5 ways SummerSlam can compete with WrestleManiaSummerSlam is the second biggest pay-per-view on the WWE calendar after WrestleMania.

5 ways SummerSlam can compete with WrestleMania

SummerSlam is the second biggest pay-per-view on the WWE calendar after WrestleMania. What should it do to match the latter?

We’re not far away from the biggest party of the summer

SummerSlam is indeed the biggest party of the summer, and as such many fans consider it to be WWE’s second biggest pay-per-view of the year. It’s a title that makes sense considering how far Survivor Series has fallen in the last few years, in addition to how the Royal Rumble is pretty much just an extension of Mania anyway.

Unfortunately, it’ll never be considered the top dog so long as the spectacle that is Mania is still around, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try and force the issue. WrestleMania will forever be known as the biggest show of the year, but what if certain aspects of SummerSlam was tweaked in order to give WrestleMania a run for its money?

It may not be within the realms of possibility from a financial standpoint, but having two events of this magnitude as opposed to one could be a great move in the long run. It would take some getting used to and you’d have to put a lot of faith in the die hard fans to buy both travel packages, but Vince has never been one to shy away when it comes to sticking his neck out on the line.

With that being said, here are five ways SummerSlam can compete with WrestleMania.

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#1 Stadium

The Citrus Bowl was a solid Mania host

This one is fairly simple, but it’s perhaps the most effective – WWE needs to hold SummerSlam in a stadium. Why? Because it just look so, so much better and the atmosphere is immediately heightened. If you need a good example of this then you will have to go back and look at when the summer extravaganza was held at Wembley Stadium in 1992.

It was massive back then and it’d be massive again in the present day, and that’s just a fact. Just look at the Royal Rumble this year at the Alamodome – 50,000 people were packed inside that venue and as a result, things just felt ten times more epic.

Sure, it may not have been the greatest pay-per-view, but a stadium show would give SummerSlam a better chance at success.

#2 Week-long festival

Could SummerSlam Axxess work?

WrestleMania is a week-long spectacle, with events starting officially on the Friday and lasting all the way through until the following Tuesday (okay so it may not be a whole week, but the majority of fans will stay for seven days). SummerSlam have tested this out in the past, but they need to commit 100% to the idea.

A smaller version of Axxess would be a great way for fans to interact with the superstars, and when you look down the list of other potential events they’re almost there in this department. They’ve got Takeover, Raw, SmackDown Live and even a travel package dedicated to SummerSlam.

They’re so close to completing the set and ticking this entry off the list, which we’re very happy about.

#3 No anti-climax

SummerSlam does not have too many anti-climactic results

Mania serves as the storybook ending to WWE’s calendar year, like a season finale to a big television show. As such, the rest of the ‘season’ lasts about 364 days, which is a bit too long for people to maintain their interest levels. So, why not have a second season finale half way through the year in August?

It would be a lot better to have a definitive ending than an anti-climactic one, which is what we’ve experienced for the last three years on the trot.

With Brock busting Randy open, Taker cheating to beat the Beast and Brock squashing Cena, all three of those events have felt like continuations in a story as opposed to the end of one.

#4 Big entrances

Grander entrances make the event a bigger spectacle

One of the great things about the showcase of the immortals is the entrances. Regardless of whether you’re a mid card talent or a bonafide main eventer, the majority of people have special entrances that truly do make the whole occasion seem that much bigger.

So the same thing needs to happen at SummerSlam, and if the company really wanted to go all out, they could make them summer-themed events.

This may be considered as a bit much by some, but the grandeur of WWE is one of the main reasons why old school fans still tune into WrestleMania year in, year out.

#5 Legendary appearances

This is a good example, right?

Everyone hates the part-timers in WWE: that is until they get to experience their entrance live and then they lose all of the morals that they thought they once possessed. No matter how much we complain about them, there’s no getting away from the fact that appearances by legends make pay-per-views feel that much bigger.

They don’t need to pop up for long in order to keep most of the focus on the youngster stars, but SummerSlam is in desperate need of some star power.

We all know that it’ll continue to play second fiddle to Mania for as long as we all live, but things like this will narrow the gap substantially.

5 reasons why Bray Wyatt is underrated in WWE

The Eater of Worlds is here to stay - we hope.

Wyatt has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years

For the last four years or so Bray Wyatt has been captivating audiences around the world on the main roster. The guy is a special kind of talent because of which people behind the scenes need to start sitting up and taking notice of him.

Some would argue that they already are, with many pointing towards his run as WWE Champion as proof, but just look at how that reign ended – yet another WrestleMania loss to a big name like Randy Orton. We’re fed up of seeing him become an afterthought, and people need to understand what he brings to this company.

He may not come across as the most athletic or the most talented guy, but we all know that once you scratch beneath the surface a truly epic performer unveils himself. Bray is a one of a kind superstar in the same vein as The Undertaker, and he can bring that same kind of atmosphere and ferocity night in, night out for many years to come.

With that being said, here are five reasons why Bray Wyatt is underrated in WWE.

                    #1 Adaptability

Adapting to the situation that you’re put in by WWE management isn’t always an easy thing to do, but Bray Wyatt seems to do it with flawless ease. No matter what or who he’s partnered together with, the Eater of Worlds always seems to find a new angle that makes the feud work in a way that nobody could’ve anticipated.

Also Read:5 thing you did not know about Alberto del rio.

Take the Ryback stuff for example. Sure it wasn’t for everyone, but Bray still managed to find some form of storyline enhancement that made it feel like there was a real personal beef between the two men.

Of course, he’s been placed in better programs than this since, but some guys can’t even get a crowd interested these days.

Turn him face, Vince...

                        #2 Alignment

Wyatt has got many followers in spite of him being a heel

Similar to the previous entry, we’re going to talk about how Bray can quite literally have the entire WWE Universe in the palm of his hands. Despite the obviously heel nature of his character Bray has still managed to gain quite a lot of followers. Why? Because he’s an extremely talented wrestler, that’s why.

But he’s also had an ever so brief stint as a babyface, during which time he teamed up with Roman Reigns to create one of the best Monday Night Raw moments in years. Wyatt spread his wings and proved to everyone behind the scenes that he can catch anything they throw at him and run with it, which is a rare commodity these days.

Even Meltzer can appreciate this.

#3 In-ring work

He may be big, but he’s still one of the best in-ring performers on the roster

Despite his size, Bray Wyatt is one of the most capable in-ring performers that WWE have at their disposal right now. He can’t do every single thing that the cruiserweights manage to pull off, but his style still works perfectly with the message that WWE are attempting to send out to their viewers – and that’s that they’re trying to tell a story.

Take the match with Daniel Bryan at Royal Rumble 2014 as an example. The build up to the bout was great, and the delivery of the actual match was perfect because they mixed Bray’s strengths with Bryan’s to create a picture perfect sequence of events.

He can get in there and mix it up with the best of them, which may be why he’s so trusted to work with legendary superstars at Mania.

Follow me to the promised land, man...

#4 Solo promos

Wyatt has shown that he’s pretty good with the mic in his hand

Follow the buzzards indeed. Bray Wyatt may not make that much sense 100% of the time, but what he always manages to do is capture your attention. We always want to hear what he’s got to say and one of the main reasons behind that is quite simple – nobody is telling him what to do and everything he’s saying is organic.

That’s right: Bray confirmed in a recent interview with Sam Roberts that he writes all of his own stuff, which once again proves how invaluable he is to this company. If he can consistently produce content as great as that week in and week out, just think about how beneficial he could be in the years to come. Iconic.

You've got to have a good head on your shoulders in this business.

#5 Mentality

Just another average Joe!

From everything we’ve heard of Bray over the years in addition to what we’ve seen in interviews, he comes across as one of the most laid back guys on the roster.

He’s calm, composed and extremely polite, however you can just tell that if he disagrees with one of the higher ups then he’ll certainly let them know about it.

That balance has probably gained him a great deal of respect backstage, and we can imagine Vince himself being fairly impressed. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind but he’s also said to be one of the best personalities in the locker room, which only adds to the ever growing list of reasons why WWE can never afford to let him go.