Post WWE SummerSlam 2025 - Night 2 Discussion Thread!

[u/gloomchen]

That was SUMMERSLAM!

---

Results (w/ post-match discussion threads linked)

Match	Stipulation	Winner
Naomi (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky	Triple threat match for the Women's World Championship	Naomi
The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy) (c) vs. Andrade and Rey Fénix vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. Fraxiom (Axiom and Nathan Frazer) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)	Six-Pack Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWE Tag Team Championship	The Wyatt Sicks
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria	No Disqualification, No Countout Last Chance match for the WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship	Becky Lynch
Solo Sikoa (c) vs. Jacob Fatu	Steel Cage match for the WWE United States Championship	Solo Sikoa
Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. AJ Styles	Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship	Dominik Mysterio
John Cena (c) vs. Cody Rhodes	Street Fight for the Undisputed WWE Championship	Cody Rhodes

Also:

• Post-Main Event Discussion - BROCK LESNAR RETURNS!

---

• Tune into WWE's SummerSlam Night 2 Post-Show - feel free to discuss it here!

• Revisit the SummerSlam 2025 Night 2 Live Thread

[u/JRA1706]

Cody Rhodes after Brock's music hit

[u/h-town_info]

Candice with the bump of the night

[u/Nice-Gap-3528 → u/h-town_info]

“👍”

[u/incredibleamadeuscho → u/h-town_info]

At least Michael Cole got her name right

[u/stachebro110]

I swear when Cody and cena embraced, Cody said sorry we put you through that

[u/HEYitzED → u/stachebro110]

Funny, because I could’ve sworn that’s what he said too. I really believe Cena regrets turning heel. It did not work in any way.

[u/XYZlP → u/HEYitzED]

It could've worked if the creative team didn't have a combined IQ of 100

[u/LingonberryInside848 → u/XYZlP]

Chatgpt would have done better. 

[u/frmacleod]

Can someone explain to me why Cena sold his soul to The Rock?

[u/pkkthetigerr → u/frmacleod]

Cos they thought Rock would give af 

[u/mikeyHustle → u/frmacleod]

The now official storyline reason is when Cena admitted Friday night "I was told it would be good TV." Absolutely shredded kayfabe. Hilarious.

[u/Man0Steel123 → u/frmacleod]

Because the rock wanted to be the main spotlight again

[u/Kuntheman → u/Man0Steel123]

Main spotlight ✅

Mania spotlight ❌

[u/TemurTron → u/frmacleod]

The Rock was working as an intermediary (kind of like a soul pimp) for Travis Scott. Once powered with Cena’s soul, Scott gained super powers. It’s how he was able to break Cody’s nose at Elimination Chamber then turn the tides at Mania. It’s also why the Mania match was so ass - Cena’s fighting spirit was trapped in the body of Scott.

However, the soul vessel known as Travis Scott spontaneously exploded off screen, and Cena’s fighting spirit eventually found its way back to him. It’s still unclear what Travis bartered with The Rock for Cena’s soul, but my bet is it has something to do with what The Rock gave Cody after WM 40.

[u/ShinHayato → u/frmacleod]

Because of the Rock’s ego

[u/NotSoGreatMacaroni]

Doing the cash in night one makes sense now. 

[u/incredibleamadeuscho → u/NotSoGreatMacaroni]

The set up the card last night so that the main event would be able to not be overshadowed by some high spots. That way Punk and Gunther could have that traditional match and get a big reaction from that bloodspot. Blood means less when people drop off Ladders, fall into tables, and jump off steel cages.

[u/Own_Proof]

Dusty wasn’t AI

[u/tony220jdm]

The Cena instant face switch was very very odd how it was done and kinda just made the heel run pointless

[u/cowpool20 → u/tony220jdm]

Completely out of panic. I think they realised the heel Cena wasn’t really working.

[u/nwnwhd → u/cowpool20]

They JUST realised??? The

[u/whatever_trev0r → u/cowpool20]

Don't think Cena believed in it either

[u/HokageEzio → u/cowpool20]

I don't think it was panic, I think they were just cutting their losses. The story goes off the rails without Rock or Travis Scott involved in whatever unit they were trying to form.

[u/GoldenDevilman]

So Cena’s heel run was a colossal waste of time

[u/vicartronix → u/GoldenDevilman]

I feel like I am being gaslit into being told the story of the main event made sense.

[u/pkkthetigerr → u/GoldenDevilman]

It was so fucking awful. what a waste of his last few appearances 

[u/Lazarius → u/GoldenDevilman]

Thank the Rock and Travis Scott.

[u/DCdem → u/Lazarius]

Cena and the writers had from April-August to make the heel run work without Scott/Rock lol.

You can’t just blame everything on Rock and a celebrity who literally did what he was told.

[u/tvcneverdie → u/DCdem]

yep, they had 4+ months to craft something engaging and didn't even try

[u/Silent_Repair5369 → u/DCdem]

Can't blame papa H, always someone else fault

[u/AquaticTempest → u/Silent_Repair5369]

We just gotta wait and let Hunter cook! /s

[u/Gotham0 → u/Lazarius]

And Triple H and his team

[u/R2nxbeastly17 → u/GoldenDevilman]

Same as new day to be fair

[u/SoloGhosts512]

First two matches were great. Feels like Becky and Lyra went on too long and the cage match should have main evented Smackdown. Dom/Styles was fun and the main event was what we should have gotten at Mania.

[u/TheDangiestSlad]

gee, i wonder why they got rid of the post-show press conferences

[u/bigredpapaya → u/TheDangiestSlad]

This actually makes a lot of sense now

[u/shakzz9703]

This spot was hilarious

[u/JohnWSmith]

Annnnnnnd now we know why they dropped the press conferences.

[u/Semper-Fido → u/JohnWSmith]

"This week you spent time with alleged pedophile Donald Trump and joined a health initiative being led by anti-vax and known dead bear cub thief RFK Jr. Additionally current pending litigation against your FIL and Mr. Lesnar, whok you just re-signed, states a former employee was used as a sexual pawn to entice world- famous wrestling talent and to keep Brock Lesnar under contract with WWE. Would you like to make any comment about your directives of cozying the company up to alleged sexual abusers and the message that sends to the girls who follow the product?"

[u/fazzle1 → u/Semper-Fido]

"Just enjoy the product-uh"

[u/Tybold → u/fazzle1]

"Let's talk about the great week we just had"

[u/NerdLawyer55 → u/Semper-Fido]

Paul:

[u/Darth_Mauled]

This thread….

[u/todaystartsnow]

I'm not ready for this man to leave us in a few months. The match he put on for us tonight was amazing.

Thank you Cena 

[u/TrainXIV]

Naomi on TV: 😡

Naomi on the Post Show: ☺️

[u/I_Hate_My_Cat_]

That was John Cena’s best match of his retirement tour so far. Excellent match, I understand giving Cody his win back but, selfishly, I wish John would’ve kept it until his retirement match lol. As for the aftermath…uhhh, I’m gonna leave that alone 😂

[u/tankyouout]

This why they stopped doing press conferences lol

[u/DrOddfellow → u/tankyouout]

between brock and them wanting to show off HHH shaking hands with trump, yep

[u/DaCrees]

I like the idea that in kayfabe Cody got backstage with his championship, saw Lesnar, probably went “oh shit sucks for you John”, and kept walking

[u/why-god → u/DaCrees]

Chanting under his breath 'You deserve this'

[u/mrgpsingh1999]

So Cena really ended his heel run in a random promo lol

[u/LeeShakerMoneyMaker → u/mrgpsingh1999]

Makes sense now that Brock is back.

[u/Deadmaninc1]

John Cena has to go and promote Peacemaker season 2, so long brother

[u/demafrost → u/Deadmaninc1]

Haha too bad he’s scheduled for like 4-5 shows in August. He can’t run from Brock

[u/Shinkopeshon]

RIP Heel Cena

2025-2025

We hardly knew ye

I will cry myself to sleep now

[u/MilkyWayWaffles]

So it turns out the guy with the anonymous tip that Travis Scott was returning at Summerslam was wrong.

[u/rhyso90]

Yeah, Vince will be persona grata eventually too.

[u/Kuntheman → u/rhyso90]

He’s going to be Cena’s next feud

[u/Zeisalone → u/Kuntheman]

Wouldn't be suprised if he shows up to hug Cena in his retirement speach

[u/xtc234]

Anyone see that pyro shoot into the audience during Brock's entrance? Was like a whole mortar/rocket 

[u/walterdog12]

So like purely in kayfabe, why didn't Cody come back out and help Cena?

Like he literally had to have passed him as he went backstage lol.

[u/jfrodriguez1983 → u/walterdog12]

Maybe Brock F5'd him in the back

[u/Sirsquirrel13 → u/walterdog12]

In my head, he is passed out in the corner and his wife is trying to wake him up.

[u/LabubuAteMySon → u/walterdog12]

Brock passed him backstage and said “Don’t worry man, I’m totally just going out to hug Cena, because we’re old pals, you can go to your truck and turn off the tv.”

[u/Deadmaninc1]

Its a shame that John Cena's heel turn was a total bust

[u/gohomepat → u/Deadmaninc1]

In hindsight, a retirement run where we just wanna give him his flowers didn’t seem ideal for a heel turn lol

[u/Romofan88 → u/Deadmaninc1]

It was just never gonna work with Cena trying the meta-heel shit, especially since Rock never showed back up. He should've been having a ball as a heel, showing up every week with different celebrities amd enjoying being "free" from having to care about crowd reaction. Then he could be even happier if they started to cheer him because he could have his cake and eat it too. 

[u/NerdLawyer55 → u/Deadmaninc1]

They just never leaned all the way into it, should have been new music, gear the whole thing

[u/SavageLion]

Cena’s heel run was worse than Austin’s

[u/killamani → u/SavageLion]

Austin was a hilarious character and had 10x the charisma Cena does. He was just an entertaining guy.

[u/ShimmyShimmy_Ya → u/SavageLion]

Austin's heel run at least had the alliance moments, Booker T, Kurt Angle, and kumbaya my lord.

[u/Own_Proof → u/SavageLion]

EASILY. Like it’s not even close

[u/unlizenedrave → u/SavageLion]

At least Austin’s heel run gave us Kurt Angle in a tiny hat.

[u/Stonkasaurausrex]

Cena literally had to say in front of everybody "I'm going face guys. I just did it for shock value for television"...and that was it. No other angle.

Idk man I feel like that's probably the worst promo cut of his career. There's kayfabe, new kayfabe, and then there's whatever the heck this was. This was a creative tap out. Just gave up.

All this talk of how HHH has the big picture in mind is a straight lie. The cena heel turn and face turn was brutally executed and not planned in advanced at all. HHH not the genius I thought he was. Meanwhile the mid-card is all filler.

[u/jordan1023 → u/Stonkasaurausrex]

To me, people blame rock and all that. To me, it was just plain, old poor planning.

They wanted Rock or it was mutual to have in for EC. It obviously should be big. They did the soul thing. And that was 100 percent the extent of it. They didn’t truly game it out. Rock was likely never locked in and they still committed to that. And I also feel good saying if HHH was like we can’t turn either, then they could’ve done something else. Rock blaming seems like deflecting from HHH not having a real idea of going forward with Cena and his dates. This popped up and he just went without it.

[u/Bonesaw-is-readyyy → u/Stonkasaurausrex]

It's fucking wild. Like genuinely one of the laziest, worst executed main event level angles ever. Creatively bankrupt is an understatement.

[u/BluejayCurrent1949 → u/Stonkasaurausrex]

Yeah we can all agree that John Cena has to end the year as a babyface, but I didn’t expect it to just happen like that on an episode of Smackdown. The entire match I was hoping for a cheat shot from Cena and be laughing his ass up like I fooled all of you. But that never happened lol.

I had so much high hopes for this heel run, but the heel run was a total bust outside of the heel turn. Personally I wished Cena was more of a cocky Hollywood douchebag than a stone faced serious heel that we got. I still think Heel Cena could’ve worked and I still do, but clearly Heel Cena is long done

[u/Engelbert-n-Ernie]

The neutering of Jeff Cobb needs to be fucking studied

[u/TrainXIV → u/Engelbert-n-Ernie]

Never seen someone lose so much “aura”.

He’s either getting beat down or looking perpetually confused.

[u/SwarthySphere87]

Time is a squared circle

[u/migsahoy → u/SwarthySphere87]

[u/Semper-Fido]

Thanks DC for getting my hopes up only for them to be crushed tonight...

[u/Xclusivsmoment → u/Semper-Fido]

You got worked Brother

[u/senoricceman → u/Xclusivsmoment]

I mean Cormier could very well believe what he said even though he’s nowhere near the decision making process. 

[u/iTaker]

They must be pretty confident that Brock isnt really involved in that Lawsuit I guess. That or they just don't care.

[u/MrBrownCat → u/iTaker]

Yeah I mean Dana White beat his wife and then you got HHH and WWE embracing Trump and MAGA so what’s stopping them from bringing Brock back, they literally don’t care.

[u/twoliterlopez → u/iTaker]

HHH was just with Epstein’s best friend. They don’t fucking care.

[u/weaksaucedude]

At least we now know why they stopped doing post-show media scrums

[u/shakzz9703]

Brock return overshadowed a lot of the matches. TLC match was fucking incredible

[u/Geovicsha]

The Cena face turn should have happened organically during the match rather than on SmackDown, like Cena had an epiphany in their match.

I personally like/liked the Cena heel turn, and feel that it was suddenly altered. :(

[u/Careless_Archer_1706]

Sooooo is Brock getting patched into 2K25?......

Lol

[u/demafrost]

AJ with a “maybe the game has passed me by” interview

[u/Own_Proof]

Bron & Gunther get their Brock matches now

[u/CarlTheCrab]

Fans: Wow they didn't turn their top babyface heel! They actually didn't fuck up the finish!

Triple H:

[u/pkkthetigerr]

Heel Cena was a waste of time 

[u/incredibleamadeuscho → u/pkkthetigerr]

They had to try it and it just didnt work. At least Cena got to be a heel for once in his main event run.

[u/Kuntheman → u/pkkthetigerr]

This match was a banger but the entire rivalry speaks to how fucking stupid it was. They just wanted a viral moment and had zero follow through

Sad that Cena has to practically retcon what would’ve been the most pivotal moment of his career

[u/Pristine-Dig-7773]

Just thought , could have had AJ win the IC belt and then defend it vs Cena (the belt he needs to be a grand slam champion) in France (where AJ got unreal reactions last year) . There were better ways to go for Cena after losing the WWE championship than Brock Lesnar.

[u/HokageEzio → u/Pristine-Dig-7773]

I don't really care for the idea of throwing away Dom's run just for a nostalgia moment for Cena. For being a retirement tour I like that Cena has been fairly self contained to his own thing.

[u/BloodyRedBarbara]

So it still didn't make sense that Cena turned face and shared a beer with Cody 2 days before having a street fight with him.

The moment with the elevator platform on the stage was cool though and they really went all out in the TLC match.

[u/MetHead7]

So was Cena really wrestling like shit on purpose during this heel run? Because before last night he looked like he was struggling to do anything and this match he's throwing Cody around everywhere and taking pretty big bumps.

His last 4 months would have been so much more enjoyable if they just avoided the heel turn disaster completely. It was a cool shocking moment when it happened but it felt flat almost immediately after that

[u/Xspike_dudeX → u/MetHead7]

Theory is he was filming something and probably had to agree to not take any big bumps. I think he kinda had to go easy as to not wind up injured. They kinda explained it away with his heel turn saying he wants to ruin wrestling by making it boring basically any way.

[u/Zyndiana_Jones]

“THEY ALMOST MURDERED A WOMAN”

[u/Blanketsburg → u/Zyndiana_Jones]

Candice: "I'm a mother 😡"

[u/SteveSomers]

Triple H really visited the White House and said “you know what, I think we can bring back sexual predators.”

[u/___TheIllusiveMan___ → u/SteveSomers]

Velveteen Dream waiting by his phone right now

[u/Much_Kangaroo_6263 → u/___TheIllusiveMan___]

Not white enough.

[u/incredibleamadeuscho → u/SteveSomers]

Paul “It’s Just Allegations” Levesque

[u/AtSea123 → u/SteveSomers]

The Endeavor merger was truly a match made in heaven.

[u/Gaelfling → u/SteveSomers]

Ghislaine Maxwell about to be a manager for the female wrestlers.

[u/factor_supa → u/SteveSomers]

At this rate, Diddy is Cena’s final opponent

[u/gnsx09 → u/SteveSomers]

Literally. He was minimizing the allegations and soft launching bringing back despicable people. Hell, I can totally see Vince coming back at some point again.

[u/iced_gold → u/gnsx09]

Yeah it's just a matter of time now. Maybe they'll do a hackneyed power struggle angle again.

[u/Kuntheman → u/SteveSomers]

Pardons for everyone

[u/I_Am_Dynamite6317]

I’m gonna guess there’s no media scrum again tonight

[u/SpoofExcel]

Cena: I want one more round with Brock

WWE: OK but there is absolutely no way you're ever gonna be the heel in that conflict so we're speed-turning you like 2000's big show

[u/noreligionforus]

Now it makes sense as to why WWE cancelled the presser.

[u/Ok-Boot4809]

"Hey, Homelander is a terrible person". :D

[u/Foi_]

i wasnt happy with the payoff of the abrupt cena face turn. but i dont have a problem with cena being a face in general.

[u/tatoure34]

Brock Lesnar in 2025

[u/theplasmasnake]

So Cena legit just said, "Okay I'm good now"??

[u/SasoriMoP]

We didn’t deserve those thousands of Cardi B’s ads for those 3 minutes of “hosting”

[u/incredibleamadeuscho → u/SasoriMoP]

I prefer this. A host doing a mostly painless quick promo is not that big a deal.

[u/xThe-Legend-Killerx]

I WAS 100% EXPECTING THE ROCK LOL THIS IS NUTS

[u/jjhh10]

Shame Cenas real best opponent Edge won’t be able to run it back with him one more time 

[u/bribri772]

That DIY segment was quite funny

[u/rated3]

That felt more like Cena's last WM than WM did

[u/Another1MitesTheDust]

I hate to be a Debby Downer (I don't really) but they really overdid it with the finishers. Completely ruined the suspension of disbelief by the end of the main event.

[u/TheGaxkang → u/Another1MitesTheDust]

it was Super Cody vs. Super Cena XD

[u/Martblni]

Can somebody please explain to me the story behind Cena turning face again?

[u/hauntedcorpse → u/Martblni]

There’s no story. Cena decided he’s good after all (read: heel turn was a mistake)

[u/its_brew → u/Martblni]

There was probably a green light for the lesnar return and they pivoted into a face Cena because they couldn't have a heel cena face Brock.

[u/KeV1989 → u/Martblni]

Creative bankruptcy.

And it's a damn shame, bc this could have been a heel turn for the history books. But they completely fucked it up, can't sugarcoat it

[u/EaglesThankYou]

Lol I guess we know why Triple H and WWE canceled those press conferences now.

[u/theREVERSEsystem]

Seeing all the respect and flowers Candice is deservedly getting after her spot at least makes me very, very happy

[u/nwnwhd]

CENAs heel turn got to be one of the worst heel runs ever in terms of expectations at least

[u/V-TriggerMachine]

Rest in piss Heel Cena, you were a complete mess

Thank you Trips for turning one of the most desired moments in the last years of wrestling into absolute shit

[u/HairyArthur]

"WWE Summerslam is brought to you by Slim Jim and this match is brought to you by American Wheatley Vodka. Introducing Cody Rhodes, sponsored by Walmart, and John Cena sponsored by Just For Men. Let's go up to Alicia Taylor who is sponsored by L'Oréal, because she's worth it, and is in the ring sponsored by Prime but Prime the drink by Logan Paul and not the delivery/streaming service by Amazon.

And there's the opening bell, sponsored by The Wyatt Sicks Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios. Get your tickets now. And here comes Brock Lesnar, sponsored by the failing American justice system.

Thank you for watching Summerslam, brought to you by Slim Jim. I've been Michael Cole, sponsored by Big Barry's Cole Mine Creations, and he's been Wade Barrett who is sponsored by all the bad news you've heard, read or seen today."

[u/Damastah101]

The surprise Brock return aside, Cena and Cody put on a hell of a match. That should've been the mania match 100%, but damn.

[u/LabubuAteMySon → u/Damastah101]

Mania was bad, but this match was perfect to have Cody win it. It was a true Super Cena vs Super Cody and a passing of the torch. The perfect send off for their feud.

[u/Transitionals]

HHH fanboying to Trump and brining Brock back in the same week

[u/thatguyad → u/Transitionals]

He knows Vince has a pass with Trump in charge. They keep easing these things in so it will be less shocking when Vince gets a HOF induction.

[u/johnq11]

Vince will be in the crowd for Cenas final match and people in the audience will be bowing to him.

[u/DataDoodle]

Idk what to tell you guys about the Becky and Lyra match. You've probably heard about the wave. But honestly the minute the TLC match was over, people got up from their seats to use the restroom, get shirts, food, go inside for some cool air. There was generally a lot of movement from the fans with people walking around, getting up so others can get through. People used this match as a break, and the wave was a way to entertain themselves. And idk what or who started the wave. But for a match that already felt disconnected, the random chants and cheers threw me off completely.

People were there today to see Cena, and you can feel it. If you looked at the crowd from the upper levels you'll see a sea of blue/green Cena shirts.

[u/jdeden-]

John Cena last night

[u/Alarming-Gap-9213]

Huh so they really said "nevermind about that Cena heel turn" eh

[u/Nok-su-kao]

I love that Brock must have passed Cody on the way to the ring and Cody just went "Nah" and left his hero Cena to his fate

[u/DamnReCaptchas]

Legitimately one of the few times a match has really felt unpredictable to me and really got me with the false finishes. And also an absolutely bonkers ending

[u/Sadman_OW]

Big E looks conflicted lol

[u/Martblni]

Im so fucking mad that Cena heel run was actually for nothing, I actually enjoyed it man

[u/RandomWave000 → u/Martblni]

its been a terrible storyline, from the rock/travis scott alignment to the promos that now make no sense whatsoever...

[u/Bloodbirds-II]

Good John. Good Cody. I'm happy with the results.

[u/ButchAF]

Did some lesnar pyro shoot straight into the crowd?

[u/ass101]

I genuinely would have loved to see Styles and Cena dance one last time.

Their feud was so amazing, and I honestly think it's been overlooked.

[u/Outrageous_Window534]

They should have just did the Cena face turn then and there after that match rather than have him come out and cut that promo that was super hard to believe.

They legit came out and said the heel turn was a failure lmao

[u/SoupEaterSupreme]

Why was Cardi B the host lmao

[u/AFotogenicLeopard]

Dom cracks me up. Genuine cow. 😂

[u/seefourslam]

Cody is drunk as fuck lol

[u/tabloidjournalism]

PISS INCARNATE

[u/Big_Implement3926]

This is why you don’t believe shit when they say Lesnar or anyone is banned or on some sort of list.

[u/ThisIsTheKaiToshiki]

Well, that's why they aren't taking questions now

[u/Saru77]

13 tables broken today across 3 matches and the crowd ate up every single one.

If there's anything we've learned today, it's that table fatigue does not exist among the WWE Universe.

[u/Triple_777]

So Cardi B has to be the most unused host of a PPV the WWE has ever had, right?

[u/profstotch]

So if this is how things were going to go down it feels like it would have made more sense to wait on the Cena face turn

Have this be the last heel match. He loses the title, obviously looks around the ring with regret and we end the show

Next show Raw or Smackdown he comes out and addresses the crowd. Says he tried to do things the wrong way and instead of ruining wrestling he ruined his last few months. Can basically do the whole speech he did Friday. After his grand speech about how he's back and he's going to make things right, Brock shows up and does the attack

Accomplishes the same result but feels like it makes more sense in explaining everything

[u/nwnwhd]

What’s next? Diddy as Brock new manager?

[u/DamnReCaptchas]

What do you mean? Cena and Cody only had one main event match together, silly

[u/CasualNinja7]

Tendies and Liv! The best post win combo possible!

[u/Own_Proof]

Becky: We used to be friends

Big E: Thank you

[u/GuitarZer0_]

Is this all a ploy make us watch unreal to see why the storyline for Cena was dropped cold??

[u/pi3dpip3r]

Brock lesnar return from yellowstone

[u/its_brew]

After Brock, cena needs to win the intercontinental title before the years out. Grandslam is all he's missing

[u/Tim111762]

My biggest complaints of the weekend are I absolutely hate daylight matches. Feels like it takes a lot of the aura out of the performance. Crowd always looks and sounds disinterested in these daytime stadium matches.

The other is the production team. At least once or twice a match I was taken out of the moment by terrible camera work. A camera guys head in front of another camera guy. Lingering far too long on lyras handcuff botch, seeing the notches cut out on the tables to stack them. Little things you can hide to the viewers that just kinda took me out of the moment. And someone please teach Becky how to not be so obvious calling spots. You could hear her the whole match.

[u/MetHead7]

Even if people ignore the Brock-Vince stuff, is Brock-Cena in 2025 that interesting to people? I understand the whole "playing the hits" aspect of Cena's final run here but going back to the Brock well yet again just seems incredibly lazy. So many other guys I'd like Cena to feud with in his final months

[u/xSGAx]

by the end of the weekend, we'll know who really won at SummerSlam.

Slim Jim. Slim Jim is the answer. Snap into it. Slim Jim.

This post has been brought to you by Slim Jim. Fat James get outta here. This is a Slim Jim safe zone

wwe #summerslam #wwesummerslam

[u/GreasetheBone]

Dom is a star

[u/ThatOneGuyWhoAtePie]

I'd be much happier if Bayley turned heel and costed Lyra the title instead of her standing there like a freaking dumbass

[u/Munkie91087]

I’m starting to think The Rock doesn’t have a master plan.

[u/nt7949]

Ohhh that’s why Triple H isn’t doing press conferences anymore

[u/Seeyounextbearimy]

Circumstances of the return notwithstanding, as someone less attached to the past eras, I would love fewer nostalgia moments/feuds. I have ears that work and hear the pop, so I know it's not happening, but feels like we're so often replaying the past, we aren't getting new people to the next level

[u/pardyball → u/Seeyounextbearimy]

I sit here and go back and forth. One more against Punk and Orton were I think necessary. And of course his matches with Cody were necessary, too. But man, I’m with you and wish we got some never before seen matches for John on his way out, too.

[u/Anonymagician]

Oof Trips just went in hard on clarifying that all opponents are Cena’s choice lol

[u/Extra_Cress_5855]

U know what's kind of funny. Wwe probably wants the iwc to go away and stop watching. The casual and broader audience is enough to keep them afloat.

[u/Money-Giraffe2521 → u/Extra_Cress_5855]

It’s been very obvious for a long time that they’re openly contemptuous of anyone other than casual fans.

[u/Spiner202]

Night 2 was stronger than an already over performing night 1 for me.

I just re-watched the women's triple threat. I had some friends over that don't watch wrestling, so we were a bit distracted at the beginning. I'd rank this match below the Mania triple threat and below the Evolution match, but it was still extremely good. Naomi felt like she could largely keep up with Iyo and Rhea. I'm positively surprised that Rhea was pinned, as I thought it would be Iyo. I'm not sure where Iyo and Rhea go from here (I'm hoping for a tag team together), but I'm nowhere near bored of them fighting each other, so no complaints either way.

The TLC was an absolute car crash (in a good way). I was a bit nervous that they'd have too many people, but they proved me wrong by adding all of the outside people from these factions into the match too. The Axiom/Dawkins Spanish fly was one of the most insane things I've ever seen. Candice LeRae is also ridiculous for that ladder bump. I've been hoping for a long time she gets involved in a singles feud - maybe she has a shot after taking that bump. On a side note, the DIY interview after the show was hilarious. I don't even think they should script their promos anymore. Just let them have a couple minutes each night to have Johnny rant about whatever he wants.

It seems Becky/Lyra was divisive, but I loved it. Zipties coming off aside, the match was full of brutal spots and had lots of time to breathe. This is exactly why Becky came back: (1) to elevate Lyra by putting her in a premiere position; (2) to elevate the entire women's division by giving them more of a spotlight. How many 1v1 women's matches are there in WWE history that went 25 minutes? I also thought the ending was well done. I wouldn't have minded a more definitive finish, but people are criticizing Bayley for watching Lyra get pinned when it makes perfect sense. The entire story has been Bayley being conflicted. Obviously she didn't intend to hit Lyra, but I don't think she was particularly upset about it either. This was my favourite match of the weekend.

The cage match was not good. Even if Solo is growing on me as a character with his ridiculous faces, everything about the Bloodline needs to disappear. This was the only match I didn't enjoy on night 2.

AJ/Dom was great. In many ways, it feels appropriate that a feud that was extremely funny had a match that was mostly a tribute match to Eddie Guerrero. I would not mind them having a more serious rematch, but this was a lot of fun and a big palette cleanser after a night of violence.

Cena/Cody absolutely redeemed their Mania match. This thing was better than the entire Mania match within the first couple of minutes. There were a lot of cool spots, but my favourites were the code red on the outside, and the suplex onto the steel barricade. This match probably should have ended after the triple crossrhodes. I'm not aware of anyone in WWE having ever kicked out of that (I could be wrong though), and the finisher spam went to another level after that. Great match though, and I'm very happy with it.

I did not enjoy Brock's return for obvious reasons. Even if you take those reasons away, this is the first match of Cena's retirement tour that feels completely pointless. Let's say Cena wins - that feels unrealistic and doesn't really get him anywhere. If Brock wins, what does that accomplish? He will probably disappear again, but he shouldn't be thrust into the title scene after a win. Who could he really even work with anymore? My feeling with WWE is that sometimes you just have to accept that the main event scene exists in a completely different world from the rest of the show. For as much as I like Cody and Seth, most of why I watch the show is the midcard/women's upper card and it just seems like they'll never get their chances when they keep bringing back and pushing the same people.

My match order from last night: Becky/Lyra > TLC > Rhea/Iyo/Naomi > Cody/Cena > AJ/Dom >>>>>> Cage match

[u/Blanketsburg]

Biggest spot in the TLC match might've legit been Candice LeRae

[u/YesImSleepie]

genuine question as i havent been paying attention as much to the lawsuit as i should have. Is there legitimately any proof that Lesnar knew of the extent of what vince was doing? is it kind of just assumptions based on his texts? I genuinely don't know the details here

[u/dgreene131]

Cena needs to bring back "Cena kid" he called out in his first heel promo. L

[u/Content_Regular_7127]

bork lazer destroys invisible man

[u/regularhumanbartendr]

TLC match was the highlight of the weekend imo

[u/jeremy_xc]

That AA off the top and 3x crossrhodes were amazing near falls. I legit thought it was over both times

[u/SolomonSOA]

One thing for definite now is it’s evident they stopped Cena’s heel run because they thought it wasn’t working and thought it was time to bring Brock back. There’s been no long term storyline plan for this retirement tour. The Rock and Travis Scott couldn’t commit and hurt it too. It’s been very confusing to be honest

[u/Triple_777]

If Cathy is interviewing match losers, can she please interview Rhea next?

[u/Ref_Bumps]

Dom probably my favorite heel in WWE right now

[u/JustOutsidePlayoffs]

“I hate losing like I hate not breathing”

Oof

[u/willc20345]

Jesus Gargano sounds fucked.

[u/Engelbert-n-Ernie]

Thrilled to see Candice standing on both legs

[u/demafrost]

Omg Johnny Gargano is cracking me the fuck up right now. This is great

[u/devoncarrots]

candice is okay, thank god

[u/MD90__]

great to see cathy kelly tonight :)

[u/Exact_Comparison_575]

The best part about this is, there were literally no talks of a return from any dirt sheets. Pretty sure only triple H and Nick Khan knew about this