The 2nd night of WWE’s annual summertime extravaganza ‘SummerSlam’ went down this past Sunday live from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and featured another heavy hitting lineup of matches and talent like Night 1. So, let’s not waste any time and just get into it here!
The night started off with the #1 contenders match for the Undisputed WWE Championship between Sami Zayn and Finn Balor. Well, it was billed as being between just Sami Zayn and Finn Balor, but before the bell could ring Nick Aldis came out (freshly reinstated as the Smackdown GM) and said he was adding to the match. His opponent from last night, ‘The Ring General’ Gunther’s theme song came on then and he shook Nick’s hand before heading to the ring, kind of weird in my mind but okay. Just don’t know why all of the sudden Nick would give Gunther what he wants and buddy buddy up to him after going to war with him less than 24 hours before this but whatever. Perhaps that story will play out more in the coming weeks. Before the bell could ring though, Nick said he wasn’t done adding to the match and a returning Kevin Owens music came on as he stormed down to the ring ready to go. Kevin has been out since early 2025 with a serious neck injury that initially people weren’t even sure if he was going to be able to return from, so seeing him come out was a massive shock and got a huge pop from the live Minneapolis crowd. Owens wrestled like he always has, you’d never know he was coming off of a neck injury aside from his personal selling job. He hit his patented corner cannonballs, and even a Swanton bomb to the outside of the ring onto all 3 competitors. The closing moments saw Sami get his knees up on a KO Swanton attempt which caused him to grab at his neck. Sami lined up for a Helluva in the corner but was intercepted by Gunther who locked in a sleeper and took him to the ground. Finn hit a Coup de Grace onto both men on the floor, but before he could capitalize on it, KO knocked all the men down with a tandem of stunners before sealing the pin and win in his return. Great, surprising start to the show although the match itself was a bit quick and rushed through it felt like to me. Lots of potential stories to tell coming off the back of this though.
Next up, Trick Williams defended that new custom fur United States Championship against the recently returned Baron Corbin. Corbin wrestled with an intense ferocity, like he had something to prove, and Trick was on his heels in the match rather early. Corbin hit a Deep Six on Trick ringside in a hard-hitting spot before shoving Lil Yachty into the barricade. Trick has power and agility of his own though as well and was able to use that to his advantage throughout the matchup, knocking Corbin down with series of spinning high kicks and dropping him with a Book End at one point also. Yachty also tried to lend a hand where he could, striking Corbin in the back with a kendo stick at one point when the ref was distracted, but in the end, Corbin wouldn’t be denied tonight. After shoving Yachty off the apron and through a table, he capitalized on the distraction and nailed Trick in the head with the title before dropping him with an End of Days for the pin and win to become the new United States Champion. It feels like they’re really attempting to rebrand Corbin in this return of his and I thought if they were really going to commit to that being the case, they were going to have to have him win this match at SummerSlam and take the belt off Trick. I just didn’t know if they were actually going to have the balls to pull the trigger and do it, especially after Trick just got the custom title made and well, I’m here to report they just went for it this time and actually pulled the trigger so kudos for that at least I’d say.
Next up was the 5-Way Women’s Ladder match for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship between Lash Legend, Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, Jade Cargill, and Tiffany Stratton. This Interim Champ stuff is nonsense in my mind; they should’ve just crowned a new champion by now and I say that as a Rhea Ripley fan but that is beside the point. This match was still loaded with awesome women’s talent, and I love me a good ladder match, so I was looking forward to this one regardless. Chelsea and hometown girl Tiffany used their budding friendship to their advantage multiple times in the match also and their tandem offense was able to take out the powerhouses of Cargill and Lash momentarily. Everyone had their moment getting bounced off a ladder wedged between the ropes at one point in the match. The biggest moments being was when Tiffany was dropped face first on it at the hands of Charlotte and when Chelsea was hit with Jaded by Jade headfirst onto it. Later in the match it looked like Tiffany was climbing to victory before Chelsea (ever apologetic) pushed the ladder over and Tiffany turned it into a Swanton bomb midair onto the field of competitors outside the ring. Chelsea then looked to have the field clear and the match won but Jade’s Baddies (Michin & B-Fab) made their way down to the ring and hung Chelsea up in the rungs of the ladder before beating her down. Charlotte went to war with Jade and her Baddies and Tiffany and Lash fought to the top of the ladder and took one another out, so Chelsea found herself alone yet again! She raised herself up on the ladder and climbed up to victory to become the NEW Interim WWE Women’s Champion. Super cool moment. Chelsea was never really supposed to get here, but after making the most of her TV time on a consistent basis and gaining the crowd support naturally she just kind of came to this spot and couldn’t be denied. It feels like she truly earned it and I am very happy for her. Again, kudos WWE for pulling the trigger there.
Next up, the ever popular Very Nice, Very Evil Danhausen went to battle with Dominik Mysterio over Judgment Day’s money in a ‘Human Monies on a Pole’ match. Haven’t you ever watched wrestling before? Sheesh. Since this was an ‘on a pole’ match I assume that means it was also ‘No DQ’ because JD McDonaugh made his presence felt rather early in this match and turned this into a 2-on-1 in an attempt to make quick work of Mr. Hausen and get ‘their’ money back. All didn’t go to plan though because the Mini-Hausens made their way to the ring and raised chaos on Dom and JD, including a hurricarana and a tope suicida onto the floor that sent them reeling. The heels retook control of the match though and disposed of the Mini-Hausens with chokeslams and powerslams before racking Danhausen on the ropes as he went for the money. They beat up on Danhausen until Joe Hendry came down and made the save, bashing a guitar over JD’s head. Danhausen followed by cursing Dom as he was climbing the turnbuckle after the money, causing sparks and pyro to shoot up in Dom’s face as he fell back to the ring blinded. Danhausen retrieved the bag of human monies before tossing it out to fans at ringside. Fake Danhausen bills that is. This wasn’t Danhausen’s best match or appearance at a PLE I think it’s fair to say, but I just like the guy, and I’m always entertained by the Mini-Hausens as well, so I think this match still did a decent job in delivering what Danhausen delivers. Good comedic relief kind of break from the action.
Next up, Penta defended his Intercontinental Championship against the hometown boy finally getting his 1-on-1 match for the title, Chad Gable. There was a lot of story coming into this match I felt like from Gable’s POV. This man has been on the chase and on the grind for years now. He initially was chasing this belt against Sami Zayn right after Mania 40, but he got shoved aside and sent on a multi-year detour as this ‘El Grande Americano’ fake luchador character that could’ve so very easily been treated as nothing more than a joke and buried him forever, but it didn’t. He went to Mexico and had BANGERS against the likes of Vikingo and the other EL Grande and proved that not only is he a fantastic in-ring wrestler if you let him be, but he is capable of handling himself no matter what you throw at him. He turned what wasn’t supposed to be much into something so much more and that speaks volumes. Or it damn well should. Then to come back and get this match not only for the title that he was chasing before the El Grande stuff, but against a respected luchador like Penta as well, and in his hometown on Minneapolis as well. So many levels and layers to that. Gable started off the match hot taking Penta to Suplex City, but Penta wrestled a more methodical match surprisingly, attempting to slow Gable down and target areas of his body to weaken them. Penta zeroed in on Chad’s shoulder and neck region, weakening his opponent before dropping him with a vicious looking Mexican Destroyer on the ring apron at one point. Gable also landed a rough German Suplex to Penta on the apron at one point as well. The closing moments saw Gable counter out of a Mexican Destroyer attempt and slip in the ankle lock before falling back on it and wrapping Penta’s leg up in his causing the champ to tap out and making Chad Gable the new Intercontinental Champion. After the match, Gable’s wife, kids, and parents came into the ring to celebrate with him in front of his home crowd. Real neat moment yet again.
Then it was time for the main event of the evening! The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns put his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against his long-time nemesis and even longer time brother, The Visionary Seth Rollins. There’s a decade plus of history and story involved in this matchup. I didn’t always feel like they did the best job telling the story in the build to this match itself, but the weekly video packages on Raw showing the chapters of history these 2 share was a decent encapsulation for any newer viewer who may not have been entirely aware of everything. Rollins started with the callbacks and mind games early as he came out to the beginning of the Shield theme song before transitioning into his song, while wearing the classic Shield face mask from back in the day. Rollins mind games mixed with his quicker pace and vast skill set in the ring allowed him the advantage in the early goings of the matchup for the most part, until the action spilled to the outside and into the crowd. As the 2 battled back to the ring, Roman blocked a Spear attempt by Seth through the barricade and turned it into a vicious looking powerbomb through the announce table. Roman allowed himself to get a little too carried away and celebrated too long though and Seth turned it around on him and moments later sent him through the other announce table with a powerbomb of his own. Both men re-entered the ring and Rollins dropped Roman with a Pedigree for a near fall. Roman flipped the script a moment later with a Superman Punch, but Rollins leapfrogged the following Spear attempt and turned it into a Stomp for a close fall. Rollins attempted to follow up with a Falcon Arrow, but Reigns countered it into a guillotine choke which followed by a Spear, but Rollins still kicked out. Reigns went for the Super-Spear then, but Rollins countered it with a Spear of his own to Reigns. Rollins followed up with a Buckle Bomb, but Roman responded with one of HIS own this time and followed up with a Stomp to Rollins as well for a 2 count. The ref was knocked down in the ensuing chaotic brawl between the 2 and Rollins grabbed a steel chair from ringside, symbolizing the initial split of The Shield over a decade ago. Roman ripped the chair from Seth’s hands and Seth told him to use it on him, but Roman tossed it aside wanting to settle old scores mono e mono. After swapping a handful of finishers and big moves the end saw Rollins go up to the top rope for a Super-Stomp attempt, but Roman countered with a vicious Spear in midair for the pin and win to retain the Championship. After the match the 2 did The Shield fist bump in the ring and set the mask down between the 2 of them, symbolizing the score is settled and the beef is squashed. Hell of a story and hell of a match. My goodness.
Match ratings: 1-10 scale (.25s applicable)
Fatal-4-Way match to determine #1 contender for Undisputed WWE Championship: Sami Zayn Finn Balor vs Gunther vs Kevin Owens- 7.25/10
United States Championship match: Trick Williams (c) vs Baron Corbin- 7/10
5-Way Ladder match for the Interim WWE Women’s Championship: Chelsea Green vs Charlotte Flair vs Jade Cargill vs Lash Legend vs Tiffany Stratton- 8/10
Human Monies on a Pole match: Danhausen vs Dominik Mysterio- 7/10
Intercontinental Championship match: Penta (c) vs Chad Gable- 7.75/10
World Heavyweight Championship match: Roman Reigns (c) vs Seth Rollins- 10/10
That’ll do it for this one though folks! I hope you had a great SummerSlam weekend! What was your thoughts? Favorite matches and least favorite moments? Let me know! Make sure to like my page on social media or come back to my website often to keep up with all my latest posts over pro wrestling, new films I see in theaters, horror movies (both old & new) and occasionally just whatever I wanna talk about. Thank you for taking some time to read along with me today and until next time, be good to one another!
