WWE Summerslam Saturday Results & Review

Summerslam is the biggest party of the summer, as WWE have told us for countless years. The build for this first ever 2-night event has been incredibly hit and miss. I will dive into what has been a hit and what has been a miss when I cover the lore for each of the matches. We have a lot to look forward to over the next two nights. Cody Rhodes gets his rematch with John Cena in a Street Fight, a TLC tag match on the 25th anniversary of the very first one, a Steel Cage, a No DQ match. All of this is just Sunday! So what about tonight? Well there are no match stipulations but we have some of the biggest names in wrestling. Roman Reigns, CM Punk and of course, Jelly Roll.

Will Summerslam get off to a “winning streak” or will it leave them saying “I am not okay”? Those are both Jelly Roll songs apparently. L-l-l-l-l-l-let’s get crackin’ with the knackin’.

We cold open with some jets flying above the arena and the arrival of some of tonight’s top stars. Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Jelly Roll, Randy Orton, Gunther and CM Punk all enter.

The opening video package is narrated by Druski. I am not sure what a Druski is, but I don’t really care who this guy is. The video package recaps a couple of recent iconic moments that took place at Summerslam. The video jumps from various different camera shots and I really hate it. A lot of TikTok clips, Instagram reels, side by sides, various aspect ratios. It is an ugly collection of clips. I get what they are going for, but I didn’t like it.

Our host “one of the greatest female rappers of all time” Cardi B is introduced. She gets a relatively positive reception from the crowd, more positive than I was expecting. Her song plays as she makes the long walk to the ring. She looks great, crazy long dress. She is hyped and she hypes up the historic Summerslam. I think she is drunk AF because I don’t have a clue what the fuck she was trying to say sometimes. She welcomes us to Summerslam and we get some pyro going off.

What a peculiar introduction.

We have Michael Cole and Wade Barrett for commentary which might honestly be my favourite pairing, they are so good together.

The Match

Bronson Reed walking to the ring with Roman Reigns’ shoes around his neck looked silly, but then Michael Cole started telling us Bronson called it the “Shoela Fala” and I love that so damn much. That is hilarious.

The match starts in a brawl, Roman and Jey come out on top. Reed and Breakker fall out the ring, so Jey asks for an encore whilst Roman talks trash to Paul Heyman. Breakker and Reed drag Roman out the ring and Jey dives onto them all. Reed throws Reigns into the steps, Breakker drops Jey with a clothesline inside the ring. Reed and Breakker begin to isolate and destroy Jey Uso in the ring. Roman tries to get up, Breakker puts him back down with a charging shoulder tackle.

Roman finally gets back onto the apron, but Paul Heyman’s boys continue to wear down the Yeet man. Reed and Breakker do some good crowd work, mocking Jey and the fans. Reed lifts Breakker onto his back and hits a splash on Jey, that was creative. Bron Breakker starts singing to Roman whilst choking out Jey Uso. This man radiates Scott Steiner energy. After numerous failed attempts, Jey finally gets the hot tag to Roman who comes face to face with Bron Breakker.

Roman hits his comeback and clothesline Bron out of the ring. Roman hits a huge diving plancha onto Bron and Bronson! We haven’t seen him bust out a dive like that in years I don’t think. Back in the ring, Roman hits Bron with a uranage and sets up the Superman Punch, he hits Reed with it, Breakker rolls him up for a 2. Bron hits a knee and runs the ropes, right into a Superman Punch. Reed got a blind tag and he flattens Roman. Jey tags himself in and superkicks Reed. He tries to chop Reed down, but Bronson squashes him and hits a Death Valley Driver for a near fall.

Jey rolls out, Bronson takes him out with a suicide dive! Breakker sprints and clotheslines Roman over the announce table. Reed and Breakker do a Steiner special with a Doomsday Bulldog for a near fall. That was cool. Breakker goes for a barricade spear, but Roman Superman punches him and spears Bron through the barricade. Reed goes for a Tsunami, Roman Superman punches him. Roman and Jey hit the 1D on Bronson Reed, but Bron breaks the pinfall. Breakker is on his feet first because he is a monster. He puts his straps back on, so that he can pull them back down like a badass. Total Scott Steiner move.

Breakker goes for a spear to Jey, but Roman pushes Jey out of the way and takes the hit himself. Jey superkicks Breakker out of the ring, then he drops Reed with a spear then an Uso Splash to get the win.

Analysis

B Grade – A good tag match that ticked by at a slow pace. This was 20 minutes long and it definitely felt like it. Everyone wrestled well. I liked the tag chemistry between Bron & Bronson, I think they are a great fit together. Roman Reigns proved that he is willing to put himself in harms way for his family now, which is different to him during his time as the Tribal Chief. They banded together to get a good win for the family.

Everyone worked hard but I think the star of this was Bron Breakker. He just gets it, you know? Great wrestling ability, great character work and he is hilarious but not to a detriment to his aura. Breakker came out of this looking like a star, I think a Wrestlemania match with Roman Reigns is the plan and I am on board with it.

The Match

Charlotte Flair is the latest woman to hop on the trend of what I call “booty straps”. The straps that female wrestlers wear that sit below their ass. I believe Rhea Ripley popularised them, and everyone has joined the bandwagon. I might be wrong on that.

Flair and Bliss cannot decide who starts the match, allowing Perez and Raquel to jump them. Perez and Bliss will start. Alexa lands a headscissors and tags in Charlotte Flair. She shakes Perez off her back and hits an enziguiri in the corner. Raquel drops Flair with a clothesline behind the referee’s back. Flair hits a pair of kicks to both her opponents, Raquel catches her coming in with a Samoan drop for a near fall. Flair is beaten down for a while until she manages to get the hot tag to Alexa Bliss.

Bliss unloads on Perez, hitting a senton for a 2 count. Perez gets a near fall from a roll up. She counters the Sister Abigail DDT but misses her moonsault. Raquel tags in, Bliss DDTs Perez and goes for Twisted Bliss but Perez gets her knees up. A stiff combo by Raquel gets a near fall. Bliss is now on the receiving end of a Judgement Day beat down. A nice Russian leg sweep x Big Boot combo gets a near fall.

After what felt like an eternity, Bliss finally gets the hot tag to Flair who lands a diving crossbody to the Judgement Day. She fires off chops to Perez and Raquel, followed by the cartwheel lariat. Fallaway slam and a kip up on Perez. Flair has them both down for a moonsault but a pin on Raquel gets a 2. Charlotte goes for the Figure 8 but Perez breaks it with the springboard moonsault. Bliss tries to blast Raquel from behind, but Perez pulls Raquel out of the way and Charlotte gets blasted! Perez throws her out the ring. Raquel hits the Tejana bomb, Perez hits Pop Rox, but Bliss breaks the pin with a Blockbuster! Great sequence.

Bliss drags Flair to her corner and tags in. Perez goes for Pop Rox again, but Bliss punches her. She goes for Sister Abigail DDT as Flair boots Raquel away from her. Bliss gets the pin for the win.

Analysis

B- Grade – I think this match took far too long getting to the point. The heat segment on both Flair and Bliss was fine but it did start to drag. It made things worse because this New Jersey crowd is so damn quiet.

However, once the ball got rolling this was a fun match with some good storytelling. I thought all 4 women did a great job of telling the story of two teams proving they are on the same page. Although Judgement day were always a united team, it was them who suffered the loss. We will see how this impacts the faction going forward.

I think this was the right result, I have big a big fan of Flair & Bliss as a team so I hope this angle continues for the foreseeable future.

The New Day argue with Akira Tozawa about taking the last slice of pizza. A bunch of other stars enter and argue until Nikka Bella enters with more Papa John’s pizza to share.

I fucking hate this lazy product placement bullshit.

The Match

Karrion Kross has such a cool entrance, made even better by his gorgeous other half Scarlett. I am glad Kross finally gets to wrestle on a major WWE show. Sami charges Kross in the corner firing off big right hands. He clotheslines’ Kross over and out of the ring, he goes for the Arabian moonsault but Kross drops him on the apron. Zayn lands a moonsault off the barricade instead. Kross catches Zayn with a Death Valley Driver. Duelling chants for both men, more people are chanting for Kross which is interesting. Kross hits a big suplex for a 2 count. Sami fights back with a pair of diving axe handles, another suplex gets a near fall for Kross.

Karrion Kross demands that Sami admits to being a liar. Zayn fights back with mounted punches, leap frogs from an Irish whip rebound and lands a clothesline. Kross blocks the Blue Thunder Bomb and hits a Doomsday Saito for a near fall. Kross gestures for the pipe, Scarlett distracts the referee, Kross misses the swing and hits the BTB for a great near fall. Sami loses his cool and unloads punches on a defenceless Kross, the referee keeps having to drag him off. Sami takes a moment to cool off, but Scarlett puts the lead pipe in front of him whilst the referee is distracted.

Will Sami cross over to the dark side? No, he looks to the fans and he throws it away. The fans boo this? Shut up man. Kross gets a roll up for a near fall. Sami hits the corner exploder and then a Helluva kick for the win.

Analysis

C- Grade – Quite short and about as much as I expected from this. Karrion Kross dominates, Sami fights back and gets the win. Sami was tempted by evil once more but he overcame the obstacle and stayed true to his morals. I’m glad this is over. I don’t think this feud was enjoyable or beneficial for anybody.

The Karrion Kross hype train will be upset by this one. I get it, but honestly there hasn’t been much that he has done since his post-Wrestlemania promo that has wowed me. I like his character and by all means he is a lovely guy, but his run hasn’t been great. Will he be leaving WWE now? Who can say, it might actually be good for him to leave and remind everyone who Killer Kross used to be.

I called it, we are getting a Hulk Hogan tribute here. it wasn’t very long though it was done to tie in with an attendance announcement as well as a callback to Hogan’s Summerslam accomplishments. You can hear small portions of the crowd booing. His family are in the crowd man. Jesus christ.

We saw a pretty historic advert. A Maybelline advert on a WWE show, the first ever makeup sponsor for WWE.

The Match

Jade Cargill is dressed like 2007 Kofi Kingston. Jah man. Tiffy tries a quick roll up early but gets a 1 count. Jade lands a pump kick and gets a 2 count. Tiffy rolls out and Jade follows her. Cargill throws her into the barricade and suplexes her on the floor. Jade spends too much time posing on the apron that she gets kneed back to the floor, Stratton follows up with a suicide dive. Huge diving swanton by Stratton only gets a 1 count. Jade catches Stratton mid-back flip and drops her on her knee. Jade flips over Stratton from the apron, hits a superkick followed by a spinning sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. Nice move.

Stratton gets Jade on her shoulders for the rolling senton, she goes for her finish but Jade catches her. Cargill suplexes her from the apron, she keeps a hold and goes for a second but Stratton hits her with Falcon Arrow. These women trade strikes, Tiffany gets the better of her and hits the springboard back elbow. Cartwheel Alabama Slam and she is ready for the finish. She makes the dive but Jade gets her feet up to counter to the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, Jade hits Jaded but over-rolls on the pin and Stratton gets to the ropes.

Jade continues the punishment. She hits a chokeslam and goes for a Super Jaded, Stratton rolls through and sends them both to the mat. She quickly follows up with the PME and gets a clean title defence.

Analysis

B- Grade – Wow I did not expect this to end so clean but it did. I really liked this, one of Jade’s cleanest performances in the ring. I thought this was a really fun match but this felt pretty short for a world title match at 7 minutes. Though I guess what can they do? If Jade wrestles too long her weaknesses shine more. Short matches are better for her.

This is the second match now that feels very rushed. Zayn vs Kross I could accept but a 7 minute women’s title match feels poor. Did the first two matches go too long? Or are WWE planning something later in the show that needs a lot of time?

I am glad Stratton retained, Jade looked pretty pissed off at her loss so I hope this means that this will transition her towards turning heel. She would be so much better off as a baddie.

The Match

I cannot deny that I am intrigued to see how this goes down. Jelly Rolls sings the start of Randy Orton’s theme song. This is the guy who sings? He doesn’t sing very well. Props to him losing over 200 pounds for this though, that is an incredible feat. There is a hilarious shot of Michael Cole wearing Logan Paul’s headband.

Logan Paul cheap shots Jelly Roll and runs before the bell even rings. Orton starts the match, but Jelly Roll tags himself in and he wants a piece of Logan. Paul kicks him and punches him. He tries an Irish Whip, but Jelly fires back some elbows and shoulder tackles. Logan cannot lift him and Jelly does a scoop slam. Jelly Rolls does a Fargo Strut and an elbow drop on Logan. Drew McIntyre tags in and Jelly Roll looks rightfully terrified. Orton wants the tag, but Drew slaps him across the back of the head and Jelly wants to stay in. They come face to face, Drew chokes him, Jelly slaps him. Jelly fires a few punches but Drew headbutts him.

McIntyre chops and beats down Jelly Roll. McIntyre mocks Orton “I hear voices and they tell me your screwed”. Jelly Rolls is slowly beaten down for a while. Logan does a tribute to Hulk Hogan with the pose and a split-leg drop. McIntyre punches Orton and does his signature pose, he runs at Jelly Roll but he is thrown over the top. Jelly manages to make the tag and Randy Orton runs wild on his opponents. He hits all of the signature moves you would expect to see. He sets up the RKO but Logan pulls Drew out of the ring. Orton back drops both men on the announce table, but McIntyre hits Orton with a Claymore.

Jelly Roll checks on Randy Orton, but Logan attacks him. Logan hits him with the signature punch, it was executed awkwardly. McIntyre puts Jelly Roll on the announce table, Logan Paul hits a diving splash through Jelly Roll and the announce table. Awesome spot. Jelly Roll is attended to by medical staff and he is being carried towards the back.

The crowd are reacting incredibly loud because the lights were turned off. McIntyre and Logan beat down Orton 2v1. Orton takes down Drew with a Superplex. Jelly Roll fights away from the medical staff and makes his way to the corner and gets the hot tag to Jelly Roll. He hits a pair of clotheslines and a chokeslam to Logan Paul. Black Roll Slam to Drew McIntyre.

Jelly Roll catches Logan in midair with a powerslam, but McIntyre takes him out with a Claymore. Orton hits Drew with an RKO, but Logan throws him out of the ring. Logan Paul hits the frog splash and pins Jelly Roll for the win.

Analysis

C Grade – This match was not what I expected. I didn’t expect Jelly Roll to be on the receiving end of the heat segment and I certainly didn’t expect him to be put through the announce table. I have to give him his props. He is not a natural to it quite like Logan Paul and Bad Bunny, but he did his best. His selling is bad and his strikes are pretty bad too, but his other moves were decent. He has a mean chokeslam to him for sure. Being put through the announce table like that was brutal and must have hurt.

The match always had a ceiling because of Jelly Roll being involved, but I think this was about as good as it could be. Randy Orton played the veteran role well but he was here to play the hits and keep things flowing. Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul were the highlights in this match, they absolutely carried this match into being as enjoyable as it was.

I am glad the right team won and it is nice to see the celebrity take the fall for a change. Logan winning makes sense, he hasn’t had much success since losing the US title.

The Match

Both men hesitate to lock up, Gunther overpowers Punk but the challenger slips out. They lock up, Gunther targets the left arm and swings for a chop but Punk ducks and jogs away. They do some more chain wrestling, both men finding routes out of each other’s holds. Punk targets the arm, Gunther goes for a chop again but Punk blocks. Test of strength lock up, Gunther powers Punk to the mat but shows his core strength holding a bridge, even when Gunther hops on top.

Gunther throws uppercuts in the corner, Punk gets a boot at a running Gunther and continues to target the left arm and shoulder of the champion. Gunther finally lands a chop and drops Punk to the mat. He goes for a suplex, Punk uses the injured arm to counter and continue the isolated punishment. Punk reaches the ropes to prevent a Sleeper attempt, he fires off a bunch of chops and goes for a top rope move but Gunther chops him from behind. Gunther fires off a series of chops all across Punk’s body, now he is stuck in a tree of woe.

Gunther begins to dissect CM Punk. Punk tries to fight back but he gets chopped back down to the mat every time. Gunther knees Punk across the ribs, locking in an abdominal stretch and drive an elbow into his sides. Punk counters into his own, then transitions into a GTS, Gunther escapes into a sleeper, Punk moves into a pin attempt, Gunther boots him to the mat. Gunther continues to boot and chop CM Punk but the veteran gets a second wind and fights back but it doesn’t last long. Gunther chops Punk almost out of the ring. The Ring General has CM Punk at his mercy right now. Chops, kicks and punches. He allows Punk to fight back with chops and kicks but he chops him back down.

The confident trash talking has begun from the champion. He didn’t like Punk calling him kid and he locks him in a choke asking “who is the kid now?” Punk powers up and goes for a GTS, Gunther escapes but Punk lands an atomic drop. He goes for the Sharpshooter but Gunther counters. Gunther goes for a Sharpshooter of his own. Punk manages to roll through and counter into his own Sharpshooter, that was such a slick counter. Gunther makes it to the ropes. He drops Punk again and remains cocky and in control. He taunts and chops Punk, but the challenger has woken up and he is firing off forearms.

CM Punk hits a few running clotheslines, runs into a chop but he fires back with a leaping kick. Running knee in the corner by Punk is caught by Gunther who drills him with an incredibly stiff powerbomb. Gunther goes for the Sharpshooter again, Punk locks in a triangle choke, Gunther goes for the Boston Crab but Punk counters. Back and forth counters, Punk escapes the choke with a Russian leg sweep. Punk hits the running knee followed by the bulldog for a 2 count. Punk goes for the diving elbow drop, Gunther meets him there and press slams him off the top. Gunther hits a diving splash but Punk kicks out.

Gunther drops Punk with a pair of lariats, but Punk counters a third with a GTS attempt but Gunther counters with a powerbomb. Gunther laughs and demands Punk get back up, so that he can hit the dinosaur drop kick. A third powerbomb but Punk kicks out again. Gunther is shocked at the resilience of CM Punk. More chops by Gunther, then stretches him out in the corner. The action spills out of the ring, Gunther throws him into the ring post then poses with his championship. He then poses on the announce table, but Punk pulls him down onto the table. When Gunther emerges, his face is covered in blood! We rarely get to see this anymore.

Gunther is shocked at the blood on his face in the ring, he tries to beg Punk off but the challenger starts to wear down the champion. Running knee and a clothesline from the corner. Diving elbow drop by Punk! GTS is countered into a sleeper! CM Punk struggles, he hits a GTS but Gunther is still on his feet. One more GTS and Gunther is down! 1-2-3! CM Punk is the world champion!!

Analysis

A Grade – Holy Shit!! I really did not expect CM Punk to go and do it but he did. What a great match, though it did feel very long but it was part of the story they were trying to tell. Gunther was put over as an absolute beast here, mauling CM Punk without malice. This wasn’t a flashy wrestling match. This was a brutal, violent war over the world heavyweight championship. Gunther was the near-unstoppable monster, whilst CM Punk was the unwavering final girl refusing to die.

I had high expectations for this match and they were absolutely met. My two favourites stole the show.

CM Punk gets emotional and takes a moment to celebrate his success. BURN IT DOWN!! Holy crap. Out comes Seth Rollins on crutches, Paul Heyman accompanies him with the Money in the Bank to ruin Punk’s moment. He turns to leave, but then he throws the crutches to the ground. He takes off his knee brace and runs down to the ring. Oh shit! CM Punk and Seth Rollins get into a scrap, Seth Rollins beats him down with the briefcase! Seth Rollins cashes in the MITB, hits the stomp and wins the match. Seth Rollins is world heavyweight champion.

What an amazing post-match angle. I turns out the rumours were true, the injury was not as serious as we all thought and it created a hell of a moment. CM Punk managed to win a world title once more but only for about 5 minutes.

Seth Rollins, Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman all celebrate in the ring to close the show.

Final Thoughts

B- Grade – Just like Wrestlemania Saturday, we have a pretty mediocre show saved by an incredible main event featuring CM Punk. The show got off to a good start with a pair of good tag matches but then the wind came out of the sails for a little while. For what is supposed to be the second biggest show of WWE’s year, it just lacked that special blockbuster feeling throughout the night. Even the opening match I thought could have been better than what it was.

However, the show was saved by CM Punk vs Gunther being incredible, then of course the “ruse of the century” as Michael Cole called it. Seth Rollins is back and his world champion once again. His rivalry with CM Punk continues to be one of the best things in WWE right now. There is just so much to like about this angle, it is a shame that it is one of few things I like about WWE right now.

Not as mediocre as Wrestlemania at all, but I think this good have been put together a whole lot better. I guess we will see how Summerslam Sunday follows this.