The Fallout: WWE SummerSlam 2024
One of the WWE’s major PLEs has come to a close. SummerSlam 2024 was a night of great storytelling, incredible matches, and plenty of surprises. Where do things stand now after the result of each match? Let’s dive into the current landscape of the WWE following the biggest party of the summer.
Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley
The love triangle story between Liv, Dirty Dom, and Rhea has finally reached its climax. Liv Morgan retained her Women’s World Championship after Dominick cost Rhea Ripley the match. Though it’s something some fans expected, Dom aligned with his new girlfriends, so where do they go from here? Whether Rhea gets sidetracked into another short-term feud or not, this rivalry with Liv is far from over. It will be interesting to see what’s left of Judgment Day after such a catastrophic night for the faction.
Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
In the rematch, we saw Bron Breakker capture his first main roster title after hitting Sami Zayn with two vicious spears. The right move was made here as the 26-year-old up-and-comer gets a valuable win over one of WWE’s top stars. Zayn’s connectivity with the fans really doesn’t require him to hold a championship to stay relevant. Will we see Breakker go on a dominant run like Gunther? He certainly has a number of fresh challengers to choose from on Monday Night Raw. As for Zayn, will we see him in an OG bloodline reunion following the conclusion of the main event?
Logan Paul vs. LA Knight
Much like Breakker, we finally saw LA Knight capture his first singles championship on the main roster. This one certainly felt long overdue as Knight has been a household name for the past year. Knight took the fight to Paul right from the jump. He smashed up the Prime truck and pounced on Logan before the bell even rang. Logan Paul’s brass knuckle tactics were finally not enough this time. Not even Machine Gun Kelly was not able to help the Maverick… WWE clearly has big plans for Logan Paul, so it will be interesting to see what’s next for him. Perhaps taking a mid-card title off of him is merely a sign of bigger things to come. As for Knight, it will be interesting to see where his title reign is headed on Smackdown. With gold around his waist, will we see LA Knight recapture his red-hot momentum from last year?
Bayley vs. Nia Jax
The title changes continue here. We saw Nia Jax parlay her Queen of the Ring victory into a new reign with the Women’s Championship. Nia defeated Bayley due to a failed cash-in attempt by Tiffany Stratton. A cash in that was nothing but a decoy for Nia to win. With someone as dominant as Nia, it’ll be difficult to see anyone other than Stratton taking the belt off her. For Nia, this may be a case of keeping your friends close but your enemies closer. It’s not a matter of if Stratton will cash in her briefcase, but when.
CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre
In what felt like the biggest feud going into SummerSlam, we finally saw CM Punk make his televised in-ring return. Since the announcement of Seth Rollins as special guest referee, we knew the match would look completely different from a traditional 1-on-1 contest. CM Punk’s emotional investment with his family bracelet not only cost him the match. But, it reignited his bitter rivalry with Rollins. Punk and Rollins were on a collision course for WrestleMania prior to Punk getting injured by McIntyre. All signs point to this feud continuing between two of the top stars on Raw. Regardless of where this goes, you have to believe we will see Rollins, McIntyre, and Punk settle their differences at some point.
Damian Priest vs. Gunther
This felt exactly like a World Heavyweight Championship match should. We saw two of the most physically intimidating wrestlers on the roster go at it. Priest and Gunther slugged it out in a hard-hitting affair that left Gunther’s chest busted open. Unfortunately, the match was decided by Finn Balor. He would finally turn on his Judgment Day brethren, Damian Priest, to cost him the world title. Tensions have been brewing between Balor and Priest for several months, and it finally reached its boiling point at SummerSlam. These former tag team champions should now be locked into a heated feud for the foreseeable future. As for the new World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther, good luck taking the belt off of him.
Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa
Prior to the start of this match, we saw Arn Anderson drop a massive hint regarding what would be the finish in his pre-fight talk with Cody Rhodes. Before that finish, we saw a great match between Cody and Solo. In the end, Roman Reigns made his long-awaited return and finally showed Solo Sikoa who the original tribal chief is. He speared Solo into oblivion and secured the win for Cody Rhodes and his WWE Championship. Roman is back to get revenge on a man who has claimed the throne in his absence. With the formation of The Bloodline 2.0, Roman will certainly need some help to take them down. Will this open the door to an original bloodline reunion with the Usos and Sami Zayn? With Survivor Series in November, the possibilities for a Bloodline vs. Bloodline story are endless.
What are your thoughts on the landscape of WWE following the 2024 edition of SummerSlam? Let us know in the comments.
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