Tag: WWE SummerSlam

WWE SummerSlam 2024 is headed to Cleveland

Cleveland Browns Stadium, long thought to be the choice for WWE SummerSlam 2024, will indeed host the event in August.

Logan Paul, as well as The Miz and Johnny Gargano, to name a few others, will be home for SummerSlam this year.

As Paul revealed Tuesday during his “Impaulsive” podcast, WWE SummerSlam 2024 will take place in his hometown of Cleveland on Saturday, Aug. 3. The venue will be Cleveland Browns Stadium, home of the NFL’s Browns.

This will be the first time for Cleveland to host WWE’s annual summer showcase since 1996, when it was held at what was then the Gund Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers. Since 2021, every edition of SummerSlam has taken place in a football stadium.

Cleveland was rumored to be the host location for the 2024 show since last fall. Those reports received a boost last month, when local media reported on a seven-figure tax credit given by Ohio to WWE for producing programming in the state. The guess that it was for SummerSlam turned out to be correct.

SummerSlam now becomes the only WWE premium live event to be confirmed for the U.S. after WrestleMania in April. The other PLEs that have been officially announced are Backlash in France on May 4, Money in the Bank in Toronto on July 6, and Bash in Berlin on Aug. 31.

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WWE SummerSlam Cleveland rumors get boost thanks to Ohio tax credit

Ohio giving more than $1 million in tax credits to WWE suggests a big show is headed there this year, and perhaps this summer.

We’ve already passed the point in the year where WWE announced in 2023 that Ford Field in Detroit would host the most recent edition of SummerSlam, but that doesn’t mean the host venue hasn’t already been decided — and it looks like it might be one that has been rumored for months.

A report this week in Cleveland Scene details some of the film and TV productions that are receiving tax credits from the Ohio government for projects expected to film in the state this year. Among them is a $1,675,986 credit for WWE, suggesting the company is bringing something big to the state in 2024.

The Scene suggests that something is SummerSlam, WWE’s annual summer extravaganza that has long been considered its second-biggest event of any calendar year (though Royal Rumble might have something to say about that recently). That tracks with a report from Fightful Select (subscription required) last October that Cleveland was “considered a front runner and likely location.”

Neither the Scene nor Fightful was sure if Cleveland Browns Stadium (home of the NFL’s Browns, perhaps obviously) or Progressive Field (where the MLB’s Guardians play baseball) would be the venue if SummerSlam is heading to Cleveland. However, every post-pandemic edition of the event has been held in a football stadium — in Las Vegas, Nashville and Detroit — which means Cleveland Browns Stadium might be the better bet.

Regardless of where SummerSlam 2024 ends up, the announcement could literally come every day, as Ford Field was revealed as the location of last year’s show on Feb. 7, 2023.

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Report: WWE eyeing Cleveland as potential SummerSlam 2024 location

Nothing says WWE’s Biggest Part of the Summer like … Cleveland?

Location news and rumors have been fast and furious this week surrounding WWE’s premium live events in 2024. Between Bash in Berlin and a potential show in Paris, France, WWE may have a heavy European flavor next year. But for another marquee show, arguably the company’s second-biggest premium live event, there’s a surprise twist brewing.

According to Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended), Cleveland, Ohio is being considered as a potential host for WWE Summerslam 2024. One WWE source told Fightful Select that the event is likely to be held in the city.

It is unclear at this time which location, either Cleveland Browns Stadium or Progressive Field (home of the MLB Guardians), WWE has in mind for the event.

WWE just went to this area of the United States this past August for SummerSlam, making it an interesting choice if it happens. It usually doesn’t repeat the same region in consecutive years for major events.

WWE likely wouldn’t consider using Cleveland as a city for WrestleMania, unless they built a new, state-of-the-art arena as others have, but this presents an opportunity for a smaller market city to host one of the most significant events on the WWE schedule. A similar situation occurred with Detroit earlier this year, and soon, with Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida for the Royal Rumble in January.

It’s also no longer stunning for WWE to host premium live events in areas that don’t usually receive them. With the planned international shows, the aforementioned SummerSlam 2023 and Royal Rumble 2024, it’s catering to different audiences. Places like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles already receive their fair share of premium live events, so this spreads the wealth while WWE shows are red hot.

WWE has not made an official announcement about Cleveland hosting SummerSlam, so it will be interesting to see if other locations enter the fray. While surprises are possible, for now, it appears that the Great Lakes region will be the destination for WWE’s biggest summer event.

Roman Reigns update: SummerSlam injury, creative status

Expect to see Roman Reigns this week on WWE SmackDown, but perhaps not for a bit after that.

Sometimes, being the Tribal Chief comes with a physical toll.

Roman Reigns emerged from Tribal Combat at SummerSlam this past weekend in Detroit with his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and role within the Bloodline still in his possession. But there was suspicion that he didn’t make it out completely unscathed; not only was he announced for the post-event press conference and then replaced at the last minute by Paul Heyman, but Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported that he got hurt early in the emotional match against Jey Uso.

Now Fightful Select (subscription required) has more information on what it means for Reigns going forward. While confirming the Observer’s report that he was, indeed, injured early in the SummerSlam bout, the outlet says he is still supposed to appear this week on SmackDown in Calgary.

That tracks with how WWE was promoting that show this week on Raw. After Jimmy Uso made his dramatic turn on Jey during Tribal Combat, he’s supposed to be on hand on SmackDown to reaffirm his commitment to acknowledging Reigns as Tribal Chief. That’s most effectively done with Reigns there in person.

After that, it’s unclear when me may see Reigns next. The next WWE premium live event is Payback in early September, and the company has shown a willingness to put on shows of that level without its top star. The issue between the Uso twins can carry on the Bloodline story for now with little risk of a loss of momentum.

What’s interesting to note is that was probably the plan anyway, one that, for now, hasn’t been affected by whatever injury Reigns picked up in Detroit. Fightful ends its piece by saying “as of Tuesday afternoon, it hadn’t changed creative” for Reigns, while cautioning that could always change.

While there’s definite sentiment among WWE fans at times that Reigns’ part-time schedule is a negative, the upside is that if he gets banged up a bit, plans can continue without too much disruption. Unless it turns out that his injury is more severe, it’s possible that what WWE has planned for this fall simply rolls on.

Brock Lesnar’s handshake at WWE SummerSlam even surprised Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes also said Brock Lesnar was gone by the time he went to look for him backstage at WWE SummerSlam.

Everyone, including the man Brock Lesnar faced at WWE SummerSlam, was surprised by the post-match handshake.

The Beast Incarnate shocked the Ford Field crowd on Saturday when, after his loss to Cody Rhodes, he put out his hand to shake his opponent’s and even raised it. This unplanned way to close a multi-month feud likely sent both men off in different directions, but most of all, it’s a gesture Lesnar does not just do for everyone he faces in a WWE ring.

Well, that act even surprised Rhodes himself. He expected, if anything, for Lesnar to continue the fight, as he told Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

“As I saw him taking his gloves off, I sincerely thought he was going to start swinging. Then we went head-to-head, and it felt like we were a millisecond away from starting up again. So I didn’t anticipate that handshake coming. When I saw his hand, I was grateful. That’s not something he does. Again, this run has consistently surprised me. The torch isn’t passed. You have to take it.”

When Rhodes returned backstage, everyone gave him a standing ovation, but to no surprise, Lesnar already left by then.

“I came to the back, there was a nice ovation in the Gorilla Position, but Brock was nowhere to be found. I didn’t see him the rest of the night. The way I see it, we didn’t need to speak. Brock left it all in the ring.”

This post-match moment was a nice conclusion to a feud that had an ambiguous beginning in April, when Lesnar attacked Rhodes as they were set to work together in a tag team match on Raw. Two wins for the American Nightmare and one for the man formerly dubbed the “Next Big Thing” later, and the story ended. We’ll have to wait and see how both of them fare in the rest of 2023 on WWE programming.

Cody Rhodes: ‘incredibly grateful’ for SummerSlam post-match sign of respect from Brock Lesnar

After SummerSlam, Cody Rhodes also called Brock Lesnar a “unicorn” who may only be truly appreciated once he’s done wrestling.

DETROIT — Despite the meticulous planning that goes into so many aspects of a show like WWE SummerSlam, some of the most enduring moments still manage to be the ones that aren’t scripted. Case in point: What happened after Cody Rhodes defeated Brock Lesnar in the rubber match of their 2023 series.

Rhodes offered a handshake, to which Lesnar initially acted as expected, refusing it and coming forehead to forehead with the American Nightmare. But then Brock not only shook Cody’s hand, but hugged him and raised his arm in victory.

That off the cuff sign of respect was seen by many as Lesnar giving his stamp of approval to Rhodes as he resumes his quest for a world championship, something expected to be the direction that WWE takes with him going forward.

In the meantime, Rhodes thinks it will take time for it all to sink in.

“I don’t think it’s dawned on me what a moment like that really means,” Rhodes said at the post-SummerSlam press conference. “This run, since I came back to WWE, has been consistently surprising to me in every way. And I think that’s why I’m so touched by it all. It’s real, it’s as real as it can get in this world. That’ll be something that I look at and have a very deep, deep appreciation.”

Musing that perhaps Lesnar was to him what Harley Race was to his legendary father, Rhodes also noted that one more thing that may only be truly appreciated in retrospect was how unique Lesnar is within the pro wrestling industry.

“When he’s gone, and I don’t know when that’s gonna be, who knows, because he can go … when he’s gone, I think the world will realize what we’ve got is a freaking unicorn, you know? Just a very unique, once-in-a-lifetime individual.”

Without saying it in so may words, Rhodes appeared to agree that this chapter with Lesnar is indeed closed. But while he doesn’t want to go through the physical agony of reliving it, he’s very glad to have taken the journey together with a special athlete that ended the way it did in Detroit.

“Somehow, some way, I feel like there was maybe just this bond by battle there in that final moment, and I’m very grateful for what’s happened. I don’t want to wrestle Brock Lesnar again, but I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to do it and to compete at his level.”

WWE continues hot streak with record-breaking SummerSlam

SummerSlam in Detroit set new high marks for gate, viewership, sponsorship and merchandise sales.

The consensus on WWE SummerSlam seems to be that is was a good but not all-time great premium live event (PLE). From the company’s perspective, however, it was definitely one of the best shows of all time.

As Paul “Triple H” Levesque predicted during the post-SummerSlam press conference (very) early Sunday morning, WWE announced today that the event on Saturday night at Ford Field in Detroit set a number of new records for any SummerSlam, including new high marks for gate, viewership, sponsorship and merchandise.

The gate of $8.5 million was the highest ever for any non-WrestleMania WWE show. Likewise for merchandise sales (no surprise given the lengthy lines in Detroit), which were up 60% from the previous record set two years ago. And the sponsorship haul of $7 million was obvious within the show itself, particularly from C4 energy drink and Slim Jim, which sponsored the 25-man battle royal won by LA Knight.

As far as fans watching at home on Peacock, it was the largest audience to ever watch a SummerSlam and one of the top three audiences for any WWE event since it started its streaming partnership with Peacock. The company didn’t specify what the other two were, but logic suggests they were two of the more recent editions of WrestleMania.

WWE seemingly has a new announcement of this type on a monthly basis now, though its hot streak has been aided by heading to markets that were somewhat starved for big shows — like Money in the Bank in London in June, which was WWE’s highest-grossing arena event ever. Perhaps a truer test will come next month when Payback is held in Pittsburgh, a lower profile PLE in a smaller U.S. market.

Still, the impressive numbers do paint a picture that fans are eating up what WWE is serving at the moment, and SummerSlam is a sign that the momentum doesn’t look to be slowing as we head into the fall.

WWE SummerSlam 2023: Top takeaways from all the happenings in Detroit

SummerSlam was a good show that elevated several wrestlers, but did it live up to sky high expectations overall?

Fans having high expectations for an event is usually a good thing, as that means people are engaged with the product.

But in the case of SummerSlam, it turned out to be kind of a detriment for WWE.

On the surface, SummerSlam wasn’t a bad show. In fact, I think it was a pretty good one. A couple of years ago, that would have been good enough by WWE standards.

But the bar has been raised throughout 2023, making SummerSlam, at least for me, only a decent show that had potential to be a lot more.

As usual, I have takeaways from the night in Detroit.

Jimmy Uso betrays his own brother

I had a feeling that this could happen. I had a feeling it could go down like this. I didn’t really want to entertain the idea that Jimmy Uso could turn on Jey Uso. But when someone as integral to a story as Jimmy Uso goes missing, wrestling fans can assume that they will resurface during the ensuing major encounter. 

That is exactly what happened Saturday night, as Jimmy Uso thwarted his brother’s chances of defeating Roman Reigns by pulling him out of the ring during a pin attempt. After a shocking reveal, Jimmy Uso delivered a gut-wrenching superkick to his twin brother.

While it may be hard to believe for some that not one but two of Jey Uso’s blood brothers have turned on him in favor of their narcissistic yet insecure cousin, it didn’t make it any less heartbreaking to see the Usos essentially break up after years of being one of the best tag teams in the world.

It is professional wrestling, though, which means they will surely reunite one day. But for now, it is just kind of sad.

So where do we go from here?

I can only assume this means we will see the Usos face each other in a one-on-one match at some point. Will WWE save that for next year’s WrestleMania? Time will tell, but it seems like the logical direction either way.

Where does Reigns go from here? In the immediate future, I honestly have no idea. Outside of Cody Rhodes, who we’ll discuss more in a little bit, I don’t see a long line of credible challengers for Reigns. 

Does that mean Reigns is in line for an extended break? Reigns has had a busy summer, so much so that you almost forget that he has essentially risen to the level of a part-time wrestler, and we may not see him for a while after this.

IYO SKY cashes in and cashes out

As I predicted earlier in the week, IYO SKY cashed in her Money in the Bank contract and won the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam.

I must admit, though, that my prediction had SKY cashing in on Charlotte moments into her 15th title reign. Instead, it was Bianca Belair who pulled off a triumphant victory, only for SKY to come down and rain on her parade.

Unlike Reigns, there are a slew of credible challengers for SKY to go up against. First on the list is Belair, who will probably enact an automatic rematch clause to set up their next encounter.

However, I feel like this will eventually lead to jealousy amongst Damage CTRL and eventually end with the group dissolving right before our very eyes.

Brock Lesnar endorses Cody Rhodes

Brock Lesnar has been involved with professional wrestling for more than 20 years, and I don’t think I have ever seen him put someone over the way he did for Rhodes Saturday night.

Not only did Rhodes defeat Lesnar clean as a sheet in the middle of the ring, Lesnar shook Rhodes’ hand, gave him a hug, and raised his arm after the match, essentially endorsing Rhodes as “that guy.”

Receiving such an endorsement from Lesnar of all people should mean a lot. And if WWE follows through on that, it should mean Rhodes is the person to dethrone Reigns. Right? Why else would you have Lesnar single him out like that? 

If that is the case, when does this happen? Is WWE pushing this all the way until WrestleMania? I guess it could happen, especially if Reigns takes an extended break. 

But what do you do with Rhodes in the meantime? He’s already slayed the biggest threat in the promotion outside of Reigns. Who else would pose a credible threat at this point?

Could we see that match before the end of 2023? I’m of the opinion that WWE should save a second match between Reigns and Rhodes for WrestleMania, but I also understand how that is easier said than done.

LA Knight has finally his moment

It may have occurred in a sponsored battle royal with virtually nothing at stake, but LA Knight finally had his moment to shine, winning said battle royal and getting a lot of love from the fans in Detroit in the process.

At this point, WWE needs to stop messing around and get fully on board with Knight being a potential top guy. It’s not often that WWE has someone on the roster as over as Knight currently is. And the times it has happened, the company has often been late to the party and failed to capitalize on the momentum.

Hopefully, that is not the case with Knight, who has earned at least a chance to show that he can run with the ball. He has to prove that he actually can in the long run, but he has definitely earned the opportunity.

A worked MMA match?

If there is one lesson I have taken away from my multiple decades of watching professional wrestling, it’s that simulating anything other than pro wrestling is usually a mistake.

Roddy Piper and Mr. T tried to put on a worked boxing match at WrestleMania 2, and it ended up being one of the worst matches in the event’s illustrious history.

Almost 20 years later, WWE put Big Show into a worked sumo match with sumo legend Akebono. That turned out to be an abomination as well.

With the rise of mixed martial arts, I should have known that it was only a matter of time until WWE tried to simulate an MMA fight. And no, not in the way of NXT’s Fight Pit or Raw/NXT Underground, or even Ken Shamrock’s Lion’s Den matches, which still largely resembled professional wrestling contests.

This was Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler doing their best to make it seem like they were back in UFC, which unsurprisingly, did not turn out well.

If this is indeed the end of Rousey’s run with WWE, what an anticlimactic way to go out. Her run started out with so much promise. WWE immediately slotted her into big matches and into the main event of the biggest show of the year. The company basically promoted the one and only all-women’s pay-per-view around the fact that she was going to be on it.

But there she was Saturday night, being choked out by Baszler in the middle of Ford Field. 

In theory, this should be a springboard for Baszler to ascend to bigger and better things as a single. In reality, however, I’m not sure it will be. That is how far Rousey’s stock has fallen as of late.

Who’s to blame for that? Oh, there is plenty to go around. Regardless of who you place the blame upon, Rousey’s run in WWE was not the cash register the company was hoping it would be. It also didn’t make any real progress in putting women’s wrestling on equal footing with the men. 

To be fair, the latter is not Rousey’s fault, but it is just another aspect of a run that did not reach its full potential.

SummerSlam results: Brotherly betrayal — Jimmy Uso foils Jey Uso’s attempt to win Tribal Combat

Did Roman Reigns hold onto his championship and his role as Tribal Chief at WWE SummerSlam 2023?

The fans in Ford Field are on their feet for Jey Uso, who is bouncing around as he faces his potential date with destiny. In contrast, Roman Reigns is much, much more deliberate making his walk, as he always is. Jey is dressed in white and Roman in black, so it’s clear where the lines of good and evil are drawn. Paul Heyman accompanies Reigns, but Solo Sikoa is not with him.

Reigns gets a chance to speak before the ring intros, demanding that SummerSlam acknowledge him. The ring announcer reminds us this is Tribal Combat for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The fans immediately launch into a loud “Uso” chant before the bell rings.

Reigns talks to Uso before removing his ceremonial necklace and handing it to Heyman, and we are underway. Neither man is quick to make the first move, building up even more tension.

Reigns powers Uso back into a corner, then cracks a smile as Jey fights out. Some dueling chants are going for Roman, but the “Roman sucks” chant is louder.

A shoulder tackle sends Jey to the mat, and he takes his time before rushing back in. Uso grabs a side headlock but is sent right back to the canvas. Roman steps on Jey’s neck and flashes a sarcastic “We the Ones” pointer finger to the crowd.

Jey finally gets in some offense with a barrage of right hands. A kick to the chest and his theatrical uppercut send Reigns to the floor, where Uso finds him with a dive. Roman is sent careening into the steel steps, giving Jey time to plan his next move. The fans call for tables, emphatically, and Uso obliges by pulling one out from beneath the ring.

Heyman seems to be begging Jey not to use it, and Roman recovers and slams his cousin’s head off the steel steps. Back in the ring, Jey is introduced forcefully to the turnbuckles, and he is thrown back into them as he tries to leap out of danger.

Reigns shakes his head at the loud “Uso” chants that once again ring out. He heads around the side for his drive-by kick, then covers for two. Roman looks very much in control and the fans express their collective displeasure.

His delaying costs him, as Uso battles back with an enzuigiri. Uso tries another suicide dive but is met by a kendo stick, and more shots follow back between the ropes.

Roman talks to his cousin before lifting him back to his feet, but Jey strikes before the kendo stick can find him again. They battle in the corner, where Reigns simply overpowers Uso until Jey can roll free.

That gives Reigns time to look like he is communing with the elders, but he’s met with a flurry of kendo stick shots from Jey. With Roman knocked to the floor, Uso connects with a tope con hilo, a different look from him.

Jey rolls Roman back into the ring, but it’s the challenger who has to kick out as Reigns hammers him first. Reigns looks like he has designs on a spear, but Jey evades it and uses a schoolboy for a near fall. Another two count follows as the fans feel an upset potentially in the making.

Jey is close to the table on the floor but grabs a steel chair instead. Heyman again looks like he is bargaining with Jey, who smacks Roman in the back multiple times. The crowd asks for more, so Jey chucks a bunch of chairs into the ring.

Will it be a superplex into the pile of steel? Reigns tries to fight his way free only to be caught with an enzuigiri, but he wills his way forward and powerbombs Jey onto the chairs for a near fall.

It’s now Roman’s turn to dig under the ring, pulling out a second table and sliding it into the ring. It’s set up in one corner, but Jey is now teetering on the apron over the first table. He tries to springboard in but is caught with a big right hand.

Reigns points to the sky but Jey is ready for him. He hoists Roman up and falls back with a Samoan drop, crashing through the table on the floor. Both men are unsurprisingly slow to get moving after that fall.

While Reigns crawls away, Jey gets out a leather strap and snaps it twice across the champ, and the battle goes into the crowd. That’s where Sikoa finally emerges, beating an already weakened Jey and sending him through … something well out into the crowd.

Solo drags his brother by one arm as they gradually head back toward the ring. Sikoa rolls Jey into the ring as Roman orders a Spike from him. How about Spinning Solo instead?

They line Jey up for the combo Spike and Spear, but Jey moves and the Spear hits Sikoa. Jey tries to take advantage of the error but only gets a two count.

The fans believed that was it, but they also enjoy Reigns getting nailed with more chair shots. Jey drives the top of the chair repeatedly into his midsection as the crowd roars.

Jey stalks Roman again on the outside, but Solo is waiting with a superkick. Sikoa looks furious at Reigns, but their argument allows Jey to recover and spear Roman through the barricade.

Solo still wants to punish Jey, but his brother escapes and splashes him through the announce table. Back in the ring, Jey spears Roman and heads up top. He hits the splash but is pulled out of the cover by a masked and hooded figure … who reveals himself as Jimmy Uso.

Jey wears a look of anguished disbelief as his twin stands glaring at him and the fans toss an obscene chant in Jimmy’s direction. Jimmy throws Jey back in the ring, where Roman spears him through the corner table. Reigns covers for three and that’s that.

 

SummerSlam results: Bianca Belair prevails but IYO SKY cashes in

IYO SKY didn’t miss her shot as the WWE Women’s Championship changed hands twice at WWE SummerSlam 2023.

Charlotte Flair makes her ring walk first, which isn’t that familiar a spot for her. As the champ, Asuka entering second out of three is also a bit strange. But it works because Bianca Belair sounds like the crowd favorite, and she gets to enter last.

Flair and Belair end up paired off first, with Charlotte getting the upper hand in their exchange. But Asuka is lurking to smash the Queen into the apron, and Bianca is all too happy to capitalize by flying to the floor. The champ makes the first cover of the match but gets only two.

Now it’s time for Belair and Asuka to battle until Flair returns and is dumped on her head by the champ. Asuka looks confident, dishing out kicks to both challengers. Flair rolls her up for two, though, until she gets suplexed again.

Belair’s suplex is countered by the Empress with an inside cradle for two. Flair picks the bones of both of them and gets a reaction from the crowd as she chops her way into a fallaway slam on Belair.

With Bianca and Asuka stacked in the corner, Flair tries to smash them both, and actually tries a double cover that earns a near fall. She taunts both her downed opponents before delivering a big boot to Bianca, but Asuka ambushes Charlotte for a near fall.

That leaves all three women down on the mat together. Belair fights out of having her hair pulled, then delivers a double neckbreaker that the crowd enjoys.

In the corner, Belair outsmarts Flair and Asuka but moonsaults into Flair’s knees. Asuka tries to choke out Charlotte next, but Belair this time hits her handspring moonsault to break the hold.

Bianca thinks about something high risk but is knocked to the floor, followed by the champ. Flair heads to the ropes and moonsaults down onto Belair, but Asuka throws her back in the ring and comes off the top, forcing Bianca to crawl in for the save.

Belair has Asuka up but sees the Empress escape to the apron, where she is sent flying by Flair’s big boot. Charlotte escapes the KOD but gets suplexed instead, and Asuka almost steals the win as a result.

Asuka goes for a leg triangle on Flair, who powers to her feet. Bianca powerbombs Flair, who quickly recovers and nearly gets a pinfall.

Pulling both her foes into position, Flair lands a moonsault, covering them both but once again getting only two. She tosses Belair to the outside, where she sells a hard landing and clutches her left knee — and refs and doctors run down to check on her.

That leaves Asuka and Flair to battle to the top rope, where Asuka pulls off a big superplex. Fans clap as Belair is helped back up toward the walkway.

Flair scores another near fall and looks like she is talking to herself. She goes for a Figure Four, but Belair breaks free and returns to the fray, heading up top. Bianca hits a somersault splash to break up the Figure Eight, and she covers Flair but only gets two.

Belair and Flair are down and Asuka is on the outside. Charlotte tells Bianca to bring it and gets what she requests. Bianca can’t pull off the KOD, and after Asuka is sent outside again, Flair applies the Figure Eight. But Asuka returns and mists Flair in the face, and while Asuka is trying to submit her, Bianca pins Flair to win the title.

Right after the bell, though, IYO SKY sprints to the ring, hammering Belair with the briefcase and cashing in her MITB contract. She connects on the Over the Moonsault and wins the title.

Check out full WWE SummerSlam 2023 results here.