By Ryan Kester

John Cena and Daniel Bryan

This was a fantastic match. The entire focus of the contest was to make Bryan look good, and both men delivered a memorable performance that did just that. Bryan getting the clean pin on Cena made for a huge moment, and the live crowd's involvement only heightened the whole affair.

Randy Orton's subsequent cash in to take the title off of Daniel Bryan worked well for me. It accomplished the task of getting Orton back into a heel role, a position he is far better fit to play. Putting Daniel Bryan back into chase mode, as the babyface pursuing the heel authority-backed champion keeps him in the core story of WWE. Make no mistake, Daniel Bryan's place in the main event of WWE was solidified last night, and he is in a position that will only continue to endear his character to fans.

Brock Lesnar and CM Punk

In an equal but different manner, this match was every bit as good as the main event. Lesnar and Punk outdid themselves and surpassed the brutality and intensity of their build. The late-match was especially good, and the choice to have Punk lose because he was blinded by his desire to get his hands on Paul Heyman worked well. Punk was positioned to look like he could have won the match, but he let his desire for revenge get the better of him.

Best of all, the decision to have Lesnar go over will continue the feud. Punk and Heyman have a great deal of chemistry together on the mic, and I am glad that WWE resisted the urge to hotshot this angle with an early Punk win.

Bray Wyatt vs. Kane

This match had some degree of potential, but it quickly fell apart in the execution. WWE had a chance to make this faction feel unique by making Wyatt come off as more of a threat then his followers, but instead Kane was able to get the better of him with ease. It was only when the numbers game came into play that Wyatt was able to overcome Kane.

This is a tried and true formula for factions, but it's also been done to death before, and is currently being done better by The Shield. As it stands from last night's booking, Wyatt comes off more as a very good manager for a tag team, not the dangerous leader of a cult like he should.

Now, I am not predicting doom for the Wyatt family in the slightest; they are still one of the more compelling new acts WWE has produced in years. I am simply calling for the booking of the group to match the tone set by Wyatt's excellent promos. The group has a certain mystique about it at the moment that makes me want to see what they will do every week; that mystique will not linger if they end up being booked in classic stable fashion.

Overall Show

SummerSlam was an impressive event. Some of the undercard matches underwhelmed, but I left the show more excited about the WWE product than I did going in, and the stories that were set up for the next few months are intriguing.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter.

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