Roman Reigns worked through the main event of SummerSlam after getting hurt early in the match.
At Saturday’s pay-per-view, Reigns defeated his cousin Jey Uso in Tribal Combat. The match was more than 35 minutes long and ended with Reigns pinning Jey after spearing him through a table. Right before that, Jimmy Uso turned against his twin brother when it appeared that Jey was about to get the win.
Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that Reigns got hurt in the match. Meltzer said he didn’t know the nature of the issue or the spot where Reigns got hurt, except that it happened early on.
“Roman Reigns got hurt in the match. I haven’t watched the beginning of the match over again, but I heard it was relatively early,” Meltzer said.
“I don’t know the nature of the injury. I just heard that he worked the match hurt. He worked the match hurt, he got hurt early in the match.”
Despite that, Reigns worked the remainder of Tribal Combat and is set to appear on SmackDown this Friday night for a “Hail to the Chief” segment. The segment should provide an explanation for why Jimmy Uso betrayed Jey.
Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and his title of Tribal Chief were both on the line at SummerSlam.
It’s not clear when Reigns’ next title defense will be. WWE has Payback in September and Fastlane in October before a Saudi event and Survivor Series later in the fall.
Shayna Baszler defeated Rousey in an MMA rules match at Saturday’s pay-per-view. The finish of the match was Rousey passing out in Baszler’s Kirifuda Clutch.
The feud between best friends Rousey and Baszler began with a surprising turn at Money in the Bank. During a Women’s Tag Team title defense, Baszler attacked Rousey. The turn came abruptly and hadn’t been built up in advance.
Rousey fueled speculation that she’s leaving WWE in today’s Instagram post, writing that she has no reason to stay in the wrestling business after her loss to Baszler.
“[Shayna Baszler] you were the reason I got into this business… Now I got no reason to stay,” Rousey wrote.
Rousey and Baszler are two of the Four Horsewomen of MMA alongside Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. To build their SummerSlam match, there were a pair of videos on Raw last week about Rousey and Baszler’s history with each other.
Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 in 2018. The next year, Rousey, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair became the first women to ever main event WrestleMania.
Rousey was away from WWE for nearly three years after WrestleMania 35. She returned to the company at Royal Rumble 2022.
Across her two stints with WWE, Rousey was a three-time Women’s Champion and a one-time Women’s Tag Team Champion.
Defeating Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam was a life highlight for Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes and Lesnar ended their storyline at SummerSlam this past Saturday. After being beaten down for much of the match, Rhodes came back to get the victory. He pinned Lesnar after hitting three straight Cross Rhodes.
Rhodes was interviewed by SI FanNation following SummerSlam. Rhodes said the victory was a top moment in his career — and one of the top moments of his life.
“I have been so consistently surprised that I can’t get used to these moments. First I won the Royal Rumble. Now I beat Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam? They’re once-in-a-lifetime moments in a once-in-a-lifetime run,” Rhodes said. “This is my mega run, and the journey has been incredible. This is a top moment in my career, and it’s also a top moment in my life.”
“As I saw him taking his gloves off, I sincerely thought he was going to start swinging,” Rhodes told SI FanNation. “Then we went head-to-head, and it felt like we were a millisecond away from starting up again. So I didn’t anticipate that handshake coming.
“When I saw his hand, I was grateful. That’s not something he does. Again, this run has consistently surprised me. The torch isn’t passed. You have to take it.”
Rhodes said he and Lesnar didn’t talk backstage after the handshake.
“I came to the back, there was a nice ovation in the Gorilla Position, but Brock was nowhere to be found,” Rhodes said. “I didn’t see him the rest of the night. The way I see it, we didn’t need to speak. Brock left it all in the ring.”
This was Rhodes’ second victory over Lesnar in a three-month period. Rhodes defeated Lesnar at SummerSlam and Backlash, while Lesnar won at Night of Champions.
SummerSlam 2023 set records for WWE in multiple areas of business.
WWE issued a press release on Monday announcing that this was the most-watched and highest-grossing SummerSlam of all time. It set new SummerSlam records in viewership, live gate, sponsorship revenue, and merchandise revenue.
The gate was $8.5 million, which is the best number for any non-WrestleMania event in WWE history. WWE stated that this was the most-watched SummerSlam of all time, and it was among the three-highest viewerships for any WWE event that’s ever aired on Peacock.
WWE generated $7 million in sponsorship revenue for SummerSlam, also the highest number for any non-WrestleMania event ever. The pay-per-view included a battle royal that was sponsored by Slim Jim. LA Knight was the winner of the battle royal.
SummerSlam generated the most sponsorship revenue for any non-WrestleMania event ever with $7 million, up 23 percent versus 2022. Slim Jim, C4 and Rocket Mortgage were among WWE’s sponsors for the premium live event.
In partnership with special event retail partner Fanatics, merchandise sales were up 60 percent versus the record set in 2021, marking the best performance in company history for any premium live event outside of WrestleMania. On Location packages set a new SummerSlam record, up 47 percent versus 2022.
In addition, SummerSlam became the most-viewed social SummerSlam of all time with over 230 million views and four million hours of video consumed, a 26 percent increase over last year.
SummerSlam took place at Ford Field in Detroit this past Saturday. It was headlined by Roman Reigns defeating Jey Uso in Tribal Combat. Jimmy Uso interfered and betrayed his twin brother during the match.
AEW signings Kenny Omega, Young Bucks and Adam Page, lots behind it with comments from any going into details on the reason the decision was made, their pact to stay together and far more
WWE financials for quarter two, including why the next TV deal is taking longer to negotiate, how every sector of business is doing, USA Network with and without WWE and looks to the future
SummerSlam, why matches were changed, the huge Saturday night of events, ticket sales and more
Updating All In, where it stands on all-tie records, two straight weeks of PPV shows, the last time it happened and the history, rumored matches and more
G-1 Climax, what everyone needs to advance to the final eight, cards for the rest of the tournament and running down the shows from the past week
UFC 291 coverage, the stories behind the stories, what is next, business notes
NXT Great American Bash notes with full coverage
The life and times of Adrian Street, his death, his start, the famous photo, his U.K. heyday, why he came to the U.S., thinking wrestling was real, meeting Linda and his life after wrestling
The most detailed look at the television ratings for all the pro wrestling and MMA shows, including what the numbers mean, rankings, segment-by-segment and how shows are doing compared with one year ago.
Promotion shooting new star to the top
One of the best matches of the year in Mexico
Top pro wrestler worked as an Uber driver during the pandemic
Why Stardom is bringing back 80s and 90s legends
Wrestle Kingdom notes
Minoru Suzuki match in a unique location
Second generation star celebrates his 50th birthday on show this past week
Update on the number of homes and carriage rates for the shows that carry wrestling and MMA
More on a new television wrestling promotion starting in the fall
More matches on All In weekend in London
Who Giulia is likely defending her New Japan Strong title against next
Men’s All Japan Strong title match in Defy
Business of AEW and its value
Tony Khan talks business growth
Update on WBD business
Health updates on AEW & WWE wrestlers out of action
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Sunday Update
Our weekend show covering SummerSlam. Collision, G-1 and more is up on the site now with Bryan. Our weekly Observer and news review with Garrett is also on the site right now. Bryan and I will be back tomorrow night after Raw.
Steve McMichael’s family said that the sepsis that hospitalized him is gone, but he’s still battling pneumonia. Best of luck to McMichael.
Kairi still has a few Japanese dates left to fulfill before she starts back with her new WWE contract.
WWE will be sending out a press release in the morning. I believe it will list the SummerSlam gate and whether it broke the domestic non-Mania gate record ($7.3 million) or the overall non-Mania gate record ($8.1 million at Clash of the Castle last year). Either way it was super successful and would be either 10th or 11th place all-time depending on if it beat the Clash of the Castle number.
Dakota Kai is not close to ready to return. She was brought in to congratulate Iyo Sky on winning the WWE women’s title.
We’re looking for your thoughts on SummerSlam, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Konnan said that the rules for the four-way with Rush, Psycho Clown, LA Park and Sam Adonis as the TripleMania main event for this coming Saturday in Mexico City at Arena Ciudad will be a first person getting pinned or submitted losing his hair or mask.
The one thing about the Paul Brothers is that their actual fights, as opposed to Logan’s pro wrestling matches, do garner a lot of interest. It doesn’t always translate to PPV buys but as far as curiosity goes, last night Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight was the biggest thing by far of the week as far as Google searches with five million. For a comparison, SummerSlam had 200,000 which on the surface sounds very low (it’s the usual number for a WWE major event) but with the way they’ve been tabulating it’s not as concerning. SummerSlam was sixth for the Friday/Saturday weekend. lBut it does tell you just how much more general public interest there was in the fight. The UFC show had Tatiana Suarez at No. 9 and Cory Sandhagen at No. 11 yesterday. The other pro wrestling, boxing or MMA related stuff that placed this ast week were Steve McMichael at No. 12 on Friday, Diaz vs. Paul at No. 4 on Thursday and Vince McMahon (for being investigated) at No. 6 on Wednesday.
Nick Diaz issued a challenge to either of the Paul Brothers after Nate’s loss to Paul.
As mentioned on the show last night, Brock Lesnar will be off for a while. We’re not clear when he’s scheduled to return but that was not his farewell. For Ronda Rousey, that was her farewell at least for now. She’s not expected back at any specific date and that’s why she did that finish with Shayna Baszler where she got choked out.
Also looking for reports from the N-1 tournament earlier today in Yokohama. The first night of NOAH’s version of G-1 saw:
Shuji Kondo & Seiki Yoshioka & Stallion Rogers b Anthony Greene & Yo-Hey & Tadasuke
Manabu Soya b Katsuhiko Nakajima
Jack Morris b Yoshiki Inamura
Lance Anoa’i b Yuma Anzai
Yuki Yoshioka b Masa Kitamiy
Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Kotoge & Hi 69 b Kazuyuki Fujita & Amakusa & Junta Miyawaki
El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. b Daiki Inaba
Adam Brooks b Kenoh
Go Shiozaki b Saxon Huxley
Jake Lee b Timothy Thatcher
The show aired live on Wrestle Universe and the first three bouts are on YouTube.
WrestleTix has the attendance for SummerSlam at 51,477. It was crazy to see that Nick Khan said 43,000 tickets were sold on Wednesday at the investors call and while they did move a few thousand in the last few days, then announcing the 59,000+ number a few days later.
All In’s ticket advance yesterday surpassed the final number of the famous Hogan vs. Andre WrestleMania III attendance at the Pontiac Silverdome. It is now fourth place on the all-time list of paid shows, six if you include the two shows in North Korea.
The G-1 Climax tournament has the C block final day on Tuesday. The C block winner faces Will Ospreay in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday in Funabashi. The second place finisher in C block faces Sanada in the first round of the playoffs.
Because I was watching Collision and SummerSlam and then did a show, I haven’t watched G-1 yet this weekend, but we got a lot of feedback from people raving about Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo generally calling it the match of the weekend.
Dennis Condrey was at Collision yesterday in Greenville, SC, and after the show was over, FTR and C.M.Punk brought it up and they brought Condrey in the ring. Punk also put over Ricky Steamboat and Condrey. Dax Harwood said Condrey changed the course of tag team wrestling and how because Condrey worked 300 days a year to get tag team wrestling over, he can be home with his family five days a week. Condrey said that FTR was the best tag team in the world and thanked FTR for keeping their name alive and having the similar music.
Fast nationals for Collision were 388K/0.12. Actual numbers won’t be out until Tuesday but it does show that SummerSlam likely drew a very large percentage of the usual AEW audience. UFC and Paul vs. Diaz didn’t help, but it does look like AEW is going to be hurt once a month on Saturdays against WWE major events.
Tom Lawlor vs. Shigehiro Irie will be on Saturday’s Defy show at Washington Hall in Seattle.
LuFisto, who deleted her Twitter after negative feedback to her comments on the AEW women’s locker room, which saw a lot of the AEW women respond denying it, has pulled out of her next Sunday Americanrana show in Worcester, MA. They are looking for an opponent for Dan Barry, who she was scheduled to face.
Adam Wilcox noted to us that he purchased both All In and All Out from FITE (which handles the overseas PPV) and didn’t get any FITE credits for early purchases. He asked and was told that FITE no longer offers FITE credits for those who buy PPVs in advance as they previously had.
Capital Championship Wrestling ran last night in Paulsboro, NJ at the Monster Factory. The Renegade Twins who were in a tournament pulled out because they were booked for last night’s ROH tapings and another wrestler pulled out to work the WOW tapings in Los Angeles: Harleen Lopez b Damaris Dawkins, JC Storm b Clara Carreras, Sara Leon b Miranda Vignette, Ultra Violette won four-way over champion Christina Marie, Delmi Exo and Jade to win the CCW women’s title. (thanks to Shannon Walsh)
DOA All Women’s show from last night in Portland, OR with Queen of Thorns tournament bouts: Amira b Bambi Hall, Nicole Matthews b Murphy Madsen, Abigail Warren b Tara Zep, Liiza Hall Izzy McQueen, Amira b Nicole Matthews, Abigail Warren b Liiza Hall, Rebel Kel b Shazzma McKenzie to keep the Grand championship, Nick Radford b Kel to win the title, Amira b Warren to win the tournament.
GCW on Friday night in Detroit: Jordan Oliver won over Adrian Alanis, Caleb Konley, Jimmy Lloyd, Shane Mercer and Rico Gonzalez, Masha Slamovich b Alec Price, Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku b Ciclope Miedo Xtremo, Sawyer Wreck b Parrow, Komander b Joey Janela, John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley b Mance Warner & andes, Cole Radrick b Crazy King, Effy & Allie Katch b Davey Bang & August Matthews, Blake Christian b Mike Bailey to retain the GCW title (thanks to Leonard Brand)
The shocking end of Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam saw Jimmy Uso cost his brother, Jey, his match against Roman Reigns. After the masked man that was Jimmy broke up a pinfall, revealed himself and, after a very lengthy staredown, superkicked his own twin brother. Reigns ultimately won a plodding match that ended what was mostly a good show with a whimper.
Why exactly Jimmy turned on Jey we’ll find out over due time. Or maybe not as WWE storylines are weird like that sometimes. Perhaps it’s a short term feud leading to the two brothers ultimately reuniting to take on Reigns whenever he returns. It’s a weird twist to the ongoing Bloodline storyline that I didn’t really see coming. It was natural to assume that Reigns’ schedule for the rest of the fall would likely involve feuding with Jimmy and eventually Solo Sikoa. But now everything seems up in the air with the turn.
The match itself was not great. A lot of it was either Reigns and Jey staring at each other (creating DRAMA) or Reigns getting heat forever on Jey, neither of which was all that interesting in a show that had already reached the four-hour mark. Of course, Sikoa got involved and it did pick up a little from there, but ultimately the match was a disappointment in the long-running Bloodline feud which had mostly delivered up to this point.
Here’s my thoughts on the rest of the card:
Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar in what ended up being an excellent, dramatic match which I thought was the best match on the show in terms of storytelling and execution. The only drawback is that I thought the Lesnar beatdown was maybe a little too long, but it was effective in setting up Rhodes’ eventual comeback and win. The kimura spot toward the end was excellent — callback to their Saudi Arabia match. The question now is what will Rhodes do in the fall before the eventual return to feuding with Reigns. Judgment Day?
Logan Paul defeated Ricochet in the opening match. It was good and both came off as athletic, but for all the build, I kind of expected more. There were some cool moves, but I didn’t think anything was “going viral” as the advertising for this match had said. Paul won and probably needed to as he’s lost his last few matches and needs a few wins at this point.
There’s not much to say about the battle royal as it was every WWE battle royal you’ve ever seen. LA Knight finally got his big win, last eliminating Sheamus. Knight is a story to watch in the coming weeks as it’s clear he’s getting over despite his push. It may be time to push him like he’s a star and this may have been the start of that.
Oh boy, the MMA fight between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler. This didn’t work at all. They tried to work an MMA style match, but some of what they did didn’t make sense and the crowd completely turned on it with people visibly leaving the stands as Rousey and Baszler grappled. There was also a weird spot where Baszler got “injured” and they took a minute to send medical in to check on her which does not happen in an MMA fight. Then, Rousey destroyed the doctors which definitely does not happen in an MMA fight. This was a style WWE fans weren’t used to and were turned off by it as a result, and the confusing rules didn’t help much either. The match perfectly encapsulated Rousey’s second run in the WWE where there were a bunch of ideas, but none of them were executed well.
Gunther’s run as Intercontinental Champion continued as he downed Drew McIntyre. If you’ve seen these two wrestle, you know exactly what happened here. This was very good while it lasted, but by the end, I was thinking this would have been an excellent match if it had gone on for another few minutes. Still, with what they were given, this was a hard-hitting bout that delivered what you’d expect.
Finn Balor did not become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but had a match with Seth Rollins that was significantly better than their match at Money in the Bank and was the best match on the show in terms of in-ring action. This was a hot back and forth affair with some excellent near falls, including one at the end that I thought for sure was the finish when the Judgment Day interfered, distracting Rollins and allowing Balor to hit the sling blade and the Coup de Gras. But it was Damian Priest’s briefcase that cost Balor with Priest putting it on the apron as he distracted the referee, allowing Rollins to stomp Balor onto the briefcase for the win. I thought that they should hold off on a split between Priest and Balor as the act is pretty hot right now, but they seem to be moving forward with it.
The WWE Women’s Championship match also ended up being a very good match. I thought the finish was clever with Bianca Belair rolling up Asuka as she was in Charlotte Flair’s Figure Eight to score the surprise win. But that won’t be what people remember as IYO SKY immediately ran down to the ring. With Bayley’s help clearing the field, SKY cashed in, hit the moonsault, and won the title. I feel like the eventual WrestleMania match will be Belair vs. Flair, so there’s plenty of twists and turns left with this title until it’s time to go in that direction.
SummerSlam had its ups and downs, but overall I thought it was good with the Rhodes/Brock match probably being the highlight and Balor/Rollins not too far behind. With most of the spring and summer storylines now wrapped, it’s time to start building for the fall. We saw some glimpses, as it seems like a lock that Jimmy and Jey Uso will meet at Payback next month. We’ll likely be seeing more clues as soon as this week’s Raw and SmackDown.
Logan Paul made it to Dallas just in time to be in his brother’s corner on Saturday.
After defeating Ricochet in the first match on WWE SummerSlam from Detroit last night, Logan appeared hours later in the American Airlines Center to see Jake Paul defeat Nate Diaz via unanimous decision in a 10-round boxing match.
Evidently, Logan didn’t even have time to change or could do so on the plane, as he arrived in Dallas while wearing his wrestling gear.
“I’m not changing, I’m not getting a medical check, I’m going right to the f—ing jet,” Logan told Marc Raimondi prior to SummerSlam. “No shower, no nothing. Immediate from A to B to C. … I’ve never missed a Jake Paul fight, and I don’t plan on missing a Jake Paul fight. He’s my little brother, and I want to support him in the biggest moments of his life.”
Logan Paul has arrived in Dallas after his success at SummerSlam (still in his ring gear) and is by Jake Paul's side 🤯 #PaulDiazpic.twitter.com/W9KkBVcxpM
Logan arrived at a chaotic scene inside the arena. Footage of a ringside brawl in the crowd during the bout has circulated on social media and Logan can be seen amongst the nearby fans.
Logan needed a pair of brass knuckles to defeat Ricochet at SummerSlam. It was his first singles victory in WWE since beating The Miz at SummerSlam last year. Logan also has an upcoming boxing fight scheduled. It was announced recently that Logan will fight on October 14 in Manchester, although his opponent has yet to be announced.
WWE stars, along with Chief Creative Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, took questions following Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam event. Here are the highlights:
Cody Rhodes
When asked about the moment he shared with Brock Lesnar after their match, he said that it hadn’t dawned on him what it means yet. He called it a bond by battle. He compared Lesnar a unicorn, saying that he was a once in a lifetime individual. Reminded him of how his dad looked at Harley Race, and he may have found his Harley Race in Lesnar.
When Bill Apter asked what his next plans were, Rhodes replied “everyone in the room knows what my plans are.” He said he needs to get back to where he was so he can finish the story.
Regarding what Dusty would have thought about the handshake between him and Lesnar, Rhodes said rather than think about what Dusty would have thought, he would rather think about the people that he has, naming his mother, his sister, his daughter, his wife Brandi, and also mentioned his brother Dustin.
He mentioned that he thinks he’s found his “final form” during this WWE run. He mentioned that former ROH head Joe Koff once told Rhodes that he was someone that can see “where the puck is going.”
IYO SKY (with Bayley and Dakota Kai)
When asked if she was back, Dakota Kai said that she was “a ways away” from being in-ring cleared, but wanted to be here for IYO SKY. She mentioned that she’s squatting heavily in her training.
LA Knight
When asked if tonight was a long time coming, Knight replied that in a weird way, this has been an amazingly fast climb. He said he always knew that he had something to give. Says he’ll strap the rocket to himself.
Paul Heyman
When asked “what inning are we in,” Heyman said that they are “at the bottom of the third” and the storyline hadn’t even hit its stride yet. He said that it was The Bloodline storyline that has caused WWE’s business boom.
Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque
Triple H said that this year’s SummerSlam was the highest grossing SummerSlam in the history of WWE, as well as the highest grossing PLE outside of WrestleMania. He also said it was likely that this event will be the most-watched SummerSlam on Peacock.
He said that the Cody/Brock Lesnar handshake and hug after the match was not a planned part of the show.
When asked about how women are being pushed, Triple H said that it was the same as it has always been, saying that he puts about the same amount of thought in the men as the women. He said that when women main evented WrestleMania, it’s because it was the main event.
Triple H mentioned that there were rumors about “matches being cut” from SummerSlam. He said that nothing was cut, and that if you don’t have more stuff than you need, you’ve failed. He said that sometimes there is too much stuff going on, and SummerSlam was already “plenty long” as is.
Brandon Thurston asked about Vince McMahon’s recovery from surgery and his current creative involvement. Triple H said he didn’t know McMahon’s recovery as he’s not a doctor.
Regarding McMahon’s creative involvement, Triple H said McMahon’s vision changed the business and that there is no greater mind in the business. He said that if McMahon hadn’t come along, wrestling might have disappeared, bringing up Roller Derby from when he was a kid as a form of entertainment that is no longer around. He said that McMahon isn’t involved day to day regarding creative, and that he has earned that right.
The latest twist in the Bloodline saga saw Jimmy Uso betray his twin brother at SummerSlam.
Jey Uso was on the verge of defeating Roman Reigns in the main event of Saturday’s pay-per-view, but Jimmy interfered to cost Jey the match. As Jey was pinning Reigns, Jimmy pulled Jey out of the ring. Jimmy rocked Jey with a superkick and then threw him back in, which allowed Reigns to spear Jey through a table and retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
Reigns vs. Jey was billed as Tribal Combat. There were no disqualifications in the match. Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and his title of Tribal Chief were both on the line.
Solo Sikoa helped Reigns throughout the match until Jey finally took him out with a splash through the announce table. Jey then speared Reigns and hit a splash from the top rope. He seemed to have the match won, but that’s when Jimmy interfered.
This was Jimmy’s first appearance on WWE programming since he was stretchered out following an attack by Reigns and Sikoa on the July 7 episode of SmackDown. In a storyline injury update after the attack, WWE stated that Jimmy had suffered ruptured rib cartilage.
An explanation for why Jimmy turned against Jey has yet to be given.
Bianca Belair won the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam — but her title reign was short-lived.
Two WWE Women’s Championship changes took place at Saturday night’s pay-per-view. First, Belair defeated Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match to win the title. But just moments later, IYO SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase on Belair to become champion.
The story of the triple threat match revolved around Belair overcoming a knee injury. After briefly being taken out of the match, Belair limped back to the ring. When Charlotte had Belair in the Figure Eight, Asuka spit mist into Charlotte’s face. Asuka then went to kick Belair, but Belair cradled her to get the win.
SKY’s music hit and she and Bayley ran out with the Money in the Bank briefcase. They attacked Charlotte, Asuka, and Belair with the case. SKY struck Belair in the knee with the briefcase before cashing in. Once the bell rang, SKY hit a moonsault from the top rope and pinned Belair.
One of WWE’s hottest acts picked up a signature victory on Saturday night.
LA Knight won the 25-man SummerSlam battle royal by last eliminating Sheamus. The final four wrestlers in the battle royal were Knight, Sheamus, AJ Styles, and Bronson Reed.
After Reed eliminated Chad Gable, Knight was able to find enough strength to get Reed over the top rope. Styles was then eliminated following a Brogue Kick from Sheamus. Karrion Kross, who is feuding with Styles and was eliminated by him earlier in the match, interfered to cause Styles’ elimination.
With Sheamus on the top turnbuckle, Knight hit a belly-to-belly suplex. Knight then clotheslined Sheamus over the top rope to win the match.
This is the 40-year-old Knight’s first time winning a WWE main roster pay-per-view match. He’s gained momentum in recent months with the fans getting behind him and chanting his catchphrases wherever WWE goes.
Omos was a surprise entrant in the battle royal, wrestling his first televised match since Backlash. Everyone who was left in the match joined together to eliminate Omos.
Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar’s rivalry ended with a show of good sportsmanship.
The feud between the two came to an end with Rhodes defeating Lesnar at SummerSlam on Saturday night. After his loss, Lesnar went face-to-face with Rhodes. Lesnar then extended his hand for a handshake. The two shook hands, Lesnar hugged Rhodes, and Lesnar raised Rhodes’ arm in the air.
Lesnar beat down Rhodes throughout most of their match, including giving Rhodes an F5 through the announce table. Rhodes fought back and pinned Lesnar after hitting three consecutive Cross Rhodes. Rhodes also sent Lesnar into an exposed turnbuckle and applied a Kimura on Lesnar during his comeback.
Rhodes and Lesnar had a 1-1 record against each other entering SummerSlam. Rhodes defeated Lesnar at Backlash this May, but Lesnar evened things up with a victory at Night of Champions.
During an appearance on the SI Media podcast last week, Rhodes said he wanted SummerSlam to be the moment where he could move on from Lesnar and remind everyone that he’s still focused on his goal of winning the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship:
‘d love SummerSlam to be the moment that’s like, ‘Hey, moving forward. Hopefully defeating Brock Lesnar. Moving forward.’ And without saying anything. Without doing the old ‘this little number’ around the waist. Let them know, the thing I came back for, we’re still on the path. We’re still on the path. And I want to be confident about it in the best of ways because you rode with me all the way to WrestleMania in Los Angeles and hopefully they can ride with me to wherever it is and wherever we go next.
Date: August 5, 2023 Location: Ford Field in Detroit, MI
**********
Show Recap —
KICK-OFF SHOW —
Kayla Braxton, Jackie Redmond, Booker T, Wade Barrett and Peter Rosenberg hosted the kick-off show. They announced Barrett’s move to the Raw commentary team.
They plugged Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar.
Alpha Academy were shown eating Slim Jims. Well, only Otis was eating them.
Titus O’Neil and Byron Saxton announced donations to local charities.
They plugged the matches and aired commercials and that was the bulk of the pre-show.
SUMMERSLAM MAIN CARD —
They had Kid Rock do the intro.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary.
They didn’t waste time getting going and the opening bell rang at 8:08 pm ET.
Logan Paul defeated Ricochet (17:59)
Paul slowed down Ricochet early on with a back elbow and a neckbreaker on the apron. Paul mocked Ricochet’s injured tag partner Braun Strowman before hitting a powerslam. He also hit a Hulk Hogan-inspired leg drop (while doing the splits). The crowd booed Paul, who ate it up.
Ricochet fought back and acted as though he’d do a People’s Elbow but did a standing moonsault instead. Paul tried a Spanish Fly off the apron but they (sort of) landed on their feet and Ricochet hit a Spanish Fly on the mats. Paul responded later with a Buckshot Lariat over the top to the outside. Paul hit a high cross and a standing moonsault for two.
They fought to the top rope and Ricochet hit an avalanche neckbreaker. Ricochet followed with a handspring elbow, springboard clothesline, and standing shooting star for two. There was a cool sequence where Ricochet caught a Paul moonsault attempt but Paul reversed into a tornado DDT for two.
Ricochet responded with a Recoil but Paul got his knees up on a shooting star press for a two count. Paul hit a flapjack and springboard frog splash for two. Ricochet came back with a superkick, detonation kick and springboard moonsault for two. Ricochet tried a 630 but Paul dodged it.
Someone handed Paul brass knuckles and he clocked Ricochet with a right hand for the pinfall win. (They didn’t reveal who handed him the brass knux.)
This was pretty good.
Cole said, “That was a great match but the ending sucked” which is a funny line. I thought the finish worked here.
********
Sheamus was shown arriving in a monster truck.
Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar (17:29)
Rhodes got a super reaction.
Rhodes attacked Lesnar as he warmed up in the ring and the ref rang the bell to start. Lesnar responded with a high-angle German suplex but Rhodes came back with consecutive Disaster Kicks. Rhodes tried another but Lesnar tackled him out of mid-air. Rhodes avoided a corner charge and followed with a suicide dive.
Lesnar took control anyway, chucked Rhodes around and hit a vertical suplex for two. Lesnar hit a few German suplexes as they showed Rhodes’ mother Michelle in distress in the front row.
Rhodes kept getting knocked out of the ring but kept getting back in. Lesnar knocked him back out and yelled, “Save yourself!” Rhodes rolled back in and Lesnar said, “Cody, this is only going to get worse.” Lesnar hit another suplex.
Lesnar knocked Rhodes out a couple more times and he kept getting back in. Lesnar got frustrated and gave him an F5 on the floor. Rhodes got back in at a nine count and the fans cheered.
Rhodes fired up and hit a few right hands but Lesnar quickly hit another suplex before giving him an F5 through the announce table. Cole tried to talk some sense into Cody. Rhodes got back in at nine. Lesnar gave him an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Lesnar gave him a German suplex as Rhodes ripped off the top turnbuckle cover.
Rhodes was finally able to knock Lesnar down by hitting him with the steel steps. Rhodes followed with a Disaster Kick and Cody Cutter. Rhodes hit another Cody Cutter — this time from the top — for a nearfall.
Lesnar applied a Kimura Lock but Rhodes eventually got a rope break. Lesnar tried an F5 but Rhodes pushed him chest-first into the exposed buckle. Rhodes applied a Kimura and Lesnar sold it big but powered out of it.
Rhodes countered an F5 into three consecutive Cross Rhodes for the pinfall win. The crowd was pumped for Rhodes’ win.
— After the match, Lesnar got up and got in Rhodes’ face. Lesnar shook Rhodes’ hand, embraced him, and raised his hand for the crowd. The crowd popped big for this.
(Cole was a little too over-dramatic saying something to the effect of, “The American Nightmare has arrived.”)
********
LA Knight won the Slim Jim Battle Royal
Most of the entrances happened during a break. Miz was on his way out after the break. LA Knight and AJ Styles got full televised entrances. The bell rang to start the match but MVP stopped everyone by announcing Omos’ entrance. Everyone started fighting as Omos entered.
Omos entered and immediately eliminated Apollo Crews, JD McDonagh and Rick Boogs. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci eliminated Otis, so Gable eliminated Vinci. Tommaso Ciampa eliminated Erik and Ivar of the Viking Raiders before eliminating Shinsuke Nakamura. Bronson Reed eliminated Ciampa and Ridge Holland.
Austin Theory eliminated Cameron Grimes, Santos Escobar eliminated Theory, and Karrion Kross eliminated Escobar. Gable eliminated Kaiser and the crowd yelled, “Thank you!” Omos lifted Butch and Matt Riddle and easily eliminated them.
LA Knight started taking the fight to Omos to the delight of the crowd but Omos dropped him with a boot. Everyone teamed up on Omos leading to Styles giving him a Phenomenal Forearm. Everyone eliminated Omos together.
Grayson Waller and Miz teamed up on Gable but he avoided elimination. Knight eliminated Miz and the crowd popped. Sheamus eliminated Waller. Styles eliminated Kross. Gable tried to suplex Reed but Reed eliminated him (and the crowd booed).
Knight eliminated Reed (the way Chris Benoit eliminated Big Show) and the crowd popped. Styles had Knight set up for a forearm but Kross grabbed his leg from outside the ring. Sheamus booted Styles out for the elimination as Kross screamed at Styles.
Knight fought off Sheamus and the crowd loudly sang along as he spelled out his name. They fought back and forth until Knight hit an overhead suplex. Knight then eliminated Sheamus for the win. The crowd was happy.
The referee did the little MMA spiel to start the match for both wrestlers. Rousey offered to fist bump before the match (Cole noted that she had never done this before), but Baszler declined.
They did some stuff until Baszler kicked Rousey in the head, knocking her out of the ring. Baszler had control briefly until Rousey responded with a knee to the gut and a knee to the head. Some fans became restless as medical staff checked on Baszler in the corner. Rousey chucked the medical staff out of the ring.
Baszler fired up and fought back but Rousey blocked a Kirifuda Clutch. Rousey tried an armbar but Baszler countered that with an ankle lock. Rousey countered that into a sleeper.
Baszler fought out and put Rousey in the Kirifuda Clutch. Rousey passed out and the ref called for the bell. Cole called it a technical submission and said Baszler got what she wanted by submitting Rousey.
(Going with “MMA rules” was an obvious mistake and this didn’t go over well at all from the start. If the company wasn’t hot right now the crowd likely would’ve been much harsher on this.)
********
They announced an attendance of 59,194.
Gunther defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the Intercontinental Championship (13:42)
Cole noted that Gunther was only 32 days away from breaking the record for the longest IC title reign.
McIntyre had the early edge until Gunther dropped him back first onto the steel steps (which the announcers undersold). Gunther hit chops, a double underhook suplex and clotheslines. They traded clotheslines until Gunther dropped him with one and hit a German suplex but McIntyre popped up and dropped Gunther with a clothesline.
McIntyre hit chops, consecutive overhead suplexes and a neckbreaker. Gunther ducked a Claymore attempt and hit a dropkick but McIntyre came back with a powerbomb and DDT for two. Gunther rolled out of the ring so McIntyre hit a flip dive. McIntyre went for a Claymore but Gunther again hit a dropkick, followed by a powerbomb for a nearfall. Gunther followed with a splash for two.
They exchanged many chops until McIntyre ducked one and hit a Claymore Kick for a nearfall. The crowd chanted “This is awesome.”
They exchanged strikes on the top until Gunther crotched him on the top rope. Gunther followed with a splash, clothesline, and powerbomb for the pinfall win.
Gunther retained. McIntyre stormed to the back as Gunther posed.
(The crowd was quiet to start, perhaps because of the previous match, but really got into it towards the end.)
********
Seth Rollins defeated Finn Bálor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (18:26)
Rollins wore magenta tights but also wore a black and green vest — the same one he wore for their match seven years ago. Bálor had “SEVEN” painted on his shoulder — the same shoulder he injured in that match.
Bálor decked Rollins from behind as he soaked in the crowd singing his song before the match. Rollins fought back and the ref separated them before officially starting the match.
Bálor targeted Rollins’ shoulder but Rollins fought back with a falcon arrow and three straight suicide dives. Bálor’s lip/mouth was busted open. Bálor draped Rollins’ arm over the top rope and drove his shoulder into the ring post.
Bálor powerbombed Rollins into the barricade (as Rollins did to him years ago) and followed with a slingblade and headlock elbow drop for two. Bálor applied an armbar but Rollins hoisted him up and hit consecutive buckle bombs and a frog splash for two.
Bálor hit a double foot stomp and dropkick into the corner. Bálor went up but Rollins brought him down with a superplex. Before Rollins could follow through with something else, Bálor applied a schoolboy for two. They exchanged kicks which led to both men going down.
Bálor hit a dropkick but Rollins avoided a Coup de Grace and hit a Pedigree for a nearfall.
The crowd got to their feet as Damian Priest made his way down with the briefcase. They exchanged cradles until Priest clocked Rollins behind the ref’s back. Bálor followed with a Pedigree for a close nearfall.
Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio made their way down to ringside. The ref held them back as Bálor argued with Priest. Rollins used the distraction to hit a curb stomp for another close nearfall.
Rollins wiped out Priest with a dive before stomping Dom.
When he returned to the ring, Bálor gave Rollins a slingblade, dropkick and Coup de Grace for an extremely close nearfall.
Priest left the briefcase in the ring, presumably for Bálor to use as a weapon, and distracted the ref. As Bálor went to grab the briefcase, Rollins stomped him onto it for the pinfall win.
The crowd was really into the last part of this match.
********
There was a sponsored pretaped segment that saw Alpha Academy put Miz into an equipment box.
Triple Threat Match: Bianca Belair defeated Asuka and Charlotte Flair to win the WWE Women’s Championship (20:46)
Asuka entered second despite being the champion. If you’re wondering why — Belair entered last so she could pose on the ramp while drinking from an energy drink sponsor.
Belair and Charlotte showed off some athleticism early on until Asuka dropped them both with suplexes. Belair and Asuka had an exchange until Charlotte dropped them with a high cross.
This led to a messy sequence where Charlotte was supposed to do something to both women in the corner but needed the ref’s help with her gear. Belair and Asuka just stood there selling for a while until Asuka decided to try the Asuka Lock to kill time. Charlotte wound up doing the planned spot which didn’t look good either, basically clotheslining them in the corner.
Belair got a chance to shine later but when she tried a moonsault on both women, they both got their knees up. Asuka put Charlotte in the Asuka Lock but Belair broke it up with the moonsault.
Charlotte hit (missed) Belair with a moonsault off the top to the outside but Asuka kicked Charlotte. Asuka dropped Charlotte with a DDT off the top which also didn’t look great and Belair broke up the cover.
Charlotte booted Asuka from the ring before Belair gave Charlotte a release German suplex. Asuka tried to steal the pin but Charlotte kicked out. Asuka applied an armbar but as Charlotte got to her feet, Belair slammed her. Asuka put Belair in the Asuka Lock and Charlotte tried a cover with Asuka’s shoulder’s down but she kicked out.
Charlotte hit a moonsault on both women but they both kicked out.
Charlotte dumped Belair from the ring and she seemed to land awkwardly on her knee. Officials ran out to check on Belair as the other two women continued. (They showed replays so you could hear the crash of the steel steps but never actually showed a potential injury.)
Asuka gave Charlotte a superplex as officials helped Belair up the ramp. Charlotte hit Asuka with a spear for two.
As Charlotte applied a Figure Eight on Asuka, Belair shoved away the officials and limped down to the ring and up the ropes. Belair hit a 450 on the elevated Charlotte — which looked insane — for a nearfall.
The next sequence led to Charlotte putting Belair in the Figure Eight but Asuka sprayed mist in Charlotte’s face. It seemed like Asuka might win as a result but Belair rolled her up for the pinfall win. Belair is the new champion.
(The Belair 450 was awesome but the overall match was hampered by too many creatives three-way spots that went wrong.)
— IYO SKY’s music hit and the crowd went nuts. Bayley helped SKY take out Charlotte and Asuka with the briefcase. SKY cashed in.
IYO SKY (w/Bayley) defeated Bianca Belair to win the WWE Women’s Championship (0:08)
SKY attacked Belair with the briefcase before officially cashing in. She climbed the ropes as the bell rang and hit the moonsault for the pinfall win.
The crowd was into all of this. They also cheered as Dakota Kai appeared to celebrate with her friends. New life for Damage CTRL.
SKY got some time to celebrate on her own, too.
********
They began entrances after 11:20 pm and the main event started at 11:35 pm.
Tribal Combat: Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Jey Uso to retain the WWE Universal Championship (36:03)
The match started slowly as Reigns held control for the first 4-5 minutes until Jey came back with right hands and a suicide dive. Jey also drove him into the steel steps. The crowd chanted “We want tables” so Jey pulled one out.
Jey was distracted as Heyman tried pleading with him and Reigns was able to take advantage. Jey fought back until Reigns hit him repeatedly with a kendo stick and with repeated clotheslines.
Reigns went for a Superman punch but Jey hit him repeatedly with the kendo stick until it broke and followed with a flip dive. Jey came off the top but Reigns caught him mid-air with a Superman punch for two.
Jey countered a spear into a schoolboy for two. Jey followed with a superkick and an Uso splash but Reigns kicked out. Jey hit Reigns on the back twice with a steel chair as Heyman tried pleading with him.
Jey chucked about ten steel chairs in the ring and tried a superplex but Reigns slipped out and powerbombed him onto a few chairs for two. Reigns set up a table in the corner but Jey wound up giving him a Samoan Drop off the apron through a table outside the ring.
Despite the weapon spots, the match was fairly dull up to this point. About 25 minutes into the match, Jey grabbed a strap and whipped Reigns with it.
The fight wound up in the crowd with Jey in charge but Solo Sikoa charged in to save Reigns and put Jey through a table. Sikoa put Jey on his shoulders and carried him to ringside as Reigns directed traffic. Reigns ordered Sikoa to put Jey down so Sikoa gave him a Spinning Solo.
Sikoa and Reigns were about to do their double-team spot but Jey dodged and Reigns speared Sikoa. Reigns was shocked as Jey speared him for a nearfall.
Jey hit both men with a steel chair but Sikoa saved Reigns again by superkicking Jey. A frustrated Sikoa stared down Reigns and the distraction allowed Jey to spear Reigns through the barricade.
Sikoa attacked Jey but Jey superkicked him and splashed him through the announce table.
Jey speared Reigns and the crowd got to their feet as he followed with an Uso splash but the cover was broken up as someone in a hood pulled Jey out of the ring.
It was Jimmy Uso.
The crowd booed and chanted, “F*ck you, Jimmy.” Jimmy superkicked Jey.
As Jey watched Jimmy leave, Reigns speared him through a corner table for the pinfall win. Reigns retains.
The match ended around 12:10 am and the show concluded at 12:15 am.
It’s Saturday and that means Wrestling Observer Live with yours truly and a lot to talk about.
It’s yet another Saturday packed with tons of wrestling with still plenty to discuss from the past few days like the incredible and violent parking lot brawl on AEW Rampage, the A Block settled in the NJPW G1 tournament, Yota Tsuji pulling twin magic, and SmackDown.
Then, of course, there’s tonight’s WWE SummerSlam and AEW Collision.
Despite all of this wrestling, many people insist on focusing on a negative backstage experience. Is this necessary? It doesn’t affect business, so why are we talking about it?
We’ll talk about that and also how much talents are responsible for getting over. People talk about time and booking, but what about the wrestlers themselves?
WWE will be looking to continue its trend of well-reviewed big shows at tonight’s SummerSlam.
This is a notable time for WWE PLEs/PPVs. We seem to have entered an era where every big monthly event on the schedule feels special and unique. SummerSlam from Detroit’s Ford Field will likely be no different.
Over the last year, WWE has either run stadium shows for top-tier events (WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble), or a show from an underserved market (Backlash, Money in the Bank, etc.). They are events with either huge crowds of 40,000+ people or the rabid audiences of under 15,000 we’ve seen in Puerto Rico, Montreal, and recently, London.
The events from Saudi Arabia have also begun to feel less like spectacle one-off shows and more integrated into WWE’s long-term storytelling.
All of that is to say that if recent trends continue, SummerSlam (8 PM Eastern on Peacock/WWE Network) is going to be an important and entertaining show.
However, one reason tonight might feel a touch bigger and more important than Backlash, Night of Champions or Money in the Bank is that Roman Reigns will be defending the WWE Universal Championship on the show. Not counting recent house shows in Mexico City and Cincinnati, it will be his first title defense since defeating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania. Going four months between championship defenses on WWE programming is an excellent way to make every title match feel important.
Below are previews and predictions for each match at WWE SummerSlam 2023.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Jey Uso in a Tribal Combat match
Reigns is a -5000 favorite to retain.
The betting world is not giving Uso much of a chance to dethrone his cousin at SummerSlam. However, stranger things and bigger upsets have happened before.
While much of The Bloodline angle’s success has come from the drama within the group and Uso’s conflicted facial expressions, the entertainment value of Reigns’ title reign cannot be understated either. I don’t think it’s coming to an end just yet.
He has defended his title five times since becoming a double champion by beating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam last year. WWE successfully built up the belief that Reigns could have lost three or four of those matches as well. Many thought Drew McIntyre would win the title at Clash at the Castle last year, quite a few fans then believed Sami Zayn could beat him in Montreal, and still more fans were left flabbergasted when Rhodes didn’t walk away from WrestleMania as the champion.
The game plan might be to keep building fans up into thinking they will finally see the fall of Reigns, only to yank it away from them after a series of intense near falls.
The most likely endgame for his title run is another clash with Rhodes at WrestleMania 40. However, I’m not even certain he’ll lose the belt there. Maybe Rhodes’ story is that he tries and fails multiple times before finally winning the title when he’s 50.
Jey Uso isn’t going to win this match, but the story told should be excellent. It’s SummerSlam so expect a big “happening,” including the possibility of a new Bloodline member debuting.
Prediction: Reigns retains
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar III
Rhodes is a -1500 favorite to win.
Rhodes’ story continues at SummerSlam as his program with Lesnar, which started the night after WrestleMania, likely concludes in Detroit.
Lesnar is 46 and in a perpetual state of near retirement. At this stage in his career, it’s about him making others look strong. He spent a year doing that for Reigns and now he’s spent the last four months doing the same for Rhodes. After this, Lesnar will probably take a vacation until the Royal Rumble.
Rhodes, the true babyface, will overcome his injured arm, Lesnar’s size advantage, and likely several other factors as well to come out the winner. I’m expecting this result to be more definitive than his win at Backlash, too.
I do believe the story is eventually to get back to Reigns vs. Rhodes at WrestleMania again. Rhodes’ story might be similar to that of Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito or others who lost in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom before finally winning the biggest match of their life. The idea is the fans see the protagonist fail at first, but then they train harder, find something deep within themselves, and come back even stronger the next year. The message of the morality play is to never give up, even when you are seemingly outmatched. If done well, it could be the best WrestleMania to WrestleMania story WWE has ever done.
Prediction: Cody Rhodes
Logan Paul vs. Ricochet
Paul is currently a -700 favorite to win.
As of this writing, there is currently some “funny business” going on with the betting odds here. Multiple sites have different odds listed and BetOnline has Paul at a -700 favorite and has locked bets being placed on Ricochet. What any of that means, if anything, is unclear.
While the strange odds fluctuations are interesting, I don’t see why WWE would have Ricochet go over Paul here. Dave Meltzer reported that the idea was for Paul to have an “in-ring showcase” match at SummerSlam, so the idea here is to create viral moments and highlights that will spread on social media to an audience not necessarily familiar with WWE.
Paul really needs a win. He hasn’t gotten one since defeating The Miz at SummerSlam last year. In the year since, Paul has failed to get his hand raised against Reigns in Saudi Arabia, in the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, or against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. At some point, he’s going to need to start winning matches.
Prediction: Logan Paul
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler in an MMA rules match
With Rousey rumored to be leaving WWE, at least for the time being, it looks like it’s going to be her longtime friend and training partner who she puts over on her way out.
The videos airing on Raw detailing the history between the two friends have been excellent. They actually contain some very interesting philosophies on life and friendship.
Baszler feels like Rousey used her, only letting her live with her for free so she would have a training partner available 24/7. Baszler’s motivation to attack and challenge her former friend is that Rousey didn’t reciprocate the help she gave her. Rousey, on the other hand, explained her feelings by reciting a fable that may or may not actually exist (I searched and couldn’t find it).
In the former UFC star’s tale, a king is saved by a stable boy. The king is grateful so he gives the boy anything he wants to repay him. The king made sure that the boy had all the best accommodations, much like she gave to Baszler, the best food, got him jobs, and more, all similar to Ronda’s relationship with Shayna. The fable continues that one day, the stable boy began to feel entitled to the gifts and decides to overthrow the king and take everything from him. Rousey/the king is crushed because she thought the stable boy/Baszler was loyal to her.
“I wanted to be Shayna’s friend so badly, I gave her everything to the point that she hated me for it,” Rousey said in the promo.
“The thing is, I’ve given Ronda everything a friend should give and she’s never given it back,” Baszler stated.
This match might not be that great because neither is a perfect wrestler, but it will be special to both of them and will tell a deep story, likely with a few Easter eggs and callbacks to previous moments from their careers.
Prediction: Shayna Baszler
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Finn Balor
Currently, both wrestlers are listed at -120 to win.
The betting world doesn’t know if Balor or Rollins is going to walk away from SummerSlam with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I do, though: Rollins.
The success of The Judgment Day has revitalized Balor, but he’s not going to beat Rollins for the title. The drama with Balor right now is the growing tension between him and Money in the Bank winner Damian Priest.
Balor was distracted by Priest’s presence at ringside with the briefcase when he wrestled Rollins at Money in the Bank, so I’d be surprised if they repeat the same finish. Perhaps this time, Balor does something to prevent Priest from cashing in. Dom Dom and Mami will be crushed.
It should be a great match, but I have little doubt Rollins will still be champion when it’s over.
Prediction: Seth Rollins retains
WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends against Drew McIntyre
Gunther is a -600 favorite to retain.
What happens here depends on what’s going on between McIntyre and WWE as of late. The most recent reports regarding his status with the company have his deal up in early-2024. Unless he’s signed an extension or a new deal that nobody knows about, I wouldn’t expect him to beat a guy like Gunther right now.
Gunther is less than two months away from breaking Honky Tonk Man’s record for the longest single reign with the Intercontinental Championship. He’s not going to lose it until he breaks that record or if HTM makes a shocking return, hits Gunther with a guitar, and performs a full version of ”Hunka Hunka Honky Love,” costing the champion his title in the process.
Prediction: Gunther retains
WWE Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair in a triple threat
Asuka is a -140 favorite to win. Flair is listed at +175 and Belair is at +350.
This title is eventually going to find its way back to Flair; it’s just not certain when exactly that will happen. It will be soon, though, and I think most likely, it happens tonight. The triple threat rules allow Asuka to retain while keeping the other two strong, but that’s not necessarily what they will do.
Asuka could retain and then drop it to Flair in the coming months, but SummerSlam is the big show and it makes sense for Flair to win it on a big stage.
Prediction: Charlotte Flair wins the title
25-man battle royal presented by Slim Jim
No odds are currently available, but I think we can all agree LA Knight is a top pick to win.
As of Friday night, Santos Escobar, Butch, Ridge Holland, Grayson Waller, The Miz, AJ Styles, Karrion Kross, Luke Gallows, Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tommaso Ciampa, Chad Gable, Otis, Matt Riddle and LA Knight were the announced participants.
How WWE moves forward with Knight should be very interesting. It’s hard to deny how much live crowds love the guy, but what really matters is how much confidence Vince McMahon has in him. If someone isn’t Vince’s chosen guy, it’s going to be quicker to pull the rug out from under him.
Although, with WWE’s Executive Chairman having undergone spinal surgery recently, it’s not really clear who is in charge of Knight’s professional life at the moment.
Assuming WWE does recognize fans want Knight in a bigger role, he should win this match. If Knight then went on to recreate all the famous Randy Savage Slim Jim commercials from the 90s as well, few would complain.
