Winners and Losers From SummerSlam 2018: Perfectly Booked Main Event

While it will be argued by many that NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV stole the weekend, SummerSlam did give fans plenty of high-quality action and it certainly wasn't as one-sided a victory for NXT as it often can be. From Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins setting the tone early, to a return of the Demon King, to a perfectly booked main event, there was plenty of good on Sunday night.

Not everything clicked, but that can be expected when nearly seven hours of action is thrown at you in one sitting. The use of Kevin Owens, Elias' performance and the booking of the Rousey vs. Bliss match are just a few examples.

Still, there was far more good than bad and covering the best and the worst of the evening, here are the winners and losers from SummerSlam 2018.

Winner: The Main Event

There were so many bad ways to book this match considering the circumstances of the participants. That WWE got it 100 percent right and should be given a slow golf clap as a result.

With Brock Lesnar seemingly leaving for UFC, WWE had to know fans would turn on him. With it still being cool to hate on Roman Reigns, the company also knew fans might not accept him as the new champion. But, with Braun Strowman waiting in the wings for whoever came out victorious, fans could sit back, enjoy the match and know, eventually, The Monster Among Men was the likely title holder.

This was the safest way to book the match but also made the outcome believable. Reigns took advantage of a distracted Lesnar who was too worried about Strowman on the outside. It made Reigns look smart, protected Lesnar should he return and started a storyline for Strowman for after the pay-per-view.

Loser: Kevin Owens

Poor Kevin Owens. No, the way his match was booked won't ultimately hurt him, but it's still a shame WWE chose to waste such potential for a good match with a squash finish with one intention, to make Strowman look like an unbeatable monster.

WWE really could have given both guys the rub here. Strowman was going to win, of that there wasn't much doubt. But why not put a little fear into the outcome by making Owens look like a formidable opponent?

This was a terrible use of Owens talents.

Winner: Finn Balor

The return of the Demon King was unexpected but awesome. A character many thought was going to be put away for the foreseeable future made his way back to WWE and ran over Baron Corbin in dramatic fashion.

This is great news for Finn Balor who has been consistently directionless in WWE over the past few months. If this is just a one-time thing, only to be forgotten about right away, that would be a shame. WWE needs to build something up with this character because the WWE Universe absolutely loves it.

Winner: The Miz

Daniel Bryan's contract status might have left the outcome of his match with The Miz in question but the fact that WWE put The Miz over and gave the impression this feud is going to continue is one of the big winners of the night.

First, it prolongs the feud. Second, it points to signs that Bryan is moments from signing his extension and third, The Miz deserves to get a big win like this. He's constantly near the top of the entertaining personas on the roster but he's often overlooked when it comes to picking up victories.

Loser: Ronda Rousey

Perhaps it's not fair to call Rousey a loser on the night. After all, she did win the Raw Women's Championship. Unfortunately, the match itself was a disaster.

Rousey wasn't terrible and neither was Alexa Bliss. But the pace of the match, the over-acting by Rousey and the way it was booked didn't feel right. It was hard to determine if Rousey was actually loudly calling the spots or if, as the Coach said, she was actually just politely trash-talking Bliss while delivering her offense.

This match should have been booked differently, even if the outcome was correct.

Winner: Seth Rollins

The only way to talk about the Rollins vs Ziggler match is to say that it was an unbelievably good way to open the show. Both men were at their best, the match was a hit and Rollins came out as the new Intercontinental Champion.

Perhaps it's a bit disappointing not much happened with Dean Ambrose, but that should play itself out over the next couple weeks of WWE programming.

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