Quick Wrestling Thoughts: WWE SummerSlam 2020, NXT TakeOver XXX, AEW Dynamite Road to All Out

Written by: Kevin Berge

The Big Dog is back with nicer teeth than ever before. (Image Courtesy of: WWE.com)

It's been a while since I've talked about wrestling. It's been an exhausting span for wrestling in many ways. The pandemic has drained the life and energy out of the shows in more ways than the writing and booking ever could.

However, WWE and AEW have both taken the right steps to bring some needy energy back to their shows. WWE finally realized their use of Performance Center crowds was not working, so they moved to the Thunderdome (a weird concept but one that has instantly made the show more engaging).

AEW has long had the better stance, focusing on using the talent in the crowd in a real engaged manner. There's an air of real excitement in AEW that WWE often lacks. The only problem for AEW has been a few tired storylines that finally got rejuvenated in the last few weeks.

Both shows are still working for the mindset that they need to hold off for crowds, but crowds are a distant hope. It's time to take chances, and surprisingly WWE is ready to do that more than AEW (even though AEW is still the far more consistent product).

WWE SummerSlam 2020

• Roman Reigns is back and maybe heel. It's not been confirmed, but his overly aggressive attack of "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt only would have worked if he was a villain or this was a personal rivalry (which it is not).
• The Fiend is WWE Universal Champion again. He should have been champion through the year, but Goldberg got involved. That said, he's probably losing quickly to The Big Dog, which would be a shame.
• Braun Strowman was very heavily shuffled off from the title scene with Reigns' appearance and a clean loss to Wyatt. He never truly sold himself as champion, but he's still talented. He needs to rebuild.
• Drew McIntyre has been a fantastic WWE champion, and it was the best decision to stick with him as champ. While I expect Randy Orton to win the rematch, this clean victory shows that McIntyre is highly regarded.
• His match with Orton was fantastic. Neither man hit a single finisher. It was a pure wrestling bout with no frills or weapons needed, and the ending was a surprise in a welcome manner with McIntyre outsmarting Orton.
• Asuka continues her run as arguably the best wrestler in the world. She had two bangers on the same night with Bayley and Sasha Banks. She needed to carry the Raw Women's Championship going forward.
• Bayley and Banks have been fantastic since WrestleMania. Their run on all three brands has been exhausting, yet they are doing so much good work that it has not mattered. I hope WWE pulls back a bit with relying on them so much. However, they certainly deserve the spotlight.'
• At this point, I'd book Bayley vs. Banks as the main event of WrestleMania 37.
• Dominik Mysterio was one of two rookies this last WWE weekend that made his debut. He went 20 minutes and looked ready to go longer. While he's green, he certainly has the talent to shine long term.
• Sonya Deville has been the best female act on SmackDown outside of Bayley and Banks, and I hope she gets a huge push upon return. She deserves time off after her recent scare. She carried Mandy Rose through their SS match.
• The Thunderdome is weird. The live streamed video is likely not going to work long term. However, it is such a huge and welcome difference to perform in a stadium for sound quality and presentation.
  
• Retribution did not appear at SummerSlam, and it definitely helped the quality. That new stable has been a bust, and I feel bad for stars like Dominik Dijakovic and Mia Yim, who seem to be involved.
  
• Overall, SummerSlam was fantastic. Better than I could have hoped. It felt like a pure wrestler's show. The talent shined, and it was the closest WWE has been to good in a long time.
  

They're so edgy. You just don't understand. (Image Courtesy of: WWE.com)

NXT TakeOver XXX

• The rise of Karrion Kross has been awkwardly over the top. He has not been good enough to sell him as this dominant force, but it is nice to see NXT's main event scene shaken up.
• The main problem has been Kross' presentation. He needs to be a true dominator. Instead, he is just a talented technical wrestler.
• Keith Lee's reign over NXT had more potential than he was allowed to deliver. He was a fantastic NXT North American champion, but his NXT Championship reign never really got off the ground. It was the wrong decision to have him work as a dual champion.
• One of the reasons for the rushed presentation was to move him quickly to Monday Night Raw. I worry about his chances on the red brand. He has the charisma, but WWE has already turned his theme generic.
  
• Io Shirai and Dakota Kai did a fantastic job selling a match that only ever had one possible result. The overbooking at the end was messy, but both are certainly among the top competitors in NXT.
  
• Pat McAfee is a crazy talent. With no experience and just training, apparently without any prep, he and Adam Cole stole the show. While the ending was awkward, the overall presentation sold McAfee as a future top talent.
  
• While Lee should have dropped the NXT North American Championship rather than vacating it, the tournament was a great part of NXT in recent weeks. It definitely worked to build Damian Priest. Only Bronson Reed would have felt right to take the win otherwise.
  
• Cameron Grimes is jobber-level corny.
  
• I am concerned with WWE's process in vetting accusations against Velveteen Dream, and I hope that the situation was clearly explored before bringing him back into the fold.
  
• Timothy Thatcher is one of a few guys that truly sold me early on. He doesn't seem like a WWE guy, but he keeps delivering even against a recent underperformer like Finn Balor.
  
• I have struggled with NXT in its current transition, but I am excited to see where it goes. Only the women's division has truly shined lately.
  
• NXT TakeOver XXX was under the usual level of the black-and-gold brand for their special events. However, it was still a solid show. In particular, Cole vs. McAfee and Shirai vs. Kai stood out.
  

Brandi Rhodes ended the night regretting not booking herself to win the Deadly Draw tournament. (Image Courtesy of: AEW)

AEW Dynamite

• AEW Dynamite has succeeded on many fronts, but Cody's run as TNT Champion has been a bore. He wrestled the same match with too many wrestlers. It came off highly self-indulgent.
  
• Full credit to Cody though ended that run with a squash. Brodie Lee's domination of Cody made a lasting impression. It also helped finally solidify The Dark Order, who had been struggling for relevance.
  
• Jon Moxley is the best world champion in wrestling right now. The showings he has had with Lee, Brian Cage, and Darby Allin have been completely unique. Often, he brings a completely original element to AEW where it normally falls into a too similar feeling for show to show.
  
• MJF is cutting promos like no one else. While his politician gimmick shift makes less sense for handling Moxley, the feud between the two feels like AEW's top angle.
  
• The only angle that has matched up has been the surprise hit of Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy. The two are delivering on the promo front and in the ring. It is immensely entertaining and has finally begun to commit to Cassidy as an absolute star.
  
• The lack of a crowd has certainly hampered many stars though. AEW keeps holding off on angles, waiting for the go-ahead. This has led to an awkward waiting period especially with Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega.
  
• Page and Omega have been fantastic tag team champions, but they are falling apart. It is time to move on, so both men can return to the singles title scene. Hopefully, AEW pulls that trigger soon and lets them fight on a big stage.
  
• In their place, FTR likely take the titles. While immensely talented, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood still haven't found their stride. Their in-ring style is too WWE at this point.
  
• The AEW women's division has struggled for a while, but I think AEW knows it. The limited talent has led to limited screen time. Hopefully, the arrival of Thunder Rosa and the return of Britt Baker will give the division needed momentum.
  
• The women's tag team tournament was solid. It should have had more time on Dynamite rather than as a YouTube show, but Ivelisse and Diamante winning was the perfect decision. The two are perfectly suited to add needed energy to AEW's women's division working together and separately.
  
• AEW is struggling to consistently develop talent. The top guys are top guys, but so many get some hype then fall short. The promise of making win-loss records matter has been less relevant thanks to the prevalence of AEW Dark, which is mostly squash matches. This led to Scorpio Sky running wild in squashes but only getting a brief two week spotlight on Dynamite.
  
• Stars I'd like to see AEW do more with: Proud N Powerful, Jurassic Express, Private Party, Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss, Lance Archer, Lucha Bros (as solo stars), Allie, Anna Jay.
  
• Dynamite has the natural air that WWE shows needs. Even if there's still work to be done, I find myself much more invested in watching AEW over WWE every week. The All Out card needs to fill out this week, but I am very excited for it based on what is already booked.