It was a long, long Saturday night inside Detroit's Ford Field, with the main event concluding after midnight local time. Let’s run down the results of the 36th edition of SummerSlam.
Roman Reigns (C) def. Jey Uso to retain Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Roman Reigns is still champion -- now for well over 1,000 days and showing no signs of slowing down.
Reigns can thank his cousin Jimmy Uso for his latest victory, because Jey Uso had the win all but locked up after a splash from the top rope, until Jimmy showed up and yanked his brother out of the ring. Just when you thought WWE was finally going to pull the trigger on a title change, they once again swerve you.
As Roddy Piper once said; “just when they think they got the answers, I change the question.”
And the question now is: where does Reigns go from here? He has no immediate challengers for his title and, seemingly, none coming down the pipe, either. Rumours will continue to swirl about the possible presence of The Rock, Reigns’ cousin, challenging his family member for the championship and title of “Head of the Table” at WrestleMania. However, those continue to be little more than empty rumours at this point.
As for Jey, his next program appears to be with his brother Jimmy, whom he thought was on his side. Jey told MMA journalist Ariel Helwani that his dream scenario involves a matchup against Jimmy at WrestleMania, and those seeds have now been planted.
Circling back to the actual main event of SummerSlam, it should be noted that both wrestlers were solid. When it was announced that this would be a no-holds-barred matchup, with no disqualification, it was immediately evident that there would be interference on Reigns’ behalf. And that’s exactly what happened, as Solo Sikoa played a large role in the matchup and the continued family drama, at one point eating a spear from Reigns and getting upset.
Reigns has come close to losing his title on several occasions, but always has an answer when things get precarious. How much longer will he be able to keep his title and status within his grasp?
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
The rubber match in the Motor City did not disappoint.
Rhodes picked up his first victory at SummerSlam since 2013 when he defeated Damien Sandow. However, Rhodes’ victory over Lesnar will likely be remembered just a little more than his win 10 years ago.
The match told a standard Lesnar story of utter domination to begin, before Rhodes summoned the energy and determination necessary to pull off a victory. While wrestling fans have seen this story before, it was told brilliantly by Rhodes in this matchup. And if there’s anyone who you would believe could actually pull off this upset, it’s Rhodes.
Selling the sincerity of upset after the fact was Lesnar, by shaking hands and raising the arm of Rhodes. A very good matchup befitting of two of the top wrestlers in the world.
Match Rating: 4/5 Stars
Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair (C) via Money in the Bank cash in to win WWE Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair def. Asuka (C) and Charlotte Flair to win WWE Women’s Championship
These title changes will be remembered for a very unique finish to the original triple threat matchup and the Money in the Bank cash in that followed.
Iyo Sky is the new Women’s Champion after successfully cashing in her MITB contract on Bianca Belair, moments after the latter captured the title in a triple threat. The win came on a memorable finish which saw Belair roll up Asuka while she was still in a figure-four leglock at the hands (legs?) of Charlotte Flair.
The meat of the triple threat matchup wasn’t the strongest for any of the three involved, especially considering their talent levels individually. There were, seemingly, several missed spots leading to some crowd apathy.
The crowd rebounded in a big way, though, when Sky’s music hit and she came running down to the ring ready to cash in that MITB contract. Belair was selling a knee injury suffered in the closing moments of the triple threat, making the cash in seem all the smarter by Sky.
This was a relatively disappointing triple threat that will likely be forgotten, buried under the memory of Sky’s MITB cash in.
Match(es) Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Gunther (C) def. Drew McIntyre to retain Intercontinental Championship
To quote Big E… “Big meaty men slapping meat.”
That’s what this matchup provided us. A couple of hosses chopping and beating the tar out of each other. Every Gunther match looks as though he’s wrestling his last. There is intensity, there is physicality and there is believability in all of it.
When Gunther wakes up on Sunday, he will have held the IC strap for 423 days, just 30 days shy of tying Honky Tonk Man’s record of 453 days as IC champ. Gunther will almost certainly pass Honky Tonk Man to claim the mantle as longest title holder. Gunther’s next step could then be that of WWE Champion.
Match Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey
This “MMA Rules” matchup was supposed to give fans an idea of what sort of style they would be seeing. Unfortunately it felt like none of the fans in attendance at Ford Field were interested in seeing an MMA-style match.
The two veteran mixed martial artists traded heavy blows, while also exchanging a variety of submission attempts. For anyone familiar with a style reminiscent of a UFC fight, this was solid. But it appeared as though the style didn’t translate to the near 60,000 watching the match in-person. It appeared as though Baszler suffered a legitimate injury in the closing stages, which slowed the pace down quite a bit.
If the many reported rumours turn out to be accurate and this was Rousey’s swan song, it’s a disappointing way to go out. The former UFC champ dedicated herself to WWE but, for several different reasons, her popularity in sports entertainment never came close to her popularity in UFC.
Match Rating: 1.75/5 Stars
Logan Paul def. Ricochet
Logan Paul was deserving of two congratulatory notes as Saturday came to an end.
First off, congratulations for his victory over Ricochet in the opening match at SummerSlam. It was a decent match featuring fewer high spots than originally expected. However, it was still a solid bout that, once again, showcased Paul as an incredibly gifted performer (especially considering his relative new-ness to the profession).
Ricochet, meanwhile, used this very meaningful spot on the SummerSlam card to showcase his incredible athletic ability and veteran wrestling IQ. It was a great effort from a very deserving wrestler.
Second off, congratulations to Logan Paul for making it down to Dallas in time to watch his brother Jake Paul beat Nate Diaz in their boxing match.
Perhaps next up for the Paul brothers is a family matchup against Roman Reigns and his Bloodline. Ultimate family warfare.
Match Rating: 3/5 Stars
LA Knight wins 20-man Battle Royale
Lemme talk to ya.
There are few individuals within the pro wrestling industry who are as popular as LA Knight and his victory in this battle royale was met with adulation to match such that statement.
Match Rating: YEAH
2:30
0:57
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