WWE promised a blockbuster two-night SummerSlam experience, but Night One struggled to live up to the hype. With only two matches that really grabbed the crowd, most of the card came across as forgettable.
The biggest moments came from Roman Reigns kicking off the show and Seth Rollins closing it in shocking fashion. Everything in between struggled to leave a mark.
Match 1: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed & Bron Breakker
It was a surprise to see Roman Reigns open the night instead of closing it. The match had strong pacing and intensity, with Jey taking the brunt of the punishment before tagging in Roman. A spear through the barricade followed by a 1-D and an Uso Splash gave them the win. This was one of the few bright spots on the card.
Match 2: Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez
Charlotte and Alexa didn’t seem like a cohesive team, and it showed. Despite some tension and a mid-match miscommunication, Alexa hit Sister Abigail on Roxanne to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles. The match felt rushed and didn’t do much for either team.
Match 3: Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
Sami Zayn played the resilient underdog, with Karrion Kross controlling most of the action. Scarlet interfered and tempted Sami with a lead pipe, but he refused to take the shortcut. He tossed the weapon and hit a clean Helluva Kick for the win. The crowd respected it, but the match lacked intensity.
Match 4: Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill (Women’s Championship)
Jade had a great entrance with Jamaican-inspired gear, and Cardi B at ringside added star power. She dominated the match and had the crowd behind her, but Tiffany Stratton reversed a top-rope Jaded and landed the World’s Prettiest Moonsault to retain. A decent match with a clean finish, but it didn’t reach the next level.
Match 5: Logan Paul & Drew McIntyre vs. Jelly Roll & Randy Orton
Logan Paul continues to prove he belongs in WWE. The match started with Jelly Roll surprising everyone with his physicality, but he spent most of the match getting punished. Logan delivered a huge top-rope leap onto Jelly Roll through the announce table and later hit a frog splash to win. It had entertainment value, but it felt more like a celebrity segment than a major match.
Main Event: CM Punk vs. Gunther (World Heavyweight Championship)
Gunther dominated CM Punk from start to near-finish. Punk looked completely outmatched and couldn’t build any momentum. In a rare moment, he made Gunther bleed, which gave him a window to land two Go to Sleeps and finally win the World Heavyweight Championship.
But then the arena erupted.
Seth Rollins returned, shocking the crowd. Thought to still be out with an injury, Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract immediately. One stomp later, he pinned Punk and walked out with the title.
It was the only real surprise of the night and the one moment that gave SummerSlam some electricity.
Final Thoughts
Night One had a couple of highlights. Roman and Jey’s tag match with the Brons was fun. CM Punk’s emotional title win had real weight. But outside of that, the night felt padded with matches that didn’t matter.
Without Seth Rollins showing up at the end, this would have been one of the most forgettable SummerSlam lineups in recent memory. Night Two needs to step up if WWE wants fans to buy into the two-night format in the future.
