Depending on your preferred flavor of professional wrestling, SummerSlam received rave reviews from some and faint praise from others. Those who live or die by five-star ratings won’t find a match on the card to garner such esteem. However, fans who are all about spectacle and storytelling got more than their money’s worth on Saturday night, as Cleveland Browns Stadium hosted “the biggest party of the summer.”
-Dirty Dom Leaves Rhea Ripley for Liv Morgan:
Rhea Ripley’s quest to regain the championship she never lost lived in the shadows of whether Dominick Mysterio would betray or stay with “Mami.” Liv Morgan’s blindside attack forced Ripley to vacate the title, and Morgan won it two weeks later. Morgan’s advances at Dom over the last several months have added fuel to the fire.
Many expected Morgan to be in over her head against Ripley. Surprisingly, Morgan more than held her own, which was refreshing. Ripley hurt her shoulder at one point, teasing to stop the bout until she popped back into the place using the commentary table.
The physical machinations of Dom’s betrayal threw the audience through a loop due to its superb execution. Dom stopped Ripley from hitting Morgan with a chair. The crowd erupted in shock, but Dom quickly pointed out that Ripley couldn’t win the title if she used the chair. Instead of being a slimeball, Dom had Ripley’s best interest at heart.
Dom threw a chair in the ring and distracted the ref so Riplay could finish Morgan. Instead, Morgan capitalized by hitting Ripley with Oblivion on the chair to retain the title. Dom went from a real one to the dumbest person in the stadium until we saw him laugh, kiss Morgan, and walk out with her arm and arm. Dom was the smartest person in the stadium, after all.
-Bron Breakker Topples Sami Zayn and adds his name to a Legendary List:
This was a five-minute sprint where Breakker went for a spear at the bell, only to get his shoulder jammed up on the post. Breaker attempted some power moves, but his shoulder gave way, allowing Zayn to follow up with a flip dive to the floor.,
Breaker dodged a Helluva Kick, which is how he lost to Zayn at Money in the Bank. His shoulder gave out, attempting a press slam, but he came back with a great-looking Steiner Line that turned Zayn inside out. Breaker ran up to the top rope and delivered a Breakensteiner for a two-count.
Zayn countered a top rope bulldog with the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn hit an exploder suplex in the corner and went for another Helluva Kick, but Breakker hit him with a spear, ran the ropes, and drilled Zayn with another spear to win the title.
The young Steiner joins a legendary list of wrestlers who won their first Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam and used it as a launching pad to bigger and better things—names such as Ultimate Warrior, Rick Rude, Bret Hart, British Bulldog, and Steve Austin.
Sami Zayn is a big fan favorite, but the crowd in Cleveland was 60/40 in favor of Breakker. Even though Breakker is a heel, many felt it was his time to shine. Goldberg started as a heel, but his aura and believability made it too hard to boo him. Breakker has both qualities plus the pedigree to walk the same road. Some wrestlers are too good to put in a box.
-Finally, LA Knight Wins A Championship. YEAH:
LA Knight was arguably WWE’s most popular wrestler in 2023. Several close but not close enough losses in big matches made people wonder if the “Megastar’s” popularity would be squandered like so many before him. SummerSlam was the precipice for LA Knight. If he didn’t win here, no carefully crafted angle would convince the audience he’d ever win.
Logan Paul came out wearing an American Flag jacket in Cleveland Browns colors. Machine Gun Kelly appeared as a surprise and walked to the ring with Paul. LA Knight arrived backstage in Paul’s PRIME Hydration Mobile and smashed out the driver’s side window, claiming poor visibility.
Both men brawled on the floor for a bit before the bell rang. Knight gave Paul a neckbreaker on the commentary table, which didn’t break, and entered the ring to officially start the match. Paul is not popular in his hometown. Knight put the boots to Paul in the corner and delivered a Side Effect.
Paul came back with a springboard clothesline and got some serious air off a springboard moonsault to the floor. Knight leaped up top to meet Paul and delivered a superplex for two. Outside the ring, Knight attacked some of Paul’s entourage but was shoved into the post by Paul.
Paul clocked Knight with the knux as MGK distracted the ref. Paul went for the Buckshot Lariat. Knight ducked and hit the BFT for the 1-2-3. Knight’s win got a big pop from the crowd. The good things come to those who wait. LA Knight finally won his first title in WWE from the most high-profile U.S. Champion of all time.
-Queen Nia Becomes Champion:
One of the other big questions of the night was whether Nia Jax’s new BFF, Tiffany Stratton, would turn on her and cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase. Nia gifted Stratton a custom pink briefcase on SmackDown the night before—a preemptive strike disguised as a sincere gesture.
Bayley and Nia Jax got better as the match went on. Both wrestlers worked hard. The narrative of the match was 50/50. Neither wrestler had a prolonged advantage. It was a neck-and-neck battle where both badly wanted to win, which made sense considering Bayley’s “reckless” comments about Nia brought the feud to a personal level.
Both kicked out of each other’s finishing maneuvers. Nia kicked out of the Bayley to Belly, and Bayley did the same with the Annihilator. Nia was angry over Bayley’s escape and rag-dolled her while yelling, “I’m reckless? I’m reckless?” Which tied into the personal comments.
Bayley countered an Annihilator attempt and power bombed Nia out of the corner, the “Holy S@&t” moment of the match. Tiffany Stratton ran out to cash in the briefcase, but Bayley knocked her off the apron. Nia used the distraction to powerbomb Bayley and hit back-to-back Annihilators to win the title.
Nia and Bayley deserve their flowers. Especially Nia, who has lost a lot of weight, allowed her to do some moves in the match that otherwise couldn’t have been done. Bayley’s Mona Lisa run with the title ends, and whether Stratton tried to help Nia remains to be seen, even though they’re playing nice with each other for now.
-CM Punk only has himself to blame:
In all his glittery stripes, Seth Rollins made us wait a little longer before he called for the bell. McIntyre and Punk charged right at each other with flying fists of fury. Rollins used the top turnbuckle as a hammock to relax as the combatants fought outside the ring.
McIntyre brings a chair into the ring and tells Rollins to turn around, and he’ll make both of their problems go away. Rollins looks the other way. McIntyre winds up, but Rollins changes his mind and takes the chair. I
n a recreation of SummerSlam 97, McIntyre pie faces Rollins, Rollins swings the chair, McIntyre moves, and Rollins stops himself from hitting Punk. It’s ironic since Punk wore Bret Hart-inspired gear.
Punk kicks out of a Claymore and escapes the Futureshock DDT that injured him at the Royal Rumble. McIntyre misses a charge into the post. Punk yells at Rollins for wearing the bracelet McIntyre stole from him. Rollins insists he is just trying to get it out of the way.
McIntyre pushes Punk into Rollins, sending him out of the ring. Punk hits the GTS, but it gets a slow two-count from Rollins. “Stupid Sabu pants,” Punk yells at Rollins before hitting him with the GTS. McIntyre hits Punk low and lands another Claymore. Rollins makes the delayed count but eventually slaps the mat for the third time.
After months of CM Punk costing Drew McIntyre matches, the cruel hand irony came to collect. The biggest match on the card wasn’t a mat classic, but they told one heck of a story that hit all the right notes.
It’s possible that Punk came back a little too early. He was wrestling carefully to avoid injury, which is understandable. McIntyre needed the win here, and it’s the biggest one of his career since his character evolution began.
Observation: Five matches in, and each one had somebody going shoulder-first into the ring post between the top and middle rope. This spot happens a lot in WWE these days, but its use here exemplifies how what used to be a devastating turning point in a match is not just another transition spot.
Gunther defeats Damian Priest to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Gunther usually bullies his opponents. He couldn’t do so this time against Damian Priest. Can Gunther beat someone who matches his size, strength, and strikes? This was the best match on the show, bell to bell to some. Priest caused as much damage with his kicks as Gunther usually causes with his chops. Priest made Gunther’s chest bleed.
Priest hit a flatliner, but Gunther came back with a belly-to-back suplex on the apron. They trade strikes until Gunther drops Priest with a big boot. Priest hits a top rope hurricanrana and a broken arrow for two. Gunther hit a running dropkick and a powerbomb. Priest delivered the South of Heaven chokeslam for two.
Finn Balor arrives at ringside cheering on Priest. Gunther kicks Balor from behind, firing up Priest, who knocks Gunther down at will. Priest hits Razor’s Edge and South of Heaven, but Balor puts Gunther’s leg on the rope. Priest sees the betrayal on the big screen replay. Gunther catches Priest going after Balor to deliver a powerbomb and chokes him out to become champion.
If you like hard-hitting wrestling that takes itself seriously, then this was the best match on the show. Gunther and Priest have had a tremendous 2024. Priest sold Balor’s betrayal perfectly. It wasn’t over-the-top or hokey. It looked like Priest really wanted to tear him apart. Gunther adds the World Heavyweight Championship to the King of the Ring crown.
-The Awesome Truth Rolls with Jelly Roll:
The Mix and R-Truth announce the official attendance in Cleveland Browns Stadium of 57,791, an all-time American attendance record for SummerSlam. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller came out through the crowd to ruin the party and insult recording artist Jelly Roll.
In classic R-Truth fashion, he confused A-Town Down Under with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and pointed to Theory, stating Robert Gibson got his eye fixed. It was a distraction, so Jelly Roll could hit A-Town Down Under with a chair and chokeslams Austin Theory, which looked fantastic. Props to Theory. The babyfaces hit a 15-knuckle shuffle to end the segment.
–Roman Reigns returns and helps Cody Rhodes retain the WWE Championship:
Cody walks with dog Pharoah and, to the surprise of everyone, bumps into Arn Anderson, who managed Cody in AEW and recently left the promotion. Arn tells Cody he’s proud of him and that he has some backup to deal with the crazy island boys.
The narrative surrounding Solo Sikoa is that he will eventually snap during the match. However, he remained calm and attacked Cody with measured aggression. Solo countered some of Cody’s trademark moves, such as the drop-down uppercut.
Solo trapped Cody upside down in the Tree of Woe. He hit the first diving headbutt but missed the second one for basking in his glory for too long. Cody hits Terry Funk looking moonsault off the top rope, and follows up with a superplex.
Cody hits CrossRhodes, but Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa break up the pin, which is legal because the match is contested under Bloodline Rules. Kevin Owens and Randy Orton come into, make the save, and brawl with Tonga and Loa back to the locker room.
Jacob Fatu interferes, hits the double jump moonsault, and puts Solo on top of Cody for two. Fatu frog splashes Rhodes off the top through the announce table. Fatu hurt his right leg and is screaming. Solo hits a frog splash, Cody returns with a Cody Cutter, and both men are down.
Cue the music.
Roman Reigns returns to a massive crowd reaction and hits Solo with a Superman Punch and Spear. Reigns looks down at Cody before leaving. Reigns takes a few steps down the aisle and stops to turn and look at Cody again. Rhodes hits Cross Rhodes and pins Solo while keeping his eyes locked on Reigns.
Solo is a great enforcer and didn’t do a bad job, but he doesn’t have enough range to star in a lead role. Cody rolls on as undisputed WWE Champion and is still super over with the audience. The return of Roman Reigns was the biggest moment of the show. It was his first appearance since WrestleMania. Reigns looked slimmer and debuted new entrance music.
–Final Thoughts: If WrestleMania 40 is Avengers: End Game, SummerSlam is Spider-Man: Far From Home. The show was a tremendous follow-up filled with story and spectacle. Some will complain about the weak in-ring wrestling aspect of the show.
If Jacob Fatu is really hurt, that’s a damn shame. Only forty-four days in WWE, “The Samoan Wearwolf” exceeded the hype he had coming in and won the Tag Team Titles (with Tama Tonga) the night before SummerSlam, putting him on the fast track to superstardom.
While none of the bouts will earn a match of the year award, they did something more important by serving the stories being told. It’s akin to the music of a movie score. Sure, it’s nice to hear an exceptional song that stands out and prompts multiple downloads on iTunes.
However, the best film scores enhance the overall on-screen experience by blending into the presentation rather than standing out over everything else. SummerSlam was a perfect example of the live-action comic book professional wrestling embodies.
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