WWE Summerslam 2023 8/6/2023

WWE Summerslam 2023 8/6/2023

Logan Paul vs Ricochet

Ric = Ricochet

Ric slaps Paul then backflips into a headscissors and dropkick. Ric feints on a dive and Paul hits some great leapfrogs. Paul back elbows him and hiptosses him. Paul chokes Ric over the ropes then hits body punches in the corner.

Paul running powerslams him then facekicks him. Paul then does a split style legdrop for 2. Paul then does Hulk Hogan muscle poses and Ric spinebusters him. Ric standing moonsaults him and Ric bumps big for a back body drop. Paul springboard clotheslines him. Paul tries to spanish fly him off the apron but both guys land and then Ric standing spanish flies him on the floor.

Paul buckshot lariats him to the outside then top rope crossbodies and standing moonsaults him for 2. Paul spears the post on a missed charge the ric hits a top rope neckbreaker. Ric handspring back elbows him then hits a flying forearm. Ric springboard corssbodies him then standing ssp's him. Paul moonsaults off the 2nd rope, gets caught and tornado ddt's him.

Ric pumping knees him then does side a codebreaker to the side of the head. Ric top rope ssp's and Paul gets his knees up. Paul alley oops Ric and kips up. Paul springboard frogsplashes him for 2. Ric superkicks him then hits a go to sleep variation. Ric springboard moonsaults him for 2.

Ric missea a top rope 630 then one of Paul's friends gives him brass knucks. Paul nails Ric with them and wins it.

Paul's abilities are just nothing short of amazing. This guy wrestled 7 matches and he's one of the best in wrestling right now. Yes, it was flippy some, but it fits his character and Paul's mannerisms and heeling in between all of it make it work. He had no problems here against Ric and honestly looked like he had been wrestling longer than Ric has been. This dude is such a gem.

Cody Rhodes vs Brock Lesnar

Cody jumps Brock while he's not looking and takes a big release german. Cody brings his neck over the top rope and hits a disaster kick twice. Brock blocks the third one and accidentally spears the post. Cody topes him and Brock drives Cody's back into the post. Brock does a wild throw on him and then belly to belly suplexes him.

Brock suplexes him then does a release german. Brock hits another release german and Cody rolls out. Brock does another one and throws him out. Brock throws him on a vertical suplex. Brock lariats him over the top then F-5's him on the floor.

Cody comes back with punches and is release german suplexed into the ropes. Brock F-5's him onto a table. Cody tries to fight back in the ring and takes a big belly to belly suplex.  Cody pulls off the top turnbuckle pad and is german suplexed. Cody hits him with the ring steps then does a disaster kick. Cody then hits a cody cutter and a double springboard cody cutter.

Brock kimura's him and then Brock's arm goes into the exposed buckle. Cody puts Brock in a kimura then hits three cross rhodes for the win.

Like a lot of Cody stuff, I thought it was kind of self-serving at times. Cody took a ton of abuse here and of course came back and won. I didn't really buy Cody being able to beat Brock after all he took and I didn't think Cody got enough in here to justify Brock losing.  The match also went longer than it needed to for the little Brock likes to do these days. There was still some good stuff here but it could have been better.

They shake hands and hug after and I didn't really buy that either.

25-man Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal

LA Knight won this, which was a good move. The match was your usual battle royale and they really tried to put Omos over hard here for some reason. Everyone ganged up on Omos to eliminate him  but I don't think this did much for anyone. They had a lot of people who deserved better here and may have been better off not even being on the show.

They had a Slim Jim commercial with Bianca and Knight after which explains why Knight won this one.

MMA Rules - Shayna Baszler vs Ronda Rousey

SB = Shayna Baszler

Shayna's wearing the same eye paint Ronda wears. They do a hip throw and fight on the mat. SB leg kicks her then is punched. SB then knocks her out of the ring with a high kick.  SB puts on a leglock and Ronda step-up knees her. Ronda sits on her back and punches her in the kidneys. Ronda's on her shoulders and they rolls out to the floor.

The match stops as SB's arm is checked on. Ronda throws the docs away and SB throws a mouth piece at her. They trade punches and SB germans her. SB puts a choke on her then Ronda rolling armbars her. SB puts another choke on her and wins via choke out.

This wasn't that good. We know what real MMA looks like and this wasn't it. The crowd didn't care at all and it didn't go long enough to really build to anything.

WWE Intercontinental Title Match - Gunther (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

They shoulder each other and Gunther is knocked over. Gunther headlock takeovers him then Drew backdrops him. Gunther has his head banged off the rail and apron then Drew headbutts him. Gunther backdrops him on the steps then stomps him.

Drew hits shots and Gunther drops him with a chop. Gunther double underhook suplexes him and lariats him. Gunther hits short arm clotheslines and then they trade lariats while staying on each other. Gunther lariats him over then germans him. Drew lariats him then Drew belly to belly suplexes him. Drew then hits a neckbreaker.

Drew misses a claymore kick then takes a shotgun dropkick into the buckles. Drew does a big powerbomb and future shock ddt's him for 2. Drew tope con hilos him and lands on his feet outside. Gunther shotgun dropkicks him then hits a powerbomb for 2. Gunther top rope splashes him for 2. Gunther hits stiff crossface shots on him.

They trade chops and Drew hits a claymore kick for 2. They go up top and chop each other, Drew is crotched on top then Gunther top rope splashes him. Gunther powerbombs him and wins it.

The crowd wasn't that into this until later on which hurt some of it. But that's what happens when you load up the beginning of the card with big matches. I felt like it could have used more time and some big spot or two to really put those over better.

WWE World Heavyweight Title Match - Seth Rollins (c) vs. Finn Balor

Seth wore something that looked like a full on dress to the ring in an embarassing moment. Something's wrong with wrestling in 2023. Seth poses and is nailed from behind. Seth rams him into the buckles and they officially start. They hockey fight and Seth back elbows him. Balor hits mounted punches then hammerlocks him. Balor works the arm more and rams his shoulder into the buckle. Seth hits some shots to mount a comeback then Finn russian legsweeps him into an armbar.

Finn pounds on him in the corner and Seth lariats him out of the corner. Seth grabs him by the beard and hits headbutts then Kawada kicks. Seth then lariats him for 2 and falcon arrows him for 2. Seth hits triple topes outside on him. Finn then rams his arm into the post. Finn now has a bloody mouth.

Finn running powerbombs him into the rails then Finn slingblades him. Seth superkicks him and Finn hits an elbow slice. Finn armbars him then Seth buckle bombs him twice. Seth frogsplashes him off the top for 2. Seth hits a spinning forearm and forearms him in the back of the neck. Balor rolls him and double stomps him off of it. Finn shotgun dropkicks him.

Seth superplexes him and holds on but Finn stops him from doing another move. Finn then bicycle kicks him. They trade forearms and Finn shotgun dropkicks him. Seth pedigrees him for 2 then Damian Priest comes down. Finn rolls up Seth and Priest nails Seth. Finn hits a pedigree on Seth for 2. Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio then come down. Priest wants Finn to hit Seth with a briefcase but Finn says no. Seth hits Priest then curb stomps Finn.

Seth goes up top and dives on Priest then he curbstomps Dom on the floor. Finn shotgun dropkicks Seth then hits a top rope double stomp for 2. Priest distracts the ref and Seth curbstomps Finn into the briefcase to win it.

It was very slow paced and all of Finn's armwork ended up going nowhere as the last portion of this was all about various Judgment Day shenanigans.

WWE Women's Title Triple Threat Match - Asuka (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair

BB = Bianca Belair

Asuka rolls BB and Flair throws Asuka onto the apron. BB shoulders over Flair and tries to handspring into Asuka but is blocked. Asuka goes for a hip attack on Flair but is caught and backdropped. Flair flips over BB and hits a stiff knee to the gut.

BB plancha's over the top onto both girls then Asuka sliding kicks BB on her way in. Asuka pops up BB into a knee. Asuka germans Flair. Flair top rope crossbodies both opponents then cuty specials Asuka. Flair does the same to BB. The ref gets behind Flair and like adjusts her bra or something and the camera's cut away. Flair hits a double natural selection for 2.

Asuka codebreakers Flair then Asuka grabs BB by the hair and throws her out. BB does a neckbreaker + ddt combo on both girls at once. BB backbreakers Asuka then spinebusters Flair BB tries to handspring splash into both but the girls get their knees up. Asuka chickenwings Flair then BB handsprings into the ropes and moonsaults on both.

Flair goes up top and moonsaults BB on the outside, mostly missing. Asuka then tries to do a diving ddt off the top on Flair but also mostly misses. Asuka gets facekicked off the apron then BB release germans Flair for 2. BB sitout powerbombs Flair then Asuka chickenwings BB. Flair then tries to pin BB while she's in the hold.

Flair top rope moonsaults both opponents then backdrops BB over the top. BB hits her knee on the steps going down then Asuka superplexes Flair off the top while BB is walked out. Flair and Asuka trade forearms on their knees. Flair spears Asuka for 2. Flair puts Asuka in the figure 8 and BB returns. BB comes off the top and 450's Flair for 2. Flair and BB trade punches then Flair puts her in the figure 8. Asuka mists Flair as she bridges then BB rolls up Asuka while in the hold and wins it.

It went too long, the pace was slower than it should have and the crowd was tired out. Three-ways are also three-ways and they generally have a quality ceiling to them as the match has to be worked certain ways to make it work. They had some creative spots here but they also had the usual botches that they have in the women's matches.

Bayley and Iyo Sky come down. Bayley hits Flair and Asuka with the MITB briefcase then Iyo hits BB with the briefcase. Iyo says she wants to cash in then top rope moonsaults BB. Iyo then wins the title.

Well, at least they gave BB an out with this, but certainly a lame ending for Bianca fans.

WWE Title / WWE Universal Title Tribal Combat Match - Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) (c) vs. Jey Uso

I was warned this was slow and long. We'll see. They push each other early and Jey is shouldered over. Roman back elbows him then hits a big knee to the face. Jay flips out of a move and hits punches. Jey superkicks him in the gut, wind-up punches him and lariats him over the top. Jey then topes him.

Roma is thrown into the steps and Jey brings out a table. Paul Heyman begs Jey for mercy for Roman and Jey's head is banged off the steps. Roman hits headbutts in the ring then has the back of his head thrown into the 2nd buckle. Roman does his drive by dropkick on Jey over the bottom rope. Jey spinning enzugiri's Roman and is hit with a kendo stick when trying to tope him.

Roman hits him with the stick and Jey hits some punches. Jey hits him with a kendo stick in the gut then hits several shots on his back. Jey sends him over the top and tope con hilos him. Jey comes off the top and takes a superman punch for 2. Jey superkicks him and hits a top rope splash for 2. Jey hits chair shots then Roman powerbombs him on chairs for 2. Jey samoan drops him off the apron through chairs.

Jey whips Roman with a strap and they fight in the crowd. Solo Sikoa comes out and nails Jey multiple times. Jey takes a uranage from Solo through a table. Solo uranage's Jey in the ring. Roman accidentally spears Solo then Jey spears Roman. Jey hits both with chairs. Solo superkicks Jey outside.

Solo and Roman talk about something and Jey spears Roman through the barricade. Jey splashes Solo through a table then spears Roman in the ring. Jey top rope splashes Roman then someone in a black hood pulls Jey out of the ring. It turns out to be Jimmy Uso. Jimmy superkicks Jey then Roman spears Jey through a table. Roman then wins it.

It was long, very slow paced and not that good. While people had ideas of what Tribal Combat would be, it just ended up being a normal No DQ match with no special theatrics. They were selling like they had been in a 30 minute match at just the 3 minute mark. The interference was dumb. There were no rules so Solo could have been out there the whole time, yet Roman only brought him out later. It had your usual WWE hardcore spots but no blood.

Overall thoughts: Paul/Ricochet was the best thing on here, but it was the opening match. Cody/Brock had the right idea but Cody took too much abuse and it was just hard to buy him being able to beat Brock in the way it was presented. Nothing else really lived up to the hype and the main was slow, long and disappointing.