2023 WWE Summerslam Review
Ricochet vs Logan Paul
Ricochet and Logan Paul kicked off Summerslam in a fast pace high flying match. This match was a great way to start off the biggest party of the summer. It was filled with lots of fun spot that involved both men jumping in the air and countering each other’s moves. In the end Logan Paul punched Ricochet in the face with brass knuckles behind the referee’s back to win the match.
Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes
Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes was the second match of the night. It was their third and final match in this feud. With the score tied 1-1 the two of them had this match to settle the score. Brock vs Cody round three was phenomenal. Brock Lesnar put a beat down on Rhodes by German Suplexing him all around the ring and hitting him with two F-5’s.The first one outside of the ring on floor and the second through the announce table. Lesnar Kept tossing Rhodes out of the ring to score a count out finish but Cody kept on fighting and breaking the counts. Cody was able to rally and begin getting offense in on Lesnar. He then exposed the top turnbuckle and lured Brock in. Cody dodged a spear by Lesnar and he went chest first into it. Cody then followed it up with not one but three Crossroads to end the match. After the match Brock shook Cody’s hand and raised it above for all the crowd to see that he earned his respect.
This match was great overall. The only complaint that I had during the match was that it was not on first. The live crowd was amazing during this match as well. Being in the crowd and hearing everyone singing Cody’s song made this match special.
Slim Jim Battle Royal
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The third match of the night was the Slim Jim battle royal. 25 wrestlers were in the ring ready to start this match when Omos entered the match and began tossing people out left and right. There was too much going on in this match to see what was going on because of so many people in the ring. Eventually a bunch of superstars teamed up and eliminated Omos. The last two in the match were L.A. Knight and Sheamas, with L.A. Knight getting the win.
This was a fun match to watch but hard to catch everything. It felt as if this match was created just to give L.A. Knight a win, which is not a bad thing. When he one everyone in the crowd lost their minds and began chanting “L.A., Knight, Yea!”
Gunther vs Drew Mcintyre: Intercontinental title
Gunther Vs Drew Macyintyre was the next match up and this one was a slug fest. Immediately after the bell rang the two of them began slapping each other with stiff shot after stiff shot. This match was similar to when Gunther faced Sheamus at Clash at the Castle. Each of the two superstars were able to showcase their strength and how much of a beating they can take. In the end Gunther was able to pin Drew after knocking him off the top rope. Drew fell off the top turnbuckle landing with ropes between his legs. Gunther followed this up with a powerbomb to finish the match.
Rhonda Rowsey vs Shayna Bazler (MMA fight)
Rhonda Rowsey battled Shayna Bazler in an MMA fight following the IC title match. This was a that should have just been a regular match. This was very boring, and no wrestling fan wanted to watch a scripted MMA fight. The two of them focused on a bunch of grappling moves which were hard to see. Bazler eventually choked Rowsey out with a sleeper to win.
During this match many of the fans got up and left to either go get food or merchandise at the shops. For the ones who stayed and watched this match they were all booing the match and chanting “boring”, which it was. This match was awful and was definitely the lowest point of the show.
Seth Rollins vs Fin Balor: Heavyweight title
The first of the three main events was Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor. This was a rematch to their Championship match that happened seven years prior at Summerslam. Right off the bat this match got exciting. Immediately Fin Balor attacked Seth Rollins before the bell. The two of them began putting on a great match that involved many flashback spots from their previous encounter. The Judgement Day then came out and began harassing Seth Rollins, until he took them out with pedigrees. Damien Priest tried cashing in, but the Referee thought he was interfering and stopped him. With this distraction Seth Rollins Curb Stomped Fin Balor onto the Money in the Bank briefcase to win the match.
This match was the match of the night. It was filled with great spots like when Fin Balor buckle bombed Rollins into the barricade. The match was also filled with near fall after near fall. There were many times where I thought that Balor had the match won but Rollins kicked out and vice versa. The only that would have made this match better was if Damien Priest cashed in but having Iyo Sky cash in later fixed this.
Asuka vs Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair: Women championship (Triple Threat)
The second main event of the evening was the Triple Threat match between Asuka, Charlotte Flair, and Bianca Belair. This match was your typical fact paced triple threat match that involved each one of the wrestlers getting injured and having to stay out of the ring, while the other two have their one-on-one encounter in the ring. The match ended when Flair put Belair in the Figure-8 leg lock. Before Belair could tap out Asuka sprayed green mist into Flairss face. Bianca then hit Asuka with a suprise roll up to win the match and the title.
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Immediately after the match Baylee and Iyo Sky made their way to ring and began beating up Asuka and Charlotte. Sky then cashed in her money in the bank and pinned the new champ. This was an amazing finish to this match because the briefcase was teased in the match prior. Everyone though Priest was going to cash in, so there was a surprise when Sky did so. Overall, this was a fun match with a lot packed into it.
Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso: Universal title match (Tribal combat match)
The final main event started at just about midnight, 4 hours after the start of the show. Jey Uso entered first to the crowd all fired up then followed Roman Reigns. Roman’s entrance took about 8 minutes and dragged on. When the match started it was a very slow build and took a while to get things going. This was quite frustrating for the crowd who had been there since before 8 pm. Although once the tables, chairs, and kendo sticks got involved the match began to pick up. The two wrestlers made their way into the crowd where Solo Sikoa got involved and made his assault on Jey Uso. He put him through a table in the crowd and carried him back the ring where Jey was able to turn the tables on the two of them. Jey Uso hit a spear and then a splash on the champ but before he could get the win a hooded figure pulled him out of the ring. Jimmy Uso unveiled himself and alongside roman they put Jey through one final table to end the match.
Overall, this match was quite slow and super dragged out. The match was called Tribal Combat and there just was not anything in the match that stuck out other than when Jey hit Roman with a Soman drop from the ring through a table on the outside. Also, there were too many interferences to the point where it was annoying and frustrating. This match was a letdown but was not terrible by any means or the worst match on the card. It was just over hyped and dragged on.
Summerslam as a whole was one of the best premium live events that WWE has held in a long time. There were many amazing matches and only two that did not live up to expectations. The live crowd was engaged just to just about every match and being in the crowd amplified that feeling. The MMA match definitely hindered this event but every event has at least one that is a let down. Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor was the match of the night. Rollins vs Balor was match of the night I hope there feed will continue with one more match.
