SummerSlam 2026 Review – A Two Night Show For The Ages

SummerSlam Night 1 Recap

For two unforgettable nights in Minneapolis, Minnesota, SummerSlam reminded the wrestling world why it remains WWE’s premier event outside of WrestleMania. The Biggest Party of the Summer blended emotional storytelling, career-defining performances, shocking returns, and spectacular in-ring action. WWE delivered a weekend that will be remembered as one of the strongest SummerSlams in recent history.

Kicking off the show was the Women’s World Champion, Liv Morgan, defending against the ever-dangerous Iyo Sky. There were already some feelings, both ways, about this match considering Morgan hadn’t defended her title in 100+ days. I remember there used to be a “rule” that said the champion must defend their title within 30 days. I understand that this was always more of a story guideline rather than an actual rule, but it was always something that bothered me, I digress…

Morgan Flies High Against Iyo

Morgan came out like a Fourth of July firework, her tenacity seemed only effective in short, controlled bursts against a much more technical Sky. Her technicality, effective strikes, and speed were something that Morgan seemed to have overlooked. Sky provided the match’s highlights as many expected the Queen of the Ring to do. There came a point in the match when things were not looking good for Morgan. Despite the attempted interference by Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez, Sky was able to maintain a fierce onslaught against Morgan, which included a Spanish Fly from the top rope, a German Suplex onto the edge of the apron, and a flip that helped her evade an Oblivion. In the end, it was Morgan who hit a disastrous Code Breaker followed by an Oblivion to secure her continued title reign. 

Overall, it was a good match, but I think it gave Morgan more credit than what was deserved. A champ who hadn’t defended her title in over 100 days took such a beating from the dominant Sky and was still able to snag the win? The Genius of the Sky was responsible for the match’s best spots and dazzled with her aerial offense and defense, not a terrible way to kick things off.

A Tag-Team Match And The Long-Awaited Return Of Nick Aldis

The six-man tag featuring LA Knight, Solo Sikoa & Royce Keys against Jacob Fatu & The Usos met my expectations. Jacob Fatu bulldozed through his opponents with frightening athleticism, while Royce Keys had his breakout moment by delivering an incredible powerslam to Fatu over the barricade. Solo Sikoa was the ever-charismatic babyface that kept the whole crowd engaged and entertained. Especially with his taunting, rolling back Jey’s theme music only to lead everyone in a YEET-fest of his own style. The chemistry between the unlikely trio of Knight, Solo, and Keys made for entertaining storytelling, and LA Knight sealed the victory with a thunderous BFT that had the stadium erupting.

Long-awaited and highly anticipated, Nick Aldis made his WWE in-ring debut against Gunther. Even after being absent from a wrestling ring for 3 years, Aldis proved he belonged and looked the part too! (Smackdown GM looked FIT!) Aldis stood toe-to-toe with “The Ring General,” trading vicious chops. In an attempt to get in the head of Aldis, Gunther took to the outside to exchange words with Aldis’s wife, Mickie James. Aldis showed signs of life as he attempted the Kingsland Cloverleaf multiple times and was even successful once.

Gunther Locks It In

Gunther dragged himself from the center of the ring to the ropes, but Aldis had enough strength to pull him right back to the middle. Scraping his way, inch by inch, Gunther was able to eventually find the ropes to break the hold. It was the glimmer of hope that both Aldis and the WWE Universe had that ended up fading. Gunther got to his feet to pull Aldis in for a powerbomb that hit hard, but the fire in Aldis kept him alive and able to kick out at 2.

Gunther had enough and synched in the sleeper and even to a strong attempt to fight out of it, Gunther was able to wrap his legs around the Smackdown GM and lock it in even deeper, forcing Aldis to tap. Although Gunther picked up the victory, Aldis celebrated in the ring with Mickie James, their son, and walked away with (I feel) a newfound respect from both the audience and those in the locker room.

Fatal Influence Defeats The Bellas And Punk/Cody Take Each Other On

The six-woman tag saw Fatal Influence defeat The Bella Twins and Paige. However, the headline of this match wasn’t the finish, but the post-match betrayal that many saw coming, as the Bella Twins turned on Paige, creating a new rivalry in the women’s division. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some “Anti-Diva”, but other than to set up their future rivalry and put over Fatal Influence, I didn’t think it was necessary for the Bellas and Paige to have a SummerSlam match. 

In the Undisputed WWE Championship Match, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes delivered a masterclass in storytelling. Cody survived a GTS, Punk escaped Cross Rhodes, and both men repeatedly countered each other’s signature offense and attempted one another’s finishers all in dramatic fashion. Just as it seemed that Cody was going to finally reclaim championship gold, Randy Orton made his shocking return, dropping Rhodes with a devastating RKO that shifted the momentum entirely. After laying Rhodes out, Orton and slithered out of the ring, allowing Punk the moment to capitalize with a GTS and retain the championship. As one of the rumors surrounding SummerSlam, Orton’s return instantly reshaped WWE’s main-event picture and reignited a feud that he felt wasn’t done. 

Then came the main event.

Brock And Oba Take The Night

Everyone knew that despite Lesnar’s background in collegiate wrestling, Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar, inside Hell in a Cell, was going to be less a wrestling match and more a violent collision between two unstoppable forces. Bent steel chairs, bodies crashed through tables, and both men left with permanent reminders of the brutality that occurred within the Hell in a Cell. Right from the opening bell, Femi unleashed a full-force onslaught on Lesnar, but it didn’t take long for Lesnar to take Femi to Suplex City. Completely unfazed, Femi seemed to race Lesnar back to his feet.

After a series of three, Femi seemed as affected as if there were a slight breeze in the stadium. The two took the fight to the outside, where Femi was able to launch Lesnar through a table, round up some steel chairs, and stairs into the ring. However, it was Lesnar who was able to truly capitalize with the furniture as he battered Femi with a combination of steel step bashings and brutal chairshots. A resurgence from Femi led to a massive Fall From Grace that Lesnar was able to kick out of and come back with a giant F5 of his own.

Lesnar Meets His Match

After the F5, Femi seemed to have beaten Lesnar to his feet, so Lesnar hit him with another again, the two reached their feet at the same time, but Femi seemed worse for wear this time. Launching Femi for a third F5, Lesnar curled Femi up for a 1-2 KICKOUT by Femi! The Beast was fuming and brought on more chairshots. Bewildered, not knowing what it would take to keep “The Ruler” down, Lesnar began tearing through the mat and the padding underneath, exposing the wood underneath. Lesnar picked Femi up for what looked like yet another F5, but turned it around and delivered a devastating Tombstone Piledriver onto the exposed wood boards, crossed Femi’s arms in Undertaker fashion, and was left flabbergasted as he kicked out at 2!

Lesnar looked as if he had seen the Deadman himself! Femi rallied to his feet as Lesnar scrambled for a chair. As he wound up to smash “The Beast Slayer”, Femi swung for the fences with a right hook and launched the steel chair clear across the ring. He hoisted Lesnar up and drove him down with another Fall From Grace to give Lesnar his first and only loss inside Hell in a Cell. No one expected either man to climb to the outside of the ring and battle it out atop the cage, but the big man brutality that took place was definitely fun to watch! 

A Sign Of Respect For The Newcomer

The after-match aftermath was a true sign of respect. As Femi celebrated inside the ring, the defeated Lesnar watched on from the ramp. Lesnar walked back into the ring, approached Femi to offer him a handshake, but then changed his mind at the last second and pulled him in for a full-on hug. An embrace that showed mutual respect, an end to a rivalry, and the proverbial passing of the torch as Lesnar grabbed the mic and announced himself as “the past” and Femi as “the future”. 

Night One established momentum and Night Two capitalized on it.

SummerSlam Night 2 Recap

The event was set to kick off with the home run shot of Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn. A match I was personally looking forward to watching. After Zayn’s entrance, Nick Aldis’s voice was heard interrupting the start of the match. Aldis came out in a plaid blue suit to match his black eye, and announced that since he had been reinstated as the Smackdown GM, he was going to “Call it down the middle,” do what’s “best for business,” and add another competitor to this match. The French horns and trumpets sounded off alongside the strong string section, which paved the way for the next competitor, Gunther. With a shit-eating grin on his face, he shook Aldis’s hand, agreeing with his addition and that it most definitely was “best for business”. As Gunther entered the ring to an irate Zayn, Aldis had one more thing to announce.

Kevin Owens Stuns The Field

That this was actually going to be a fatal-4-way match and because of that, there was one more participant left. The heavy low register of an electric guitar struck chords, and the surprise return of Kevin Owens was upon us! My initial excitement for this match had increased exponentially. Zayn’s face went from irate to absolutely dumbfounded, jaw dropped wide open and all. Understandably, since the last time Owens was seen was in an unsanctioned street fight against Zayn himself. Kevin Owens’ surprise return generated one of the loudest ovations of the weekend, immediately injecting fresh life into several ongoing storylines and proving once again that WWE actually does know how to create unforgettable moments.

Owens wasted no time at all unleashing a Stone Cold-sized can of whoop ass on nearly anything moving in that ring. Owens released a series of cannonballs to both Gunther and Balor. As all this unravelled, Zayn stood motionless, still stunned (no pun intended), in the corner. Slowly but surely, the two best friends at one time met in the center of the ring face to face. The two wrapped their arms around one another for a warm embrace. They nodded to one another and proceeded to beat the crap out of each other. The fight was on!! It only took Owens 6 minutes to secure the Number One Contender spot, beating out the 3 massive forces after being sidelined for 17 months. 

Corbin Takes The US Title

The United States Championship Match featured one of SummerSlam’s biggest shrugs. Baron Corbin shocked Trick Williams and was crowned the new United States Champion. His return on Smackdown was surprising, and immediate integration into a championship match seemed thoughtless. Overall, it was Corbin’s veteran instincts that neutralized Trick’s explosiveness. Corbin went outside to grab the title but was met on the apron by Lil Yachty, who was trying to take it from him. Williams came and clocked Corbin, who then pushed Yachty off the apron into a table that was set up ringside. Williams and the official were left concerned for Yachty, which gave Corbin the time to grab the belt, hit Williams with it, dispose of the evidence, deliver an End of Days, and collect the 1-2-3. The two delivered a decent match despite the confusion of the question, “What now?”

The Women’s Championship Ladder Match was exactly the chaotic spectacle fans hoped for. Between Lash Legend, Chelsea Green, Charlotte Flair, Jade Cargill, and Tiffany Stratton, each competitor had memorable moments, but Chelsea Green stole the spotlight by surviving multiple near-disasters before climbing the ladder amid complete mayhem to capture championship gold. Innovative ladder spots, breathtaking dives, and several dramatic save sequences made this one of the weekend’s standout attractions.

Danhausen Gets One Over On Dom

The Human Monies on a Pole Match between Danhausen and the Mega champion Dominik Mysterio was next. So, needless to say, this was my time to go to the bathroom. I’m a fan of Danhausen and some of his comedic antics, but not a fan of gimmick matches like this. It has everything I didn’t want to see. JD McDonah interfered to aid Dirty Dom, only to be attacked by the minihausens along with Toritohausen. McDonah ended up clearing house of all minihausens but was ultimately taken out by Joe Hendry as he Jeff Jarrett-ed him with a guitar over the head. As Mysterio was climbing the pole to gain the human monies, Danhausen cursed him, which set ringpost pyros off in Dom’s face, allowing Danhausen to climb the pole himself, capture the human monies, and share them with the crowd after his win.

The match between Chad Gable and Penta was already said by many to be a contender to steal the show. Expectedly, it produced arguably the purest wrestling match of the weekend. Penta thrilled the audience with his lightning-fast offense and fearless dives, while Gable repeatedly showcased why he’s one of WWE’s most technically gifted performers. After countering the Penta Driver into his trademark Chaos Theory suplex, Gable finally connected with multiple German suplexes before tightening in the ankle-lock securing the Intercontinental Championship in a career-defining performance.

The Main Event Does Not Disappoint

Finally, the weekend culminated with Roman Reigns defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins. Rollins’ mind games continued even through his entrance. As US Bank Stadium awaited the challenger to make his way down, the SHIELD call signs bellowed from the speakers. Fire pyrotechnics flooded the entrance opening, followed by the screams of “BURN IT DOWN!!” The telling entrance was undoubtedly a way to get into Reigns’ head even more. Not to mention Rollins donned the Hounds of Justice Face mask as well, which sadly didn’t go with his white, fuchsia, purple, orange, and green Lady Gaga-like ring attire. 

A Historic Bout Between Roman And Seth

Their history was evident in every exchange. Neither man rushed the action, instead relying on years of shared history to build anticipation. Rollins countered multiple Spears into Pedigrees. Roman kicked out of a Stomp. Superman Punches, Spears, near falls, and dramatic false finishes had the audience believing either man could win at any second. When Roman finally connected with one final Spear to defeat his longtime rival cleanly, it felt like the closing chapter of one of WWE’s greatest rivalries, one that had been built over more than a decade.

The two combatants sat in opposing corners, lifeless and beaten. Reigns staggered to his feet and walked his way to the center of the ring, arm extended, fist in front of him. Rollins pulled himself up, hobbled over, and connected his fist to Reigns’, holding over a Hounds of Justice facemask that Rollins had worn to the ring in his entrance.

Overall, SummerSlam 2026 succeeded because it accomplished everything a major PLE should. It created new stars without diminishing established legends. It rewarded long-term storytelling while planting seeds for the future.

Oba Femi became a made man. CM Punk remained the face of the Undisputed Championship picture. Roman Reigns finally conquered Seth Rollins, while Randy Orton and Kevin Owens reminded everyone that one surprise can change everything.

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