WWE Super ShowDown 2019
Running Time: 279 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 2
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: September 23 2019
(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)
The third WWE PPV in Saudi Arabia managed to avoid at least some of the controversy that the previous Saudi card Crown Jewel had been subject to, mainly due to the timing of other real world events. That being said, Super ShowDown still had its critics; in terms of the show as a whole, and the DVD experience, it remains a card that has its moments, but is ultimately forgettable except for some unfortunate circumstances.
Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin for the Universal Championship is a decent opener, and features a fun ending as well as a noteworthy post-match cameo involving Rollins and Brock Lesnar (who at the time was the possessor of the Money In The Bank briefcase). Finn Balor vs. Andrade is an enjoyable match for the Intercontinental Championship, and it features a rare appearance by The Demon character. Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon serves its purpose, and Shane’s victory courtesy of interference by Drew McIntyre was designed to place further heel heat on the so-called Best In The World (which was hindered by the fact that, despite an Extreme Rules tag win alongside The Undertaker, Roman never really got his revenge on the boss’ son).
Lars Sullivan vs. Lucha House Party is an instantly forgettable handicap match with a strange ending. Conversely, Triple H vs. Randy Orton is the ideal match for this setting: a meeting of two bona fide legends in an environment where nostalgia is appreciated over youth, and a realistic chance that this would be their final singles encounter. The action is kept simple, but it works very well with the audience lapping it up, and the near-falls are exciting too. It may seem pedestrian compared to the high-acceleration combat that we have become accustomed to in recent years, but as a one-off spectacle and a hark back to the late 2000s era of WWE, this is a lot of fun, and the highlight of the event.
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley is a basic match as part of a surprisingly enjoyable feud, while Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Title is an unexceptional bout designed to set up a rematch back in the United States at Stomping Grounds. The 51-man Battle Royal is hard to follow, though it features a home country hero in Mansoor coming out on top; it’s a shame that R-Truth wasn’t involved, since his 24/7 Championship shenanigans had been the best part about the whole thing (Truth had been pinned on the tarmac by Jinder Mahal, only to pin him whilst on the flight itself!). Also, given how hot a country Saudi Arabia is and especially in June, having 51 guys in the ring at once must have meant horrendous heat for those first few minutes.
The main event saw The Undertaker battle Goldberg for the first time ever, and it was a match of two halves. While the entrances gave this a big-fight feel and the first few minutes were quite exciting, Goldberg concussing himself on a head-first bump into the ring post (which busted him open badly as well) changed the course of the match. An attempted Jackhammer on Taker turned into an accidental brainbuster which almost crippled Undi. An attempted Tombstone by Taker was also a mess, which meant that the once-almighty Goldberg had to go down to a Chokeslam. It was not planned to be that way of course, and we won’t know how things would have transpired had Goldberg not knocked himself silly. Perhaps the quality of the home stretch would have still been low, who knows? Either way, this was a mix of pretty good and rather unfortunate, with the typically cynical nature of wrestling fans and wrestling “journalists” preferring to focus on the downsides of what, up until the last few minutes, had been a respectable effort by two veterans.
If you are planning to judge Super Show-Down alongside other PPVs such as Money In The Bank or SummerSlam, then not only will you be disappointed, but you would probably be missing the point. In the late 90s and early 2000s, UK-only PPVs were regularly held, and there was a house show feel to them, meaning that you couldn’t put InsurreXtion or Rebellion on the level of a WrestleMania or even a Backlash. The Saudi events are a modern equivalent, albeit on a larger scale and with top names from the past involved, but it appears that many cannot look past this, which ultimately sways the overriding opinion of these cards into a direction that is not intended. Of course, it also relates to the moral aspect of the WWE-Saudi relationship, which is another article altogether.
Even judging it purely on entertainment value, though, WWE Super ShowDown 2019 is far from a must-see event on DVD. The action is very good at best, and it is ultimately the two matches involving vintage names which stand out the most, for both the right and the wrong reasons. The rest of the show is mostly filler, though there are cool spots to be found. Overall, while the bar is fairly low, and Super ShowDown is not a complete disaster from an in-ring standpoint, I would struggle to justify a DVD purchase for a card where the best match is a replication of superior efforts a decade ago, and where the main event begins on a high note but descends into a sad scrap to watch by its ending.
Overall Rating: 5/10 – Average
