Expansion cards offer seven games, compared to the now regular five games wwe Premium live events, summer slam It’s a rich show with no filler, ending storylines with a big match, starting to build the next one with a new alignment, and throwing in more than a few surprises along the way. Not every game was a masterpiece, and there was a certain degree of repetition between them, but almost everything felt important and connected well with the live Cleveland audience.
Women’s World Championship – Liv Morgan (c) def. Rhea Ripley: show opening TV drama twisted “Dirty” Dominick Mysterio Betrayal of Mom to go with Liv Morgan was an inspired booking decision. Mysterio responded to the overwhelming enthusiasm of the crowd and the anticipation of Rhea Ripley’s first match back from injury, setting the stage for a night filled with drama. It was not purely an accident that the commentary team quoted this statement Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero“Dominic Custody” ladder match summer slam 2005.
To me, this was Liv Morgan’s best WWE match to date. She incorporated elements of the character throughout the narrative, and choosing to work on Ripley’s newly healed shoulder was a perfect angle for a smaller heel like her. Morgan is more confident in her performance in the ring than she was a year ago and now seems to have no trouble keeping the crowd immersed in her matches. Despite her previous top titles, everything fell into place and this run was truly memorable – in fact, it had been.
Rhea Ripley, for her part, is undoubtedly one of the best “big match” wrestlers in WWE. She has an undeniable aura and the stories she tells with her body language are captivating. The powerful kick she delivers to Morgan feels like it’s filled with all of her character’s pent-up emotional frustration. Just like in movies, the best action scenes carry emotion and character development rather than just looking cool or technically impressive – and Rhea Ripley always, always captures at this point. With her performance and her loss here, Ripley is now more of an underdog than ever.
Intercontinental Championship – Brown Breaker def. Sami Zayn (c): Within six minutes, I couldn’t understand the game. In their previous match, Zayn beat Breakker cleanly, so what was the difference that allowed Breaker to beat Zayn with relative ease here? I’m shocked to talk about Sami Zayn’s matches, but both of them lacked a clear in-ring story.
Breakker looks great and certainly moves well, but his character still needs clarification. It may seem counterintuitive, but the commentary team’s constant calling him an “unpredictable bad guy” might actually dissuade him from accepting that – it feels too canonical.
United States Championship – Los Angeles Cavaliers Logan Paul (c): This is a make-or-break situation for the Los Angeles Cavaliers. He desperately needs this win to capitalize on his momentum from last year – but he also really needs to perform well in the ring to match his stellar character work and promos. Paul is always exciting to work with between the ropes and Knight really shows it here. Logan Paul holds a horrific and regressive set of political and moral values. Indeed, his skills as a professional wrestler are very, very good.
The match started with brawls and seats being announced, and once the bell rang, the match started with some crazy action. Knight’s pop-up elbow is his signature move in the game. Paul’s springboard leap to the outside was shocking and felt downright dangerous. The delivery to Paul’s Super Rider was downright brutal. Both men had perfect timing with brass knuckles and counter-attacks of blunt force trauma in the final moments. The game did everything it needed to without overstaying its welcome and finally got what Knight had worked so hard for.
WWE Women’s Championship – Nia Jax def. Bayley (c): The result here was a bit of a surprise, with Bayley being a savvy veteran who certainly has more mileage in the title race, but Jax’s capture of the belt solidified the newfound importance of The Ring – as GuntherA win later in the evening would set the stage for the men’s championship.
Jax’s wrestling style is reminiscent of Vader This is a very welcome development. She uses a slightly chaotic energy to balance her strength, punches what looks like a stiff fist, rolls the sentinel, ura swimmingand power bombs. Since returning, Jax has looked motivated and clearly put in the work. It will be interesting to see if her tenure as champion has its own story or if it does. Tiffany StrattonThe Money In The Bank briefcase will work immediately.
Special guest referee Seth “Freakin” Rollins – Drew McIntyre def. CM Punk: Like the opening game, this much-anticipated game also has TV drama Energy associated with character, story, and drama. The McIntyre/Punk feud is a perfect example of a top-tier show that doesn’t need a championship to connect with the audience.
The tension between the three wrestlers entering this match will have no problem maintaining the ongoing long-term plans woven between them. their respect Bret Hart and Undertakerof summer slam Contest by Shawn Michaels The positioning in 1997 was just right. Rollins, Punk and McIntyre made gestures to the historic match and the clever chair shots, but didn’t opt to replicate the result 1:1. When it comes to callbacks and homages, this feels like the right balance to me.
Since then, he has been mercilessly pranked by CM Punk. wrestling maniaMcIntyre re-establishes himself as a dangerous player with a win here. Even though Punk has always been the smartest guy, his loss of focus and unfortunate manipulation by the Bracelet shows that the best in the world is more vulnerable than he realizes. Rollins’ switch from dismissive nonchalance to frantic and frustrated emotional investment was a great pacing mechanic for this match. Full character development.
By the way, Punk looks great and moves really well. He’s really excited to be back in the squared circle and that feeling definitely radiates outward. Love watching it.
World Heavyweight Championship – Gunther def. Damian Priest(c): Hello Hoth Festival! Broken Arrow! Power bomb! Big bloody ribs! Get bulky! Frankenstein? This match was everything I wanted from these two and more. Interference comes from Finn BalorLike Mysterio at the top of the show, pitch perfect.
Every one of Priest’s title defenses has been one of his best games, and this one was no exception. He’s improving rapidly, both in the ring and on the mic, and this brief program with Gunther feels like a real milestone in that progress. Like Ripley, Priest invested palpable emotion in his offense, drawing the crowd to his corner more than ever. Gunther, meanwhile, showed little emotion emotionally but continued to crank up the intensity throughout the game. It’s a story of cultural contrasts (American vs. European) that feels fresh and compelling, and Balor’s betrayal is dramatic.
As stated above, I have full confidence in how this will turn out summer slam Firmly establishing the new importance of KOTR/QOTR – but I’d also say this is likely to be one of those rare games where live reaction to the game may require a last second change in the ending. Priest is so good here that the audience is clamoring for him to overcome the odds. Nothing to complain about though – it was great.
WWE Undisputed Champion Lineage Rules – Cody Rhodes Defined. Solo Sikoya: the return of Roman Reigns When this show started, I felt like it was inevitable, and the choice of this match as the headliner pretty much confirmed it. The return of “Reign” has been met with a well-deserved response and is a testament to the great work Sikoa has done, Son of Tonga, southeast, Jacob Fattu,certainly, Paul Heyman In Raines’ absence.
The first part of this game was somewhat of a vehicle to understand the shenanigans of the second half. This match is sure to bring back memories of this year’s Roode/Reigns wrestling maniathe continuous conflict with “Bloodline”, Randy Orton, Kevin Owensand finally the ruler himself. Still, Rhodes and Sikoya really shredded things in the first half and told a powerful story together. Sikoa was smart in his wrestling and prepared for some of Rhodes’ signature moves (maybe Reigns didn’t?), which was especially cool. The commentary team feels he has matured as of late, and his performance in the ring proves it.
By the way, I don’t want to hear commentators refer to Pacific Islanders as “savages” or “animals”. WWE has made great strides in showcasing the Islanders, especially in recent years, but casting new blood in these terms is a problem. Not only is this racist, but referring to Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatou in these terms is actually an attempt to retroactively position the first generation of Bloodline as “not like the others.” ” (hence the model minority). I guarantee it is possible for a wrestler of color to be a heel without resorting to racism. Do better, WWE.
take a bow: Wow!
like slim jimwhich is one of the summer slamSponsored by, this show is a very hearty snack. Format-wise, the Big Four WWE PLE has longer cards and is available summer slam It will be fun to switch to a two night stay starting next year and see if that works royal rumble and survivor series The ultimate imitation.
summer slam There are several themes running through it that feel like a cohesive turning point in the WWE calendar: the high-level drama that permeates Morgan/Ripley, Punk/McIntyre, and Priest/Gunther, the “spiritual successor” aspect Morgan/Ripley and Rhodes/Sikoya, as well as a lot of use of the grind. Satisfactorily, though, every interruption is tied to drama, reminding us that pranks can have a clear and impactful storytelling function, rather than just serving as a clean veneer to avoid booking and “protect” everyone means.
As a minor complaint, this show needs better locker room coordination or coordination among game producers since almost every game there is someone working on the shoulders. This angle should have been limited to Morgan and Ripley because that would make the most storyline sense. Everyone else should have to work another part of the body or a completely different angle.
As a major complaint, please don’t be racist! WWE needs to figure out how to present Solo Sikoia’s lineage as a different one than Reigns without resorting to stereotypes and outright racism. In a different but related investigation, my colleagues at The Beat and I discussed the lack of any black talent on the big show. I’m not going to buy into the scarcity argument as to whether there are matches here that could be cut, but I will say that I would like to see wrestlers of color (not just black wrestlers) get programs that support them in developing their character as well as their role in Work in the ring so they can shine on nights like this too.
All in all, this year summer slam was a great “Big Four” act that delivered a big night of drama. Storylines evolve, titles change hands, and almost without exception, everyone comes out stronger than when they entered.
