Posted in: Doctor's Orders
Doctor's Orders: WWE Month in Review (August 2015) - Match/Wrestler of the Month, September Predictions, and Summerslam/Takeover Reviews
By The Doc
Aug 29, 2015 - 4:02:26 PM

”The Doc” Chad Matthews has been a featured writer for LOP since 2004. Initially offering detailed recaps and reviews for WWE's top programs, he transitioned to writing columns in 2010. In addition to his discussion-provoking current event pieces, he has written many acclaimed series about WrestleMania, as well as a popular short story chronicle. The Doc has also penned a book, The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment, published in 2013. It has been called “the best wrestling book I have ever read” and holds a 5-star rating on Amazon, where it peaked at #3 on the wrestling charts.



QUESTION OF THE DAY: Did you feel like Summerslam this year was at least somewhere in the same stratosphere as WrestleMania in terms of its hype and aura?

The following is a case study of WWE’s product for the month of August 2015.


WWE Summerslam Review

Match of the Month: Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at NXT Takeover Brooklyn


I'm not sure how to get this across without sounding like a heel, but I honestly never expected to be able to put women's wrestling on par with men's wrestling. Maybe I shouldn't feel so bad in writing that; it was, after all, WWE's booking that gave me that impression. The greatest women's match I'd ever seen was Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James at WrestleMania 22 and I rated that 3-stars. I love that match and I'm a huge Trish Stratus fan because her character was Top 5-level good in 2004 and 2005. She was never, though, given the chance to have an all-time great match that could measure up to the best that the guys could offer (not in my critical opinion anyway). Times have changed, though. The Divas Revolution may not be where many think it should and only time will tell how far it will go, but the reason why there is a Divas Revolution at all is matches like Banks vs. Bayley - not just the greatest women's wrestling match in WWE history, but one of the best matches of 2015 and perhaps of all-time. I gave it a 5-star rating. I give one of those maybe once every few years. Now, I don't stay married to my kneejerk ratings if they fail to hold up over time, but far be it for me to downgrade my enthusiasm for that match's brilliance with premature qualifiers. Bottom line: Bayley vs. Banks was the Undertaker-Michaels of women's wrestling - a deeply emotionally engaging display of presentation, character work, and wrestling skill - and, in the grand scheme of things, far more.

Previous MOTM winners: Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at Royal Rumble (Jan), Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns at Fast Lane (Feb), Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (vs. Seth Rollins) at WrestleMania (Mar), Big Show vs. Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules (Apr), John Cena vs. Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber (May), John Cena vs. Kevin Owens at Money in the Bank (Jun), and John Cena vs. Kevin Owens at Battleground (Jul)

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn Review

Wrestler of the Month: Seth Rollins


It took us 2/3 of the year, but we finally have our first winner of two Wrestler of the Month awards for 2015. Seth Rollins was magnificent in the build-up to Summerslam, first with his perfect explanation for taking a clean tap out loss to John Cena on Raw (he felt sorry for Cena, whose nose Rollins broke during the match) and later with his go-home promo that felt off the cuff for him ("Cena is a disease and I am the cure") and was perhaps his best PPV-selling promo of his career. In the ring, he offered the best match at Summerslam and the best TV match of the year to date against Neville. Rollins hasn't always been booked particularly well as champion (i.e. Kane), but he has become a master of talking his way out of booking that makes him look like a chump at times. My biggest issue with his booking has been that he went from a strong heel to a cowardly one as soon as he won the WWE Championship. There's a fine line between character development and booking inconsistency and I'd argue that they crossed into the latter in April and May. However, Rollins has bounced back with a fantastic summer that has me hoping to see him keep the title until WrestleMania 32. He's as adaptable a persona as we've seen in a while, capable of talking tough or backing down in the snap of his fingers. If you ask me, Rollins is the top star in the business right now, ahead of his 2012/2013 rookie class peers and even Cena. Don't overlook the benefit of the mainstream rub he was given from John Stewart this month either. Seth Rollins is "The Man."

Previous WOTM winners: Brock Lesnar (Jan), Daniel Bryan (Feb), Seth Rollins (Mar), Sheamus (Apr), Dean Ambrose (May), Kevin Owens (Jun), and John Cena (Jul)

September Predictions

If I had my druthers, Seth Rollins would be defending both of his titles in a night (of champions) centered completely around him. He would first face John Cena for the United States Championship and then face Sting for the World Heavyweight Championship. If that scenario comes to pass, then I expect him to hang onto only one title - the WWE Championship. I have seen the calls for Sting to win the strap and then lose to Sheamus, but I personally don't see the Celtic Warrior getting the belt anytime soon. I'm not sure I see Sheamus winning the title at all, in fact. Rollins vs. Sting has me amped for the post-Summerslam season, though. I can't wait for that match. It's what I wanted to see for WrestleMania back in March. Nothing else is going to come close to what Rollins does this month. The Wyatt vs. Reigns/Ambrose saga will continue and the introduction of Ray Jackson from Bloodsport is intriguing, but I need to see a monster promo from Roman Reigns countering the points made by Wyatt to fully embrace this story moving forward.

At a show when all titles are defended, I'm desperately hoping for something more from the Divas than another 3-way scenario. Banks has beaten everyone; she deserves the shot. End of story. I'd like to see Nikki's quest for the record reign be the basis of how we segue from the turn of the calendar to the PPV later in the month. For the IC title, I'm thinking we'll get a huge multi-man match of some sort, perhaps using the likes of Ziggler, Rusev, Owens, and Cesaro. Tag Team Turmoil would seem redundant if there were a multi-man scenario for the IC title, but I wouldn't rule it out. My preference would be for The Dudleyz vs. New Day straight up. That could be very good.


"The Doc Says" podcast can be found on iTunes or by clicking here for the debut episode of my special All-Time WWE PPV Countdown during which Steve (of The Late Shift) and I will reveal the Ten Worst WWE PPVs Ever. It will be available tomorrow at 2PM ET