WWE SummerSlam aired live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Roman Reigns put the Universal Championship and his WWE career on the line against John Cena. Bobby Lashley defended the WWE Title against Goldberg. Nikki A.S.H. defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair in a Triple Threat match. Both Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar made their returns to WWE during the PPV as well.
SummerSlam Results
- Big E def. Baron Corbin & got his MITB contract back (Kickoff Show)
- RK-Bro def. AJ Styles & Omos to become the new RAW Tag Team Champions
- Alexa Bliss def. Eva Marie
- Damian Priest def. Sheamus to become the new United States Champion
- The Usos def. The Mysterios to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
- Becky Lynch def. Bianca Belair in a squash match to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship
- Drew McIntyre def. Jinder Mahal
- Charlotte Flair def. Nikki A.S.H. & Rhea Ripley to become the new RAW Women’s Champion
- Edge def. Seth Rollins via submission
- Lashley def. Goldberg to retain the WWE Championship
- Roman Reigns def. John Cena to retain the Universal Championship
Here are the takeaways from WWE SummerSlam 2021:
RK-Bro Are The New RAW Tag Team Champions
AJ Styles & Omos defended the RAW Tag Tag Team Championships against RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle) in the first match of SummerSlam. Orton and Styles started off the action and Randy connected with a Suplex of his own. Riddle tagged in and continued to beat AJ down.
Styles rolled out of the ring and slammed on the announce table out of frustration before tagging in Omos. Riddle ran towards Omos but it backfired and he shoved him to the canvas. Omos lifted Riddle up for a bit before sending him to the canvas with a massive Body Slam.
AJ tagged back in applied a Headlock to Riddle in the middle of the ring. Styles connected with a Backbreaker and started taunting Orton on the apron. Riddle escaped and leaped across the ring to tag in Orton. Randy leveled Styles with a Clothesline and bashed Omos in the face.
Orton hit AJ with a Powerslam and booted Omos off the apron. Randy planted Styles with the draping DDT and set up for the RKO but Omos dragged AJ out of the ring. Omos delivered a Chokeslam to Riddle on the ring apron as Styles got back into the ring.
Riddle shoved Omos into the ring post but Styles hit Riddle with a beautiful reverse DDT outside the ring. AJ set up for the Phenomenal Forearm but Orton got out of the way. Randy went for the RKO but Styles countered into a roll-up. Orton kicked out and planted Styles with an RKO for the pinfall. RK-Bro are the new RAW Tag Team Champions.
Alexa Bliss def. Eva Marie
Alexa Bliss faced Eva Marie tonight on SummerSlam. Doudrop was ringside and Lilly was in the corner. Eva slammed Alexa to the mat and started slapping Lilly. Bliss got annoyed and leveled Eva with a Clothesline. Bliss followed it up with a Senton and started petting Lilly. Alexa gave Lilly a kiss as Eva and Doudrop were arguing because Doudrop wouldn’t take the doll.
Bliss bounced Eva’s face off the bottom turnbuckle and made her way to the top rope. Alexa went for Twisted Bliss but Eva got out of the way. Eva went for the cover but Bliss was able to kick out at two. Alexa then planted Eva with a DDT for the pinfall victory as Doudrop laughed. Doudrop didn’t help Eva Marie up and grabbed a microphone. Doudrop announced that this match was lost by Eva Marie. Doudrop took Eva’s robe and started posing as the crowd cheered her on.
Damian Priest Is The New US Champion
Sheamus defended the United States Championship against Damian Priest tonight. Sheamus dominated early but Damian responded with a big elbow to the face. Priest connected with a sitout Falcon Arrow for a near fall and then knocked the US Champion out of the ring.
Priest went for a springboard flip and came up a bit short. Sheamus tried to brace him but Damian landed hard on his back on the floor outside the ring. The champion capitalized and sent Priest into the ring post. Back in the ring, Sheamus applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring to slow the action down.
Damian batted to his feet and escaped with an Arm Drag. Sheamus focused his attack on Priest’s back with a massive Backbreaker and flexed with Damian across his knee. Sheamus went for a Powerbomb but Priest countered into a Hurricanrana in which he again landed rough on neck/back.
Priest battled back and planted Sheamus with a DDT. Damian made his way to the top rope and hit a spin kick for a near fall. Sheamus hit a flying Clothesline off the top rope and followed it up with an Alabama Slam for a two count. The Celtic Warrior hit a big headbutt but Damian shrugged it off and connected with a Chokeslam.
Damian leaped off the top rope but Sheamus was ready and hit a knee to the face. Sheamus went for the cover but Damian was able to kick out at the last moment. Sheamus locked in a Heel Hook in the middle of the ring but Priest broke free by ripping off Sheamus’ mask. Damian unloaded some punches and a big kick to the face. Priest followed it up with the Reckoning for the pinfall victory. Damian Priest is the new United States Champion.
Opinion: It sure looked like Damian Priest got banged up and was still able to put on a hell of match with Sheamus. They both worked their ass off and I thought that this was the match of the night so far.
The Usos Retained The SmackDown Tag Titles
The Usos defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Rey and Dominik Mysterio. The Mysterios controlled the match early and sent The Usos out of the ring. Dominik connected with a Splash and then another one in the ring for a two count.
The Usos took control and took turns beating the hell out of Dominik for the next few minutes. Rey finally tagged in and planted Jimmy with a Tornado DDT. Rey climbed to the top and hit a Senton. Jimmy Uso leveled Rey with a Superkick for a near fall before tagging in Jey.
Jey climbed to the top rope and connected with the Uso Splash but somehow Rey kicked out at two. Jey slammed Dominik on the apron and both superstars fell to the floor. Rey set up Jimmy for the 619 and then went for a Frog Splash but Jimmy got his knees up. The Usos hit Rey with double Superkicks and then Jey hit the Uso Splash for the pinfall victory. The Usos are still the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
Becky Lynch Returned & Won The SD Women’s Title
Bianca Belair was set to defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks but she could not compete tonight. Carmella was announced as the replacement and the crowd booed as they were hopeful for the return of Becky Lynch. However, right before the bell rang Becky Lynch’s theme hit and The Man returned to a great reaction.
Becky booted Carmella in the ribs and threw her out of the ring. Lynch slammed Carmella into the steel steps and stood across from Belair int he ring. The crowd chanted “yes” and Becky asked for a microphone. Becky challenged Bianca Belair to a match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship and Bianca accepted.
Lynch bashed Belair with a cheap shot after extending her hand for a handshake. Becky followed it up with a Uranage for the pinfall victory. Becky Lynch is the new SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Opinion: Becky Lynch is incredible and it is awesome to see her back. However, I couldn’t stand this. I have no problem with Becky walking out of SummerSlam with the title but I don’t get why Bianca Belair was made look like a goof in the process after building her up so much. I’m sure this will lead to a rivalry but the way this match went down soured the moment for me.
Drew McIntyre def. Jinder Mahal
Drew McIntyre faced Jinder Mahal tonight at SummerSlam. The action quickly spilled out of the ring and Drew hit a big overhead Suplex. Back in the ring, Mahal got in some offense before Drew quickly took back control. McIntyre continued to dominate and hit the Future Shock DDT. Drew then hit the Claymore for the pinfall victory. Veer and Shanky attacked McIntyre after the match but they ran away after he brought Angela the word into the ring.
Charlotte Flair Is The New RAW Women’s Champion
Nikki A.S.H. defended the RAW Women’s Championship tonight against Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. Despite being the champion, Nikki made her way to the ring first. Nikki sent Flair across the ring with a Suplex and then hit Rhea with a Dropkick. Flair threw Nikki to the outside and battled with Ripley.
Nikki got back into the ring and got Ripley in a Headlock. Ripley quickly escaped and went for the Riptide but Nikki rolled her up for a near fall. Flair leveled Ripley with a Clothesline and delivered a Fallaway Slam to Nikki. Charlotte made her way to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Ripley got her knees up.
Ripley went for the Riptide on Nikki but she countered into a Crossbody. Charlotte booted Nikki out of the ring and decked Ripley with a big boot for a near fall. Ripley battled back with a boot to the face of her own and then a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count.
Charlotte knocked Ripley out of the ring and perched Nikki up on the top turnbuckle. Nikki hit some punches and a Tornado DDT off the top for a two count. Charlotte went for a Fallaway Slam but Ripley snuck up from behind. Ripley planted Charlotte with a German Suplex as she delivered a Fallaway Slam to Nikki.
Ripley climbed to the top rope and leveled Charlotte with a missile Dropkick for a near fall. The action spilled out of the ring and Charlotte traded punches with Ripley. Nikki leaped off the top turnbuckle and took them both out with a massive Crossbody. Back in the ring, Ripley and Nikki teamed up and lifted Charlotte up for a Suplex. Charlotte countered into a double DDT and posed in the middle of the ring.
Charlotte hit Ripley and Nikki with some chops as the crowd chanted “woo!”. Charlotte connected with a ridiculous corkscrew Moonsault outside the ring. Back in the ring, Ripley got Nikki in the Texas Cloverleaf but Charlotte broke it up. Ripley then got Flair in the Cloverleaf but Charlotte countered into the Figure Four. Charlotte bridged into the Figure Eight but Nikki broke it up just Rhea looked like she was going to tap.
Nikki planted Charlotte with the Swinging Neckbreaker but Rhea broke it up at two. Rhea went for the Riptide but Nikki countered into a DDT. Nikki couldn’t go for the cover because Ripley fell out of the ring. Nikki made her way to the top rope as Charlotte stumbled to her feet. Nikki went for a Crossbody but Charlotte got out of the wya. Charlotte got Nikki in the Figure Eight and she tapped out. Charlotte is the new RAW Women’s Champion.
Edge def. Seth Rollins In A Great Match
Edge faced Seth Rollins tonight at SummerSlam. Edge came to the ring with The Brood theme before it switched back to Metalingus. Rollins and Edge circled each other before locking up to begin the action. Edge took control and Rollins rolled out of the ring. Seth paced around and finally got back into the ring at an 8 count.
Edge beat Rollins down some more and sent him right back out of the ring. Edge followed Rollins out there and bounced him off the announce table. Seth rolls into the ring but once again Edge quickly sent him to the outside. Rollins dodged a Dropkick and slammed Edge into the ring post.
Rollins did it again and Edge grabbed his head and fell to the floor. Seth brought Edge back to the ring and choked him against the ropes. Rollins connected with a Neckbreaker for a one count. Edge tried to battle back but Rollins caught him with a knee to the face for a two count.
Edge connected with a Flatliner and sent Seth to the corner of the ring. Edge perched him up on the top turnbuckle but Rollins knocked him to the canvas. Rollins hit a Frog Splash and went for the cover but Edge was able to power out at two. Seth and Edge then battled on the turnbuckle again. Edge got the better of the exchange and hit a Swinging Neckbreaker off the top rope.
Rollins went for a Superkick but Edge countered into the Edgecution for a near fall. Edge climbed to the top rope but Rollins caught him with a Suplerplex. Rollins quickly followed it up with a Falcon Arrow for a two count. Seth went for the Curb Stomp but Edge dodged it. Rollins went for the Pedigree but Edge paid tribute to his wife Beth Phoenix and hit a Glam Slam on Seth for a two count.
Seth sent Edge to the apron and went for the Stomp again but Edge got out of the way. Edge slammed Rollins into the ring post and hit a Spear through the ropes and both superstars crashed to floor as the crowd as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. Back in the ring, Edge went for a Spear but Rollins countered into a Pedigree for a two count.
Rollins climbed up the top rope and went for a corkscrew Moonsault but Edge got out of the way. Seth landed on his feet but Edge connected with a Spear but Rollins somehow kicked out at two. Edge went for the Killswitch but Rollins blocked it. Rollins targeted Edge’s lower back with a few kicks and then hit him with a boot to the face. Rollins geared up in the corner and went for the Stomp again but Edge caught him.
Edge applied the Edgecator but Rollins reached the ropes. Edge transitioned into a Crossface in the middle of ring but Seth broke the hold by biting his fingers. Edge bashed Seth’s face off the canvas several times and locked the hold back in. Seth yelled in agony and had no choice but to tap out.
Woods Interrupted Miz & Morrison
John Morrison and The Miz came to the ring and spoke about the 50,000 fans in attendance were all “hurtin for a squirtin” in the words of John Morrison. Xavier Woods interrupted with a big jug water strapped to his back and his hair styled like Razor Ramon/Scott Hall. Woods sprayed Morrison and Miz with water and they flopped around.
Lashley Retained Due To Referee Stoppage
Bobby Lashley defended the WWE Championship against Goldberg tonight at SummerSlam. Lashley and Goldberg circled each other before locking up in the middle of the ring. Goldberg powered Lashley to the corner until the referee separated them.
Lashley went for a shoulder tackle but Goldberg didn’t go down. Goldberg leveled Lashley with a jumping shoulder tackle and then a Body Slam. Goldberg followed it up with a Powerslam. The crowd got restless as Goldberg dominated but Lashley battled back.
Bobby went for a Suplex but Goldberg blocked it. Goldberg and Lashley then had an odd exchange that ended in Lashley awkwardly slamming Goldberg to the canvas. Goldberg set up for the Spear but MVP dragged the champion out of the ring. Goldberg hit Bobby with a Spear outside the ring and rolled him back inside.
Lashley rolled back out of the ring and MVP hit Goldberg with his cane. Goldberg didn’t react at all and then realized MVP hit him and reacted by grabbing his knee. Lashley brought Goldberg to the outside and slammed him into the ring post a few times. Back in the ring, Lashley set up for the Spear but Goldberg couldn’t get to his feet and the referee stopped the match.
The WWE Champion grabbed a chair and beat Goldberg down with it as the crowd appeared to enjoy it as they were chanting “thank you Lashley!”. Gage Goldberg rushed into the ring and Bobby applied the Hurt Lock to him. MVP broke it up and grabbed a microphone. MVP shouted that there is no way that Lashley could have known that was Goldberg’s son and the two left the ring as Goldberg checked on Gage.
Opinion: As Jim Ross would say, this match was bowling shoe ugly. Goldberg looked to be in incredible shape but also appeared to have no control over his limbs during certain portions of this match. I don’t know how else to explain it. He was taking moves to the midsection and somehow landing on his head. It also looks like WWE has set up a potential rematch as well with what happened after the match. I’d like to think that the next encounter between the two won’t be a longer match focused around Goldberg selling an injury.
Roman Reigns Retained, Brock Lesnar Returned
Roman Reigns defended the Universal Championship against John Cena in the main event of this year’s SummerSlam. Cena and Roman circled each other with smirks on their faces. They backed up and let the crowd takeover for bit before locking up in the middle of the ring.
Cena rolled up Reigns for two count and held up two fingers. Reigns laughed and pretended to be scared before locking up with Cena again. Reigns absolutely leveled Cena with a punch to the face and mocked the crowd. Cena rolled up Reigns for another two count and the Universal Champion responded with an elbow to the face.
Reigns applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Cena escaped but the Universal Champion planted him with a Suplex for a two count. The action spilled out of the ring and John connected with some punches. Reigns knocked Cena to the ground and posed on top of the steel steps.
Roman beat Cena down some more and posed with the Universal Championship on the steps. Back in the ring, Reigns apologized to the movie executives for what he is doing to Cena. Roman added that he is WWE and they can have Cena. John battled back and went for a shoulder tackle but Reigns caught him with a punch to the face.
Reigns strutted around the ring with a grin on his face as Cena slowly stirred on the canvas. Roman got him in a Headlock again in the middle of the ring. Cena powered to his feet and broke the hold by slamming Reigns into the turnbuckle. John followed it up with a Clothesline and both superstars fell to the mat.
John connected with a couple shoulder tackles and went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Reigns countered into a Guillotine. Cena countered into a roll-up but Roman escaped and hit the Superman Punch. Reigns went for a Spear but Cena was ready and booted the champion in the face.
Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle and then the Attitude Adjustment for a near fall. John applied the STF in the middle of the ring but Reigns was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold. Roman got out of the ring and hit Cena with the Drive By as he followed him.
Roman paced around the ring before charging at Cena again. John caught him and hit an Attitude Adjustment through the table. Cena realized he had a chance and quickly brought Roman into the ring. John went for the cover but Reigns kicked out at the last moment and the match continued.
John climbed to the top rope and leaped towards Roman but he countered into a Powerbomb for another near fall. Reigns geared up for a Superman Punch but Cena rolled him up for a two count. Cena went for another Attitude Adjustment but Roman blocked it and hit another Superman Punch but couldn’t keep Cena down.
Reigns started talking to himself before shouting that the match was over. Roman went for a Spear but Cena leaped out of the way and the Universal Champion crashed into the ring post. John brought Reigns to the second rope and hit an Attitude Adjustment but Roman kicked out at two.
Cena mocked Reigns and geared up for a Spear. Reigns booted him in the face and the two superstars traded punches in the middle of the ring. Roman hit two more Superman Punches and Cena fell to the mat. Reigns waited in the corner as Cena slowly made his way up. Roman connected with the Spear for the pinfall victory and retained the Universal Championship.
After the match, Brock Lesnar’s theme hit and The Beast made his way to the ring. Heyman cowered to the corner as Brock circled the ring. Lesnar stood on top of the steps and then entered the ring with Reigns. Brock traded some words with the Universal Champion before backing away. Reigns exited the ring as the crowd booed. Lesnar nodded and bounced around in the ring as Reigns raised the Universal Championship to close the show.
Opinion: Reigns and Cena had a very good match to close the show and Brock Lesnar returning was an awesome moment. Overall, this year’s SummerSlam had some incredible moments and others that are hard to make sense of. Either way, it is an exciting time to be a wrestling fan.
What are your thoughts on this year’s SummerSlam? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
