Classic SummerSlam remembered
The 31st annual SummerSlam takes place next Sunday, and the event is said to be scheduled for six hours.
Yes, you read that right, six hours!
The two-hour preshow is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and the main card is set for a 7 p.m. start, an hour earlier that the normal 8 p.m. bell time.
But we will save the preview for next week鈥檚 column and this week, we will go back 15 years to the greatest SummerSlam to date.
The 2002 version of SummerSlam took place in Long Island, N.Y., a mere 27 miles from where next week鈥檚 edition will take place.
The opening match of the card was a classic between Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio, and had there not been two other and better classic bouts, their match would be looked back as one of the best in SummerSlam history.
In fact, I look at this match as one of the best opening bouts in PPV history, and it is up there with the Owen Hart and Bret Hart match from WrestleMania X.
The match was fast and action-packed with the crowd being emotionally invested from the opening bell until the match ended.
Shawn Michaels wrestled his first WWE match in almost four-and-a-half years because of back surgery when he took on Triple H in a non-sanctioned match.
The match was so good that it was impossible to tell that Michaels had missed any time at all.
Often times fans cheer wrestlers who have taken time off with a 鈥淵ou鈥檝e still got it鈥� chant, and Michaels鈥� performance is the poster child for the chant in my book.
The post-match action perfectly told a story in case Michaels would not return again, but he returned and wrestled until 2010.
Brock Lesnar looked to become the youngest WWE champion when he took on The Rock, and the match was fascinating for how the crowd reacted.
Lesnar was the 鈥渂ad guy鈥� and was cheered most of the match while The Rock was the 鈥済ood guy鈥� and booed unmercifully.
If you have the WWE Network, I recommend watching SummerSlam 2002 to see those three classics as well as several other good matches.
NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 3 Saturday night
NXT champion Bobby Roode defends the title against Drew McIntyre, SAnitY takes on The Authors of Pain in a tag title match, Aleister Black faces Hideo Itami, and Johnny Gargano takes on Andrade 鈥淐ien鈥� Almas.
But the most hyped match is the women鈥檚 title match as undefeated champion Asuka defends against Ember Moon.
Asuka鈥檚 title reign is now the seventh longest in WWE history, but will this be the night she finally loses?
Personally, I would like to see her head to Smackdown (or Raw, for that matter) undefeated, but we shall see.
Could Asuka end up on Raw or Smackdown a few days after Takeover 3?
Lesnar vs Strowman on the horizon?
Reputable pro wrestling insider Dave Meltzer is reporting that Lesnar and Braun Strowman will face each other later this year or at the Royal Rumble.
It makes sense as WWE has to have Strowman beat Lesnar if Lesnar is once again leaving WWE for good.
Goldust鈥檚 role changing?
After his feud with R-Truth flopped, it appears that Goldust may be transitioning into a managerial role on screen.
WWE wrestler out after surgery
Scott Dawson, one-half of the tag team The Revival, ruptured his biceps tendon last weekend and will know shortly if he will have to have surgery.
My guess is that he will, and I am speaking from experience.
I tore my biceps tendon in 2009 and I happened to see Belle Vernon Area trainer Joe Ferrari the next day.
When I showed it to him, he set up for me to see Dr. Chris Radkowski of Pittsburgh Bone & Joint.
I had surgery six days later and it took a good five or so months to be back to full strength.
Dawson could be out longer as it depends which end of the bicep tendon he ruptured.
Fortunately, I ruptured the bottom part of mine because if I had torn it near the shoulder, the recovery would have been a lot longer.
The Revival cannot catch a break as Dawson鈥檚 partner, Dash Wilder, just returned from a jaw injury a few weeks ago.
Reviews of Sting and Big Time Wrestling
If you attended the Big Time Wrestling show that featured an appearance from Sting, email me or Tweet me and I will share some next week.
This week鈥檚 question:
Is it me or is Smackdown stale? Bobby, Brownsville.
Smackdown has definitely fallen behind Raw in terms of hitting on all cylinders as SummerSlam nears.
While Raw has been clicking over the course of the last few weeks, Smackdown has been lacking compared to its counterpart.
Smackdown had been hot with recent big matches like the United States triple threat title match between AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and Chris Jericho and then the John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura match.
However, Smackdown seems as if it is trying to run in mud while Raw is in a full sprint.
I guess it could be said that Smackdown peaked its SummerSlam momentum already and is staggering to the finish line.
Jinder Mahal has been average as WWE champion and Randy Orton has been stale for almost a year now.
Email questions/comments to Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or Tweet them to me @BillHughes_III.