Tommy Dreamer believes WWE has set the stage for a monster two-night SummerSlam, and he broke down the two main events that came out of Monday’s Raw.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, the ECW legend reacted to the Raw that followed Night of Champions, which saw two huge SummerSlam matches set: Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi in a Hell in a Cell match, and Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns.
Dreamer admitted he initially had reservations about WWE pivoting away from an Oba Femi vs. Roman Reigns world title program, which he had pegged as the company’s biggest box-office option. But the execution of the Lesnar angle won him over. “I have to retract my statement,” Dreamer said of the SummerSlam announcement. “It was short, it was simple, and it worked, because the people went nuts for it. Proves how big the Hell in a Cell is, proves how big of an attraction this match is.”
He was especially impressed by the star power on display, noting that both pairings drew major reactions simply by standing in the ring. “Stand in the middle of the ring, do nothing, see if you get a reaction. We had tonight two guys,” Dreamer said. “We opened the show with Brock and Oba standing there. Same thing with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. They just stood there doing nothing, and the people were rumbling.”
Dreamer also praised the in-ring psychology, singling out Paul Heyman’s subtle work during the Lesnar segment. “Paul Heyman just did that in one little thing, the oversell of Brock’s handshake. Loved it,” he said. He appreciated Lesnar leaning into his heel role by ignoring the crowd’s “one more time” chants, a nod to protecting Femi as the future of the company.
Looking at the bigger picture, Dreamer is convinced the two matches are being lined up to headline both nights of SummerSlam. “Did we just get two main events for night one and night two?” he asked, suggesting the Hell in a Cell bout and the world title match would each close a show. He acknowledged the challenge ahead, with WWE trying to fill two stadiums on consecutive nights, but felt the company was “firing on all cylinders.”
