The 2018 edition of WWE SummerSlam concluded with a bit of a thud Sunday night despite two major title changes to end the 2018 edition of the company's "biggest party of the summer." The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, once again did its job hosting a spectacular show, especially the crowd that somehow stayed engaged for the full six hours.
In the end, the biggest takeaway from SummerSlam is that WWE got "creative" with their booking the entire evening. There were multiple shmoz finishes with weapons used at the end of three separate matches. There were also two squash matches on the card, and the final two bouts -- contested for the Raw women's championship and universal championship -- were both five-minute matches. In all, there were four title changes among WWE's five biggest titles on the show.
Rather than spoil the results for you, keep on scrolling to see what went down Sunday night in Brooklyn. CBS Sports was with you the entire way updating this story with the latest results, analysis, grades and highlights from the show.
2018 WWE SummerSlam results, grades
Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega def. Rusev & Lana via pinfall (Kickoff Show): With a half-empty crowd still finding its way into the Barclays Center, this mixed tag team match felt like nothing more than house show filler variety. That's unfortunate considering the personalities in play and the fact that Rusev has gone from a WWE championship match to the curtain-jerker of the kickoff show in the span of a single pay-per-view. (Or that Almas may have co-authored the best match in NXT history in January against Johnny Gargano.) The match wasn't much to speak of with the finish coming after Almas distracted Lana and was slapped in the face for doing so. Vega instantly rolled her up from behind to steal the pin while her legs were draped on the ropes. Grade: C-
Cruiserweight Championship -- Cedric Alexander (c) def. Drew Gulak via pinfall to retain the title (Kickoff Show): It took a while for this slow, physical start to evolve into a traditional 205 Live-style match. Once it did, Alexander shined bright including a perfect tope con hilo to the floor. The finish came following a wild sequence that began with Gulak intercepting an Alexander springboard backflip by catching him into an ankle lock. Alexander then reversed it into a rollup pin attempt for two. Alexander then hit a standing Spanish fly out of nowhere for another two count. Gulak then rolled him up for a two count of his own until Alexander countered with one final rollup for the 1-2-3. Grade: C+
Raw Tag Team Championship -- The B-Team (c) def. The Revival via pinfall to retain the titles (Kickoff Show): The right place, right time booking continued for the unlikely tag champions as Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel scored another victory from the jaws of defeat. The Revival were dominant throughout and used a distraction in the opening seconds to hit a Shatter Machine as the referee had his back turned. The referee was distracted once again late in the match as Scott Dawson rolled up Axel. Dash Wilder then inadvertently pushed Dallas into the pin attempt, rolling Axel on top for the 1-2-3. Grade: C
Intercontinental Championship -- Seth Rollins def. Dolph Ziggler (c) via pinfall to win the title: The only shame in this match was that it took so long to heat up. But once the lengthy rest holds and gratuitous teases of Drew McIntyre interfering were finally over, Rollins and Ziggler were given the space to have the kind of spectacular match fans expected when the feud was first announced (and the exact opposite of what was given in their overbooked Extreme Rules match). Not only were the final minutes of this match absolutely electric and the perfect opener to a loaded show, the fans received the early reason to pop that they were hoping for with Rollins' victory.
Rollins delivered an incredible sequence midway through the match that brought the crowd to its feet when he followed Ziggler to the top rope and hit an insane reverse superplex before rolling through for a sidewalk slam but could somehow only get a two count. McIntyre took out Drew Ambrose outside the ring, which caused enough of a distraction for Ziggler to hit Rollins with a ZigZag but only earn a two. With Rollins bleeding from his forehead, the finish came after Ambrose rallied to hit a Dirty Deeds on McIntyre outside, giving Rollins the chance to land a superkick and The Stomp to pin Ziggler. Grade: B+
The Bella Twins show up: Backstage between matches, Nikki & Brie Bella were asked whether they would be participating at Evolution in October. Rather than answer, they put over all their other businesses and said they were excited to see Ronda Rousey to beat Alexa Bliss tonight. Not only that, they will be sitting ringside for it.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- New Day def. Bludgeon Brothers (c) via disqualification: There's nothing like a schmoz finish to take the air out of what had been a really good match. Late in the match, Xavier Woods and Big E on the verge of regaining the tag team titles as they set up Harper for their Up-Up-Down-Down finisher; Rowan knocked Woods off the top rope with a mallet and then took out Big E to force the DQ. Harper then appeared to be angry at Rowan for doing so until he grabbed the mallet and hit Big E one more time.
The crowd lustily booed the result, which brought an end to a high-energy match filled with a series of physical high spots. Woods hit a textbook tope con hilo outside onto Rowan before Big E followed by spearing Harper through the ropes and onto the floor. Rowan later lifted Woods up in a wheelbarrow position as Harper hit him with headbutts before adding a power bomb for a two count. But it was Woods who delivered the biggest spot of the match when Harper rolled out of the ring and Woods hit an elbow off the top rope and onto the floor. Grade: B-
Money in the Bank briefcase -- Braun Strowman (h) def. Kevin Owens via pinfall to retain: Donning a "KO in the Bank" T-shirt that will likely now become a collector's item, Owens' hope of stealing Strowman's MITB contract ended violently in a short and explosive squash match. Strowman opened with a pair of running splashes and a huge shoulder tackle into the barrier after Owens attempted to escape. Strowman then hit a chokeslam on the ramp and his running powerslam in the center of the ring to finish him. Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns may have a "Monster in the Bank" to deal with in tonight's main event after all. Grade: C
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Charlotte Flair def. Becky Lynch (via pinfall) and Carmella (c) to win the title: Best friends no more. For as good as Flair's exciting victory was in the match, adding yet another title reign to her growing legacy, this will long be remembered for the impressive heel turn from the perennial babyface Lynch. After the former BFFs hugged at length in the center of the ring after the match, Lynch knocked her down with a right hand and followed with ground and pound. She then tossed Flair out of the ring, into the barrier wall and over the announce table as the crowd showered her with chants of "Yes," "Becky" and "you deserve it."
The match that preceded the big turn late was nearly as dramatic with Carmella diving into the ring countless times to keep her title reign alive and break up pin attempts. Flair hit the biggest move of the match when she followed Carmella's suicide dive onto Lynch by hitting a twisting moonsault onto both outside. Lynch twice came close to forcing Carmella to tap out with her Dis-Arm-Her in the closing moments of the match until Flair got a running start and hit Lynch with Natural Selection for the pin. Grade: B+
WWE Championship -- Samoa Joe def. AJ Styles (c) via disqualification: Somehow, this went on sixth-to-last on the show. Before the match even began, Joe grabbed the mic and pointed out Styles' wife and daughter in the audience, promising their dad would actually come home tonight; Styles responded that he was going to kick Joe's ask. The match started slow and plodding with Joe overpowering Styles and attempting to tire him out with rest holds. After Styles got in a little offense, Joe impressed by flying off the top rope and hitting a standing Styles with a thunderous leg drop. Styles sold an injured left knee shortly thereafter when lifting and planting the larger Joe stressed out the joint.
Styles dropped Joe with an exceedingly impressive Styles Clash and nearly got his three count, spare a split second, but Joe kicking out clearly bothered the champion. Next was a Pele kick that wounded Joe, but not enough for him to be unable to catch Styles mid-air and slam him to the canvas with one arm. Joe reversed a Calf Crusher by slamming Styles' head into the canvas and immediately sunk in the Coquina Clutch. When Styles was able to break free, Joe called for the Muscle Buster, but first kicked Styles off the top rope and then drove him head first into the steel steps, which cracked Styles' head open.
Joe then climbed atop the announce table and grabbed a microphone. "I made you a promise daddy was coming home. It looks like he's not, but I'll be your new daddy," he said. Styles, now bloodied and in a rage, responded by spearing Joe off the table and through the ringside barrier. He then picked up a steel chair and hit Joe over the back, forcing a DQ, before continuing to punish him with the weapon. Styles' wife and daughter watched on telling him to "stop, but Styles could not be contained until Fit Finaly ran down to ringside and grabbed the chair out of his hand. Styles walked over to his family and picked up his daughter, who said, "Daddy, you're bleeding." He apologized to her, grabbed his bloodied head and took his family off through the crowd to the backstage area. Though another schmoz finish is a tad infuriating, at least this one made sense and advanced a storyline between two of the top guys in the company. Grade: B+
Elias takes center stage: After cutting his typical promo, Elias attempted to play his guitar only to see the neck to snap off in his hands when he began to strum it. He responded by furiously kicking over his chair and chucking his guitar into the darkness.
The Miz reunites with The Miztourage: As The Miz walked backstage, he stumbled into The B-Team holding their Raw tag team titles. He put over taking down Daniel Bryan later in the show and suggested that the Dallas and Axel consider getting his bags and joining the after party for old time's sake. They declined, made a couple jokes and departed doing their new chant.
The Miz def. Daniel Bryan via pinfall: WWE built nice intensity for this match with a five-minute promo recapping the eight-year feud between these two. Early in the bout, Miz was in the middle of using Bryan's moves when Bryan caught him by the throat and hit him with a bevy of Yes! kicks. Miz mocked Bryan with some Yes! chants as he locked in the surfboard, but Bryan quickly escaped and showed Miz how it is done by repeating the move. Miz was eventually able to hang Bryan on the top rope and clothesline him off it to retake control and continue his trash talking. Running dropkicks by Bryan followed, and he took Miz out further by jumping from the apron to clothesline him on the outside and then hitting a belly-to-back suplex from the top rope. Bryan and Miz exchanged flurries of Yes! kicks, but Bryan no-sold Miz's attempts and prepared to take him out for good. They then traded attempted submission moves until Miz threw Bryan into the ring post via slingshot and hit the Skull-Crushing Finale but could only manage a two count.
8 years in the making.
It all comes down to TONIGHT for @WWEDanielBryan and @mikethemiz at #SummerSlam! pic.twitter.com/v8fbnn8xHK — WWE (@WWE) August 20, 2018
With Maryse looking on from ringside, Miz mocked Bryan with Yes! chants. As Bryan hit more Yes! kicks on Miz outside the ring into the ring post, Miz dodged one and Bryan kicked the post directly. Miz capitalized by jumping back into the ring and locking the Figure-Four Leg Lock on Bryan, who eventually reversed it. Bryan beat Miz some more and locked in the Yes! Lock, but Miz eventually reached for the bottom rope. A flying knee from Bryan sent him into the ringside barrier, where he draped his arms over the ledge only to be handed brass knuckles by Maryse. As Bryan continued to attack, Miz caught him on an attempted dive with the brass knuckles, knocking Bryan out and covering him for the 1-2-3. There was no way this feud was going to end clean at SummerSlam, so the finish is acceptable considering Miz getting a clean win over Bryan would not have made much sense. Grade: B
Finn Balor def. Baron Corbin via pinfall: Balor shocked the crowd by appearing in his Demon paint with a Rolling Stones-like tongue on his chest. WWE added to the production values with an arena full of smoke and a swirling graphic of red and white smoke above the ring for the TV audience. The announcers also put over Balor huge. Balor dominated from the start with running dropkicks and slingblades both in and out of the ring. He hit a double stomp to the back of Corbin's head as the crowd chanted, "This is awesome!" and dropped him with the Coup de Grace for the super-fast 1-2-3 and squash win. While you can make the argument that the Demon was "unnecessary" for a non-title match against a Constable, there is no doubting how dominant Balor looked and how well booked the match was despite its short run time. So this grade is for the effort and the booking, not the match itself. Grade: B
Daniel Bryan sulks backstage: While putting ice on his head, Bryan was upset in the trainer's area. Brie Bella visited to console him, but Bryan was inconsolable, angry the way he lost to Miz and fuming that his entire comeback has been worthless because he lost the match. After tossing his ice and turning red, Bryan listened to Brie build him back up, saying that since was able to fight for his comeback so he can just as easily get over on Miz in the near future.
United States Championship -- Shinsuke Nakamura (c) def. Jeff Hardy via pinfall to retain the title: Nakamura's title defense received the glorified popcorn treatment before a pair of high-profile main event matches. Hardy popped the crowd early by mocking Nakamura's hand gestures and motioning him to "come on!" The match's brief storyline surrounded Hardy's daredevil ways coming back to haunt him as he missed a Swanton Bomb attempt off the top rope late and landed hard on his back -- on the ring apron. After rolling inside the ring, Nakamura landed his Kinsasha for the 1-2-3. Randy Orton's music then hit, but "The Viper" did noting more than walk to the ring and stare before returning backstage. Considering Matt Hardy's recent injuries and Jeff's perennial injury issues, it wouldn't be a surprise to see both brothers take an extended break. Grade: C+
Raw Women's Championship -- Ronda Rousey def. Alexa Bliss (c) via submission to win the title: The type of dominant squash match most expected Rousey would have upon her transformation from former UFC champion to WWE superstar finally came at SummerSlam in an emotional title win. Friend and training partner Natalya, who received a big pop from the crowd in the aftermath of her father Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart's death, accompanied Rousey to ringside even though Bliss' sidekicks of Alicia Fox or Mickie James were curiously absent.
The match was brief and punishing for Bliss, who wasn't able to get in anything more offensively than a single right hand and stalled outside the ring so often that Rousey eventually sat down with her back turned to protest. Bliss' choke attempt from behind turned into a spinning judo suplex as Rousey talked trash incessantly. After dragging Bliss around by her arm, Rousey bent it all the way backwards at an almost-gruesome angle before applying the armbar to receive an instant tap out. Roused looked emotionally moved as she dropped to her knees to hold the title before Natalya and then the Bella Twins, who were watching from ringside, entered the ring to hug and congratulate her. Rousey also took a beat and ran to her husband, former UFC fighter Travis Browne, who was sitting ringside, and gave him a big kiss. As Rousey exited the arena on the stage, she yelled, "This is for Jim Neidhart! This is for 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper! This is for all of you!" Grade: B
Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar (c) via pinfall to win the title: Three years later, the never-ending story that is Reigns conquering Lesnar finally happened, bringing to an end the puzzling 504-day universal title reign of "The Beast." But considering all of the options on the board in terms of creative booking swerves, which included Braun Strowman coming to the ring and cutting an epic promo to declare his intention of cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase after the match, WWE sent its fans home shaking their heads at the result.
For as physical and exciting as the match turned out to be, the finish of Reigns winning cleanly following a single spear (after Lesnar had entertainingly destroyed Strowman outside the ring leaving Strowman unable to move) took all the remaining air out of the balloon. The crowd reaction to the finish wasn't as negative as one might imagine but that changed once the show went off the air and it became clear that Strowman wasn't going to be getting up to cash in.
Strowman's arrival before the match started created huge cheers as he referenced the history of the MITB contract and his reasoning behind not wanting to cash in behind someone's back. He popped the Brooklyn faithful by referring to Lesnar as a "Beastie Boy" and watched the match from ringside. Lesnar absorbed three Superman punches and a trio of spears to start but avoided being pinned by locking Reigns in a guillotine choke. The action eventually spilled outside when Lesnar sidestepped a spear and sent Reigns flying outside into Strowman's arms.
The crowd serenaded Reigns and Lesnar with chants of "you both suck" in hopes that Strowman would cash in. But Lesnar did his best to prevent that by hitting Strowman with an F5 on the floor before beating him with the briefcase and throwing it onto the stage and off the video screen. As Lesnar reentered the ring, Reigns hit him with a spear for the pin, adding only more fuel to the fire of those who have booed this storyline and criticized WWE throughout this entire feud. The use of Strowman without cashing in might extend the storyline, but it ends a major show like SummerSlam with an unforgivable tease. Grade: C
If you don't keep a BEAST, a BIG DOG, and a MONSTER separated... the result looks a little something like this! #SummerSlam @WWERomanReigns @BraunStrowman @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/2xLYCcyYtA — WWE (@WWE) August 20, 2018
2018 WWE SummerSlam analysis, highlights
If you are unable to view the updates below, please click here.
The 2018 edition of WWE SummerSlam concluded with a bit of a thud Sunday night despite two major title changes to end the 2018 edition of the company's "biggest party of the summer." The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, once again did its job hosting a spectacular show, especially the crowd that somehow stayed engaged for the full six hours.
In the end, the biggest takeaway from SummerSlam is that WWE got "creative" with their booking the entire evening. There were multiple shmoz finishes with weapons used at the end of three separate matches. There were also two squash matches on the card, and the final two bouts -- contested for the Raw women's championship and universal championship -- were both five-minute matches. In all, there were four title changes among WWE's five biggest titles on the show.
Rather than spoil the results for you, keep on scrolling to see what went down Sunday night in Brooklyn. CBS Sports was with you the entire way updating this story with the latest results, analysis, grades and highlights from the show.
2018 WWE SummerSlam results, grades
Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega def. Rusev & Lana via pinfall (Kickoff Show): With a half-empty crowd still finding its way into the Barclays Center, this mixed tag team match felt like nothing more than house show filler variety. That's unfortunate considering the personalities in play and the fact that Rusev has gone from a WWE championship match to the curtain-jerker of the kickoff show in the span of a single pay-per-view. (Or that Almas may have co-authored the best match in NXT history in January against Johnny Gargano.) The match wasn't much to speak of with the finish coming after Almas distracted Lana and was slapped in the face for doing so. Vega instantly rolled her up from behind to steal the pin while her legs were draped on the ropes. Grade: C-
Cruiserweight Championship -- Cedric Alexander (c) def. Drew Gulak via pinfall to retain the title (Kickoff Show): It took a while for this slow, physical start to evolve into a traditional 205 Live-style match. Once it did, Alexander shined bright including a perfect tope con hilo to the floor. The finish came following a wild sequence that began with Gulak intercepting an Alexander springboard backflip by catching him into an ankle lock. Alexander then reversed it into a rollup pin attempt for two. Alexander then hit a standing Spanish fly out of nowhere for another two count. Gulak then rolled him up for a two count of his own until Alexander countered with one final rollup for the 1-2-3. Grade: C+
Raw Tag Team Championship -- The B-Team (c) def. The Revival via pinfall to retain the titles (Kickoff Show): The right place, right time booking continued for the unlikely tag champions as Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel scored another victory from the jaws of defeat. The Revival were dominant throughout and used a distraction in the opening seconds to hit a Shatter Machine as the referee had his back turned. The referee was distracted once again late in the match as Scott Dawson rolled up Axel. Dash Wilder then inadvertently pushed Dallas into the pin attempt, rolling Axel on top for the 1-2-3. Grade: C
Intercontinental Championship -- Seth Rollins def. Dolph Ziggler (c) via pinfall to win the title: The only shame in this match was that it took so long to heat up. But once the lengthy rest holds and gratuitous teases of Drew McIntyre interfering were finally over, Rollins and Ziggler were given the space to have the kind of spectacular match fans expected when the feud was first announced (and the exact opposite of what was given in their overbooked Extreme Rules match). Not only were the final minutes of this match absolutely electric and the perfect opener to a loaded show, the fans received the early reason to pop that they were hoping for with Rollins' victory.
Rollins delivered an incredible sequence midway through the match that brought the crowd to its feet when he followed Ziggler to the top rope and hit an insane reverse superplex before rolling through for a sidewalk slam but could somehow only get a two count. McIntyre took out Drew Ambrose outside the ring, which caused enough of a distraction for Ziggler to hit Rollins with a ZigZag but only earn a two. With Rollins bleeding from his forehead, the finish came after Ambrose rallied to hit a Dirty Deeds on McIntyre outside, giving Rollins the chance to land a superkick and The Stomp to pin Ziggler. Grade: B+
The Bella Twins show up: Backstage between matches, Nikki & Brie Bella were asked whether they would be participating at Evolution in October. Rather than answer, they put over all their other businesses and said they were excited to see Ronda Rousey to beat Alexa Bliss tonight. Not only that, they will be sitting ringside for it.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- New Day def. Bludgeon Brothers (c) via disqualification: There's nothing like a schmoz finish to take the air out of what had been a really good match. Late in the match, Xavier Woods and Big E on the verge of regaining the tag team titles as they set up Harper for their Up-Up-Down-Down finisher; Rowan knocked Woods off the top rope with a mallet and then took out Big E to force the DQ. Harper then appeared to be angry at Rowan for doing so until he grabbed the mallet and hit Big E one more time.
The crowd lustily booed the result, which brought an end to a high-energy match filled with a series of physical high spots. Woods hit a textbook tope con hilo outside onto Rowan before Big E followed by spearing Harper through the ropes and onto the floor. Rowan later lifted Woods up in a wheelbarrow position as Harper hit him with headbutts before adding a power bomb for a two count. But it was Woods who delivered the biggest spot of the match when Harper rolled out of the ring and Woods hit an elbow off the top rope and onto the floor. Grade: B-
Money in the Bank briefcase -- Braun Strowman (h) def. Kevin Owens via pinfall to retain: Donning a "KO in the Bank" T-shirt that will likely now become a collector's item, Owens' hope of stealing Strowman's MITB contract ended violently in a short and explosive squash match. Strowman opened with a pair of running splashes and a huge shoulder tackle into the barrier after Owens attempted to escape. Strowman then hit a chokeslam on the ramp and his running powerslam in the center of the ring to finish him. Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns may have a "Monster in the Bank" to deal with in tonight's main event after all. Grade: C
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Charlotte Flair def. Becky Lynch (via pinfall) and Carmella (c) to win the title: Best friends no more. For as good as Flair's exciting victory was in the match, adding yet another title reign to her growing legacy, this will long be remembered for the impressive heel turn from the perennial babyface Lynch. After the former BFFs hugged at length in the center of the ring after the match, Lynch knocked her down with a right hand and followed with ground and pound. She then tossed Flair out of the ring, into the barrier wall and over the announce table as the crowd showered her with chants of "Yes," "Becky" and "you deserve it."
The match that preceded the big turn late was nearly as dramatic with Carmella diving into the ring countless times to keep her title reign alive and break up pin attempts. Flair hit the biggest move of the match when she followed Carmella's suicide dive onto Lynch by hitting a twisting moonsault onto both outside. Lynch twice came close to forcing Carmella to tap out with her Dis-Arm-Her in the closing moments of the match until Flair got a running start and hit Lynch with Natural Selection for the pin. Grade: B+
WWE Championship -- Samoa Joe def. AJ Styles (c) via disqualification: Somehow, this went on sixth-to-last on the show. Before the match even began, Joe grabbed the mic and pointed out Styles' wife and daughter in the audience, promising their dad would actually come home tonight; Styles responded that he was going to kick Joe's ask. The match started slow and plodding with Joe overpowering Styles and attempting to tire him out with rest holds. After Styles got in a little offense, Joe impressed by flying off the top rope and hitting a standing Styles with a thunderous leg drop. Styles sold an injured left knee shortly thereafter when lifting and planting the larger Joe stressed out the joint.
Styles dropped Joe with an exceedingly impressive Styles Clash and nearly got his three count, spare a split second, but Joe kicking out clearly bothered the champion. Next was a Pele kick that wounded Joe, but not enough for him to be unable to catch Styles mid-air and slam him to the canvas with one arm. Joe reversed a Calf Crusher by slamming Styles' head into the canvas and immediately sunk in the Coquina Clutch. When Styles was able to break free, Joe called for the Muscle Buster, but first kicked Styles off the top rope and then drove him head first into the steel steps, which cracked Styles' head open.
Joe then climbed atop the announce table and grabbed a microphone. "I made you a promise daddy was coming home. It looks like he's not, but I'll be your new daddy," he said. Styles, now bloodied and in a rage, responded by spearing Joe off the table and through the ringside barrier. He then picked up a steel chair and hit Joe over the back, forcing a DQ, before continuing to punish him with the weapon. Styles' wife and daughter watched on telling him to "stop, but Styles could not be contained until Fit Finaly ran down to ringside and grabbed the chair out of his hand. Styles walked over to his family and picked up his daughter, who said, "Daddy, you're bleeding." He apologized to her, grabbed his bloodied head and took his family off through the crowd to the backstage area. Though another schmoz finish is a tad infuriating, at least this one made sense and advanced a storyline between two of the top guys in the company. Grade: B+
Elias takes center stage: After cutting his typical promo, Elias attempted to play his guitar only to see the neck to snap off in his hands when he began to strum it. He responded by furiously kicking over his chair and chucking his guitar into the darkness.
The Miz reunites with The Miztourage: As The Miz walked backstage, he stumbled into The B-Team holding their Raw tag team titles. He put over taking down Daniel Bryan later in the show and suggested that the Dallas and Axel consider getting his bags and joining the after party for old time's sake. They declined, made a couple jokes and departed doing their new chant.
The Miz def. Daniel Bryan via pinfall: WWE built nice intensity for this match with a five-minute promo recapping the eight-year feud between these two. Early in the bout, Miz was in the middle of using Bryan's moves when Bryan caught him by the throat and hit him with a bevy of Yes! kicks. Miz mocked Bryan with some Yes! chants as he locked in the surfboard, but Bryan quickly escaped and showed Miz how it is done by repeating the move. Miz was eventually able to hang Bryan on the top rope and clothesline him off it to retake control and continue his trash talking. Running dropkicks by Bryan followed, and he took Miz out further by jumping from the apron to clothesline him on the outside and then hitting a belly-to-back suplex from the top rope. Bryan and Miz exchanged flurries of Yes! kicks, but Bryan no-sold Miz's attempts and prepared to take him out for good. They then traded attempted submission moves until Miz threw Bryan into the ring post via slingshot and hit the Skull-Crushing Finale but could only manage a two count.
8 years in the making.
It all comes down to TONIGHT for @WWEDanielBryan and @mikethemiz at #SummerSlam! pic.twitter.com/v8fbnn8xHK — WWE (@WWE) August 20, 2018
With Maryse looking on from ringside, Miz mocked Bryan with Yes! chants. As Bryan hit more Yes! kicks on Miz outside the ring into the ring post, Miz dodged one and Bryan kicked the post directly. Miz capitalized by jumping back into the ring and locking the Figure-Four Leg Lock on Bryan, who eventually reversed it. Bryan beat Miz some more and locked in the Yes! Lock, but Miz eventually reached for the bottom rope. A flying knee from Bryan sent him into the ringside barrier, where he draped his arms over the ledge only to be handed brass knuckles by Maryse. As Bryan continued to attack, Miz caught him on an attempted dive with the brass knuckles, knocking Bryan out and covering him for the 1-2-3. There was no way this feud was going to end clean at SummerSlam, so the finish is acceptable considering Miz getting a clean win over Bryan would not have made much sense. Grade: B
Finn Balor def. Baron Corbin via pinfall: Balor shocked the crowd by appearing in his Demon paint with a Rolling Stones-like tongue on his chest. WWE added to the production values with an arena full of smoke and a swirling graphic of red and white smoke above the ring for the TV audience. The announcers also put over Balor huge. Balor dominated from the start with running dropkicks and slingblades both in and out of the ring. He hit a double stomp to the back of Corbin's head as the crowd chanted, "This is awesome!" and dropped him with the Coup de Grace for the super-fast 1-2-3 and squash win. While you can make the argument that the Demon was "unnecessary" for a non-title match against a Constable, there is no doubting how dominant Balor looked and how well booked the match was despite its short run time. So this grade is for the effort and the booking, not the match itself. Grade: B
Daniel Bryan sulks backstage: While putting ice on his head, Bryan was upset in the trainer's area. Brie Bella visited to console him, but Bryan was inconsolable, angry the way he lost to Miz and fuming that his entire comeback has been worthless because he lost the match. After tossing his ice and turning red, Bryan listened to Brie build him back up, saying that since was able to fight for his comeback so he can just as easily get over on Miz in the near future.
United States Championship -- Shinsuke Nakamura (c) def. Jeff Hardy via pinfall to retain the title: Nakamura's title defense received the glorified popcorn treatment before a pair of high-profile main event matches. Hardy popped the crowd early by mocking Nakamura's hand gestures and motioning him to "come on!" The match's brief storyline surrounded Hardy's daredevil ways coming back to haunt him as he missed a Swanton Bomb attempt off the top rope late and landed hard on his back -- on the ring apron. After rolling inside the ring, Nakamura landed his Kinsasha for the 1-2-3. Randy Orton's music then hit, but "The Viper" did noting more than walk to the ring and stare before returning backstage. Considering Matt Hardy's recent injuries and Jeff's perennial injury issues, it wouldn't be a surprise to see both brothers take an extended break. Grade: C+
Raw Women's Championship -- Ronda Rousey def. Alexa Bliss (c) via submission to win the title: The type of dominant squash match most expected Rousey would have upon her transformation from former UFC champion to WWE superstar finally came at SummerSlam in an emotional title win. Friend and training partner Natalya, who received a big pop from the crowd in the aftermath of her father Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart's death, accompanied Rousey to ringside even though Bliss' sidekicks of Alicia Fox or Mickie James were curiously absent.
The match was brief and punishing for Bliss, who wasn't able to get in anything more offensively than a single right hand and stalled outside the ring so often that Rousey eventually sat down with her back turned to protest. Bliss' choke attempt from behind turned into a spinning judo suplex as Rousey talked trash incessantly. After dragging Bliss around by her arm, Rousey bent it all the way backwards at an almost-gruesome angle before applying the armbar to receive an instant tap out. Roused looked emotionally moved as she dropped to her knees to hold the title before Natalya and then the Bella Twins, who were watching from ringside, entered the ring to hug and congratulate her. Rousey also took a beat and ran to her husband, former UFC fighter Travis Browne, who was sitting ringside, and gave him a big kiss. As Rousey exited the arena on the stage, she yelled, "This is for Jim Neidhart! This is for 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper! This is for all of you!" Grade: B
Universal Championship -- Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar (c) via pinfall to win the title: Three years later, the never-ending story that is Reigns conquering Lesnar finally happened, bringing to an end the puzzling 504-day universal title reign of "The Beast." But considering all of the options on the board in terms of creative booking swerves, which included Braun Strowman coming to the ring and cutting an epic promo to declare his intention of cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase after the match, WWE sent its fans home shaking their heads at the result.
For as physical and exciting as the match turned out to be, the finish of Reigns winning cleanly following a single spear (after Lesnar had entertainingly destroyed Strowman outside the ring leaving Strowman unable to move) took all the remaining air out of the balloon. The crowd reaction to the finish wasn't as negative as one might imagine but that changed once the show went off the air and it became clear that Strowman wasn't going to be getting up to cash in.
Strowman's arrival before the match started created huge cheers as he referenced the history of the MITB contract and his reasoning behind not wanting to cash in behind someone's back. He popped the Brooklyn faithful by referring to Lesnar as a "Beastie Boy" and watched the match from ringside. Lesnar absorbed three Superman punches and a trio of spears to start but avoided being pinned by locking Reigns in a guillotine choke. The action eventually spilled outside when Lesnar sidestepped a spear and sent Reigns flying outside into Strowman's arms.
The crowd serenaded Reigns and Lesnar with chants of "you both suck" in hopes that Strowman would cash in. But Lesnar did his best to prevent that by hitting Strowman with an F5 on the floor before beating him with the briefcase and throwing it onto the stage and off the video screen. As Lesnar reentered the ring, Reigns hit him with a spear for the pin, adding only more fuel to the fire of those who have booed this storyline and criticized WWE throughout this entire feud. The use of Strowman without cashing in might extend the storyline, but it ends a major show like SummerSlam with an unforgivable tease. Grade: C
If you don't keep a BEAST, a BIG DOG, and a MONSTER separated... the result looks a little something like this! #SummerSlam @WWERomanReigns @BraunStrowman @BrockLesnar pic.twitter.com/2xLYCcyYtA — WWE (@WWE) August 20, 2018
2018 WWE SummerSlam analysis, highlights
If you are unable to view the updates below, please click here.
Copy Link Icon
WWE SummerSlam 2018 Results: Live Updates, Results and Reaction
Brooklyn, New York
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE SummerSlam 2018. As one of the most important pay-per-views of the year, there is a lot of pressure on all the Superstars to perform well. The marquee matches will see Roman Reigns challenge Brock Lesnar for the universal title, Alexa Bliss defend the Raw Women's Championship against Ronda Rousey and AJ Styles will put the WWE title on the line against Samoa Joe. We will also see the grudge match between Daniel Bryan and The Miz. Keep it locked right here for live updates of all the action.
SummerSlam 2018 is over, and it sure was four hours long — that was mostly a good thing, at least. Mostly. Cut these shows to 3:30 or something, I don’t ask for much.
We’ve got new champions, we’ve got feuds that are clearly still going to continue after violent starts to them, and we’ve got the surprise return of the Demon. Yup — that version of Balor is back, and he’s glorious. We also got some legitimate squashes, and you know, I enjoyed that twist.
We liveblogged the whole thing from start to finish, and it’s below. If you want to start at the beginning of the show and read that way, scroll to the bottom and work your way back up.
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (c) for the WWE Universal Championship
It’s main event time. We’ve seen Reigns vs. Lesnar before, and again before that, but maybe this time will be different. Maybe. Listen, I’ve got a few minutes left to be optimistic that this will be a short affair, or Strowman will cash-in immediately, or basically anything that doesn’t result in 15-20 minutes of one-on-one Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar.
Some of these AR entrance graphics are pretty cool, and others are Roman Reigns’ weird dog thing that just looks dumb as hell.
They should have done AR pyro for Lesnar. I miss his pyro.
Braun Strowman’s music just hit! The crowd finally cheered for something in this match! CASH THAT BRIEFCASE IN YOU BEAUTIFUL MAN
Brock Lesnar is SO PUMPED about this, Reigns does not look very excited. Strowman is apparently going to wait for the match to end, and then cash in on whoever is left standing. They’re gonna get these hands.
Reigns came out of the gate ON FIRE, hitting multiple Superman punches and then a trio of spears while Strowman watches from the outside. Lesnar now has a guillotine choke in, but Reigns got out of it with a one-armed spinebuster-ish counter. There’s a second guillotine choke, though, and Reigns is grounded once more.
Lesnar took his gloves off, so Reigns is about to get his head punched in with some huge knuckles. Here come the German suplexes — that’s the prelude to punches.
Brock sidestepped a Reigns’ spear, and Reigns went flying outside of the ring and hit Strowman with it — Lesnar now picked hi up for an F5 on the outside. Apparently the plan now is to destroy Strowman so he’s not 100 percent when he comes in for the second match. Will Strowman decide to cash-in during the match instead now?
Lesnar just threw the briefcase all the way up the ramp, so now Braun doesn’t have it on hand. Reigns takes the moment of distraction and spears Lesnar, and gets the pin! Roman Reigns is the WWE Universal Champion now! Except he didn’t kill Brock in the process, so don’t brag too much there, Roman. And Braun still exists.
Or, apparently, Braun doesn’t exist — he’s still down, and the case is far away, and we just faded to black. The good news is now we’ve got Braun with briefcase still in hand, and he wants that title. And someone he knows he can beat is holding it.
Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss (c) for the RAW Women’s Championship
Here. We. Go. Natalya is here to support Ronda Rousey, who she trained and is pals with, while Alexa Bliss came out alone, but the camera panned to the Bella Twins at ringside. CURIOUS. The Bellas would definitely join forces with Alexa to stop Ronda’s rise. I don’t care how good being a face has felt for them the last few years.
Rousey looks like she went to the back and asked the makeup artists to give her the Kefka. Not everyone can pull off Bull Nakano, okay?
The good news is that she still brought her violent tendencies, and she got amped up enough that it was clear she remembered at the last second she couldn’t yell “motherfucker,” so I’m still enjoying what’s on screen.
The armbar is locked in already, and it looks like Bliss’ arm is being ripped out of its socket. Rousey finished with one arm and went to the other, and Bliss tapped out! Rousey is now the RAW Women’s Champion, and suddenly we’ve got the “leader” of the (MMA) Four Horsewomen with a major women’s title, and the “leader” of WWE’s Four Horsewomen with a major women’s title, hmmmmmmmmmmm
Also, this is the kind of beatdown that Alexa Bliss has needed to have happen to her for months: it’s a shame Nia Jax wasn’t responsible for it months ago, but hey, better late than never.
Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) for the United States Championship
Jeff is here after getting kicked right in the Hardy Boyz, but this time he’s ready to wrestle. They’re trying to out-weird each other, which is a battle where either everyone or no one wins, depending.
I mean:
This match is going fine, but it’s also a reminder that these shows are a little too long. We’ve got two matches left after this — three if Braun Strowman cashes in after Lesnar vs. Reigns.
Nakamura went for the low blow, but Hardy pushed him back before it could connect. True veteran experience right there. Jeff answers with a Twist of Fate, and then goes up top for a Swanton Bomb, but doesn’t cover Nakamura right away! He’s not going to get the pin in time, and Nak grabs the rope for good measure.
Okay, now Hardy is doing the Twist of Fate and Swanton combo but without a shirt. Nakamura rolls to the apron, and Jeff attempts the Swanton to the apron, but Nakamura moves and oh my god that hurt to watch.
Nakamura ends up taking control because of this, and without having to punch Hardy in the dick. Nakamura retains after a Kinshasa, and that’s it for Jeff Hardy.
Here comes Randy Orton, though, who has been creepily watching this feud from afar and sometimes from close enough to hit people in the groin. Orton walks down to the ring, then walks back up the ramp — he just didn’t want Hardy to forget he exists and is waiting for him.
Constable Baron Corbin vs. The Demon Finn Balor
Yes, apparently the Demon version of Finn Balor is here, and he’s got a AR graphic cloud with lightning overhead, too. This is a good way to change things up, as these two have already wrestled each other a bunch on free television.
Corbin, who looks like he just showed up from his shift at Ruby Tuesday’s, is visibly not thrilled about the surprise appearance of the Demon. He also just lost a match that was about as long as Balor’s entrance: that was a breath of fresh air. Surprise Demon, cool entrance, Corbin getting his ass kicked by a superior opponent.
Daniel Bryan vs. Miz
YES YES YES YES YES
What a video to recap this feud. This has potential to be the top match of the night, to the point it will be disappointing if it’s anything but. Now, don’t confuse “disappointing” for “bad” — I’m just saying this has real upside.
Miz getting really into anime has been a highlight of 2018:
Daniel Bryan is wearing blue, not maroon or red, but he is team SmackDown, so I’ll allow it. A shocking number of Miz chants going against the Daniel Bryan chants, and while I do not agree in this specific instance, I one hundred percent understand.
Running bulldog from Bryan, and Miz is now on the ground after starting the match in charge. Miz recovers, though, and is attempting a surfboard! He’s going to continue playing the role of Bryan, even against him. Daniel Bryan knows how to counter every submission, though, so he did, and now he’s got Miz in a much better surfboard.
Miz is back in control, asking Bryan “Who’s better at wrestling?” after putting him into a cravat. I want Miz to lose here, but he rules so hard.
Bryan is starting to feel it, doing his pump up thing that’s been the harbinger for so many hot minutes of ass kicking.He’s got Miz in a corner, and it’s time for those flying dropkicks until Miz falls down.
Bryan’s got Miz at the top of the turnbuckle now, and there’s a back body drop from all the way up there. It’s not enough to get Miz to go down 1-2-3, though, so Bryan will have to try something else.
Miz avoided the final YES Kick, then hopped up to DDT Bryan. Now it’s his turn to deliver YES Kicks, which are getting a split YES and NO from the crowd, and are also apparently recharging Daniel Bryan, who is now leaning into them.
He caught the last one, and now he’s slapping Miz as hard as he can right in the face. Miz might be in trouble here.
Miz tried to get Bryan into the Figure Four, but Bryan wouldn’t let him lock it in. He paid for that with a Skull-Crushing Finale, but Bryan was able to kick out at two. Miz looks like he’s wondering what it’s going to take to down Bryan.
Miz finally successfully locks in a Figure Four after Bryan’s leg takes damage on the ring post, and he’s having trouble reversing it. He’s got a new plan, though, as he slid Miz’s knee pad down and is now punching that and also Miz’s face. That did enough damage for Bryan to reverse the pressure and the move! Now it’s Miz who needs to escape the Figure Four!
Bryan’s got the Yes Lock in on Miz, who is nowhere near the ropes. He’s trying to get to them, though, and he’s bitting Bryan, but Bryan decided to start punching him in the back of the head, so, you know, Bryan won that little encounter. Miz eventually gets to the rope and breaks the hold, then rolls outside.
Maryse just handed brass knuckles to Miz while he was outside the ring, and he got a punch in with them equipped without the ref noticing. It was enough to take down Bryan, and Miz wins by CHEATING with brass knuckles, how RUDE.
Elias Concert!
I’m very excited for the Elias concert, but not excited that this is how Bobby Lashley is probably going to end up appearing at SummerSlam.
Oh no, the neck of Elias’ guitar snapped right as he was about to play us all an incredible song! I blame Bobby Lashley for sabotaging this concert somehow.
Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles (c) for the WWE Championship
The WWE Championship and AJ Styles are once again performing in the middle of SummerSlam, this time against Samoa Joe. Samoan Joseph is about to have his first shot at the WWE title — previously, he’s had opportunities to win the WWE Universal Championship, but not SmackDown’s primary title.
Joe vs. Styles is well-tread ground out there in the greater wrestling world, but this is the first time they’ve faced off in WWE.
This has been hard-hitting so far, which is always good for a feud where they’re trying to tell us these people loathe each other. They’re moving a bit slow, though, giving people time to breathe after the tense finish of the SmackDown Women’s Champion match and Becky’s post-match beatdown of Charlotte.
We did get this, however!
The violence is slow but it is picking up!
A moonsault into a reverse-DDT into a cover... but it’s only a two count. Joe remains alive, Styles looks upset that his combo didn’t end the fight.
I appreciate that an Atomic Drop is one of the few legal shots to the groin in wrestling. In a related story, AJ Styles is wincing right now. Styles is also having some trouble lifting Joe, so he’s switching to lots of jumps and flips and, well, it just got him caught in a wicked powerslam.
Styles isn’t incapable of lifting Joe, though! He just got him in a Styles Clash... but it didn’t get him the pin. Considering how quickly he had to do that move, before even fully locking it in, that might have been the only one Styles has in him during this match.
Business has picked up in this match, and it is Good. Both Styles and Joe are on the ground, struggling to get back up, because they’re beating the shit out of each other.
Styles put Joe into a Calf Crusher, and his prize was Joe slamming his head into the mat repeatedly to break it loose.
Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch, and the only reason Styles will leave it while conscious is because he got a toe on the ropes to break the hold.
Joe just volunteered to be the daddy of AJ’s kids and wife, and uh, Styles did not like it. He tackled Joe into the barricade, grabbed a steel chair, and started beating Joe with it, getting disqualified. That’s a DQ I can get behind: one caused by righteous anger.
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Carmella (c) for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Now it’s time for the SmackDown Women’s Champion triple threat, which is a triple threat because Charlotte Flair has to be involved in everything
jk ilu Charlotte, but Becky forever imo
There’s a lot of potential in this triple threat: will Carmella leverage the tension between Charlotte and Becky to retain? Will Becky overcome the odds to be the SmackDown Women’s Champion once again? Or will Charlotte turn on Becky to ensure a victory?It’s probably that last one: she’s a Flair, you know.
Carmella is mad at Charlotte for beating up Becky Lynch, because Carmella wants to beat up Becky Lynch. wyd, Carmella, let the beatings happen and hide in the corner somewhere
Oh I see, she’s trying to pit Becky and Charlotte against each other. It’s not working, though, because Carmella was too obvious about it.
Carmella goes for a pin against Charlotte after tiring of hiding in the shadows, but Charlotte kicked out with ease. Carmella is now heeling it up instead of putting more of a beating on Becky or Charlotte, and it feels like she could come to regret that!
I finished typing that sentence and Charlotte Flair started chopping Mella as hard as she could, so, yeah.
Becky from out of nowhere, and then goes to the top of the turnbuckle for a missile dropkick that hits both Carmella and Charlotte! Now she’s got Carmella isolated in the ring, and Carmella is reeling.
Charlotte is back in the ring, and she kept trying pins, but they didn’t succeed. Charlotte gets Carmella into a Boston Crab, and then converts to a Figure Four, but Becky Lynch leg drops off the top rope to break up the submission, and all three women are now laying on the floor, exhausted.
Becky has Charlotte in the Disarmer! Carmella recovered from Charlotte flying into her off the turnbuckle, though, so no submission there, either. Pumphandle Uranage from Becky, but that pin is broken up, too. Carmella puts her feet on the ropes — the second rope! — but Becky kicked out of it, and then Charlotte breaks up the followup attempt by Becky.
Carmella gets a rope break to escape the Disarmer, but here’s another one in the middle of the ring. Charlotte uses Natural Selection on Becky to break up the submission, and then scores the pin. Charlotte is SmackDown Women’s Champion once more.
Becky and Charlotte are hugging in the middle of the ring after the match YES YES BECKY ATTACKED HER SNAP HER ARM OFF DO IT, IT’S TIME FOR BECKY TO THINK ABOUT BECKY
Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman for the Money in the Bank briefcase
Alright, let’s catch you up: Kevin Owens is tired of Braun Strowman destroying him, so he’s got himself a match at SummerSlam challenging for Braun’s Money in the Bank briefcase. You’d expect Strowman to be the easy victor here, but here’s the thing: if Strowman is disqualified for any reason, Owens wins the match and the briefcase. Strowman is going to have to be careful... and also make sure none of Owens’ friends show up to punch Kevin in the face and in the process, disqualify Braun.
Braun opens up the match by repeatedly running into Owens as hard as he can in the corner. Don’t get disqualified for kicking too much ass, Strowman!
Owens finally got a kick in, and will live to regret it. He got chokeslammed onto the metal part of the apron right after. Don’t get counted out, Braun!
Oh god, Strowman won already after a running powerslam. Kevin’s plan to hope Braun got himself disqualified via ass-kicking did not work.
The New Day vs. the Bludgeon Brothers (c) for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
It’s pancakes time! New Day is here, and it’ll be two of their members taking on Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, who have shown up to the ring wearing masks with giant horns on them. Did they kill the animals whose skulls they are wearing with their hammers? Probably not, because they never use the hammers for anything cool.
It’ll be Xavier Woods and Big E for New Day here, with Kofi on the sidelines watching and cheering them on. Woods stays in for quite some time — too much time for his health, really — but finally gets a tag in to his partner Big E, and E starts laying down punishment on the Bludgeon Bros. With Harper and Rowan both being big, punishing dudes, it’s going to take a whole lot of Big E muscle for New Day to win.
Woods saves the match after Harper and Rowan perform a tag team move on Big E and look for a pin! Woods jumped in at the last second, but now he’s taking all the damage: Harper handed him to Rowan to hold in place so Harper could headbutt him repeatedly. It’s not enough for the pin, though!
Harper now has Big E out on the apron, but it’s unclear what he’s going to do. Big E escapes, and slams Harper to the outside of the ring, right into Woods. Whoops. On the bright side, Woods is now atop the turnbuckle and Harper had to roll out of the ring, so he’s doing okay.
OH MY GOD
Woods turned that into an elbow from the turnbuckle nearly to the other turnbuckle, to the outside, to elbow drop Harper outside the ring. Jesus, dude, that ruled.
Ugh, Erick Rowan started using the hammer, and that’s a disqualification. The Bludgeon Brothers retain the championships even if New Day picks up the W. This is a new development, though, as the Bludgeon Brothers have rolled through everyone with little effort, and now they had to cheat in order to win. New Day will get another shot in time, and they might pick up the W and the titles that time.
Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler (c) for the Intercontinental Championship
Remember Extreme Rules and the Iron Man Match for the Intercontinental Championship that resulted in Dolph Ziggler retaining against Seth Rollins? That happened because Drew McIntyre was there to destroy Rollins whenever his buddy needed the assist. Now, Dean Ambrose is in Rollins’ corner to help counter McIntyre, and if you’re stillwondering just how important it is that McIntyre is countered, just know he came out after Ziggler, and his music played longer, and they walked to the ring to it together.
Ziggler’s tights have the Intercontinental Championship printed on them, which is the most I’ve liked Dolph in years.
Seth's grin at Dean immediately confronting Drew is everything. pic.twitter.com/9qFyE32WHQ — TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) August 19, 2018
McIntyre already tried to insert himself into the match early on, but Dean Ambrose reminded him that he exists, which got Drew to change his mind about putting his hands on Rollins. Expect a lot of that!
This is your reminder that Dean Ambrose is a lot bigger than you remembered: yeah, he’s super swole now, but just in terms of height — Drew McIntyre isn’t towering over him when they stare each other down.
I’m into Rollins Thanos-inspired wrestling gear. Here’s hoping Ziggler doesn’t feel so good by the end of this match.
Rollins has taken a few big bumps to the outside already, but he’s also recovered and is kicking Dolph Ziggler in the face when able. The pace is picking up, which is good — this has been fine, but as a match pretty late into this feud, seeing them go harder is preferred.
Oh shit! Ziggler did his huge DDT on the apron, and planted Rollins brain-first into the apron [yells from the back, “That’s the hardest part of the ring!”]. What a great visual:
Seth Rollins rules, man. A reverse superplex, rolled into another slam, but only gets a two count. McIntyre attacked Ambrose on the outside, distracting Rollins, and Ziggler threw Rollins into the ringpost and then Zig Zagged him.
Seth kicks out! But he’s also bleeding from his head now. He’s not bleeding so much that he couldn’t avoid a superkick from Ziggler, though, and now we’re in a pinning sequence... that’s going to end with a buckle bomb from Rollins!
Ambrose recovers, pulls McIntyre off of the apron, and hits him with a Dirty Deeds. Rollins counters Ziggler’s superkick attempt with his own superkick — having longer legs is an advantage there — and goes for the pin. 1, 2, 3, and Seth Rollins is the Intercontinental Champion again!
