World Wrestling Entertainment premiered their mid-year event, the WWE SummerSlam, which took place at Ford Field Stadium on Saturday.
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This Saturday, World Wrestling Entertainment premiered their mid-year event, the WWE SummerSlam, which took place at Ford Field, the NFL’s Detroit Lions’ home stadium. The second-largest event WWE puts on each year, after WrestleMania, is SummerSlam, and this year’s card is generally great from top to bottom. Welcome to results, highlights and recap of WWE SummerSlam 2023.
The Internet superstar took the stage first, to a loud chorus of jeers. In the center of the ring, the two men met and began to argue. Before sending Paul out of the ring with a headscissor, Ricochet smacked the flavor from his lips. The YouTuber was able to take control for a brief period of time by employing some shady strategies. He even made fun of Ricochet’s fiancee Samantha Irvin, the ring announcer.
Throughout the contest, they switched control a number of times. The One and Only tried to pop the audience with risky moves as Paul concentrated on gaining heel heat. The supporters ate it up. Paul has a history of going above and beyond in the ring, and this effort was no different. Because he is the kind of artist that understands how to take care of the social media celebrity during the risky spots, contrasting him with an individual like Ricochet was a wise choice.
They have plenty of time to cover a number of noteworthy locations while still delivering a tale. The ideal outcome for this match was this. Paul’s friend gave him some brass knuckles, and he used a powerful right punch to knock Ricochet out and win the match. Even though the result was subpar, everything else was successful.
Undoubtedly, the most eagerly awaited match of the evening was the second one. In an effort to end their feud once and for all, Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar squared off one more. Without waiting for the bell, Rhodes attempted to attack Lesnar as soon as he entered the building. Although The Beast Incarnate attempted to stop his opponent’s attack by throwing him with a suplex, it hardly had any effect. Rhodes was repeatedly knocked off his feet by Lesnar, although this only seemed to keep him there for a brief while.
The former UFC champion slowed things down as he delivered punishment once he started landing multiple suplexes. This pattern is prevalent across many of The Beast’s matches. His opponent makes a good start before taking a beating for a number of minutes. The result is the only thing that seems to alter. The Beast attempted to utilize a count-out to give Rhodes a chance to save himself, but he declined. Before performing another suplex, Lesnar warned him that things would only get worse. In an effort to win, he even used an F-5 to smash The American Nightmare through the announce table.
Every time Rhodes beat the count and entered the ring again, the audience applauded louder. For some reason, the referee didn’t disqualify him even though he ultimately used the steel stairs as a weapon. Lesnar was caught by The American Nightmare, who then used three consecutive Cross Rhodes to pin him and secure the victory. The encounter between these two may have been the most effective from a narrative perspective. Along the way, they provided us with a fun competition while telling us a narrative. Though perplexing, using the stairs wasn’t enough to ruin the entire fight.
However, LA Knight’s entrance was held back until everyone could witness it. Most of the introductions for this Battle Royal were held during a break. Right after the bell, Omos entered the room, joined by MVP. Before Omos ever reached the ring, chaos reigned. He immediately started getting rid of people when he fired Rick Boogs, JD McDonagh, and Apollo Crews. Numerous feuds were addressed with targeted eliminations, notably the one between Santos Escobar and Austin Theory, who will square off for the U.S. title the following week.
Omos was finally eliminated from the competition by a group of individuals, who also received a loud cheer from the audience. AJ Styles, Sheamus, Reed, and Knight made up the last four men. After an exciting finish, Knight pushed out The Celtic Warrior and took the match after Karrion Kross disqualified Styles from outside the ring. The latter 5 to 10 minutes of this Battle Royal were really strong. Knight winning was the perfect decision, especially considering the reaction of the audience.
The following fight, an MMA Rules battle between Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey, was one of the most intimate of the entire event. The referee clarified that submit or knockout was the only method of victory. Prior to the match, Baszler refrained from tapping gloves as a token of respect. Early on, it appeared as though the Queen of Spades would win, but Rousey successfully resisted most of her submissions.
They sprang to their feet and began exchanging blows. Even though it was advertised as more of an MMA battle than a wrestling match, it definitely had a pro wrestling vibe. They continued to trash speak, jeer the crowd, and make sales like they would in any other fight. Rousey attacked them while Baszler was receiving medical attention for an arm injury, telling her former friend to finish this. The Queen of Spades greeted her in the center of the ring, and they immediately began exchanging blows.
Up until the very last few minutes of the game, the audience didn’t seem to be all that interested. Rousey collapsed as Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch, resulting in a technical submission win for Baszler. This was a passable game that might have been much better with a new audience. Baszler recently achieved her biggest victory. Hope WWE makes the most of it.
In the following match, Gunther faced up against Drew McIntyre to defend the Intercontinental Championship. There was more at stake for The Ring General than just his belt. Additionally, he was striving to extend his nearly record-breaking reign until he outlasted The Honky Tonk Man. Before locking up, the two formidable opponents locked eyes for a considerable period of time. Gunther made sure to take note of McIntyre’s first knockdown. He answered by putting the opponent in a headlock and taking him down.
They took some time to start throwing chops, but once they did, they were swinging for the fences. Each blow had a distinct sound, and you could almost feel the welt rising on the Scot’s chest. This was a fierce fight from the off between two guys who take great pride in their physical prowess. Both put forth a lot of effort to jolt the crowd to life. After Gunther recovered from his Claymore kick, he struck McIntyre with a few strong attacks and a powerbomb for a clean victory and to keep his title.
The next title on the schedule was the World Heavyweight Championship, which was contested by Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor. Both competitors were focused as they entered the ring, but The Visionary spoke more confidently. When The Prince had the upper hand, he started to attack Rollins’ left arm right away, almost as if he were seeking retribution for the injury he sustained at SummerSlam in 2016. For the first few minutes, the action moved slowly as Bálor punished The Visionary by doing anything he could to increase pressure on his arm.
They didn’t treat it like a sprint, but more like a marathon. This would have been a spot fest if these dudes were ten years younger. This time, they concentrated more on telling a compelling story and making use of their past. The use of callbacks to heighten the tension was superb. Damian Priest arrived with his MITB briefcase and fired a cheap shot behind the referee’s back to knock out Rollins. Although Bálor hit a Pedigree, the three-count was not successful.
The referee was sidetracked when Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio appeared, but the Irishman refused to use Priest’s briefcase as a prop, allowing Rollins to hit a Stomp for a two-count. The Visionary defeated the Priest and Dirty Dom and was able to stop the Coup de Grace. Using the briefcase that Priest had left in the ring, he used a Stomp to win the match. Everything was done correctly and set the stage for a potential Judgement Day divorce.
The only female match on the schedule came before the main event. Asuka faced off against her two fiercest opponents, Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair, for the WWE Women’s Championship. In an effort to be the first to strike, the three kicked each other in the circles and occasionally missed. Asuka made the opening attack, but shortly after that, just Belair and Flair were still in the ring. Like most Triple Threat matches, this went on as planned. They would temporarily remove one player from the mix so that two might partner up, followed by a brief sequence with all three players before temporarily removing another player.
The three contestants all performed well, and each set of opponents showed off the chemistry they have developed with one another. Everyone felt like they had a chance to win at any time because no one appeared to have a clear advantage. Belair was knocked out of the ring and her knee landed on the steel stairway. While The Empress of Tomorrow and The Queen continued battling, medical personnel responded to her and ultimately began assisting her to the back. The EST of WWE hobbled back into the ring to interrupt Flair’s Figure Eight with a 450 splash that nearly earned her the championship.
Belair was placed in a Figure 8 by the Queen, but Asuka broke it up by spitting mist in her face. The Empress was rolled up for the pin attempt by The EST to become the new women’s champion, but Iyo Sky and Bayley assaulted everyone instead. Sky cashed in and performed a moonsault to secure the victory and the pin. As the fans clapped for Bayley, the new champion joined them in their celebration. Dakota Kai entered the ring to celebrate and take pictures with Damage CTRL, who made their SummerSlam debut the previous year. The crowd was incredibly energized by how well everything was executed.
The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship fight between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso was the final encounter of the evening and possibly the only one deserving of the title of “main event.” There were no rules because it was a contest under the Tribal Combat rules. As Jey tried to psychologically get ready for the fight by looking anywhere but at his cousin, the Tribal Chief grabbed a microphone and ordered the crowd to pay attention to him. Reigns promised Jey that he would personally give Jey his ceremonial neckwear if he won.
Reigns makes a clean break in the corner after they locked up. They bumped into one another but didn’t continue to argue. After The Tribal Chief took charge for a while, Jey started to display some lIfe. The audience began shouting “Jey!” as he attempted to use a table, but Reigns stopped him before he could and recovered the upper hand. As Paul Heyman yelled “Tribal Combat” repeatedly, the champion grabbed a kendo stick and began attacking his cousin. With a superkick and a Uso Splash, Jey nearly won, but Reigns was able to kick out. As a result, Jey sat down and attacked The Tribal Chief. He threw a number of chairs into the ring, but Reigns utilized them to his advantage when he connected with a powerbomb for yet another near-fall.
As they battled in the crowd, Solo Sikoa arrived and beat Jey to death. He was carried back to the ring by him and Reigns, who appeared to be winning the contest. A brief tense exchange between Reigns and Solo gave Jey the opportunity to spear his cousin through the barrier. Before returning The Tribal Chief to the ring, he brought his little brother onto the announce table and put him through it. Jimmy Uso appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Jey out of the ring as he attempted to pin Reigns. He delivered a superkick to his twin brother before throwing him back so that Reigns could get the victory with a spear through a table.
The majority of what we witnessed on Saturday night was predictable, but most of the choices were also sensible and led to the best possible results. Every match on the schedule was entertaining in some way, but the crowd’s enthusiasm fluctuated throughout the evening. By the halfway point, it was obvious that the spectators were worn out from their intense cheering. The performance by Ricochet and Paul could have been the biggest surprise of the evening. Although we were all aware that they would pull off some crazy stunts, the execution of everything was superb.
Someone should get paid more for brokering that game. Sky’s championship victory was a joyous occasion for her and her supporters, Knight’s victory in the Battle Royal seemed deserving, and both world title matches were fulfilling in their own unique ways. Overall, the caliber of each match made this a really successful evening. Prior to Payback on September 2, WWE just needs to make sure it follows up on everything.
For more WWE news
Roman Reigns – On WWE Night of Champions 2023, Roman Reigns reached a massive milestone
Cody Rhodes – WWE hall of Famer thinks Cody Rhodes should turn heel
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