Time for the first big event of the Stephanie McMahon-Triple H era. Let's see how it plays out.
Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch was a great choice for an opener. The two had tremendous energy and I really do think Bianca is great at rising to the challenge for big moments. The ending was fine, but the return of Bayley, Dakota Kai and Io Shirai set up some interesting storylines going forward, particularly if Big Time Becks is a face now.
I did NOT enjoy Logan Paul vs. The Miz. Logan just doesn't have it yet, and even the smoke and mirrors of AJ Styles and Ciampa wasn't enough to overshadow Paul's clunky style. I'm hoping he's only around for big events and not every week...
Bobby Lashley vs. Theory was okay for what it was... but I keep getting the sick feeling that we could end up seeing Theory as champion tonight (shudders).
The Mysterios vs. Judgment Day was fun to watch and the Edge return was very much expected here. I just wonder where Balor, Priest and Ripley go from here. So far, this show is not inspiring a lot of confidence...
Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin was fun. Maybe not PPV quality overall, but I always enjoy McAfee in the ring. I'd be fine seeing him every once in a while like this.
The Street Profits vs. The Usos has probably been match of the night so far... not that the bar has been particularly high. I'm still trying to figure out why Jeff Jarrett was brought in as the referee, though. Kind of a head scratcher there. But a great contest two very good teams.
I really enjoyed Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey as they're still working hard at getting Liv over, and her performance is backing it up. Definitely enjoyed the (long overdue) Ronda heel turn at the end - perfect positioning for her right now.
That main event was one of the most enjoyable matches I've seen in some time, and especially between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. Some things we've never seen before, including Brock making mincemeat out of the ring. But even without the bells and whistles, these guys were having a super brutal, stiff match throughout. I'm glad we didn't get the Theory cash-in and instead the finish made tons of sense. A really fun yet tense match throughout the night.
Was this the greatest SummerSlam ever? Nope. But the final three matches saved what was otherwise going to be a kind of middle of the road show.