Logan Paul VS Ricochet
Summerslam kicked off with “the most viral match in WWE history” as Logan Paul went one-on-one with Ricochet. You could tell that both guys wanted to put on a show and I thought this was good fun. Ricochet is a fantastic wrestler so I was very happy to see him on a big stage whilst Logan Paul is amazingly talented. Some of the moves were really good, especially the Spanish Fly that Ricochet delivered on the outside. The One and Only also went for the 630 so you definitely knew that this was a big match (he did miss, however). In the end, someone jumped the barricade and handed Logan Paul some Brass Knuckles before Paul KO’d Ricochet to get the victory. This was a smart ending as it protected Ricochet in defeat whilst Logan deserves a victory after a bunch of really good performances.
Grade: B-
Brock Lesnar VS Cody Rhodes
It was then time for the rubber match in the Brock Lesnar-Cody Rhodes trilogy. Brock Lesnar destroyed Cody Rhodes in the early goings of this match and The Beast even screamed at Cody to “stay down”. However, Rhodes was able to fight back and one of the ways he did this was by nailing Lesnar with Steel Steps. Why this wasn’t a Disqualification is absolutely stupid. Anyway, Cody continued to fight back and hit not 1, not 2, but 3 Cross Rhodes to pick up the victory and “end the saga”. After the match, Brock Lesnar shook Cody’s hand and then hugged The American Nightmare in a pretty surprising yet cool moment. This was totally fine and Rhodes winning was definitely the right call, but nothing from this contest stands out as particularly great. Also, Rhodes not being Disqualified for hitting Brock with Steel Stairs is just idiotic.
Grade: C+
Slim Jim Summerslam Battle Royal
LA Knight made his way down to the ring as he was looking to win the Slim Jim Summerslam Battle Royal. MVP then made his return as he announced that The Nigerian Giant Omos was going to be in the contest, and if I’m being honest, this whole match didn’t do anything for me. I usually really enjoy Battle Royals, but this match felt completely pointless, and seeing the likes of JD McDonagh, Santos Escobar, and United States Champion Austin Theory just get chucked out kind of sucked (even if they were trying to tell a story with the latter). The final five came down to AJ Styles, Sheamus, Karrion Kross, Bronson Reed, and LA Knight with Styles eliminating Kross before Knight got rid of the Big Aussie. Karrion then screwed AJ over which allowed Sheamus to Brogue Kick the Phenomenal One out of the contest before the Megastar LA Knight eliminated Sheamus to get the victory. I’m all for giving LA Knight wins, but this was still pointless (and wasn’t even booked that well).
Grade: C
Ronda Rousey VS Shayna Baszler: MMA Rules
It was then time for an “MMA Rules” Match as long-time best friends turned rivals Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler went to battle. I have to be honest, this was terrible. I watched WWE to be entertained by exciting storylines and entertaining matches, not to watch crappy MMA. The crowd were also incredibly flat which doesn’t help and I never want to see anything like this ever again. Shayna Baszler picked up the victory by making Ronda pass out and that’s the only reason why the grade isn’t lower than what it could’ve been.
Grade: D-
Intercontinental Championship: Gunther VS Drew McIntyre
The Intercontinental Championship was the next title on the line as Gunther was looking for yet another title retention when he faced Drew McIntyre. This was a very hard-hitting contest which was expected and it’s crazy how red both guys’ chests got. There was also no Ludwig Kaiser or Giovanni Vinci at ringside so it meant this was going to be a fair fight between two big heavyweights. Drew nearly picked up the win with the Claymore, but in the end, it was The Ring General who continued his undefeated streak by nailing McIntyre with a Splash, a Clothesline, and his trademark Powerbomb. I thought this match was good and I really liked the finish.
Grade: B-
World Heavyweight Championship: Seth “Freakin” Rollins VS Finn Balor
Seth “Freakin” Rollins made his way down to the ring in an incredible outfit before he revealed that he was wearing his vest from Summerslam 2016 underneath. This was pretty significant as this show marked 7 years since Finn Balor got injured during his match with Seth Rollins at Summerslam (a match he went on to win and become the inaugural Universal Champion). For me, this was the match of the night as I thought Seth and Finn told a great story whilst also having great in-ring moments. What made the match particularly special though was the fact that I bought into both guys winning and that instantly makes the match a lot better. Finn Balor hit the Pedigree at one point after Damian Priest arrived and clocked Rollins, but The Visionary was able to kick out. Finn Balor then seemed to get a bit confused when Senor Money in the Bank was trying to help him and this allowed Seth to hit the Stomp for another close near fall. I’ll be honest, I thought Rollins had won here. More distractions then ensued from both Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley and the NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio and this allowed Balor to hit the Coup de Grace to just miss out on becoming champion. Once again, I thought the match was over at this point. In the end, after Finn Balor once again struggled to cope with Damian Priest trying to help him, Seth “Freakin” Rollins Stomped Finn’s head onto the Money in the Bank Briefcase which was enough for Rollins to retain his World Heavyweight Championship. I thought everyone involved played their parts perfectly and Seth and Finn work so well together.
Grade: B+
WWE Women’s Championship: Asuka VS Charlotte Flair VS Bianca Belair
The penultimate match on this year’s Summerslam saw Asuka put her WWE Women’s Championship on the line against Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair. Asuka, Charlotte, and Bianca are 3 of the best female wrestlers of all time and I have a lot of respect for them, but this wasn’t very good. There were quite a few sloppy moments and the pace of the match was very slow. There were some cool moves like Bianca hitting a 450 onto Charlotte who had Asuka in the Figure-8, but all in all, it was just a bit naff. Bianca Belair, who’d injured her knee earlier on in the contest, fought on and eventually became the new WWE Women’s Champion after she rolled up the Empress of Tomorrow. What a stupid decision this was. Anyway, Iyo Sky and Bayley then arrived as Bayley laid everyone out with Iyo’s Money in the Bank Briefcase before The Genius of the Sky cashed in and hit Over the Moonsault to pin Belair and become the new WWE Women’s Champion. A year after Damage CTRL formed, Bayley, Iyo Sky, and Dakota Kai all celebrated in the ring together. I’m so happy that Iyo’s the Women’s Champion because she’s the best women’s wrestler in the world. However, I wasn’t nearly able to enjoy it as much as I should’ve because I was so baffled and annoyed with Bianca Belair pinning Asuka. It would’ve made way more sense to have Charlotte Flair pick up the victory, or, have Asuka retain before she gets cashed in on by a fellow Japanese Superstar.
Grade: C-
Tribal Combat for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns VS Jey Uso
In a match that I’ve been waiting for since Hell in a Cell 2020, Roman Reigns put his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and place as The Tribal Chief on the line against “Main Event” Jey Uso. This started off slow like any Roman Reigns match which makes sense considering you know it’s going to go for 45-50 minutes. There were some hard-hitting stuff in parts with Roman and Jey crashing through a table, Reigns Powerbombing Uso onto a pile of Steel Chairs, and Jey using a leather strap to punish The Head of the Table, a nice call-back to their Hell in a Cell Match. As the two were fighting in the crowd, Solo Sikoa arrived and sent his older brother crashing through a table with the Spinning Solo before him and Reigns got into a bit of a confrontation by ringside. This allowed the former Right Hand Man to Spear his cousin through the barricade before he sent Sikoa crashing through a table with the Uso Splash. Jey then nailed Roman with a Superkick and a Uso Splash in the ring but was then pulled out of the ring by his twin brother Jimmy Uso. Jimmy then Superkicked Jey and threw him back into the ring which allowed Roman Reigns to Spear “Main” Event Jey Uso through yet another table to pick up the victory. There were parts of this match I really liked, I thought the physicality was really good and the acting from everyone involved was top-tier. I also don’t have a problem with Roman Reigns retaining his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship mainly down to the fact that we are literally 4 less than 4 weeks away from The Tribal Chief being Champion for 3 years. What I didn’t like and/or get was why Jimmy Uso would attack his brother. This makes literally no sense as Jey has done everything for Jimmy, he literally only had this match with Roman because he put Jimmy in the Hospital. It seems very baffling and a little disappointing.
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