WINNER and STILL Undisputed WWE Universal Champion: Roman Reigns
FINAL RESULTS:
| Match # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) defeated The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) by Pinfall | Tag Team match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships with Jeff Jarrett as Special Guest Referee | 20 minutes |
| 2 | Bobby Lashley (c) defeated Austin Theory by Disqualification | Singles match for the WWE Untied States Championship | 10 minutes |
| 3 | Logan Paul defeated The Miz by Forfeit after Paul threatened to stomp on The Miz's giant balls | Singles match | 10 minutes |
| 4 | The Mysterio Family (Dominik Mysterio and Rey Mysterio) (w/ Edge) defeated The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Balor) (w/ Rhea Ripley) by Pinfall | No Disqualification Tag Team match | 15 minutes |
| 5 | Liv Morgan (c) defeated Ronda Rousey by Pinfall | Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship | 15 minutes |
| 6 | Seth Rollins defeated Riddle by Pinfall | Singles match | 15 minutes |
| 7 | Pat McAfee defeated "Bum Ass" Corbin by Pinfall | Singles match | 10 minutes |
| 8 | Bianca Belair (c) defeated Becky Lynch by Pinfall after interference from Bayley | "Loser Leaves RAW" (Street Fight?) for the WWE RAW Women's Championship | 20 minutes |
| 9 | Roman Reigns (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) defeated Brock Lesnar | Last Man Standing match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship | 15 minutes |
- Logan Paul wins 24/7 Championship at some point in the night.
MY CARD FOR WWE CLASH AT THE CASTLE 2022 (September 3rd, 2022; Cardiff, Wales; Principality Stadium)
| Match # | Matches | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roman Reigns (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Drew McIntyre | Singles match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship with Tyson Fury as special outside enforcer |
| 2 | Bianca Belair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley | Singles match for the WWE RAW Women's Championship |
| 3 | Liv Morgan (c) vs. Bayley vs, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair | Fatal 4-Way match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship |
| 4 | Gunther (c) vs. Sheamus | Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship |
| 5 | The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. South Wales Subculture (Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews) | Tag Team match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships |
| 6 | Tyler Bate (c) vs. Eddie Dennis vs. Trent Seven vs. Wild Boar | Fatal 4-Way match for the NXT UK Championship |
| 7 | Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Natalya (w/ Bret Hart) vs. Happy Corbin and Lacey Evans | Mixed Tag Team match |
| 8 | Edge vs. Finn Balor | Singles match |
| 9 | AJ Styles vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Riddle vs. Seth Rollins | 8-man Gauntlet match for nothing idk i couldn't figure out what to do with these guys here |
Well, that was the post. Thanks for reading! As always, let me know what you liked and/or what you didn’t like from the post, and what from the post you’d like to see actually happen on the show tomorrow night! Be sure to look out for my next post for the upcoming PPV, “How WWE Should Book Clash at the Castle 2022”. Enjoy the show, everyone.
> Hey! If you're a fan of my booking posts, I've got awesome news. I've now got my very own WWE Booking blog! It contains archives of every one of my posts dating back to 2015 and it's also where I'll be posting all of my newest posts for upcoming events from now on. If you want a full library of my stuff, this new blog is the best place to be. If you're familiar with my posts here and this sounds like a good time to you, you can find the blog and all my past work here: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/
