WWE SummerSlam: Five talking points from the big event in Toronto
Monday 12 August 2019 16:17, UK
Only one title changed hands at SummerSlam in Toronto but there were still plenty of talking points from WWE's second-biggest event of the year.
Seth Rollins is back on top as the Universal champion while Randy Orton is likely to be seeking a second crack at Kofi Kingston's WWE championship.
Bayley, Becky Lynch and AJ Styles all successfully defended their belts while Goldberg and Kevin Owens scored decisive wins in their latest feuds.
But is the dust likely to settle in such a straightforward manner with SummerSlam in the books? We took a look...
Seth Rollins silences his critics
Seth Rollins' earnest babyface act hadn't been to everyone's taste in the build-up to SummerSlam and the same was true at the event itself, where some of the Toronto crowd gave him a negative reaction.
By the time the bell had sounded to signal his win over Brock Lesnar and return to the top position as Universal champion, the critics had almost all been silenced.
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Lesnar deserves some of the credit, too - his performance in the match and selling of the loss after it only added to the enhancement being given to Rollins.
It will be interesting to see who steps up to challenge the Kinsglayer now, because there is not an obvious choice, while it has to be assumed that Lesnar will take a break from WWE action.
The Fiend's debut was a glorious success
Because the anticipation of The Fiend's debut had been so perfectly built, there was a very real concern his actual debut would not live up to the expectations.
But it absolutely did. From Finn Balor's 'pure' white outfit to the mangled death metal reworking of Bray Wyatt's old entrance theme, this was absolute perfection.
Some fans were not happy that Balor got some offense in against a competitor operating on some kind of supernatural level but it is a minor concern because this really was pro wrestling gold.
Trish Stratus showed how to do it
WWE - very accurately sometimes - receives criticism for the way it presents part-time, or even fully retired, wrestlers as being stronger and more capable threats than those on their active roster.
That was absolutely not the case in the match between Charlotte Flair and Trish Stratus, where the modern-day player helped the veteran to a very good performance but one which ultimately ended with her on the losing side.
There is no shame in Stratus losing to Flair of course - especially considering the very clear size difference between the two women - but it was still pleasing to see one of the great traditions of the business maintained in such a manner.
What a difference a crowd makes
The reactions from the paying spectators in the Scotiabank Arena could not have been more different from Saturday night to Sunday night.
At NXT TakeOver, every match had the benefit of a noisy and enthusiastic audience while at SummerSlam those in attendance struggled to get themselves motivated to respond, even when the action taking place in the ring was very good.
The end result was that some matches - notably the AJ Styles-Ricochet and Bayley-Ember Moon bouts - lost a little of their lustre because the crowd reaction did not match the quality of the performance.
Will it be time for some new blood?
Johnny Gargano enjoyed a long send-off after his TakeOver main event match against Adam Cole, waving to the crowd for an extended period and even getting a hug from William Regal.
All of which is typical behaviour for a member of the developmental brand who will soon find themselves on the main roster working for either Raw or SmackDown.
Gargano is the hot favourite to now tread this path, but with the women's division lacking true villains at present, the time may also be now for Shayna Baszler, although she does remain the NXT women's champion…
