WWE SummerSlam 2018 review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections
By Luke Norris
WWE United States Championship Match
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
What we learned: Even if Jeff Hardy may not be the wrestler he once was, we learned here that he still doesn’t mind taking some nasty bumps to help with a match. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough of the big spot stuff to make this a great match. It certainly wasn’t bad by any means, but it was just an average match late in the show that the crowd wasn’t really into as they waited for the two big finales.
The opening minutes were pretty funny with the two making fun of each other’s gimmick and mannerisms and such but I couldn’t have been the only one who lost focus every time they did a close-up of Hardy’s face with those weird painted-on eyes that weren’t really his eyes. Seriously, it started to freak me out after a few minutes and I just had to look away, which was fine because there wasn’t much to get excited about until the last few minutes anyway. That swanton onto the apron was freaking sick, though. For a guy who just missed some time with a bad back, perhaps that’s not the thing to try, but I’ll give him a ton of credit for making the effort. The finish was pretty quick after that, and Shinsuke Nakamura walked away still the United States Champion.
What’s next: It was a bit surprising not to see Randy Orton during the actual match, but he did make his way down to the ring afterward. But that was it. He got all geared up, including putting the tape on his hands, but then just walked in and walked right back out. So we’re getting Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy, I guess, which really wouldn’t make Orton look good at all as he’d just be picking on a guy who lost clean. But it’s started so I suppose they need to finish it. Orton being next in line for Nakamura would be amazing, but with them both being the super-heel at the moment, I don’t see that happening, which means Nakamura is going to need a new challenger. It’s too bad Balor isn’t over on the blue brand.