KB’s Review: Where Do We Go From Here?

I’m not sure if you’re heard about it yet but this coming Sunday is “Summerslam 2017”. It’s the second biggest show of the year and WWE has certainly stacked the card again this time around. We’ve spent weeks talking about the card as we get closer, but then there’s going to be a Monday and Tuesday after the show is over. Today we’re going to look at where things are going after “Summerslam 2017”, with a focus on some of the bigger storylines and their upcoming developments. I won’t be looking at everything, but rather the bigger and more interesting stuff we have coming up in Brooklyn and beyond.

Let’s start with what is likely going to be the main event with Brock Lesnar and the Universal Title. The stipulation for Sunday’s match is that if Lesnar loses, he and Paul Heyman will leave the company. This seems to be a way to tie in with the speculation about Lesnar heading to the UFC, though it seems that he won’t be able to actually head back to mixed martial arts until next year at the earliest.

Now, I think Lesnar does lose the title at “Summerslam 2017”, but I don’t think he’s gone for good (shocking I know). The big idea here would seem very simple: someone takes the title from him, Lesnar and Heyman disappear for a time, then they make their big return in a few months (possibly winning the Royal Rumble) and it’s Reigns vs. Lesnar II at “Wrestlemania XXXIV” with Reigns successfully defending the title.

Yeah I know it might not be the most popular thing but I can’t imagine this ends with anything other than Reigns standing tall (again) over the vanquished Beast to end the biggest show of the year. Maybe put the title on Samoa Joe or Braun Strowman to give Reigns his big title win at some point in the next few months to set it up, but it does seem to all be leading to Reigns vs. Lesnar in New Orleans.

Here’s what happens when those four are in the ring together.

SummerSlam foes meet face-to-face-to-face-to-face: Raw, Aug. 14, 2017

Next up we have the “Smackdown Live” counterpart with Jinder Mahal and the Smackdown World Title. Very simply put, I have next to no doubt that Mahal drops the title in Brooklyn. There’s no reason to keep him near the top of the card and that opens the door for a new champion. Mahal is defending against Shinsuke Nakamura and suddenly there’s no Baron Corbin to potentially cash in.

As much as I think there’s a chance that Mahal retains, I’d hope to think that WWE is smarter than that. Mahal hasn’t been interesting as champion….well since he won the title in the first place actually. He’s still the same generic wrestler who has an average match which he finishes with a run of the mill finisher. On the other hand you have Nakamura and this really should write itself.

At the end of the day, I’d love to see Nakamura vs. Styles for the title at “Wrestlemania XXXIV” but we might be a long way away from having that set up. There’s a chance that we have Nakamura chase the title a little longer and maybe get the title later on, though sweet goodness how much lower can Mahal take this show?

How does Mahal do against a top talent?

John Cena vs. Jinder Mahal: SmackDown LIVE, Aug. 15, 2017

Moving on to something outside of the main event scene, we have the seemingly never ending saga of Enzo Amore, Big Cass and Big Show. This is a story that needs to wrap up already so Big Cass can move on to anything else. The problem is very simple: we’ve firmly established that he can beat Amore so why in the world are we still on this? I don’t want to see Big Show turn on Amore (though you can almost guarantee that’s the case) and mentor Big Cass, though it certainly wouldn’t shock me.

There’s no secret to the fact that Big Cass seems to be the breakout star of the team and while he might not be the most impressive talker in the world, he has the look and talent that could carry him to a solid midcard role (say the Intercontinental Title, or moving over to “Smackdown Live” to challenge AJ Styles for the US Title). Assuming that’s the case, there’s still Amore and….oh just move him to “205 Live”.

Other than being a loud mouth, he doesn’t have much going for him storyline wise. Have him get beaten up by a giant and then decide that he needs to fight someone his own size. He’s instantly the biggest personality and biggest star on “205 Live” and could easily go after Neville and the Cruiserweight Title. Just imagine him getting a fluke win and then having to somehow survive challengers who are way above his skill level. It could make for a heck of an entertaining story and give the show a bit more buzz than it currently has (which wouldn’t be that hard).

A gimmick with monsters involved? Here’s a preview.

Big Cass, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson attack Big Show's hand: Raw, Aug. 14, 2017

Over on the other side, we have the Women’s Title pictures which are looking like they could use a change of pace. The Raw Women’s Title still feels like it’s just waiting for one of the bigger names to take it away from Alexa Bliss. In theory that’s Sasha Banks, though the question then becomes how long Bayley is going to be out for. All roads seem to lead to Banks vs. Bayley at “Wrestlemania XXXIV”, though that’s quite the build to get there.

The more complicated issue is the Smackdown Women’s Title situation which has Naomi defending the title against Natalya. Naomi has surprised me a lot since winning the title but she hasn’t had that big match or rivalry that showcases her talents. It feels like she’s just been feuding with the challenger of the month since winning the title in April and that’s not good for four months.

The other problem is the combined forces of Charlotte and Becky Lynch, both of whom feel like bigger deals and stars than Naomi. Neither has had a big time solo shot at the title and one of those things has to happen soon. Either that or send some people over via another Superstar Shakeup, because having Naomi defend against these low level/uninteresting challengers isn’t going to work much longer.

How we got to Banks vs. Bliss:

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax - Winner Challenges for Raw Women's Title at SummerSlam: Raw, Aug. 14, 2017

Finally, we have Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt, which is suddenly a match where both of them are in major need of a face lift. Both of them feel like they’ve been doing the same thing for far too long now and it doesn’t feel interesting at this point. Balor hasn’t had an interesting story since returning and Wyatt has been the same guy for months now with his World Title reign feeling like it was ages ago.

So what do you do with them? Well that would depend on what happens with the Universal Title. I’d love to see Balor get back in the title picture as he was someone worthy of putting the title on in the first place but now we can’t have him around it again because Lesnar can’t bother showing up long enough to defend against him. Hopefully we get Balor vs. whoever the new champion is as there are few people around who I think brings the whole package like Balor can.

As for Wyatt….just turn him face already. They teased this last year but then Wyatt got hurt and for some reason that’s the last anyone ever heard of it. He’s completely covered the heel run and having him fight for the side of good for a time would be a nice change of pace. There’s just nothing left for him to do as a heel and his character hasn’t changed in the slightest in months now. Let him try something new as there’s obviously talent there but leaving him with this same story for so long is killing him.

The match before the match:

Finn Bálor vs. Bray Wyatt: Raw, Aug. 14, 2017

I know it feels like a long way off, but it’s time that we start planting the seeds for “Wrestlemania XXXIV”. There’s a lot of stuff to get to before then but once “Summerslam 2017” is out of the way, you can see the Royal Rumble from there and that means it’s almost time to start the Road to Wrestlemania. I’m sure a lot will change by then but the build needs to begin soon.