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One of the most anticipated pay-per-views of the year kicked off in the form of WWE SummerSlam. Several big championship matches were set for Saturday night between the company's biggest superstars.
Bobby Lashley was scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Goldberg at the event. However, the non-title grudge match between Edge and Seth Rollins was one of the biggest contests booked for the show.
Meanwhile, Nikki A.S.H. failed to retain her RAW Women’s Championship in the Triple Threat Match on the show. Charlotte Flair took her down to win the title once again at SummerSlam.
Roman Reigns and John Cena met in the ring for a Universal Championship match after weeks of build-up on SmackDown. Meanwhile, The Usos defeated The Mysterios once again to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
There was a lot of action and drama on Saturday night as WWE looked to outdo its competition once again on a grand stage. A couple of big returns helped the company get SummerSlam back in the spotlight.
Take a look at the seven things that WWE got right at this year’s SummerSlam.
#7 Big E took back his Money in the Bank briefcase at WWE SummerSlam
Big E and Baron Corbin competed on the kick-off show of WWE SummerSlam. Corbin stole Big E’s Money in the Bank briefcase a couple of weeks ago, and Big E had been hunting him down ever since.
Big E came into this match firing on all cylinders, but Corbin made a comeback to give Mr. Money in the Bank a tough time. The former King of the Ring hit a Deep Six but was unable to put Big E away.
After a good contest, Big E delivered the Big Ending to defeat Corbin before taking back his Money in the Bank briefcase at SummerSlam. Corbin failed to do anything substantial with the briefcase after stealing it. He did not try to cash it in or sell it to earn some money.
WWE did the right thing by handing it back to Big E rather than going for a huge swerve and giving it to Baron Corbin for good at SummerSlam.
It was also good to see Big E compete at SummerSlam after winning the MITB briefcase earlier this year. SmackDown will need to continue to find ways to keep him in the spotlight.
#6 RK-Bro became the new RAW Tag Team Champions at WWE SummerSlam
The reunited RK-Bro competed against the RAW Tag Team Champions at WWE SummerSlam. Randy Orton and Riddle looked like worthy opponents for AJ Styles and Omos.
The Original Bro started strong before being taken down by Styles. Orton was red-hot and did well to entertain the fans at SummerSlam.
Riddle wiped Omos out on the floor before driving the giant into the ring post. Styles returned the favor by dropping Riddle with a moonsault reverse DDT.
The Viper took advantage of the situation and delivered an RKO to Styles back in the ring to win the RAW Tag Team Championships for his team at SummerSlam. RK-Bro is the most over act on RAW right now, and WWE did the right thing by putting the title on them.
#5 Damian Priest defeated Sheamus to win the United States Championship at WWE SummerSlam
Sheamus defended his United States Championship against Damian Priest at WWE SummerSlam. This was one of the biggest matches from RAW on this year’s SummerSlam card.
The two hard-hitting men went at each other from the opening bell. The Archer of Infamy was impressive and held his own against the former WWE Champion. Sheamus caught Priest with a Brogue Kick during the contest, but the resilient challenger kicked out.
The Archer of Infamy finally finished Sheamus with The Reckoning to win the United States Championship at SummerSlam. This was exactly what Priest needed to boost his career. He took a bad bump early in the contest but recovered well to put on a good show against Sheamus.
#4 Bobby Lashley snapped to retain his WWE Championship at SummerSlam
Goldberg and Bobby Lashley met in the ring for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. The Hall of Famer went after the WWE Champion from the opening bell and got the best of Lashley with a Spear on the arena floor.
Goldberg tried to go for another Spear inside the ring, but MVP damaged his knee with his cane. Lashley took advantage and targeted Goldberg’s knee for the rest of the contest.
The Hall of Famer was unable to carry on the contest for longer, and the referee called for the bell to award Lashley the victory at SummerSlam. After the match, Lashley unloaded on Goldberg’s knee with a steel chair.
Goldberg’s son, Gage, jumped in the ring and tried to help his father but paid the price in the form of The Hurt Lock. The match wasn’t great, but it allowed The All Mighty to snap and come across as a great heel.
The two might meet again in a match in Saudi Arabia. Until then, it will be interesting to see who steps up to the WWE Champion post-SummerSlam.
#3 Becky Lynch returned to squash Bianca Belair at WWE SummerSlam
Just a night after CM Punk made his return to wrestling, WWE looked to do something bigger at SummerSlam. Bianca Belair hit the ring for her SmackDown Women’s Championship defence only to discover that her challenger wasn’t cleared to compete.
Carmella was introduced as her new challenger for SummerSlam. The match was about to kick off before Becky Lynch made her long-awaited return to a thunderous ovation from the WWE Universe.
She entered the ring and dispatched Carmella before issuing a challenge to the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Belair gladly accepted the challenge and the match got underway.
It took Lynch hardly 30 seconds to take down The EST with a couple of moves and become the SmackDown Women’s Champion at SummerSlam.
The match wasn’t too great and many fans won’t be happy with the treatment Belair received, especially after her big victory at WrestleMania 37. However, it was good to have Lynch back at SummerSlam.
A short contest allowed her to shake off some ring rust and immediately reach the top of the SmackDown brand. It was good to see her return to the SmackDown brand rather than RAW. The Blue brand can surely do a lot more with The Man at this point.
#2 Edge and Seth Rollins put on a solid match at WWE SummerSlam
One of the biggest dream matches in WWE took place at SummerSlam. Edge and Seth Rollins looked set to end their long-running rivalry at the pay-per-view.
Edge recreated his entrance from his days as a member of The Brood. As the match got underway, Rollins immediately targeted the Hall of Famer’s neck.
The Drip King was just too good for Edge early on, as he kept the veteran on the backfoot. A Falcon Arrow nearly earned Rollins a victory early in the contest. Rollins tried to go for the Stomp and Pedigree, but Edge luckily managed to dodge the moves.
A comeback allowed The Rated-R Superstar to go on a roll. The fight spilled to the floor, where both men continued to punish each other. Finally, Edge showed his dark side and smashed Rollins’ face into the mat several times before forcing him to tap out to a crossface.
It was one of the best matches of the night that gave both superstars a chance to shine. Rollins was the perfect heel in the contest, while Edge gave it his all even at this age.
It’ll be interesting to see how things go on SmackDown after SummerSlam. It feels very much like the rivalry is not yet finished and a rematch seems just around the corner.
#1 Roman Reigns took down John Cena; Brock Lesnar returned at WWE SummerSlam
The biggest match of WWE SummerSlam saw Roman Reigns defend his Universal Championship against John Cena. Cena was looking to pin Reigns quickly and humiliate him at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
Reigns had an answer for everything Cena threw at him. He did not fall for any roll-up attempts by The Franchise Player and answered an Attitude Adjustment attempt with a DDT.
The two exchanged some signature moves to get the contest going. Fans present in the arena continued to chant for both men throughout the contest.
Cena nearly made Reigns tap out to the STF, but The Tribal Chief made it to the ropes in time. He also countered a Spear attempt outside the ring to send Reigns crashing into the announcer's table with an Attitude Adjustment.
Near-falls dominated the contest late at SummerSlam before Reigns found a way to get back in the contest. He rocked Cena with a series of Superman punches before hitting a Spear for the win.
The match was high-grade and Cena gave it his best even after all these years.
Brock Lesnar made his much-awaited return at SummerSlam after the match and stared down the Universal Champion.
Lesnar’s return makes everything much better for SmackDown fans. The Tribal Chief is undefeated in his current character, and Lesnar knows a thing or two about defeating Roman Reigns. Will Paul Heyman be able to protect his client this time?
