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WWE Accused Of “Playing It Safe” Ahead Of SummerSlam

By James Holder • Published 31st July 2024

A former WWE star feels the company played it safe on Raw.

At SummerSlam, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre will finally settle their differences in the ring. The bad feeling between the pair has been building for six months after McIntyre injured Punk at the Royal Rumble. In response — aside from lots of social media sniping, Punk has cost his rival the World Heavyweight Championship not once, but twice.

The rivalry has been an emotionally charged affair from the outset, but one veteran feels their final confrontation on Raw was “a little bit safe.”

During the face-off, special guest referee Seth Rollins laid down the law, but the physicality was very much held back until SummerSlam.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Tommy Dreamer said those involved steered cleared of taking any risks.

“A lot of the main players [in the opening segment] … the go-home show, I was talking earlier before, it’s either being [like] you’re gonna play safe because you don’t want to risk injury or giving too much before the go-home show because we have a massive pay-per-view coming up, stadium full of people. Or are you gonna push the envelope? I think some people put the pedal to the metal and other people kinda played it a little bit safe.”

Dreamer went on to criticise the crowd, who he felt could have done more to get involved.

“In my opinion, this match and this segment, that went almost 17 minutes, I wish the crowd was a little bit more into it,”

However, he later praised Seth Rollins’ involvement in the match, suggesting it adds even more intrigue.

“I really do feel that it [Rollins as referee] adds intrigue for this match because you know someone’s gone piss each other off. Another great tidbit that Drew McIntyre added — and I loved it — he said he is going to be paid a lot of money to kick CM Punk’s arse because it’s at a stadium show.”

Changes Coming To WWE SummerSlam?

Meanwhile, it’s been reported that the WWE SummerSlam card could undergo some changes before the big night. A recent report claimed it wouldn’t be a surprise to “see some additions or alterations” to the show.

You can find the updated card for the event below.