WWE SummerSlam Results: Popular star turns heel to ally with Roman Reigns; Title changes hands twice; Brock Lesnar breaks character

Fans got a captivating WWE SummerSlam tonight, with Cody Rhodes picking up a hard-fought victory over Brock Lesnar. Shayna Baszler defeated Ronda Rousey in a brutal match, while Gunther and Seth Rollins defended their titles. The Women's Title changed hands twice on the same night while Jey Uso put on a great main event at WWE SummerSlam.

• Logan Paul def. Ricochet
• Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar
• LA Knight won the SummerSlam Battle Royal
• Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey
• Gunther def. Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
• Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
• Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte to become the new WWE Women's Champion
• IYO SKY cashed in her MITB contract and became the new WWE Women's Champion
• Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

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The 36th edition of SummerSlam kicked off from Detroit, Michigan, with an intro from Kid Rock talking about the history of the show before we headed to the first match of the night.

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WWE SummerSlam Results (August 5, 2023): Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

Logan fled the ring early on before coming back with some roll-throughs and an elbow to the chin. Ricochet got a neckbreaker on the apron before taunting ring announcer Samantha Irvin at ringside.

Paul got a running powerslam for a near fall before getting a Hulk Hogan-esque leg drop. Ricochet was sent flying with a back body drop before countering a Spanish Fly off the apron.

Paul got what looked like an STO flip off the apron before heading back in for a moonsault into a crossbody. Ricochet got a hurricane neckbreaker off the top rope before getting a big sequence of dives leading up to a shooting star for a near fall.

Logan got a Tornado DDT off a counter before Ricochet came back with the recoil. Ricochet went for the top rope finisher, but Paul got his knees up. Ricochet took an inverted powerbomb before kicking out of a frog splash.

Ricochet got a near fall off a big springboard dive before Logan rolled out of the way of the 630 Splash. Someone handed Logan brass knuckles on the apron before Paul hit Ricochet in the face with it and got the win.

Result: Logan Paul def. Ricochet

Grade: B+

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Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam

Rhodes unloaded on Brock as the match began but took a big German Suplex from The Beast. Cody came back with two disaster kicks before Brock blocked the third. Cody dodged a spear in the corner and hit Brock with a big dive to the outside.

Back in the ring, Cody was being tossed around with suplexes, but he kept getting back on his feet. Rhodes was tossed outside, and Brock yelled at him to stay down and save himself, but Cody rolled back into the ring for some more suplexes before being tossed back out again.

Cody took an F5 on the floor and then another through the announce desk. Cody barely beat the ten count before Brock hit some more suplexes. Back outside, Cody managed to hit Brock with the steel steps. Back inside, Cody got a disaster kick and two Cody Cutters before getting a near fall.

Brock got the Kimura Lock in before Cody struggled but eventually got to the bottom rope. Cody countered the F5 before sending Brock into an exposed turnbuckle and locking in the Kimura Lock on The Beast. Brock broke out of the hold before Cody got a trio of Cross Rhodes for the win!

Result: Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar

Brock and Cody had a staredown before Lesnar shook his hand and gave him a hug. Lesnar raised Cody's hand and nodded at the American Nightmare before walking out.

Grade: A

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WWE SummerSlam Battle Royal

The match was about to start when MVP came out and announced that Omos would be taking part. Omos immediately sent Apollo Crews and then JD McDonagh and Rick Boogs over the top rope. McDonagh was away from WWE Television for a bit, and his return saw him eliminated in seconds. The Brawling Brutes and Alpha Academy went after Omos but failed to eliminate him.

Otis was eliminated by Imperium before Gable eliminated Vinci. Erik and Ivar were sent over the ropes, followed by Shinsuke Nakamura and Ciampa. Ridge Holland and Cameron Grimes were gone as well before Santos Escobar eliminated Austin Theory. Karrion Kross sent Escobar over the ropes before Gable did the same to Ludwig Kaiser.

Omos eliminated Riddle and Butch before the whole lineup worked together to eliminate Omos. Waller and The Miz teamed up, but LA Knight eliminated The Miz while Sheamus did the same to Waller. AJ Styles took out Karrion Kross, and Bronson Reed took out Chad Gable before Reed was eliminated by Knight.

Knight and Sheamus were the final two superstars, and Sheamus tried to take LA out with the Celtic Cross but failed. Knight got a top rope suplex before clotheslining Sheamus over the top rope and to the outside.

Result: LA Knight won the SummerSlam Battle Royal

Grade: B

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Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler at WWE SummerSlam

Rousey was in trouble early on and took a kick to the forehead before Baszler was hit with a leaping knee strike to the face. Baszler tried for a takedown, and Rousey locked in a hold before Shayna lifted her, and they both fell outside with the hold locked in.

Shayna was possibly injured, and there was medical staff in the ring to attend to her before she got back up and tried to get Rousey in the Kirifuda Clutch. Rousey transitioned into an armbar, but Baszler turned it into an ankle lock.

Rousey rolled over to a headlock before Baszler tried for the Kirifuda once more. Rousey was turning blue, and it looked like she literally passed out before Baszler picked up the rather quick win via referee stoppage.

Result: Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey

Grade: B

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Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre - Intercontinental Championship match at WWE SummerSlam

Drew got the first takedown and hit a big back suplex before Gunther rolled outside. Drew headed ringside and was driven into the ring post before being dropped on the steel steps.

Back in the ring, Gunther got some chops to the chest before kicking Drew into the corner. Drew got the Futureshock DDT for a near fall before Gunther rolled back out to avoid the Claymore.

Drew hit a dive to the outside before Gunther countered the Claymore with the double dropkick and got a powerbomb for a near fall. The two traded thunderous chops to the chest before Drew got the Claymore for a near fall.

The two headed up to the top rope before Drew was sent down, and Gunther hit a splash and then the powerbomb for the win.

Result: Gunther def. Drew McIntyre to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Grade: B-

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Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor - World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE SummerSlam

Seth Rollins came out wearing the same jacket he had on when he faced Finn Balor seven years ago. Balor even had the word "seven" written on his shoulder to remind us of the same match and the eventual injury from Rollins' buckle bomb.

Balor attacked Rollins before the bell, and a brawl kicked off before the official called for the bell. Balor went after Rollins' shoulder and was trying to take his arm off with a hammerlock before driving his knees into the champ's shoulder.

Rollins was caught in a Fujiwara Armbar before he came back with a Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Balor took a dive to the outside before driving the champ shoulder-first into the ring post. Balor hit the buckle bomb onto the barricades outside, almost as if to get revenge on Rollins.

Balor got another armbar in the ring before Rollins lifted him for two buckle bombs in the corner. Rollins was kicked into the corner but managed to counter the top rope stomp with a superplex. Balor took the pedigree but managed to kick out of it.

Damian Priest came out with the Money in the Bank briefcase before Balor hit a pedigree off the distraction for a near fall. Priest and Balor were having an argument on the apron before Seth came in with a stomp for a near fall.

Rollins took out Priest and Dom and hit the latter with a stomp, but Finn came in off the distraction and took him down for the Coup de Grace. Balor was angry at Priest, who threw the briefcase in the ring and distracted the ref. Balor headed for the briefcase, but Rollins stomped his head into it before getting the win.

Result: Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Grade: A+

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Asuka (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair - Women's Championship match at WWE SummerSlam

Charlotte was in control early on, but Asuka got some big moves and sent her outside before taking on Bianca in the ring. Charlotte came back to break up a pin after Asuka hit a massive knee strike, and the champ took both challengers down with kicks.

Bianca and Asuka were hit with a double natural selection before Bianca got a neckbreaker DDT combo on both opponents. Belair got some big moves, but her dive was met with knees from both Flair and Asuka.

Flair was caught in the Asuka lock, but Belair came in and broke it up. Charlotte hit a moonsault on Belair before Asuka got a top rope DDT on Flair. Asuka managed to block the KOD, and so did Charlotte before Asuka came in with the armbar on Flair.

Belair came back with a powerbomb but was caught in the Asuka Lock. Flair got a double moonsault for a near fall before Asuka got a superplex. Bianca injured her knee and was carried away as the match went on.

Asuka was caught in the Figure Eight, and Belair crawled her way back to the ring and hit a 450 Splash for a near fall. Charlotte caught Bianca with a Figure Eight on the injured leg, and Asuka hit Flair with the mist to break it up. Asuka failed to get the pin, and Belair rolled the champ up for the win.

Result: Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte to become the new WWE Women's Champion

IYO SKY and Bayley rushed out to the ring, and the latter took everyone down with the briefcase before IYO cashed in the MITB contract. SKY rushed an injured Belair with the over-the-moonsault and picked up the easy win, becoming the new champion!

IYO SKY cashed in her MITB contract and became the new WWE Women's Champion

Grade: A+

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Roman Reigns (c) vs. Jey Uso - Universal Championship Match at WWE SummerSlam

Reigns took Jey into the corner as the match started, and Jey shoved him back to the middle of the ring. Jey sent Roman outside and hit him with a big dive before driving his cousin into the steel steps.

Jey brought a table out, and Heyman tried to negotiate with him before Reigns took control of the match. Reigns got a Kendo stick and beat Jey down with it before hitting some big clotheslines in the corner.

Jey came back with a low blow from the Kendo stick and unloaded on the champ before taking him out with another dive to the outside. Back in the ring, Roman took Jey down with a Superman punch and went for the spear but got rolled up instead.

Jey went up top for the Uso Splash, but Roman kicked out of it. Jey got a steel chair and hit Roman with it before getting tons of more chairs into the ring. Jey wanted to hit a superplex on the chairs, but Roman denied it and hit a powerbomb on the chairs for a near fall.

Reigns got a table out and set it up in the corner of the ring, but Jey lifted him up, and they both crashed to the outside and through a table that was there. Jey got a leather strap and whipped Roman with it before the champ retreated into the crowd.

Jey chased him into the crowd and was about to put him through a table when Solo Sikoa came in and stopped him. Solo got a uranage on Jey and sent him through the table before dragging him back to ringside.

Back in the ring, Roman was about to spear Jey through a table, but he hit Solo with the move by accident. Jey came back with a spear of his own before hitting both Solo and Roman with steel chairs.

Solo got back up and was angry at Reigns for spearing him, letting Jey spear Reigns through the barricades. Solo cleared the announce desk, but Jey blocked the spinning solo before Uso put Sikoa through the desk with a frog splash.

Back in the ring, Jey got the spear and the splash before Jimmy Uso came back and broke the pin, saving Reigns. Jimmy beat Jey up and tossed him back in the ring, letting Reigns put him through the table with a spear and pick up the win.

Result: Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

Grade: A