‘WWE Summerslam 2023’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of WWE’s 2023 edition of Summerslam, which comes from Detroit and, going into the show, the only thing I knew about proceedings was that WWE bosses had pulled at least one women’s match from the card, leaving Becky Lynch at home making lemonade with her lemons – as she clearly stated on her social media! Not a good look for the WWE if you ask me! Let’s check out the rest of the card…

Match #1: Logan Paul def. Ricochet

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Looking to provoke and antagonize the WWE Universe, Logan Paul took on Ricochet to settle the dispute that started at Royal Rumble. Samantha Irvin, ring announcer and fiancé of Ricochet, was on the receiving end of some rude remarks from Paul, who had mocked the couple en route to SummerSlam. On the outside, Ricochet hit a superb Spanish fly, but his onslaught was soon thwarted with Paul hitting a scintillating lariat from the top rope to the outside. The hits kept coming from Paul, who nearly ended the contest with a quick-thinking tornado DDT after he was caught by Ricochet while attempting a moonsault. After Paul avoided a 630 attempt from The One and Only, one of Paul’s buddies from Impaulsive gave The Media Megastar some brass knuckles. Paul then blasted Ricochet in the face with the weapon to win the contest.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #2: Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Brock Lesnar mauled Cody Rhodes for much of the contest, with The Beast constantly imploring The American Nightmare to “save yourself.” Rhodes refused to quit, however, making it back to the ring before the 10-count after an F-5 on the ringside floor and another one that sent Rhodes crashing through the announce table. Despite Rhodes getting back into the match with a Cody Cutter, Lesnar applied the Kimura Lock. Rhodes escaped and sent Lesnar into the exposed turnbuckle before locking in a Kimura of his own! After Lesnar fought free from the submission hold, Rhodes hit Lesnar with three Cross Rhodes to finally put The Beast down for three. After a lengthy post-match staredown, Lesnar shook Cody’s hand and raised his arm into the air.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: SummerSlam Battle Royal – Winner: LA Knight

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Omos made his jaw-dropping return, tossed out multiple Superstars and dominated the field in the early goings. Finally, eight Superstars joined forces to eliminate The Nigerian Giant. The final four came down toLA Knight, Bronson Reed, Sheamus and AJ Styles. Knight eliminated Reed by positioning himself on the apron and dragging him over the top rope to the floor before Sheamus tossed out Styles with help from Karrion Kross, who The Phenomenal One had already eliminated. Knight stood triumphant and sent the crowd into a frenzy when he landed an incredible top-rope suplex on Sheamus and clotheslined The Celtic Warrior out of the ring.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #4: Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Taking on her former best friend in an MMA Rules Match, Shayna Baszler wanted to prove she was the better competitor against The Baddest Woman on the Planet. Baszler and Rousey brutalized one another with vicious roundhouse kicks and knee strikes. Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch, and despite Rousey’s best efforts, she could not escape the hold, giving The Queen of Spades the technical submission victory.

My Score: 1.5 out of 5

Match #5: Intercontinental Championship – Gunther def. Drew McIntyre

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Intercontinental Champion Gunther, just 32 days away from breaking Honky Tonk Man’s record title reign, had a Scottish Warrior in his way. Drew McIntyre dropped The Ring General with a powerbomb and Future Shock DDT, but Gunther stayed in the fight. Gunther countered a Claymore Kick with a powerful dropkick that left McIntyre numb. After a chop-off, McIntyre hit the Claymore, but The Ring General kicked out just in the nick of time. Despite McIntyre rocking Gunther to his very core, The Ring General responded by knocking McIntyre off the top rope before landing a splash and a Powerbomb to walk out of Detroit with the Intercontinental Title.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #6: World Heavyweight Championship – Seth “Freakin” Rollins def. Finn Bálor

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Donning the same vest he wore seven years ago when he injured Finn Bálor’s shoulder at SummerSlam 2016, Seth “Freakin” Rollins started the contest with mind games. In more shades of SummerSlam 2016, Bálor hit Rollins with the same move that put The Prince on the shelf for nearly a year, a vicious bucklebomb into the ringside barricade. The Visionary and The Prince went move for move before “Señor Money in the Bank” Damian Priest strolled down to ringside. It didn’t take long for the rest of The Judgment Day to arrive. As Priest threw the Money in the Bank briefcase into the ring for Bálor to use, The Prince was too late to get there, allowing Rollins to Stomp Bálor face-first into the briefcase to retain his title.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #7: WWE Women’s Championship – Bianca Belair def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

In a thrilling Triple Threat Match, WWE Women’s Champion Asuka defended her title against Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. The three Superstars kept exchanging finishing maneuvers and pinning attempts, but Belair had an awful tumble when Flair launched her out of the ring, hitting her knee on the ring steps in a brutal way and resulting in medical officials checking on her. Though medical personnel attempted to bring her backstage, Belair valiantly limped back to the ring to hit a 450 Splash from the top rope as Flair had Asuka in the Figure-Eight, but Flair narrowly kicked out. With Belair screaming in pain, Flair locked in the Figure-Eight, but Asuka sprayed mist into The Queen’s eyes. While still trapped in the Figure-Eight, Belair incredibly rolled up Asuka to win the WWE Women’s Title.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #8: WWE Women’s Championship – IYO SKY def. Bianca Belair (MITB cash-in)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After the match, IYO SKY and Bayley blitzed the ring and obliterated everyone in sight to tee up SKY for her cash-in. After SKY incapacitated Belair, the bell sounded for her cash-in, and SKY soared through the Detroit sky with a picture-perfect moonsault on Belair to become the new WWE Women’s Champion. Following her win, SKY celebrated with Bayley and the recently injured Dakota Kai.

My Score: 0 out of 5

Match #9: Tribal Combat – Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

With the Ula Fala on the line, Jey Uso brought the arsenal early, setting up a table in the no disqualification, no count-out Tribal Combat. Showing his dominance, Reigns fired the first shot by hitting Jey over and over with a Kendo stick. With pent-up aggression, Jey laid into The Tribal Chief with vicious steel chair blows, even as Paul Heyman pleaded for him to stop. Reigns took back control after powerbombing Jey onto a litany of steel chairs laid out in the ring. Jey found a moment of reprieve after a desperate Samoan Drop that drove Reigns through the table at ringside. Brandishing a leather strap, Jey brutally punished his cousin, laying into Reigns and searing his flesh with the hard leather. Jey’s retribution would not last, however, as his brother Solo Sikoa appeared to smash Jey through a table with the Spinning Solo. As Reigns and Sikoa were about to hit their Spear/Spike combo, Jey moved out of the way, making Reigns hit Sikoa with the Spear instead. The hurt for Reigns continued as he argued with Sikoa, which allowed Jey to spear The Head of the Table through the ringside barricade. Just as Jey landed a death-defying Uso Splash from the top rope and appeared to be a three-count away from becoming champion, a masked individual pulled Jey out of the ring. After revealing himself to be Jimmy Uso and staring daggers through his brother for several uncomfortable seconds, Jimmy blasted Jey with a vicious superkick. With the betrayal still fresh, Reigns exploded Jey through a table with a Spear to remain Tribal Chief and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

This was an interesting pay-per-view, with a tremendous opening match (made even better when you think about the fact that Logan Paul isn’t REALLY a wrestler) and a rollercoaster of a card overall – Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar was a great follow-up to the first match, with a small – but remarkable – mark of respect from Lesnar that, honestly, added some kudos to the match. The battle royal was [some]thing – well, it was a typical battle royal; whilst the Rousey/Bazsler match was hampered by the obviously uninterested crowd in attendance. Thankfully the Gunther/McIntyre match stepped things up tremendously and the Heavyweight title match kept up the momentum, with some brilliant callbacks to Rollins and Balor’s history together. The women’s match was good but, let’s be honest, Charlotte Flair brought the match down a notch. Interesting choice to have Sky cash in after the match but… at the same time cashing in on an “injured” Belair allowed both women to come out of the match strong. As for the main event. Well, Can I just say that the end of the match might have been the start of the end for the Bloodline storyline. Not in terms of storytelling but in terms of this long-running story actually being any good any more! I saw people on social media claim this was the Bloodline’s “jump the shark” moment and I can’t disagree!