Every year, the WWE Universe is treated to The Biggest Party of the Summer. This year was the twenty-sixth annual SummerSlam. Going into this event, there was four main matches that were the focus of WWE television: WWE Champion, John Cena, vs Daniel Bryan; “The Best”, CM Punk, vs “The Beast”, Brock Lesnar; Kane vs Bray Wyatt and Damien Sandow vs Cody Rhodes.  On paper, this event and the matches it hosted should offer every wrestling fan something to justify owning this event for years to come but, how did reality fair against the ultimately high expectations?

As always, all opinions expressed herein are exclusively my own opinions and, they do not reflect the views of other staff of Wrestling-News.Net; nor are they the views or opinions of Fremantle Media who allow me to review WWE events.

 To be short, this year’s instalment of WWE SummerSlam does not disappoint. The matches on this event are:

– Bray Wyatt (w/The Wyatt Family) vs. Kane – Ring of Fire Match

– Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow

– Alberto Del Rio (Champion) vs. Christian – World Title Match

– Natalya vs. Brie Bella

– Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) vs. CM Punk – No DQ Match

– Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs. Big E Langston & AJ Lee – Mixed Tag Match

– Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena – WWE Title Match

John Cena vs Daniel Bryan

This is a potential match of the year candidate between the, deserved, poster-boy of World Wrestling Entertainment and the internet darling, Daniel Bryan. Often, John Cena comes under criticism for his in-ring work ethic but, here, no criticism can be given to him. This is a match that will feature on a future Cena DVD release to highlight the levels of ability John Cena has when he is facing-off with top quality competition. For Daniel Bryan, this match is the culmination of weeks of proving he was deserving of a place amongst the elite of WWE’s roster as he attempts to defy the odds and dethrone the WWE Champion. Without giving too much play-by-play away, this match is almost perfect in terms of getting Daniel Bryan onto the elite platform – showcasing he has all the talents necessary to be a WWE mainstay – whilst still making the (injured) John Cena look as strong and almost invincible as he has done over the years. Potentially, this event is worth owning just for this match despite the bitter-sweet ending that follows this.

CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar

The co-main event of SummerSlam, this is another match that well deserves the “match of the year” label. Following Paul Heyman’s betrayal of CM Punk at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view one month previously, Heyman re-introduced his Beast Incarnate in order to protect himself from the wrath of “The Best In The World” and this match was the culmination of weeks of spilled blood, sweat and tears. This match is a fight, pure and simple. It is a violent, exhilarating and emotional battle between two of the best workers WWE has on its roster. Lesnar plays the dominating monster better than anyone else and Punk can adapt to be any character in a great story –telling match. Here, he plays the noticeable underdog, hell-bent on revenge regardless of the battle in front him. Like John Cena vs Daniel Bryan, this fight alone is worth the price of the DVD.

 Bray Wyatt vs Kane – Ring of Fire Match.

After weeks of attacks, taunts and creeper, Kane finally got the chance to face Bray Wyatt without his “family” from interfering. This match is no mat-classic but served its purpose. The limitations on both men are obvious and detrimental when the ring is surrounded by flames. A good enough opening bout that gets the Wyatt family noticed as a force to be wary of in WWE.

Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow

Following his betrayal of his, then, best friend Cody Rhodes in the closing moments of the Money In The Bank ladder match, Sandow has been under fire from Rhodes who sought revenge. The lead-up to this match is filled with raw emotion and it results in this match being a must see. Both men are consistent in-ring performers and, on this occasion, it was no different. On any other event, this match would have been a potential show-stealer but given the magnitude of the other feuds on the card, it almost gets lost in the shuffle; which is almost saddening. This will be seen as the moment both Rhodes and Sandow stake their claims as top stars of the future and, I for one daren’t discredit the legitimacy of their claims. Both men are on incredible form.

The other matches on this card are, for the most part, of great quality. The divas match is a little poor and the mixed tag-team match is a little too short for my liking but, other than that this is an enjoyable event with other great matches. An honourable mention should be given to the match between Christian and Alberto Del Rio. It has a great blend of emotion, resilience and tenacity that all good championship matches should have. Once again, Alberto Del Rio delivers on a pay-per-view and it goes almost unnoticed.

This event is one definitely worth owning, even if for just one of the main events on the card. The special features on the DVD/Blu-Ray are a nice, welcome, addition for the event. The pre-show match between Rob Van Dam and Dean Ambrose is a great start to the show and is everything a modern day pre-show should contain. The Blu-Ray contains extra features on-top of the pre-show match, including the previous week’s Raw and SmackDown highlights. There are some good quality matches here, particularly Daniel Bryan vs Wade Barrett but those without a Blu-Ray player or who wish to save a bit of money by purchasing the DVD instead, are at no great loss.

For those in the UK, WWE SummerSlam is available Monday 28^th October via Fremantle Media and is available right now for pre-order.