While there was a major title change during WWE’s debut show at the ThunderDome, it was the antics of Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt that will stand out as the main story in the SummerSlam go-home show.
Strowman and Wyatt first came face-to-face in the show, with Wyatt’s Fiend persona breaking up Vince McMahon’s show before Strowman charged to the ring. The two were almost immediately surrounded by the invading Retribution forces before The Fiend disappeared from the ring, causing Strowman to take a blow out of the group.
In the final segment of the show, Strowman invades the Firely Fun House, brutally attacks Wyatt before dragging him through the backstage area and throwing him off the ledge into a loaded dock. When an ambulance took Wyatt away, it suddenly stopped and made a backup when the interior lit up red and De Fiend came out to end the show, sending one last horrific message to Strowman prior to her collision with SummerSlam for Strowman’s Universal Championship: You can attack Wyatt, but that does not stop The Fiend.
CBS Sports was with you all night when WWE debuted the ThunderDome. Read on for information on the win of Jeff Hardy’s big title, as well as for a big change after one of SummerSlam’s planned summers.
WWE SmackDown again, degrees
SmackDown’s dressing room ran away Retribution: McMahon was in the ring to open the show, and tried to welcome fans into the ThunderDome when the lights went out, came red again and De Fiend made his way to the ring. When McMahon took a step back, De Fiend took his own forward, and again with a side step. But Braun Strowman’s music hit and The Monster made its way to the ring. The lights flicker briefly and Retribution surrounds the ring. Strowman and The Fiend nodded before the lights went out, The Fiend disappeared and Strowman was surrounded only in the ring song by Retribution. After striking a blow at Strowman, the SmackDown locker room emptied and the group ran away. An angry Strowman then attacked Drew Gulak and Jey Uso before storming back.
This was probably the best presentation of the battle between deoster and Retribution, in which deoster was not overwhelmed when it came to a head-to-head confrontation. There was a moment where it seemed like Strowman and Wyatt were about to end Retribution right there and there, but The Fiend Disappeared was a solid way to show that he’s still ahead of Strowman, even as Strowman descends to be The Monster. Quality: B
Big E def. Sheamus fia pinfall: Things got almost rough, with Big E taking Sheamus outside and grabbing him with a shoulder to knock him into the ring steps. During the game, the locker room continued to surround the ring, with The Miz, who later got into a fight with Retribution, appearing particularly nervous when he witnessed the entrance disaster. The lights started flashing during the match as the show was cut to commercial. The hard-hitting hit continued until a brawl broke out at rideside between King Corbin and Matt Riddle, a distraction that allowed Big E to score a rollup for the win. This was just the right kind of TV game, a classic Big E “big men slaughter meat” battle and a clutch I want to see a lot more. Quality: B
SmackDown Tag Team Championship – Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro def. Lucha House Party via pinfall to retain the titles: Miz and John Morrison were shown backstage cutting a promo and making fun of both teams. The action in ring was, as expected, very solid, with Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, Nakamura and Cesaro all being excellent wrestlers. The end came when Cesaro added an extra flip with a block of a Dorado rana to score the jackknife pin to retain the titles. An angry Kalisto hit the ring after the game and got into a terrible match with Dorado over the loss. Finally, a short match that was still a treat and a bit of a confusing corner of the post-match. Class: B-
Stakes raised for Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville by SummerSlam: Rose said she still does not know how she is doing after the past few weeks. She then said that she still wants to believe that there is still good in this world before speaking “directly” to Deville, and the camera told that in her past they have been so many good and wonderful things that she has the choice to to believe that her friend is still in it. Rose then asked to put her problems behind her, and choose to see the good in her ex-boyfriend prior to her planned hair vs. hair contest for SummerSlam. Later in the show, Deville responded by increasing the stakes for the game, leaving the game disqualified and leaving with the loser WWE.
Naomi challenges both Bayley and Sasha Banks: Corey Graves asked if the duo split, a response received a resounding “no”. Bayley said they were the only two women who could wear two straps at the same time. Bayley said at the time that her decision to go against Asuka at SummerSlam was “just a suggestion”, and made a brief argument when Banks was afraid they would have to go first. The couple was then interrupted by Naomi, who challenged both women and accepted Banks for the couple. Graves then suggested it would be a “beat the clock challenge”.
Sasha Banks def. Naomi in 3:39 in part 1 of the beat the clock challenge: Naomi went hard and fast to start the game, as did Banks, who both sought to end the game quickly. Things ended with a Banks Statement at the 3:39 mark. Bayley immediately jumped into the ring and threw a knee into Naomi’s head, gaining a small advantage for her own match.
Naomi def. Bayley in part 2 of the beat the clock challenge: Bayley was firmly in control to start the game, but Naomi won from close range with a Rear View, beating Bayley with more than two minutes left on the clock. After the pin was revealed that Banks was behaving before worrying about her partner. After the match, Asuka joined the entry ramp and announced that she would be The Empress Of Every Title at SummerSlam. Banks ran to attack and was knocked out by an Asuka kick before Asuka also ran to the ring and put a shot on Bayley. Bayley then ran up the ramp and left Banks lying on the ramp. The game before and after the game was very good, but the games with Naomi were so short that it did not make any sense. The entire segment was executed by play outside the matches. Class: B-
Intercontinental Championship – Jeff Hardy def. AJ Styles via pinfall to win the title: In the previous battle with Retribution, Styles stomped Hardy’s knee from behind, injuring him on the head during the match. Hardy, holding badly through the match, took advantage of every early chance before throwing Styles over the top sail where the champion slipped on the floor. Stilen then pushed Hardy’s knee into the fork to take him over. Hardy kept fighting back, but when he tried to jump to the top sail, he stumbled and fell to the mat due to the bad knee. Styles tried to take advantage with a Phenomenal Forearm, but Hardy countered with a punch to the gut. Styles was able to lock up a bare crusher a moment later, but Hardy reached the bottom sail. Hardy opposed a Styles Clash with a kick that struck Styles with a knee brace. A Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb later, Hardy won the championship. The wrestling and storytelling here was great, with Hardy fighting against the odds and grabbing the controversial win to keep the issues between the two. The in-ring work throughout the entire show remained at a high level of the opening match between Big E and Sheamus through this title change. Quality: B +
Braun Strowman invades Bray Wyatt’s Firefly Fun House: Wyatt discussed the impact “too much love” can have on anything, before introducing a recreation of the relationship between Braun Strowman and Alexa Bliss with Huskus and Ramblin ‘Rabbit. Wyatt took trouble telling the story before interrupting and saying love only led to pain and suffering, suggesting that everyone would be more than “him”, built on anger and driven by anger. Wyatt snorted before asking, “What took you so long?” Strowman ran in and attacked Wyatt before pulling him away, saying, “I’m not done with you.” After a commercial break, Strowman continued to attack Wyatt backstage before throwing himself off a ledge into the loading dock area. Wyatt was loaded into an ambulance that started driving before backing up and illuminating the inside red and De Fiend got out of the back.
No one can say they are not after something unique with these two. Despite many previous missteps, this was a nice little segment ahead of SummerSlam. If there’s one complaint, it breaks the firefly of the Firefly Fun House by having it right now “somewhere behind the scenes,” when Strowman Wyatt dragged through the backstage area after invasion. Quality: B
