WWE Summerslam 2025 Night Two

By Steve Ward

WWE once again filled MetLife Field in East Rutherford, New Jersey to the rafters with a rabid capacity crowd for Summerslam Night Two. Night Two’s card featured six matches with each one having a title in the balance and was headlined by Cody Rhodes squaring off with John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Women’s World Championship
Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky vs. Naomi (c)
Winner: Naomi via pinfall

Naomi cashed in her Money In The Bank briefcase three weeks ago at Evolution during Iyo Sky’s title defense against Rhea Ripley to become the new Women’s World Champion. With Sky and Ripley both having a legitimate claim to a title opportunity, that brings us to tonight’s triple threat encounter. In the closing moments, Ripley hit the Avalanche Riptide on Iyo Sky and made a pinfall attempt only to have Naomi sneak up on her and roll her up with a handful of tights for the pinfall.

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match
Street Profits vs. #DIY vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Fraxiom vs. Andrade & Rey Fénix vs. The Wyatt Sick6 (Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy) (c)
Winners: The Wyatt Sick6

This match was a spectacle of chaos and carnage with broken chairs, ladders, and tables strewn about. In the final moments, The Wyatt Sick6 cleared the ring with a pair of chairs and Gacy scaled the ladder to retrieve and retain their titles.

Women’s Intercontinental Championship
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria
Winner: Becky Lynch via pinfall

The bitter rivalry between Becky and Lyra began when Becky turned on Lyra following their tag team title loss at WrestleMania and escalated after Becky took Lyra’s Intercontinental Title. This tumultuous feud would come to a head tonight as Lyra earned a shot at “The Man’s” title following her victory over Bayley recently in a Two Out Of Three Falls Match. Tonight’s no disqualification affair quickly devolved into a hardcore match as countless weapons were introduced. Late in the match, Becky was mercilessly beating Lyra when Bayley decided to interject herself into the match. Late in the bout, with Bayley seemingly taken out by Becky, Bayley climbed onto the ring apron and took a swing at Becky with a chain wrapped around her hand. Lynch avoided the blow and instead it landed square in the face of Lyra. Becky then put away Lyra with the Manhandle Slam to retain her title.

United States Championship
Solo Sikoa (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
Winner: Solo Sikoa

Jacob Fatu sought to regain his United States Championship as the match was contested within a steel cage to help mitigate interference by Solo’s NFTs. In the end, it wasn’t enough. Fatu and Solo found themselves jockeying for position in an attempt to escape the cage through the door. Talla Tonga then slammed the door in Fatu’s face allowing Solo to escape and retain his title.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
AJ Styles vs. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio (c)
Winner: Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

AJ Styles had been stalking Mysterio for several weeks as he continued to duck “The Phenomenal One” with a supposed rib injury. Late in the match, Dom’s boot came off as Styles attempted a Calf Crusher submission on him. The referee was briefly distracted moments later after avoiding a collision with Styles allowing Dom to strike Styles with the boot. Mysterio then climbed to the top turnbuckle and landed the Frogsplash to allow him to secure the pinfall.

Undisputed WWE Championship Street Fight
Johnny Cena (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
Winner: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

Cody Rhodes finally earned his rematch with John Cena, following his loss to him at WrestleMania 41, after winning the King of the Ring tournament. John Cena appeared poised to retain his title after he executed an Avalanche AA, however, Cody was able to rally as he delivered an Avalanche Cody Cutter (even though it looked more like an awkward bulldog) through a table. Rhodes then covered Cena for the pinfall and regained his title.

Following the match, Cena stood in the ring soaking up the atmosphere when the ultimate shocker of the weekend arrived in the form of Brock Lesnar! Lesnar made his way to the ring and delivered an F5 to Cena before exiting the stadium.

WWE Backlash 2025

By Steve Ward

The fallout from WrestleMania 41 culminated this evening in St. Louis, Missouri as WWE presented Backlash from the Enterprise Arena. This evening’s card featured five bouts with four holding a title in the balance and was headlined by John Cena defending his Universal Championship against Randy Orton.

United States Championship Fatal Four Way

Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest vs. LA Knight

Winner: Jacob Fatu via pinfall

 

The tempo of this match remained at a fever pitch throughout. Late in the contest, Priest took both himself and Drew McIntyre out of the match after delivering a South of Heaven from the top of a sound crate through a pair of tables. LA Knight then laid Fatu out on the announce table and scaled to the top rope. First, Solo Sikoa emerged to pull Fatu out of harm’s way. As Knight pursued Solo, he was blindsided by an unknown assailant soon revealed as Jeff Cobb! Knight was then thrown into the ring and served up for Fatu to put him away.

 

Women’s Intercontinental Championship

Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria (c)

Winner: Lyra Valkyria via pinfall

 

These two women teamed up at WrestleMania to claim the Women’s Tag Team Championship only to lose them 24 hours later on RAW. This caused The Man to reveal her true colors and lay waste to Lyra leading us to tonight’s encounter. Both women pulled out all stops but, in the end, Lyra withstood multiple Manhandle Slams, the Disarm Her, and an exposed turnbuckle to end up winning with a pinfall reversal.

 

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Dominik Mysterio (c) vs. Penta

Winner: Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

 

After Penta was cost his chance at claiming the Intercontinental Championship on RAW recently, he was granted another opportunity tonight. Late in the match, The Judgement Day tried to get involved only to be stopped by the referee and banned from ringside. While the referee was still distracted, El Grande Americano emerged to headbutt Penta with a loaded mask. This set the stage for Mysterio to hit the frogsplash and seal his victory.

 

Gunther vs. Pat McAfee

Winner: Gunther via submission

 

The night following WrestleMania Gunther took exception to the commentary being delivered by Michael Cole and Pat McAfee and assaulted the two. That prompted McAfee to call out Gunther bringing us to tonight. McAfee made the match interesting and received a little help in the form of outside interference from Michael Cole, but in the end, Gunther put him away with the Sleeper Hold.

 

WWE Universal Championship

Randy Orton vs. John Cena (c)

Winner: John Cena via pinfall

 

John Cena and Randy Orton resumed their 25-year rivalry tonight in Orton’s hometown for possibly the last time with Cena’s new Universal Championship on the line. Randy Orton controlled most of the match and seemed poised to win his 15th world championship until Cena decked the referee inadvertently with the title. In the closing minutes, Orton had Cena squared up for the punt only to be stopped by the man who calls Cena his childhood hero despite being older than him, R-Truth. R-Truth promptly received an RKO for his efforts. As Orton yelled at Truth, who had rolled out to the arena floor, Cena delivered a low blow to Randy. Cena then finished Orton off with a shot to the head with the Universal Championship and pinned him just in time for the referee to recover and count the pinfall.

WWE Wrestlemania Backlash 2021

By Steve Ward

Following two nights of Wrestlemania in front of a capacity crowd at Raymond James Stadium last month, WWE reverted back to their dystopian setting this month as Wrestlemania Backlash emanated from the new home for the WWE Thunderdome, The Yuengling Center on the campus of the University of South Florida. This is a curious development since AEW will present their annual Double or Nothing pay per view in two weeks and have announced they will sell Daily’s Place to capacity - a venue which stands only a couple hours away in Jacksonville. Nonetheless, this evening’s event represented a culmination of the fallout from the “Showcase of the Immortals” as five titles were contested on the six bout card with the headline bout featuring Roman Reigns stepping toe to toe with Cesaro for the Universal Championship.

RAW Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley (c) 

Winner: Rhea Ripley via pinfall

Charlotte firmly reasserted herself in the RAW Women’s division the night after Wrestlemania as she brutally assaulted new champion Rhea Ripley and manipulated her way into a title opportunity. This of course did not sit well with the former champion, Asuka, hence the table being set for our triple threat match this evening. Charlotte established her dominance for much of this bout, however, she would not factor into the decision. In the closing moments, Flair stood on the ring apron and delivered a kick to the face of the charging Asuka. The momentum not only drove Charlotte to the arena floor, but also set up Asuka for the Riptide which solidified Ripley’s title defense.

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship

Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio

Winners: Rey & Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

This contest was originally supposed to feature Rey teaming with his son Dominik until Roode and Ziggler brutally attacked him backstage during the Kickoff Show. Rather than find another partner, Mysterio elected to challenge for the titles on his own. Rey put forth a valiant effort to open the match, however, it did not take long for the numbers game to eventually overwhelm him. After being the recipient of a vicious beat down, topped by a Fameasser delivered by Dolph Ziggler, a hobbled Dominik Mysterio made his way to ringside to aid his father. Dominik’s presence revitalized Rey as they turned the tide of the bout. In the closing moments, Rey executed the 619 on Roode. Rey then proceeded to tag in his son who delivered a Frogsplash from the top rope crowning the first ever father-son tag team champions in WWE history.

Lumberjack Match

The Miz w/ John Morrison vs. Damian Priest

Winner: Damian Priest via pinfall

After being embarrassed by Damian Priest and Bad Bunny at Wrestlemania, The Miz sought retribution this evening. Following his victory over John Morrison on Monday night, Priest was able to name the stipulation for tonight’s match and elected for a Lumberjack Match. With the event being sponsored by Dave Bautista’s movie Army of the Dead, WWE elected to make all of the lumberjacks…zombies…yes, you read that correctly. In the closing moments, Priest was able to withstand a running knee from The Miz and finished him off with the Hit the Lights for the pinfall. Following the match, The Miz was swarmed by the zombie lumberjacks as Priest escaped the ring.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley

Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall

Belair found herself in the crosshairs of Bayley following her victory at Wrestlemania as the former champ has made it a point to regain her title especially after being left off the card at WWE’s signature event. I’ll be quite honest, this match didn’t hold a candle to the triple threat contest that opened the show. The closing moments saw Bayley attempt a pinfall only to have Belair use her excessively long hair to create leverage and reverse the pin to retain her title.

WWE Championship Triple Threat Match

Bobby Lashley (c) w/ MVP vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman

Winner: Bobby Lashley via pinfall

Following his retention of the WWE title over McIntyre at Wrestlemania, Bobby Lashley again found himself set to defend his championship against him at Backlash following Drew’s victory over Randy Orton recently on RAW. As if this weren’t enough, Braun Strowman reestablished his dominance in recent weeks and manipulated his way into the bout as well stacking the deck against “The Almighty” Bobby Lashley. Early in the match, Lashley and McIntyre found themselves engulfed in a brawl at the top of the entrance ramp that concluded with Drew thrusting the champion through an LED display which erupted in sparks. McIntyre and Strowman proceeded to demolish the arena and each other as Lashley was out of the equation. In the closing moments, McIntyre delivered the Claymore Kick to Strowman before he was ambushed by Lashley who ejected Drew from the ring. Lashley proceeded to deliver a devastating spear to Strowman setting up the pinfall victory.

WWE Universal Championship

Roman Reigns (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. Cesaro

Winner: Roman Reigns via submission

Following monumental wins over Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania and recently on Smackdown, Cesaro found himself competing for his first world title in WWE. Cesaro had one of his finest matches, however, it just wasn’t enough in the end as Roman also put worth one of the most well-rounded efforts I’ve ever seen where he actually utilized more than three moves and demonstrated legitimate technical expertise. In the end, Roman cinched in a guillotine choke that rendered Cesaro unconscious and allowed him to retain his title. Following the match, Jey Uso entered the ring and praised the “Tribal Chief” for his victory. As if this wasn’t enough, Seth Rollins then made his way to ringside and proceeded to lay waste to Cesaro with a steel chair and a curb stomp to close the broadcast.

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WWE Payback 2020

By Steve Ward

Just one week after Summerslam, the Quarantine Era continued as WWE returned with Payback from the Thunderdome (aka The Amway Center) in Orlando, Florida. The composure of the card bears a semblance of what WWE wished last week’s event had been and they decided they wanted a do-over. Tonight’s show featured seven matches with three titles defended. This event also marked the return to in-ring action for Roman Reigns after an extensive layoff due to concerns over COVID-19 and his compromised immune system stemming from his battles with leukemia.

United States Championship Bobby Lashley w/ MVP & Shelton Benjamin vs. Apollo Crews (c) Winner: Bobby Lashley via submission

Weeks of feuding between The Hurt Business and Apollo Crews came to a head this evening. After Crews successfully defended his title against MVP last Sunday, he met a more formidable foe tonight in U.S. Army veteran Bobby Lashley. Lashley overcame Apollo in a hard fought contest as he locked in the Full Lashley (his rendition of the Full Nelson) for the submission victory.

Sheamus vs. Big E Winner: Big E via pinfall

In a match described by the commentary team as one to help potentially propel the winner into a future title shot, we were presented with the first card-filler bout of the evening. With virtually no real buildup, Sheamus, who recently concluded his program with Jeff Hardy a few weeks back with a loss in their barroom brawl, was pitted against Big E who has been acclimating to singles competition again with his New Day cohorts on the shelf. Sheamus appeared he was in a prime position for the submission victory as he had Big E locked into a heel hook, however, Big E fought his way out with several strikes to the head. Sheamus proceeded to size up Big E for the Brogue Kick but was welcomed with a power bomb followed by the Big Ending to solidify the victory.

King Corbin vs. Matt Riddle Winner: Matt Riddle via pinfall In the second card-filler bout of the evening, arguably the most hated man in WWE, King Corbin, was pitted against former mixed martial artist Matt Riddle as he continues to acquire his footing following his promotion from NXT to Smackdown. As the match approached it’s conclusion, Corbin executed the Deep Six, however, it wasn’t enough to seal the deal. Riddle was able to turn the tides by first executing the Bro to Sleep (his version of CM Punk’s Go to Sleep) and then the Floating Bro for the upset victory.

Women’s Tag Team Championship Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax vs. Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) Winners: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax via submission

Two women who were conspicuously omitted from the Summerslam card last week were thrown together this week as a rather imposing duo to challenge for the tag team titles. It appeared that Banks and Bayley were going to skate by after Banks executed a frog splash but Jax was able to kick out. In the final moments of the match, The Queen of Spades displayed her submission prowess as she locked up Banks with a Muta Lock and Bayley with the Kirifuda Clutch simultaneously! As Sasha tried to fight her way out, Baszler used Banks’ arm to further choke out her partner leading to the tap out and crowning of new champs.

Randy Orton vs. Keith Lee Winner: Keith Lee via pinfall

This contest pit two men coming off of main event losses last weekend against each other in an interesting encounter. Randy Orton’s meteoric momentum came to a screeching halt last Sunday at Summerslam as he lost his bid at the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre. On the other hand, Keith Lee suffered defeat and the loss of his NXT Championship last Saturday at NXT Takeover XXX to Karrion Kross which opened the door for his debut this past Monday on RAW where he interrupted the Legend Killer as he addressed the WWE Universe. This interruption lead to a bout between the two that was prematurely ended by a McIntyre interruption bringing us this rematch tonight. This exceedingly physical match concluded in absolutely shocking fashion. Orton’s attempt at an RKO was foiled as Lee reversed it into the Spirit Bomb for the upset victory.

Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy Winners: Rey and Dominik Mysterio via pinfall

The ongoing saga between the Mysterio family and “The Monday Nigh Messiah” Seth Rollins added yet another chapter this evening. Following Dominik’s loss to Rollins in his debut match last Sunday, he teamed with his father tonight to do battle with Rollins and his disciple, Buddy Murphy. After Murphy accidentally struck Rollins in the head, the opening presented itself for the Mysterios to take control. Rey kept Rollins at bay outside the ring as Dominik first executed his father’s patented 619 and then the frog splash for the victory.

WWE Universal Championship “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman Winner: Roman Reigns via pinfall

After The Fiend defeated Strowman last Sunday for the Universal Championship, Roman Reigns shocked everyone as he emerged to lay waste to both men. This week it was announced that the title would be defended in a triple threat match, however, at the conclusion of Smackdown this past Friday, Roman was found discussing the contract for the match with Paul Heyman - could he be the latest Paul Heyman Guy?? The early moments of the match were absolute carnage as Roman Reigns did not make his appearance in the match while Strowman and The Fiend destroyed each other and the ring - literally. After The Fiend suplexed Strowman off the top rope, the ring literally collapsed. Reigns found this to be his window of opportunity to make his way to the ring with Paul Heyman in tow. Roman was unable to put away The Fiend and could have succumbed to the Mandible Claw if he hadn’t kicked Wyatt in his manhood. Reigns then turned his attention to Strowman who he speared to reclaim his Universal Championship.

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