There was a very old-school type vibe given off by the Super Showdown event in the way the event was paced because nothing felt like it was rushed (WWE is guilty of this at times as they continue to expand as a business). The Saudi Arabia government has to be slightly disappointed that a Brock Lesnar cash-in didn’t happen because that would have had major implications on the future of the WWE for at least several months.
The reason that the time between WrestleMania and SummerSlam is to be valued is that events within the company start to lose a little bit of steam, which then gives younger up-and-coming superstars the opportunity to gain momentum by connecting with a crowd to show what they can do physically in the ring.
One of those up-and-comers I’m talking about is obviously Mansoor, who made his in-ring debut in NXT not too long ago. His victory in the 50-Man Battle Royal, which was heavily emphasized as being the largest in WWE history, will surely accelerate the trajectory of his career. This was very well thought out by WWE to have a superstar from Saudi Arabia win the event. It may even improve WWE’s presentation to the contrary of Saudi Arabia, who is giving them a very lucrative deal to be able to put on these events. Mansoor could become like a version of Ali. Sadly, this would most likely mean that WWE would have to let go of one of these two men because their look is nearly identical. I guarantee, however, that whichever one of these men gets released by WWE will go on to have success with some other organization in the wrestling industry.
The greatest match of the night was easily Randy Orton vs. Triple H. We don’t know what The Game is capable of given that he just produced a match of this quality with Batista at WrestleMania, but this is one of the best matches that Randy Orton has had in a long time (the fact that he got the victory to add to with legacy is simply icing on the cake).
This is a great example of just how important storytelling skills, as well as the timing of body language, are in the WWE. These two men are certainly not the most gifted superstars in the ring anymore (maybe they were at one time), but they had the innate ability to tell a quick story – and that is the scale of major value in the WWE.