|Date: August 19, 2012
|Venue: Staple Center |City: Los Angeles, California
|Attendance: 14,205 |Buys: 358,000

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

The Perfect Storm. That is the moniker that has been given to the match between Triple H and Brock Lesnar tonight. Months ago Brock Lesnar broke Triple H’s arm and when Triple H returned he only had one man in his sights. Paul Heyman wouldn’t originally accept the match for Summerslam on behalf of Brock Lesnar but eventually Stephanie McMahon “twisted his arm” and the match was made. Shawn Michaels would go on to announce that he would be in the corner of Triple H but Brock Lesnar took him out, breaking his arm. The feud between Lesnar and Triple H has got personal and tonight they go one on one for the first ever time.

The WWE Championship will be defended in a triple threat match tonight as CM Punk puts the title on the line against both John Cena and The Big Show. CM Punk appears to have turned his back on the fans, attacking The Rock on the 1000th episode of Raw. John Cena and The Big Show would then meet in a number one contenders match, a match that CM Punk would get involved with and cause a no contest. Brand new Raw General Manager AJ Lee then made the triple threat match for Summerslam.

The World Heavyweight Championship will also be defended as Sheamus defends against Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio defeated Kane, Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan to become number one contender but Sheamus would steal Del Rio’s car. In response Del Rio pressed charges against Sheamus bit when the cops turned up to arrest Sheamus it turned out that they were fake and attacked the World Heavyweight Champion. New Smackdown General Manager Booker T would cancel the match for Summerslam but Sheamus begged for the match to take place and so tonight, it will.

Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler have had a war of words over the past few weeks with Ziggler claiming at Jericho is over the hill whilst Jericho claiming that Y2J is back. Dolph says that Jericho can’t win the big one but tonight he gets the chance to beat Ziggler. The rivalry between Daniel Bryan and Kane has also continued and when Bryan went for a psychological evaluation, Kane attacked Bryan. AJ would make a match between the two for Summerslam. The Miz became Intercontinental Champion, defeating Christian at Raw 1000. Rey Mysterio would return and beat The Miz in a non-title match to earn an Intercontinental Championship match at Summerslam. Also tonight The Prime Time Players get a shot at the WWE Tag Team Championships after they beat Primo and Epico to become number one contenders to the titles held by Kofi Kingston and R-Truth.

In a dark match prior to the event Cesaro defeated Santino to win the WWE United States Championship.

The show kicks off with a historical look at Summerslam with some really cool old moments from the past 25 years. It then focuses on Brock Lesnar and his match with Triple H.

Michael Cole welcomes us to LA, he’s joined on commentary by Jerry “The King” Lawler. Just a two man commentary team for this show! They are interrupted by Vickie Guerrero.

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

This is a first time PPV meeting between these two men. Chris Jericho is 2-6 at Summerslam, Dolph Ziggler has drawn one and lost one at this event. Jericho’s ribs are taped up because of an attack by Dolph Ziggler on Raw last week. Dolph is the first man to have wrestled on every PPV so far in 2012. Ziggler leaves the ring as the bell rings and Jericho chases him around the ring and back into it before hitting him with an elbow. Jericho hits a springboard right hand and then a shoulder knockdown before dropping Dolph with a big chop. Ziggler takes the advantage by targeting the injured ribs of Jericho, hitting an elbow drop for a one count. Jericho back body drops Ziggler out of the ring and as Ziggler gets up onto the apron Jericho attempts a springboard dropkick but Dolph avoids it and Jericho crashes to the outside. Dolph Irish whips Jericho into the ring apron and then rolls him back into the ring for the first near fall of the night. Ziggler hits a dropkick to the ribs for a two count and then applies a seated abdominal stretch.

Jericho gets to his feet and the two men exchange right hands. Dolph hits a splash in the corner for a near fall and then a Rude awakening. Dolph puts his foot on Jericho’s chest,. pinning him in a way that Jericho is accustomed to. Jericho kicks out and gets a near fall of his own only for Dolph to drop him with a clothesline. Ziggler misses with a splash in the corner and Jericho hits him with a dropkick and a couple of shoulder charges but Ziggler cheap shots him in the ribs to take the advantage again. Jericho hits a double axe handle off the middle rope but Ziggler hits a fame-asser for a near fall. Jericho attempts to lock on the walls of Jericho but Ziggler counters. Jericho hits an enzeguri for a near fall and Dolph then locks on a sleeper. Jericho breaks the sleeper and pops Dolph on the top rope before hitting ten big right hands and a top rope hurricanrana. Both men are down for a while and it’s Dolph that hits a big DDT for a near fall.

Both men are slow to get to their feet now but Jericho hits an elbow and a bulldog but attempting a lionsault but Ziggler gets his knees up and then hits a zigzag! He hooks the leg but Jericho kicks out at 2! Both men get up and Jericho hits a codebreaker out of nowhere which causes Ziggler to fall out of the ring. Jericho rolls Ziggler back into the ring but as Jericho gets back into the ring Vickie Guerrero grabs on to his leg. This allows Ziggler to roll him up for a near fall. Jericho then sends Ziggler into the ringpost before locking on the walls of Jericho! Ziggler taps out! Chris Jericho beats Dolph Ziggler in tonight’s opener!

Rating: 7/10

We’re shown some footage from Raw last week with Brock Lesnar breaking Shawn Michaels’ arm. Michaels won’t be here tonight.

Matt Striker is backstage with Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. Heyman says that tonight is a fight to the finish and Brock Lesnar will finish Triple H. Lesnar tells Triple H that this is a fight he can’t win. Heyman has two words for Triple H, tap out.

Kane vs. Daniel Bryan

This is a first PPV singles match between these two men. Kane has a great Summerslam record, he is 6-1-1 from 8 matches. Daniel Bryan is 0-2. Daniel Bryan is chanting “no” these days instead of “yes”. Bryan hits some kicks in the early going but Kane fires back with an uppercut, powerslam and a dropkick for a one count. Daniel Bryan counters a powerslam but runs into a big boot. Kane gets a one count on the pinfall and Bryan takes the advantage with a low dropkick and a few kicks to the legs. Kane launches Bryan out of the ring and then chases him back into the ring where Bryan hits a baseball slide and a suicide dive. Back in the ring and Bryan heads to the top and hits a missile dropkick for a one count. Kane was World Heavyweight Champion last time he fought at Summerslam, beating Rey Mysterio to retain. Bryan hits some kicks to the chest of the man that has drawn and lost more PPV matches than anyone else in history.

Kane hits a clothesline in the corner and a sidewalk slam for a two count before heading to the top and hitting a flying clothesline. Kane looks for a chokeslam but Daniel Bryan counters and escapes the ring before dropping Kane on the top rope. Bryan runs into a right hand but gets to his feet and slaps Kane. That fires Kane up who hits right hands and boots. The referee comes close to disqualifying Kane. Bryan drop toe holds Kane onto the middle rope and then looks to lock on the no lock but Kane fights him off. Bryan hits a big kick to the face and then heads to the top for a flying headbutt but Kane catches him by the throat and chokeslam him! Kane’s lace has been undone on his boot for most of the match. Kane motions for a tombstone but Bryan counters it, rolling Kane up for the three! Daniel Bryan wins the match! Out of nowhere. A fun match between these two.

Rating: 6.75/10

Backstage after the match Kane is going mad looking for Daniel Bryan. Josh Mathews looks to get a word but Kane launches him.

The Miz (c) vs. Rey Mysterio – Intercontinental Championship match

This is a first PPV match between these two men. Rey Mysterio is 4-3 at Summerslam, The Miz is 0-1. Mysterio comes out dressed as Batman. Miz goes right to work on Mysterio, taking him down. Rey then takes Miz down and pins him for a two count. Miz takes a breather outside the ring before getting back in. Miz hits a couple of left hands but Rey hits a head scissors. Miz takes the advantage with a kick and then throws Mysterio out of the ring. Rey rolls up to his feet and back into the ring as Miz slides out. Rey then hits a dropkick as Miz tries to get back into the ring. Rey flies at Miz on the outside but Miz catches him and throws him on to the barricade. Miz rolls Rey back into the ring and pins him for a one count. Miz applies a chinlock which Rey gets out of but Miz hits a big backbreaker for a near fall. Miz hits some left hands and a running boot for a near fall.

The Miz applies a cravat submission hold which Mysterio fights out of but Miz drops him back down with a clothesline for a two count. Miz hits his trademark clothesline in the corner and then heads to the top but Mysterio crotches him up there. Rey then heads to the top and hits a seated senton. He looks for a hurricanrana but Miz counters with powerbomb for a two count. Mysterio avoids a running boot and rolls Miz up for a two count. Rey then hits a boot to the face for another two count. Miz looks for a powerslam but Mysterio counters with a tornado DDT for a two count. Rey heads to the top and hits a big hurricanrana which sets Miz up for a 619. Rey hits the 619 and heads to the top but Miz avoids the splash. Miz looks for skull-crushing finale but Rey counters, rolling Miz up for a near fall. Miz drops Rey on the top turnbuckle and hits skull-crushing finale for the three! The Miz beats Rey Mysterio clean tonight. A good win for the Intercontinental Champion.

Rating: 6.5/10

Teddy Long and Eve are backstage leaving AJ’s locker room. Teddy is impressed with how AJ has been running Raw. CM Punk then arrives and marches in to AJ’s locker room. Punk thinks that AJ has it in for him because he declined her marriage proposal. Punk feels disrespected by everyone but guarantees that he will successfully defend his WWE Championship tonight. And that will force everybody to respect him.

There’s a video package showing the recent rivalry between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio.

Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio – World Heavyweight Championship match

This is a second PPV match between these two men. Sheamus beat Alberto Del Rio at Money In The Bank last month. Del Rio is 1-1 at Summerslam, Sheamus is 0-2. It’s an aggressive start to the match as both men jockey for position. The scrap goes to the outside and Del Rio smashes Sheamus off the announce desk. Sheamus hits some right hands and rolls Del Rio back into the ring. Del Rio takes the advantage in the ring, hitting some kicks but then runs into Sheamus’ boot. Sheamus hits a neckbreaker for a two count and then lays in some right hands. Del Rio hits a big kick to the head but Sheamus hits a rolling senton for a two count. Sheamus looks for a crucifix powerbomb but Del Rio manages to escape on to the top rope. sheamus gets Del Rio up on his shoulders and Alberto manages to rip off the top turnbuckle. Both men then attempt their finishers and both avoids them. Del Rio dropkicks Sheamus out of the ring.

Del Rio sends Sheamus into the ring steps before rolling him back into the ring. Alberto heads to the top and hits a double axe handle for a two count. Del Rio applies a chinlock but Sheamus fights out of it and looks for a neckbreaker which Del Rio counters. Del Rio hits a kick to the face for a two count and then stomps away at the head of the World Heavyweight Champion. Del Rio chokes Sheamus on the top rope and then lays in some knees before going back to the chinlock. Sheamus gets out of the chinlock with headbutts but Alberto takes him back down with a knee. Del Rio hits a curbstomp for a two count and then mocks Sheamus. Del Rio looks to hit a brogue kick but Sheamus hits him with clotheslines before missing a shoulder charge in the corner. Sheamus hits some headbutts and then heads to the top but Del Rio crotches him and then hits an armbreaker from the top rope for a two count. Del Rio locks on the cross arm breaker but Sheamus powers out of it.

Sheamus hits white noise for a two count and then motions for a brogue kick. Del rio manages to back away from it but Sheamus squashes him in the corner and then hits ten big clubbing blows to the chest. Sheamus hits some big right hands in the corner but Del Rio drops him on the exposed turnbuckle! Del Rio then hits a running enzeguri and pins Sheamus for a near fall. Ricardo Rodriguez is on the apron protesting and Del Rio drags him into the ring. The referee tries to get Ricardo out of the ring and Rodriguez attempts to throw his shoe to Del Rio but it goes over his head to Sheamus! Sheamus then slaps Del Rio with Ricardo’s shoe! Sheamus hits an Irish curse backbreaker and pins Del Rio for the three! But Del Rio had his foot on the bottom rope! Sheamus win this match but this feud is far from over!

Rating: 6.5/10

We’re shown some footage from earlier with Triple H telling WWE referee Scott Armstrong that this match tonight should only end in pinfall or submission. Tonight will be a fight.

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs. The Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O’Neil) – WWE Tag Team Championship match

This is a first time match between these two tag teams on PPV. Kofi Kingston is 1-1-1 at Summerslam, R-Truth is 0-2, Darren Young is 0-1 and Titus makes his Summerslam debut tonight. R-Truth starts the match against Darren Young and it’s Truth with an early takedown and a hiptoss. Truth dances and then hits a legdrop for a two count. Young hits an inverted atomic drop and then tags in Titus O’Neil who hits a big boot for a one count. No Abraham Washington tonight. Titus applies a front facelock but R-Truth fights out of it. O’Neil takes Truth back down and then talks some smack at Kofi before running into a dropkick. Truth tags in Kofi Kingston who hits a springboard axe handle and a dropkick. Kofi hits a big clothesline and then the boom drop. Kofi motions for trouble in paradise but Darren Young distracts him allowing Titus to roll out of the ring.

Kofi chases Titus around the ring, clothesline Darren Young but then runs into a clothesline from Titus. Back in the ring and Titus gets a two count before hitting a rolling powerslam for a one count. Titus tags in Darren Young  before suplexing him onto Kofi for a two count. Darren then applies a body scissors but Kofi fights out of it. Young hits a DDT for a two count and then tags Titus O’Neil back in. Kofi hits some kicks but Titus locks on an abdominal stretch. Kofi gets out of it but Titus looks for a fallaway slam just for Kofi to counter with a DDT! Both men then make tags and Truth comes in with a couple of clotheslines and a corkscrew elbow. Truth hits a face-first suplex for a two count. Titus saves the match and in comes Kofi but Titus disposes of him. Kofi skins the cat and then low-bridges Titus to send him out of the ring before diving out at him with a cross body. Darren Young then rolls up Truth for a near fall. Young attempts his finisher but Truth counters and hits the Little Jimmy for the three! R-Truth and Kofi Kingston retain tonight!

Rating: 5/10

There’s a VT next showing all the activities that have been going on this week.

Video package next showing how the WWE Championship match came about.

CM Punk (c) vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show – Triple threat match for WWE Championship

This is a first time triple threat match between these three men. It is a 9th PPV title defence for CM Punk, only one man that successfully defended their title 9 times on PPV during one reign and that is John Cena. CM Punk is 3-2 at Summerslam, John Cena is 4-4 and The Big Show is 4-0. At Summerslam 2011 John Cena fought CM Punk for the WWE Championship and at the 2010 even CM Punk was in a match with The Big Show. Big Show starts the match well, fighting off both CM Punk and John Cena with right hands and headbutts. He hits Cena with a hard Irish whip and then throws Punk to the canvas. Big Show hits Cena with a big chop and then gives CM Punk one too. Cena gets another chop and Punk then tries to hit Big Show with one of his own but Big Show slaps him down to the canvas. Cena and Punk double team Big Show with kicks and then look to hit a double suplex but Big Show counters, suplexing both men at the same time!

Big Show splashes Cena in the corner which sends him sprawling out of the ring. Big Show then splashes Punk in the corner. Punk hits a low dropkick on Show to take him down and then hits some kicks. Punk motions for go to sleep and scoops Big Show up but can’t keep him up. Cena then looks to hit the attitude adjustment on Big Show, scoops him up but CM Punk hammers Cena, sending him down to the canvas with Big Show on top of him. Big show hits some right hands and then steps all over CM Punk. Big Show hits Punk with a hard Irish whip and then a chop in the corner. Big Show sends Cena out of the ring. So far this match has been all Big Show. He is undefeated at Summerslam events. Punk avoids a splash in the corner and then looks for a springboard clothesline but Big Show catches him and takes him down with a curtain call. Big Show motions for a WMD punch but Cena saves the day. Big Show spears Cena and pins him for a two count.

Big Show lays Cena and Punk down near the corner and looks for Vader bomb both men but Punk moves and Big Show hits Cena. Show pins Cena but Punk breaks it up. Big show forces Punk out of the ring and Cena rolls out. Big Show goes after Cena and hits him with a headbutt. Big Show then throws CM Punk into the ropes form the outside. Back in the ring and Big Show hits a sidewalk slam on Cena. Punk then drops Big Show on the top rope and Cena hits Show with a side suplex. Cena looks for a five knuckle shuffle on Big Show but CM Punk takes Cena down with a clothesline. Punk then heads to the top and hits a flying elbow drop on Big Show for a near fall. Punk kicks Big Show in the face and then locks on a submission hold (no idea what the name of it is) but Big Show powers out. Cena takes Big Show down with a shoulder block and then locks on the STF! Big Show manages to get to his feet and then squashes Cena in the corner. Cena looks for a cross body but Big show catches him and slams him.

CM Punk hits Big Show with a clothesline and then a running knee in the corner. Punk hits a second running knee and then a third! Big Show powers out of a bulldog and Cena then comes off the top with a legdrop on Big Show. CM Punk locks an anaconda vice on Big Show and Cena then locks an STF on Big Show at the same time! Big Show taps out and the bell rings but the referee doesn’t know what to call.

Cena and Punk both claim to be the winner. Raw General Manager AJ Lee then comes out from the back. She going to restart the match? Yes she does. Both men turn around into a chokeslam from Big Show! Show pins both men and both kick out. Big Show motions for a WMD punch but John Cena ducks and hits an attitude adjustment! Punk then throws Cena out of the ring and pins Big Show for the three! CM Punk wins the match and retains the WWE Championship! Good match between these three.

Rating: 7.5/10

Piers Morgan, Rick Rubin, David Arquette, Maria Menounos and Fred Durst are shown ringside.

There’s a trailer for the newest WWE movie next. The Day. Looks bad. The cast are ringside.

We’re shown some footage from the pre-show and Cesaro beating Santino for the United States Championship.

Kevin Rudolph is out to sing “Don’t Give Up” the official Summerslam track. The divas are out to dance.

There’s a video package showing the history between Triple H and Brock Lesnar.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar

This is a first time PPV meeting between these two men. Triple H is 8-4 at Summerslam, Lesnar is 1-1 following a win over The Rock and a loss to Kurt Angle. Brock is joined by Paul Heyman. The bell rings and Lesnar forces Triple H into the corner. Lesnar tries to look on the kimura but Triple H fights him down to the ground. Lesnar tries again but Triple H uses the ropes to stay on his feet. Triple H clotheslines Brock out of the ring and Brock gets right back in and forces Triple H into the corner again before hitting him with a clothesline. Triple H hits a high knee and then clotheslines Lesnar out of the ring again. Brock slowly gets back into the ring this time and rips off his gloves. Lesnar takes down Triple H and hits him with a right hand which sends Triple H sprawling to the outside. The two men slug it out on the outside, hitting each other with knees and Brock slams Triple H on the announce desk.

Lesnar gets back into the ring and the referee doesn’t count Triple H out because of the request earlier in the night. Brock pulls Triple H back into the ring and the two men slug it out again. Lesnar hits a powerslam and then looks to lock on the kimura again. Instead he ties Triple H’s left arm around the top rope. Brock stomps Triple H down to the mat and then wrenches on the arm again. Triple H screams in agony as Brock jumps up and down. Brock sets Triple H up for an F5 but Triple counters, slips down the back just for Lesnar to hit him with a german suplex. Brock has a bloody nose but I’m not sure how he got it. Triple H drops Brock on the top rope and then hits some right hands and a DDT. Brock goes back to the kimura and powerslams Triple H again. Brock throws Triple H into the ring steps and then forces The Game into the announce desk. Lesnar then pulls over the Spanish announce desk before climbing up and jumping off it with an right hand.

Brock rolls Triple H back into the ring and hits him with a clothesline and a suplex. Lesnar then misses with a splash in the corner and Triple H looks for a pedigree but Lesnar sends him flying out of the ring. Lesnar leaves the ring and Triple H forces him into the corner of the announce desk. Lesnar sells the stomach now, he’s had a history of stomach issues. Back in the ring and Brock looks for the kimura again but Triple H fights him off with knees. Triple H hits a spinebuster and then sets up for the pedigree but Lesnar counters, setting up for an F5 which Triple H counters and this time Triple H hits the pedigree! He hooks the leg but Brock kicks out at 2. Lesnar then hits a low blow and the referee thinks about calling for the bell but doesn’t. Brock hits an F5 and hook the leg but Triple H kicks out at 2! Brock looks for the kimura again and this time locks it on! Triple H gets to the ropes but it won’t make a difference. Triple H manages to hammer his way out of the hold.

Triple H hits a second pedigree, looks to roll Brock over but Lesnar locks on the kimura again! Lesnar wrenches it and Triple H taps out! Brock beats Triple H tonight in the main event. Brock leaves and his music dies down. Triple H slowly gets to his feet expecting a standing ovation but instead they chant “you tapped out”. Brilliant.

Rating: 6.75/10

And that was the 25th annual Summerslam event. It felt like a really good show to be honest from top to bottom. There wasn’t a bad match on the show. The opener was a good one with Chris Jericho beat Dolph Ziggler. What’s rare is somebody tapping out to the walls of Jericho so it was nice to see it happen in this match. I would’ve liked to have seen Ziggler win this match but to be honest the story wasn’t written for Ziggler to win, it was written to see Chris Jericho win a big one. Good match between these two, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a rematch in the future. Daniel Bryan beat Kane with a roll-up out of nowhere. I liked this result, Bryan hasn’t been on a good run as of late. This has been a good year for Kane so far and this was a decent enough match. They’ve definitely left this feud open to continue so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rematch with a gimmick stipulation.

The Miz beat Rey Mysterio clean as a whistle which was slightly unexpected but it’s a big win for Miz none the less. again, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this feud continue as I definitely think there’s more legs in it. I like Miz as Intercontinental Champion though so hopefully he gets a reign for a few more months. Sheamus then beat Alberto Del Rio and it almost felt like we got a double turn here. Sheamus used Ricardo Rodriguez’s shoe to lay out Del Rio and then pinned him for the three but Del Rio’s foot was on the bottom rope! So this is another feud that will definitely continue. Really you want to see feuds end at Summerslam but at the same time you want first time matches that leave to wanting more. Maybe a double turn is coming? Del Rio is a good heel for Sheamus and I can definitely see these two battling at Night Of Champions next month and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a gimmick stipulation.

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth beat The Prime Time Players to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships. Kofi and Truth are having a really good run this year as tag team champions and it makes you wonder who will beat them. The tag team division is better than it’s been for a long time so it’s nice to see these new tag team get opportunities. CM Punk beat John Cena and Big Show to retain the WWE Championship. Talk about good title reigns. Punk threw Cena out of the ring after he hit the attitude adjustment on Big Show and Punk pinned Big Show to win. This probably takes Big Show out of the title race. I really enjoyed this match. I liked how Big Show just dominated, the match did a really good job of putting Big Show over. Punk’s title reign continues, who will be next for him?

We didn’t need this Kevin Rudolf rubbish. It’s a good song but it’s a bad use of divas, I’d much rather have seen a divas title match. Brock Lesnar then beat Triple H which I was glad about after Lesnar’s loss to John Cena in his return match. Triple H tapped out and the crowd let him know about it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rematch at Wrestlemania to tell you the truth. This was a good match although not as good as the Lesnar/Cena match but I think it wasn’t as brutal on purpose. Lesnar wins. Could he become WWE Champion? Punk vs. Lesnar? Sheamus vs. Lesnar could be fun. A really good show overall, go check it out.

Overall Rating: 65.7/100 (ranked 38th out of 281)

Match Of The Night: CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show
Worst Match Of The Night: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. The Prime Time Players
Surprise Of The Night: N/A
Worst Booking Of The Night: N/A
Superstar Of The Night: Brock Lesnar
Summerslam 2012 Will Be Remembered For: Brock Lesnar defeating Triple H