Announcers: Michael Cole (1)
Wade Barrett (3)
Corey Graves (3)
Dark: Axiom d. Tyler Bate
Walter d. JD McDonagh
Open on Tennessee wrestling, lot of Memphis, some NWA, followed by clips of the key wrestlers coming up tonight.
The show proper opens as all WWF PPVs open, right at the culmination of another Walter win where Paul Heyman runs through "you won't see the most dominant wrestler alive on RAW, on Fight Night... and certainly not on Wednesdays - the only place to see Walter is Dark Ride Wrestling."
And then it cuts to the announcers. This is the first ever WWF PPV in Tennessee and the crowd presumably is sufficiently amped.
1. NUMBER ONE CONTENDER: STREET PROFITS d. MIZ/THEORY
-The Profits won the right to fight for the Tag Ttitles at Mania -- but it's a long summer, and so the Miz, now firmly a Miz-like heel, grabs cocky young Theory from Developmental, takes him under his wing to teach him the ways of the Miz- and weasels the duo into a match at Summer Slam against the Profits - winners to advance later in the night to take on the Usos. Profits win, Miz and Theory bicker post match.
2. BIANCA BELAIR d. LIV MORGAN
-Belair ran Banks out of WWF and she continues here with a dominant win over Morgan.
3. DAMIAN PRIEST (w/Solo) d. DOM MYSTERIO
-Priest turned on Orton, punting him out of Defiance with aid of Solo Sikoa, whose irrtation with being asked to choose between Roman and his brothers, the Usos, manifests in his joining with Priest to form the new Defiance. Mysterio is cannon fodder, his dad has been telling him he's not ready for this yet - and Dom's done enough so some might think Rey is being overly protective - but here, Dom maybe tries to escape the ring once when Priest's offense is too strong - maybe plays to the crowd during what might be a chance for him to get back in the match - there's some good offense, but Dom is clearly green and goes down.
4. LOGAN PAUL d. PAT McAFEE (Drew Gulak-Special Guest Referee)
-Gulak cuts his first ever PPV promo pre-match, saying it is ridiculous that two non wrestlers are going to come out here at Summer Slam and he will be the special guest referee to make sure they don't embarrass the sport (really he's just here to make sure the match works - they want a veteran in the ring to make sure they successfully get from one spot to the next spot) - this match is really just spots, expectation will be pretty low and given the profile of the two guys (and Paul's real live talent) it likely gets a good crowd reaction. Paul goes over - McAfee lays out Gulak postmatch to get some heat back.
Clip package of Women's Title Matches in Summer Slam History
2016: Charlotte taking the belt from Sasha
2019: Bayley keeping the belt from Ember Moon
2020: Banks taking from Asuka
2021: Ripley defends from Belair
5. WOMEN'S TITLE: RONDA ROUSEY (w/Heyman) d. BECKY LYNCH
-All babyface match here; Rousey submits Lynch, the announce frames Lynch as having a tremendous year as part of the tag with Flair, but here, just falls sort against the machine that is Ronda Rousey.
Clip package of Tag Title Matches in Summer Slam History
1988: Rougeaus keep from Demolition
1989: Rockers take from Brainbusters
1990: Orient Express take from Rude/Jannetty
1991: Road Warriors keep from Power&Glory
1992: Money Inc keeps over Road Warriors
1993: Steiner Brothers keep over Headshrinkers
1994: Luger/Bigelow keep over Headshrinkers
1995: Smoking Gunns keep over Harris Brothers
1996: Mero/Bart Gunn take the belts from Austin/Dustin
1997: Road Warriors take from Owen/Davey Boy
1998: Rock/DLo take from the New Age Outlaws (HHH/Waltman also in match)
1999: Hardys keep the belts in a DQ win over Edge/Christian
2000: TLC Edge/Christian take the belts from the Hardys, the Dudleys are also in match
2001: Dudley Boys keep belts from DDP/Kanyon and Spike/Rhyno
2002: A masked Benoit/Guerrero take from Jericho/Storm
2003: Shawn/Hunter keep the belts over Dead Men Walking
2004: Mysterio/RVD take from Flair/Batista
2005: Orton/Cena keep the belts over Bradshaw/Dinsmore
2006: Hulk Hogan/PAUL keep the belts from Booker/Conway
2007: Cade/Murdoch take the belts from the LWO
2008: Cena/Batista keep over Hunter/Edge
2009: Division One takes the belts from Dead Men Walking
2010: Young Money keeps from Dead Men Walking
2011: Empire keeps over Nitro/Miz
2012: Young Money keeps from Dead Men Walking
2013: The Shield keeps over Defiance
2014: The Shield keeps over Orton/Miz
2015: Wade Barrett/Sheamus take from The Shield
2016: Trash takes the belts from the Usos
2017: The Usos take from the Hardys
2018: Styles/Black take from The Revival
2019: Brock/Nemeth keep over Underground
2020: Street Profits keep the belts from Orton/MVP
2021: Usos take from Defiance
6. USOS d. STREET PROFITS
-This is not a great workrate card obviously, so while this is a good match, is really just to get to the postmatch angle, which is McIntyre/Lashley/Gable entering to beat down the Usos. Usos took the belts from Lashley/Gable at Mania - Roman refused to let Gable/Lashley go near them all summer, saying the personal shame if Usos whipped them again would be too great - so when they finally get a chance, they are just rabid in attacking them (McIntyre serves the Roman role here - once Lashley and Gable to the damage, they serve Jimmy/Jey up to Drew to hit his finisher).
Clip package of every IC title match at Summer Slam
1988: Bret keeps from Davey Boy
1989: Rude keeps from Hennig
1990: Bret keeps from Jake
1991: Bret keeps from Steamboat
1992: Savage keeps from Jacques Rougeau
1993: Michaels keeps the belt from Hennig
1994: Razor keeps the belt from Diesel
1995: First IC switch - Shawn takes from Razor in the Ladder Match
1996: Vader keeps over Cactus
1997: Cactus keeps the belt in the Octagon from Shamrock when he gets DQ'd
1998: Austin submits Shamrock to take his belt
1999: Waltman takes Al Snow's belt, DLo also in the match
2000: Jericho takes from Guerrero in a 2 of 3 Falls
2001: Tajiri takes from Austin, Lance Storm also in match
2002: Michaels takes from RVD
2003: Tajiri takes from Mysterio
2004: Jericho takes from Guerrero, Paul London also in match
2006: Hunter keeps from Batista
2007: Orton keeps from Kendrick
2008: MVP kept his belt over Jeff Hardy
2009: Shawn Michaels wins his 5th IC title, taking from Mysterio
2010: Johnny Nitro takes the belt from Matt Sydal
2011: Sheamus kept the belt from Christian
2013: Nemeth kept the belt from Christian but then lost it to Dean Ambrose
2014: Nemeth keeps the belt in a Ladder Match over Jericho
2015: Bray Wyatt is the champ - he keeps over Cena
2016: Rusev takes the belt from El Generico
2017: Brock Lesnar retains the title over Braun Strowman
2018: The belt was vacant, like this year - and like this year Prince Devitt fought for it, he wins, defeating Cedric Alexander
2019: Ricochet keeps the title, defeating Buddy Murphy
2020: Angel Garza retains the title with a win over La Sombra
2021: AJ Styles keeps, defeating Mysterio
7. IC TITLE: PRINCE DEVITT d. REY MYSTERIO
The 80th Intercontinental Champion is Prince Devitt, its his first title belt in 3 years; Devitt's a leather jacket wearing tweener, no friends, just wrestling. The last year has been Bullet Club only in the IC title chase - Devitt will open it up to the world. If someone can outwrestle the Prince, come on in.
Clip package of every WWF Championship match at Summer Slam
1988: Dynamite Kid kept his belt over Randy Savage
1989: Savage keeping the belt over Bret
1990: Mr. Perfect keeps the belt in a steel cage over Savage
1991: Davey Boy Smith took the belt from Hennig
1992: Bret keeps from Davey Boy
1993: Bret keeps again, beating Razor
1994: Owen Hart keeps the belt in a cage match win over Bret
1995: Bret is the champ again, successfully defending against Hakushi
1996: HBK retains over Owen
1997: Austin is the champ, he and Bret fought to a draw and the title is held up.
1998: Cactus takes the belt when he sets Owen on fire in a No DQ match
1999: Cactus keeps the belt and takes Austin's career.
2000: Chris Benoit keeps the belt from the Rock
2001: Kurt Angle unites the WWF and ECW belts over RVD
2002: Angle adds the NWA title by defeating Mysterio
2003: The vacant WWF title won by Eddy Guerrero, defeating Brock Lesnar
2004: Benoit kept his belt in a 2 of 3 falls match over Angle
2005: Another 2 of 3 falls match, Mysterio taking the belt from Guerrero
2006: Mysterio drops the belt to Ric Flair. Woooooooo.
2007: Mysterio regains, defeating Booker T
2008: CM Punk is WWF Champion and he keeps over Matt Hardy
2009: Chris Jericho is WWF Champion and he keeps over MVP
2010: Edge is WWF Champion and he keeps over Jack Swagger
2011: Nick Nemeth keeps the belt over Rey
2012: Bryan Danielson retains his title from Sheamus
2013: Danielson regains the title, defeating Lesnar
2014: Claudio Castagnoli keeps the title, over Bray Wyatt
2015: Kevin Steen takes the belt from Lesnar
2016: AJ Styles keeps from Steen
2017: Samoa Joe wins the belt from Styles
2018: Shinsuke Nakamura keeps from Joe
2019: Tyler Black successfully retains over Kingston
2020: Black keeps the belt again, over McIntyre
2021: Matt Riddle keeps from Edge
8. ROMAN REIGNS (w/HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE) d. BROCK LESNAR
-HRE uses their numbers to distract the official to allow for outside interference - Lesnar, of course, is alone - he fights them all off - but eventually Reigns overcomes him. Postmatch, a real beatdown - Lesnar gets bloodied up, the Usos, attacked after their match, now return - they're met on the ramp by the rest of the HRE -- they fight to the back -- Lesnar is laid out - Reigns continues his assault -- when onto the ramp emerges...
...Paul Heyman.
Heyman, of course, was Lesnar's longstanding manager, his concern is evident -- Reigns continues to punish a defenseless Brock - Heyman disappears....and then re-emerges....
....with Walter.
And Walter marches to the ring -- Reigns sees him now -- Reigns sells this - Walter is on a monster run in Dark Ride (he's lost one WWF match - to Lesnar) -- Walter comes to the ring -- Heyman behind -- Walter and Reigns go nose to nose -- Walter and Reigns go nose to nose as the show ends.
And that's Summer Slam.
Next month, we start the build to Survivor Series 2022, the main event, Reigns defending against AJ Styles.
