Our own Dave Meltzer has confirmed two new matches planned for WWE SummerSlam on August 5.
Earlier this week, Meltzer reported on six matches that are expected to take place on the show:
Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch
Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair
Gunther vs Drew McIntyre
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
In today’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer wrote that Logan Paul vs. Ricochet has been added to the lineup as well. In last week’s Newsletter, Meltzer wrote that Paul’s opponent on the card would be someone who could give him an “in-ring showcase” type of match.
Also added to the August 5 event is Rhea Ripley defending the WWE World Women’s Championship against Raquel Rodriguez.
Meltzer wrote:
The planned matches are Reigns vs. Jey Uso for the Universal title, Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar, Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre for the IC title, Logan Paul vs. Ricochet, Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez for the world women’s title, Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair for the WWE women’s title, Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler and Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch. All were listed for the show as of the weekend.
Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Austin Theory, and Edge are currently without matches on the card.
WWE SummerSlam takes place Saturday, August 5, 2023, from Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including fallout from Money in the Bank Sunday, the line-up for SummerSlam, the Owen Hart Cup and Bryan’s booking of CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Matches involving Roman Reigns, Ronda Rousey, Logan Paul, and Cody Rhodes are currently planned for next month’s WWE SummerSlam.
According to our Dave Meltzer, the following six matches are planned:
Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch
Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair
Gunther vs Drew McIntyre
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler
Additionally, Logan Paul is expected to wrestle at SummerSlam. Meltzer wrote that the plan is for Paul to have an “in-ring showcase” but it’s not clear who he will be facing.
From Meltzer:
Logan Paul is on the show. As of yesterday, he was not planned to face LA Knight as the plan was to give him an opponent for a showcase in-ring match. Just coming off TV, I figured Knight made the most sense and nothing is official until it’s announced. That still leaves openings for people like Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn and probably Edge, who returns on Friday night in MSG.
Paul went shoulder-first through a set of tables during the men’s MITB match on Saturday. He and Ricochet struggled to complete a Spanish Fly to the floor after both got tangled in the ring ropes. They ended up landing on the tables at an awkward angle and Paul later posted photos of the injuries he sustained.
The 36th annual SummerSlam takes place on Saturday, August 5th at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It is the first time the event has taken place in the city since 1993, which was headlined by Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna, The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez, and Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler.
The date of Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar III has been revealed.
With their head-to-head series tied at one win a piece, the rubber match is currently planned for SummerSlam on Saturday, August 5. Our own Dave Meltzer revealed the news on Monday morning’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Got big news. Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes is SummerSlam,” Meltzer said.
“SummerSlam, Ford Field. Match number three,” he continued.
Bryan Alvarez would later say on Wrestling Observer Live that the match will carry a stipulation that “we haven’t seen in a while.”
“It’s not just going to be a straight match,” Alvarez said. “They’ve got some sort of stip that allegedly we have not seen in a while. That to me, means not Hell in a Cell. So, I wonder what stip they might be coming up with for the third match between these two. I hope it’s not Ring of Fire, that’s one I don’t need to see again.
Rhodes won the first match between the two at WWE Backlash on May 6 in Puerto Rico. He would then go into their second match at Night of Champions with a storyline broken arm after an attack by Lesnar on Raw. The injury proved too much for Rhodes and he lost via referee stoppage after passing out while Lesnar had him locked in an arm bar.
WWE SummerSlam 2023 is set for Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, August 5. According to WrestleTix, 40,231 tickets have been distributed to the event.
A dream match between Brock Lesnar and Gunther isn’t in WWE’s immediate plans.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Lesnar vs. Gunther isn’t being planned for SummerSlam or “any time soon.”
“Right now there are no plans for Lesnar vs. Gunther at SummerSlam or Lesnar vs. Gunther any time soon,” Meltzer wrote. “Of course that can change because it is a viable match. But if Lesnar is scheduled on SummerSlam there is already a direction that isn’t Gunther.”
Lesnar and Gunther got to share the ring together for an interaction in this year’s men’s Royal Rumble match. In an interview on The Rob Brown Show after the Royal Rumble, Gunther said he hopes a singles match between him and Lesnar happens at some point:
Brock is a one-in-a-million guy or one in 10 million or something like that. I always liked those guys that just stood out from the pack. I stopped watching wrestling for a while when I was a teenager and then I got back into it again when I started training. There was a time when Brock was young but he was wrestling Eddie [Guerrero] and Big Show and Kurt Angle and stuff, and the guy was fantastic. A beast. I always loved his matches and was always very impressed with that. And also with the recent years in WWE, I always thought it would be a thing for a wrestler and my style and stuff, that’s my end boss, if that makes sense. I get portrayed as the end boss in wrestling for a lot of guys, but I think Brock could be my end boss. I really hope that match goes down at some point.
Lesnar is currently feuding with Cody Rhodes in WWE. A Lesnar vs. Rhodes match will take place at Backlash on Saturday, May 6.
Gunther has been WWE’s Intercontinental Champion since June 2022. He retained the title against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 39.
SummerSlam is being held at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, August 5.
WWE is heading to Detroit for this year’s SummerSlam.
It was announced today that Detroit’s Ford Field will host SummerSlam 2023 on Saturday, August 5. The 65,000-seat indoor stadium is the home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions.
Ford Field previously hosted WrestleMania 23 in 2007.
This will be the second time that SummerSlam has been held in the state of Michigan. SummerSlam 1993 took place at The Palace at Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
SummerSlam tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 14. WWE has also opened a mailing list for those interested in pre-sale information.
“We are excited for Ford Field to host WWE’s biggest event of the summer and look forward to the WWE Universe converging on Detroit to celebrate SummerSlam’s long-awaited return to Michigan,” WWE EVP of talent Dan Ventrelle said in a press release.
“Landing WWE SummerSlam at Ford Field is a signature win for Detroit and continues the momentum of the Detroit Sports Commission in attracting major sporting events to the region,” Detroit Sports Commission executive director Dave Beachnau said. “Metro Detroit enjoys a special place in WWE history and has produced many iconic moments. Thank you to the entire WWE family for entrusting us with this incredible opportunity, and we look forward to delivering a first-class experience.”
SummerSlam is back to taking place in August this year after being held at the end of July in 2022. This is the third straight year that SummerSlam has taken place at an NFL stadium.
Sami Zayn spoke to The Detroit News about SummerSlam coming to the city: “This is a big deal that we’re coming, and that it’s in Ford Field. I think it’s going to be extremely exciting. SummerSlam on its own is already a pretty big deal. And then when you add in Detroit and you add a stadium component to it, all of a sudden it becomes a really big deal. And then everybody gets more excited about it, and that sort of circular pattern goes from fans to performers back to the fans. So there becomes this heightened energy the closer you come to it.”
The front-runner to host Summerslam next year has reportedly been revealed.
According to a report from Fightful Select, WWE is looking to bring the event to Detroit, Michigan in 2023. A deal has not been finalized, however.
Summerslam was also held in Detroit in 1993. Lex Luger defeated Yokozuna via count-out in the main event that night. Other notable matches on the show included Undertaker defeating Giant Gonzalez, Jerry Lawler defeating Bret Hart via DQ, and Shawn Michaels defeating Mr. Perfect via count-out.
Other notable WWE events held in the city include WrestleMania 23, Survivor Series 91, Survivor Series 99, Royal Rumble 2009, and Hell in a Cell 2017.
WrestleMania III took place in nearby Pontiac, Michigan on March 29, 1987. The main event saw Hulk Hogan defeat Andre the Giant to retain the WWF Championship. Other matches on the show included Ricky Steamboat defeating Randy Savage to win the Intercontinental Championship, and Roddy Piper defeating Adrian Adonis.
Dakota Kai says her “whirlwind” return to WWE came together at the “last minute.”
After having been released from the company in April, Kai appeared alongside Bayley and IYO SKY at SummerSlam on Saturday. She commented on the experience during Wednesday’s edition of WWE The Bump.
“You thought you’d seen the last of me, huh?” Kai said after being introduced.
“Honestly, it still feels like a whirlwind to me with everything that happened. It all happened so last minute too so to be talking with you guys right now is insane to me.”
She described her experience at SummerSlam as similar to “an out-of-body experience” due to how quickly things came together.
“I had a very short window where I knew this was actually going to be a thing that would happen. So, I think I was still trying to accept that reality when I was walking down the ramp.”
Kai continued to say that she and Bayley have spoken for years about working together in such a way.
“Bayley and I, we’ve kind of been talking about something like this for a long time. It hasn’t been something that was just spurred overnight. This has been something we’ve wanted for, like, years at this point. So, the fact that it’s actually happened and to be under her guidance is insane.”
“Io and I, we’ve known each other a long time [since] I first went to Japan,” Kai would say of IYO SKY. “She is literally one of the best in the world. So, to be alongside these two women is just a dream.”
Shortly after Kai was released from WWE, Bayley posted a supportive message to her and said she is “jealous of whoever” gets to wrestle Kai in the future.
… And Dakota is one of the main reasons I couldn’t wait to get healthy. For the opportunity to wrestle her, to work alongside her, to make history with her.
Now I just have to be jealous of whoever gets to. We love you Charlie! See you around 😈❤️ https://t.co/kwCxQEuGBZ
“When she first sent that message out, obviously, that was a very emotional time,” Kai responded. “But the fact that she did that and she also sent me a bunch of chocolates and flowers.”
“Looking back on that tweet now, it’s kind of crazy how everything she said even back then at a time where we were unsure about everything, it’s a lot, it’s overwhelming.”
She suffered the injury during her match against Bianca Belair at SummerSlam on Saturday. Her status was addressed by Bryan Alvarez on Monday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live.
“Becky Lynch took the Jaded (Glam Slam) and landed sideways, she landed on her side. Having separated my shoulder twice wrestling, I knew immediately that was not good. She started grabbing her shoulder and she was grabbing her shoulder throughout the rest of the match,” Alvarez said.
“We can confirm today that she did suffer a shoulder separation. I don’t know the extent of it, there are several grades of shoulder separation,” he continued.
A separated shoulder typically takes between two and 12 weeks to recover from. In severe cases, such as with Kota Ibushi, it can take an athlete out of action for much longer, however.
“She did finish the match and she was using her arm, and she was favoring it but she was lifting and doing all of her spots so I’m hoping it is an injury that she can come back from very quickly,” Alvarez continued.
On the first episode of his radio show since SummerSlam, Pat McAfee reflected on his performance against Happy Corbin.
McAfee defeated Corbin at SummerSlam after hitting a low blow and then a Code Red where he jumped from the second rope. After defeating Theory and losing to Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 38, SummerSlam was the third match that McAfee has had on the WWE main roster.
McAfee said on his radio show that SummerSlam was different than WrestleMania because it didn’t take place indoors. McAfee said he should have trained differently by planning for the humidity.
I did do the Swantone Bombini. I will say, I did not expect the ring posts to look the way they looked while I was climbing up there. There were some moments in that match that were really like, ‘Should have prepared differently.’ For instance, just walking into the stadium, I took a nice deep breath of that humid air — and it was thick. It was sauna thick down there. Because it was supposed to rain. Projections of the weather for like two weeks, to a week out, even the morning of are like, ‘Yeah, rain’s coming.’ And whenever it’s hot and rain’s coming, that means it’s humid as f*ck. And I didn’t even think about that as I was training in my basement in air conditioning. That immediately hit me day of. I’m walking in and, ‘Oh no, this is not in an arena. This is not in an enclosed area. This is going to be hot as f*ck out here.’ And as I’m walking around I start sweating [and] I’m like, ‘I haven’t even done anything and I am drenched.’ I started to hydrate earlier. Started to hammer some waters and Gatorades. Definitely thought though, ‘Should have trained differently for this one. Should have went outside a little bit.’ We’ll learn for later. A little bush league on my part not to think about it being outside.
A lot of my offense off the ropes and with the ropes. Ropes are wet, obviously, a little slick, humid. The shoes I was wearing, had not worn them on ropes. So there was a lot of things that as they are happening I was thinking to myself, ‘F*cking idiot. Bush league. You are so dumb.’ I go up for the base jump to catch f*cking Bum Ass Corbin off guard. And I felt real good about that like as I was flying through the air. And then left foot on first, whoosh, I felt like I had nothing under me. Luckily, grab onto him like I’m a god damn koala bear. Hang onto him, bruise up the shins on the ropes. As it is happening, they say you have so much adrenaline you don’t feel anything out there, that’s a lie. As my shins were bouncing on the ropes, ‘Oh, I’ve never been hurt so bad.’ Superplex happens, I thought it was over there.
There was a moment in the match where McAfee hit a Swanton Bomb from the top rope to a standing Corbin on the outside. McAfee said it was tough to keep his balance, but he ultimately hit the move the way he wanted to.
As I’m climbing up there, I’m like, ‘Oh no, foot slipping a little bit on that second rope, shouldn’t be a problem.’ Then I get up onto that third rope and I’m like, ‘Oh no, I should have done a little bit more work maybe in these shoes on top on that thing.’ I think I was too Italian, I went too hard with the [gesturing to the crowd]. And it threw me off. I felt the gravy of the humidity running me down. Once I caught just one little brief second, boom, out of nowhere on Corbin. Hit that thing perfect. Hit that thing exactly how I wanted to hit it. Felt good about it. Some people were tweeting me, giving me way too much credit. ‘Did you see him make it appear as if he was off balance so he could keep us all at the edge of our seat? That is what it’s all about.’ I wanted to let you know that was not the case. If you could’ve heard what was going on in-between my ears when I was up there. Immediate regret is the sound of what was talking in my brain. Happy the body was able to figure it out. If you see, left foot rebalances on the rope a little bit further down. That could have been catastrophic. If there was any on that one [his other foot], you’re talking full split, I’m down. So I’m very thankful for the ropes, making it happen up there.
McAfee clarified that it was a Code Red that he used to beat Corbin and not a Destroyer. McAfee said he’s never done the move to anyone before but this felt like the right time and place for it.
McAfee said it wasn’t the cleanest match he’s ever had, but he was happy to get out of it with a win. McAfee brought up that he and Corbin dreamed about this moment while they were both trying to make the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. McAfee played up the storyline between him and Corbin, saying that he’s willing to let bygones be bygones after SummerSlam but he doesn’t know how Corbin feels.
Wasn’t the cleanest match I’ve ever had. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the humidity, as I should have been. But I’m pumped to get out of there with a dub. And Bum Ass Corbin and I talked about that 13 years ago. Although he’s still a scumbag. We haven’t talked since the match, so I have no idea what our next encounter is going to be. I’m a bygones be bygones guy. We fought, we can move on. I don’t know how he is, especially with what he’s become with WWE.
It was announced last month that McAfee has signed a multi-year contract extension with WWE. He calls SmackDown every Friday night alongside Michael Cole.
Roman Reigns is still the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion coming out of SummerSlam.
Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of SummerSlam on Saturday night, defeating Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match. After Lesnar refused to stay down no matter what Reigns hit him with, Reigns gave Lesnar the second of two straight belt shots and buried him under a pile of table pieces, chairs, and the steel steps to get the win.
Theory is also still Mr. Money in the Bank following SummerSlam. Theory tried to get involved in Reigns vs. Lesnar, but he never officially cashed in. When Theory was trying to give the briefcase to the referee, Lesnar laid out Theory with an F-5 on the briefcase.
For his entrance at SummerSlam, Lesnar drove to the ring on a tractor. The tractor played into the match when Lesnar lifted up the ring while Reigns was in it.
Next month will mark two years since Reigns’ Universal Championship reign began.
Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre is now official for WWE’s Clash at the Castle pay-per-view in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday, September 3.
With Paul “Triple H” Levesque now in charge of creative, the WWE women’s division has been bolstered.
Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Io Shirai (now going by the name IYO SKY) all made their returns at SummerSlam on Saturday night. They took part in an angle where they confronted Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair.
Belair retained her title against Becky Lynch in the opening match of SummerSlam. The returning Bayley then made her way out but stopped at ringside. She was joined by Kai and then Shirai before entering the ring. Bayley, Kai, and Shirai went face-to-face with Belair, but Lynch then stood side-by-side with Belair. That led to Bayley, Kai, and Shirai backing off.
Before Bayley, Kai, and Shirai appeared, Lynch showed respect to Belair by shaking her hand after their match ended.
This was Bayley’s first appearance on WWE television since suffering a torn ACL in July 2021. The injury happened right before WWE returned to touring in front of live crowds.
Kai was released by WWE this April as part of a round of NXT roster cuts. She had taken part in main roster dark matches prior to her release but was never called up to the main roster while Vince McMahon was in charge.
Tonight was also Shirai’s call-up to the main roster. She had been out of action since April due to an injury. Dave Meltzer reported earlier this month that Shirai’s WWE contract was set to expire soon and she hadn’t signed a new deal at that point. Meltzer added that “those who know [Shirai] from Japan said she went to WWE with the goal of making the main roster and believe she would stay with a main roster deal.”
Levesque tweeted “…and we’re just getting started” after Bayley, Kai, and Shirai appeared at SummerSlam.
Date: July 30, 2022 Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN
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Show Recap —
KICK-OFF SHOW
The panel was hosted by Kayla Braxton, Jerry Lawler, Booker T, Kevin Patrick and Peter Rosenberg. They ran down the card.
(As usual, I don’t plan on recapping the entire pre-show, just whatever seems somewhat notable.)
Lawler and Booker buried Pat McAfee because he isn’t a real wrestler sports entertainer like Baron Corbin. One of the other panellists suggested that Lawler face McAfee if he felt so little of him and Lawler was fine with that.
Theory explained his plan again (again) to Sarah Schreiber and was feeling very confident.
Titus O’Neil presented WWE title belts to Meals of Hope, PENCIL, and Musicians on Call and announced that each charity would be given $20,000.
The person in the cryptic videos will appear tonight.
Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch will open SummerSlam.
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SUMMERSLAM 2022
They’re in an outdoor stadium so the show is starting under full daylight.
Bianca Belair defeated Becky Lynch to retain the Raw Women’s Championship (15:10)
Lynch worked over Belair’s arm early on but she came back with a Glam Slam and standing moonsault for two. Belair tried giving Lynch a KOD on the barricade but Lynch landed on her feet, yanked Belair into the barricade and hit her with a leg drop onto it.
Lynch hit a leg drop as Belair was draped over the ropes but Belair countered a second attempt with a powerbomb. Belair hit another Glam Slam, this time onto the edge of the ring. Lynch tried to use Belair’s braid but Belair yanked her into the ring post with it and hit a vertical suplex on the outside. Belair followed with a moonsault for two.
Lynch tried a crossbody but Belair caught her. She couldn’t follow up because of her hurt arm so Lynch followed with Diamond Dust (a cutter) for two. They traded counters until Belair hit what was basically a flapjack. Lynch tried a Disarmer but Belair rolled to the outside while holding onto Lynch. Belair gave Lynch a KOD on the outside but couldn’t pull her into the ring.
Belair didn’t want to win by countout but seemed to think it was inevitable, however, Lynch just barely beat the ten count. They battled on the top rope until Lynch yanked Belair down by her braid and hit a Man-handle Slam for a close nearfall.
Lynch went for a Man-handle Slam off the middle rope but Belair countered into a Spanish Fly. She followed immediately with an emphatic KOD for the pinfall win. Good match with a terrific finish.
— Lynch offered Belair a handshake after the match. Belair shook her hand and they hugged.
Bayley entered as Belair celebrated. The crowd popped huge.
Bayley stopped at ringside and Dakota Kai entered. Corey Graves freaked out because he didn’t think Kai was under contract. Kai joined Bayley at ringside when Io Shirai entered too.
Bayley, Kai and Shirai entered the ring together to confront Belair. Lynch joined Belair and the trio backed off. This was really good.
(I think Shirai’s graphic said “Io Shirai” and Jimmy Smith definitely referred to her as that, but Graves called her “Io Sky.”)
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The Miz and Ciampa had matching neon green ring jackets with tights that were green, pink and black.
Logan Paul defeated The Miz (w/Maryse & Ciampa) (14:16)
Paul hit a springboard moonsault to the outside but Miz took control with a Codebreaker off the ropes and Ciampa helped out later by hitting Paul with a cheap shot. Paul came back with a Blockbuster, a clothesline and powerslam for two. Paul followed with It Kicks and a figure four but Miz got a rope break. Paul hit a high cross and a standing moonsault for two.
Ciampa tried to attack Paul but the referee caught him and tossed him from ringside. Ciampa grabbed a chair and decided to sit down at ringside instead.
AJ Styles’ music hit and he flew in from the crowd to wipe out Ciampa. Styles attacked Ciampa through the crowd toward the back.
Paul hit Miz with a Phenomenal forearm for a nearfall. It looked good but Graves admitted it was more of a “pretty good forearm.”
Paul cleared the announce table and climbed to the top rope as Maryse screamed at him. Paul chucked his elbow pad at her before hitting Miz with an awesome-looking frog splash through the table.
Paul shoved Miz in the ring and tried a cover but Maryse distracted the referee. Miz tried to hit Paul with something but Paul ducked and hit a Skull Crushing Finale for the pinfall win.
The early part of the match was fine but thanks to the last few minutes, this ended up being quite good. The crowd was relatively quiet early on but Paul’s win got a huge pop. He bowed to the crowd after the match.
The announcers wondered if maybe Paul was trained by Styles.
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There were video packages (to cover commercial time) for Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
There was also an ad for a water bottle company featuring Maximum Male Models (Mace, Mansoor, Maxxine Dupri and Max Dupri). I might be in the minority but I thought it was pretty amusing.
********
The sun has gone down which was good timing for Lashley’s entrance with fireworks.
Bobby Lashley defeated Theory to retain the United States Championship (4:44)
Theory attacked Lashley with the briefcase during his entrance. The ref checked on Lashley before ringing the bell to start the match. It didn’t matter much because Lashley quickly came back with a chokeslam.
Theory tried to leave less than two minutes into the match but Lashley cut him off and chucked him twice into the barricade. Theory came back with a rolling dropkick for two but Lashley responded with a flatliner.
They traded fists before Lashley hit a running powerslam. Theory leaped over a spear attempt and Lashley collided with the turnbuckles. Theory tried another rolling dropkick but Lashley countered it perfectly by pressing Theory above his head.
Lashley applied the Hurt Lock and Theory tapped out immediately. The crowd liked Lashley and popped big for the win.
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No disqualification tag team match: Dominik & Rey Mysterio defeated Finn Bálor & Damian Priest (w/Rhea Ripley) (11:09)
They were still tagging in and out even though this was a no-DQ match.
Graves thought that maybe Bálor, 41-year-old former Universal champion, would finally reach his full potential now.
The crowd got into it as the Mysterios set up for a double 619 but Ripley tripped both Mysterios. She also dropped Dominik onto the apron which looked great.
Bálor called for a chair when the lights went out.
A remixed version of the Brood theme started and stairs appeared on the aisle way. Fire pyro went off as Edge rose through the stairs and he marched to the ring.
Edge speared both Priest and Bálor. The Mysterios gave Bálor a double 619 and Rey followed with a springboard splash for the pinfall win.
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There was a moment when Graves told Michael Cole, “I liked you better when you were allowed to have an opinion,” which of course is a reference to Vince McMahon being gone. Cole responded to him by saying, “That’s changed. A lot has changed.”
Pat McAfee defeated Happy Corbin (10:39)
Corbin entered first and was greeted by a male choir chanting “bum-ass Corbin.” They also hummed McAfee’s theme for his entrance (so he didn’t come out to Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes).
Corbin chucked McAfee onto the (now repaired) announce table. Cole yelled at Corbin so Corbin shoved Cole into his seat. I guess the fans hate Corbin more than Cole because they booed this.
Corbin went to the top but McAfee leaped to the top and brought him down with a superplex. (McAfee almost slipped but he managed to regain his balance.) With Corbin on the outside, McAfee went to the top and feigned losing his balance before hitting a Swanton.
The referee got knocked down for a moment after Corbin collided with him so McAfee kicked Corbin in the nuts. McAfee followed with a Code Red (I guess) off the middle rope for the pinfall win.
McAfee did well here for the most part but I wouldn’t call this a good match.
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Drew McIntyre promo
McIntyre entered and he cut a fiery promo. He was happy to be in Nashville. He put over his battle with Sheamus and said he could barely get out of bed today but it was worth it because he’s got the winner of tonight’s world title match.
(McIntyre asked a young fan for his name and he said “Colt.” McIntyre gave Colt a big shoutout and the crowd chanted for him.)
McIntyre said he would beat the ass of whoever won tonight and would take both titles. He asked the crowd for a Claymore countdown. He raised his sword and fireworks went off.
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Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins were led to the ring by the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders. They also wore Titans-themed gear.
The Usos defeated The Street Profits to retain the Tag Team Championships [special referee: Jeff Jarrett] (13:23)
About eight minutes into the match, Dawkins took out the Usos with a flip dive (something that he might’ve done in the first 40 seconds if this was a Raw match). He pounced Jey Uso into Ford who hit a back suplex. The Usos superkicked Dawkins and Jimmy hit a splash for two. The Usos argued with Jarrett before hitting a double splash but Ford broke up the cover.
Jey almost superkicked Jarrett by mistake but Jarrett caught it. Dawkins followed with a sit-out powerbomb and Ford hit a frog splash but he took too long to make the cover and Jey kicked out. Ford was pissed at Jarrett for some reason.
The Usos fought back and took out Ford with double superkicks outside the ring. They hit Dawkins with superkicks before hitting a 1D for the pinfall win.
This was good, I guess, but I thought it felt a bit flat and it wasn’t any different than their past matches. Jarrett’s involvement ultimately led to nothing.
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Kid Rock was shown in the crowd. He crushed his beer and made out with his ladyfriend.
Riddle suddenly barged into the ring as security told him to leave. Riddle told them to shut up. He was all business. He explained that he wasn’t cleared to wrestle but he called out Seth Rollins for a fight anyway.
Rollins entered as officials tried to hold him back. Rollins ran down the aisle and Riddle attacked him.
When they hit the ring, Rollins gave Riddle a curb stomp. Cole freaked out because Riddle was injured but he also admitted that this was Riddle’s own fault. Rollins left and officials checked on Riddle.
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Liv Morgan defeated Ronda Rousey to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship (4:35)
Morgan retained with help from the referee.
They went back and forth early on trading moves and counters, including Morgan reversing a Samoan drop in a crucifix bomb. Rousey went for the armbar a couple of times but Morgan kept getting the ropes. The ref had a trainer check on Morgan who was selling her arm.
Rousey placed Morgan in the armbar again as her own shoulders were down. The ref counted to three as Morgan tapped out at the same time.
Morgan was announced the winner as Rousey tried reasoning with the ref.
The replay showed that Morgan tapped out moments before Rousey was pinned.
— Rousey attacked Morgan after the match and put her in the armbar as the crowd lightly booed. Rousey then put the ref in an armbar the crowd cheered. Shawn Daivari and Jamie Noble ran down to break things up. (Morgan remained outside the ring selling her arm.)
This was probably a heel turn for Rousey but I’m not sure it got over that big. Morgan also didn’t exactly look like a winner after the match.
********
Glenn Jacobs (announced as Kane) was introduced to the crowd. He announced an attendance of 48,449.
********
Last Man Standing Match: Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) defeated Brock Lesnar to retain the WWE Championship (22:55)
This was wild.
Reigns entered first and got a big fireworks display. He told Nashville to acknowledge him. They did. Lesnar also got big-ass fireworks. Cole said this was the first last man standing match in SummerSlam history and he was surprised to learn it was Lesnar’s first.
Lesnar put on a cowboy hat and drove a red tractor to the ring. Lesnar climbed the tractor and posed for the crowd. Mike Rome was doing the introductions but Lesnar told him to shut up. Lesnar introduced himself as a big-ass country boy weighing 285 pounds here to kick Roman Reigns’ ass.
As soon as Rome completed Reigns’ intro, Lesnar leaped off the tractor and dropped Reigns with a Thesz press. The bell rang and the match was underway.
—
Lesnar beat the shit out of Reigns early on, suplexing him around ringside. However, Heyman distracted Lesnar and Reigns put him through a table with a Samoan drop. Lesnar beat the ten count and did again after Reigns put him through another table with a Uranage. Lesnar’s back was bleeding.
Reigns hit a superman punch but Lesnar only fell to a knee so Reigns hit another. Reigns hit a spear but Lesnar got up at seven. Reigns tried for another spear but Lesnar sent him to the outside. Lesnar slammed Reigns onto the broken half of a table which looked painful.
Lesnar backed the tractor up (presumably for safety reasons considering it was dangerously close to the ring) before hitting Reigns with the steel steps and a broken piece of table. Reigns got up at an eight count.
Lesnar chucked Reigns into the front loader of the tractor and dumped him into the ring. (They probably thought this would be a cool-looking spot but it wasn’t that bad of a bump and Reigns was smart enough not to sell it too big so he got up at a five count.)
Lesnar followed by giving Reigns three straight German suplexes but Reigns got up at eight. Lesnar hit an F5 and Reigns beat the ten count again. Reigns reversed another F5 attempt into a guillotine but Lesnar countered that into a guillotine of his own. The ref told Lesnar to let go because Reigns was out but Reigns got up at a nine count.
Lesnar got in the tractor again and used it to literally push the ring back a couple of feet. He then put the front loader under the ring and lifted the ring way up, causing Reigns to roll out of it. The crowd popped huge for that.
The Usos showed up to attack Lesnar but he suplexed them both.
Heyman handed both belts to Lesnar and pleaded with him to stop.
Lesnar grabbed Heyman and gave him a damn F5 through the announce table. (Heyman’s bump was fine, all things considered.)
Reigns speared Lesnar but they both got up at nine.
Theory’s music hit and he ran out with a referee and his briefcase. Theory clocked Reigns with the briefcase but before he could officially cash in, Lesnar gave him an F5.
The Usos used the distraction to drop Lesnar with superkicks but Lesnar got up at nine.
Reigns hit a spear but Lesnar got up again at nine.
Reigns grabbed the briefcase and hit Theory before hammering Lesnar with it. Lesnar got up again at nine and Cole was freaking out. Reigns hit Lesnar with the title belt but he again got up at nine.
Reigns hit Lesnar with the belt again before he and the Usos buried Lesnar under pieces of tables and the steel steps. Reigns stood atop the pile and Lesnar didn’t budge. The ref counted to ten. Reigns retained.
Reigns hugged the Usos. He also hugged Heyman after they brought him back to life.
Job Listing: Onlamp php/mysql developer. Experience with vbulletin and drupal/WordPress a plus. Email [email protected] with subject PHP DEVELOPER with resume.
The life and career of Vince McMahon. His rise, his fall, both sides of the coin, how things could have been different. The fall of the territories, the WCW feud, buying the company from his father, his pre-WWF promotions, announcing, getting on the USA Network, the expansion, Hulk Hogan, Saturday Night’s Main Event, the first WrestleMania, the death of Crockett Promotions, the McMahon family as TV characters, angles with the family he suggested that never happened, a potential sale, Paul Levesque, what brought Vince down, Brock Lesnar, Tony Khan and much more.
WrestleMania 2024
Full coverage of ROH Death Before Dishonor with business notes
SummerSlam and Clash at the Castle notes
Full coverage of the G1 tournament, with business, standings, star ratings and all that good stuff
Full coverage of Saturday’s UFC show
Television ratings for every national wrestling show
Details behind the IWGP Women’s Championship and why
Stardom PPV coverage from last week and the upcoming shows this week
Dragon Gate’s biggest shows of the year this week
Why a top Dragon Gate star left the promotion
Lots of injury updates
New Japan Strong tapings
Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame induction ceremony notes
Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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Friday News Update
No show tonight because Garrett Gonzales is on vacation but we’ll be back next week. We will obviously be up tomorrow night covering SummerSlam and UFC 277, and Sunday covering Ric Flair’s retirement show.
Smackdown tonight at 8 p.m.from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta has a big advance, more than 9,000 tickets out as WWE business continues to grow at live events over the past month. Announced is New Day vs. Viking Raiders, Aliyah vs. Lacey Evans, Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre in an Irish Doneybook match with the winner headlining Clash at the Castle in a WWE title match plus Maximum Male Models.
Rampage at 10 p.m. will feature an interview with C.M. Punk as he talks his physical status and the world title, plus:
Best Friends & Orange Cassidy vs. Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh & Sonjay Dutt
Ethan Page vs. Leon Ruffin
Matt Sydal vs. Lee Moriarty
Ruby Soho vs Anna JAS
FITE TV tonight has the Ric Flair roast at 9 p.m. Eric Bischoff, DDP, Vickie Guerrero, Torrie Wilson, Brian Knobs, Lance Armstrong, Chael Sonnen, Jerry West, Eddie George and Tie Domi are scheduled to appear.
GCW has an 11:30 p.m. start sow headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Blake Christian.
G1 continues with a shot at 4 a.m. Eastern tomorrow morning from Dolphins Arena in Nagoya with Shingo Takagi vs. David Finlay, Tom Lawlor vs Jonah, Sanada vs. Great-O-Khan and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. As far as the art of pro wrestling, in that form there is nothing in pro wrestling better than a Tanahashi vs. Sabre match.
We’re looking for reports from tonight’s Smackdown Smackdown in Atlanta with dark match reports and anything not on the live show to [email protected].
This weekend is loaded with major shows. So we will be doing polls on:
SummerSlam
UFC 277
Ric Flair retirement show
Both NJPW shows in Nagoya
Both Dragon Gate Kobe World shows
Both Stardom PPV shows
You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle for all of those shows to [email protected]
UFC 277 tomorrow from Dallas, TX.
ESPN fights starting at 6 p.m. Eastern
Orion Cosce (172.5) vs. Blood Diamond (169.5) – Cosce missed weight and forfeited 20 percent of his purse to Diamond
Nicolae Negumereanu (205) vs. Ihor Potieria (204)
Joselyne Edwards (137.5) vs. Ji Yeon Kim (135) – Edwards missed weight and forfeits 20 percent of her purse to Kim)
Michael Morales (170.5) vs. Adam Fugitt (171)
ABC and ESPN simulcast at 8 p.m. Eastern
Drakkar Klose (155.5) vs. Rafa Garcia (155)
Don’Tale Mayes (255) vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab (264.5)
Drew Dober (155.5) vs. Rafael Alves (155.5)
Alex Morono (171) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (171)
PPV at 10 p.m. Eastern
Anthony Smith (205) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (206)
Alexandre Pantoja (125.5) vs. Alex Perez (125.5)
Derrick Lewis (264.5) vs. Sergei Pavlovich (254.5)
Brandon Moreno (124.5) vs. Kai Kara-France (124.5) for the interim flyweight title
Julianna Pena (134.5) vs. Amanda Nunes (135) for the women’s bantamweight title
WWE
SummerSlam odds at BetOnline
Roman Reigns -600 Brock Lesnar +350
Liv Morgan -200 Ronda Rousey +150
Bianca Belair -500 Becky Lynch +350
Usos -200 Street Profits +150
Bobby Lashley -300 Theory +200
Logan Paul -2000 The Miz +700
Pat McAfee -400 Happy Corbin +250
Balor & Priest -250 Mysterios +170
Sanga (Saurav Gurjar) has a role in the movie “Bahmastra” in India. He had been actor in India before being recruited into pro wrestling because of his size.
The 10/10 Raw show originally scheduled for New Orleans has been moved to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
C4 Energy is doing meet and greets with WWE stars
Tonight 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Bianca Belair will be at Kroger’s at 5544 Old Hickory Blvd, in Hermitage, TN
Tomorrow from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The Street Profits will be at Twice Daily/White Bison at 2112 Charlotte Rd.
Tomorrow from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m Liv Morgan will be at Twice Daily/White Bison at 2112 Charlotte Rd.
UFC
Edson Barboza vs. Ilia Topuria is expected to be on 10/29 according to a report by Laura Bynilla.
Other Notes
Ted Arcidi, who at one time held the world record in the bench press with 705.5 pounds, and later wrestled for WWE, saved 125 Acres of farmland In Milford, MA (thanks to Chris Cruise)
Effy is coming to Toronto for Effy’s Lucha Vacation on 8/18 at Parkdale Hall. Also on the show is Gringo Loco, Allie Katch and La Estrella from Dragon Gate.
Legacy Fighting Championships on 8/26 in New Town, North DaKota at the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge on UFC Fight Pass is headlined by Carlos Mota (7-1) vs. Rizvan Aubev (12-3) in a flyweight bout.
A new match has been added to Saturday’s SummerSlam card.
Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio will face Finn Balor and Damian Priest of The Judgment Day in a no disqualification match at SummerSlam in a rematch from this week’s Raw episode.
The Mysterios defeated Balor and Priest in a standard tag match on Monday’s Raw. Balor, Priest, and the returning Rhea Ripley then attacked Rey during a backstage celebration of Rey’s 20th anniversary in WWE to set up the SummerSlam bout.
Nine matches are now official fir Saturday’s event at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Here is the updated lineup:
WWE SummerSlam, Saturday, July 30, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Last Man Standing match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Ronda Rousey
United States Championship: Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Theory
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs. The Street Profits – Jeff Jarrett special guest referee
Logan Paul vs. The Miz
Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin
Seth Rollins vs. Riddle
No DQ match: The Mysterios vs. Finn Balor & Damian Priest (w/Rhea Ripley)
