The last time SummerSlam graced the Motor City, Rodney Anoa’i, aka Yokozuna, escaped the star-spangled power of the Lex Express to preserve his WWE Championship reign. Thirty years later, Tribal Combat is set to engulf The Bloodline as another Anoa’i in the form of Roman Reigns puts his WWE Undisputed Universal Title on the line against his cousin Jey Uso.
-Logan Paul defeated Ricochet
This was a nice way to open the show. Creating a viral moment was the goal here, and despite some cool moves, you will probably forget about this match by the time it ends. Ricochet missed the 630, which is a bump he would not want to take too often. Paul won when one of his podcast lackeys slipped him a pair of brass knuckles. Paul lost his first two singles matches, so the third time was the charm. Micheal Cole stated the match was great until the finish sounded like something you’d read on a message board.
-Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar
Surprised to see this as the second match on the card, but that’s what happens when there are four main events. Everything was well executed to produce a great story. Excellent top rope Cody Cutter and the Kimura spot created the perfect amount of drama. Cody delivered three Cross Rhodes in a row to put down Lesnar for the pin. Lesnar shook Cody’s hand after the match, something he’s never done before, thus augmenting Cody’s status as one of the few with two wins over the “Beast Incarnate.” The trilogy is now complete.
–LA Knight Won the Slim Jim Battle Royal
Finally, LA Knight gets a big win on a premium live event. Hopefully, he’ll get more of a push on television. The match itself was the run-of-the-mill battle royal. You’ve seen one; you’ve seen them all. Matches sponsored by (insert company name) are about advertising the product throughout its allotted time. It was refreshing to see a typical outing instead of someone coming out dressed as a giant Slim Jim or wrestlers whipping each other with super-sized meat sticks. Omos was a surprise 26th entrant and immediately eliminated several upon entry, including military pressing JD McDonagh before hurling him over the top rope, which was a scary and impressive sight.
–Shayna Baszler choked out Ronda Rousey in an MMA Rules Match
The goal of this match is easy to understand. Rousey is leaving WWE, and having Baszler choke her out under the rules that made them famous was designed to make Baszler a big deal.
This. Did. Not. Work.
Boring chants from the crowd told the story of this one. Fake MMA is hard to get over, especially with two legit fighters who we’ve seen in real fights. Ronda had the WWE logo in UFC font on her gear, which was cool. Sadly, this match encapsulated Rousey’s second run in the company. If she returns at some point, she will hopefully find the magic that made her first run exciting.
– Gunther pinned Drew McIntyre
You knew what to expect if you saw their Triple Threat Match with Sheamus at WrestleMania. A good hard-hitting match between two great wrestlers. Gunther recently surpassed ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage for third place on the list of longest-reigning intercontinental champions. September 8th, the day Gunther needs to hold the title until to become the longest-reigning IC Champion of all time, is right around the corner. Subverting expectations at the expense of a significant moment is not how WWE operates.
-Seth Rollins over Finn Balor to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Title
Seven years ago, Finn Balor beat Seth Rollins at SummerSlam to become the inaugural Universal Champion. Balor suffered a separated shoulder in the match thanks to a powerbomb into the ringside barricade and had to relinquish the title the next night.
The best match on the show saw Rollins and Balor deliver in spades. It was head and shoulders above their match at Money in the Bank. Rollins wore the same vest he donned on that fateful night, while Balor had the word “seven” written on his surgically repaired shoulder. The poetry of Balor working over Rollins’ shoulder increased the tension throughout the match.
No one does a better sling blade than Balor. The finish with Damien Priest accidentally costing Balor when Rollins curb-stomped him into the briefcase was perfect. The will they, won’t they break up of Balor/Priest continues, and Rollins provides another example of why he’s in a league of his own.
-Iyo Sky Leaves with the WWE Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka are three of the best big-match wrestlers in WWE today. Their triple-threat match was my pick for the match of the night. It came close, and I wouldn’t argue with anyone who says otherwise. Belair sold her knee injury like a champ and took it to the next level when she limped back down to ringside and hit a 450 splash onto Charlotte, who had Asuka trapped in Figure Eight. The finish was a chef’s kiss, with Belair rolling up Auska while she was locked in the Figure Eight for the win.
Of course, the big news is Iyo Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase and drilled Belair with the moonsault to win the title. What a difference a year makes. Last year, at SummerSlam, Iyo Sky made her main roster debut to form Damage CTRL. Now, she’s the champion. Iyo will excite the women’s division as a first-time champion, and the constant threat of Bayley turning on her makes things even more intriguing.
-Roman Reigns defeated Jey Uso to retain Undisputed Championship
Tribal Combat didn’t live up to its billing. Roman was legitimately hurt early in the match, which didn’t help. It wasn’t a bad match; it was more of a nonevent than anything else—kind of a slow, plodding affair of things we’ve already seen between The Bloodline. Regarding the finish, the only cards WWE could play were either Jey scores the upset or Jimmy betrays him, and they went with the latter. Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns looked surprised when Jimmy interfered, suggesting he’s not rejoining The Bloodline and has his own agenda.
The one thing that infuriates me about WWE’s booking is they often never come up with a reason why someone turns heel. We never got an answer as to why Brock Lesnar turned on Cody Rhodes the night after WrestleMania. Please, don’t do that this time around. Jey had a chance to turn on Jimmy earlier this year, and he didn’t because they’re brothers, so Jimmy has some explaining to do, hopefully.
SummerSlam’s 36th installment was a slightly above-average show. Clocking in at over four hours was too long. We’ve been spoiled lately with the well-paced shows at the three-hour-plus hour mark. The highlights were the women’s championship match, Rhodes/Lesnar, and Rollins/Balor. Baszler/Rousey was the only negative as the rest of the card, including the main event with Roman Reigns beating Jey Uso, was solid. It will be interesting to see who Reigns will feud with next. Maybe it’s Solo Sikoa’s turn to fight for the championship, as there seems to be some bad blood after Reigns accidentally speared him.
RingsideLogic.com 