WWE SummerSlam 2019 review: Highlights, takeaways and projections

Submission Match for the Raw Women’s Championship

Becky Lynch (c) vs. Natalya

I thought the Submission Match for the Raw Women’s Championship featuring Becky Lynch and Natalya was an interesting way to open the show but it definitely turned out to be the right call. The crowds are always going to be hyped up for Becky’s matches and then you obviously had the Canadian pop for Nattie.

As for the match itself, I thought this was fantastic. There aren’t many women on the current roster that would be able to pull off this kind of match, mainly because there aren’t a ton who have a good submission hold to use in the first place, but these two were perfect for this. Throughout the entirety of the matchup, The Man and The Queen of Harts told a beautiful story in the ring, each focusing in on a body part and sticking to it while the other sold the injury equally well. Excellent work by both.

I figured it might happen, but stealing one another’s finishers was a nice touch. We’ve seen that in so many different matches over the years but it always works out to be entertaining. Seeing Nattie in a Sharpshooter or Becky in the Dis-Arm-Her adds to the story that each woman will do whatever it takes to win and brings that sense of urgency that’s needed in a match, especially in a title match. As expected though, it was Lynch picking up the win. An excellent start to SummerSlam.

What’s next: I really don’t see this feud going much further than this. It was a great idea to give Nattie a title match in Canada but I think that’s the only title shot she’ll get for now. It’s not that she doesn’t deserve another shot, but unless they’re planning on bringing Ronda Rousey back in to help her, Becky will be moving on to a new challenger for Night of Champions next month.