Monday Night Raw
Date: August 11, 2025
Location: Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Quebec
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

The road to Paris continues, but not in the way it was advertised. This week’s Women’s Title match between Naomi and Iyo Sky has been called off as Naomi isn’t medically cleared. That’s never good to hear, but hopefully it isn’t as bad as it could be. Other than that, Seth Rollins and company have been crushing people and building up a nice shoe collection. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of the end of last week’s show, with Seth Rollins and company standing tall over LA Knight, Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

Commentary confirms that Naomi is out tonight. There is no word on when she might be back.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. Punk talks about how he has a Seth Rollins problem. Rollins is trying to be Punk but can’t make it work. He should be the World Champion like he was at Summerslam. Punk is going to be the champion again and he’s going to take it from Rollins. That’s not all though, as he’s going to break Rollins’ legs.

Cue LA Knight, who shakes hands with Punk, but says last week Punk got involved in the title match. Knight is great with Punk getting revenge on Rollins, but he needs to get it after the bell rings. Punk can have his rematch, though it’s going to come after Knight gets hit. Punk thinks the words Knight are looking for are “thank you”, because Punk saved Knight after Rollins stomped his head on the concrete like a coconut.

As I try to figure out who smashes coconuts on concrete, Punk points out that Knight isn’t a former World Champion. Knight says that as Punk has said before, there are levels to this and Punk isn’t on his. He wants to keep the two of them problem free so he’s going to do Punk two favors: he’s going to forget about last week, and then he’s going to win the World Title and make Punk his first successful title defense.

Punk is willing to keep things safe because he’s the best in the world, but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt (Punk: “I wasn’t done!”). Heyman, with Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker, speaks a few words of French before mocking the city. He warns Knight not to get in the favor sharing business with Punk, because it could cost you all kinds of things, from half of your life to your tribal chief but Punk cuts him off for a change. Punk offers to fight either of them tonight and the challenge is made/accepted for a tag match. This was a bit lengthy but I like Knight reaching this level.

We look back at the three Grande Americanos helping Dominik Mysterio win last week.

El Grande Americano comes to the Judgment Day clubhouse with Dominik Mysterio. Finn Balor takes Mysterio aside and suggests that they could use Americano to help Mysterio win the AAA Mega Title this weekend at TripleMania (as they’re two of the three challengers). Mysterio likes the idea and tells Americano that they need to get to the ring. Americano playing darts in the background while they talk is funny stuff.

El Grande Americano/Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee/AJ Styles

Lee dives onto Americano before the bell and Styles adds a knee from the apron to start with Mysterio. Lee and Americano come in with Lee getting a boot up to cut off a charge in the corner. A high crossbody gives Lee two and it’s off to Mysterio, who gets powerbombed as we go to a break.

We come back with Lee stomping Americano and hitting a running elbow. Mysterio offers a distraction though and Americano hits a running kick to the face. Lee gets sent outside and into the steps, allowing Americano to tie Lee’s mask to the corner. That…means pretty much nothing as Lee is let out seconds later, with Mysterio putting a mask on before grabbing a chinlock. Mysterio’s running dropkick in the corner has Lee in more trouble and we take another break.

We come back with Lee hitting the top rope double stomp on Americano but Mysterio pulls Styles off the apron in a rather smart move. Back in and Lee gets in another knockdown, which is enough for the tag to Styles. The pace picks up, including a monkey flip to send Mysterio into a Styles Clash. Americano shoves Lee off the top though and loads up the metal in his mask. Styles kicks it away before it can be put in the mask though, with Mysterio stealing it for his own mask. Mysterio’s headbutt to Styles lets American get the rollup pin at 16:40.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t have the other Americanos show up here but maybe they’re saving that for after the TripleMania title match. They’re playing up the idea that Mysterio outsmarted Styles here, which is something that has me curious. Not only is Mysterio getting successful but he’s also getting intelligent, which is a dangerous combination.

Sami Zayn met with Adam Pearce earlier, with Pearce saying there might be some World Title discussions if Zayn can beat Rusev tonight. Sheamus came in and is told he and Rusev can’t break down again tonight. That doesn’t work for Sheamus, but Zayn asks him to do it as a friend. Sheamus agrees, but Rusev is his the second the match is over.

Iyo Sky is disappointed in not getting her match with Naomi tonight. Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez come in to say it means Sky can’t lose again. Sky says she can fight Perez instead, with Pearce making the match.

Sami Zayn vs. Rusev

We get a pose off to start and believe it or not, the fans are behind the home province star. Rusev knocks him into the corner but gets pummeled for his efforts. Zayn sends him to the floor for the Arabian press moonsault, only to get caught in a release Rock Bottom back inside.

We take a break and come back with Rusev getting knocked off the top, allowing Zayn to hit the tornado DDT. Rusev’s jumping superkick gets two and he blocks the exploder into the corner. Things get a bit personal as Rusev does Sheamus’ ten forearms to the chest, which somehow powers Zayn up so the exploder can connect. The Helluva Kick is loaded up but the MFT’s pull Zayn outside for the DQ at 9:45.

Rating: C+. The fans were way behind Zayn here and the ending surprised me a bit, with the MFT’s coming out of nowhere. That ties in nicely with the match from Smackdown and gives both Rusev and Zayn a logical way out. I’m curious to see where this goes, but it also (probably) keeps Zayn away from the World Title scene for the time being.

Post match Zayn gets beaten down until referees break it up. Cue Sheamus to jump Rusev and they brawl into the crowd.

Post break the MFT’s are ejected with Adam Pearce calling Nick Aldis to yell. New Day and Grayson Waller come in to complain about Penta wrecking Xavier Woods’ hat. Penta should be banned from wearing hats! Pearce doesn’t have time for this so he’s making Penta vs. Woods for next week. As usual, Pearce losing his mind and snapping is his best stuff.

Bronson Reed talks about earning Seth Rollins’ respect, which earned his way into the Vision. He’s taken out Roman Reigns and promises to do it again and add to his collection until Reigns acknowledges the Tribal THIEF. That’s great.

The Kabuki Warriors offer to keep things even with Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez but Sky politely declines, saying she has this.

Iyo Sky vs. Roxanne Perez

Raquel Rodriguez is here with Perez. They fight over wrist control to start with Sky spinning out to take her down, only to get caught in a waistlock. Sky gets up and grabs a headlock takeover but has to flip out of a headscissors. The fans are rather pleased as Sky flips away from Perez and hits a dropkick to the floor. The suicide dive takes out both villains but Perez sends Sky into the steps as we take a break.

We come back with Sky in trouble but hitting a dropkick. A missile dropkick connects as well but Perez knocks her back down. The flipping knees to the back connect but Pop Rox is blocked. Sky kicks her in the head but Rodriguez’s distraction lets Perez rake the eyes. A Shining Wizard gives Perez two and she can’t believe the kickout.

Back up and Sky sends Perez outside for a suicide dive onto both of them. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and Rodriguez gets on the apron. Cue the Kabuki Warriors to hold Perez but Sky has to stop before running into them. That’s enough for Perez to get a rollup with trunks for the pin 14:40.

Rating: B. This was getting rolling and then things happened in the end, which actually made it a bit more interesting. Issues with Sky and the Warriors could go places, with Asuka vs. Sky being a possibly awesome feud. I wasn’t betting on Perez winning here as she was a replacement for Sky’s much bigger opponent, so that was a nice surprise.

Jey Uso is back and wants his rematch but LA Knight interrupts, saying the line starts behind him. Uso isn’t quite buying that.

Iyo Sky yells at the Kabuki Warriors, with Asuka shoving her away and leaving, with Kairi Sane not being sure how to respond.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch

Dupri, with the Alpha Academy, is challenging. Lynch doesn’t seem worried and escapes a headlock to run Dupri over. Some stomping in the corner has Dupri down again as Natalya shouts that Lynch is a bully. The Bexploder looks to set up the Manhandle Slam but Dupri gets a Stunner to escape in a nice counter. The ankle lock is broken up so Dupri goes with a clothesline. That only gets her so far though and Lynch rolls her up for two while holding the ropes. That’s reversed into the Disarm-Her to retain the title at 5:34.

Rating: C-. This lost the little charm it had rather quickly as there was no reason to buy Dupri as even an annoyance to Lynch. Dupri isn’t interesting and she’s little more than a joke anyway. Lynch is getting ready to face Nikki Bella and this felt like a way to burn off a week before the match.

Post match Natalya comes to check on Dupri and gets kicked down by Lynch. Good grief do we have to go there now? Or ever really?

Seth Rollins gives Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed a pep talk before the main event, telling them to stack some bodies because he’s out of this dump.

Bayley isn’t sure why she has reached this point in her career because everything she has done has gotten her nowhere. She seems to be having a mental breakdown. While I don’t think it’s happening, having her as a way to bring Karrion Kross back as a new unit could be interesting. Assuming Kross is coming back at all.

Lyra Valkyria isn’t taking the blame for what happened to Bayley because Bayley cost her.

Stephanie Vaquer offers her apologies to Iyo Sky. With Vaquer gone, Rhea Ripley comes in but Sky tells her to stay out of it.

Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker vs. LA Knight/CM Punk

The villains jump them before the bell and it’s Knight getting caught in the corner as Paul Heyman is at ringside with the shoes. Knight fights back and even gets his vest off, allowing Punk to come in and start on Breakker’s ribs. Reed comes in and it takes a few clotheslines to put him on the floor in a nice bit.

We take a break and come back with Breakker firing off shoulders to Punk’s ribs in the corner, followed by a neck crank. That’s broken up and Punk is able to bring Knight in for the house cleaning, including a jumping neckbreaker to Reed. The BFT is blocked but Knight is right back with a reverse DDT. Back up and Knight is sent outside for Breakker’s clothesline over the announcers’ table.

We take another break and come back with Knight getting knocked into the wrong corner again. Knight fights away but Punk goes outside to yell at Breakker meaning there’s no one to tag. Instead Reed drops a backsplash for two and then knocks Punk off the apron again. The Steiner Bulldog gets two with Punk having to make a save, allowing Knight to fight up again. This time the tag brings in Punk, who barks a bit before suplexing Breakker. Everything breaks down and Knight takes Reed out on the floor, leaving Punk to hit the top rope elbow on Breakker. The GTS is loaded up but Seth Rollins comes in for the DQ at 16:22.

Rating: B-. This went longer than it needed to, especially for something as simple as “and then Rollins runs in for the DQ”. The Vision likely getting to stand tall again to end the show is basically a lesser version of last week’s ending, which is only going to get them so far. The action was your basic stuff, but the fans were going nuts for Punk, as usual.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jey Uso makes the save with a chair. Cue Adam Pearce to say he sees what Rollins did as an opportunity. That opportunity will be defending the title against Uso, Knight and Punk in a four way at Clash In Paris. The challengers get in a fight, allowing the Vision to come in and beat them down, with Rollins paying close attention to Punk to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this show as much as it felt rather long. It felt like there were things that were being dragged out to make the show longer, which isn’t a good vibe at any time. What we got wasn’t bad, but it seemed like the show could have been done about twenty minutes earlier. The Clash In Paris title match is intriguing though, so points for trying something different. Not their best week, but far from a terrible show.

Results
El Grande Americano/Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee/AJ Styles – Loaded headbutt to Styles
Sami Zayn b. Rusev via DQ when the MFT’s interfered
Roxanne Perez b. Iyo Sky – Rollup with trunks
Becky Lynch b. Maxxine Dupri – Disarm-Her
CM Punk/LA Knight b. Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 4, 2025
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Summerslam and it was certainly not a quiet weekend. On the Raw side, Seth Rollins came back in a stunning and shocking (WWE told me so) moment to win the World Title from CM Punk. In other news, CM Punk won the World Title. We’re on the way to Clash In Paris at the end of the month so let’s get to it.

Here are is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of both nights of Summerslam.

Here are Seth Rollins and company, including Bron Breakker (who got hurt at Summerslam but seems ok here) to get things going. Paul Heyman declares himself not just the GOAT but also the Oracle. He talks about the people next to him and says that normally he would be here introducing the Tribal Chief, but Reigns hasn’t been champion in a year and a half.

Or maybe he could be introducing CM Punk, who won the title on Saturday and thought he would have it forever. But then Rollins took the title away from him and stole the honeymoon, which was very good to Rollins. After some loud booing, Rollins talks about how the fans all turned their backs on him. You should never bet against him because he is the World Heavyweight Champion.

Shame on everyone who turned their back on him, because he had a plan b. He only told two people about this plan: his beautiful wife and his oracle. They are the past, present and future of wrestling and they are the vision. Cue LA Knight to interrupt, who greets the champ, the oracle and the morons. Knight accuses Rollins of faking his injury to get out of their match but Knight beat him anyway. Well that makes things interesting because he’s ready to beat Rollins again, right here and right now.

Rollins sounds interested but eventually says no, which brings out Adam Pearce. It wouldn’t be normal to run a title match with no promotion, but it’s also not normal to have someone lie to his medical team like Rollins did. That’s why tonight the title is on the line, and Reed/Breakker are banned from ringside. That’s a big one and does tie up something of a loose string.

Judgment Day runs into the LWO in the back and Dominik Mysterio doesn’t think much of them. Dragon Lee requests and receives a match tonight but AJ Styles comes in to say he’s still coming for the title.

Rusev vs. Sheamus

Rusev jumps him at the bell and starts the beating in a hurry. The forearms to the back keep Sheamus in trouble but he gets his boots up in the corner. Rusev kicks him down again but gets caught on top, where Sheamus grabs a super White Noise. We take another break and come back with Sheamus hitting the Irish Curse. The ten forearms are broken up so Sheamus settles for sending him over the announcers’ table. Rusev is able to send him into the steps and they fight into the crowd, with Sheamus hitting the forearms to the chest. Those keep on going until it’s a double countout at 9:10.

Rating: B-. Hard hitting brawl here but that ending feels like the calling card of a Last Man Standing match or something similar, likely over in Paris later this month. That’s a good way to go, as there is always room for two big guys hitting each other really hard. The ending keeps both of them looking strong and gives them a reason to run it back, as they were more interested in fighting than winning, which fits for them.

Post match the beatdown stays on despite referees and agents trying to break it up.

New Day is still in mourning, including Xavier Woods with his three and a half foot wide hat, when Grayson Waller comes in to ask where they were last week. The team shrugs it off but blame Adam Pearce for the issues. Waller goes to yell at Pearce, who is talking to Penta. Pearce says New Day can have a title shot when they earn it, while Waller can face Penta tonight.

Penta vs. Grayson Waller

Waller struts away to start and grabs a headlock but Penta reverses for a strut of his own. Penta sends him outside and cue New Day, with the distraction letting Waller get in a clothesline on the floor. We take a break and come back with Penta hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into a slingshot dropkick in the corner. Waller knocks him back down but misses the middle rope elbow as New Day, now on commentary, brags about their success without Big E. The rolling Stunner is cut off with a superkick though and the rolling Canadian Destroyer out of the corner finishes for Penta at 8:20.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of win that stars like Penta need on occasion: a simple victory over someone where there isn’t much doubt about the better man, but Penta gets the win anyway. He got to do a lot of his stuff and the fans reacted without taking up a ton of time. Waller isn’t going to be hurt by the loss and Penta looks good.

Post match New Day goes after Penta, who clears the ring and steals Woods’ hat. Said hat is thrown at New Day and Penta takes them down with the big flip dive. Kingston’s look of “What was THAT” is great.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are in the back when Sheamus and Rusev run up, still in their big brawl.

We look at Brock Lesnar’s return to lay out John Cena last night.

Michael Cole says he talked to HHH and Nick Khan about Lesnar’s return. Apparently they agreed weeks ago that it was time to bring him back “home” and he was happy with that.

Here are Charlotte and Alexa Bliss for a chat. Charlotte says that might be her first YOU DESERVE IT chant, but she has to get used to the idea that THEY are champions instead of SHE. Maybe if Bliss could stop hitting her in the face, they could be….something. Bliss: “I think you were about to say the F word.” Charlotte: “You are such a pain in my A word.”

Either way, Charlotte is happy with winning another title and brags about her success but here is Judgment Day to interrupt. They get right to the point and the title match is made. Cue Adam Pearce to say not so fast because that’s not normal…but nothing tonight is so let’s do it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Charlotte/Alexa Bliss vs. Judgment Day

Charlotte and Bliss are defending and we’re joined in progress with Perez sending Bliss into the corner. Bliss reverses into a whip of her own and it’s off to Charlotte to pick up the pace. Rodriguez comes in as well to cut her off though and Perez sends Charlotte outside. Back in and Judgment Day seems to get a bit confused, allowing Charlotte to take out their knees. Bliss comes in and gets to clean some house, only to be sent outside and kicked into the timekeeper’s area.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte getting the tag to clean more house, including a (slingshotless) Buckshot Lariat to Rodriguez. The double moonsault gets two on Perez, who is back up with a failed Pop Rox attempt. Charlotte sends her into the buckle for a breather but Perez manages a hurricanrana. Bliss comes in for the save and is promptly sent outside for interfering. Charlotte kicks her way to freedom though and brings Bliss in, with the Sister Abigail DDT finishing Perez at 12:45.

Rating: C+. I’m only so interested in these titles in the first place, but Charlotte and Bliss teaming together is doing wonders for Charlotte. She’s acting like a completely different person these days and that is letting her talent shine through. Maybe it’s the personality, but getting her away from the singles title scene has helped a lot. She and Bliss work well together too and it’s a lot better than I was expecting.

The Kabuki Warriors and Iyo Sky are in the back when Rhea Ripley comes up. The Warriors leave, with Ripley saying she heard Sky got a one on one match with Naomi. Sky says she didn’t get pinned at Summerslam, with Ripley telling her to go win the title so Ripley can take it from her. Sky: “Rhea, you are never going to beat me.”

We look at Bayley costing Lyra Valkyria the Women’s Intercontinental Title match against Becky Lynch at Summerslam.

Bayley finds Valkyria, who wants nothing to do with Bayley anymore. She needs to get out of this “Bayley vortex”. They aren’t friends or enemies, but stay away.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee

Non-title and Lee starts very fast with a suicide dive to take Mysterio out on the floor. Mysterio is right back up with a slingshot hilo and some choking on the ropes. It’s way too early for the 619 so Mysterio settles for a DDT onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Lee hitting some superkicks, including the slingshot version in the corner. Mysterio tries to bounce out of the corner but gets caught in a sitout powerbomb to give Lee two.

Back up and Lee catches him in the corner, setting up the top rope double stomp. Cue El Grande Americano (facing Mysterio, Lee and El Hijo del Vikingo this weekend for the AAA World Title)….and the other Grande Americano…..and a THIRD Grande Americano as well, with the distraction allowing Mysterio to get in a boot (off foo) to the head. That and the feet on the ropes finishes Lee at 8:14.

Rating: C. Well, I’m curious about where the Americano stuff is going. If nothing else is has me wondering who is under the masks and how many we might see, so points for trying something new. At the same time, we could be looking at Mysterio becoming a double champion sooner rather than later, and that has some potential for his future.

Post match AJ Styles runs in to swing the boot at Mysterio and then throw it up the aisle as Mysterio leaves.

Sami Zayn is happy to have defeated Karrion Kross but happier to have thrown the steel pipe away instead of winning on his own. Yes he wanted to do it, but he also wants to be a World Champion on his own. Cue Sheamus and Rusev to brawl some more, with Zayn getting hit in the face by Rusev.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. Lynch: “Ding dong, Lyra is gone!” She’s not getting any more title shots as long as Lynch is champion, which will be for a very, very long time. It’s time to open the door to new competitors…but we won’t be doing it tonight. Cue Nikki Bella to interrupt, saying she thought she left the women’s division in great hands, but Lynch has been such a disappointment. Bella is back to prove herself but why did Lynch come back? Is it because Hollywood isn’t what she thought it would be?

Lynch brings up her role in Happy Gilmore 2, while Bella’s role was cut. Bella laughs it off and says that Lynch is like Seth Rollins, but no one believes Lynch’s BS. Lynch does not like Rollins being brought up because they are the hottest couple in WWE. That used to be Bella and….someone, but now we can’t see them. That’s a BIG gasp from the audience but Bella gets to the point with the title challenge. Lynch hits her in the face and bails instead. That John Cena reference was one heck of a burn, even if it’s the easiest line in the world to use against Bella.

Naomi says she is indeed facing Iyo Sky next week but Stephanie Vaquer interrupts. Naomi threatens to snap Vaquer’s horns off and stick them in a certain place to leave her with a limp. Then she imitates the limp to make it work.

Gunther is out of action indefinitely after being injured at Summerslam.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Natalya, with the Alpha Academy, yells at Becky Lynch for being mean to Nikki Bella. Lynch agrees to a match next week…against Maxxine Dupri.

Raw World Title: LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins, with Paul Heyman, is defending. After the Big Match Intros, Rollins stomps away in the ropes but gets dropped with a clothesline. Knight’s suplex gets two and he knocks Rollins outside for a brisk walk chase. Heyman doesn’t work as Rollins’ shield but Rollins manages a quick stomp (not quite the Stomp) from the barricade and we take a break. We come back with Knight jumping to the top for the superplex, followed by the neckbreaker out of the corner for two more.

Knight’s powerslam connects but Rollins blocks the jumping elbow. There’s the buckle bomb but it’s too early for the stomp. Instead Knight grabs a reverse Death Valley Driver for two and they’re both down. The Pedigree is countered and Knight grabs a DDT, allowing him to pop back up. Knight’s jumping top rope elbow gets two but the BFT is countered. They go out to the floor and crash over the announcers’ table, with Rollins getting the better of things. Rollins peels back the floor mats….and CM Punk comes in for the DQ at 13:05.

Rating: B-. This was another match where there wasn’t exactly much drama about a title change but it’s a rather good sign for Knight’s future if he can be in there at this level. It wouldn’t stun me to see him getting the shot in Paris or at a Saturday Night’s Main Event, which is quite the rise for his career. The Punk interference wasn’t exactly shocking, as it was about the only way this was going to end.

Post match Punk goes after Rollins and Knight is not pleased. Cue Bron Breakker to spear Punk and Bronson Reed is in to crush Knight. The Stomp hits both of them and the villains pose….but Roman Reigns is here. House is quickly cleaned but Reigns goes after Reed, allowing Rollins to hit the Stomp. Reed hits a bunch of Tsunamis on Reigns and Adam Pearce comes out, with Rollins yelling at him. Reed steals Reigns’ shoes AGAIN (please let there be a payoff for that down the line, like Reigns putting a mousetrap in one of the shoes or something) and the villains stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about setting up Clash In Paris and that went well enough, but I wasn’t able to get into the show. The wrestling was fine enough, but it felt like it was more about getting ready for later rather than doing a bunch of stuff that mattered here. The angle at the end was a big one, even if it was the third straight night where a villain stood tall to end the show. That being said, I’m having a great time with Reed stealing the shows so we’ll call that a silver lining. Not a bad show, but it’s a stepping stone to the stuff that matters.

Results
Rusev vs. Sheamus went to a double countout
Penta b. Grayson Waller – Spinning Canadian Destroyer
Alexa Bliss/Charlotte b. Judgment Day – Sister Abigail DDT to Perez
Dominik Mysterio b. Dragon Lee – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Seth Rollins b. LA Knight via DQ when CM Punk interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Summerslam 2025 Night Two
Date: August 3, 2025
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re back for the second half of the show after yesterday’s pretty snazzy first half. In this case we’re headlined by Cody Rhodes challenging John Cena for the Smackdown World Title. Cena seems to have seen the light again and that could make for a big change of pace. Other than that, Solo Sikoa is defending the US Title against Jacob Fatu in a cage. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at last night’s highlights, along with that Druski guy talking about how this is another chance to shake up the world. The regular opening video again features various reaction shots.

Here’s HHH to fire up the crowd with a “you ain’t seen nothing yet”.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky vs. Naomi

Naomi is defending and is played to the ring by….her dad. Well that’s awesome. Naomi drops to the floor to start but is thrown back inside and surrounded. Ripley kicks Sky in the face by mistake so Naomi drops Sky across the top and bites Ripley’s thumb for a change of pace. A hanging X Factor drops Sky and Ripley gets knocked into the corner. The Blockbuster puts Sky down and Naomi sends her outside.

Ripley is back up with a belly to back faceplant to Naomi and Sky is back up with the springboard missile dropkick. Sky’s 619 into a German suplex sends Naomi outside and it’s time for the big showdown. Sky small packages Ripley into a quickly broken crossface, followed by a poisonrana. Naomi is back in and goes to the floor with Ripley, allowing Sky to Asai moonsault both of them.

Back in and Sky’s Over The Moonsault is broken up so Sky goes up again and hits Ripley. Naomi rolls Sky up for two and everyone is down. Ripley is back up for Riptide on Naomi, with Sky making the save. Sky and Ripley kick Naomi out to the floor before Ripley flip dives onto Naomi on the floor. Sky follows them outside and powerbombs Ripley onto Naomi for the nasty landing. Back in and Ripley catches Sky on top for a super Riptide, only for Naomi to come in and roll Ripley up with trunks for the pin at 16:23.

Rating: B. Good start to the show here, as Ripley’s frustrations continue to mount. At the same time, Naomi has been on a roll as of late and it’s great to see her getting a chance like this. She’s won me over in recent months and that’s a nice feeling. Ripley might have to do something drastic soon and I’m not sure how that’s going to go. As for Sky…well she’s Iyo Sky, which is quite the praise.

The Dudleys and Hardy Boyz are here for the TLC match.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks vs. DIY vs. Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Street Profits vs. Fraxiom

The Wyatts are defending in a TLC match. The challengers jump the Wyatts to start and it’s time for the parade of dives to the floor. Fraxiom brings in a ladder, with the Guns picking it up, only to have it dropkicked back against them. The Wyatts cut Fraxiom off from climbing and go up, with the Profits making the save. The Profits backdrop Gacy at a ladder….but completely miss it, so they try it again to make sure they get it right (nice reaction for that).

Some more tables are set up at ringside but Andrade and Fenix come in, with Fenix climbing onto Andrade’s shoulders and touching the belts (the fans are impressed). That’s broken up and it’s time to set up a bunch of tables around ringside. Lumis dives onto Ford and then Fenix hits a dive of his own through Fraser. Dawkins goes up but gets taken down by Axiom’s super Spanish Fly through some tables.

With everyone else down, Candice LeRae, B Fab and Nikki Cross go up for the belts but get pulled back down. LeRae goes up again and gets knocked down through a bridged ladder for a terrifying crash (her knee looked like it landed badly). Gargano goes up but gets pulled down by Ford, with Rowan coming in to kick him in the face. Rowan cleans house until the Profits send him through a table in the corner.

Ciampa goes up but the Guns move the ladder. Frazer tries a spear off the ladder but Ciampa pulls himself up onto the belts to send Frazer crashing (that was NUTS). DIY goes up but Uncle Howdy comes in to shove them both down, with DIY going crashing through a pile of tables at ringside. Fraser goes up but gets caught in Howdy’s Mandible Claw. Andrade dives up with a sunset bomb to bring him back down but the other Wyatts go up, with Gacy pulling down the titles to win at 16:03.

Rating: B. This was a total spectacle and stunt show, with that Ciampa sit up spot being an all time highlight. At the same time, this didn’t have the flow of the classic TLC match from earlier this year, partially due to how many people were involved. This one felt more like it was about going viral than having a great match and the segment in the middle where people dove off the posts to the floor summed up the issue. While they were getting ready to dive, the ring was empty and a ladder was set up. Why was no one going for the belts? Yes it’s a spotfest, but at least try to look like you want to win.

We look at Seth Rollins cashing in last night….in various languages.

We recap Lyra Valkyria vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Title. They won the Women’s Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania but lost them on the following Raw. Lynch turned on her and then won the Intercontinental Title while basically saying she used Valkyria as a stepping stone. Now it’s Valkyria’s last chance and anything goes. There’s also the Bayley factor, as she isn’t happy with being left out of Summerslam.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria

Anything goes, Lynch is defending and she comes out to new music. Valkyria knocks her outside to start but Lynch takes over, allowing her to whip out a kendo stick. Valkyria isn’t worried as she comes out with a metal crowbar, which knocks the stick away. A crossbody off the barricade drops Lynch and Valkyria sends her…well right into a photographer actually. That doesn’t seem to do much damage as Valkyria sends Lynch into the post and then over the announcers’ table.

A table is pulled out but Lynch uses the delay to whip out a chain. Said chain is wrapped around Valkyria’s mouth as commentary gets into it about whether Valkyria is a threat to Lynch without having beaten her. Cole: “She has beaten her.” Lynch knocks her down again and grabs a toolbox, with a hard shot getting two. Lynch finds a zip tie in the toolbox and ties Valkyria’s hands together so the beating can continue.

The chairs are loaded up…but Valkyria slips her arms around Lynch and gets a belly to belly. Valkyria gets back up (ignore the camera showing the zip tie coming undone and having to be reset) and manages a moonsault with her hands tied together. The turnbuckle pad is taken off but Lynch sends her to the floor, where Valkyria (hands still tied) comes out with a fire extinguisher blast. Valkyria uses the edge of the fire extinguisher handle to cut herself free and unloads with a kendo stick.

A fisherman’s suplex gets two and they go back outside, with Valkyria hitting Nightwing off the stairs for a nasty crash. Back in and Valkyria misses a charge into the exposed buckle, setting up a Manhandle Slam onto some open chairs….for two. Lynch ties her up in a chair and kicks away, including ramming Valkyria into the announcers’ table.

Lynch grabs the crowbar but cue Bayley to take it away and beat on Lynch around ringside. Bayley misses a running knee but Valkyria is back up with a legdrop to send Lynch through a table. Back in and both finishes are countered…and Bayley accidentally knocks Valkyria silly with a chain. The Manhandle Slam finishes for Lynch at 25:07.

Rating: C+. On one hand, this was a heck of a fight with some creative spots and Valkyria getting to show off some incredible athleticism when her hands were tied. It also helps that despite here interference being pretty obvious, it didn’t feel like a countdown until Bayley showed up. At the same time though, MY GOODNESS this did not need to be so long. It’s a great example of a match that could have been ten minutes shorter and improved as a result. That’s on top of the main event being a street fight, with this one making that one feel less unique. Good parts to it, but it desperately needed some cuts.

We recap Solo Sikoa defending the US Title against Jacob Fatu in a cage. They were close, then Fatu turned on him because he was tired of Sikoa taking advantage of him. Sikoa stole the US Title and tried to get Fatu arrested so it’s time for a cage match to ensure that it’s 1-1.

US Title: Solo Sikoa vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu is challenging in a cage and knocks Sikoa down to start. A running elbow drops Sikoa but he sends a charging Fatu into the cage. The slow beating continues but Fatu is back up with a hard clothesline. Sikoa sends him into the cage…and Fatu shrugs it off. A pair of moonsaults connect to give Fatu two so cue the MFT’s. The distraction brings out Jimmy Uso, who gets taken out without much trouble.

Fatu has to hold off the MFT’s, who start to climb into the cage. That’s broken up, but one of them manages to handcuff Fatu to the cage (in case the tied hands deal in the previous match wasn’t enough). Sikoa goes to the door but Fatu pulls the cuffs apart and makes the save. Talla Tonga slams the cage on Fatu’s head though and Sikoa escapes to retain at 12:05.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t much to see and the problem comes down to the fact that it didn’t feel like any kind of big moment. Instead it was just the two of them doing stuff until the interference started. It wasn’t an interesting match and Fatu only got to do so much. Sikoa keeping the title is fine, but they could have found a better way to do it.

Post match Uso gets back up and goes after Tonga Loa and JC Mateo. They’re thrown inside and Fatu takes both of them down. The moonsault off the top of the cage takes both of them down to show off that Fatu is awesome. And that’s kind of the problem with this whole story: win or lose, they’re going to keep fighting, which makes this match feel kind of unimportant.

We recap Dominik Mysterio vs. AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Title. Styles has been wanting a title shot but Guerrero has claimed an injury to avoid having to defend against him. For some reason Styles put on a bunch of costumes to….I’m really not sure why as it was about waiting for Mysterio to get healthy. Anyway, the match is on.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. AJ Styles

Styles is challenging….and comes out in a low rider (with his son next to him), a STYLES HEAT shirt and does the Eddie dance. Styles hammers away to start fast and takes over on Mysterio in the corner. A missed charge sends Styles crashing out to the floor though and Mysterio puts him on the top. The super hurricanrana is countered into a failed Styles Clash attempt, leaving Styles to hit a diving tornado DDT.

Styles slips on a Phenomenal Forearm attempt and charges into a Michinoku Driver as the Fireflies come out for some reason. The Three Amigos are loaded up but Styles reverses the third into a brainbuster. Styles can’t hit a brainbuster but can reverse Mysterio’s frog splash into the Calf Crusher. That’s broken up and the referee gets dropped, so Mysterio goes to grab a chair.

Mysterio throws it to Styles and drops down, but Styles wraps it around his own neck and drops too. The referee gets up but didn’t see what happens so they keep going. Styles goes for the Calf Crusher again but pulls the boot off so Mysterio can escape. The referee has to duck a swing so Mysterio boots Styles in the head, setting up the frog splash to retain at 10:35.

Rating: B-. This one is going to depend on your tolerance for Eddie Guerrero tributes. I’ve been over them for years, so seeing just about every Eddie reference possible in one match was a bit much. That being said, it was a much more lighthearted match and that made for an easier match to watch. If nothing else, it was so different from the other violent/car crash matches on the night and that’s what it needed to be.

Stephanie McMahon announces the attendance: 60,561, for a two night total of 113,722.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena. Rhodes lost the Smackdown World Title to Cena at Wrestlemania when Cena hit him low, but now Rhodes wants a shot at the REAL Cena. This caused Cena to turn back to the good side, as he needed someone to remind him what he used to be.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes

Cena is defending in a street fight. Rhodes gets a special entrance with a Dusty Rhodes quote (“The view never changes.”) appearing on the screen. Cena gets quite the strong reaction and does his old run to the ring. They do the Big Match Intros and stare each other down with Cena giving him a hug. The brawl is on fast and they go outside, with Cena grabbing NBA star Tyrese Haliburton’s crutch for a shot to the back.

Cena throws the steps inside but gets knocked onto them, only to pop up and knock Rhodes off the top. The steps are thrown over the top onto Rhodes’ head but he’s right back up with a Disaster Kick. Back in and Cena sends him over the top for a crash, allowing both of them to grab chairs. Rhodes knocks Cena’s out of his hands and gets in a shot to the back for two. Cena fights up again and initiates the finishing sequence but Rhodes is back up with a Cody Cutter. The AA gets two but Rhodes hits the top rope moonsault.

Another Disaster Kick gets two on Cena, who is back with an electric chair for two more. Back up and a piledriver gives Rhodes another near fall but we have to pause to check on Cena. That’s goldbricking though and Rhodes walks into an AA, followed by the STF (STFU as Cole calls it), sending Rhodes to the apron (remember ropes don’t matter here) for the break. Cena is back up with a microphone to the head, followed by a Code Red on the floor. The AA through the announcers’ table knocks Rhodes sillier but he gets back up anyway.

A quick Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes two but Cena knocks him down again. The top rope Fameasser into another AA gets two so it’s time for a table. Another (yes another) AA takes too long though and Rhodes reverses into a DDT. Said table is put up in the corner but they go outside to fight into the crowd. Cena grabs a piece of barricade and shoves it in Rhodes’ general direction before Rhodes suplexes him onto it instead. They go underneath the stage and come up the elevator Rhodes uses for his entrance with Cena holding him in the fireman’s carry (that was GREAT).

One heck of an AA sends Rhodes onto the ramp (Cena LAUNCHED him) before Cena picks Rhodes up and they go back to the ring (heck of a carry job by Cena). Back in and Rhodes sends him through the table in the corner and hits another Cross Rhodes for two. A chair to the head knocks Cena silly and Rhodes takes the turnbuckle off. The shot to Cena’s hands in front of his face thankfully doesn’t get a cover and another big shot connects, with the fans not liking this version of Rhodes.

The third shot is loaded up but Cena pulls him into the STF with the rope. That’s reversed as well so Rhodes hits back to back to back Cross Rhodes for two, leaving Rhodes stunned. With nothing else working, Rhodes grabs the belt but misses the big shot, allowing Cena to hit back to back AA’s, followed by the super AA for two. Another table is loaded up but Rhodes reverses a super AA into a Cody Cutter through the table. Cena is up in about five seconds and another Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes the title back at 37:33.

Rating: B. I’m not even going to try to defend this match, as it was a totally insane and ridiculous match (eight AA’s if you lost count) with nothing but ridiculous spots and kickouts. That being said, I was laughing my head off at some of this stuff, as they were leaning into the ridiculousness. That’s what it should have been and I liked it far more than I should have.

Post match Cena hands Rhodes the title and says something to him, which seems to mean a lot to Rhodes. With Rhodes gone, Cena soaks in a THANK YOU CENA chant….AND BROCK LESNAR IS BACK. Cena looks like he has seen a ghost and gets F5’ed to end the show. That’s certainly going to raise some eyebrows, and I do wonder if that had something to do with the abrupt Cena face turn.

Overall Rating: B. It definitely wasn’t as strong as last night, but I had a good enough time with this show. The problem here was having way too many gimmick/violent matches as it was so much of the show. The cage match wasn’t very good and the Valkyria vs. Lynch was too long, but I had a good time with most of the rest. Not an all timer, but for a three hour and forty five minute shot, I had a good time.

Overall Overall Rating: B+. The best thing I can say about this was it wasn’t dull. They had a long, drawn out weekend with a bunch of stuff taking place and some memorable moments, even if some of the matches might have been a bit lacking. I can absolutely see why Summerslam is going to be a two night event going forward and if this is what we’re getting every year, it’s going to be fine. Strong overall showing from WWE, though it would have been even better if they mixed the cards up a bit.

Results
Naomi b. Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley – Rollup with tights to Ripley
Wyatt Sicks b. Andrade/Rey Fenix, Motor City Machine Guns, Fraxiom, Street Profits and DIY – Gacy pulled down the titles
Becky Lynch b. Lyra Valkyria – Manhandle Slam
Solo Sikoa b. Jacob Fatu – Sikoa escaped the cage
Dominik Mysterio b. AJ Styles – Frog splash
Cody Rhodes b. John Cena – Cross Rhodes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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It’s time to do the other half and since we’ve never actually done that before with Summerslam, it’s hard to say what we’re going to be getting here. We have the same amount of matches as last night so everything should be balanced equally, though the star power kind of varies a bit from one night to the other. This could work well too though so let’s get to it.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio(c) vs. AJ Styles

When did Mysterio become one of the best things going in WWE? His stuff with Styles has been all over the place but rather funny at the same time, with Mysterio doing everything he can to avoid Styles. The good thing here is Styles is going to be able to make Mysterio look great here and that’s exactly why they’re being put into this match on this stage. Mysterio is on a roll, and I’m curious to see how far he can go.

Of course I’ll go with Mysterio retaining the title here, as Styles isn’t someone who needs any kind of gold or accomplishments at this point in his career. Let him go out there and make Mysterio look even better than usual. I’m not sure what is next for Mysterio, but at least he’s getting this kind of a spot, as he can more than hold up his own end in the ring by now.

Raw Women’s Title: Naomi(c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky

Now this is one of the bigger surprises in a good while, as Naomi has absolutely nailed the heel run and is feeling like a star every time she’s out there. That’s rather impressive after she was destroyed by Jade Cargill multiple times. She’s gotten the PROCEED WITH CAUTION deal over and I could go with seeing where she goes from here. At the same time, you have the awesome Ripley and Sky, who have to merge with Naomi to make this work.

So how well will it work? Well I’ll go with Naomi retaining the title, as it feels too early to take it off of her so far. Other than that, Ripley and Sky should both be able to nail their usual stuff and carry the action. At some point they’ll have their singles rematch later on to carry on from their classic at Evolution, but this is more about Naomi retaining as she can get a big win.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch(c) vs. Lyra Valkyria

This is anything goes as well as Valkyria’s last shot at the title, which feels like it’s setting up something for the ending. Valkyria has been trying as hard as she can to make this work and is getting close, but it really isn’t working yet. Lynch has been her usual good self, though it still feels more about making the title feel important. There’s one more factor to mess with the whole thing though and that might be enough to sway the result.

I’ll take Lynch retaining here, likely with the recently distraught Bayley interfering to cost Valkyria the match. That’s the story they’ve been setting up and it’s something Bayley might be needing. For now, it should be enough to give us another Bayley vs. Valkyria match and I could go for seeing how that goes. Lynch can move on to someone else though, as she’ll retain the title here.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Wyatt Sicks(c) vs. Street Profits vs. Andrade/Rey Fenix vs. DIY vs. Fraxiom vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is the big six team TLC match as they’re trying to recreate their instant classic from earlier in the year. That is going to be one heck of a trick to pull off but I can’t blame them for trying to pull it off. This is going to be the total car crash match of the show and there is a good chance that it works. I’m not sure if it’s going to get enough time to really get that far, but at least they’re doing the logical thing at this point.

As for a winner, there’s never much of a way to predict these things but I’ll go with the Wyatts winning to retain. The idea is supposed to be that the division is getting together to deal with the evil Wyatts, but it would be a much better result to have one of the teams take the Wyatts out. That can happen later on when more of the hope is lost, which only comes if the Wyatts retain here.

US Title: Solo Sikoa(c) vs. Jacob Fatu

In a cage, which should make for a nice spectacle. Obviously the question hers isn’t whether someone will interfere but rather when and how many. That’s exactly what should be happening here, as the idea of Sikoa being able to hang with Fatu one on one is nonsense. Instead this is about whether or not Sikoa has enough backup to hold Fatu off, which is far from easy.

This feels like a way to keep Fatu from getting the title back while giving him an out so I’ll take Sikoa to retain. You could easily have him slip out of the cage to escape while Fatu is attacked or distracted somehow, which would show Fatu that he needs more help. Fatu is likely going to get his win back down the line, but this feels more like a way to keep the title on Sikoa, which should be the case at the moment.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena(c) vs. Cody Rhodes

Finally we have this one, which was turned completely on its head during this week’s Smackdown. Cena seemingly turned back to the side of good after months of being evil, and that opens up the field quite a bit. There are several ways this could go, and unfortunately I’m not exactly feeling most of them. Now we just need to see which direction they actually take.

The more I think about this, the more sense it makes for Rhodes to get the title back here, but now we have to wonder about how. There is always the chance that Rhodes takes Cena’s place as the Corporate Champion, which opens up a bunch of weird options. I’m not wild on that idea, but I’ll absolutely take it over Cena swerving us to keep being a villain. The Cena heel run has been weird to say the least and I’d much rather they just abandon it for his last five months in the ring.

Overall Thoughts

This night is rather stacked and the action should be very good, but I’m almost afraid of how they’re going to get out of that main event. What matters is, at least for now, they seem to have dropped one of their weakest ideas and are moving in a new direction. That’s what we get to see in the main event, and if the rest of the card lives up to it, this has a lot of potential of its own.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Summerslam 2024
Date: August 3, 2024
Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 57,791
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Pat McAfee

This is the biggest Summerslam to date and that should make for a fun look back. Believe it or not, the main event features Cody Rhodes, but we also have the big in-ring return of CM Punk after his latest injury. On top of that, Gunther is challenging Damian Priest for the Raw World Title so let’s get to it.

I was in the stadium for this show, sitting in the lower bowl with the entrance on my right.

Here is HHH to get things going and introduce Jelly Roll for a live performance of “Liar”. This also serves as the opening video, with clips of the people involved in the show’s bigger matches. Roll also performed God Bless America before the show went on the air. Non-wrestling note: Roll deserves credit for losing so much weight in the last year. He looks like a different person from this year compared to the build for the following year’s Summerslam.

The Miz, the host for the show, is with the fans. That’s pretty much going to be all he does over the course of the night.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Ripley, with Dominik Mysterio, is challenging. Morgan injured Ripley’s shoulder earlier in the year, causing her to vacate the title and has also suggested that she’s going to steal Mysterio from Ripley. Morgan runs away to start and Ripley pauses to vent some frustration on the floor. Back in and Morgan runs away again, this time pausing in front of Green Shirt guy.

They get back in again and Ripley head fakes her and the chase is over. Ripley knocks her back to the floor and the beating is on against the barricade. Ripley sends her into the steps and the confidence is high. Morgan is taken back in but manages to send the shoulder into the post, leaving Ripley in a lot of trouble. Ripley screams that IT’S OUT but insists that she does not want the match stopped.

They go outside again, with Morgan kicking her into the steps as Ripley is in trouble. The armbar goes on but Ripley uses the good arm to slam Morgan down and roll outside. Mysterio shoves Ripley out of the way of a dive, leaving Ripley to ram her bad shoulder into the announcers’ table. The pain on her face goes away and Morgan realizes what just happened.

Back in and Ripley unloads on her with right hands before grabbing the Prism Trap. Morgan gets in another shot to the arm though and tries a cross armbreaker. Ripley powers out and powerbombs her down for two but Morgan is back with a headbutt. Morgan snaps her throat first across the rope and it’s time for a chair. Ripley rams her shoulder into the buckle again and grabs Riptide, but she looks at the chair instead of covering.

The chair is loaded up but Mysterio takes it away. That earns him a death glare from Ripley, but he reminds her about the title. The distraction lets Morgan ram Ripley into Mysterio and hit Oblivion for two. Mysterio slides the chair back in and gets on the apron, which is enough for Oblivion onto the chair to finish Ripley at 15:57.

Rating: B. This was a good story with Morgan having to find a way to survive against the monster Ripley. Ultimately there is only so much that can be done with people of such different size and power, but the shoulder was a great way to go. The ending was a big twist as well, with Mysterio finally turning on Ripley. It continued what was already a good feud, as Ripley again feels like she can carry anything.

Also of note: Ripley’s facial expressions don’t get enough credit. She has those eyes that make everything she does feel intense, but at the same time, she can tell all kinds of stories with just the look on her face. Not everyone can do that and she does it as well as anyone going today.

Post match Mysterio is smiling and helps Morgan up before kissing her. Ripley looks like she’s ready to kill them both (and she would sure try).

We recap Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker. Zayn is the champion and Breakker is the new monster force of nature. Breakker barely lost at Money In The Bank and now it’s a rematch with a more focused challenger.

Damian Priest storms into the Judgment Day clubhouse looking for Dominik Mysterio. Finn Balor says cool down because he’s got this. Priest is really not happy.

Intercontinental Title: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is challenging and Cole lists off how many legends won their first Intercontinental Title at Summerslam, including Ultimate Warrior in 1990. Breakker misses a spear at the start and hits the post before crashing out to the floor. Zayn hits a big flip dive but misses something coming off the top, allowing Breakker to hit a running corner clothesline.

The Helluva Kick misses so Breakker blasts him with a jumping clothesline. The super Frankensteiner gives Zayn two but the middle rope bulldog is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Zayn exploders him into the corner, only to walk into a spear. The Super Spear gives Breakker the pin at 5:43.

Rating: C+. That’s exactly what this should have been, with Zayn trying to run and outsmart Breakker but ultimately getting overwhelmed by the power. This was about Breakker getting a big win on the major stage and Zayn was the sacrifice to make that happen. Good stuff here, with no reason for it to go any longer.

The Slim Jim Savage Moment Of The Summer is Drew McIntyre laying out CM Punk and taking his bracelet.

We recap LA Knight vs. Logan Paul for the US Title. Knight is on a roll and wants the US Title but Paul won’t show up. Knight even went to Paul’s house and got in his pool, which was enough to get Paul to come back. The brawl was on and it’s time for the big showdown in Paul’s hometown.

US Title: Logan Paul vs. LA Knight

Knight is challenging. Paul comes to the ring with rapper Machine Gun Kelly but Knight rides into the back in Paul’s Prime truck, which he had recently stole. The window has been bothering him all day though so he puts a steel pole through said window. The brawl starts on the floor with Paul getting the better of things and loading up the announcers’ table. Knight fights back and sends him into the table over and over (ignore the camera angle showing that Paul’s head wasn’t coming close).

A torture rack neckbreaker sends Paul HARD onto the table and they’re both down. They get inside for the opening bell (because all of that was pre-match stuff) and Knight hammers away but the jumping elbow hits knees. Knight gets sent hard into the corner and Paul gets to mock both Knight and the crowd. The hand to the ear sets up a big boot into a legdrop for two and a tilt-a-whirl slam plants Knight again. An Alley Oop gives Paul two but he spends too much time mocking Knight and walks into the powerslam.

Knight is back up to hammer and stomp away in the corner. A Side Effect plants Paul and the jumping top rope elbow gets two. Back up and Paul sends him to the floor for the springboard moonsault (that looked GREAT) and a big crash. Back in and the big right hand is blocked but Knight’s BFT is countered into a backslide for two. Now the big right hand can knock Knight silly….for two, and Paul’s confidence is suddenly shattered.

Another BFT is blocked but Knight catches him on top for a superplex, which almost goes VERY bad as Paul almost landed on his head, for two. They go outside again where Knight beats up some of Paul’s goons. Paul makes the save and has Machine Gun Kelly give him the brass knuckles. A quick shot to the head staggers Knight but the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a BFT to give Knight the title at 12:02.

Rating: B. The result was what mattered the most here, as Knight absolutely had to win a title at some point. Paul had held the thing long enough and there was no reason to keep the title on him over Knight. As usual, Paul got to do his athletic stuff here and ultimately he put Knight over as he should have. Knight needed this one and it couldn’t have been put together much better.

Some wrestlers shill Manscape products.

We recap Bayley defending the Smackdown Women’s Title against Nia Jax. Bayley won the title at Wrestlemania and Jax is the Queen Of The Ring, earning her the title shot. The idea here is that Bayley is smarter and capable of capitalizing on Jax’s mistakes. At the same time, Tiffany Stratton is running around with the Money In The Bank briefcase and teasing a cash in.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Nia Jax vs. Bayley

Bayley is defending. Jax starts fast with the power but can’t hit a powerbomb. Bayley gets knocked into the corner and then thrown into another corner before Jax sits on her in the ropes. Back up and Jax drops her throat first across the top rope but Bayley avoids a charge to send Jax outside. The big legdrop only hits apron for Jax and Bayley dives off the steps to hammer away. Back in and Jax crotches her on top, only for Bayley to come back with a guillotine choke (how she beat Jax at Takeover: London back in 2015).

Jax powers out but misses a middle rope legdrop, allowing Bayley to hit the Bayley To Belly for a quick two. Bayley gets knocked down again though and the Annihilator connects for two more. An annoyed Jax slams Bayley’s head into the mat and then headbutts her into the corner. Back up and Jax misses a charge into the post to give Bayley a needed breather.

Bayley’s dive is cut off and Jax drives her into the corner for the hip attack. Another Annihilator is broken up and Bayley hits a heck of a powerbomb (the fans approve) out of the corner for the huge crash. The top rope elbow connects….and here is Tiffany Stratton. Bayley knocks Stratton off the apron and kicks Jax in the face but Jax is back with a pair of powerbombs. The Annihilator finishes Bayley for the title at 12:33, with Stratton never cashing in.

Rating: B-. There was a grand total of no way that Bayley was going to leave as champion here and the only question was whether or not Stratton was going to cash in. Jax had been built up as the unstoppable monster and she had to win the title at some point in there. That’s all this needed to be, with the Annihilator at the end being a good way to make it look like Bayley was destroyed.

We recap CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre. Punk has been out of action since being injured by McIntyre at the Royal Rumble. This resulted in the feud of the year, despite Punk not being able to wrestle. Punk cost McIntyre a pair of World Titles so McIntyre attacked him and stole a fan made bracelet that meant a lot to Punk, making it very personal. One of these moments involved costing McIntyre his Money In The Bank cash in, which ultimately cost Seth Rollins a title shot of his own. Now Rollins is the guest referee for Punk and McIntyre’s first match. Match order aside, this is the real main event of the show.

Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk

Seth Rollins is guest referee. They immediately slug it out at the bell with Punk taking him into the corner for the stomping. Rollins has to pull Punk off and that isn’t likely to go well. McIntyre fights back up and strikes away but a clothesline puts him out on the floor. Punk’s clothesline off the apron connects as the fight moves outside, leaving Rollins to chill on the top rope. Rollins dances to the fans singing his song as McIntyre swings Punk into the announcers’ table.

McIntyre catapults him into the ring frame and adds a snap suplex for two back inside. The overhead belly to belly gets two more as Punk is in trouble. Punk strikes away and is quickly caught in a sitout powerbomb for two. With that not working, McIntyre grabs a chair but Rollins takes it away at the last second. Rollins swings but almost hits Punk, only to pull up. A rollup gives Punk a delayed two and he glares at Rollins, who is back with a neckbreaker for two more.

McIntyre pulls out the bracelet and puts it on, only for the Claymore to be broken up. Punk strikes away and hits the top rope elbow before grabbing the Anaconda Vice. Punk makes the mistake of going for the bracelet though, allowing McIntyre to come back with a Claymore for two. Rollins picks up the bracelet to keep it safe and Punk fights back, even calling for the GTS…but then he notices the bracelet on Rollins’ wrist.

McIntyre knocks Punk into Rollins but the Futureshock is countered into the GTS. The very delayed count gets two so Punk yells at Rollins, even insulting “YOUR STUPID SABU PANTS!”. After that way too low blow, Rollins screams about how this is his company and they don’t want Punk here. That earns Rollins a GTS (thankfully the pants weren’t damaged) and Punk takes the bracelet back. The distraction lets McIntyre hit the Claymore for the pin at 16:58.

Rating: B+. This had the big fight feeling that it needed to have and the ending kept Punk vs. McIntyre going while also setting up Punk vs. Rollins. What mattered the most here though was getting Punk back in the ring, as you can only have him sitting on the sidelines for so long. The match was rather good as expected and Rollins was a rather nice addition.

Post match McIntyre steals the bracelet back to keep things going.

Damian Priest apologizes to Finn Balor for yelling earlier but Balor says it’s cool. It’s Judgment Day first and Balor wants Priest to go do his thing. If Priest needs him out there, say the world. Priest is cool with this.

We recap Damian Priest vs. Gunther. Priest won the title at Wrestlemania and is proud of how far he has come. Gunther believes it is his destiny to be the star and got the title shot by winning King Of The Ring. The idea here is a culture clash, as Gunther has called Priest street trash, which hasn’t gone well.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Damian Priest

Priest is defending and slugs Gunther into the corner to start fast. South Of Heaven is blocked so Priest hits the lifting Downward Spiral to send Gunther outside. That’s fine with Gunther, who suplexes Priest onto the apron to take over before chopping away. A quick suplex gives Gunther two and he wins an exchange of forearms. Priest catches him going up though and pulls him back down, setting up the Broken Arrow for two.

Priest’s kicks to the chest have Gunther bleeding but Gunther is back up with a pair of very hard clotheslines for two. A boot to the face drops Priest again as the fans are trying to get behind him. Gunther kicks him down to cut off the comeback attempt and here is Finn Balor to cheer for Priest. That earns Balor a shot from Gunther but Priest takes the straps down to make the comeback.

One heck of a lariat hits Gunther and the Razor’s Edge rocks him again. South Of Heaven connects…but Balor puts the foot on the rope. Priest sees the replay on the screen and knows what Balor has done, leaving Balor sneering up at him. Gunther grabs the sleeper but Priest manages to get out. A powerbomb sets up another sleeper though and Priest is out at 16:35.

Rating: B. They beat each other up and the match was a hard hitting fight with Gunther getting the title as he should have. At the same time, the Priest/Balor story is going to make for a good personal feud as Priest is going to want revenge. Gunther needed to win the title here though, as he had dominated the midcard for so long that it was time to try him in the main event.

Here are Miz and R-Truth to announce the attendance of 57,791. A-Town Down Under interrupts, with Austin Theory mocking Jelly Roll. Grayson Waller isn’t having that though, because Roll is the only person to make music worse than R-Truth’s. Somehow R-Truth thinks A-Town Down Under is the Rock N Roll Express but Miz explains things. Roll gets in the ring with a chair and the villains are chaired in the back. Waller gets chokeslammed (and a decent one at that), followed by the triple Five Knuckle Shuffle. This was fine.

We recap Cody Rhodes defending the Smackdown world Title against Solo Sikoa. Rhodes defeated Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania to triumph over the Bloodline but Sikoa has reformed the team in his image and wants the title back. Rhodes is of course fine with this, even with his friends having been taken out so he’s all alone here.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Rhodes is defending under Bloodline Rules (anything goes) and we see him getting off his bus to take Pharaoh towards the ring. Ont he way there, he runs into Arn Anderson (fresh away from AEW), who gives him a pep talk and says Rhodes has some friends here. They start with some trash talk before Sikoa runs him over with a shoulder and does the point. Rhodes fights up and tries the drop down right hand but Sikoa is ready for him. The threat of the Samoan Spike sends Rhodes outside and we reset again.

The Disaster Kick sends Sikoa outside, where he takes over again as the brawling isn’t working for Rhodes. Back in and a spinwheel kick into the Samoan drop has Rhodes down again. Rhodes blocks the Samoan Spike by kicking him in the hand though and a clothesline sends Sikoa outside. This time Sikoa is allowed back in, where he counters a Disaster Kick into a sitout powerbomb for two more.

The running Umaga Attack connects but Sikoa has to reverse a Pedigree attempt into Spinning Solo for another near fall. The nerve hold keeps Rhodes in trouble and Sikoa ties him in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt. A second connects as well but the third misses, allowing Rhodes to hit kind of a moonsault crossbody. Sikoa plants him down for two more but Rhodes catches him on top with a superplex.

Sikoa’s Cross Rhodes is reversed into the real thing….and here are Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa to jump Rhodes. The big beatdown is on but Sikoa only gets two. Cue Kevin Owens for the save but he’s beaten down as well. Randy Orton returns (making sure to high five fans on the way) and helps Owens make the comeback. A powerslam sets up the Swanton to Sikoa but Cross Rhodes only gets two. Owens, Orton and the Tongas brawl to the back so Rhodes hits Sikoa in the head with the steps.

Sikoa comes back with a spear for two but the running Umaga Attack only hits steps. Rhodes hits the first two Cross Rhodes and tries a third, only for Jacob Fatu to run in for the save. Fatu wrecks Rhodes and hits a Superfly Splash through the announcers’ table but seems to hurt his own leg in the process. Back in and Sikoa’s Superfly Splash gets two but somehow Rhodes hits a Cody Cutter….and none of that matters because Roman Reigns is back. Reigns immediately Superman Punches Sikoa and gives him a spear before stopping to look at Rhodes. Reigns leaves though and Cross Rhodes retains the title at 29:14.

Rating: C+. The run-ins at the end made it better but dang this was long. They could have easily cut off about ten minutes and done the same thing. The real point here was Reigns running in for the save/his revenge, which made for a long build. It doesn’t help that Sikoa isn’t quite good enough to hang on this stage, but at least the last ten minutes or so were very good.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show, though it doesn’t have that one big match to really make it into a great one. The Reigns return and Punk vs. McIntyre are both worth seeing, but the majority of the main event was something of a letdown. The big stage made it feel important, but outside of that Reigns part, the main event didn’t really feel like it belonged in that spot. Other than that, the opener was good, Breakker and Knight got their titles and the weakest match was fine. Good show overall, but definitely not an all timer.

Ratings Comparison

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

Original: B-
Redo: B

Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

Original: B-
Redo: C+

LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

Original: B
Redo: B

Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Original: B-
Redo: B-

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: B
Redo: B+

Gunther vs. Damian Priest

Original: B
Redo: B

Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Original: B-
Redo: C+

Overall Rating:

Original: B
Redo: B

Yeah pretty much all in the same range here with nothing really going in one direction or another.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Summerslam 2022
Date: July 30, 2022
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Attendance: 48,449
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re still in the stadium for Summerslam and believe it or not, this time we have a main event of Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar. The twist this time is that it’s Last Man Standing to add some spice, but there is only so much interest to be had. Other than that, we have Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair in a match a year in the making. Oh and Vince McMahon stepped down from WWE eight days before this show so we’re in a VERY new era. With a pair of rematches on top. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on what a CRAZY TOWN Nashville is, with a look at all of the crazy people on the show.

Oh and there’s a pinball theme. A CRAZY pinball theme I’m sure.

Raw Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair

Lynch, currently in the Big Time Becks villain phase, is challenging after Belair took the title from her at Wrestlemania. Feeling out process to start with Belair powering her away without much trouble. Back up and Belair flips away from her, setting up a heck of a shoulder. Becky takes her down by the arm and cranks back on it though and Belair is in trouble for a change. The bad arm is kicked apart to make it even worse but Belair’s legs are fine enough to hit a dropkick.

They head outside where the KOD onto the announcers’ table is broken up and the arm is banged up again. They get back inside with Lynch snapping off a Bexploder and taking her down in the corner…but Lynch comes up holding her shoulder (uh oh). Lynch is fine enough to go for the leg and then kick Belair to the apron but the middle rope Fameasser is blocked.

They go outside again with Belair Glam Slamming her onto the apron before a posting sends Lynch’s shoulder into the steel. Back in and a handspring moonsault gives Belair two but Lynch is back with Diamond Dust of all things for two of her own. Belair’s powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana which is countered into a failed KOD attempt. They head outside with the KOD connecting this time, but Lynch just beats the count.

Back in and another KOD is countered but Belair spikes her anyway. Belair takes too long going up and gets Manhandle Slammed for two. With nothing else working, Lynch takes her up top for a super Manhandle Slam, which is reversed into a KOD to retain Belair’s title at 15:11 and win the feud.

Rating: B. Yeah these two fought a lot but they have the chemistry to make it work very well. This was another good back and forth showdown between two of the best women (or anything) that WWE has ever had. It came off like a huge battle and that is the kind of showdown that these two have managed to make possible. The arm work from Becky to take away the power made sense and the fact that she was banged up makes this even more impressive. Heck of a match here and a great opener.

Post match Becky, with her right arm non-functional, shakes Belair’s hand and seems to be good again. With Becky gone, Bayley makes her surprise return after over a year away with a horrible knee injury. Cue the returning Dakota Kai (she’s been gone for a bit), plus the newly named Iyo Sky (no longer Io Shirai). The trio gets in the ring to yell at Belair but Lynch evens things up a bit, sending the villains running off. That would be more or less it for Lynch for about four months, as she would be written off television the following night on Raw due to a shoulder injury and not be back until November.

We recap Miz vs. Logan Paul. They were a team at Wrestlemania and won, but then Miz turned on Paul for no apparent reason. Months later, Miz said that he destroyed Paul, who then announced that he had signed with the company. Now it’s time for Miz to show what he can do, while Paul is back with his first ever singles match.

Miz vs. Logan Paul

Miz has Maryse and Tommaso Ciampa (missing his first name here but just in case you confuse him with Gus Ciampa) with him. Inspired by Paul’s really rare Pokemon card (not here this time), Miz has a one of a kind Polaroid of he and Paul together around his neck. Feeling out process to start with Miz snapmaring him down and mocking Paul a bit, much to Maryse’s delight.

Back up and Paul grabs a waistlock into a fireman’s carry, allowing him to mockingly shove him away with a boot to the head. Miz is sent out side and an apron moonsault takes him down again as Paul is already shining rather well. Back in and Miz crotches him in the ropes, setting up a Codebreaker for two. Ciampa even gets in a cheap shot and we hit the chinlock.

Miz misses the charge in the corner though and Paul is right back with a Blockbuster. Back up and Paul gets two off a running powerslam, followed by the YES Kicks to send Corey Graves that much closer to madness. The Figure Four has Miz in trouble but a rather dramatic rope break gets him out. Paul hits a high crossbody and a standing moonsault for two but Miz kicks him in the face.

Ciampa teases another cheap shot and gets ejected (with the crowd throwing in a YES chant), but Ciampa just sits ringside in a chair. Cue AJ Styles to really chase Ciampa off, leaving Paul to hit a not so phenomenal Phenomenal Forearm. They head outside with Paul loading up the announcers’ table, setting up a heck of a top rope frog splash to drive Miz hard through it. Back in and Maryse distracts the referee but Miz almost runs into her. That’s enough of a distraction to let Paul hit the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin at 14:16.

Rating: B. This was up there for best celebrity matches ever and it’s barely even on a sliding scale. Paul was out there showing himself to be able to do all kinds of things in the ring, with that frog splash being a great bonus. It was entirely a showcase for Paul and Miz is the perfect choice to be out there taking the beating. What mattered here was Paul looking like a star and that is exactly what happened here. Heck of a match and WWE has to know what they have here with Paul.

US Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Theory

Theory, the reigning Mr. Money In The Bank, is challenging and jumps Lashley before the bell. Lashley says he can go and shrugs off Theory’s swarm to start. An elbow to the face into a spinebuster has Theory on the floor and he’s ready to walk. Lashley isn’t having that but Theory is right back with a rolling dropkick for two. For some reason Theory thinks it’s a good idea to slug it out with Lashley, earning himself a powerslam. The spear hits the post but Theory rolls into the Hurt Lock to retain the title at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This could have been on any given Raw and that isn’t good enough for a Summerslam title match. They seemed to be playing up the idea that Theory was saving himself for a potential cash-in later tonight but the Hurt Lock is the kind of move that could make him tap that fast as well. This is something that could have been cut from the show without missing much, though having Lashley on the show is often a good idea.

We recap the Mysterios vs. Judgment Day. The team isn’t happy with Rey Mysterio being a star and attacked him in front of his family. Now it’s time for revenge in a No DQ match.

Judgment Day vs. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio

Rhea Ripley is here with Judgment Day (Finn Balor/Damian Priest) and this is No DQ. Judgment Day jumps them to start and the fight is on fast. Rey hurricanranas Balor though and Dominik dropkicks Priest, setting up the back to back dives to put the villains down. We settle down to a double Russian legsweep dropping Balor but Dominik gets sent into the wrong corner.

The chinlock goes on as the fans are starting to wake up a bit here. Priest adds the Broken Arrow into a slingshot stomp from Dominik but he’s back with a suplex. Rey comes in with a top rope seated senton to Priest. A bulldog plants Priest again so Balor slides in a chair, which Rey picks off without much trouble. Rey grabs the chair and slides down into a splash on Balor for a nasty looking crash.

Back in and Priest boots Rey down for two and Balor adds the shotgun dropkick in the corner. Dominik breaks up the Coup de Grace though and Rey snaps off a top rope hurricanrana, with Priest making the save this time. The double 619 is broken up by Ripley, who drops Dominik face first onto the apron. South Of Heaven hits Rey but Balor wants a chair. Instead he gets the returning Edge, who spears down Judgment Day, setting up Rey’s slingshot splash for the pin on Balor at 11:07.

Rating: C+. The match itself was good enough, but my goodness the fans did not care about what they were seeing here. Granted at this point Judgment Day was one of those things that just kept going and there wasn’t much to get excited about with them, but it shouldn’t take Edge to get the only strong reaction of the match. This was a good example of a match where the fans just didn’t are no matter what was happening, and that’s a bit disappointing.

We recap Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee. They’re old friends/roommates from the NFL and McAfee has mocked Corbin’s losing streak. Corbin has attacked McAfee a few times so now it’s time to fight.

Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin

McAfee has a choir here to sing about BUM A** CORBIN for a rather unique entrance. They talk a lot of trash to start, with McAfee leading the crowd in their singing. McAfee hits a superkick and a middle rope hurricanrana puts Corbin on the floor. A posting drops Corbin again and McAfee stomps away back inside.

Corbin is put on top but gets shoved down, only to have McAfee moonsault onto his feet. A dropkick (to the stomach) sends McAfee into the corner and Corbin gets to hammer away. The slow beating is on, with a ram into the barricade giving Corbin two. McAfee manages to send him to the floor and hit the slingshot dive, only to be thrown over the announcers’ table.

Back in and McAfee catches him on top, this time jumping (mostly) to the top for a top rope superplex. McAfee slugs away and avoids a charge to send Corbin shoulder first into the post. That lets McAfee go up top and, after getting his balance, hit a top rope flip dive to take Corbin down on the floor. Back in and McAfee knocks Corbin into the referee by mistake, setting up a low blow (payback for Corbin doing the same thing to him the previous night) and a Panama Sunrise to finish Corbin at 10:50.

Rating: B-. McAfee is another of the few celebrities who has figured out how to put together a rather good match. There were some close calls here as McAfee didn’t have everything polished but he made it work well enough. This was an entertaining match and the fans ate McAfee up as usual, while Corbin lost again, also as usual. It might not quite have been the Logan Paul stunt show, but McAfee is certainly worth a look whenever he is out there and has a star power all his own.

We look at Drew McIntyre defeating Sheamus to become #1 contender last night on Smackdown.

Here is McIntyre to talk about how much he loves Nashville, to the point where he lives here. He and Sheamus went to war last night but now it is time to go to to war with Roman Reigns. For now though, it is time for Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the first time ever! Uh, in Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Last man standing. McIntyre asks a an for his name (Colt). McIntyre: “IN FRONT OF COLT!” Nice save there and McIntyre raises his sword to set off some pyro and wrap up a quick cameo.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Street Profits

The Usos are defending in a rematch from Money In The Bank where a bad referee cost the Profits the titles. Therefore, Jeff Jarrett of all people is guest referee, just for the save of the country music connection. The Profits come out with the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders for a little bonus. Dawkins and Jimmy start things off with Jeff having t pull both of them out of the corner.

Jey comes in off a quick tag for a modified Demolition Decapitator for two. It’s already back to Jimmy for a chinlock as this isn’t the fastest pace to start. The running hip attack connects but a second one misses, allowing Dawkins to enziguri his way out of trouble. Ford and Jey come in to pick up things up a lot, with Ford’s high crossbody getting two. A rather loud chop only seems to wake Jey up though and it’s a pop up neckbreaker for two on Ford.

Back up and Ford slips over for the tag to Dawkins and house is rapidly cleaned, including a huge flip dive to the floor. Back in and the Anointment gives Dawkins two on Jimmy but Jey is back in to cut him off. A superkick into the Superfly Splash gives Jimmy two, setting up the double Superfly Splash with Ford having to make a save.

Jey almost superkicks Jarrett by mistake but walks into a spinebuster. Ford’s very high frog splash gets a delayed two, meaning it’s time to yell at Jarrett (who did nothing wrong, along with the nothing he has done for the rest of the match). A dive is cut off by a double superkick to the….some part of Ford’s body. Back in and more superkicks hit Dawkins, setting up the 1D to retain at 13:22.

Rating: B. I remember wondering what Jarrett was going to add coming into this and coming up with an answer of “nothing”. The fact that I didn’t remember him being involved in this match at all didn’t help things and there was nothing to having him here. At the same time, you had these teams with some great chemistry having a good, pay per view worthy match. The Usos were still doing some awesome stuff with the titles, even if they had to deal with such a lame choice for guest referee.

Matt Riddle (not medically cleared) runs in through the crowd and calls out Seth Rollins for a fight. Rollins comes out to meet him in the aisle, gets the better of it, and Stomps (how Riddle was hurt in the first place) Riddle down again.

We recap Liv Morgan challenging Ronda Rousey for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Morgan cashed in Money In The Bank on an injured Rousey to win the title so now it’s time for the match with Rousey ready coming in.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan is defending and Rousey flips her over to start. A running knee rocks Morgan and another throw gets two. Morgan comes back with a Codebreaker but Oblivion is easily blocked. Rousey tries to get her down but is reversed into a double arm crank. That and a crucifix bomb get two on Rousey, who is right back with the armbar. Morgan tries to slip out but gets pulled into it again, this time making the rope for the break. Rousey gets the armbar again so Morgan stacks it up for the pin at 4:35…..despite tapping before the pin.

Rating: C-. Morgan was on a roll on the way to Money In The Bank and then just died once she got the title via the cash-in. This was Morgan mostly getting squashed before tapping out and retaining anyway. If WWE wanted Morgan to be a big star, they needed to actually put her over someone rather than these screwy finishes. It didn’t do Morgan any favors and Rousey hardly looked better either.

Post match Rousey protests and armbars Morgan…and the referee. Replays show that Morgan tapped way before the three count.

Here is Kane to announce the attendance: 48,449. I believe he has some questions about those numbers.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match for Reigns’ WWE Universal Title. In short, Randy Orton was supposed to get the shot but was too hurt so it’s time to break the Lesnar glass. Not the most thrilling match, but fair enough that they didn’t have a better option. The video also teases Austin Theory cashing in his briefcase.

WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Reigns, with Paul Heyman (but without the Usos, who he sends to the back), is defending in a Last Man Standing match. Lesnar starts walking to the ring but stops to put on a flannel shirt and cowboy hat….so he can drive a tractor to the ring. There is no way this can end well. As Lesnar stands in the loader of the tractor, he cuts off the introductions and does his own, before flipping the mic to Reigns…..who snatches it out of the air in one hand (not shown but find the clip as it’s rather awesome).

Lesnar then DIVES out of the tractor onto Reigns and a clothesline takes it to the floor. There’s the overhead belly to belly on the floor as Lesnar is starting very fast. Another suplex of the steps has Reigns rocked and they head into the crowd, where Lesnar suplexes him onto a platform. Reigns gets in a quick shot but is promptly suplexed back to ringside. The table is set up but a Heyman distraction lets Reigns put Lesnar through it instead.

Lesnar is back up so Reigns steps him in the face. Back in and Reigns hits a pair of Superman Punches, followed by the first (of probably many) spear. Another spear is blocked and Lesnar sends him outside in a crash. Lesnar slams him into part of a broken table before getting back in the tractor. After fiddling with it a bit, Lesnar gets out and hits Reigns with the steps instead.

A piece of a broken table to the head puts Reigns down again but he staggers to his feet. That doesn’t work for Lesnar, who puts him in the front loaded and drops him into the ring for a crash. With that not being enough, Lesnar snaps off some German suplexes and the F5 gets nine. Another F5 is countered into the guillotine but Lesnar reverses into one of his own. Lesnar lets him go and Reigns is up at nine again.

That doesn’t work for Lesnar….who uses the tractor to LIFT UP THE RING and send Reigns falling out to the floor. Reigns is up again (and so is the ring, which is still up on the tractor, meaning a big middle finger to fans on that side of the ring, who can’t see a thing right now) so cue the Usos to go after Lesnar. They’re wrecked in short order so Heyman hands Lesnar the titles in an attempt to get him off Reigns.

That earns Heyman an F5 through the announcers’ table (egads the impact), allowing Reigns to hit a spear. They’re both down so heeeeeeere’s Theory with the briefcase! Before the bell can ring, Lesnar F5’s him on the floor to cut that off in a hurry. The Usos are back up to superkick Lesnar, who gets up again.

Reigns hits another spear, followed by another spear. With that not working either, Reigns hits Theory with the briefcase and then unloads on Lesnar with the thing. That’s only good for nine, so Reigns belts him in the head but Lesnar is up AGAIN. Another belt shot connects so Reigns and the Usos bury Lesnar with everything they can find at ringside to finally keep him down and retain the title at 22:54.

Rating: B. This was the fight that you would expect from these guys under these circumstances and that’s exactly what it needed to be. Sometimes you need two people to beat the daylights out of each other with one big shot after another and that’s what you got here. Lesnar might not have been the biggest threat to win the title, but sometimes you need a match where the champion has to fight really hard to keep the title. Rather good main event and that’s as good as you could have gotten here.

Reigns poses as what used to be Heyman is carried out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. WWE had a rather strong show here with the bigger matches more than delivering. There’s nothing on here to make it a classic but it’s a three and a half hour show with some very good stuff throughout. The weaker points are kept short and I had a lot of fun throughout. This is what Summerslam tends to be like and they made a rather transitional time in the company’s history work out.

Results
Bianca Belair b. Becky Lynch – KOD
Logan Paul b. The Miz – Skull Crushing Finale
Bobby Lashley b. Theory – Hurt Lock
Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio b. Judgment Day – Slingshot splash to Balor
Pat McAfee b. Baron Corbin – Panama Sunrise
Usos b. Street Profits – 1D to Dawkins
Ronda Rousey b. Liv Morgan – Rollup
Roman Reigns b. Brock Lesnar when Lesnar could not answer the ten count

Ratings Comparison

Bianca Belair b. Becky Lynch

Original: B
2023 Redo: B

Logan Paul vs. The Miz

Original: C+
2023 Redo: B

Theory vs. Bobby Lashley

Original: C-
2023 Redo: C-

Judgment Day vs. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio

Original: C
2023 Redo: C+

Baron Corbin vs. Pat McAfee

Original: C
2023 Redo: B-

Usos vs. Street Profits

Original: C+
2023 Redo: B

Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Original: C-
2023 Redo: C-

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: B-
2023 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: C+
2023 Redo: B+

Dang I underrated some of those earlier matches, especially Miz vs. Logan Paul.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Summerslam 2020
Date: August 23, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips, Samoa Joe

We’re a year removed from this show and things have indeed changed a bit. For one thing, we are FINALLY out of the Thunderdome, which was a full two days old when this aired. In something that hasn’t changed, I have no idea what happened at this show, save for the main event. That’s kind of nice for another look so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: US Title: Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Crews is defending and it’s strange to see him as just a guy in trunks and not….whatever he would become next year. As a bonus, the rest of the Hurt Business is banned from ringside. MVP takes him down into a very quickly broken knee bar but Crews is back up with a sunset flip for two. That’s enough for MVP to bail to the floor as things cool down a bit. Back in and Crews flips away from him, setting up a quick dropkick for two. MVP is fine enough to toss him over the top and out onto the steps as the beating begins.

The running boot misses in the corner so Crews goes up, only to get crotched on top. The superplex brings Crews back down but MVP lands hard and the delayed cover gets two. A clothesline puts MVP on the floor and there’s the big flip dive to take him down again. They both dive back in to beat the count and it’s time to slug it out. Crews gets the better of things and it’s a spinebuster into the standing moonsault for two. The toss powerbomb retains the title at 6:37.

Rating: C. This was about as Kickoff Showey of a match as you could get and it happened to have a title on the line. There was nothing wrong with it and Crews gets a win to make him feel that much more important as US Champion. You’re only going to get so much out of a standard Raw level match and this was about it. Not bad, but as forgettable as any other Kickoff Show match.

The opening video is much more about the Thunderdome than anything else, though the matches themselves do actually get some attention. Well the bigger ones at least. The Smackdown World Title match between the Fiend and Braun Strowman has a tagline of “You’ll Never See It Coming”. That’s one way of advertising things.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Asuka

Bayley is defending as part of the Bayley/Sasha Banks Are The Most Amazing Women Ever stretch. Granted it wound up being pretty awesome so it’s kind of hard to complain all that much. Banks (the Raw Women’s Champion and Bayley’s partner as the Women’s Tag Team Champions) is at ringside too as they fight over the grappling against the ropes to start. Asuka dropkicks her in the ribs to take over and pulls Bayley down into a reverse Koji Clutch.

The foot on the rope gets Bayley out of trouble in a hurry so she bails to the apron, allowing Asuka to kick the leg out again. There is something fun about watching Asuka pick someone apart like that and it always works. Bayley gets kicked out to the floor and Banks is already looking worried. Asuka grabs a DDT (or close enough) off the steps for two back inside but Bayley manages to snap her neck across the middle rope for a much needed breather.

Some stomping sets up the chinlock with Bayley shouting a lot as she keeps Asuka down. Back up and a quick Bayley to Belly gets two but Asuka kicks her in the head for a double knockdown. A German suplex into the hip attack gives Asuka two and they head to the apron for the slugout.

That doesn’t last long so they head back inside for an exchange of leglocks. Asuka knees her in the face for two but Bayley is right back with a running sunset flip into the corner. The “patented” (I want paperwork) top rope elbow is countered into a quickly broken cross armbreaker so Asuka is back with a kick to the head. Banks takes the running hip attack though, allowing Bayley to grab a rollup to retain at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Good and logical choice for an opener here with Asuka fighting as hard as she could to pick up the first title. That didn’t wind up working out, but they did a nice job of going back and forth against each other. What mattered here was having Asuka seem ready to pick up the win until Banks’ interference was enough to throw her off for a split second. Nice match with the story making perfect sense.

Post match Banks (who faces Asuka later tonight) and Bayley beat Asuka down and leave her laying.

Dominik Mysterio asks Rey Mysterio to let him go out there alone tonight. Rey, realizing how much of a disaster it would be to ask fans to care about Dominik on his own, says no but is finally talked into staying in the back.

Video on Retribution’s path of….well really just annoyance so far, though this period of breaking stuff would be their apex as a team.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Angel Garza/Andrade

Garza and Andrade, with Zelina Vega (who recently poisoned Montez Ford), are challenging and Kevin Owens is on commentary. We get the traditional rain of red solo cups to start as the Profits’ inset promo talks about how they are here for revenge. Andrade slugs away at Ford to start but gets caught with a big jumping clothesline. A jumping hurricanrana brings Andrade off the top and there’s the double flapjack to drop Garza.

Ford loads up the big flip dive, but gets countered into a double powerbomb onto the floor (as tends to happen). Back in and we hit the armbar on Ford, allowing Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS (Vega approves). A cross armbreaker over the ropes has Ford in more trouble and it’s back to Andrade for an armbar of his own. Garza adds a running knee to the ribs (and promises to win the titles, which Owens does not like) and the running kick to the ribs makes it worse.

There’s the top rope Alberto Double Stomp for Andrade’s next near fall. Ford flips out of a belly to back suplex though and the enziguri sets up the diving tag to Dawkins. Chris Jericho’s Judas Effect only takes Dawkins off one foot (ha) and he spears Andrade down. Ford comes back in with the crazy high crossbody but Garza rolls through for two, even with Vega holding his feet on the rope. Vega gets on the apron to yell but Ford knocks Garza into her. The Sky Cash Out into the twisting frog splash retains the title at 7:50.

Rating: C. Total Raw match here which was the latest exhibit of how much charisma that Garza has. The guy can make anything look better but Andrade had the star power and that is what gets you ahead around here. This feud, or some form of it, went on for the better part of ever and never once got interesting because the Profits were that much better. Now get some fresh competition in the tag division.

The long form celebration is on.

Bayley and Sasha Banks don’t like Kayla Braxton’s questions but know that Sasha will beat Asuka tonight. Bayley even busts out a broom because it’s going to be a sweep.

We recap Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose, which has been going on for a long time. Sonya got jealous of Mandy getting all of the attention and eventually turned on her by calling her selfish. Since it’s WWE, we’re supposed to side with the bombshell model, which was made even worse when Sonya was about five levels ahead of Mandy on the mic. Sonya cut off some of Mandy’s hair so the hair vs. hair match was set.

Then a psychotic fan broke into Deville’s house with zip ties and a knife, likely in an attempt to kidnap and/or kill Deville. Rose happened to be staying there and the two got away as the stalker went into the wrong part of the house. This sent Deville into a lengthy legal process and since her lawyer felt that cutting her hair off was a bad idea, it was turned into a No DQ Loser Leaves WWE match. Fair enough, but next time you have a crazed stalker who might be trying to kill you, make sure you think of kayfabe. Go out separate doors or something and worry about being stabbed later.

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

No DQ and the loser leaves WWE. Mandy offers a handshake to start so Deville rolls her up for two. Back up and Mandy hits her in the face and they head outside with Deville getting suplexed onto the ramp. A clothesline off the announcers’ table puts Deville down again and let’s get a table. As usual, that takes way too long and it’s Sonya ramming Mandy into the announcers’ table to take over.

Back in and a running knee to the chest gets two and it’s a dragon sleeper with a bodyscissors to put Mandy in even more trouble. The trash talking fires Mandy back up though and it’s a jumping knee for two on Sonya. It’s back outside for more ramming into the announcers’ table before Mandy slides chairs over the regular table, with Sonya having to duck the decapitation attempts. That’s either brilliant or really stupid and I’m not sure which. Back in and three straight running knees set up Angel’s Wings to crush Sonya. Another running knee gives Mandy the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C-. This had the intensity but dang Mandy is not the greatest in the ring. I completely get why WWE would want to push the heck out of here but Sonya was so much more of a complete package and felt like a natural. It’s a shame that she had to go away, though it was a rare instance where something is more important than wrestling (egads that’s hard to say).

Post match Otis comes out to celebrate with Mandy (Yeah remember when that was a thing?), who fails at the Caterpillar.

Here’s what’s coming on the WWE Network!

We recap Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio. This was part of the never ending Rollins vs. Mysterios feud, which saw Rollins gouge Rey Mysterio’s eye out. Dominik is willing to fight for his father in a street fight, which also happens to be his in-ring debut. Rollins also destroyed Dominik by tying him into the ropes and destroying him with a kendo stick for a pretty nasty moment. Other than that though, this feud was complete death by this point and this was the match that I was dreading coming into the show.

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Street fight and Rollins, with Murphy, is in gear inspired by Rey Mysterio at Halloween Havoc 1997. Rey is here with Dominik, as you might expect. Rollins wrestles him down without much trouble to start and seems rather comfortable. He’s so comfortable that he offers Dominik a headlock before tripping him down with ease. Dominik gets in a few right hands before getting dropped again. A springboard armdrag and then some regular versions have Rollins down, which is just a step too far.

Rollins drops him again and gets a kendo stick, which is dropkicked out of his hands. Dominik gives chase but gets knocked down, only to have Rollins kick the stick away. The one armed camel clutch has Dominik in more trouble and Rey is nervous. The Sling Blade lets Rollins work on Dominik’s hand and Murphy sends in a chair. Seth yells at Rey a lot as he stomps away but the Stomp (that’s confusing) is countered into a drop toehold into the chair. The Buckle Bomb is countered into a hurricanrana into the corner to stagger Rollins again as this comeback needs a crowd reaction.

A tornado DDT out of the corner gets two and the kendo stick shots have Rollins in more trouble. Dominik goes up but it’s Rollins running the corner for the superplex into the Falcon Arrow for two. Rollins is mad (as he should be) and it’s time to kendo stick Dominik for a change. Murphy throws in a table but Rollins takes too long going up, allowing Dominik to hit a super White Russian legsweep through the table. Since wrestling logic is a thing, Dominik is fine and hits a frog splash for two.

Dominik takes too long grabbing things again, allowing Rollins to superkick and kendo stick him some more. Saxton: “Rey can do nothing to help his son!” As you try to see the invisible wall keeping Rey from doing anything, Rollins pulls out some handcuffs. Cue Rey’s wife Angie to try and do something but Rey holds her back.

Murphy loads up the steps to take out Dominik’s eye, meaning the invisible wall is smashed as Rey finally gets involved (making the last five or so minutes subject to wrestling logic). With Dominik as backup, Rey is quickly cuffed to the ropes as the villains look up at Angie. Dominik is back up to make the save this time….and his frog splash hits knees, because he isn’t very good at this. Rollins tells Rey to reach for Dominik and then hits the Stomp for the pin at 22:36.

Rating: C-. Being away from this story for a year has taken away some of the bad feelings about it, but this still wasn’t very good. Above all else, this was WAY too long as Rollins felt like he was dealing with an annoyance than any real threat. Dominik isn’t an embarrassment in the ring by any means but he also isn’t ready to be in a 20+ minute featured match at Summerslam. He looked ok for a debut, but the length of the match (and the feud) dragged it way down.

The villains sneer post match and Rey hugs Dominik.

Raw Women’s Title: Sasha Banks vs. Asuka

Banks is defending and has Bayley in her corner. Commentary points out that Banks has never had a successful singles title defense, which does not bode well for her future. Banks goes straight for the knee (ala Bayley in the first match) but Asuka spins up and fires off the Kawada kicks. A sliding forearm (minus some power because of the knee) sends Banks outside and Asuka is right there with a kneebar on the floor.

They wind up on the apron, where Asuka kicks the post by mistake. Bayley cranks up the trash talk (because she’s very good at that) and Banks takes her back inside to fire off kicks in the corner. Banks switches to the shoulders but gets caught in an electric chair faceplant. Asuka can’t be trusted with two legs in front of her and Banks has to bail to the ropes to escape the kneebar.

With that broken up, Asuka gets a bit creative by taking her up top for a super DDT. The missile dropkick gives Asuka two but Banks goes after the knee again, setting up the double knees in the corner. They’re both down so Bayley goes into coaching mode….and Asuka immediately grabs the ankle lock. Bayley isn’t good at coaching. The Bank Statement is countered into the Asuka Lock which is countered as well. Bayley’s distraction fails and the Asuka Lock goes on again to make Banks tap for the title at 11:31.

Rating: B-. I liked this one a good bit as Banks and Bayley had a plan to take Asuka out but still couldn’t do it. That’s a nice way to make Asuka look even more impressive while also continuing the build to Banks vs. Bayley. They took their time to get there but Bayley was awesome almost every step of the way. Banks held up her end as well and it was a heck of a match on top of the storytelling.

Post match Banks glares at Bayley, who begs forgiveness.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre for the Raw World Title. Orton has attacked a variety of legends, which has McIntyre ready to fight back and defend their honor, along with his title. McIntyre talked about how Orton has been protected for years while McIntyre fought every day to get here. They did a nice job with the culture clash here and the video does a good job of making this feel big.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre is defending and we get a quick inset promo from Shawn Michaels, who wants Orton to get Claymored. Orton bails to the floor to start as the mind games are going strong early on. Back in and Orton begs off again but does hit a few right hands before bailing to the floor for a second time. This time the chase is on but Orton catches McIntyre on the way back in. The RKO attempt is blocked so McIntyre shoulders him down. Another threat of the RKO sends McIntyre bailing outside and you can see a bit of shock.

Back in again and McIntyre unloads in the corner but has to block the RKO for a third time. The ensuing charge sends McIntyre shoulder first into the post and Orton sends him into the barricade to make it worse. A posting sets up a drop onto the announcers’ table and then Orton does the latter again. Orton gets a bit creative by suplexing McIntyre off the table for a delayed one (that kickout at one was a good deal for McIntyre).

The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the Orton Stomp and some slow staring at the….uh, screens. McIntyre comes back with a Stunner to the knee in the corner and a spinebuster for the double knockdown. With the knee banged up, McIntyre goes Flair with the Figure Four (nice job given Orton attacking Flair and other legends leading up to this). Orton can’t roll out so he grabs the referee for a distraction and goes to the eye to escape. McIntyre’s eye looks to be cut a bit as they slug it out from their knees. Make that from their feet, with McIntyre having to block the RKO again.

The overhead belly to belly sends Orton flying and McIntyre does it again for a bonus. A top rope shot to the head drops Orton and McIntyre nips up as the adrenaline starts flowing. McIntyre loads up a superplex, gets knocked into the Tree of Woe, and pulls himself up to send Orton flying with the choke superplex as usual. As impressive as that is, commentary shouldn’t be that impressed or surprised, but WWE commentators are seen as stupid for a reason.

The Futureshock gets two but McIntyre misses coming off the top. Orton’s powerslam gets two and he is busted open as well. The hanging DDT is broken up and it’s a Cactus Clothesline to put both of them on the floor. They get back in fast but this time the hanging DDT connects. With nothing else working, Orton loads up the Punt but McIntyre cuts him off. The Claymore misses so Orton tries the RKO again, only to get caught in a backslide of all things to retain the title at 20:34. Commentary shouts about how Orton NEVER SAW IT COMING because they need to hit that tagline.

Rating: B. I liked this one a good bit as they were playing up the story they had established coming in. The idea was that Orton was the seasoned veteran who had learned from the legends and he was cheating every chance he had here. Throw in the RKO as the ultimate weapon (which he never hit, as it is probably being saved for later) and this was a chess match with McIntyre using everything he could while Orton just waited to hit the RKO. I liked what they were doing and the ending worked well. Good match, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Orton looks up at McIntyre from the floor because this isn’t over.

We recap Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt for the Smackdown World Title. These two have been feuding for MONTHS in one bad match after another. Last month, they fought in the swamp (because reasons) and Wyatt made Alexa Bliss appear because Strowman has always wanted her. Strowman doesn’t buy it because he knows the Fiend is going to corrupt her as well. Bliss slapped Strowman a bunch so he teased attacking her but decided to fight the Fiend instead. In other words, this feud was really, really stupid and nothing they were changing made it any better at all.

Smackdown World Title: The Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Strowman is defending and this is Falls Count Anywhere. Fiend is driven back into the corner to start but comes back with a heck of a clothesline to drop Strowman. They’re already on the floor with Fiend busting out a toolbox. A few shots with said toolbox don’t do much to Strowman, who runs Fiend through the barricade. Strowman chokeslams him onto (not through) the announcers’ table and a steps shot to the face drops Fiend again.

Back in and the powerslam sends Fiend right back to the floor, which doesn’t mean as much as he can get pinned out there as well. Strowman kicks him up the ramp and they fight backstage. Fiend whips him into a few walls and Sister Abigail gets two. They come back into the arena where Strowman is sent into the video screen to bust up some of the color.

The Mandible Claw goes on but Strowman gets up anyway and shoves him into the apron for the break. Back in and another powerslam gets another two on Fiend so Strowman yells a lot. Strowman grabs a box cutter from the toolbox and starts cutting up the mat to expose the wood. That takes WAY too long so Fiend is back up with a Rock Bottom and a pair of Sister Abigails onto the wood for the pin and the titles at 11:58.

Rating: C. The shorter time helped but egads this feud was death and everyone but WWE seemed to know it. You could have seen this title change coming from before Extreme Rules last month, making for a very long and slow build. They kept this the way they should have and the lack of anything involving Bliss helped here. It could have been worse, but you’re only getting so much out of a hoss fight like this one. As long as Strowman isn’t champion any longer though, it’s an upgrade.

Post match Roman Reigns is back (for the first time since March) with the spear to the Fiend and the beating is on. Another spear hits Strowman and Reigns shouts about how they aren’t monsters unless he’s here. Reigns bends a chair over Strowman and spears Fiend down again. He grabs the title, says it has always been his, and calls Fiend a freak in a mask. Cole: “WE NEVER SAW THIS COMING!” Reigns would win the title a week later, as he should have, along with joining Paul Heyman, which was an amazing twist.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of an odd show as the stuff that was good was quite good but the weaker stuff just felt tacked on. WWE was still figuring things out after getting into the Thunderdome and this came off as somewhat of a Summerslam in name only. It certainly isn’t a bad show with the Bayley/Banks/Asuka stuff and McIntyre vs. Orton all being good. Tighten things up a bit and it could be great, but for now it just has to settle for being pretty good.

Ratings Comparison

Apollo Crews vs. MVP

Original: C
Redo: C

Asuka vs. Bayley

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Street Profits vs. Andrade/Angel Garza

Original: C
Redo: C

Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose

Original: D+
Redo: C

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Original: D+
Redo: C-

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B
Redo: B-

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: B+
Redo: B

Fiend vs. Braun Strowman

Original: C+
Redo: C

Overall Rating

Original: C
Redo: B-

I’m not sure if that overall rating makes sense but the rest of the show was certainly in the same ballpark, save for Rose vs. Deville.

Here is the original review if you are interested:

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 21, 2025
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Summerslam and the big issue is Roman Reigns, who returned last week after his latest months long hiatus. Reigns is going after Paul Heyman and company, which doesn’t include Seth Rollins at the moment. We still need to build some things up for Summerslam as well so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap looks at last week’s gauntlet match and the return of Roman Reigns.

Judgment Day arrives and AJ Styles is the valet, though he tosses the key over his shoulder.

Here is CM Punk to get things going. He’s happy to be here tonight and talks about his goals in WWE. This includes main eventing Wrestlemania, which he’s done, but he also wants to be World Champion. Last week he won a gauntlet match to become #1 contender to face Gunther at Summerslam. Punk knows Gunther is one of the best in the world and promises to give it everything he has. Gunther is a monster but he is CM PUNK.

This brings out Gunther, who is drowned out by the crowd for a long time. Gunther says they’re both here to win titles and make money. Gunther knows he has a big ego, but unlike Punk, his isn’t based on the fans. That’s worthless, so his is based on results. Punk listed off all of Gunther’s accolades and Gunther knows that he’s that good. At least Punk will have the fans chanting for him. That leaves Punk with something to think about. The story here was fine but they didn’t get the big line it felt like they were looking for in the whole thing.

Stephanie Vaquer is asked about the Secret Hervice. Naomi comes int to say she’s the champ, which Vaquer seems to know. Naomi is ready for her triple threat at Summerslam and then beat Vaquer at Clash In Paris. Vaquer doesn’t seem impressed.

Sheamus vs. Rusev

The threat of a Brogue Kick sends Rusev bailing to the floor early and Sheamus rams him into the barricade. Back in and Rusev catches him with a kick to the head before it’s time to slug it out. A clothesline puts Sheamus down again but he’s back up with one of his own. Some more shots put Rusev on the floor and Sheamus goes up, slips off the top, then goes up again for a clothesline. After mocking his slip, Sheamus walks into a fall away slam over the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus winning a slugout. The Irish Curse and ten forearms to the chest rock Rusev but he counters the Brogue Kick into a powerbomb for two. Rusev’s superkick is cut off with a knee to the face for two and they’re both down. Sheamus pulls himself to the top but dives into a superkick, setting up the Accolade.

Rusev rips at his face but can’t keep Sheamus away from the ropes for the break. Naturally Sheamus tells him to bring it, even as Rusev stomps him down. Back up and Sheamus fights back but Rusev goes to unhook the turnbuckle. That earns him a ram into said turnbuckle (how Rusev beat Sheamus three weeks ago), setting up the Brogue Kick for the win at 12:51.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up rather well and odds are we’ll get a trilogy match between them sooner or ladder. Rusev is already feeling like he’s in the middle of the card, which is where Sheamus has been for a long time now. It’s a good example of the two of them beating each other up and that’s exactly what it should have been.

El Grade Americano speaks some heavily accented Spanish but Dragon Lee comes in to say Americano is fake. Americano calls Lee basura (trash) and the fight is on.

Trailer for WWE Unreal.

Lyra Valkyria comes up to Bayley and is stunned that she has gotten then a Women’s Tag Team Title shot tonight. Bayley says forget about what has happened and just focus on tonight. Valkyria is a bit stunned.

New Day vs. LWO vs. Creed Brothers

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Brutus throws Wilde around to start before it’s off to Julius for a double suplex to New Day. Back up and Woods cleans house and struts, setting up the Unicorn Stampede (not stomp Cole) on Julius. We take a break and come back with del Toro cleaning house, allowing the tag off to Wilde running through everyone.

A backslide to Woods and a cradle to Kingston at the same time (that was awesome) gets two each but Ivy Nile shoves Wilde doe. Cue Dragon Lee so El Grande Americano comes out to cut him off, which the Creeds don’t like. Del Toro hits a bit dive and Wilde rolls Kingston up for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: B-. This was better than I was expecting and it’s a nice result, with the LWO being some unlikely challengers. That being said, there is always room for a talented luchador team and that’s what we got here. If nothing else, New Day getting to be all depressed again should be a better use of their time.

The Kabuki Warriors want the Women’s Tag Team Titles back and Iyo Sky will retain the Women’s Title. The Warriors leave and Stephanie Vaquer comes in to say she’s ready for Sky. They’re ready to face each other in Paris but Sky wants to fight tonight. Vaquer is in.

We look at Paul Heyman turning on Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania.

Adam Pearce wants Dominik Mysterio to go get his injury evaluated but he has to go help Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez. Mysterio turns around and AJ Styles is a janitor (because that’s just something you can do) so Mysterio runs off. Styles keeps cleaning and tells New Day to be careful of the wet floor. New Day loses it over everything being weird around here lately and thinks it’s time to change things. Grayson Waller comes in to say that Austin Theory is hurt so he’s a free agent to join the team. New Day seems intrigued.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She should be in New York City for the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2 but instead she’s here in Houston. She can’t believe Lyra Valkyria is being so selfish to need two titles. Granted it’s not the same as when she was Becky Two Belts, but for now she wants Valkyria out here.

Cue Valkyria, with Lynch saying that Summerslam is Valkyria’s last shot at the title. That’s fine with Valkyria, who wants no countouts or disqualifications. Works for Lynch, who rants about how Valkyria better now respect the match and her. Lynch wants a handshake but Valkyria is ready for the cheap shot and plants Lynch with a manhandle slam. I’m sure that won’t be a problem at all.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Bayley/Lyra Valkyria

Judgment Day, with Dominik Mysterio, is defending. Rodriguez shoves Bayley down to start but Bayley pops up for a slap to the head. Valkyria comes in but Rodriguez suplexes both of them down in quite the feat. It’s off to Perez for some shots of her own but Rodriguez comes in and gets kicked in the face. Bayley seems more interested in cheering than tagging in, allowing Perez to get in a neck snap across the top.

We take a break and come back with Rodriguez hitting a slingshot Jackhammer into Perez’s moonsault for two. Valkyria fights back and brings in Bayley for the sunset bomb into the corner. Rodriguez comes back in for another slingshot Jackhammer into the moonsault but Bayley gets her knees up. Corey Graves’ chair breaks at ringside as Valkyria hits a top rope ax kick for two on Perez.

They fight up to the top and Valkyria powerbombs her down so Bayley can hit the top rope elbow. Rodriguez breaks up the cover so Bayley throws Valkyria at her. Mysterio’s distraction lets Perez roll Bayley up for two, leaving Rodriguez to kick Mysterio in the face by mistake. Back in and medics come out to check on Mysterio and yeah of course it’s AJ Styles. Cue Becky Lynch to send Valkyria into the steps but Bayley rolls Perez up for two. Rodriguez tags herself in and hits a quick Tejana Bomb for the pin at 13:48.

Rating: B. The idea here was that Bayley and Valkyria weren’t clear in what they were doing, as Bayley might have wanted to cost Valkyria but she might have wanted to win the titles as well. The drama at the end was good and Styles having another costume was funny for a nice bonus. Lynch costing Valkyria is a good way to go so it made perfect sense.

Sami Zayn is ready to get his revenge on Karrion Kross.

Dominik Mysterio is looking for AJ Styles but finds Judgment Day, who tell him to calm down. Adam Pearce comes in to tell Mysterio that he’s either getting evaluated tonight or he’s losing the Intercontinental Title. Balor: “Get some lollipops!”

Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross

Kross slugs away to start and takes over on the banged up Zayn. Back up and Zayn fights out, including a bunch of right hands in the corner. A clothesline puts Kross on the floor, setting up the Arabian moonsault to drop Kross again. The ribs are banged up though and Kross goes after them as we take a break. We come back with Kross staying on the ribs as the Fireflies are out for some reason.

Kross gets in a shot of his own and climbs the corner for the tornado DDT and a near fall. Zayn gets caught on top, only to come out with a sunset bomb. With both of them down, Scarlett whips out the steel pipe but can’t hand it off at the moment. Zayn exploders Kross into the corner, which is enough for Scarlett to hand off the pipe. Scarlett grabs the leg, which is enough for the referee to get distracted. Kross hits Zayn with the pipe for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. This felt like a step in a bigger story, as Zayn is going to have to do something to get Kross off his back once and for all. You can’t do much when you have banged up ribs so Zayn was limited with what he could do. It was a good enough match, with Zayn selling like few others can do, but Kross winning makes sense in this spot. And he even took a bump!

Adam Pearce and AJ Styles ask about Dominik Mysterio’s status but Mysterio jumps Styles from behind. Mysterio will see Styles at Summerslam.

Iyo Sky vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Feeling out process to start with neither of them getting very far early on. Vaquer smiles before they trade double arm cranks. They lock hands and roll around a bit until Vaquer vets a cross arm choke. That’s broken up so they trade rollups for two each. Back up and they slug it out, with Sky grabbing a rollup for two more. Vaquer spins around into a rollup before Sky dropkicks her to the floor.

A big suicide dive takes Vaquer out again and we take a break. We come back with Sky possibly hurting her leg as she comes off the top. The double underhook Codebreaker gets two on Sky but she pulls Vaquer into the crossface. With that broken up, Sky hits a 619 into a headscissors driver onto the apron. Back up and Sky’s Asai moonsault connects and she stomps on Vaquer’s ribs back inside.

Vaquer avoids the running knees in the corner but Sky German suplexes her down. A sunset bomb to the floor is blocked though and Vaquer grabs a quick Devil’s Kiss on the apron. Another one connects inside for two and the running knees connect in the corner. Sky is fine enough to hit her own SVB for two and the Bullet Train connects in the corner. Vaquer manages a reverse superplex to drop Sky on her face and they’re both down…so here is the Secret Hervice. Vaquer fights them off but Chelsea Green runs in to jump Vaquer for the DQ at 15:08.

Rating: B+. It’s still amazing that Vaquer has been in WWE for so little time and already feels like she belongs on top of the division. She was going move for move with Sky here and it felt like a big match, which thankfully didn’t have a finish. They had some expectations here and wound up going beyond them, which is rather impressive.

Post match Vaquer and Sky fight the three of them off but Naomi comes in from behind and sends Sky into Vaquer. The big beatdown is on until Rhea Ripley runs in for the save (to a ROAR). Ripley, Sky and Vaquer clear the ring.

Summerslam rundown.

Here are Paul Heyman, Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker before Roman Reigns comes to the ring. Before Heyman can get very far though, here is Reigns, which doesn’t sit well with the villains. After the very lengthy entrance, Heyman says he never wants to be disrespectful or rude…and we pause for some crowd chanting. Heyman mocks the Texas fans and gets to the point: Seth Rollins is injured for a long time and that means there is a leadership spot available. They’re always better together than apart, but first Reigns asks the fans to acknowledge him. Heyman does the pose but Reigns says Heyman isn’t a wise man anymore. Reigns: “You’re just a dumba**.” Bron Breakker is ready to jump Reigns, who says Heyman will turn on him one day too.

Reigns has head a lot of people trying to take credit for the Tribal Chief but the only reason that happens is the people still acknowledge him. Heyman helped Reigns become the champion but the Usos, Solo Sikoa and even Sami Zayn helped him keep the title. Then he lost the title one day, but he went home to help raise the future Bloodline. The team is family, though Heyman only sees them as another wrestling faction.

What really bothers Reigns is that he made Heyman part of the family and then betrayed the family for a “best friend”. Heyman is the one who ruined the Bloodline, which has Breakker wanting the mic. Breakker says Reigns was a big deal five years ago. Breakker knows Heyman won’t turn on him because he has value in this place. Reigns is worthless while Breakker is the big dog around here.

So Reigns can do what he does best and leave. Reigns says he didn’t hear any of that because the mic wasn’t working. He throws Breakker the mic and hits the Superman Punch before going after Reed. Breakker is back up with a spear to Reigns but Jey Uso comes in for the save to a crazy reaction. Uso and Reigns hit stereo spears to clear the ring to end the show. You could do Reigns vs. Breakker but I’d save that for down the line. Do the tag match and play it safe.

Overall Rating: B. Good show here, which focused on getting us ready for Summerslam. That was in addition to a pretty good collection of wrestling and a nice exchange between Reigns and Heyman to end the show. They needed this kind of a show that helped get us ready for the pay per view and they made it come together well. Next week is going to be a tricky one, but at least this week was a success.

Results
Sheamus b. Rusev – Brogue Kick
LWO b. Creed Brothers and New Day – Rollup to Kingston
Judgment Day b. Lyra Valkyria/Bayley – Tejana Bomb to Bayley
Karrion Kross b. Sami Zayn – Pipe to the ribs
Stephanie Vaquer b. Iyo Sky via DQ when Chelsea Green interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 14, 2025
Location: BJCC, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re finally out of Atlanta after a weekend of shows in the city. The big story is Seth Rollins, whose knee seemed to be really badly banged up during Saturday Night’s Main Event. There is a good chance we’ll find out something about his status tonight. In addition, there is a fight person gauntlet match to crown Gunther’s next challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with long recaps of Saturday Night’s Main Event and Evolution.

Here is Naomi to get things going after cashing in her briefcase to steal the Women’s Title at Evolution. She told everyone to not guess her next move because no one knew what she would do. Now she is the new champion and she has left Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill in the dust. It was a plan months in the making and look where she is now. Anyone who is wanting to come for the title can proceed with caution and here is Rhea Ripley to interrupt.

She’s not happy with what Naomi did and Ripley doesn’t proceed with caution. Naomi interfered in her match so she is now on Ripley’s list. Cue Iyo Sky to interrupt, saying Ripley can wait her turn. Naomi says shed cash in to become champion and that’s what she did. Cue Adam Pearce to say he doesn’t want any violence. He congratulates Naomi on here win and makes the triple threat for the title at Summerslam. Makes sense.

We run down the card.

Judgment Day is polishing their belts but Dominik Mysterio is worried about AJ Styles stalking him. Finn Balor isn’t worried but thinks Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez could use some help against the Kabuki Warriors. Balor thinks Mysterio should accompany them so it seems to be all ok.

Judgment Day vs. Kabuki Warriors

Non-title and Dominik Mysterio is here with Judgment Day. Asuka chokes Rodriguez to start but gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Perez. That’s fine with Asuka, who fires off some kicks to put Perez in trouble. Sane comes in to strike away as well and everything breaks down. The Warriors get stereo submissions but Rodriguez makes the save.

Asuka kicks away at Rodriguez and knocks her out to the floor. Mysterio’s distraction doesn’t do much as Asuka posts Rodriguez anyway. Back in and Perez gets German suplexed, with the Warriors hitting the assisted Insane Elbow. Mysterio offers a distraction though and Perez steals the pin on Asuka at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a surprise but at least the champs got a nice win to make them feel more established. They have a long way to go and it’s not going to feel right as long as Liv Morgan is out but this is as good as we have for the moment. It helps that Perez and Rodriguez work well together though and the win is a good sign.

Paul Heyman and company aren’t going to talk about Seth Rollins’ health, as he has until June to cash in Money In The Bank. As for tonight, Bron Breakker is running the gauntlet to go to Summerslam and become World Heavyweight Champion.

Miz was at a celebrity golf tournament over the weekend where his partner kicked him in the face.

Lyra Valkyria wants to beat Bayley tonight, but Bayley comes in and says she needs to win. Maybe what’s best for Valkyria is to just stay out of her way.

Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

2/3 falls for the shot at Becky Lynch at Summerslam. Valkyria armdrags her down to start and Bayley misses a charge to the floor. Back in and Bayley grabs a quick rollup for the first fall at 1:27. Valkyria is stunned and we take an early break. We come back with Valkyria kicking her in the head and hitting a tornado DDT. A suplex puts Bayley down again and Valkyria stomps away in the corner.

Back up and Bayley whips her hard into the barricade and we slow down. Valkyria gets sent hard into the corner but comes back by sending her outside. Bayley gets in a belly to back suplex onto the apron though and the back is banged up even more. Back in and a spinning slam gives Bayley two as frustration is setting in. Bayley loads up la majistral but Valkyria stacks her up for the pin at 9:35.

A running knee drops Valkyria again though and we take another break. We come back with Bayley favoring her knee but managing a Stunner over the ropes. The Bayley To Belly is blocked and Valkyria goes up, only to dive into the Bayley To Belly for two. Valkyria catches her up top with something like a super snapmare, followed by a gutwrench powerbomb for two.

They go to the apron where Bayley hits a fisherman’s suplex. Back in and they trade cradles for two each before heading outside again. A sunset bomb sends Valkyria into the steps and the top rope elbow to the back gets two. The crossface goes on but Valkyria powers up and reverses into Nightwing for the pin at 19:58.

Rating: B. This got rolling by the end and it’s nice to see another good in-ring performance from Valkyria. She’s perfectly fine between the bells, but they might need to find a way to make her feel more serious. Maybe starting by dropping the bird stuff, as it doesn’t make her come off like a main eventer. For now though, good match and a very important win for Valkyria’s career.

Post match Becky Lynch comes out for the staredown with Valkyria.

We look at Stephanie Vaquer winning the Evolution battle royal.

Vaquer is excited about her win and ready to fight for the title at Clash In Paris, but Chelsea Green, with the Secret Hervice, comes in to say she should get the shot instead. Green mocks her nickname and says she’s off to face a Hall Of Famer.

Karrion Kross, with Scarlet, says your favorite bad guys are here to save the day. Sami Zayn isn’t here though, because Kross helped take him out. Kross thinks Zayn is hiding at home, where he needs to stay until he is ready to say Kross told the truth.

Chelsea Green vs. Nikki Bella

The Secret Hervice is here with Green. Bella strikes away to start and they go out to the floor, where Green takes over. Bella gets sent into the steps to keep her in trouble and we hit the chinlock back inside. That’s broken up and they both need a breather. Bella gets in an enziguri out of the corner for two but Green is back with a neckbreaker. The Unprettier is countered into a Bella Buster but Niven offers a distraction. They have a lot of trouble setting up the Rack Attack until Bella switches to the Rack Attack 2.0 (and that wasn’t great either) for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C-. This was a rough one at times as Bella didn’t look like she was exactly on the same page here. The sequence at the end looked like Green had to walk her through the finishing move, which isn’t a great sign. Then again it very well may have been ring rust as Bella hasn’t had a singles match in a good while, but this wasn’t a great showing.

Post match the Hervice lays Bella out but Stephanie Vaquer runs in for the save.

New Day, with Grayson Waller, is in the third stage of grieving for the death of their title loss: barbecue. They offer Adam Pearce a pair of well done….toupees. Pearce says they’ll find the new #1 contenders next week so don’t flip your wigs (which Pearce does). Pearce goes over to the Judgment Day and says Dominik Mysterio is going to be reevaluated next week. If he’s cleared, he’ll be defending against AJ Styles at Summerslam. The team leaves and Styles is praying that Mysterio is cleared. Mysterio: “God please don’t let me be cleared.” Styles: “Don’t listen to him God!” This was hilarious.

Rusev says he’s better than Sheamus, who comes up from behind. Sheamus says he isn’t going to jump Rusev, but they’re going to have a rematch because Rusev cheated the first time.

Summerslam rundown.

We look at the setup of Randy Orton/Jelly Roll vs. Logan Paul/Drew McIntyre from Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Here is Gunther to brag about retiring Goldberg. He beat Goldberg up, blew him up and finished him off. Now Gunther wants to know who is next and promises an answer soon. We’ll find that out next in a gauntlet match, which Gunther will be watching from his suite…and here is Bron Breakker to interrupt.

Paul Heyman shakes Gunther’s hand and loads up the catchphrase but Gunther says he knows Heyman’s name and doesn’t want to hear it. Gunther and Breakker have a staredown and Heyman explains the gauntlet match, saying that Breakker isn’t someone as easy as Goldberg. You aren’t looking at just another contender, because he’s a STEINER. Breakker is going to win the title, with Gunther eventually walking away. This isn’t giving me confidence in Seth Rollins’ future.

Gauntlet Match

Five entrants for the title shot against Gunther at Summerslam with Bron Breakker in at #1 and Penta in at #2. They run the ropes to start and Breakker hits him with the hard clothesline, allowing Breakker to glare a bit. Back up and Penta sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Breakker having sent him into the steps and then dropping Penta onto the steps for the big crash. Back in and Breakker sends him flying off a suplex, with the kickout leaving Breakker a bit surprised. Penta fights back with a sling blade into the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Backstabber out of the corner gets two and Penta tries a springboard, only to get speared out of the air for the fall at 9:47.

LA Knight is in at #3 (Gunther seems interested in his suite) and hammers away, followed by a neckbreaker. Knight starts in on the arm and the gorilla press doesn’t work as a result. A running clothesline sends Breakker to the floor and a dropkick through the ropes drops him again. They take turns sending each other into the announcers’ table before Breakker drops him back first onto the turnbuckle back inside.

We take another break and come back with Knight still in trouble with a waistlock keeping him down. Knight elbows his way to freedom and a double clothesline leaves both of them down again. The jumping top rope elbow connects for Knight and he strikes away, only to have the BFT broken up. A gutbuster sets up the Super Spear to give Breakker the pin at 19:58.

Jey Uso is in at #4 and knocks Knight out to the floor for a suicide dive and then does his entrance again as we take a break. We come back again with Breakker catching him on top but getting knocked down. Uso’s high crossbody connects and the running Umaga Attack gets two. Breakker is back up with the running super Frankensteiner for two and Breakker can’t believe the kickout. Uso fires off some superkicks and hits his own spear for two more. The Superfly Splash is loaded up but Bronson Reed breaks it up (Cole: “There are no disqualifications!” Since when?), meaning another Super Spear can finish Uso at 28:56.

CM Punk is in at #5 to complete the field and strikes away to start fast. We take another break and come back with Punk working on the arm and getting two off a Russian legsweep. Punk’s armbar is broken up though and Breakker knocks him into the corner, where he can ask Punk if it’s clobberin time. A catapult sends Punk throat first into the rope and the chinlock goes on. Punk fights up and Breakker cuts it off in a hurry, meaning it’s time to talk more trash.

Another super Frankensteiner connects but Punk rolls through into a sunset flip for two. They knock each other down for a double breather, with Punk fighting up to make the comeback. Punk goes up top but has to kick Reed away before dropping the top rope elbow for two. The Anaconda Vice goes on but Reed comes in for the save. Cue Jey Uso to cut Reed off and the Super Spear is countered into the GTS to give Punk the pin and the title at 41:20.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a showing from Breakker, who went 40+ minutes and looked like he had another half hour in him. That’s not something you see very often and it worked well here. Other than that, this felt like a near guaranteed win for Punk, who very well may be getting the title at Summerslam. Either way, it was a good match with some solid action, most of which is attributable to Breakker. They seem to know what they have with him and if he is brought along properly, the sky is the limit.

Post match Reed jumps Punk again so Uso comes in for the save. Breakker hits a spear to Uso and another one to Punk and the double Tsunami is loaded up. And then none of that matters because Roman Reigns is back. The Superman Punch drops Reed and Reigns beats up Breakker. Another Superman Punch hits Breakker and the spear drops Reed. Reigns and Punk stand tall to end the show. I’m guessing Reigns/Uso vs. Breakker/Reed for Summerslam?

Overall Rating: B. Now this is more like it from Raw, with two and a half hours of mostly good to better than good wrestling. More importantly though, this show went a long way towards setting up Summerslam, as the card is mostly together. I like this a good bit and the Bella/Green match was the only weak spot. This show did a great job of making Summerslam feel like a big deal, which is more than could be said for the build towards Evolution. Strong show this week, and hopefully they can keep it up for the next few weeks.

Results
Judgment Day b. Kabuki Warriors – Rollup to Asuka
Lyra Valkyria b. Bayley 2-1
Nikki Bella b. Chelsea Green – Rack Attack 2.0
CM Punk won a gauntlet match last eliminating Bron Breakker

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 30, 2025
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Night Of Champions and about a month away from Summerslam. That means it is time to start setting up the card and some of the bigger matches are set. Cody Rhodes and Jade Cargill won the Of The Ring tournaments and will be getting title matches at Summerslam. There is more that needs to be set though so let’s get to it.

Here is Night Of Champions if you need a recap.

Long Night Of Champions recap.

Here is Rhea Ripley to get things going. After welcoming us to Monday Night Mami, Ripley is cut off by Iyo Sky. Ripley isn’t pleased but Sky says she needs to defend the title at Evolution. That includes against Ripley, who says she respects Sky and she’ll stop at nothing to get the title back. The match is on for Evolution. Well they go to the point quickly this time.

Dominik Mysterio gives the Judgment Day a pep talk but AJ Styles comes in. Dominik says he’s still injured so there’s no title match yet. Styles even puts on his glasses, which let him know that the doctor’s note says Dominik is a “punk a**.” Threats of violence are made but Dominik holds up the doctor’s note.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Judgment Day

New Day is defending. Balor and Kingston start things off with Kingston offering Balor some bread because he hasn’t had carbs in such a long time. Commentary argues about whether or not Graves likes the New Day as Balor hits a basement dropkick to rock Kingston. It’s off to McDonagh, who gets draped over the top rope for Woods’ top rope stomp to the back. Woods gets in a strut as we take a break.

We come back with Kingston hammering on McDonagh, who counters a powerbomb with an X Factor. Kingston can’t prevent the tag and it’s Balor coming in to clean house to quite the positive reaction. The running double stomp hits Balor but it’s back to McDonagh vs. Woods. McDonagh gets to clean house but a moonsault hits raised knees.

The Coup de Grace hits McDonagh by mistake and the Midnight Hour gets two on Balor. A belt shot gets two more but Woods gets crotched on top, setting up McDonagh’s super Spanish Fly for two more. Balor hits the Sling Blade on Kingston on the floor and it’s McDonagh’s moonsault into the Coup de Grace to pin Woods for the titles at 12:23.

Rating: B-. They needed to change the titles here as New Day’s reign was just dying. There’s nothing for them to do and it was becoming more and more obvious week after week. Judgment Day might not be much better, but at least they’re something fresh for a change. The match started slowly but got better, with the last few minutes being rather good. If nothing else, it was bizarre to hear the fans that into Judgment Day.

We look back at Lyra Valkyria costing Bayley the Women’s Intercontinental Title last week.

Bayley isn’t happy when Valkyria comes in. Valkyria doesn’t know who Bayley is anymore and they argue about not knowing each other anymore. Adam Pearce breaks it up and announces he has made a match between the two of them. The winner challenges Becky Lynch.

Video on Goldberg, from his time in WCW to his first WWE run to his multiple returns.

We look at Penta attacking Chad Gable last week, including injuring Gable’s arm.

Earlier today, Gable, with his arm in a sling, told American Made to hold the fort while he’s gone. Adam Pearce comes in to say we won’t be seeing El Grade Americano either. The team isn’t sure what they’ll do without Gable, who tells them to listen to Ivy. Of note: Ludwig Kaiser could be seen watching them from behind.

Judgment Day meets with Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce, who need to make a decision about the Women’s Tag Team Titles. The solution is to give Raquel Rodriguez a new partner, which can be Roxanne Perez. Works for the GM’s, but they think Perez and Rodriguez need to prove themselves in a title defense at Evolution against teams from Raw, Smackdown and NXT.

Sheamus vs. Rusev

They fight up against the ropes to start and Rusev knocks him down. Sheamus is back up with a shot of his own and grabs the Predator (Dublin Smile) to keep Rusev down. Rusev knocks him to the floor but a dive is countered into a powerslam and we take a break. Back with Sheamus fighting out of a chinlock and firing off the ax handles.

The Irish Curse plants Rusev but Sheamus doesn’t cover as the referee stops to talk to Rusev. It’s ok enough for Sheamus to drop a top rope knee for one and Rusev is back up with a spinwheel kick for two. A superplex drops Sheamus again and we take a break. Back with the slugout from their knees, followed by another one from their feet.

A tilt-a-whirl powerslam drops Rusev again and the ten forearms put him down. The running knee rocks Rusev and gives Sheamus a near fall. Back up and Rusev superkicks him into the Accolade, with Sheamus managing to power up and crash through the ropes for the break. Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick on the floor but Rusev beats the count at nine. Back in and they slug it out on the apron, where Rusev sends him into an exposed buckle. The basement superkick finishes for Rusev at 20:22.

Rating: B. These guys know how to hit each other really hard and that’s something that is always going to work. They advertised this as these two beating the fire out of each other and Sheamus is exactly the one you call for this kind of a match. That being said, I’m really not sure what Rusev is going to be doing anytime soon, as he’s just kind of floating around most of the time.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce announce an Evolution battle royal with the winner getting a title shot in Paris.

Ivy Nile is ready for the battle royal….but El Grande Americano walks up and poses. Nile and American Made is stunned and go follow him.

Karrion Kross jumps Sami Zayn and demands that he SAY IT. Kross hits him in the ribs with a steel pipe, so a bunch of officials and Scarlet come in to break it up.

Here is Gunther for a chat. He liked the dominance and destruction he was in the Goldberg video, but the whole thing was just like his matches: summed up in three minutes. Goldberg has said that he doesn’t like bullies but he has run into the biggest bully of them all. After he exposes Goldberg, the question is who is next for Gunther…and here are Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman.

Rollins says he hasn’t seen Gunther since he won the briefcase but he was only there at Night Of Champions to prevent CM Punk from winning the World Title. Cue Punk to chase Rollins off and call him a coward before shoving Gunther down. Rollins runs into the crowd, where LA Knight jumps him from behind. They into the concourse where Rollins throws a beer in his case and runs off.

Judgment Day is happy with their titles but Raquel Rodriguez isn’t happy with Roxanne Perez just being handed her title, despite Liv Morgan working so hard in rehab. They have a vote, with Balor and McDonagh being in and Dominik giving an alleged yes, though he’s not sure how Morgan will like it. Rodriguez really doesn’t seem convinced but agrees, meaning Perez is officially part of the team.

Kairi Sane is still a pirate and wants all of the treasure, in the for of championship gold. I can always go for more pirates in wrestling.

Lyra Valkyria vs. Bayley

For a future shot at Becky Lynch. Feeling out profess to start with Bayley taking Valkyria into the corner. Bayley takes her down for an early Boston crab, before both of them try crossbodies. The stereo crashes sends us to a break and we come back with Bayley grabbing a superplex. Valkyria rolls outside so Bayley elbows her off the apron for two.

Back up and Valkyria grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two of her own but Bayley rolls her up for the same. Valkyria’s sitout powerbomb gets two but they ram heads coming out of the corner. The Rose Plant and Night Wing are both blocked and they go into an exchange of rollups for a double pin at 10:12.

Rating: B-. They might as well have had a big countdown to the draw here, as that was all but guaranteed to happen once the prize was announced. The match was good enough as Valkyria is fine bell to bell, but I’m still not sure if this is bringing her up to that next level. That being said, WWE is certainly trying and it’s not a total failure, so points for doing the right thing.

Post match the brawl stays on and they fight into the crowd where it has to be broken up.

CM Punk tells LA Knight to get to the back of the line to fight Seth Rollins. Knight says Punk can have Rollins six nights a week, but not on Saturday, because it’s Knight vs. Rollins at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Penta makes sure that the banged up Sami Zayn is ready for the main event. Zayn is game.

Sami Zayn/Penta vs. Bron Breakker/Bronson Reed

Zayn has heavily taped ribs. Breakker shoulders Penta into the corner to start but everything breaks down in a hurry. Zayn comes in to knock Reed outside and stereo dives to the floor take out the villains as we take a break. Back with Zayn fighting up to knock Reed outside, with Breakker being sent out as well.

Zayn’s Arabian moonsault takes both of them down and Paul Heyman is worried. Back in and Zayn’s sunset powerbomb gets two on Reed but he’s back up with a Death Valley Driver. Breakker comes in and puts Zayn on the announcers’ table for the clothesline and we take another break.

We come back again with Zayn sending Breakker to the floor and avoiding a backsplash from Reed. Penta comes back in with an enziguri to Breakker and a slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Sacrifice snaps Breakker’s arm but the Penta Driver is blocked. Breakker’s gorilla press is countered into a DDT for two but Heyman offers a distraction. That’s enough for Reed to get in a cheap shot, allowing Breakker to hit the super Frankensteiner.

Reed sitout powerbombs Penta for two with Zayn making the save, only for Breakker to cut Zayn off with a clothesline. The Super Spear is cut off with a kick to the face but Reed makes the save this time. Penta and Breakker go to the floor and Zayn suplexes Reed, only to get speared by Breakker for the pin at 18:26.

Rating: B+. These guys really got going near the end and it was one of those matches which could have gone either way, which is often one of the best things that you can see. I had a great time with this and Zayn’s ribs being banged up give him a bit of protection with the loss. Also, points for Penta already feeling like he belongs at this level, which is more than some stars who have been trying to make it work for years with less success.

Post match Breakker and Reed go after them again but Jey Uso makes the save with a chair.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show that hit the ground running after Night Of Champions and the road to Summerslam is off fast. What matters the most is that they are already setting things up for both Summerslam and Evolution, the latter of which has gone a long way in such a short time. We also had a title change and four good to rather good matches. That’s a heck of a use of a Monday night and I had a really good time with this one, which covered a lot of ground.

Results
Judgment Day b. New Day – Coup de Grace to Woods
Rusev b. Sheamus – Basement superkick
Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria went to a double pin
Bron Breakker/Bronson Reed b. Penta/Sami Zayn – Spear to Zayn

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6