WWE SummerSlam 2018 review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections
By Luke Norris
WWE Championship Match
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
What we learned: This was another much in which we learned that this thing is just getting started, and I have absolutely zero problem with that. I still think that’s it crazy that AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, who have a long history with another outside of this company, were battling for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam in 2018. What a time to be a wrestling fan, am I right?
The heat between these two started right away as it was revealed that Styles’ wife and daughter were in attendance, and Joe gave them a quick shoutout before the action got underway. Given the personal nature of this build, I thought things would be a little more frantic at the start, but there was certainly plenty of anger later on. Joe and Styles worked a brilliant match throughout with each getting the upper hand on numerous occasions and simply told a fantastic story in the ring. Once things finally got going, they were peppering one another with some stiff shots and that Styles Clash was freaking brutal.
It was only a matter of time before Styles was going to snap and Joe once again getting on the mic once again, which got the “Who’s your daddy?” chant going, was enough to do it and we got another DQ finish. If they were going to do that here, they probably shouldn’t have done that in The Bludgeon Brothers/New Day match, but here we are. This showed a side of Styles we haven’t seen in a while, and it was great to watch. Joe knows he can get to him now, and this is going to be great moving forward.
What’s next: The DQ finish obviously signifies that this is nowhere near over, and this is definitely going to be one of the matches next month that will take place inside the confines of Hell in a Cell, which is going to be amazing. These two know each other so well, and seeing them in that environment where this personal story can be told in brutal fashion will certainly deliver. Great first match to kick off this feud.