Date: August 3, 2024
Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, OH
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Show Recap —
Welcome to our live coverage of SummerSlam. The countdown show is three hours long.
Countdown to SummerSlam —
Michael Cole said WWE has been on a massive roll, specifically thanking Paul Leveseque and once again called this the “Triple H Era.” Cole was joined on the preshow by Wade Barrett, Big E, Pat McAfee and a large crowd of fans behind them.
(I won’t recap the entire pre-show but will provide updates throughout.)
Byron Saxton, Jackie Redmond and Cathy Kelley provided updates on Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley and CM Punk, respectively.
There was a feature on The Miz. Miz arrived on his party bus along with Maryse, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. R-Truth welcomed them there and he did his usual stupid comedy, confusing DIY for DX.
Kelley interviewed Dominik Mysterio. Dom assured her the vibes in Judgment Day were good. He was annoyed she was in their clubhouse and asked her to leave. Dom wore a San Diego Padres cowboy hat and a $600 Louis Vuitton shirt with planets on it. (I looked it up.)
Bron Breakker told Saxton he was happy that Sami Zayn’s comedy show would be able to support his family but he title reign would be over tonight.
There was a Cole sit-down interview with Seth Rollins. He called CM Punk selfish and anything he said about giving back to the business was a lie. It was Drew McIntyre’s own fault for propping up Punk to get him in this level of a match.
There was a good feature on Damian Priest where Peter Rosenberg interviewed him through the Bronx and Yankee Stadium. There was also a clip of Gunther showing up to the premiere of Priest’s documentary to call him street trash. Priest said he would humble his bitch-ass.
Redmond and Rosenberg replaced Cole and McAfee on the panel. Still two hours to go.
There was a SummerSlam numbers video.
There was a Redmond sit-down interview with Ripley. It was heartbreaking and depressing for her to be away when her shoulder was injured. She didn’t answer when Redmond asked if her shoulder was 100%. She said Morgan took things too far with her actions the last few months. “If you have a problem with me, use your fists.” Ripley took great pleasure in hearing Dom tell Morgan, “I hate you.”
Kelley interviewed Morgan. She said Ripley would be the only one crying tonight. She blew off Kelley and left. Big E reminded us this wasn’t a Dom on a pole match.
Saxton interviewed Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton. Jax couldn’t wait to be “reckless and clumsy” with Bayley tonight (referencing Bayley’s own words) and become the champion. Saxton asked Stratton if she planned on cashing in tonight. Jax cut her off and they left together.
CM Punk sit-down interview – part one
Cole sat down with Punk. He admitted he still had a temper, but that made him who he was. This job and career were fleeting and he tried to enjoy every moment. Cole asked if he’s grown up over the years. Punk preferred the word “matured.”
Cole asked about the polarizing response to his return. Punk said there have always been certain people who were jealous of him but they were wrong and he was right. “Nobody watches you more than your biggest hater.” They were all fans and they all paid attention to what he was doing, whether they liked him or not. Being different is what made him popular.
He was disappointed he lost at the Rumble match but was happy for Rhodes. He learned from the experience and would take that into next year’s event.
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Rollins joined the panel to discuss his role tonight.
X-Pac joined the panel. He mentioned teaming with Kane and losing to Big Show and Undertaker at SummerSlam 1999. He put over Logan Paul and LA Knight. Paul was interviewed by Redmond at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
They showed Big E throwing out the first pitch at a Cleveland Guardians game. His pitch hit the dirt and he said Kofi Kingston gave him a hard time over it.
One hour to go.
They asked some wrestlers about their favourite SummerSlam moments. McIntyre mentioned how stupid it was when Lex Luger beat Yokozuna by countout in 1993 and everyone celebrated like it was a big deal.
McAfee interviewed Jelly Roll.
There are still 35 minutes left and now they’re showing a random video package of Rollins beating John Cena at SummerSlam 2015 thanks to John Stewart.
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Cole was at ringside and he welcomed their newest broadcaster, Joe Tessitore. Tessitore was blessed and honoured to be there as a lifetime fan.
Cole announced that Tessitore would start announcing on Raw starting September 2nd. Cole will move to Smackdown on USA.
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Morgan vs. Ripley will open SummerSlam.
CM Punk sit-down interview – part two
Punk was surprised to hear the animosity coming from McIntyre upon his return. Punk said McIntyre was more mad at himself and Punk was a totem that he had to take his frustration out on. But McIntyre made things personal.
Cole asked why Punk cost Drew the title match in Scotland. Punk said he wasn’t the bad guy for returning fire. Cole asked if this was the best he ever felt. Punk laughed. His arm felt great but the rest of him didn’t. He was coming to fight and get his pound of flesh.
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Saxton interviewed McIntyre. McIntyre meant what he said when he wanted to beat Punk until his heart stopped. He called Punk a sociopath who didn’t get any sleep which is why he had huge bags under his eyes. If McIntyre had his way, Punk would go to sleep permanently.
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SUMMERSLAM 2024 MAIN CARD —
Jelly Roll and a choir performed God Bless America.
Triple H entered to ask Cleveland if they were ready. They were.
They used a very minimal stage setup to pack in as many people as possible.
Jelly Roll performed his song Liar as clips played featuring tonight’s wrestlers. (This was in place of the regular intro video.)
Miz welcomed us to SummerSlam.
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They’ve added a referee cam to the presentation (for replays). The camera sits on the referee’s ear.
Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Pat McAfee are the announcers.
The opening match kicked off at 7:14 pm.
Liv Morgan defeated Rhea Ripley (w/Dominik Mysterio) to retain the Women’s World Championship (15:53)
They had a nice match but this was all about the ending.
They played cat and mouse for the first 90 seconds until Ripley cut her off and clobbered her with clotheslines, a half-and-half suplex and a headbutt. Ripley slammed Morgan into the turnbuckle and set up for Rip-tide but Morgan slipped out and drove her shoulder-first into the turnbuckle.
It was Ripley’s previously injured shoulder and she really sold it like it was hurt again. As Dom checked on Ripley, Morgan booted her shoulder and she continued to target it in the ring.
Morgan went for a dive but Dom shoved Ripley out of the way and Morgan wiped out Dom instead. Ripley slammed her shoulder into the announce table and popped it back into place.
Ripley made a comeback while continuing to sell her shoulder. Ripley went for Rip-tide but Morgan reversed into a DDT for two.
Ripley applied a standing cloverleaf but Morgan used her legs to yank Ripley shoulder-first into the turnbuckle. That spot didn’t look good but Morgan followed with a crucifix bomb, which did look good, for two. Ripley hit a one-arm powerbomb for two.
Ripley was still favouring her shoulder and she repeatedly rammed it against the turnbuckle. Morgan brought a chair into the ring but Ripley booted her and hit a Rip-tide.
Instead of going for a cover, Ripley grabbed the chair. Dom stopped her from using it and the crowd popped like it was a betrayal, but as Dom told her, she couldn’t win the title that way.
Ripley was pissed and the distraction allowed Morgan to dropkick Ripley into Dom. Morgan followed with Oblivion for a nearfall and the crowd went nuts.
Dom slipped a chair back into the ring and distracted the referee. Morgan hit Ripley with an Oblivion onto that chair for the pinfall win.
— Dom helped Morgan to her feet and they made out. The crowd popped for the spot but they were booed as they left together. Ripley had a maniacal look on her face. (McAfee called Dom a piece of sh*t.)
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A pissed-off Damian Priest busted into the Judgment Day locker room demanding to know where Dom was. He put his hands on Finn Bálor and if he knew this was coming. Bálor was offended and said no.
They talked Priest down but he was still hot and wanted to know where Dom was so he could kill him. Bálor, McDonagh and Carlito left to find Dom. Bálor said, “Thanks for the trust” before leaving and Priest seemed to regret treating Bálor that way.
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Bron Breakker defeated Sami Zayn to win the Intercontinental Championship (5:42)
Bron immediately went for a spear but Zayn leaped over and Bron went shoulder-first into the ring post. Zayn followed with a flip dive.
Bron dodged a Helluva kick and tried a press slam but his shoulder gave out. Bron managed to turn Zayn around with a clothesline anyway. (Odd they focused on the shoulder for the second match in a row.) Bron did a run up the ropes Frankensteiner for two.
Bron talked trash so Zayn smacked him and hit a clothesline. Bron blocked a Blue Thunder Bomb and countered a back body drop. Bron tried a flying bulldog but Zayn countered with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.
Zayn hit an exploder into the turnbuckles and went for Helluva Kick but Bron nailed a spear. Bron ran the ropes and hit another spear for the decisive pinfall win.
This was what it needed to be.
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Stephanie McMahon was shown in the crowd.
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Machine Gun Kelly appeared in a hood as a surprise and entered with Logan Paul. (MGK watched from the front row.)
LA Knight arrived backstage in Paul’s truck. Knight destroyed the driver’s side window because of poor visibility. Safety first.
LA Knight defeated Logan Paul to win the United States Championship (12:03)
Paul was loudly booed in his hometown. He attacked Knight during his entrance. Knight fought back but Paul spat Prime drink in his face. Knight repeatedly smashed Paul’s face against the desk and slammed a Prime bottle in his face.
Knight then gave Paul a neckbreaker on the table (which didn’t break) and they rolled into the ring to start the match. There was a modest “F*ck you, Logan” chant as he took control.
For the third match in a row, somebody went shoulder-first into the ring post/buckle and Knight was the victim this time.
Knight fought back and repeatedly booted Paul to the sound of “Yeah.” Knight hit Matt Hardy’s Side Effect and hit a step-up diving elbow drop for two.
Paul followed with a springboard clothesline and an impressive springboard moonsault to the outside. Paul followed with a right hand for a nearfall. With Paul on the top, Knight leaped up and brought him down with a big superplex for a nearfall.
Paul raked the eyes which the ref did not see but Knight came back with a baseball slide. Some of Paul’s buddies were talking trash in the front row so Knight yanked them over the barricade and stomped them. Paul slammed Knight into the post.
MGK gave Paul brass knuckles on a chain. Paul hit Knight with the knux, which the ref also didn’t see, but Knight ducked a Buckshot lariat and hit a BFT for the pinfall win.
Knight won the title and the crowd exploded. This was fun.
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There was a Manscaped-sponsored segment with Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Otis, Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa. Crews used the razor to shave his head. Otis used it to shave his belly.
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Nia Jax defeated Bayley to win the WWE Women’s Championship (12:32)
Bayley tried taking the fight to Jax but Jax dropped her with a Samoan drop to take over. Jax’s offence included a stink face but Bayley responded with a back suplex.
Jax missed a leg drop on the apron and Bayley responded later with a guillotine in the ring. The announcers reminded us that she once beat Jax with this move. Jax countered it this time and hit a senton and leg drop for two.
Jax missed a diving leg drop and Bayley hit a Bayley-to-belly for two. Bayley tried a corner tackle but Jax hit an STO. Jax followed with an Annihilator but Bayley kicked out. Jax was shocked.
Bayley dodged a charge and for the fourth straight match, someone (Jax) went shoulder-first into the ring post. Bayley tried a suicide dive but Jax caught her and hit a Samoan drop.
Jax went to the middle rope but Bayley got under her and hit a powerbomb. This woke up the crowd (which was kind of dead) and they chanted “Holy sh*t.” Bayley hit a diving elbow drop for two.
Tiffany Stratton ran out to her music along with her briefcase and a referee but Bayley knocked her off the apron. Bayley went back after Jax but Jax caught her with consecutive powerbombs. Jax hit consecutive Annihilators for the pinfall win.
— Jax and Stratton happily celebrated together, so Stratton’s attempted cash-in was likely a setup to dupe Bayley.
Jax hugged her mom (I think) and Ata Johnson at ringside.
The first half of the match wasn’t much but it did get much better toward the end.
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Rollins wore very sparkly pants with a somewhat sparkly referee shirt. McIntyre wore new black and green gear. Punk wore black and pink (for Bret Hart, of course).
Drew McIntyre defeated CM Punk (with guest referee Seth Rollins) (16:58)
They immediately exchanged blows like Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Punk got the better of it and booted McIntyre in the corner for more than five seconds until Rollins pulled him off. McIntyre returned the favour until Rollins pulled him off.
Punk was the aggressor from there as the fight spilled outside the ring. Rollins let them go and didn’t bother counting.
Punk was in full control until McIntyre swept his legs out from under him (as Punk did to him at WrestleMania, which the announcers did not mention). McIntyre swung Punk repeatedly into the announce table and drove Punk into the steel ring frame.
McIntyre hit a vertical suplex and Punk kicked out before even a one count. Part of that was Rollins not counting right away. Rollins was surprised McIntyre went for an early cover.
McIntyre hit an overhead suplex and Punk kicked out again before one. McIntyre hit a powerbomb for a one count and a sit-out powerbomb for a two count.
McIntyre grabbed a chair and advised Rollins to look the other way because he could make both of their problems go away. McIntyre went to use the chair but Rollins grabbed it out of his hand. (Cole said “Shades of ‘97.”)
They went for another 1997 reference. McIntyre shoved Rollins so Rollins went to hit him with the chair and he ducked. He almost hit Punk but Punk avoided it. Punk used a rollup but Rollins was too late making the cover. McIntyre went for Claymore but Punk countered with a kick of his own.
Punk did his usual comeback, blew a kiss to Rollins and hit a diving elbow drop for two. Punk applied anaconda vice but broke the hold to retrieve his family’s bracelet. The bracelet dropped and Punk went to pick it up but the extra time allowed McIntyre to hit a Claymore kick for a nearfall.
For the fifth straight match, someone (McIntyre) went shoulder-first into the ring post. Punk went for GTS but let go upon seeing Rollins wearing his bracelet. Rollins (and the announcers) tried to explain that he was just holding onto it for now but Punk didn’t care.
McIntyre clobbered them from behind, sending Rollins out of the ring. Punk hit McIntyre with GTS but Rollins was out of the ring. Rollins got back in but McIntyre kicked out. Punk got in his face for the slow count. Rollins screamed at him and told him not everything was about him. He told Punk to focus on McIntyre.
Rollins said, “It’s not always about you, asshole,” so Punk dropped him with a GTS. Punk responded, “It’s not always about me, but it’s never about you.” Punk put on his bracelet.
McIntyre kicked Punk in the nuts (as Punk did to him in Scotland) and hit a Claymore kick. McIntyre screamed at Rollins to make the count and he finally did for the three count. (Punk was down for a while.)
— Rollins stormed off after the match. McIntyre grabbed the bracelet and posed over Punk’s body.
(This was a big letdown. They did, or tried to do, plenty of storytelling, but it just wasn’t good. Punk already came across like a petty man before this and that was exacerbated in this match. I would say their first match would’ve been better off without Rollins as the referee, but the action wasn’t good, either. All this over a bracelet Punk could easily get remade.)
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Priest and Bálor made amends backstage. Bálor offered to be in his corner if he changed his mind. Priest appreciated it.
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They cut to a suite featuring “WWE legends.” They didn’t name everyone in the suite but among those in there were Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, DDP, X-Pac, Kevin Nash and, I think, Jackie Gayda.
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Gunther defeated Damian Priest to win the World Heavyweight Championship (16:38)
They had an even match for the first few minutes until Priest used a hurricanrana to bring Gunther off the top and he followed with a falcon arrow for two. They exchanged chops and Gunther’s chest began bleeding. Priest dropped him with a kick.
Gunther tried to fight back with chops but Priest’s kicks were too much. Gunther avoided a Stinger Splash and Priest went face-first into, guess what, the ring post. Gunther followed with a dropkick and powerbomb for two.
Gunther tried chops again but Priest hit a South of Heaven chokeslam for two. The crowd distracted themselves with something else but they decided to start paying attention here.
Gunther finally blocked Priest’s kick and hit a capture suplex. Gunther followed with a clothesline for two. Gunther’s chops finally started to make an impact.
Bálor showed up at ringside to cheer on Priest. Gunther was annoyed so he booted Bálor. This pissed off Priest who rose up and dropped his straps and dropped Gunther with consecutive clotheslines.
Priest hit a Razor’s Edge but Gunther got to his feet. Priest hit South of Heaven but Bálor put Gunther’s foot on the rope to break the fall. Priest didn’t see what happened but realized it upon seeing the replay.
Priest was about to go after Bálor but Gunther caught him in a sleeper. Priest fired up and the crowd cheered as he broke out of it. Priest used a cradle for two.
Priest grabbed Bálor by the throat as the crowd cheered but Gunther caught him in the sleeper again.
Priest was out. Gunther won.
— Gunther kissed Jinny at ringside and celebrated on the announce table.
(During the leadup to this match and this match itself, they did everything they could to make sure Priest was at least considered on the same level as Gunther, despite the result. Gunther’s chops are usually the main attraction but they were no more effective against Priest than anyone else’s chops for most of the match. It felt like Priest was very much screwed by Bálor.)
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The Miz and R-Truth announced an attendance of 57,791. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller entered to insult them and Jelly Roll. Truth thought they were Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton and thought one of them “got their eye fixed.”
Jelly Roll appeared in the ring with a chair and helped Truth and Miz wiped them out. Jelly Roll, Miz and Truth gave Theory a five knuckle shuffle. (Truth and Miz helped Jelly Roll to his feet.)
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Sikoa entered alone. It’s Bloodline Rules so that won’t last.
The camera cut to Rhodes on his bus. He walked his dog Pharaoh through the back. Rhodes was emotional because, as Graves noted, this would be Pharaoh’s final trip on the road.
Rhodes embraced Arn Anderson on his way through the back. The crowd popped. Arn warned him that he had a target on his back but Arn still had some influence and Rhodes still had friends who were on their way.
The fans chanted for Cody as he made his way through Gorilla. Rhodes wore a skull mask through the stage but left it on the stage.
Bloodline Rules Match: Cody Rhodes defeated Solo Sikoa to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship (29:14)
The normal portion of the match…
Sikoa had a counter for almost everything early on and planted Rhodes with consecutive Samoan drops. Rhodes responded with a Cody Cutter. Rhodes hit Dustin’s dropdown uppercut and Dusty’s jabs and bionic elbow but Sikoa caught his Disaster kick attempt and hit a sit-out powerbomb for two.
They traded counters until Sikoa hit Spinning Solo for two. Rhodes tried to fight back but Sikoa hit another Samoan drop. Rhodes was caught upside down in the ropes so Sikoa hit consecutive headbutts but Rhodes avoided another and hit a moonsault. Rhodes followed later with a superplex.
They went back and forth until Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes.
16 minutes into this Bloodline Rules match, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa entered to break up the cover.
The Bloodline rules portion of the match…
Kevin Owens entered (to his music) and he ran out but got beat up by the Bloodline. Randy Orton entered next (to his music). Orton gave Loa an RKO and Owens gave Tonga a stunner. Owens gave Sikoa a senton and Rhodes hit a Cross Rhodes but Sikoa just barely kicked out.
Owens and Orton chased the Bloodline through the crowd leaving Rhodes and Sikoa alone. Rhodes figured it was now ok to use weapons so he grabbed the steel steps and clobbered Sikoa with it. Rhodes tried it again but Sikoa hit a spear for two.
Sikoa set up the steel steps in the corner and tried a running hip attack but Rhodes moved and Sikoa crashed into the steps. Rhodes hit consecutive Cross Rhodes but Jacob Fatu showed up and wiped out Cody. Fatu hit a moonsault and placed Sikoa into a cover but Rhodes kicked out.
Fatu superkicked Rhodes a few times and placed him on the announce table. Fatu hit a big splash off the top through the table (and may have hurt his leg in the process).
The crowd who loves tables only barely reacted to this spot, likely because they’re waiting for the next thing to happen. (It seemed like most people were on their feet, despite being quiet.)
Sikoa followed with an Uso splash for a nearfall. Rhodes hit a Cody Cutter off the top.
Roman Reigns returns…
Reigns entered to a huge pop (and altered music).
Reigns didn’t tease anything. He immediately hit Sikoa with a Superman punch and spear upon hitting the ring.
The crowd erupted and chanted, “Holy sh*t.”
Reigns left the ring.
Rhodes gave Sikoa one more Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win to a big pop.
— Rhodes and Reigns gave each other a knowing look before Reigns left.
(I liked that they didn’t have Reigns doing the fake tease of going after Rhodes only to hit Sikoa instead. It was as straightforward as possible.)
