Join 411’s Live WWE SummerSlam Coverage

Keep Refreshing For The Latest Results

Hello everyone and welcome to 411mania’s LIVE coverage of WWE SummerSlam. I’m Robert Winfree and I’ll be your host for the evening. As the WWE machine keeps on rolling we’ve got a decent little PPV card tonight. There are two big questions I’m going to ask you all, is it more likely that Roman Reigns returns tonight or that Judgement Day really start blowing up? Roman’s return is inevitable but could be held off until closer to Survivor Series because we all know the two Bloodline versions are going to meet in War Games, while Judgement Day is very close to just running it’s course and there’s a chance tonight to really start that process of ending it instead of letting it peter out. To that end there’s a couple of title matches involving members of that group, World Heavyweight Champion Damien Priest defends that belt against Gunther and Rhea Ripley tries to reclaim the World Women’s title from Liv Morgan. Priest losing to Gunther is definitely on the table because Gunther is awesome, while the potential for Soiled Dominick Mysterio turning on Rhea kicking off the real destruction of the group shouldn’t be ignored either. We’ve also got the US title on the line between Logan Paul and LA Knight, a heated feud between Drew McIntyre and CM Punk to maybe wrap up and evolve into something involving Seth Rollins, Nia Jax trying to win the women’s title from Bayley, and a surefire mess of a match when Cody Rhodes defends the WWE title against Solo Sikoa in a Bloodline Rules bout. Cody’s lost his friends and allies over the last few weeks so we’ll have to see if anyone comes to his aid against this new Bloodline version, really you only have to deal with Jacob Fatu because the others are forgettable but he’s more than a handful to try and neutralize. Well that’s the preamble, let’s get to the action.

Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, and Cory Graves are calling the action for us as we’re in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Triple H comes out first and he’s got a mic, he hangs out at the top of the ramp and asks if the crowd is ready. Seems like they are, so for the thousands in attendance and millions watching around the world he welcomes us to SummerSlam.

The Miz is hosting, for some reason, and tries to get the show going now that we’ve had a live music number from Jelly Roll.

In the back Rhea Ripley walks, finds Dominik Mysterio and he accompanies her out to the ring. Yeah, he’s stabbing her in the back tonight.

Match #1 – Women’s World Title Match: (c) Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley w/ Dominik Mysterio

Liv bails early and looks to take a powder. Ripley chases Liv around for a bit but can’t quite catch her. In fact these two don’t make contact until the 2 minute mark. Ripley lays in clotheslines early including a ripcord clothesline but one Rainmaker never ends a real match. Half nelson suplex from Ripley and Liv rolls out of the ring. Ripley licks Dom in front of Liv then stomps on her and lays in strikes. Liv gets bounced off of the ring steps a few times. Back into the ring now Ripley lays in a headbutt, looks for Riptide and sort of hits it into the corner. Another Riptide but this time Liv escapes it and hides in a corner. Liv avoids a charge and Ripley goes shoulder first into the corner, and Liv tries to post Ripley but they mess that up and Ripley complains that her shoulder is out. OK, that’s probably gimmicked but they still botched the post spot. Ripley rolls out of the ring but Liv kicks her into the ring steps. There’s definitely something odd looking about Ripley’s shoulder but I don’t think it’s a legit injury. Back in the ring Liv begins working over Ripley’s right arm.

Split chants from the crowd as Liv starts again going for the arm of Ripley. More kicks to the arm from Liv then a Codebreaker to the bad arm. Ripley with a boot to drop Liv and put both women down. Ripley rolls out of the ring and hangs out with Dom, Dom pushes Ripley out of the way when Liv dives and she wipes out Dom. Some jaw jacking now, then Ripley rams her shoulder into the announce table to reset her shoulder and she charges at Liv in the ring. Ripley with some striking based offense including a dropkick. Ripley wants a Riptide but Liv counters into a DDT for a 2 count. They trade kicks then Ripley yanks Liv off the top rope and locks in the Prism Lock but her right arm is still compromised so Liv can roll through and sends Ripley back into the corner shoulder first. Crucifix Driver from Liv gets 2 then into an armbar, Ripley fights to keep her arm from extending and ultimately hoists Liv up then slams her way free for a 2 count.

Headbutt from Liv to try and fight back, then she snaps Ripley’s arm over the middle rope. Liv heads over to get a chair, she brings it into the ring as Ripley resets her shoulder again. Ripley kicks Liv down before she can use the chair, hits a Riptide but doesn’t go for a cover. Ripley reaches for the chair, she goes to hit Liv with it but Dom yanks the chair away from her. Dom tells her to just win the title and Liv then kicks Ripley into Dom then hits ObLIVion for a near fall. Dom slides the chair into the ring again and distracts the ref, Liv then spikes Ripley with ObLIVion onto the chair and pins to retain the title.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Liv Morgan retained the title in 15:53

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: Ripley still looked strong while Liv held her own with guile and a bit of luck. The story of Ripley dealing with a shoulder injury made a lot of Liv’s offense make sense.

Post match Dom helps Liv to her feet and kisses her then leaves with the champion as Ripley looks to have a mild breakdown in the ring.

In the back we see Sami Zayn warming up, saying goodbye to the Intercontinental Title.

In the back we find Judgement Day and Priest storms in looking for Dom. Finn Balor calms things down and says he, JD, and Carlito will go find Dom so Priest can focus on Gunther. Priest threatens to murder Dom.

Back to the ring, here comes Bron Breakker.

Match #2 – Intercontinental Title Match: (c) Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

Sami avoids a Spear and Bron posts himself right off the bat. Sami with a dive to the outside and he’s getting pumped up. Back in the ring Sami heads up top but misses a flying nothing and Bron catches him with a clothesline. Sami tries a Helluva Kick but Bron evades that one and tries a military press but his shoulder is messed up, because two of those in a row is a thing. Clothesline from Bron and he starts laying in some corner offense. Sami catches Bron and tries an exploder suplex but Bron blocks it and puts Sami on the top rope, he climbs up there with Sami and eventually hits a nice avalanche Frankensteiner for a 2 count. Some strikes from Bron and he tells Sami to give up. Sami clearly wont do that and lays in some slaps then drops Bron with a clothesline. Bron blocks a Blue Thunder Bomb then sort of flips out of it, he almost spiked himself but then tries the Steiner Bulldog only to get countered with a Blue Thunder Bomb from Sami for a 2 count. Jumping knee from Bron drops Sami, but then Sami catches Bron with the Exploder suplex into the corner. Sami wants the Helluva Kick but Bron cuts him in half with a Spear. Bron can’t cover because of the shoulder but he pulls the straps down, hits the ropes and hits another Spear to get the win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Bron Breakker won the title in 5:42

Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: I’m not sure if it was just the 5 minute time or what but this just didn’t really click for me. For a 5 minute match it was fine but never really got into a higher gear.

Apparently there’s been a Slim Jim vote going on for a savage moment of the summer. It goes to Drew laying out a bloody CM Punk off camera on Smackdown then stealing his bracelet. OK then.

Stephanie McMahon is in the crowd, got a decent pop but nothing great.

Logan Paul comes out and Machine Gun Kelly is there to accompany him. LA Knight is in the back and has arrived in the Prime truck, and he breaks out the windows before walking towards the ring while talking. He’s coming for the US title just like he told you. Knight gets a big pop from the crowd as his music hits.

They start brawling on the floor before the bell rings. Logan gets launched into the barricade then Knight tosses him into the Prime cart, and rams the cart into Logan for good measure. Logan spits Prime into Knight’s face and rams him into the barricade. Logan clears off the announcers table but Knight starts bouncing him off of the table then whacks Logan with a Prime bottle. They fight onto the table and Knight with a Torture Rack into a neckbreaker on the table which does not give. They get in the ring and finally we start.

Match #3 – US Title Match: (c) Logan Paul w/ Machine Gun Kelly vs. LA Knight

Knight unloads on Logan with strikes in the corner. Logan lands a kick but runs into a Manhattan Drop then Knight with a discus clothesline for a 2 count. Knight tries the Yeah elbow but Logan blocks it with knees. Logan flips out of a back supelx and posts Knight. Another posting for Knight then he lands a clothesline. Mounted punches from Logan then he plays with the crowd and does a Hogan pose then lands a big boot and a split leg drop for a 2 count. They start shoving then trade punches from their knees. Punches go back and forth as they stand then Knight lays in a series of jabs only to get caught with a gutwrench suplex from Logan. There’s some visibly discoloration under Logan’s right eye, not sure what caused that but it’s visible. Alley Oop from Logan but only a 2 count. Logan hits the ropes but runs into a tilt a whirl powerslam. Knight runs Logan into a corner and unloads on him with punches, then slams him back into the corner a couple of times.

Stomps from Knight as Logan’s down, then a running knee strike in the corner. Logan gets caught with a Side Effect, the Knight to the second rope and rallies the crowd before jumping up top and hitting an elbow drop for a 2 count. Knight looks for that Torture Rack neckbreaker but Logan fights free and sends Knight to the apron then hits a springboard clothesline. Logan sets for a dive, and hits a springboard moonsault off the top rope onto Knight and both men are down on the floor. Back in the ring Logan sets for the Power of the Punch, but Knight avoids it and tries Blunt Force Trauma but Logan counters into a backslide for 2, then Logan hits the Power of the Punch but only a near fall. Now Logan goes up top, misses a Frog Splash then Knight avoids a punch, but Logan grabs the ropes to avoid a Blunt Force Trauma. Logan back up top, but Knight runs and jumps up there with him to hit an avalanche Brainbuster for only a near fall. Not sure why Logan didn’t get all the way over on that one, that’s usually a superplex but that one was much more like a brainbuster. Logan rolls out of the ring then rakes the eyes of Knight and asks for the brass knux. Knight with a diving baseball slide through the ropes then staggers over to Logan’s goons. Knight yanks those two goofs over and stomps on them for a bit before Logan comes back over and runs Knight into the ring post. Logan still wants the knux, MGK gives him some from a necklace he was wearing. Cheap shot with the knux from Logan, then a Buckshot Lariat but Knight avoids it and hits Blunt Force Trauma to win.

OFFICIAL RESULT: LA Knight won the title in 12:03, toss in another couple of minutes for the pre-match stuff if you’d like

Rating: 3.5 stars
Thoughts: Logan’s athleticism is still pretty ridiculous. They told a solid story of Knight being resilient and hip to almost all of Logan’s tricks by this point.

Logan is a sad panda after that and Knight celebrates with the belt.

In the back Apollo Crews is getting his head shaved and Baron Corbin joins in. Otis, Maxxine, and Akira Tozawa show up and they all shill merchandise. I’m not sure this was a worthwhile use of time.

Nia Jax heads to the ring.

Match #4 – WWE Women’s Title Match: (c) Bayley vs. Nia Jax

Bayley with punches right away then a slap. Jax doesn’t like that and sends Bayley to the apron but Bayley comes back in and starts attacking the arm of Jax. Lots of arm work tonight. Jax with a Doctor Bomb attempt but Bayley counters into a jawbreaker only to run into a Samoan Drop. Now Jax starts tossing Bayley around then hits a scoop slam. Elbow drop from Jax then she spanks Bayley before sitting on her in the ropes. Bayley tries to fight back but Jax clubs her down in the corner and lands a Stink Face. Cobra Clutch from Jax for a rest hold, Baley fights free and hits a back suplex to put both of them down. Jax with a Stun Gun to Bayley but Bayley then hits the ropes and lands a jumping elbow and both women are down.

Jax gets sent to the floor, and she pulls Bayley down then hits a headbutt and sets for an apron leg drop but Bayley avoids it and kicks Jax to the barricade. Bayley off the steps and takes down Jax and lands some punches. Back in the ring Bayley heads up top but Jax rattles the ropes and crotches Bayley up there. Jax then hits a stalling suplex, but Bayley tries to counter into a guillotine choke but Jax powers through and drops Bayley with a gordbuster. Rolling senton then a leg drop from Jax all results in a 2 count. Jax goes up top, that’s an odd decision, but off the second rope she tries a leg drop only for Bayley to roll away. Bayley to Belly suplex from Bayley gets a 2 count. Jax blocks the Rose Plant, Bayley then gets caught with an ST-Joe out of the corner. Jax tries the Annihilator and hits it but only a near fall and Jax is in disbelief. Some slams from Jax as she’s pissed, then she lands a series of headbutts. Jax with some trash talk but misses a corner charge and posts herself then rolls to the floor. Bayley with a suicide dive but Jax catches her and hits a Samoan Drop on the floor.

Back in the ring Jax takes her sweet time but hits a corner splash then a hip attack. Jax wants another Annihilator but Bayley recovers and attacks her on the ropes then hits a falling powerbomb. Bayley heads up top now for an elbow drop which connects but only a 2 count on the cover. Tiffany Stratton’s music hits and she runs down with a ref and her briefcase. Bayley attacks Tiffany to avoid the cash in, then rolls up Jax for 2. Knee from Bayley, but she runs into a pop up powerbomb. Jax with a Jackknife powerbomb then an Annihilator, and a second for good measure to get the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Nia Jax won the title in 12:31

Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: The closing stretch pulled this across the three star line, this was just slow and plodding for most of the run time. Bayley had a good title win at Mania but her actual title run was kind of just meh, losing here isn’t the worst thing for her.

Jax and Tiffany celebrate surname supremacy over the mono named wrestlers.

Seth Rollins heads to the ring as our guest referee.

Match #5 – Special Guest Referee Seth Rollins: Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk

Seth takes his sweet time ringing the bell, and Drew and Punk start throwing hands right away with Punk getting the better of things. Seth pulls Punk out of corner stomps after a 5 count. Now Drew with corner offense on Punk and unloads with stomps but again Seth counts and the pulls Drew away from Punk. Boot from Punk then a diving clothesline and mounted punches. Cross chop from Drew then a regular chop and a headbutt. Punk clotheslines Drew out of the ring then heads to the apron and jumps at Drew. Drew gets bounced into the ring post and Punk lands more punches before sending Drew into the time keeper’s area. They continue brawling on the floor, Seth no longer counting. Punk shoves Drew into the ring post and the crowd want tables. Punk slams Drew’s head into the ring steps a few times, Seth conveniently tying his shoes and not seeing anything. Drew sweeps Punk’s legs on the apron then picks him up and swing him into the announcers table a couple of times. Seth meanders onto the apron to watch things. Drew with a catapult to Drew under the ring, this amuses Seth who is in fact a spotlight hog.

They head back into the ring and Drew chops Punk down. Snap suplex from Drew, Seth doesn’t even get down for a count before Punk kicks out and Seth eggs Drew on to homicide. Drew stomps on Punk’s head and arm a bit then Punk fights back with punches only to get chopped down again. Belly to belly throw from Drew but again Seth doesn’t even get down for a count. They trade slaps now, Punk with a flurry of strikes then tries a knee in the corner but Drew counters with a powerbomb but only a 1 count. Drew hauls Punk up for a sit out powerbomb and a 2 count, a more appropriate count from Seth that time. Drew heads out of the ring to get a chair, Seth sees it and considers but Drew tells him to turn around and let him do this. Seth thinks about it and turns around but then takes the chair from Drew. Drew and Seth bicker, and Drew shoves Seth, Seth nearly hits Punk with the chair on accident but stops himself. O’Connor Roll from Punk but Seth is slow on the cover so only a 2 count. Drew with a neckbreaker then kips up. Drew pulls out the bracelet and puts it on, then sets for the Claymore but Punk counters with a heel kick. Punk with a swinging neckbreaker then the high knee in the corner, and another one then a third for good measure. Clothesline from Punk then he goes up top for an elbow drop which connects, but the cover only gets 2.

Punk tries an Anaconda Vice, it’s in then Punk releases it to take his bracelet back. That means Drew can come at Punk and hit a Claymore but only a near fall, fair count from Seth for what it’s worth. Drew is pissed and tries a Future Shock DDT but Punk escapes and Drew posts himself trying to chase him down. Punk wants Go To Sleep, but sees that Seth has put on the bracelet and drops Drew to argue with Seth. Seth just pulled it off the mat, but he and Punk bicker then Drew shoves Punk into Seth and Seth takes the ref bump. Punk hits Go To Sleep but no ref to make the count, Seth does get in and by then Drew can kick at 2. Now Punk complains about the count, the count was fair again to my eye, and now Punk and Seth bicker. Seth tells Punk they don’t want or need him here, he’s being fair here and tells him to focus on Drew not get distracted. Punk then picks up Seth for a Go To Sleep which connects and takes the bracelet back. Drew then takes Punk to dick kick city, kills him with a Claymore and covers Punk but Seth is slow to count though when he does get over there it’s a 3 count.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Drew McIntyre won in 17:00

Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts: I debated between 3.5 and 4 here, the drama here stretched this out more than I would have preferred, but Drew and Punk sold this with the hatred it deserved and I’d like to see this one again under circumstances more favorable to just wrestling. Maybe a little generous but I’ll let this one get to 4 stars.

Post match Drew takes the bracelet again, puts it on his wrist and kisses it then stands on Punk and poses.

In the back Balor couldn’t find Dom, Priest apologizes for how he acted before and Balor is sorry too. Judgement Day comes first, and he says if Priest decides he wants him out there just say the word.

Match #6 – World Heavyweight Title Match: (c) Damian Priest vs. Gunther

They start trading strikes right away then Priest tries South of Heaven but Gunther fights free with a chop and uppercut. Elevated Flatliner from Priest and Gunther rolls out of the ring to recover. Priest follows and jumps off the steps to land a clubbing blow. Gunther shoves Priest into the ring post then hits a back suplex onto the apron. Gunther shoves Priest into the edge of the ring then lands a chop. Both men head back into the ring and Gunther begins targeting the lower back of Priest with a scoop slam. Priest fights back with punches then he avoids a boot and boxes the ears of Gunther, but Gunther avoids a suplex and chops the lungs out of Priest then hits a butterfly suplex for a 1 count. They trade strikes again with Gunther landing a boot then he climbs up top for a Splash but Priest hits him on the top rope. Priest tries to climb up with Gunther, they trade strikes for a bit and Priest does climb up there for a superplex but Gunther counters with a hammerlock then hits the ribs to drop Priest. Gamen giri from Priest stuns Gunther and Priest climbs up with Gunther for an avalanche hurricanrana then a Falcon Arrow for a 2 count.

Priest begins laying in kicks to the chest and leg. Gunther fights back with a chop, they start trading strikes again and they’re just chopping the heck out of each other and Priest fires up with a flurry of chops then a head kick. Gunther’s chest is bleeding now, and he starts chopping away at Priest again but Priest catches one and resumes landing kicks. Another chop from Gunther, then Priest with a superkick. Priest misses a corner splash and Gunther with a shotgun dropkick then a folding powerbomb for a 2 count. Gunther realizes he’s bleeding and gets a little fired up, he and Priest start trading strikes this time it’s Gunther who wins and tries a powerbomb but Priest flips free and hits a tornado kick then South of Heaven for a 2 count. Priest wants the Razor’s Edge, but Gunther blocks that and they start trading strikes again before Gunther grabs a Sleeper but Priest slings him free only for Gunther to catch a kick and hit a leg capture suplex. Gunther with a couple of lariats but only a near fall off of that flurry of offense. I do really like Gunther’s lariat, one of the better ones going right now.

They trash talk a bit then Gunther boots Priest in the face. Priest shakes it off and calls on for more from Gunther, who obliges with a chop. Another chop from Gunther, and Finn Balor has joined this at ringside. Gunther chops away at Priest again but Balor is rallying Priest as Gunther with another sickening chop. Priest fires up with strikes before Gunther boots him down again. Gunther wipes his own blood into his hair, he cares not for blood. More stomps to Priest then a punt to the ribs. Gunther talks to Balor for a bit then kicks him in the head just because he can. That pisses Priest off and Priest pulls down the straps as he stands then clotheslines the snot out of Gunther. Another clothesline from Priest, then a Razor’s Edge connects. Priest with South of Heaven again, but Gunther rolls to the ropes and Balor makes sure Gunther’s boot is on the ropes, he was close enough anyway for that to be the case. Well Priest saw the replay on the big screen and looks over at Balor, who slowly turns to face him with an evil look on his face. Priest gets caught by Gunther with a Sleeper. The Sleeper is in and Priest fades while staring at the malicious face of Balor, Priest is nearly out but he rallies into a pin for 2. Priest attacks Balor but Gunther grabs him and hits a powerbomb then another Sleeper Hold and this time Priest goes out.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Gunther won the title in 16:39

Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts: Unsurprisingly great, Gunther is one of the very best in the world between the ropes and Priest has grown to be more than capable of holding his own. They told a good story of Gunther trying to out physical Priest, Priest rallying with fire and strikes before Balor made the difference. Best match of the night, if I gave quarter stars this would have earned one.

Gunther gets a kiss from his wife who’s ringside before celebrating.

Well it’s main event time, and we had Dom turn and Judgement Day implode so do we think Roman actually returns to cap it off?

Miz and R-Truth are in the ring now, Miz decides to waste time by playing with the crowd. Truth asks how many people are in here? Miz knows, a record for SummerSlam of 57,791. Truth plays with the crowd, but here’s Austin Theory and Grayson Waller to make everything worse. They make fun of Miz as host, Waller and Theory then insult the Cleveland Browns for cheap heat. Why are we doing this again? This is a waste of time. Jelly Roll gets brought up and they make fun of music. Truth is amused by this and brings up the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and calls Theory and Waller the Rock and Roll Express, Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson while Jelly gets in the ring with a chair. Jelly gets to hit both of them with his chair and Truth sets up Jelly to hit a chokeslam on Theory with one hand. Bless Theory for making that look good. Jelly then wants the 5 Knuckle Shuffle, Truth and Miz join in and 15 knuckles hit Theory in the face. Well the crowd liked that but this was a time waster that we didn’t need.

Alright, main event time. Solo Sikoa comes out by himself but we all know things wont stay that way very long. We see Cody Rhodes in his trailer, he walks through the back and brings his dog Pharaoh with him for a bit. There’s a series of black SUVs he walks by, very similar to those that Roman favors when he travels. Cody finds Arn Anderson and hugs him, Arn is proud of him and says he’s in a really tough spot tonight. Know that Solo has backup, but Arn still has some influence and says Cody still has friends on the way. Well passing Cody the Glock would have been more helpful but that was heartwarming. Cody leaves his dog with a PA and gets his fancy jacket then heads to the ring.

Match #7 – Bloodline Rules Undisputed WWE Title Match: (c) Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Our longest break between matches here, 28 minutes and change. Cody plays with the crowd just a bit then ties up with Solo, he grabs a side headlock then hits a shoulder block but can’t drop Solo. Solo then hits a shoulder block to drop Cody. “We want Roman” chant already. Cody avoids an attack, then they tie up again with Cody grabbing a side headlock and kicks Solo but Solo blocks the drop down punch. Solo is well prepared it seems, at least for the usual Cody stuff. Cody eats a back elbow but then avoids a hip attack by rolling out of the ring. Solo allows Cody to recover, he feels incredibly confident. Cody gets into the ring and Solo kicks him then starts laying in headbutts and chops. Cody is willing to chop with Solo though and they trade some strikes but that favors Solo. Next Cody skins the cat then low bridges a charging Solo and Disaster kicks him to the floor then follows with a suicide dive. Cody tries another suicide dive but Solo intercepts him with a right hand then bounces Cody into the ring steps. They head back into the ring and Cody lands some punches then Solo avoids a snap powerslam and lands a jumping kick for a 2 count. Again Solo is ready for the usual Cody spots.

Solo hits a Samoan Drop. Solo with another Samoan Drop for a 2 count. Cody avoids a Samoan Spike and kicks the arm of Solo then hits a Cody Cutter. Cody clotheslines Solo out of the ring then follows him out there. Some ringside brawling from Cody as he tosses Solo around then they head back into the ring. Cody up top, misses a flying nothing but hits the drop down right hand. Jabs from Cody then the Bionic Elbow but when he tries a Disaster Kick Solo counters with a sit out powerbomb for a 2 count. Headbutt from Solo and he lays in some punches in the corner to set up a hip attack which connects. Solo says the title is his and demands the crowd acknowledge him, they mostly ignore him. Cody tries a Pedigree but Solo blocks so Cody with a School Boy for 2 but Solo then hits the Spinning Solo for a near fall. No one is biting on these near falls, we’re only 10 minutes in and we all know how many shenanigans are about to start happening in then ear future.

Nerve hold from Solo, Cody fights free with punches but runs into another Samoan Drop because Solo’s move set isn’t exactly deep. Solo puts Cody in the tree of woe then hits a running headbutt to the inverted Cody. The crowd is just kind of apathetic to this portion of the match, Solo hits another running headbutt but Cody wont give up. Solo tries a third but misses as Cody sits up, Cody then hits a moonsault, well sort of a moonsault, and both men are down. Commentary accurately says that was a Terry Funk style moonsault. Cody with punches then runs into a Black Hole Slam for another 2 count. Solo heads up top but takes too long, Cody meets him up there with punches but Solo headbutts him down then Cody jumps back up for a superplex and again both men are down.

They start trading punches on their knees as they fight up to a vertical base, the crowd is sort of waking up now that we’re past the 15 minute mark. Cody with a flurry of strikes but a Cody Cutter is countered and Solo wants Cross Rhodes but Cody counters into Cross Rhodes. Naturally that means Tama Tonga and botch machine Tonga Loa are here to attack Cody. Cody takes some tandem offense as the crowd wants Jey Uso to show up. They drag Solo into a cover for a 2 count that again no one was biting on. Kevin Owens is here though, he heads to the ring and begins laying into Tonga and Loa, a superkick to Solo for good measure. Owens takes down Tama then attacks Loa. The odds do catch up to Owens eventually but Randy Orton shows up as well. Randy’s run to the ring is kind of hilarious but he’s all business and slams Tama into a barricade. RKO to Loa, then Tama takes a Stunner. Solo gets a snap powerslam from Randy then a Swanton Bomb from Owens. Cody with Cross Rhodes but Solo kicks at 2 very weakly. Again, not many biting because we haven’t seen the real star of the Bloodline yet. Randy and Owens fight the Guerillas of Destiny to the back leaving Cody and Solo alone for the moment. Cody heads out of the ring and gets the ring steps then throws them into the ring. Cody whacks Solo with the steps once, and tells Solo to go down but he wont so Cody hits him again. Now Cody charges but Solo explodes with a Spear for a near fall.

Solo doesn’t know what more he can do, so he sets up the stairs in the corner then wants to hip attack Cody against them but Cody evades and Solo takes the bump. Cody with Cross Rhodes, he holds on for a second on which connects then goes for a third but he’s Jacob Fatu with a Whisper in the Wind. The Samoan Werewolf and real star of the new Bloodline is here and hits a double jump moonsault on Cody. Fatu drags Solo onto Cody but Cody kicks at 2. Solo with some direction to Fatu, he wants more violence and Fatu knocks Cody out of the ring then superkicks him. Fatu clears off the announce table and sets Cody on it, then Fatu goes up top and wants to Splash Cody through the table and connects. Fatu immediately begins selling his right ankle, hopefully he didn’t get hurt but he looks legitimately pissed and yells at Solo to finish it. Back in the ring Solo with a Splash for another near fall.

Replay on that splash shows the Fatu caught his ankle on the edge of the table, that might be legit but hopefully it’s just temporary. Cody with a superkick then a top rope Cody Cutter and everyone’s down. Roman’s music hits and the place goes NUTS, slightly new intro to it too. And the Head of the Table is in fact here, to a heroes welcome as he walks to the ring. Of course the question is “who’s side is he on?” Roman stares daggers at the ring and charges into it then wipes out Solo with a Superman Punch. Spear to Solo as well and this place loses it’s mind. Roman stares down the sitting Cody but just leaves, then pauses on the entrance ramp to watch as Cody hits another Cross Rhodes and gets the pin.

OFFICIAL RESULT: Cody Rhodes retained the title in 29:15

Rating: 4 stars
Thoughts: Overbooked as expected, and frankly a little overlong with the crowd not really caring about a large chunk of the match because they were more focused on who was coming out of the entrance area. There’s also the question about how injured Jacob Fatu might be, because I can’t believe he was originally written to not interact with Roman at all. But conquering hero Roman is going to be a heck of a thing to see now that everyone loves him.

Cody and Roman can’t stop looking at each other as Cody celebrates, while Solo and Fatu lose their minds with Solo yelling that Roman will never come back from this. Roman heads to the back after pointing to his OTC shirt, because he’s the Only Tribal Chief, and Cody celebrates as we end the show.