WWE SummerSlam 2018 review: What we learned, takeaways, future projections
By Luke Norris
RAW Women’s Championship Match
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
What we learned: We learned here that Alexa Bliss is really bendy. Thinking back on it later, I did remember that she’s double-jointed and has used that in a match before. But having forgotten and watching what her arm was doing when Ronda Rousey had her arm submissions locked, it was quite stunning. But that certainly wasn’t all the punishment that Little Miss Bliss would endure as Rousey was really physical on Sunday night. Those spinning slams looked really violent and looked like they were really hurting, but Bliss kept coming back and took her beating like a pro, even if this was the third squash match of the night.
One thing that Rousey has to get better at is keeping her voice down when calling the spots. It was clearly noticeable on a couple of different occasions, and while she was overall very good here, that’s something that has to improve as she gets more matches under her belt … you know, that newly-won RAW Women’s Championship belt. Ah, see how I transitioned there? To the surprise of nobody, Rousey won her first title in WWE and did so in dominating fashion, which worked nicely for her but did make Alexa look like somewhat of a weak champion, which is unfortunate given how crucial she’s been to this division.
What’s next: So the rematch seems inevitable for Hell in a Cell, right? The plan down the line at WWE Evolution is for Alexa Bliss to take on a returning Trish Stratus, which is going to be great if Alexa can at least get a little momentum back in that next match. She’s certainly not going to win but she at least needs to be a little more competitive. As for Rousey, the word is that she’ll headline that show against Nikki Bella, who was in the ring along with Brie and Natalya (that was awesome to see her wearing her dad’s jacket) to celebrate. There’s been no tease just yet, but I’m sure that’s coming soon. Even longer down the road is the inevitable matchup at WrestleMania 35 with Charlotte Flair. Perhaps that’s why these two won titles on the same night.