Four Title Changes, Devastating Betrayals, and the Return of the Head of the Table Lead to an Exciting Summerslam

"The Biggest Party of the Summer" took over Cleveland as WWE presented the 37th annual Summerslam. While the card was light for a marquee event, the show featured seven singles matches, six of which were title fights. The King and Queen of the Ring took their guaranteed title shots, a deep-seated rivalry wrote its first chapter and a Bloodline Rules match threatened the title reign of the American Nightmare. The card might've been light, but the action was fast and furious in the Cleveland Browns' home.

Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley- Women's World Championship

Dominik Mysterio was already capable of evoking nuclear heat from the crowd. After Summerslam, he might never get to speak another word ever again. Choosing Liv Morgan is going to cause him issues, and Morgan will just be collateral damage. The match between the two was more about psychology than action. Morgan avoided Ripley in the early stages with a cat-and-mouse game. Ripley sold a "dislocated shoulder" throughout the match. It seemed as if Mysterio was trying to help Ripley by preventing her from using the chair, but it led to Ripley's downfall and Mysterio's betrayal. Am I wrong for thinking that Ripley was the first person to kick out of Oblivion? Morgan used the chair to her advantage, hitting a second Oblivion and sealing it with a kiss from Mysterio to retain. We don't often see a heel turn even more heel, but Mysterio was the man for the job. Both Mysterio and Morgan will receive their just desserts eventually, and the ride there is going to be exciting. 

Sami Zayn (c) vs. Bron Breakker- Intercontinental Championship

On Saturday, I learned that this was the first time Sami Zayn competed at Summerslam. It didn't go well. Bron Breakker showcased how much of a freak he is by using his size, speed, and power to make quick work of Zayn in their rematch from Money in the Bank. Many felt Breakker should've beaten Zayn during their last meeting, but giving Breakker his first title on the main roster at one of the biggest events was the better call. Breakker has the best Spear in the game, and that he executes it at incredible speeds makes it look even tougher. He's going to be the next in a long line of tough Intercontinental Champions. 

Logan Paul (c) vs. LA Knight- United States Championship

That Logan Paul has been the champion since the end of 2023 and has only defended the title two other times feels wrong. That he's 2-0 at Summerslam in his career while Sami Zayn hadn't ever competed at the event also felt wrong. Fortunately, LA Knight ensured we were getting a Summerslam undefeated streak by winning his first singles title in WWE. The match felt a little overbooked, with a pre-match beatdown, appearances from Machine Gun Kelly, and the usual menagerie of Paul goons, but the action in the match still delivered. We were inches away from disaster during a Superplex, with Paul landing a little awkwardly, but both men continued. This moment for Knight was a long time coming. He has been popular for a few years and has been on the cusp of winning a title for just as long, so to see him finally get this moment was cool. 

Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax- WWE Women's Championship

This was the most surprising result of the night. There is plenty of history between these two combatants, going back to their time together in NXT. With Nia Jax involved, this wasn't going to be a wrestling masterpiece, but it was far from terrible. Bayley went back to her "Hugger" roots a little, especially with her entrance attire. She was clearly the underdog in the match, but Jax's power was a little too strong. Tiffany Stratton teased a cash-in, but it was a useful distraction to help Jax hit two Powerbombs and two Annihilators to win the match and the title. It was a bit of a shock given how fresh Bayley's title reign had been, so we'll see the direction they choose to go in with Jax as the champion.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (w/ Special Guest Referee Seth Rollins)

Three combustible elements in one match were sure to lead to some incredible storytelling. We've been waiting for months to see CM Punk and Drew McIntyre get their hands on each other, and adding Seth Rollins as the referee was a great way to get him involved in the fight. My only negative about the match was that it didn't play out as the vicious fight that we'd anticipated with how the story has played out. It focused on the story between the three instead of blood and carnage. Given Punk's injury history in recent years, I did wince every time he took a big move because I don't want to see him on the shelf again. CM Punk has no one to blame for this loss than himself. Rollins called a good match, but Punk's obsession with getting his bracelet back cost him. McIntyre resorted to a low blow, picked up the win, and still ended the night with the bracelet. It was a good showing for all three men, and the ending suggests that the worst is yet to come. 

Damian Priest (c) vs. Gunther- World Heavyweight Championship

Gunther winning the title was inevitable, and so was Finn Balor turning on Damian Priest. Once Gunther dropped the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania, his ascension to the World Heavyweight Championship was more about when than if. This was my Match of the Night. Both men brought their A-game to this title fight. This was one of Priest's best efforts as the champion bloodying his challenger with some vicious chops. Gunther returned the favor throughout the match. The Balor turn was a little telegraphed with Priest purposefully rolling Gunther closer to the ropes after hitting South of Heaven, allowing Balor to put Gunther's leg on the ropes. Priest put up a fight, but Gunther hit a Powerbomb and locked in the Sleeper Hold to force Priest to pass out. It ended a turbulent night for Judgment Day, likely serving as the death blow to the group.

Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Solo Sikoa- Bloodline Rules for the Undisputed WWE Championship

If this was someone's first time watching wrestling in over a year, they might be surprised to see Solo Sikoa in the main event of a major PLE. Clearly, they missed the efforts from WWE to make Sikoa and the new-look Bloodline look like a main-event force on Smackdown. The late addition of the Bloodline Rules stipulation meant we were getting tons of shenanigans. To their credit, they waited almost 16 minutes to bring the Guerillas of Destiny into the fray. They were chased off by the returning Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. Then, Jacob Fatu entered the match to break up a trio of Cross Rhodes, but he was neutralized by a huge splash through the announce table. All of this led to the return of Roman Reigns, whose Superman Punch and Spear allowed Rhodes to hit another Cross Rhodes to retain the title. Michael Cole summed it up best when he ended the show by exclaiming, "The real Tribal Chief is back, and God help Solo Sikoa."

Final Thoughts

Before the show, I made last-second predictions and wrote them down. I correctly picked six of the seven matches and almost all the major turns and returns. The match I picked incorrectly was the Bayley-Nia Jax finish. I thought Tiffany Stratton would cost Nia Jax the title. Instead, she helped her win it. Otherwise, I was pretty spot on. With a show that felt as predictable as this one, WWE needed to knock it out of the park. As has become normal under Triple H, they did. The card might've been light on matches, but the action was packed to the nosebleeds. It felt like I was watching a NXT Takeover-style event, which makes sense given the man in charge. 

We're only four weeks away from the next PLE with Bash in Berlin scheduled for August 31. European PLE cards have been light this year, with five matches each for Backlash France and Clash at the Castle Scotland. While both cards were good, my gut says that most of these big stories will feature placeholder matches at the end of the month before getting resolutions or advancements at Bad Blood in October. 

Here is how I'd book things WWE's biggest stories in the short term:

The Bloodline Feud

It feels like all roads are leading to a War Games match at Survivor Series. The booking of the feud might be dependent on Jacob Fatu's injury status. It could obviously be a "work," but Fatu was taken out of the climax of the main event by what looked like a rough shin injury after hitting it on the edge of the announce table. They might've been doing it to keep Fatu and Roman Reigns away from each other for now. If the injury is legitimate, it might alter some of the plans a little. 

Reigns' return allows Cody Rhodes to move away from The Bloodline for now. I don't think we need to see Reigns and Solo Sikoa get their hands on each other immediately. There is still the pending debut of Hikuleo, likely to join Sikoa's side. We also need to get Jimmy Uso back into the fold. Reigns' numbers are limited at the moment, but it doesn't eliminate the possibility of someone defecting to Reigns' side from Sikoa's. The big battle between Reigns and Sikoa feels like something for a bigger event, so we might not get an immediate resolution any time soon. That doesn't mean we won't see them fight before then. Bash in Berlin and Bad Blood will likely feature smaller battles before the Second Bloodline Civil War at Survivor Series: War Games. 

The Implosion of Judgment Day

It feels safe to say that Judgment Day as we know it is done. Both Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley were turned on by members of their group, leading to either their ex-communication or the complete dissolution of the faction. My plan starts with Priest being cheated out of his rematch with Gunther by one of Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, to align himself with Balor, or Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan.

If it's Balor and McDonagh, then it could lead to a tag team match at Bash in Berlin between Priest and a partner of his choice against Balor and McDonagh. If it's Mysterio and Morgan, give me a mixed tag match with Ripley in Berlin. All of it leads to Priest facing Balor and Ripley getting her rematch with Morgan at Bad Blood. 

CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre

Things are far from settled between CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre. The direction of the feud will be made abundantly clear on Monday night. The sensible decision would be to have CM Punk and Seth Rollins fight at Bash in Berlin. I would have Rollins win the match with some interference from McIntyre, leading to a triple-threat match between the three at Bad Blood, where Punk would finally get his win.