It still hasn’t been 24 hours since SummerSlam 2023 has passed and WWE has ensured that they have successfully executed one of their biggest PPVs in the year, the biggest festival of summer. There were crazy moments that defined the finest of entertainment wrestling followed by moments of respect and triumph for grapplers who squeezed out their hundred percent.
From Brock Lesnar holding up the hand of Cody Rhodes as a symbol of deference to Jimmy Uso making a surprise return only to side with Roman Reigns, SummerSlam was riddled with twists and turns. Here is a quick rating for the matches that unfurled themselves at their magnificent best.
#1 Logan Paul vs Ricochet – 7.5/10
Logan Paul and Ricochet’s rivalry was more of a rivalry that had wrestling flair from both the superstars on display. There wasn’t an exact storyline but the two fighters showcased their finesse and high-flying ability to defy the odds and eventually at the end of the day, it was Logan Paul who won the battle. The wrestling was pretty decent and the two went at each other with every bit of gas left in the tank.
#2 Cody Rhodes vs Brock Lesnar – 9.5/10
This was undoubtedly one of the best fights of the night as the Beast Incarnate and the American Nightmare went overboard with their entire arsenal emptied and eventually after relentless fighting that saw the most brutal execution of each other’s finishers not once but multiple times, it was Cody who seized a win.
"Brock Lesnar acknowledged you!"
Mama Rhodes to @CodyRhodes 👀 pic.twitter.com/R4pAJRYRJC
Advertisement— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) August 8, 2023
Following the battle, Brock extended his hand towards Cody as a gesture of respect for his insane fighting skills.
#3 SummerSlam Battle Royal – 7/10
The most notable moment of this battle royal as when everyone joined forces to take out Omos and was more or less successful with LA Knight and King Sheamus being the final contenders of what turned out to be an entertaining fight. More could have been done on the fighting front but at the end of the day it was decent entertainment.
#4 Shayna Baszler vs Ronda Rousey – 4/10
By no means was this battle close to an MMA fight. Firstly, WWE failed to realize the importance of an octagon. Secondly, the absence of a cage didn’t let Ronda Rousey express her mixed-martial arts talent. Forget the result but the kind of technicalities that are involved in an MMA match isn’t all about submissions and breaking free from them. It’s far more than that.
#5 Gunther vs Drew McIntyre – 8/10
Two fine wrestlers, a brilliant battle and a foregone conclusion saw the Ring-General Gunther retaining the inter-continental championship. However, the battle between these two juggernauts was simply marvellous and had no relent from each other. This was another wrestling marvel of the night.
#6 Seth Rollins vs Finn Balor – 8.5/10
Despite the storyline of Judgment Day being in absolute shambles after this match-up, the fight that was put up by two premium fighters of the industry was impeccable.
There were interruptions for sure but that did very little to kill the flow of the battle and Rollins and Balor brought out the very best in each other. Sadly, the storyline will need better fine-tuning if they are to continue with the Seth, Finn and Priest rivalry.
#7 Women’s championship matches – 7/10
It almost took WWE an eternity to formulate such an epic match-up followed by an equally brilliant ending where IYO Sky defeated Bianca Belair to walk away with the title. Belair, Asuka and Charlotte put up a battle for the ages that saw countless drops, attempts to execute a pin and even botched submission manoeuvres.
My becoming WWE Women’s Champion is on the cover of yesterday's sports news paper!!
Thank you Japan!!✨✨@tospo_prores @tospo_battle #IYOSKY #SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/FZMFF7LwfT— IYO SKY (@Iyo_SkyWWE) August 7, 2023
Belair prevailed in the deluge of bodies and lifted the championship for a minute maybe until Sky chose to cash in. Belair’s desperation went down the drain as she was being attacked by Bayley and Sky completed a successful championship haul by pinning the EST of the company.
#8 Roman Reigns vs Jey Uso – 6/10
What should have been a fight of epic proportions ended with a whimper as Jimmy Uso interfered. With all the twists and turns interpreted, the appearance of Jimmy somewhat detracted the glam of the fight and has left the audience with a frustrated look on their face. The fight definitely scaled unfathomable heights, sadly for Jey Uso, he was on the cusp of a historic win only to be denied by his twin brother.
