 Jey Uso and Roman Reigns def. Bronson Reed and Bron BreakkerFrom a star power standpoint, this was the correct choice for the opener, especially with how invested the crowd was in the action. It was solid and enjoyable, but with what we got, it could have very easily headlined any ordinary episode of Raw. Reigns vs. Breakker one-on-one obviously would've been more appealing, but I understand WWE may not want to rush into that. Uso pinning Reed was disappointing since he and Reigns didn't need the win whereas the heels could've used the boost (especially Reed). Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair def. The Judgment Day (Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez) to Win the WWE Women's Tag Team ChampionshipBliss and Flair continue to be a treat to watch as a team. Crowds are responding wonderfully to them and it was the right call for them to take the titles here. Sure, you can make the case that they could've benefited from staying in chase mode for a bit, but there isn't much of a division to speak of, so it doesn't mater much either way. It was a good match and a nice moment for Bliss and Flair. Sami Zayn def. Karrion KrossThis was an important match in the sense that Kross' contract expires extremely soon and, if reports are to be believed, he hasn't re-signed yet, so a standout showing would've gone a long way in proving to the company that he's worth keeping around. Instead, we got another average outing from them that, similar to the opener, could've happened on Raw. I was happy this made the card, but nothing newsworthy came out of it whatsoever. They never sold anyone on Zayn actually listening to Kross and cheating to win. WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton def. Jade CargillThe build to this match hasn't been the most exciting, but I was looking forward to seeing what they could do together, especially after their first encounter on the post-WrestleMania SmackDown earlier this year. Ultimately, I was underwhelmed. Giving them only seven minutes was certainly a choice, though who knows how much better or worse it would've been with more time. Stratton winning clean was even more shocking. If neither of them turn imminently, I have no idea where they go from here. Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre def. Jelly Roll and Randy OrtonAmazingly, this was the match I cared about the least coming into Night 1, and it ended up being the most fun out of all of them. Jelly Roll definitely came to play and put forth a hell of an effort. It's not often the celebrity gets pinned, either, so that was a refreshing change, too. The outcome was irrelevant, but perhaps there's more to come from all involved, including Jelly Roll. This was a blast. CM Punk def. Gunther to Win the World Heavyweight Championship; Seth Rollins Cashed In His Money in the Bank Briefcase on Punk to Win the World Heavyweight ChampionshipWWE saved the best two matches for last. For a match that had such a rushed build, this was a strong main event with an excellent story told. Punk didn't look out of place whatsoever and Gunther was a terrific foil for him. They got plenty of time, and while you can argue they could've trimmed off a few minutes, I was never bored. Gunther bleeding was also an awesome touch. Punk winning only to be cashed in on by the not-so-injured Rollins was predictable, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The execution was fantastic and it left me looking forward to what's next. Overall ShowNight 1 of SummerSlam very much reminded me of Night 1 of WrestleMania 41 where the undercard, while not terrible, was uninspired and didn't feel remotely special. That's one of the drawbacks of making SummerSlam two nights, which was unnecessary to begin with. The show was salvaged by the last two matches, specifically the main event and the ending. Night 2 always had more potential on paper, so it shouldn't be too difficult for it to be better given what we got here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
January 2026
|
RSS Feed