Roman Reigns’ Epic Return and Biggest Takeaways from WWE SummerSlam 2024 Results

Erik BeastonAugust 4, 2024Roman Reigns’ Epic Return and Biggest Takeaways from WWE SummerSlam 2024 Results0 of 7

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WWE presented The Biggest Party of the Summer Saturday night in Cleveland with a card that featured the culmination of the hottest stories in the company, the latest chapter in the top rivalries and the coronation of new champions.

It also featured the long-awaited return of Roman Reigns, who left no doubt in anyone’s mind as to who the real Tribal Chief is.

The blockbuster event changed the landscape of WWE, but what were the biggest takeaways from the show at Cleveland Browns Stadium?

Find out with this recap of SummerSlam 2024.

Dom Turn Makes Rhea Ripley Legitimate Main Event Babyface1 of 7

SummerSlam kicked off Saturday night with the revelation that Dominik Mysterio was, in fact, a two-timing scumbag as he assisted Liv Morgan in retaining her Women’s World Championship over Rhea Ripley and then shared a kiss with the victor.

The shocking development, if you could call it that, completed Morgan’s Revenge Tour and elevated Ripley to main event babyface status.

As important as the relationship between Mami and Mysterio was in their rise to stardom as part of The Judgment Day and the fans’ acceptance of those two in a high-profile position on Raw, there was always going to be a ceiling on her popularity based on fans’ hatred for Dom.

WWE @WWEDOM and MAMI are THROUGH!!! 💔#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/18zsVz7vKV

With that relationship dissolved and Ripley now the vengeful heroine and scorned lover, fans can finally give her their full support in her quest to avenge her humiliation.

The next chapter of this story will catapult Ripley to the top of the company where she will join Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Damian Priest, LA Knight and (presumably) Roman Reigns as the top babyfaces. That’s mostly because she has faced adversity and the WWE Universe has a reason to invest in her emotionally.

If you believe Ripley was already one of the faces of WWE, expect even bigger and better things from The Eradicator beginning as soon as Monday night on Raw.

Intercontinental Championship Win Ushers in the Bron Breakker Era in WWE2 of 7

Bron Breakker was widely expected to be one of the Superstars around whom WWE’s future was built the moment he debuted on NXT and subsequently won the gold brand’s world title.

After just under three years with NXT, he made his main roster debut and then impacted Monday nights as part of the Raw roster.

Saturday night, he rebounded from a Money in the Bank loss to defeat Sami Zayn clean in the center of the ring and win the Intercontinental Championship.

It was a defining moment for the second-generation star and one that will be looked back upon as the start of WWE’s Bron Breakker Era.

An incredible athlete who can move around the ring at ridiculous speeds and inflict damage thanks to a devastating power-based offense, the 26-year-old has all of the tools necessary to be the top star in the company for the foreseeable future.

He will have to wait his turn, though, as all young stars do.

But don’t be be surprised if Saturday night in Cleveland is looked upon as a moment for Breakker that John Cena’s win over Big Show at WrestleMania XX for the United States Championship or Randy Orton’s win over Rob Van Dam for the intercontinental title was for those era-defining Superstars.

LA Knight Pays Off Years-Long Journey with Deserved US Championship Victory3 of 7

In September 2015, LA Knight competed in a Street Fight against Tommy Dreamer as part of a TNA Wrestling house show at a state fair in York, Pennsylvania, under his previous moniker, Eli Drake.

There were maybe a couple hundred fans in attendance. The prospect of the Maryland-born competitor succeeding at the highest levels in professional wrestling seemed rather unlikely.

Nearly a decade and a grueling journey later, Knight defeated Logan Paul in front of 50,000-plus fans at SummerSlam to win the United States Championship.

The Megastar had built momentum for the last year, succeeding as an overwhelmingly popular babyface in wrestling’s top promotion, acknowledged by the biggest star of the last 15 years, John Cena.

Every time he had a shot at winning championship gold, though, he fell short.

His inability to capture a top prize in WWE was at the center of the storyline with Paul, who did not miss an opportunity to remind Knight of how quickly he entered the wrestling game and struck gold.

The cocky social media star was silenced Saturday. Paul’s use of his trademark brass knuckles backfired as Knight shook off a glancing blow and delivered BFT to secure the win and his first main roster championship.

It was a triumphant moment for a journeyman who has witnessed his star rise over the last 12 months and finally had his hard work and dedication pay off in the form of a defining moment on one of the biggest stages WWE has to offer.

How he follows up the win and whether the fans stay with him now that the chase is over will be interesting moving forward. If the passion that has greeted The Megastar in arenas across the globe is any indication, Knight has nothing to worry about as he embarks on a run that was earned long ago.

Nia Jax’s Championship Win Highlights Underwhelming Bayley Run4 of 7

Many were skeptical of Nia Jax’s return to WWE last September, but she has spent the last year proving she is a better in-ring performer than ever before.

She won the Queen of the Ring tournament in May by halting Lyra Valkyria’s momentum and defeating her after the damnedest Annihilator.

Jax paid off her rise to the top of the WWE mountain Saturday night, capitalizing on a mid-match distraction from Tiffany Stratton to overpower Bayley and end her reign as WWE women’s champion.

It was a culmination of a journey back to the company with whom she made her name. With the specific goal of proving her doubters wrong, she returned better and more determined to establish herself as a character and an in-ring presence.

It worked, and the result was a triumphant moment for a performer who worked to improve every facet of her game and prove she was championship-worthy.

Jax’s triumph also served to highlight how underwhelming Bayley’s run as champion was.

After her defining women’s Royal Rumble win and a legitimate Match of the Year candidate against Iyo Sky at WrestleMania, Bayley became a champion with no real direction. She waited for contenders to be determined, successfully defended against them and moved on to the next one with no story.

Saturday, her reign ended not with a bang, but a whimper.

Maybe that means Bayley will have the opportunity to rebuild momentum by chasing Jax and combating Stratton. Perhaps she finds backup to do battle against the duo.

Whatever the case, it has to be better than the creative, or lack thereof, that went into a reign that had started with so much promise on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Strong Booking Gives Drew McIntyre Needed Win, Sets Up CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins5 of 7

The rivalry between CM Punk, Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins drew comparisons to the SummerSlam 1997 classic between Bret Hart and The Undertaker, in which The Hitman’s primary rival, Shawn Michaels, was the guest referee.

With The Visionary sporting the zebra stripes Saturday night, it was expected that he would influence the outcome of Punk and McIntyre’s hotly anticipated match, but how that happened would ultimately determine the success of the entire ordeal.

In a match that easily could have been an overbooked mess, Triple H and the creative team tiptoed a narrow line and delivered a successful conclusion to one chapter of the story while introducing the next.

McIntyre got his much-needed win after eating losses for most of the year. It was a measure of revenge for The Scottish Warrior, achieved via underhanded and questionable circumstances, just as it should be for a top heel.

Those circumstances?

Punk’s inability to set aside his issues with Rollins and stay focused on defeating his main rival.

The finish of Saturday’s match set up McIntyre to enjoy bragging rights moving forward into whatever he does next while setting the stage for the WrestleMania match we were robbed of this year in Punk vs. Rollins.

A match of this magnitude, easily the most anticipated of the show, could have become a mess that disappointed fans. Instead, it concluded one chapter and wrote the introductory paragraph of the next, ensuring Punk’s narrative continues.

How the fans react to him in a program against the beloved Rollins bears watching, though.

Gunther’s Championship Win, Finn Bálor Betrayal Reinvents The Judgment Day6 of 7

The Judgment Day as we know it is no more.

Just hours after Dominik Mysterio betrayed Rhea Ripley and revealed his relationship with Liv Morgan, Finn Bálor showed his true colors, placing Gunther’s leg over the bottom rope and costing Damian Priest a successful defense of the World Heavyweight Championship.

Gunther put Priest to sleep, forcing the referee to call for the bell as the deceitful Bálor watched on, pleased with his actions and all they meant to the future of The Judgment Day.

With Priest and Ripley out of the way, the Irishman has a clear path to assuming the role of leader. He likely manipulated and schemed his way here while instigating the sneaky relationship between Mysterio and Morgan, all while playing innocent when pressed by Priest.

It is a much-needed redesign for the faction, which has dominated Raw for so long that it ran the risk of growing stale. With Priest and Ripley sure to be intent on avenging their betrayals, and Bálor, Mysterio and Morgan forming a powerful trio atop the group, it will be intriguing to see how much things change.

What won’t change is the world champion as Gunther won his first World Heavyweight Championship and will now embark on a run that he hopes rivals his NXT UK and Intercontinental Championship reigns.

A wrestler who considers the mat game sacred, it will be interesting to see who steps up first to challenge him in time for Bash in Berlin on Aug. 31, when The Ring General is likely to be the overwhelming fan favorite.

Enter Drew McIntyre, perhaps?

Whatever the case, the coronation of Gunther and the evolution of The Judgment Day guarantees Raw will look much different beginning Monday night.

Roman Reigns Returns to Reclaim His Spot at Head of the Table7 of 7

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Roman Reigns made his expected return in the closing moments of the Bloodline Rules match for the Undisputed WWE Championship, leveling Solo Sikoa with a Superman Punch and Spear, and setting up Cody Rhodes to retain his title.

WWE @WWEROMAN REIGNS IS BACK!#SummerSlam pic.twitter.com/a49hy66nzo

With “OTC” adorning his chest, the Original Tribal Chief staked his claim to his spot as the Head of the Table and kicked off a Bloodline civil war that will see him battle Sikoa and his faction, including Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa and the seemingly unstoppable Jacob Fatu.

Hopefully, what appeared to be a significant injury suffered by the latter following a top-rope splash through the announce table on Rhodes was not as serious as it appeared.

Reigns is now unequivocally a babyface, a role he has not filled in four years. Considering that he was never really accepted in that spot anyway, it’s new territory for the former undisputed WWE universal champion.

Unlike his first run as the top hero in the WWE Universe, he returns to a fanbase ready to cheer him on. The fans want to appreciate and acknowledge him in a way he has never been previously.

How he responds and whether he can keep the edge that made him one of the most engaging and interesting stars in WWE over the last four years will bear watching.

For now, though, the pop Reigns received as he made his way to the ring was undeniable and one of the most unforgettable moments in SummerSlam history.