The full impact of the regime change at the top of WWE probably won’t be felt until its next premium live event, Clash at the Castle, or possibly even beyond that. But in terms of making fans hopeful for the future, SummerSlam did a pretty nice job.
Yes, the card was reliant on matchups we’ve seen before, including a rematch between Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch, and the umpteenth meeting between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Yet even those matches included new wrinkles or hinted at fresh programs in the near future.
One thing that’s almost always true for any big WWE event is that the talent involved worked like crazy to entertain the large (but not sold out) crowd on hand at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. That included Logan Paul, the divisive social media personality who showed he absolutely has what it takes to be an in-ring star going forward.
All told, the 2022 edition of SummerSlam isn’t likely to be remembered as the best of all time, but it should be looked back on fondly as a positive first step for a company adjusting to life without Vince McMahon. That’s a big accomplishment in and of itself.
Let’s take a spin back through every match in chronological order.
Bianca Belair def. Becky Lynch by pinfall to retain the Raw Women’s Championship
What worked: It would have been a huge surprise if WWE didn’t let Belair get some payback for losing to Lynch in less than 30 seconds a year prior, and it did exactly that. Bianca was able to show off her ridiculous strength en route to the finish, which felt right.
Though Lynch’s character becoming increasingly erratic as she sought a way to author a comeback story was entertaining, she teased a face turn after the bout by shaking Belair’s hand and hugging her. That said, what really got people buzzing was why she needed to return and stand beside Belair: the returns of Bayley, Dakota Kai and Io Shirai, the latter two of whom were gone from WWE entirely but now are back in the fold with Paul “Triple H” Levesque in charge of creative.
What didn’t work: If we’re being honest, this wasn’t the best in-ring performance for either Belair or Lynch, with a few spots where they weren’t as smooth as they often are. But they’re both so good that it was still fine, and the narrative impact of the match more than made up for any stumbles.
What’s next for Bianca Belair: New challengers, hopefully. One of the issues with the WWE women’s division was too many familiar pairings and too shallow a pool of contenders overall, but the returning trio menacing Bianca after the match suggests that won’t be the case over the coming months. Belair will have to watch her back.
What’s next for Becky Lynch: Certainly, Lynch should be shattered after failing in her quest to reclaim what she feels is “her” title. Turning her face again is a way to keep her over without the championship, however, and should be effective. Or WWE could play the long game with Lynch and have her look like she’s supporting Belair while secretly plotting to stab her in the back months from now. Either way, it’s hard to see her experiencing much falloff even after this loss.
Logan Paul def. The Miz by pinfall
What worked: It’s hard to say a star was born, since Paul is unquestionably already a star in his own sphere, but it was impossible to watch the match and not come away impressed with his tools. He’s already looking like a wise investment by WWE.
What didn’t work: Maryse didn’t add much by being involved in the match, except, one supposes, because she was included in the build-up.
What’s next for Logan Paul: It’s possible he’s not done with The Miz, seeing as they are essentially tied 1-1 in terms of getting over on each other, if not in actual match results. It will be interesting to see if he stays in the mix for Clash at the Castle or is off doing other things for a few months.
What’s next for The Miz: He’s become a dependable hand for putting others over at this point in his career, but he also figures to be rewarded for that with another championship run at some point. If the plan is something other than continuing a program with Paul, WWE has plenty of options since he’s so versatile.
Bobby Lashley def. Theory by submission to retain the United States Championship
What worked: Lashley is as over as he’s ever been as a face, so keeping the title on him was the right call. As well, the loss for Theory actually made it feel more likely he would successfully cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase later in the night, which added some additional tension to an already eventful final match.
What didn’t work: It was a little strange not to have Dolph Ziggler involved at all considering the way he showed up out of nowhere a few weeks ago to torment Theory and has been a thorn in Theory’s side ever since.
What’s next for Bobby Lashley: He should move on to a new challenger, perhaps as soon as the Aug. 1 episode of Raw. There doesn’t seem to be much left for him to settle with Theory.
What’s next for Theory: He’ll need to regroup after coming out of SummerSlam with zero championships, but his character is cocky enough to make that seem feasible: just pile on the excuses. Maybe he blames everything on Dolph and they end up feuding, which would be logical.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio def. The Judgment Day by pinfall
What worked: This was a pretty by the books match until Edge made his fiery return. That needed to happen; after unceremoniously getting dumped by the faction he founded, anything but Edge looking for revenge on The Judgment Day in a big spot would have been silly. The Mysterios getting the win was a feel-good moment as well.
What didn’t work: Considering the No Disqualification stipulation, Rhea Ripley should have been physically involved from the start. Why wait when you aren’t going to be punished for lending a hand?
Also, poor Finn Balor continues to be booked in the saddest possible ways.
What’s next for The Mysterios: Honestly, it’s hard to say. It’s pretty clear WWE didn’t want to turn them on each other, which is fine. They’ve settled into a nice groove helping propel other superstars’ storylines.
What’s next for The Judgment Day: Balor, Ripley and Damian Priest figure to have their hands full with a vengeful Edge. But the group still feels like it’s been floundering since he was booted, so WWE will need to find a way to make fans care about them — and the sooner, the better.
Pat McAfee def. Happy Corbin by pinfall
What worked: Usually, it’s not ideal to let a part-timer get over on a regular talent because there’s no dramatic tension in seeing if the latter will be able to get even. McAfee is an exception since he’s around full-time as a commentator, so this was fine. His entrance was also exceptionally entertaining.
What didn’t work: No one can ever knock McAfee for not putting everything he has into anything he does, but the bar has been raised for non-regular wrestlers in WWE thanks to Paul and Bad Bunny. McAfee was just a bit off on some of his spots, including the finish.
What’s next for Pat McAfee: Back to the announce table, presumably. He doesn’t have to be in the mix as a wrestler for a while, and it would be surprising to see him in the ring at Clash at the Castle.
What’s next for Happy Corbin: Logically, he could and should be looking for revenge against McAfee since this was their first encounter in the ring. If that’s not in the plans, he needs something to go his way, since he’s now been on the losing end in his programs with Madcap Moss and McAfee.
The Usos def. Street Profits by pinfall to retain the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
What worked: It’s easy to take for granted how good both these teams are, so when some observers pointed out this wasn’t quite at the same level as their previous title match, that’s not a diss. It was still an excellent, high level tag team match. And having the Usos retain keeps the Bloodline in a dominant position overall instead of leaning on Reigns alone.
What didn’t work: The only real downside to this match was that it seems to have written the Street Profits into a corner. They’ve been circling the titles since RK-Bro was still in the picture, and now they’ve had two shots and come up short both times. A breakup seems inevitable, and the tag team division isn’t all that deep.
What’s next for The Usos: The real question is who’s next. The Usos have the feel of a UFC champion who has cleaned out their division. They’re closer to “smashing everyone” than Reigns is.
What’s next for Street Profits: Assuming they don’t get a third shot, the “partners turn on each other” angle could start ASAP. Montez Ford is widely thought of to be a singles star waiting to happen, and Angelo Dawkins has made a lot of strides in the ring as well. It’ll be a bummer that one of them has to be a heel, but they should have the potential for excellent matches against each other.
Liv Morgan def. Ronda Rousey by pinfall to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
What worked: Not much, frankly. The match was laid out so that Rousey dominated, then got caught and pinned. Except there was obvious controversy because replays showed Morgan tapped out first. So … yeah. At least the finish provided a clear motivation for Rousey to turn heel, which is something she desperately needs to do.
What didn’t work: WWE had a tightrope to walk making Rousey look strong even in defeat while legitimizing Morgan as a champion at the same time. This wasn’t the way to navigate it.
What’s next for Liv Morgan: She can’t possibly be done with Rousey the way this match ended. Liv needs a clean win in a title defense quickly or it’s going to seem like the only reason she’s champ is because she cashed in when Ronda was injured.
What’s next for Ronda Rousey: Decimating everyone in her path as a vindictive heel, hopefully. Also, getting new entrance music, because people will pop for “Bad Reputation” automatically.
Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
What worked: Considering how often Reigns and Lesnar have met before, this needed to be a spectacle, and it was. From Lesnar entering in a tractor to the ring being completely tipped over, it had Attitude Era vibes in the best possible way. Even though the finish was predictable, nothing was on the way there.
What didn’t work: The same gripe about Ripley applies here too: Why didn’t The Usos simply help attack Brock from the start? That strained even pro wrestling logic.
What’s next for Roman Reigns: Thanks to his victory on SmackDown, we already know: Drew McIntyre will be waiting for the undisputed champ at Clash at the Castle. And given that the show is in the U.K., he’s a real threat to end Reigns’ iron grip on the two biggest men’s titles.
What’s next for Brock Lesnar: It’s probably back to his land for Brock … until WWE is put in a tough situation again due to injuries and needs to call him to fill a main event vacancy.
