The Nexus enters first and they are a team made up of David Otunga, Darren Young, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield and their leader Wade Barrett. The team stands united in the center of the ring as they wait for their opponents to enter. John Cena is first to enter and the crowd explodes when he does so. He stops on the ramp as the he waits for the rest of the team he is captaining to enter. Edge is next, and his pop is nice but not on the same level as Cena’s. R-Truth is next and Chris Jericho follows him. John Morrison follows them and the crowd is tame for him. The Hitman is the only one that receives a pop on the same level of Cena. But I think Cena’s was still louder. Miz tries to enter but Cena is quick to cut him off on the microphone. Cena tells Miz the offer no longer stands and that they have already found a seventh member. Cena then announces the triumphant return of Daniel Bryan. This was, of course, spoiled a half hour earlier when someone dropped the ball and tweeted it too soon. Bryan was fired for choking Justin Roberts with a tie during the premier on The Nexus. The attack was planned but the choking segment after, Bryan added himself not knowing that choking of that nature was banned from the TV product.

All fourteen men are in the ring now and chaos ensues. These kind of matches are a tough cover at points but I’ll do my best to cover the pertinent things. Team WWE quickly clears the ring of Nexus bodies and the fans are going bonkers. Nexus takes a moment to regroup on the outside and are questioning the return of Daniel Bryan. After a decision is made, Darren Young starts the match against Bryan. A collar and elbow quickly turns into the two trading punches. Young lands more, but Bryan is able to slow the momentum with a lifting knee. This leaves Young in the seated position and Bryan lands what would one day become Yes Kicks. It is strange to look back at this and see the kicks not accompanied by the “Yes” chants of the fans. Bryan applies a guillotine choke next, and when they hit the canvas, Bryan transitions into what would become the Yes Lock. Young quickly taps out and is the first to be eliminated here. Bryan is pumped up and so is the crowd as he is yelling for the next Nexus member to enter. Justin Gabriel enters, and after he is tossed into the corner, Bryan tags in Chris Jericho. Jericho is quick to whip Gabriel and flatten him with a back elbow. After a back drop and a few stomps, Jericho makes the tag with R-Truth. The two have a quick back and forth that ends with Truth hitting a big heel kick. Truth hits a sweet suplex/stunner combo and tries for a pin. The crowd gasps when Gabriel manages to kick-out.

Gabriel is able to land a few kicks and this allows him to tag in Michael Tarver. Tarver is quick with a flurry of punches that put Truth into the corner. He goes crazy with jabs next and the ref is forced to separate the two. Truth counters an Irish whip to the turnbuckle with a big boot and this allows him to tag in John Morrison. Morrison comes in hot and lands a pair of dropkicks followed by a step-up enziguri. Morrison then hits his split legged springboard splash and makes the cover. The ref counts the three and suddenly Team WWE is up 7-5. The Nexus leave the apron and take a moment to regroup on the outside. They make a unanimous decision that Skip Sheffield, AKA Ryback, is going to be the next Nexus member to enter. The two enter into a collar and elbow, and Skip easily tosses Morrison to the canvas. They try it again and the same thing happens to Morrison, he is tossed to the canvas. Sheffield allows Morrison to rise to his feet but this backfires when John explodes with a series of punches. This leads to an Irish whip attempt, but Sheffield is too strong and prevents this. He then lifts Morrison up and drives him to the mat with a brutal powerslam. Sheffield delivers a pair of suplexs and the crowd is chanting “We Want Bryan”. Sheffield hits a third suplex and tries for a cover but Morrison is able to kick out. Team WWE starts a clap rally and soon the whole arena joins in. This is quickly quieted by a Sheffield clothesline and a pin. The ref counts the three and John Morrison is eliminated. R-Truth enters and after a short lived rally, Sheffield levels him with a clothesline. The cover is made and R-Truth is quickly eliminated.

Jericho enters for Team WWE and begins to work Sheffield with some punches. This doesn’t last long and Jericho is soon sent crashing to the canvas with a gorilla press slam. Sheffield makes a tag, and for the first time, Wade Barrett enters. He is only in the ring long enough to deliver a few kicks and tags David Otunga in. Barrett holds Jericho so Otunga can get a few cheap kicks in before exiting. Otunga has little on the offensive side before he tags Barrett right back in. Barrett then starts to stretch the arms of Jericho, driving his knee into Jericho’s back for leverage. Jericho escapes but is whipped into the corner. This works in his favor as he leaps onto the second turnbuckle, following a big boot and dropkicks Barrett. Both men lay prone for a moment but both manage to tag out. Heath Slater enters for the Nexus, and the crowd explodes when Brett Hart is the other man tagged in. Hitman comes in hot and unloads some punches. Hart continues to work Slater, eventually scoop slamming him and driving his signature elbow into Slater’s heart. The crowd explodes when he locks in the Sharpshooter but he is still able to tag in Sheffield, who has a chair. Brett gets it away from him and levels Sheffield with a chairshot to the skull. Brett is DQed for this action and sent to the back leaving the WWE down a man. Jericho quickly enters and hits Sheffield with a Code Breaker. He tags Edge in for the first time, who hits Sheffield with the cover and eliminates him with the three count pin.

Justin Gabriel is next in and is flattened with a big boot. Edge whips him into the corner and charges with a shoulder to the midsection. Edge tries it again but this time is met with a back elbow. Edge is still able to land a big kick to the back of Gabriel’s head and make a cover. But Gabriel isn’t through yet and kicks out. Out of nowhere, Gabriel is able to hit a spinning heel kick and cover the Rated-R Superstar but Edge promptly kicks out. Gabriel then tags in the One Man Rock Band that is Heath Slater, who stomps away at Edge. Slater chokes Edge with the ropes before tossing him into the corner and tagging Barrett in. Barrett stomps a mudhole into Edge until the ref forces the break. Barrett uses his boot to choke Edge and uses all the ref’s five count before releasing the hold. Edge is then whipped to the corner and when he bounces out, he is met with a backbreaker from Barrett. Barrett tries for the cover, but Edge is able to kick-out. The crowd starts to clap as Barrett locks in a headlock and this powers Edge to his feet. He catches Barrett with a spinning heel kick that leaves both men on the canvas. Edge tries for a swinging neckbreaker when they return to their feet but Barrett is able to counter this and hit a neckbreaker of his own. Otunga tags in and but is met soon after with an impaler DDT from Edge. The crowd starts to rumble in anticipation of the hot tag from Edge. He makes them happy when he tags in Jericho. Jericho comes in hot and takes Otunga off his feet with a pair of shoulder blocks that he follows up with a running bulldog. The Lionsault is next and Jericho follows this up with the Walls of Jericho. That Otunga quickly taps out too. This leaves the WWE now ahead 4-3.

Jericho wastes no time attacking the next Nexus member in, Heath Slater. After a quick assault on the outside, Jericho returns Slater to the ring and takes to the top turnbuckle. He leaps off and nails Slater with the spinning back elbow. He tries for another running bulldog, but Slater is able to avoid it and Jericho collides with his partner John Cena on the apron. This distraction allows Slater to even the odds by hitting Jericho with a slingblade and make the cover for the three count. Cena and Edge argue about who will enter next and after some disagreement, Cena allows Edge to stay in. Maybe not the best of decisions as Slater is quick to hook Edge’s tights and roll him up for the three count. Edge is angered by this and knocks Cena from the apron. Jericho and Edge give Cena a quick beating before they leave him for dead. Bryan comes to aid him and Cena soon slides into the ring for the first time of the night. Slater quickly attacks him and pounds him into the corner until the ref forces the break. While the ref is yelling at Slater, the remaining Nexus members get a few cheap shots in on Cena. Barrett is soon tagged in and takes Cena off his feet with a three punch combo. After Cena is whipped to the corner, Barrett kicks his face into the turnbuckle. Bryan starts the rally clap as Cena rolls to the apron to try and stand. Cena tries to rally from there but when he enters the ring he is flattened by a clothesline from Barrett. After Cena kicks the pin attempt out, Barrett drags him to the corner and tags in Gabriel. Gabriel takes Cena off his feet with a big kick to the side of the head and applies a reverse chinlock. This soon becomes an armbar and Cena rallies to his feet. He tries to lift Gabriel for the AA but he wiggles free and hits Cena with a DDT. Gabriel hooks the leg and attempts the pin. Cena is able to kick-out, but is met with another boot to the side of his head. Barrett tags back in and this is when the war of the crowds chants start. One group with “Lets go Cena” chants, the other with “Cena Sucks”. Cena starts to rally behind this and some punches. Cena hits the ropes but Barrett is able to lift him and deliver a sidewalk slam. Barrett tries for a suplex next, but Cena is able to reverse it and this leaves both men on the mat. Barrett is first to tag and this allows Slater to stop Cena from doing so. Cena absorbs a few punches before being violently whipped to the turnbuckle. He collides so hard with it he falls to the mat and Slater stares on as Bryan starts another rally clap.

They flatten each other when Cena regains his footing, with a double clothesline, and the crowd is anticipating the hot tag.  It is made and Bryan comes in firing on all cylinders. Instead of Slater he targets Gabriel first, knocking him off the apron. He then flattens Slater with a big boot and the crowd explodes. Brian hits Slater with a German suplex then uses a dropkick to send Slater crashing into the corner. Slater reverses a whip to the corner and Bryan counters that by leaping off the second turnbuckle for a backflip over the charging Slater. This leaves Slater to splash the turnbuckle. Bryan hits a big clothesline and when Slater hits the deck he rolls from the ring to recover. Bryan doesn’t allow him this opportunity and suicide dives through the ropes and on top of Slater. This is when we can notice Cena in a pile outside the ring. Slater is quickly returned to the ring and Bryan leaps from the top rope to hit the missile dropkick. Bryan nips-up and double dropkicks the remaining Nexus members off the apron. Slater is quick to roll Bryan up for a pin but he is able to kick-out and transition it into a crippler crossface. And Slater soon taps out making it tied at two men left remaining per team.

While the ref is distracted with removing Slater, Miz slides into the ring and levels Bryan with the M.I.T.B. briefcase. Wade Barrett enters and covers Daniel Bryan just as the ref spins around. The ref counts the three and John Cena is the sole survivor of Team WWE. Barrett leave the ring and quickly tosses the dazed Cena back into the ring. After a few stomps, Barrett puts Cena into the corner and tags Gabriel in. He hits Cena with a crossbody and waits for Cena to rise. Gabriel tries for another splash but Cena is able to avoid this one and Gabriel collides with the corner. Cena hits a pair of his “vintage” leaping shoulder blocks and follows those with the signature sidewalk type slam. He lifts the hand and the crowd chant along with the “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture. He nails the Five Knuckle Shuffle and lifts Gabriel for an AA. When Cena has him up he is close to The Nexus corner and this allows Barrett to slap the boot of Gabriel for a legal tag. Cena doesn’t see this and Barrett makes the save. He stomps Cena into the corner. Gabriel and Barrett take turns tagging in and out while stomping away at Cena. When they finish this sequence and Barrett waits for Cena to rise to his feet. When Cena does Barrett delivers a big boot that sends Cena to the outside. Barrett and Gabriel soon join Cena and Gabriel is ripping up the floor mats, exposing the concrete underneath them. Gabriel returns to the ring and Barrett DDT’s Cena onto the exposed concrete. The crowd is silent as Barrett tosses Cena into the ring and tags Gabriel back in. Gabriel takes to the top rope and tries for the 450 splash. Cena is able to move from harms way and the crowd explodes when Gabriel collides with the canvas. The cover is quickly made by Cena and the ref counts the three. This sends the fans into an absolute frenzy. Barrett enters with a purpose but is quickly hit with a drop toe hold. Cena then locks the STF on and Barrett soon taps out. This is a controversial finish that I will get into in a second. This is also the longest match in SummerSlam history. The match that was unseated for this Title also involved Brett Hart and it was his 1994 Cage Match against his brother Owen Hart. As for the match I think it was solid and was overall a successful attempt at something new for a Main Event. Match Time-35:19

This finish is one that a lot of the guys involved with the match have spoke about in one form or another, be it shoot interviews or books. Most of the guys, Jericho and Edge included, thought that it was time for The Nexus leader Wade Barrett to go over. Cena was against this and insisted that he should win. I think I agree with the guys on this one. Why not keep the momentum of The Nexus rolling with the win. I mean it didn’t need to be a clean win. Jericho said that Cena later came to him and said that he was wrong in his decision. There are shoot interviews all over the inter-webs on this subject if you wanted to dig deeper into it.

This was an average SummerSlam, at best, in my eyes. The matches that are most worthy of your time in my opinion are as follows. The Main Event was great even if it didn’t have the ideal ending. Orton/Sheamus was great and as a straight-up match it maybe my favorite on the card. Third place would have to go to the opener between Ziggler and Kingston. It showcased the stars that they would become. As I always do at the end I like to see what Dave Meltzer thought of the show. These star ratings are acquired via www.profightdb.com Dave’s highest rated match was the Main Event at 3.5. The only other match with at least a three was the Sheamus/Orton affair, which received a 3 even. None of the other matches much impressed Meltzer but next was Mysterio/Kane with a 2.5. The rest of the card received some semblance of a 1 or below.

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